Taoism: Essential Teachings of the Way and Its Power

Rating:
Summary: User-friendly without sacrificing substance
Review: Aside from the Taoist classics themselves, the few introductory books on Taoism that I've been able to find tend to fall into two categories: Those that offer a cursory gloss over this vast subject, typically written by people who seem to have little deep understanding of Taoism; and those that delve so deeply into obscure Taoist esoterica as to be incomprehensible to the novice reader, typically written by Chinese scholars who have been immersed in the teachings for their entire lives and may be too close to the subject to be able to step back and give a clear overview. Ken Cohen's delightful cassette series is the remedy to both of these dilemmas.

As an American who has learned the vast subject of Taoism deeply but was not brought up in it, Cohen possesses a great ability to take its Eastern flavor and make it clearly understandable to a Western audience, without sacrificing an in-depth discussion of the basics and even beyond. Through the use of colorful and sometimes gently humorous anecdotes (the Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucianist sitting on a park bench is my personal favorite) and even personal references to his own experience, in which he himself absorbed important lessons from Chinese Taoist masters along his path, the listener gets the feeling of learning along with Cohen, rather than be lectured to, which often seems to be a downfall of these instructional tape series. Indeed, far from being pedantic at all, Cohen speaks in a clear, relaxed, friendly, and easily digestible manner, providing a wealth of information on the history and practice of both religious and philosophical Taoism, as well as its meditative/devotional rituals, its classic books, its philosophical founders, its relation with the natural world and emphasis on simplicity, its link with the art of divination, its influence on Chinese poetry and cuisine, and its often-overlooked role as the origin of feng shui.

Other Taoist subjects, such as herbalism, acupuncture, the martial arts, Tai Chi, and Qigong, are touched upon but not deeply examined, but this is excusable in light of the wealth of information already presented, and besides, Cohen has touched upon some of these subjects in his other tape series. Those series are enriching as well, but this should be your starting point.

Rating:
Summary: Intelligible, Practical Presentation of Non-Western Thought
Review: Ken Cohen, like his friend and mentor Alan Watts, is not only a clear, strong writer; but also an inspiring lecturer/teacher.

Taoism is a 4 1/2 hr. course covering Taoism as religion, as philosophy, its influence on the arts and science of China, and how it connects and contrasts with other systems of thought, both Chinese and Western.

This course is presented on a practical basis with the goal of improving the quality of one's life and health. This is demonstrated right from the start with Ken Cohen's careful enunciation of Chinese words. Because of the relational nature of Taoist thinking, some areas could be difficult or even strange, except for the excellence of the presentation.

An unusual section is given on Chinese (Taoist) poetry. This type of poetry strives to express directly an experience from Nature, the experience being more important than cleverness with words. The principles are illustrated using Ken Cohen's own translations of classical poerty. Then he invites the listener to "cap" a poem by adding a line to one he provides. Finally the listener is encouraged to try alternating lines with friends, the poems finishing themselves.

Feng Shui (geomancy) is presented through the relational "5 element" scheme. But it is also pointed out that the Earth can be considered to have "meridians" and by using standing meditation, one can relate the body's meridians to those of the Earth.

Not only for Feng Shui, but also for the other areas of Taoist thought, Ken Cohen emphasizes the bottom line is harmony, balance and sense. Anecotes drawn from a lifetime of study are included to help demonstate important ideas.

Rating:
Summary: Essential teachings on The Way and its power.
Review: TAOISM: ESSENTIAL TEACHINGS OF THE WAY AND ITS POWER Ken Cohen

In his 80th year, the great sage Lao Tzu made a difficult journey to the western gate of China. He was disillusioned that others were unwilling to learn his path to natural goodness and harmony with nature. At this legendary gate, a guard asked the old man to write down his wisdom. The result was the Tao Te Ching, which remains China's most enduring sacred text. Now, over 2,000 years later, one of the West's leading authorities on the Tao introduces you to this effortless philosophy for living on Taoism: Essential Teachings of the Way and Its Power. In easy-to-follow language, Ken Cohen reveals Lao Tzu's vast spiritual legacy, including Taoism's mystical roots in China's ancient shamanistic tradition. Includes a 29-page booklet.

This complete introduction to Taoism covers:

Origins, philosophy, and religion Keys to ethical living, inner silence, and simplicity Taoist meditation for awareness and healing Taoist prayers, rituals, and iconography Taoist teachings on diet, poetry, feng-shui, dream yoga, and much more.

Ken Cohen is a renowned Taoist initiate, China scholar, and qigong master. In 1973, he was one of six students chosen by Alan Watts for private study of Taoism. Ken is the author of the internationally acclaimed book The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing and more than 150 journal articles. He co-authored, with Tu Xin-Shi, China's gold medal artist, Autumn Leaves: The Wisdom and Art of Chinese Calligraphy. Ken is an adjunct professor at Union Graduate School and presents at universities and conferences throughout the world. For information on his programs, you may write to him at:

Qigong Research and Practice Center PO Box 1727 Nederland, CO 80466

or phone him at: 1-303-258-0971

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to Taoism
Review: These tapes cover Taoist philosophy perfectly. Ken Cohen is the best at explaining Taoism in an interesting way. If you want to learn Taoist meditations and Feng Shuei you will like it alot.