Of particular interest for its application to business strategizing, this edition of the well-known ancient Chinese classic I Ching (The Book of Changes) guides readers through the intricacies of group dynamics and relationships within organizations of all kinds. The root text is supported by a commentary from the eleventh-century scholar Cheng-Yi, founder of the movement known as Lixue, the study of inner design. Cheng contended that by understanding the pattern of events--the inner design of nature--one can bring about mutual understanding and cooperation among people in groups, thus facilitating the accomplishment of any tasks they might undertake. The translator's extensive introduction gives specific, systematic guidelines for consulting the I Ching for greatest understanding and best results. Included in the afterward is a profile of the modern and Japanese organizational genius Matsushita Konosuke, founder of Panasonic and other multinational corporations, whose success has been built on the principles of the I Ching.

Called "a first rate piece of work" by T.S. Eliot, this book offers a comprehensive discussion of Taoism, one of the world's major religions, as well as a study of the Tao te ching, the best known Taoist text and Lao-tzu as a Taoist prototype. "Clarifies a large area of literature and history that has been a mystery to the West and makes fascinating reading even for those whose interest is casual." -The New Yorker

This is a view of Chinese religion from the Taoist perspective, derived from fieldwork in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China. The book is based on the Taoist hypothesis that all Chinese rites of passage and festivals are structured by the Yin-Yang five element cosmology. Buddhist and Taoist meditations of emptying, marriage, birthing, initiation, burial, ancestor rituals and the annual festivals are described through the eyes of the experts called on to serve family and village needs. The work ends with a view of religion in the People's Republic of China during a period of renewal and restoration.

Understanding Reality (Chinese Wu Chen P'ien) is one of the basic classics of Taoist spiritual alchemy as practiced in the Complete Reality (Ch'uan-chen) school of Taoism. Writing in the year 1841, the Taoist Chu Chung-t'ang described its status within the tradition in these terms: 11 Wei Po-yang of the Eastern Han dynasty (23-220 C.E.) first revealed the celestial mechanism and expounded its esoteric truths, composing the Ts'an T'ung Ch'i ... In the Sung dynasty (960-1279) Chang Tzu-yang composed the Wu Chen P'ien. Both texts are perennial guides to the study of the Tao."

This innovative work on Chinese concepts of the afterlife is the result of Stephen Bokenkamp's groundbreaking study of Chinese scripture and the incorporation of Indic concepts into the Chinese worldview. Here, he explores how Chinese authors, including Daoists and non-Buddhists, received and deployed ideas about rebirth from the third to the sixth centuries C.E. In tracing the antecedents of these scriptures, Bokenkamp uncovers a stunning array of non-Buddhist accounts that provide detail on the realms of the dead, their denizens, and human interactions with them. Bokenkamp demonstrates that the motive for the Daoist acceptance of Buddhist notions of rebirth lay not so much in the power of these ideas as in the work they could be made to do.

A study of the traditional metaphysics of the Taoist tradition, with many comparisons made to Western esoteric traditions, such as Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Freemasonry, as well as parallels with Christian and Islamic doctrine.

This progressive handbook for Chinese medicine students and practitioners looks at gender, physiology, relationships and sexual attraction from the Chinese medicine perspective. Many standard diagnostic and treatment techniques are gender-based and do not work with clients who identify as LGBT or gender/sex/relationship fluid and so these communities are currently often underserved. Catherine Lumenello accesses the Daoist, Buddhist and Confucianist roots of the medicine and explores the energetic pathways, the Three Treasures and other theories in order to understand the emotional etiology and treatment concerns prevalent within these client groups. The topics covered in the book include transgender issues, asexuality, sex addiction, sexual realignment surgery and polyamory. Incorporating client examples, illustrations, and an assortment of treatment approaches, this book is a radical re-examination of the potential of Chinese medicine.

Chinese Shamanic Tiger Qigong is a uniquely classical practice designed to bolster our health, activate our inner life power, and deepen our spiritual connection to universal energy. This book illustrates the philosophy and cultivating method of the Tiger Qigong form and unlocks the mysterious internal alchemy principle of LaoHu (Shamanic Tiger) Gong. By delving further into Xiang (Daoist symbolism) of Tiger, practitioners will receive greater benefits from studying this book and their own Tiger Qigong practice. Master Wu also shares how each movement in the Tiger Qigong practice relates to the eight extraordinary meridians, twelve organ meridians and twenty four JieQi (seasons). This knowledge will help seasoned practitioners experience new dimensions of their cultivation and sharpen their healing tools.

'The Tao of Joy Every Day' contains Taoist sayings, wisdom, and stories all designed to bring awareness and understanding of what makes our lives meaningful, especially in a world that seems hurried and crazed.

A revised edition of the definitive translation of the world's most important book of divination
- The first English translation from within the tradition by a Chinese Taoist Master
- Includes translations of the Ten Wings--the commentaries by Confucius essential to the I Ching's insights
Translated by the eminent Taoist Master Alfred Huang, "The Complete I Ching" has been praised by scholars and new students of the I Ching since its first edition. A native Chinese speaker, Master Huang first translated the original ideograms of the I Ching into contemporary Chinese and then into English, bringing forth the intuitive meanings embodied in the images of the I Ching and imbuing his translation with an accuracy and authenticity not possible in other English translations. However, what makes his translation truly definitive is his return to prominence of the Ten Wings, the commentaries by Confucius that are essential to the I Ching's insights.
This 10th anniversary edition offers a thorough introduction to the history of the I Ching, how to use it, and several new divination methods; in-depth and easy-to-reference translations of each hexagram name, description, and pictogram; and discussions of the interrelations between the hexagrams and the spiritual meaning of their sequence.

Pi gu is an ancient Taoist method of fasting for spiritual and healing purposes. Unlike traditional fasting, you do not need to stop eating when practicing pi gu. Used by ancient Taoist masters during their months or years of solitary retreat in pursuit of enlightenment, the practice centers on a simple diet of fruits, teas, nuts, and eggs paired with special chewing techniques and chi kung exercises. Providing a step-by-step guide to Pi Gu Chi Kung, Master Mantak Chia and coauthor Christine Harkness-Giles explain the pi gu diet, provide immortality tea recipes, detail the pi gu chewing exercises, and illustrate the corresponding chi kung energy exercises. They also explain the use of pi gu during darkness retreats to enhance spiritual awareness and increase mental powers and wisdom.

A beautifully clear and accessible explanation of how to live a Taoist life--by reknowned Taoist master Eva Wong.

Taoism isn’t a spiritual extracurricular activity, it’s an integral practice for living all of life to the fullest. The modern Taoist adept Eva Wong is your guide to living well according to the wisdom of this ancient system. She uses the ancient texts to demonstrate the Taoist masters’ approach to the traditional four aspects of life--the public, the domestic, the private, and the spiritual—and shows how learning to balance them is the secret to infusing your life with health, harmony, and deep satisfaction.​

Written during the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy, and composed partly in prose and partly in verse, the Tao Te Ching is the most terse and economical of the world's great religious texts. In a series of short, profound chapters it elucidates the idea of the Tao, or the Way, and of Te - Virtue, or Power - ideas that in their ethical, practical and spiritual dimensions have become essential to the life of China's powerful civilization. The Tao Te Ching has been translated into Western languages more times than any other Chinese work. It speaks of the ineffable in a secular manner and its imagery, drawn from the natural world, transcends time and place. The application of its wisdom to modern times is both instructive and provocative - for the individual, lessons in self-awareness and spontaneity, placing stillness and consciousness of the word around above ceaseless activity; for leaders of society, how to govern with integrity, to perform unobtrusively the task in hand and never to utter words lightly; for both, the futility of striving for personal success. D. C. Lau's classic English version remains a touchstone of accuracy. Informed by the most impressive scholarship this is a translation both for academic study and for general readers who prefer to reflect on the meaning of this ancient text unencumbered by the subjective interpretations and poetic licence of more recent 'inspirational' translations. Sarah Allan's masterly introduction discusses the origins of the work, sheds light on the ambiguities of its language, and places it firmly in its historical and philosophical context. The Everyman edition uses Lau's translation of the Ma Wang Tui manuscripts (discovered in 1973) in the revised 1989 version published by The Chinese University Press. The iconic text is presented uncluttered by explanatory notes. A chronology and glossary are included, together with the translator's informative appendices.

These devotions inspired by ancient Shinto rituals are a series of calls-and-response that directly address the awesome power of the natural world to heal and restore the soul. Readers are invited to stand before rivers, stones, and trees, to listen to thunder, and to be touched by the wind and rain in order to cultivate a spirit of reverence for Nature and awaken the cosmic content within the human. Included are steps for conducting misogi (waterfall purification) and resources for learning more about Shinto practice in North America. Stuart Picken, an ordained minister, has taught religion in Japan since 1972 and is international adviser to the High Priest of Tsubaki Grand Shrine. He is author of Essentials of Shinto.

What Is Taoism? traces, in nontechnical language, the history of the development of this often baffling doctrine. Creel shows that there has not been one "Taoism," but at least three, in some respects incompatible and often antagonistic. In eight closely related papers, Creel explicates the widely used concepts he originally introduced of "contemplative Taoism," "purposive Taoism," and "Hsien Taoism." He also discusses Shen Pu-hai, a political philosopher of the fourth century B.C.; the curious interplay between Confucianism, Taoism, and "Legalism" in the second century B.C.; and the role of the horse in Chinese history.

In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in Hubei province (east central China). Written on strips of bamboo that have miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the "Guodian Laozi," is by far the earliest version of the "Tao Te Ching" ever unearthed. Students of ancient Chinese civilization proclaimed the text a decisive breakthrough in the understanding of this famous text: it provides the most conclusive evidence to date that the text was the work of multiple authors and editors over hundreds of years, rather than the achievement of a single individual writing during the time of Confucius.

Robert Henricks now presents the first English translation of the "bamboo slip Laozi." Differing substantially from other versions we have of the text, the Guodian Laozi provides us with clues on how and when the text came into being. As Henricks's translation shows, many chapters are missing in this form of the text, and some chapters remain incomplete. All of this seems to suggest that the "Tao Te Ching" was not yet "complete" when these slips were copied.

In his translation, Henricks focuses attention on lines in each of the chapters that vary from readings in other editions. In addition, he shows how the sequence of chapters in this form of the text is totally unrelated to the sequence readers commonly see in the "standard" form of the text, i.e., in other translations.

Here are just a few of the noteworthy features of this new "Tao Te Ching: "

- A lucid introduction to the Guodian Laozi, offering background on the archaeological interpretation of the discovery

- Line-by-line comparisons of the Guodian Laozi against the Mawangdui and Wang Bi editions

- Extensive notes on each chapter describing the unique elements of the Guodian Laozi in comparison with other versions

- Transcriptions for each chapter, noting both the ancient and modern form of the characters in the chapter

- An appendix featuring the official biography of Laozi written by Sima Qian, the Grand Historian of China, as well as Henricks's commentary and notes on this biography

This groundbreaking work will lead to a reassessment of the history and significance of this well-known and critical work as well as a reevaluation of the role it played in the development of Taoism in early China.

El secreto de la Flor de Oro es una obra taoista china sobre meditacion, que fue traducida por Richard Wilhelm. Wilhelm era amigo del psicologo Carl Gustav Jung. A pesar de la diversidad de impresiones, interpretacion y opinion expresadas por Wilhelm y Jung, la tecnica de meditacion descrita en El Secreto de la Flor De oro es una tecnica sencilla, silenciosa (la descripcion del libro de meditacion ha sido caracterizada como Zen con detalles). La tecnica de meditacion, enunciada en lenguaje poetico, se reduce a una formula sobre la postura, la respiracion y la contemplacion. La postura principalmente se relaciona con una posicion recta. El camino de la energia asociado con la respiracion ha sido descrito como semejante a una rueda interna alineada verticalmente con la columna vertebral. Cuando la respiracion es constante, la rueda gira hacia adelante, con la energia vital aumentando en la espalda y descendiendo en el frente. Malos habitos de respiracion (o mala postura, o incluso malos pensamientos) pueden ocasionar que la rueda no gire, o retroceda, inhibiendo la circulacion de la energia vital esencial. En contemplacion, se observan los pensamientos como van surgiendo y retrocediendo.

The cache of bamboo texts unearthed in the village of Guodian, Hubei Province, in 1993 is a rare and unique find in the history of Chinese philosophy and literature. This study renders the complex corpus of the Guodian texts into a more easily manageable form, incorporating the past several years of scholarly activity on these texts and providing them with a comprehensive introduction along with a complete and well-annotated translation into English. As the only archaeologically excavated corpus of philosophical manuscripts to emerge from a Warring States-period tomb, the Guodian texts provide us with a wealth of reliable information for gaining new insights into the textual and intellectual history of pre-imperial China. Given the prominence of Confucian works in the corpus, they serve to fill out much of the intellectual historical picture for the doctrines of roughly three generations of Confucian disciples who fell between the times of Confucius (551-479 BC) and Mencius (c. 390-305 BC). The manuscripts also hold great significance for the study of early Chinese paleography and phonology. Volume II offers introductions to and annotated translations of the manuscripts "Cheng zhi," "Zun deyi," "Xing zi ming chu," "Liu de," and "Yucong" 1-4, along with various appendixes. These include collation tables of witnesses to the Guodian "Laozi" passages and a running translation of all the Guodian texts.

This book explores the Daoist encounter with modernity through the activities of Chen Yingning (1880 1969), a famous lay Daoist master, and his group in early twentieth-century Shanghai. In contrast to the usual narrative of Daoist decay, with its focus on monastic decline, clerical corruption, and popular superstitions, this study tells a story of Daoist resilience, reinvigoration, and revival.

Between the 1920s and 1940s, Chen led a group of urban lay followers in pursuing Daoist self-cultivation techniques as a way of ensuring health, promoting spirituality, forging cultural self-identity, building community, and strengthening the nation. In their efforts to renew and reform Daoism, Chen and his followers became deeply engaged with nationalism, science, the religious reform movements, the new urban print culture, and other forces of modernity.

Since Chen and his fellow practitioners conceived of the Daoist self-cultivation tradition as a public resource, they also transformed it from an esoteric pursuit into a public practice, offering a modernizing society a means of managing the body and the mind and of forging a new cultural, spiritual, and religious identity.