First published in 1985, The Chinese Art of Tea is an exploration into the history of tea and the Chinese art of tea, known as ch’a-shu. The book begins by delving into the history and legends surrounding tea before moving on to a study of the Emperor Hui Tsung’s treatise on tea and approaches to tea during the Ming Dynasty. It discusses tea gardens, teahouses, the relationship between tea and ceramics, and the connection between tea and health. The book also features a detailed manual for practising the art of drinking tea, including advice for choosing tea, buying tea, different types of infusion and drinking vessels, and the attitude required for obtaining the fullest satisfaction from tea. The Chinese Art of Tea is ideal for anyone with an interest in the history and art of drinking tea, and the social and cultural history of China.

First published in 1970, The Way of Power is an exploration of the school of Mahayana Buddhism prevalent in Tibet and Mongolia, known as the Vajrayana. Divided into two parts, the book provides an introduction to the background and theory behind the Vajrayana before progressing to a study of Vajrayana in practice. In doing so, it provides an overview of the history, development, and contemporary status of the Vajrayana, and takes a look at the different schools and sects. The book’s primary focus is the use of Tantric mystical techniques. The Way of Power will appeal to those with an interest in Buddhism, religious psychology, and religious history.

This book, first published in 1968, examines the I Ching, one of the oldest books in the world and certainly the most influential in Chinese thought. This modern translation features extensive explanatory material, and is the product of the author’s great experience in the field and of close contact with Chinese scholars and experts.

This book, first published in 1968, examines the I Ching, one of the oldest books in the world and certainly the most influential in Chinese thought. This modern translation features extensive explanatory material, and is the product of the author's great experience in the field and of close contact with Chinese scholars and experts.

First published in 1985, The Chinese Art of Tea is an exploration into the history of tea and the Chinese art of tea, known as ch'a-shu. The book begins by delving into the history and legends surrounding tea before moving on to a study of the Emperor Hui Tsung's treatise on tea and approaches to tea during the Ming Dynasty. It discusses tea gardens, teahouses, the relationship between tea and ceramics, and the connection between tea and health. The book also features a detailed manual for practising the art of drinking tea, including advice for choosing tea, buying tea, different types of infusion and drinking vessels, and the attitude required for obtaining the fullest satisfaction from tea. The Chinese Art of Tea is ideal for anyone with an interest in the history and art of drinking tea, and the social and cultural history of China.

First published in 1970, The Way of Power is an exploration of the school of Mahayana Buddhism prevalent in Tibet and Mongolia, known as the Vajrayana. Divided into two parts, the book provides an introduction to the background and theory behind the Vajrayana before progressing to a study of Vajrayana in practice. In doing so, it provides an overview of the history, development, and contemporary status of the Vajrayana, and takes a look at the different schools and sects. The book's primary focus is the use of Tantric mystical techniques. The Way of Power will appeal to those with an interest in Buddhism, religious psychology, and religious history.

This book, first published in 1980, comprises separate sections on Taoist and Buddhist contemplative yogas, each divided into a theory part (summarising their fundamental principles and outlook) and a practice part (detailing their various practices).

First published in 1974 Beyond the Gods argues that true mystics transcend religious boundaries, and that Eastern mysticism has increasing relevance for the troubled minds and spirits of the West. Blofeld’s approach is a highly personal one based on encounters with monks, lamas, and recluses in their mountain retreats. He also includes a vivid description of the Chinese religious scene and chapters on the mystical practices of Taoism, Ch’an (Zen) and the Tantric Buddhism of Tibet. The book seeks to answer broader questions like – what has Eastern mysticism to offer the West, how can we free ourselves from the pressures of modern life or benefit from eastern methods of cultivating the sublime mystical experience? This is an interesting read for scholars and researchers of Buddhism, Taoism, and religion in general.

This book, first published in 1980, comprises separate sections on Taoist and Buddhist contemplative yogas, each divided into a theory part (summarising their fundamental principles and outlook) and a practice part (detailing their various practices).

She is the embodiment of selfless love, the supreme symbol of radical compassion, and, for more than a millennium throughout Asia, she has been revered as "The One Who Hearkens to the Cries of the World." Kuan Yin is both a Buddhist symbol and a beloved deity of Chinese folk religion. John Blofeld's classic study traces the history of this most famous of all the bodhisattvas from her origins in India (as the male figure Avalokiteshvara) to Tibet, China, and beyond, along the way highlighting her close connection to other figures such as Tara and Amitabha. The account is full of charming stories of Blofeld's encounters with Kuan Yin's devotees during his journeys in China. The book also contains meditation and visualization techniques associated with the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and translations of poems and yogic texts devoted to her.

Blofeld compiled this 1963 translation of the Book of Changes (Yi Jing) intending to present primarily the divinatory aspects of the I Ching in the notes and explanatory chapters. In his efforts he had the assistance of several learned native Chinese I Ching scholars. As useful as it is informative, the book includes not only the text and commentaries for all 64 hexagrams (with changing lines), but as well the background of the Book of Change, its symbolical basis, method of divination and guide to interpretation; and a variety of tables and diagrams for assisting interpretation.

The Wheel of Life is the spiritual autobiography of John Blofeld (1913-1987), a world-renowned British scholar and writer who devoted his life to the study of Eastern traditions, especially Buddhism and Taoism. With wit, honesty, and humility, Blofeld portrays his search for wisdom and his discovery of a genuine spiritual path. He describes in vivid detail his life in Peking and his travels in Tibet, Mongolia, China, India, and Burma: the worlds of remote mountain monasteries, the sacred inner chambers of sages and yogis, and the inspired lives of simple, ordinary people. The book is particularly valuable for its sensitive picture of a world that no longer exists. As Huston Smith remarks in his Foreword, Blofeld encountered Chinese Buddhism and Taosim at a very special moment in history, the final moment before they came under Communist onslaught. To have his intimate glimpses into what they were like as still-living traditions is historically important. Among John Blofeld's notable books are The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet and Bodhisattva of Compassion, both in Shambhala Dragon Editions, and The Book of Changes, a translation of the I Ching.

In his early twenties, John Blofeld spent what he describes as "three exquisitely happy years" in Peking during the era of the last emperor, when the breathtaking greatness of China's ancient traditions was still everywhere evident. Arriving in 1934, he found a city imbued with the atmosphere of the recent imperial past and haunted by the powerful spirit of the late Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi. He entered a world of magnificent palaces and temples of the Forbidden City, of lotus-covered lakes and lush pleasure-gardens, of bustling bazaars and peaceful bathhouses, and of "flower houses" with their beautiful young courtesans versed in the arts of pleasing men. With a novelists' command of detail and dialogue, Blofeld vividly re-creates the magic of these years and conveys to the reader his appreciation and nostalgia for a way of life long vanished.

A religion with roots stretching back nearly five thousand years, Taoism combines elements of folklore, occult sciences, cosmology, yoga, meditation, poetry, and exalted mysticism. Mysterious and charmingly poetic, it is a living remnant of a way of life which has almost vanished from the world.
In this comprehensive study, John Blofeld explains the fundamental concepts of Taoism, tells many stories of ancient masters, and provides incisive reflections on Taoist verse. He writes in a colorful and unique way about his visits to Taoist hermitages in China and his interchanges with contemporary masters. Taoist yoga, a little known aspect of Taoist practice, is also discussed in detail. This book captures the spirit of the Tao, communicating the serenity and timeless wisdom of this tradition.