Written during the Tang dynasty, this unusual tantric guide documents a sexual tantra that is thought to have been practiced by kings for several dynasties, before losing favor to a more ascetic approach to Taoism. According to legend, the author was last seen on the edge of a precipice, clasping the book to his chest, and proclaiming the sincerity of his practice. Translated into English for the first time, this illuminating text carefully describes the methods of this sexual internal alchemy practice, pursued strictly for the spiritual advancement of the practitioner, and undertaken only once desire and attachment for a consort had been overcome. Cloaked in metaphor, the techniques and attendant virtues of the practice are presented in beautiful poetry and prose, with explanatory commentaries throughout. This is an important historical text that will provide a fascinating insight into ancient tantric practices for anyone with an interest in Taoism, Chinese history and philosophy, and tantra or meditation practices.

The Tao Te Ching is one of the most widely read Asian classics. And it is also one of the most frequently translated books in all of history, in part because it is impossible to translate it into English in a strictly literal way; the text just has too many Chinese characters that convey multiple meanings. This often leads translators to burden the text with verbose language or loose interpretations. And when this happens the terse enigmatic beauty of the original work is lost. Here, in what may be the most faithful translation of the Tao Te Ching, the translators have stepped out of the way to let the original text speak for itself. The result is a lucid, economical rendering of the classic that allows readers to get as close to the original text as possible without knowing Chinese.Accompanying this translation are twenty-one stunning ink paintings by Stephen Addiss, as well as an introduction by the PEN Translation Prize winner and esteemed Asian scholar Burton Watson. In his introduction, Watson offers some background on the Tao Te Ching and explains the historical context in which it was written. This remarkable translation also allows readers to interact with the text and experience for themselves the nuanced art of translating. In each of the eighty-one chapters, one significant line is highlighted and alongside it are the original Chinese characters with their transliteration. Readers can then turn to the glossary and translate this line on their own, thereby deepening their understanding of the original text and of the myriad ways it can be translated into English.

The "counterpoint" to The Art of War--an inspiring collection of sayings and teachings on the peaceful resolution of conflict. Unlike other popular Eastern philosophies which accept the inevitability of violence as a means to victory--such as Musashi's Book of Five Rings--Aikido fosters fearlessness, wisdom, and compassion and is based on the universal principles of harmony and love of life.

This third volume of "Princeton Readings in Religions" demonstrates that the "three religions" of China--Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism (with a fourth, folk religion, sometimes added)--are not mutually exclusive: they overlap and interact with each other in a rich variety of ways. The volume also illustrates some of the many interactions between Han culture and the cultures designated by the current government as "minorities." Selections from minority cultures here, for instance, are the folktale of Ny Dan the Manchu Shamaness and a funeral chant of the Yi nationality collected by local researchers in the early 1980s. Each of the forty unusual selections, from ancient oracle bones to stirring accounts of mystic visions, is preceded by a substantial introduction. As with the other volumes, most of the selections here have never been translated before.

Stephen Teiser provides a general introduction in which the major themes and categories of the religions of China are analyzed. The book represents an attempt to move from one conception of the "Chinese spirit" to a picture of many spirits, including a Laozi who acquires magical powers and eventually ascends to heaven in broad daylight; the white-robed Guanyin, one of the most beloved Buddhist deities in China; and the burning-mouth hungry ghost. The book concludes with a section on "earthly conduct."