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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Oriental religions
After mastering the Inner Alchemy practices of Lesser Kan and Li
and Greater Kan and Li, the advanced student is now ready for the
refinement of the soul and spirit made possible through the
practice of the Greatest Kan and Li. With full-color illustrated
instructions, Master Mantak Chia and Andrew Jan explain how to
establish the cauldron at the Heart Center to collect cosmic light,
activate the Cranial and Sacral Pumps, and align the Three Triangle
Forces. They detail how merging energy at the Heart Center then
leads to the birth of the immortal spirit body, uniting you with
the Tao and allowing you to draw limitless energy and power from
the Cosmos. The authors explain the proper Pi Gu diet and herbs to
use in conjunction with Kan and Li practice and provide warm-up
exercises, such as meditations to expel the three Worms, or "Death
Bringers," that can imbalance the three Tan Tiens, leading to
misdirection in your sexual, material, and spiritual goals.
Revealing the ancient path of Inner Alchemy used for millennia by
Taoist masters to create the "Pill of Immortality," the authors
show that the unitive state of oneness with the Tao made possible
through Kan and Li practice represents true immortality by allowing
past and future, Heaven and Earth, to become one.
The Lieh-Tzu ranks with the Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu as one of the
most eloquent and influential expositions of Taoist philosophy.
This definitive translation by Professor Graham does full justice
to the subtlety of thought and literary effectiveness of the text.
A. C. Graham is one of the most distinguished Sinologists working
today.
Despite its enduring popularity both in China and worldwide, the
Yijing is often poorly understood. As a divinatory text, it has a
devoted following in the western hemisphere, even as it represents
a foundational text of both Confucianism and Daoism. A fascination
with the Yijing has been evident among western scholars since the
Enlightenment, as well as in notable modern literary and artistic
figures. This book provides an introduction for the general reader
to this classic sacred text. Joseph A. Adler explains its
multi-layered structure, its origins, its history of interpretation
from the early first millennium BCE up to the present day, its
function of divination, its significance in the history of Chinese
thought, and its modern transformations. He explores why the Yijing
has been considered the most profound expression of traditional
Chinese thought and what meaning it can have for contemporary
readers.
How can Daoism, China's indigenous religion, give us the aesthetic,
ethical, political, and spiritual tools to address the root causes
of our ecological crisis and construct a sustainable future? In
China's Green Religion, James Miller shows how Daoism orients
individuals toward a holistic understanding of religion and nature.
Explicitly connecting human flourishing to the thriving of nature,
Daoism fosters a "green" subjectivity and agency that transforms
what it means to live a flourishing life on earth. Through a
groundbreaking reconstruction of Daoist philosophy and religion,
Miller argues for four key, green insights: a vision of nature as a
subjective power that informs human life; an anthropological idea
of the porous body based on a sense of qi flowing through
landscapes and human beings; a tradition of knowing founded on the
experience of transformative power in specific landscapes and
topographies; and an aesthetic and moral sensibility based on an
affective sensitivity to how the world pervades the body and the
body pervades the world. Environmentalists struggle to raise
consciousness for their cause, Miller argues, because their
activism relies on a quasi-Christian concept of "saving the earth."
Instead, environmentalists should integrate nature and culture more
seamlessly, cultivating through a contemporary intellectual
vocabulary a compelling vision of how the earth materially and
spiritually supports human flourishing.
For more than two thousand years, the writings of the Confucian
philosopher Mengzi have been a source of guidance and inspiration
for those set on doing something to improve the state of the world.
In Doing What You Really Want, Franklin Perkins presents a
coherent, systematic, and accessible explanation of Mengzi's
philosophy. He covers everything from the place of human beings in
nature, to human psychology and philosophy of emotions, to the
various ways in which we can deliberately change and cultivate
ourselves. Mengzi was concerned not just with theory but also
effective action. Perkins thus includes a collection of practical
advice and a Confucian analysis of politics oriented toward how
individuals can make a difference in the world. These topics are
integrated around Mengzi's philosophy as a way of life dedicated to
changing the world, providing an alternative approach for
understanding the contemporary relevance of Confucianism. Mengzi
offers theoretical and practical resources valuable for anyone
concerned with integrating efforts to improve the world with
personal fulfillment and a sense of belonging. Rather than giving
an overview, this is a focused work of philosophy that delves
deeply into the most relevant themes of Mengzi's thought. The core
philosophical system is drawn from Mengzi, but the book regularly
incorporates other Confucian materials, making this volume a useful
introduction to Confucian thought.
Buddhist Revitalization and Chinese Religions in Malaysia tells the
story of how a minority community comes to grips with the
challenges of modernity, history, globalization, and cultural
assertion in an ever-changing Malaysia. It captures the religious
connection, transformation, and tension within a complex
traditional belief system in a multi-religious society. In
particular, the book revolves around a discussion on the religious
revitalization of Chinese Buddhism in modern Malaysia. This
Buddhist revitalization movement is intertwined with various
forces, such as colonialism, religious transnationalism, and global
capitalism. Reformist Buddhists have helped to remake Malaysia's
urban-dwelling Chinese community and have provided an exit option
in the Malay and Muslim majority nation state. As Malaysia
modernizes, there have been increasing efforts by certain segments
of the country's ethnic Chinese Buddhist population to separate
Buddhism from popular Chinese religions. Nevertheless, these
reformist groups face counterforces from traditional Chinese
religionists within the context of the cultural complexity of the
Chinese belief system.
Confucianism demonstrates a remarkable wealth of resources for
rethinking human-earth relations. This second volume in the series
on religions of the world and the environment includes sixteen
essays that address the ecological crisis and the question of
Confucianism from three perspectives: the historical describes this
East Asian tradition's views of nature, social ethics, and
cosmology, which may shed light on contemporary problems; a
dialogical approach links Confucianism to other philosophic and
religious traditions; an examination of engaged Confucianism looks
at its involvement in concrete ecological issues.
From the bestselling author of The Tao of Pooh, a uniquely
authentic translation of the enduring Tao Te Ching based on the
meanings of the ancient Chinese characters in use when the Taoist
classic was written From Benjamin Hoff, the author of The Tao of
Pooh and The Te of Piglet, which have sold millions of copies,
comes a new translation of the Tao Te Ching. The original author
(or authors, as Hoff makes the provocative claim that there may
have been more than one) streamlined the folk religion of China
down to its foundation and rebuilt it as a man-in-nature
philosophy, incorporating his advanced spiritual, philosophical,
social, and political ideas. Ever since its creation, the Tao Te
Ching has stood alone among the world's writings. There was nothing
like it before it appeared, and there is still nothing like it now.
Unlike a good deal of Chinese writing, old and new, the Tao Te
Ching makes no reference to specific individuals or events, whether
of the then-past or then-present. It is not historical, nor
classical; its world is the world of now. Laboring over the ancient
text for seven years, Hoff tackled this project by following the
same principles he learned while employed by a master restorer of
valuable but damaged antique objects: Thoroughly research the
history of the object; remove all misguided, historically incorrect
alterations and repairs; patch and fill where necessary; match the
new work to the old so seamlessly that no one will detect a
difference in treatment; honor the materials and its design; and
honor the tradition that has formed around the object over the
years. This unique interpretation of the Tao Te Ching shows what is
possible when a translator truly partners themselves with someone
of another time, another place, and another language.
In this rare firsthand account of an individual's pursuit of
sagehood, the early Ming dynasty scholar and teacher Wu Yubi
chronicles his progress and his setbacks, as he strives to
integrate the Neo-Confucian practices of self-examination and
self-cultivation into everyday life. In more than three hundred
entries, spanning much of his adult life, Wu paints a vivid
picture, not only of the life of the mind, but also of the life of
a teacher of modest means, struggling to make ends meet in a rural
community. This volume features M. Theresa Kelleher's superb
translation of Wu's journal, along with translations of more than a
dozen letters from his personal correspondence. A general
Introduction discusses Neo-Confucianism and the Ming dynasty, and
includes biographical information that puts the main work in
context. A substantial commentary on the journal discusses the
obstacles and supports Wu encounters in pursuit of his goal, the
conflict between discipline and restraint of the self and the
nurturing and expanding of the self, Wu's successes and failures,
and Wu's role as a teacher. Also included are a map of the Ming
dynasty, a pronunciation guide, a chronology of Chinese dynasties,
a glossary of names, a glossary of book titles, and suggestions for
further reading.
2013 Reprint of 1949 Edition. Full facsimile of the original
edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software.
Yukteshwar was an educator, astronomer, a Jyotisha (Vedic
astrologer), a yogi, and a believer in the Bhagavad Gita and the
Bible. He was a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya of Varanasi and a
member of the Giri branch of the swami order. Yogananda considered
Yukteswar as Jnanavatar, or "Incarnation of Wisdom." Yukteswar
wrote "The Holy Science" in 1894. In the introduction, he wrote:
"The purpose of this book is to show as clearly as possible that
there is an essential unity in all religions; that there is no
difference in the truths inculcated by the various faiths; that
there is but one method by which the world, both external and
internal, has evolved; and that there is but one Goal admitted by
all scriptures." The work introduced many ideas that were
revolutionary for the time - for instance Yukteswar broke from
Hindu tradition in stating that the earth is not in the age of Kali
Yuga, but has advanced to Dwapara Yuga. His proof was based on a
new perspective of the precession of the equinoxes. He also
introduced the idea that the sun takes a 'star for its dual', and
revolves around it in a period of 24,000 years, which accounts for
the precession of the equinox.
"This book is an attempt to put a collection of diamond cutting
tools in the pocket of anyone who seriously wants to make use of
them to realize enlightenment, the Self, Big Mind." from the
Introduction Wei wu wei, or "doing non-doing," is the central
liberating idea of Zen, Ch'an, Taoism, and -- under whatever name
-- most every other enlightenment tradition in the world. From
decades of reading in them all, Brian Browne Walker, author of
beloved translations of the I Ching, Tao te Ching, Hua hu Ching,
and Art of War, has formulated a subtle, calming set of teachings
designed to usher the practitioner through the back door of
realization. That door, the ancients teach us, is always left ajar.
Designed to be read in an ordinary manner or consulted as an oracle
in the fashion of the I Ching, Wei wu Wei Ching is also available
as an app for iPhone, iPad, and all Android phones and tablets via
the store at www.brianbrownewalker.com. In this tradition of wei wu
wei, we don't have a thing to offer you. That is why you can rely
upon it for everything.
Steve Coutinho explores in detail the fundamental concepts of
Daoist thought as represented in three early texts: the Laozi, the
Zhuangzi, and the Liezi. Readers interested in philosophy yet
unfamiliar with Daoism will gain a comprehensive understanding of
these works from this analysis, and readers fascinated by ancient
China who also wish to grasp its philosophical foundations will
appreciate the clarity and depth of Coutinho's explanations.
Coutinho writes a volume for all readers, whether or not they have
a background in philosophy or Chinese studies. A work of
comparative philosophy, this volume also integrates the concepts
and methods of contemporary philosophical discourse into a
discussion of early Chinese thought. The resulting dialogue relates
ancient Chinese thought to contemporary philosophical issues and
uses modern Western ideas and approaches to throw new interpretive
light on classical texts. Rather than function as historical
curiosities, these works act as living philosophies in conversation
with contemporary thought and experience. Coutinho respects the
multiplicity of Daoist philosophies while also revealing a
distinctive philosophical sensibility, and he provides clear
explanations of these complex texts without resorting to
oversimplification.
Working from existing translations, Thomas Merton composed a series
of his own versions of the classic sayings of Chuang Tzu, the most
spiritual of Chinese philosophers. Chuang Tzu, who wrote in the
fourth and third centuries B.C., is the chief authentic historical
spokesperson for Taoism and its founder Lao Tzu (a legendary
character known largely through Chuang Tzu s writings). Indeed it
was because of Chuang Tzu and the other Taoist sages that Indian
Buddhism was transformed, in China, into the unique vehicle we now
call by its Japanese name Zen. The Chinese sage abounds in wit and
paradox and shattering insights into the true ground of being.
Thomas Merton, no stranger to Asian thought, brings a vivid, modern
idiom to the timeless wisdom of Tao."
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