(Part 2) Best taoism books according to redditors

To be honest, if you're interested in learning about the Baha'i Faith in broad terms, the best way to begin would be with an introductory book. The classic of this genre is Esslemont's Baha'u'llah and the New Era; other good books include those by Smith, Momen, and Bowers (this last one is targeted specifically to a Christian audience).

Of the books you mentioned, The Hidden Words is probably the most accessible (and shortest!), and it's usually what I recommend to people who are interested in the Baha'i Faith. However, it's not always useful to look at the Baha'i Faith through the same lens as we may look at, say, Christianity or Islam, as having one or two "Holy books" that are central to all understanding. The Baha'i Faith is blessed with having many pieces of writing from the central figures of the Faith, and it's not possible to gain a full picture of the religion just by reading the four texts you mentioned.

Edit to add: The other excellent way to learn about the Baha'i Faith, which I heartily recommend, is to meet with some Baha'is from your area and talk with them. There are (relatively) a lot of Baha'is in Ontario (although I don't know where you are specifically), and there are usually ways to go about contacting them via the web.

I always recommend Victoria S. Harrison's Eastern Philosophy: The Basics. It's one of the best introductions to Chinese and Indian thought that I know of. It's presented topically rather than historically, but it explains major ideas clearly and concisely without sacrificing too much depth and detail.

Read a version of the Dao De Jing thats not done my Steven Mitchell and read Eva Wong's "Taoism an Essential Guide"

https://www.amazon.com/Taoism-Essential-Guide-Eva-Wong/dp/1522662200

P.S If you actually want to learn Taoism don't read Tao of Pooh

There were debates between Daoism and Buddhism during during the reign of Emperor Wu. See, Laughing at the Tao.

Daoists even tried to claim that Laozi was actually the Buddha. See, Huahujing.

>"Lao Tzu had gone to India after his westward departure from China, and had converted—or become—the Buddha. Buddhism then was only a somewhat distorted offshoot of Taoism."

Edit For an interesting example of Daoist-Confucian-Buddhist syncretism see the Wuzhen pian, translated by Cleary and Predagio.

Get yourself some audiobooks and a bike. Physical activity helps settle your nerves and gets you out of the worrying about other people's opinions.

If you had a controlling or abusive parent, I'm sorry, and with distance and boundaries between you and them, some of this constant over vigilance will diminish over time. (That is a common cause of this sort of over vigilance)

Here are some audiobooks I suggest for your rides:

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

The 7 Habits of Self-Loving People

Gifts of Imperfection


Here are some paper/kindle books also in this vein:

Non-Violent communication is about talking to people intimately, baring yourself vulnerably to them. It's about not demanding things. It's also about talking to yourself with similar kindness and gentleness (which you're likely not doing)

The Tao is Silent is a mathematician playing with accepting ideas, some of which are vaguely influenced by Taoism. The chapter on Dogs and Free Will I always found personally very freeing.

If a beginner gets on a tightrope, they will be lucky and sometimes have perfect balance. It may be fleeting. The more they practice, the less they will find that perfect balance, because now they're trying to find balance. Eventually, with all this practice, they will learn to find that state where they're not thinking about balancing, but are simply being balanced. So although balancing takes effort, you are actually surrendering into the state of being balanced.

I don't think it's a good idea to believe people who say it is without effort. Sitting and doing "nothing" is very effortful - all of the cells of your body and your emotions and your spirit are all synchronized to allow that sitting to happen. All of your multitudes are aligned at "optimal mindfulness".

The first 20 or so Yoga Sutras are very good at explaining the concept of vasannas and samskaras, which is the science of what you're asking about, if you want to go deeper on this subject. I highly recommend this particular translation as it's written by a wonderful teacher who teaches in a very practical Western-relatable way.

lol... yeah... but I'd have to dig out a grad school text book to remember. I think it was this one

Io ho l'edizione della Feltrinelli curata da Sabbadini: è buona, ma col tempo ho imparato che non lo è tanto quanto credevo. Ho sentito parlare tanto bene di questa versione.

My favourite is the John C.H. Wu translation. It strikes a good balance between the flavour of ancient Chinese, and being poetically moving for Western readers.

The Seven Taoist Masters, translated by Eva Wong, original author unknown

You have to understand the context to understand the references to meditation. You might enjoy this:

The Thread of Dao: Unraveling Early Daoist Oral Traditions in Guan Zi’s Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin), Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu), and Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye), by Dan G. Reid

" When calm and still, order naturally arrives.Force cannot widely establish such order.Wisdom cannot formulate all strategies.- Xin Shu Shang

Ancient Chinese meditation and mindfulness traditions were often imparted through Daoist wisdom on governance and health preservation. Within these teachings lie subtle instructions in “the art of the heart-mind" — the Sages' technique for self purification, cultivating enlightenment and harmony within, and fostering virtue throughout the world.

While Lao Zi is said to be the founder of Daoism (Taoism) and author of the Dao De Jing, his classic on attaining the way of Nature is believed to have transmitted an earlier oral tradition. Modern scholars now believe that four texts, found in the ancient “Guan Zi” encyclopedia, are likely to have predated the completion of the Dao De Jing. These texts, "Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin)," "Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu I&II)," and "Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)," provide exceptionally direct explanations of Daoist spiritual, mental, and energetic cultivation, making them invaluable keys to the teachings of early Daoist masters. Thread of Dao translates and explores these texts alongside comparable teachings in the Dao De Jing and other Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian, and traditional Chinese medical sources, tracing their origins to a common thread of wisdom.

In translating Guan Zi’s "Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin)," "Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu I&II)," and "Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)," Reid justifies the “received” version of these texts, rather than adopting revisions commonly accepted by modern scholars, making Thread of Dao a valuable contribution to several fields of Chinese studies, including Daoist and Buddhist Studies, pre-Qin history, Classical Chinese, and Chinese Political Science. "

The Thread of Dao

If you're interested in learning more about the history of the religion, I think that the books Lukeweiss has recommended will serve you well. If you're interested in studying some of the primary sources in greater detail, to understand the key early texts of Daoism (namely, the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi), then here are a few recommendations for you. Of course, you might choose to read these two books before studying them in greater detail, in which case, look here or here for the Daodejing, and here or here for the Zhuangzi. Now then:

Allan, Sarah. The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue.

Coutinho, Steve. Zhuangzi and Early Chinese Philosophy: Vagueness, Transformation and Paradox.

Religious and Philosophical Aspects of the Laozi. Mark Csikszentmihalyi and Philip Ivanhoe.

Schwartz, Benjamin. The World of Thought in Ancient China.

Slingerland, Edward. Effortless Action.

Those are the first few books that are coming to mind - they'll certainly help you get started on understanding these important Daoist texts. I think that the Slingerland book and Benjamin Schwartz's book might serve you better as a general introduction to important ideas in Daoist texts, and then the other books can help you delve even deeper. Although, if you are more interested in learning about the history of Daoism than the careful study of early Daoist philosophy, I definitely have to second Lukeweiss' suggestion of Introducing Daoism.

Eight Immortals of Taoism is in that direction.

Monkey: Journey to the West](https://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Journey-West-David-Kherdian/dp/1590302583/ref=sr_1_2) Might be up your alley. It has been a long time since I read it.

Even an old Dieties and Demigods from The Dungeons and Dragons game would have some basic information on them, but you can probably find just as much online.

[Deng Ming-Dao ](The Wisdom of the Tao: Ancient Stories that Delight, Inform, and Inspire https://www.amazon.com/dp/1571748377/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dK9mDbZ4PSBK2) does a lot of that. This one seems perfect.

Do you mean http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Taoist-Immortals-Eva-Wong/dp/1570628092?

Shameless plug for my mentor's book: http://www.amazon.com/Do-Nothing-Everything-Illustrated-Taoism/dp/1557788898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348933621&sr=1-1&keywords=do+nothing+and+do+everything

This "new taoism" idea is basically just his personal take on how the concept of wu wei fits into modern life. It's a very easy read, with lots of pictures.

Contra-diction originally refers to nonvisual harmonics from the dark depths of acoustic space. This comes from Pythagorean philosophy. Philosophy means love of wisdom. The love is beyond bodily emotion, it's nonlocal holographic energy sourced from deep reality.

> "Same frequency, different geometry" -

https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/47438-frequency-split-from-is-non-duality-actually-a-fundamental-truth-or-just-another-philosophy%C2%A0/

I wrote about this in the Plato sub -

https://old.reddit.com/r/Plato/comments/a7bfh6/was_plato_aware_of_the_chinese_concept_of_the_yin/ec1tcj9/

There's a quantum paper linked there too with some of Einstein's stuff for those interested.

Quite literally what the Taoist masters are relating is beyond mind-bending. Energy masters appear to warp the fabric of space and evaporate conceptual time completely, just by intention!

> Dr. Yan Xin wears plain glass spectacles as shown in the front cover photograph for a special purpose. Dr. Yan Xin has powerful qi-emitting abilities. Since he emits qi through his eyes, people who are directly exposed to his eyesight experience very strong reactions. As a result, he wears plain glass spectacles so that he can regulate this effect. During a newspaper interview in the early 1990's, Dr. Yan Xin took off his glasses and looked directly at a woman who was in the room. The woman began crying uncontrollably, and when she finally stopped, she explained that she didn't feel sad, but couldn't help crying.

-- Yan Xin - Secrets & Benefits of Internal Qigong Cultivation

Here is Dr Yan Xin, the foremost qigong representative in the world, actually taking off his glasses during a stadium healing. The people in the stadium are reacting to emotional releases as the qi begins to move in the meridians below their ordinary level of conscious awareness -

https://youtu.be/sM_XI54INwI?t=8104

You can see similar reactions in Evolvinghumans' videos -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTIa7X5QSdo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3ylLSfH51k

> Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."

|

> Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."

COME ON GUYS GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. THESE OTHER COMMENTS IN THIS THREAD ARE VERY MUCH SUB-PAR.

THE VIDEOS ABOVE ARE REAL. PLEASE JUST LET IT SINK IN. REALITY IS A HOLOGRAM!!! A HOLOGRAM THAT'S SIMULATED IN TECHNOLOGY I.E. THE INTERNET ALONG WITH ITS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS HAVE STOLEN YOUR THUNDER -- NATURE'S ALCHEMY WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH MEET ETERNITY.

"TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN" USES REVERSE NEGENTROPIC TEMPORAL MODALITIES TO GATHER THE LIGHT. THAT'S THE REAL MEANING OF ASSEMBLY OR CHURCH. TO GATHER IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ONE. THE LOGOS GATHERS THE LIGHT. JESUS KNEW THE SCORE, THAT'S WHY HE'S KNOWN AS THE LOGOS INCARNATE!!!

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/problem-of-many/

THE MEASURE OF TIME HAS BEEN ON AN ERRONEOUS TRAJECTORY SINCE ARISTOTLE'S ACCOUNT IN HIS "PHYSICS." THE PROBLEM IS RECOGNISED BUT MISUNDERSTOOD AS THE "METAPHYSICS OF PRESENCE" -

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Metaphysics_of_presence

REALITY HAS HIDDEN KINETIC ENERGY AT ITS HEART. BUT BECAUSE ARISTOTLE HAS A SPATIAL BIAS IN THINGS HE INADVERTENTLY FOREGROUNDED AND CATEGORISED ENTITIES UNIFORMLY IN THE MODE OF PRESENT-AT-HAND, USING HEIDEGGER'S TERMINOLOGY. THE WORLD WAS DEWORLDED AND THOUGHT ABOUT IN THE ABSTRACT! (HELLO SCIENCE).

"TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE," YET SINCE ARISTOTLE TIME AS NO ESSENCE!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7hIYasErHc

NEO FROM THE MATRIX IS THE ONE WHOSE LOGOS IS TECHNO-SIMULATION I.E. NOT THE REAL THING. THE LOGOS GATHERS THE MANY THINGS RUNNING BACK IN TIME TO THE LOCUS OF PRIMORDIAL FORMLESS REALITY IN ONE'S UNIFICATION. IT'S IN THAT PLATO LINK I POSTED! CAN'T GO BACK IN TIME WITH THE WRONG ACCOUNT OF TIME!!! THAT'S WHY CHRISTIANITY HAS NO REINCARNATION.

SO THE NOTHINGNESS OF WESTERN DEATH COULD WELL BE REAL IF YOU DON'T KNOW BETTER. THERE ARE LOTS OF SCIENTIFICALLY VERIFIABLE REINCARNATIONS IN THE EAST WHERE THEY BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION BECAUSE OF THEIR DIFFERENT WAY TO TIME.

THE FILM THE MATRIX IS BASED ON THE BOOK SIMULACRA AND SIMULATION BY JEAN BAUDRILLARD. 4TH STAGE SIMULACRUM -- FULL BLOWN SIMULATION OF HYPERREALITY -- IS THE SAME THING AS McLUHAN'S "GLOBAL THEATRE" WHICH ITSELF ENCIRCLED THE "GLOBAL VILLAGE" BACK IN THE 60'S! THAT'S THE SECRET BEHIND BAUDRILLARD, BEHIND MCLUHAN IS THE WAKE OF JAMES JOYCE -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Ylvd6MVE4

So now you know!

Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality
https://www.amazon.com/Taoist-Yoga-Kuan-Charles-Luk/dp/0877280673

Internal Elixir Cultivation: The Nature of Daoist Meditation
https://www.amazon.com/Internal-Elixir-Cultivation-Nature-Meditation/dp/1943155135/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478006245&sr=1-2&keywords=internal+elixir+cultivation

Healing Light of the Tao: Foundational Practices to Awaken Chi Energy
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594771138/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2P7K1FW99QSDG12HVPZA

Foundations of Internal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0984308253/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5KF0N4TFRQQQ4PCVCH6F

The Tao of Meditation: Way to Enlightenment
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804814651/ref=pd_sim_14_25?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5KF0N4TFRQQQ4PCVCH6F

Taoism is based on the writings of the Eastern philosopher Lao Tzu.


Taoism is generally more focused with nature, mankind, politics, and this life. It is all about balance and going with the flow of things. Buddhism is laid out pretty clear with lists of truths and specific steps towards enlightenment. Taoism is much more enigmatic and isn't trying to get you to an afterlife. The 'goal' of Taoism is harmony with nature and the world around us, awareness of the present moment, and going with the flow. The goal of Buddhism is self annihilation and total detachment by reaching nirvana.

Taoism is not really a religion but a way of life. Many folk religions in East Asia have syncretistically blended with Taoism, but Taoism(like Buddhism) is generally apatheistic... meaning the existence of a God is irrelevant to the practitioner.



An interesting note as to how taoism and buddhism relate to anarchism. Taoism is unique in that it explicitly supports anarchist societies and rejects governments outright. While anarchistic principles can be derived from buddhist thought, Lao Tzu (who was an ex-govt worker) was pretty clear on government.

Some Sources For You:
http://personaltao.com/teachings/recommended-books/tao-te-ching-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
http://taoism101.freehostia.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFb7Hxva5rg


The best sources on taoism come from Lao Tzu himself. These two translations have served me well:
-http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Works-Lao-Tzu-Ching/dp/0937064009/ref=sr_1_108?ie=UTF8&qid=1457992946&sr=8-108&keywords=tao+te+ching
-http://www.amazon.com/Way-Life-According-Laotzu/dp/0399512985/ref=sr_1_152?ie=UTF8&qid=1457993091&sr=8-152&keywords=tao+te+ching



You can also find free versions of the Tao te Ching online:
-http://www.taoism.net/ttc/complete.htm


PM if you want to discuss in depth about it and stuff. :)

This book is an introductory book on the topic which you may find helpful.

You don't get into Taoism. It is already in you. It is in me. It simply is.
Read this. Alan Watts is a genius on Buddhism and Taoism.