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Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China (Shambhala Classics) |
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Published: 2004-10-26 |
List price: $14.95
Our price: $10.17
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As of: December 04th, 2008 03:19:58 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 A Story of Seven Journeys
I first came upon this book at my college library several years ago, and I could not put it down. And, recently, I finally able to obtain this book in hand and read it once more. To me at least, it is a book full of insights and fascinating stories. It was not until later that I realized that they are stories mixed with historical facts and mythology in order to teach (about the basics of Taoism) and to entertain the readers.
"Seven Taoist Masters" is a story of one woman and six men (students of Wang Ch'ung-yang) who faced severe hardships and overcoming them on their own unique paths towards self-mastery over themselves and towards enlightenment. The one story that I most identified with was Chi'iu Ch'ang-ch'un's long journey.
This novel is roughly 200 pages and easy to read. It was written by an unknown author but it was translated by Eva Wong with great clarity. I would recommend this book, as well Eva Wong's "Tales of the Taoist Immortals," for those who are interested in Taoism philosophy and in Chinese historical legends.
 Two kinds of Taoism?
With this book translated by Eva Wong finally we can conclude there has been two kinds of Taoism:
- that one of Lao-Tse with the I Ching, and Tao Te Ching, and
- that one of the School of Complete Reality, which is described in this novel, and is considered according to the author a manual of Taoist training.
Behind the former there is a complete application of the yin-yang philosophy, and in it we have that the "Unity arises out of the Absolute Tao, and from Unity there appears cosmic Duality, and from such Duality, Trinity springs forth into existence, and Trinity is the primal source of all reality." Tao Te King
Behind the latter we have what can be called... "the popular Taoism of twentieth-century...(which) has very little in common with the lofty sentiments and the cosmic concepts of the old philosopher(Lao-Tse) who taught the truth as he perceived it, which was: That faith in the Absolute God is the source of that divine energy which will remake the world, and by which man ascends to spiritual union with Tao, the Eternal Deity and Creator Absolute of the universes" The Urantia Book...
In this second kind of taoism, that one of the School of Complete Reality, there is a "singular path" to immortality and enlightment obtained by the lonely path of mediation and we can wonder, can it really be obtained? or, is it just a part of a fascination by legends of the human mind?
Wonderful
I'm so very glad I came to this review site, because I learned so much from the knowedgable reviewers here!
That being said, I loved the stories in this book. I'm currently on a jag of these kind of stories (Chronicicles of the Tao, Opening the Dragon Gate) and I think this is the best one I have read so far. I particularly appreciated that each character in this had their own specific block to overcome.
I'd like to know if anyone from the Southern schools of Taoism has written a book like this?
Seven Taoist Masters
This book was given to me as a gift from a Buddhist friend. I didn't really look at it until a month or two later, thinking it to be strange and complex. However, when I eventually did pick up "Seven Taoist Masters", I found it to be a very friendly and teaching story in a folk tale/legend sort of way. For example I will quote from a moment where Wang Ch'ung-yang is teaching his disciples: "Those who cultivate the Tao must attend to every detail
of their everyday lives. If there is a trace of self-interest, the heart is still impure and an obstacle still stands in the way of you and the Tao." Things like this take up about a tenth of the book and even myself (who had no idea of Taoism previously) did not
find this a bit boring or anything else. I hope the things I have quoted will not discourage you in any way.
The story is about Wang T'ieh-shen (who achieves the taoist name of Wang Ch'ung-yang) and his destined seven disciples and their journeys and tests to attain the Tao.
The Characters are:
*Wang Ch'ung-yang: Teacher. Ch'ung-yang translates as "the rebirth of yang".
*Ma Tan-yang: Disciple. Tan-yang translates as "the bright, pure pill". Quoting from the author:"The "pill" is the Golden Pill,the result of the synthesis of the three internal energies (general, vital and spiritual energy) in the pure form."
*Sun Pu-erh: Disciple. Pu-erh translates to "no second way".
*Chi'iu Ch'ang-ch'un: Disciple. Ch'ang-ch'un translates as "eternal spring"
*Liu Ch'ang-sheng: Disciple. Ch'ang-sheng translates as "longevity" or "eternal life".
*T'an Ch'ang-chen: Disciple. Ch'ang-chen translates as "forever enlightened" or "eternally enlightened".
*Hao T'ai-ku: Disciple. T'ai-ku translates as "the ancient".
*Wang Yu-yang: Disciple. Yu-yang translates as "bright jade".
I recomend this book to beginers and experts alike.
Thank You for reading my review. I hope you enjoy this book and continue to read other Taoist stories and texts.
Delightful and Fascinating Novel
Written by an unknown author, Seven Taoist Masters is the story of six men and one woman who overcome tremendous hardships on the journey to self-mastery. These characters and their teacher, Want Ch'ung-yang , are all historical figures who lived in the Southern Sung and Yuan dynasties.
The novel brings to life the essentials of Taoist philosophy and practice, both through the instruction offered by Wang - on topics such as cultivation of mind and body, meditation techniques, and overcoming the four obstacles of anger, greed, lust, and drunkenness - and through the experience of characters.
While all road eventually lead to the experience of the Tao, each individual's path is unique, as is the adventure of each master in this book.
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