Description
Book SynopsisSuitable for those interested in China and in religions, this work offers an introduction to the traditions of Taoism and the masters who transmit them. It traces the way that leads from Chinese shamanism and traditional village life to the physical Tending Life techniques, which in turn lead to the mysticism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.
Table of ContentsFOREWORD BY NORMAN GIRADOT
AUTHOR'S NOTE
l
Taoism
The Notion of Religion
The Tao
The History of Taoism
The Destruction of Taoism
2
Everyday Religion
The Temples
The Calendar
Festivals
Food
3
Divinity
Cosmology
The Gods
Spiritual Power
4
The Masters of the Gods
Puppets and Mediums
The Barefoot Master and His Ritual
The Dignitaries of the Tao
The Register
5
Ritual
Becoming a Tao-shih
The Sacrifice ofWritings
The Altar
6
The Inner Landscape
The Environment
The Image of the Body
The Inhabitants
7
Lao Tzu, the Body of the Tao
Birth
8
Keeping the One
The Preliminary Stage: The Work of the
Ch'i (Ch'i-kung)
Chaos: The Work of the Tao
The Return
9
The Immortals
The Abstinence from Grains
Mountains
Alchemy
10
Teaching without Words
The Kingdom of Humpty-Dumpty
The Fast of the Heart
Daily Life
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
