The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism

Rating:
Summary: puts you on the path...
Review: A great introduction to Taoism... covers essential ideas and terminology; the history, including mention of debated theories on Taoism's development; a screen backdrop of Chinese history during the Fifteen Epochs; references on-line, on location and in additional books for interested users.

While most of the book does a good job to earnestly emphasize the simplicity of Taoism and strives to distill and present the essentials, backed up with references for further review, there is a slight abandonment of responsibility as applied to what the book calls "the branches of tao" -- specifically, the i ching, tai chi, feng shui, acupuncture and herbal medicine. It is not clear how these developed independently of Taoism, and there is a danger in that the reader may believe them to be instrinsic to the philosophy. However, more detailed references are suggested from which any interested reader would quickly learn the truth.

As the title "Complete Idiot's Guide" suggests, could be too basic for those already well-versed in the subject. Serves as a great reference, and timely. Some of the best sources cited are free, online.

Rating:
Summary: Not recommended
Review: I have been studying taoism for about 2 1/2 years now, and while I'm no expert, there was plenty I disagreed with in this book. I felt that the authors were incorrect (at least in their explanations) about some of the key points of taoist philosophy, and one of the authors gives his own translation of the first verse of the Tao Te Ching which I also found to be off-base. The back cover also promises "in-depth" information on tai chi and the I Ching, yet the book actually only gives brief information on these subjects -- in fact, INSIDE the book it says "Here's a brief overview" -- no in-depth information. To make matters worse, the section on the I Ching contrasts the methods of eastern divination versus western divination, but the example it gives of a question in eastern divination is INCOMPATIBLE with the I Ching, suggesting an infamiliarity with it.

While the back cover was probably written by the publisher and not the authors (it even mentions "ying-yang" instead of the correct "yin-yang"), the material inside the book is what counts. But because of the faults I mentioned with the material inside, I found myself taking everything else I read in the book with a grain of salt because I was unsure of its accuracy. And while it does provide some information on the history of taoism, chinese dynasties, and taoist religion, I'm concerned that this book would mislead those new to taoism.

If you are new to taoism and would like to learn more, I recommend picking up a good translation of the Tao Te Ching and starting there. "Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Translation" by Jonathan Star is my personal favorite translation because it includes a verbatim, word-for-word translation of the text. Also recommended is the translation by Brian Browne Walker.

Rating:
Summary: Not recommended
Review: I have been studying taoism for about 2 1/2 years now, and while I'm no expert, there was plenty I disagreed with in this book. I felt that the authors were incorrect (at least in their explanations) about some of the key points of taoist philosophy, and one of the authors gives his own translation of the first verse of the Tao Te Ching which I also found to be off-base. The back cover also promises "in-depth" information on tai chi and the I Ching, yet the book actually only gives brief information on these subjects -- in fact, INSIDE the book it says "Here's a brief overview" -- no in-depth information. To make matters worse, the section on the I Ching contrasts the methods of eastern divination versus western divination, but the example it gives of a question in eastern divination is INCOMPATIBLE with the I Ching, suggesting an infamiliarity with it.

While the back cover was probably written by the publisher and not the authors (it even mentions "ying-yang" instead of the correct "yin-yang"), the material inside the book is what counts. But because of the faults I mentioned with the material inside, I found myself taking everything else I read in the book with a grain of salt because I was unsure of its accuracy. And while it does provide some information on the history of taoism, chinese dynasties, and taoist religion, I'm concerned that this book would mislead those new to taoism.

If you are new to taoism and would like to learn more, I recommend picking up a good translation of the Tao Te Ching and starting there. "Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Translation" by Jonathan Star is my personal favorite translation because it includes a verbatim, word-for-word translation of the text. Also recommended is the translation by Brian Browne Walker.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Introduction
Review: I knew little about taoism, and while I feel that this book does a good job with introducing one to it, I realize now, after reading this book, that I still know little about taoism. I rated the book four stars because it served it's purpose well but falls short of a truly excellent book. It also seemed to be redundant in certain areas regarding tai chi, fung shuei, and Chinese medicine. Overally, I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a solid, comprehensive guide to taoism. Just realize that, as Lao Tsu says about the journey of a thousand miles, this book is only the first step!

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable and broad introduction to Taoism
Review: This book was my introduction to Taoism, and I am deeply grateful to the authors for writing such a splendid guide to the Way. /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/ starts out by working through the difficulties of defining "Tao" and introducing the reader to the works of Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu, the two sages of Taoism. The book moves on to offer an overview of key Taoist concepts like wu-wei, de, the yin-yang polarity, etc. All of this is done in a relaxed, enjoyable manner, making for a quick and fun read.

This /Idiot's Guide/ also has chapters on Taoist thoughts on nature, skill, and life and death. These chapters illuminate the Taoist perspective on many aspects of life, and do so a lot more effectively than a list of dry, fixed "shall" and "shall not" items would be able to. The book also includes some thought-provoking overviews of the links between Taoism and Christianity, modern physics, popular culture (i.e. The Matrix), and so forth.

This book is not page after page of dogmatic rules on how you should or should not think, or should or should not live. Anyone looking for such things will be disappointed with /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/, and indeed Taoism itself. The authors went to great lengths to provide a cohesive intro to the history of Taoism, as well as the core ideas that make it a viable philosophy (or religion) to this day. I think the main goal when writing this book was to get the reader to actively *think* about life, and how traditional Taoist perspectives match up with the experiences of daily life.

If you're up to the challenge of genuinely thinking about Taoism, and how it can be applied to all aspects of the world, this book will definitely satisfy you. As the authors say in their introduction, "Think of /The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism/ as a flashlight; judge its effectiveness by what it helps you see more clearly as you make your own way along the path."