Taoist Master Chuang

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars!
Review: Can I just get in line behind everyone else here? This is a unqiely excellent book. I highly recommend it. There are soooo many books about Daoism, except that almost none have any real relevance to Daoism whatsoever. Here we have a scholar who seems to have a deep understanding of Taoist practice. But this is a book about his training at the hands of a true Daoist Master, so I guess that's to be expected. Nonetheless, this is a real, authentic, detailed view of Taoist practice. Not highflying philosophy or navel-gazing, but real descriptions of real practices. Some of the activities described in this excellent book are astoundingly complex. It's as if someone realized the concept of yin-yang, and kept developing it without cessation for a long, long time. Eventually, detailed practices regarding ritual, spirits, magic, personal transmutation and more arose. This is basically the history of Taoism itself, as reflected in the knowledge of one intensely experienced Master, as told by his spiritual disciple. My only complaint with this book? I wish it were twice as long.

Rating:
Summary: I would have given 6 stars if I could
Review: Daoism attracts two kinds of people - some want to read the Tao Te Ching and some want to learn more about Taoism. If you're the second kind, like I am, then you HAVE to get this book. This could be the single best Daoism book in English. It really tells us how to do things, and how Daoist Masters really do things? Plus the history of Daoism is awesome. I can't say enough about this book. Maximum stars.

Rating:
Summary: These rituals work!
Review: I agree with everyone, this is an awesome book. There is so much to learn from it. But I have one caution to give - don't try to do the detailed rituals by yourself! I did, and it was really scary. These are meant for initiated Taoists, and that's not me. But I tried it anyway. I'm a pretty good meditator, and I have a good bit of ritual experience, so I thought I'd be OK. Wrong! Let's just say the spirits taught me an important lesson. But it was still fantastic to be able to get a better understanding of what Taoists really do. Maybe one day I'll be able to do it too, but for now I'm happy to just read this book.

Rating:
Summary: These rituals work!
Review: I agree with everyone, this is an awesome book. There is so much to learn from it. But I have one caution to give - don't try to do the detailed rituals by yourself! I did, and it was really scary. These are meant for initiated Taoists, and that's not me. But I tried it anyway. I'm a pretty good meditator, and I have a good bit of ritual experience, so I thought I'd be OK. Wrong! Let's just say the spirits taught me an important lesson. But it was still fantastic to be able to get a better understanding of what Taoists really do. Maybe one day I'll be able to do it too, but for now I'm happy to just read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Dissenting Opinion
Review: I can certainly appreciate the excitement that a lot of readers have expressed about this book--I felt the same way when I read it years ago (the book was first published in 1978 as *The Teachings of Taoist Master Chuang*). But I was schocked to see that the book has been reprinted, because, to put it mildly, it was not very favorable received in academic circles. Now, for many readers, this won't mean a thing, and may in fact be a mark in the book's favor. That's cool. But if you are interested in the history of Daoism, or in good ethnography, then you may want to read an old (and infamous) review article on this book, published in 1980. It's called "History, Anthropology, and Chinese Religion." [Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 40, No. 1. (Jun., 1980), pp. 201-248.] This is an *extremely* harsh review of the book, and in many ways a petty one. But it makes many damning points. For example that Saso gets his history very wrong. But perhaps more importantly, he does some strange things for an ethnographer, like introducing material from the published Daoist canon for Master Chuang to comment on--material that Chuang had never seen. This calls into question just what kind of Daoism Saso is learning, in the book. But, it's an exciting book, it gives some views of Daoism that are valuable, etc. Just FYI, caveat emptor, etc.

Rating:
Summary: Taoist Magical Practice
Review: I can't even tell you how long I have been searching for a book like this! If you want to understand Taoist spells, magic, ritual, etc., it's all here. Awesome!

Rating:
Summary: A Great Surprise
Review: I had almost given up hope. I've seen enough translations of the Tao Te Ching to last a lifetime. I'm not interested in learning how to apply Taoist philosophy to my career. What I want is to learn more about actual Taoism, about how Taoists practice and live. Just when I was about to give up any hope of ever finding the information I wanted, along comes Taoist Master Chuang. It's an excellent book, clearly written and filled with detailed practical examples of Taoist practices, ritual, worship, and magic. I especially enjoyed the author's vivid depictions of a slew of modern Taoists. Some of the images conformed to my preconceptions, and some did not. But all were fascinating. I also think the "history of Taoism" section is fabulous. This seems to be an insider's view, something that we don't normally see in typical academic works. All in all, this was a great surprise and a great book.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Eye-Opening Book
Review: I have an MA in Taoism, and I'm considering going after my PhD. I've spent lots and lots of time reading through dusty books on Taoism, and I can assure everyone that I think this is one of the best. In an area where translations of the Tao Te Ching abound, this is one of the few works that provides real detail regarding Taoist practice. Instead of philosophy and spiritual fluff, this book really relates what it is like to be a Taoist in the world of dust. Only after reading and re-reading this wonderful book could I really begin to see how Master Chuang captures the heart of Taoism in concrete actions, and how he does this on behalf of his community. Everyone interested in Taoism should read this book!

Rating:
Summary: This is the real deal
Review: I heartily recommend this book. Most books on Taoism are terrible. I just wrote a review for Towler's "Embarking on the Tao: A Guide to Western Taoism," where I gave it 1 star because the book has nothing to say about Taoism. This book, on the other hand, has everything to say. It gives us history, philosophy, ritual, magic, anthropology, and on and on. What a great book. Buy it, read it, treasure it. With best wishes from your pal Max.

Rating:
Summary: This is the real deal
Review: I heartily recommend this book. Most books on Taoism are terrible. I just wrote a review for Towler's "Embarking on the Tao: A Guide to Western Taoism," where I gave it 1 star because the book has nothing to say about Taoism. This book, on the other hand, has everything to say. It gives us history, philosophy, ritual, magic, anthropology, and on and on. What a great book. Buy it, read it, treasure it. With best wishes from your pal Max.