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Rating: 
Summary: Egotistical Tao?
Review: Although I actually enjoyed the language and Deng's talent for prose and rhetoric, I can't help but laugh at the psychology and philosophy behind this book. First of all, you will find his philosophy rather contradictory to Taoist thought. His ideal "Scholar-Warrior guy" (person skilled in mind and body), the emphasis he puts on striving to become the scholar warrior, and all the stuff he said in the beginning chapter are CONFUCIAN IDEALS. Then he goes off with his rhetoric about how Confucius had the title of Leader of Knights, implying that he could fight and think strategically and all the other B.S., then almost every person he mentions in Chinese history, he will tell you the exact same thing. He just sort of "magicly" attribute certain traits to men of prominence in ancient China, making them sound perfect.In the very beginning of his book, he will tell you maximizing versatillity and such. Although it sounds great, I find his rhetoric absurd! He even says such a person strives to develop his skills to be good in all fields of study, even better than specialists in a particular field. First of all, that is a NON-TAOIST notion simply created out of egotism. Second of all, there is basically no such person like that. He probably just had to use his egotism in this work and create such ideas. Then later in his book, he will tell you that Taoists are very knowledgeable men, and after they've trained their intellect, they will "abandon" their knowledge. I'd agree with this idea, which is only one of the few I would deem Taoist. While simply labeling Confucian ideals and his egotism and dreams Taoist, I did find the book knowledgeable on certain aspects. For the most part, the meditation exercises, the diet routines, and the qigong exercises in the book were all very informative. Just ignore the meaning of his proses and rhetoric and you'll actually find this book invaluable.
Rating: 
Summary: ok
Review: Are you an aspiring Taoist who just can't seem to get past the horrors of bad translation and esoteric texts filled with unexplained terms? If so, this is the book for you. Filled with helpful tips on exercise, diet, and the underlying themes of this wonderful belief system, it is truly one of the most informative books on the subject I have ever had the pleasure to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book for a student of Tao
Review: By my good fortune I happen to have had the pleasure of working with Master Kwan, However briefly, in Boston last winter. Drawn to him by "The Wandering Taoist" I happened upon him in the Boston public garden, Teaching. After a couple of months, working together with his students and speaking with them about their experiences with him, I heard a few things that could be of use to the validity of Deng Ming-Dao's work. It turns out that when I once questioned Master Kwan's main student (of ten years) about Deng Ming-Dao's work, he said that he had met Deng Ming-Dao and was present while he was being tought. that said Master Kwan's student then stated that Ming-Dao was a western man who had asked Master Kwan if he could write a book about him. Master Kwan agreed an told Ming-Dao a few stories and such. Afterwards Mister Ming-Dao proceeded to say that he had no further use for Master Kwan, and left. To this day Master Kwan has never read any of the material published about him, nor has he recieved any kind of royalties from Mister Ming-Dao. That said, it must be understood that Master Kwan wouldn't trouble over such things as royalties, he leads a very humble life, but his students do find it frustrating. If you would like to see Mater Kwan for who he really is, I invite you to visit the site that I stumbled upon last winter at; www.easternheathpractices.org. I hate to slander anyone over such things but I feel very strongly about this. Thanks for your time and patience.
Rating:
Summary: A very good reference for all things Taoist...
Review: Deng Ming Dao provides a very thorough overview of the history, general techniques and theory of many aspects of Taoism. The sections on Qigong and meditation are excellent and there is lots of food for thought here. The recipes are rather humourous in my opinion but it does bring up the important aspect of healthy eating is balanced eating. I believe there are better historical accounts (see Grigg's "Tao of Zen") but overall this book is very informative. I really like the quiet tone and ego-less method of trying to convey the information.
Rating: 
Summary: highly misleading
Review: the previous reviewer did a very good job of summing up what this book is about. deng ming dao emphasizes from the first page that dao is for "the few, the proud" and demands lifelong devotion. he opens the book with descriptions of extraordinary feats, and lures the reader on with the promise of amazing abilities. his daoist is quintessentially antisocial, and he even considers human relationships to be a distraction from the work at hand. running through the book is the urge to perfect oneself, to be better and better. is this starting to sound unhealthy? there's also the fact that the Daoist classics consider attachment to perfection and the desire to excel the LAST things one needs if one really wants to live life fruitfully. deng is right about the bountiful fruits of correct daoist practice--but he doesn't seem to realize the basic truth that virtually everyone understands if he or she has done any work or accomplished anything worthwhile: *you* can't get in the way.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Sorry
Review: The review below is mine. That review was after a quick read, and I think it does the book no justice. The book is actually a very good one at that, and explains the taoist principles very nicely. It provides for a strong foundation in Taoism, and thoroughly explains the principles and some misconceptions about Taoism. I have become a fan of Deng Ming-Dao's books, and I realised how immature I acted in writing the previous review. The thing was, I had gotten most of my interpretations of Taoism from unknown sources on the internet and became frustated that the book went against what I belived to be Taoism, but then I learned more about Taoism and found this book to be more than what I had thought of it in the first place. I guess I still think the same of the qigong exercises, because they would be more easily performed with a videotape or an instructer, BUT the excersises are still good. Only for convienience's sake you might not want to do them by book.
Rating:
Summary: The secrets of Taoism are concisely and clearly explained.
Review: This book gives an excellent introduction to the Taoist-martial art way of life and includes the Three Treasures, proper diet, life-theory, and Taoist health excercises. This is a companion book to the semi-fictional 'The Wandering Taoist' series, also by Deng Ming-Dao
Rating:
Summary: Just how does one properly practice Taoism? Here's how...
Review: This book is a remarkably comprehensive guide for the modern practicing Taoist. It stands alone among the numerous volumes published on this pragmatic religion/philosophy for this very reason: it is not just another commentary on the works of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, but rather a treatise on how the actual living philosophy has been applied to daily life for over 2500 years. Deng Ming Dao has accomplished a bit of a miracle here, for he has synthesized an admittedly confusing tangle of ancient Chinese Taoist traditions (many of them contradictory) and has presented the essence of the ancient wisdom and practices for the contemporary reader. Deng, like most Taoists, is a realist: he urges the practitioner to attain a level of absolute and "effortless" mastery (Wu Wei) in whatever endeavor he/she undertakes in this life ON THIS PHYSICAL PLANE. This is accomplished through persistent practice and daily focus...Taoism is NOT about "going with the flow", but rather about following the path of the heart without giving in to societal pressures or feelings of doubt. The Way has typically been walked by the "rugged individualists" of the world, NOT those who follow the herd. This is the uncompromising quest for perfection, and this perfection can only be attained if the individual is healthy in mind, body, and spirit, all of which Deng sees as being totally interdependent: one with a sick body can not have a healthy mind and one with an underdeveloped mind can not benefit from a healthy body. Hence, the intellectual must not have disdain for physical workouts and the athlete must not shun books. Indeed, roughly half of the book concerns itself with physical health: herbology and qigong breathing/stretching exercises are lucidly described. In regard to herbal remedies, Deng stresses prevention of maladies through the use of herbs as opposed to their uses as cures for diseases (in which case, he tells us, we must naturally turn to the aid of licensed physicians). I should note here that you will probably need to order many of the herbs that Deng reccommends through mail order if you do not live in an area with a "Chinatown" (addresses for mail order herb outfits are provided). The Way of the scholar warrior is a difficult one and it is not for everybody, but for those who wish to "be all that they can be" and who are willing to "just do it" (isn't this the whole essence of the Tao Te Ching?), I highly reccommend this book as a ready guide.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice package, but definitely not without flaws
Review: When it comes to this book, I am a bit conflicted. On the one hand, /Scholar Warrior/ is a very well-constructed, illustrated guide to various aspects of Taoist life and philosophy. On the other hand, some of the guidelines Deng Ming-Dao presents as "essential" to this way of life not only run contradictory to the Taoist ideal of wu-wei (non-action), but also contrary to a number of ideas the author himself states are important. In /Scholar Warrior/, the reader is told both that the Taoist does not strive forcefully and instead flows naturally with life (wu-wei). Yet, there is much detail on how to meticulously plan the stages of your life from the present until the day you die. There's also a great deal of advice on striving to eliminate your "fatal flaw" - yet, if such a "flaw" exists, is it not a natural part of yourself and thus, a manifestation of the perfect Tao? I suppose the idea here is that all this advice is presented as a guide to the "natural" way that others have discovered - but isn't one of the core ideas behind Taoism that each must find their own unique way on the Way? This book seems too heavily centered on goals, which strikes me as very un-Taoist. There's a lot of good information in this book, but there is also a lot that is simply not very usable. The sections on herbology, meditation, and the philosophies of Taoism seem very well done. However, a tremendous amount of space in the book is spent on Qigong, for example. The illustrations and descriptions are quite good, but this ignores a fundamental problem: you can't learn Qigong by gawking at illustrations in a book, and there's far too many steps involved to remember them with any effectiveness. So despite the quality of these parts of the book, they are ultimately not very useful. I don't really mean to bash this book so much - there is a lot of good information in it, and it can inspire you to explore different branches of the Taoist path in more detail. The breadth and depth of this work is admirable, it's just a shame that a lot of it is very contradictory or not all that useful in the end. I'm glad I bought /Schollar Warrior/ though, and for one simple reason: it has inspired me to think more carefully about what my own path means for me. In that regard, it was a worthwhile purchase. Just be sure to approach this book with an eye out for contradictions, so you can figure out what the right direction is for *you*
Rating:
Summary: A very well written and thoroughly-researched book
Review: Yes. I'm a Taoist, at 13 years of age. I buy every book I see on this subject, and I bought this one. And let me tell you, it was a good decision. It's very interesting from a philosophical standpoint as well as spiritual and a religious standpoint. Deng-Ming Dao uses simple language and mixes in with complex and abstract concepts, making a fascinating and compelling book in Taoism. The book starts off with an introduction giving the reader the basics of the concepts and ideas that s/he will learn in the book. Even the introduction is intriguing! After the reader has read the introduction, s/he gets into the nitty-gritty, the history of the Scholar Warrior! This chapter is probably the most interesting chapter in the entire book. It tells of how old Chinese men used to strive for the elite status of the Scholar Warrior. Much like Japan's Samurai, Scholar Warriors were the elite class of society. They were the 'perfect' ones. And that is what Deng-Ming Dao is trying to help us readers to learn, to be the elite. The next 3 chapters are spent on T'ai C'hi, which I'm not happy about because Deng-Ming Dao should know that the only way to learn T'ai C'hi and C'hi K'ung (Qi Gong) is with a teacher or through videos, because you can't be looking at the book while doing it. There is also a section on healthy foods you can prepare. The second half of the book is spent on the philosophy of Taoism. I guess you could say this section puts the Scholar in Scholar Warrior. This second section is very interesting and was the part I spend most of my time looking over when I look back at this book. The ending drops in to more deep 'mind stuff', and that didn't interest me too much, but anyway, it's a fun set up! The one think I noticed about this book is that it's not a book centered primarily on Taoism. It's more a mixture of Taoism, Martial Arts, and Alternative Medicine. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I just wanted to point that out for all you people who think this is just some Taoism book. Anyway, I hope you like it! A.A.
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