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Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching
Walking the Way affirms that, like yin and yang, the flowing spontaneity of Tao and the precise simplicity of Zen find perfect balance with one another. Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum brings the two traditions together in a unique presentation that elicits Zen insights from his fresh interpretation of verses from the Taoist classic, the Tao Te Ching. Personal anecdotes illustrate the dynamic potential of Rosenbaum's approach, skillfully revealing Zen within the Tao and the Tao of Zen. Not only does the author reveal the elegance of each tradition, he shows how their interrelatedness does, in fact, have import on our meditative practices and on our day-to-day lives. Parenting, meditating, dealing with setbacks and illnesses-- Walking the Way shows us how to live well in the midst of many complex demands, finding harmony and equilibrium between honing in and letting go, balance between being ourselves and selflessly serving others.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
20 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Robert Rosenbaum
5 books22 followersRobert Rosenbaum, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist and psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay area, a Zen practice leader and senior teacher of Dayan Qigong, and a mountaineer. He brings a lifetime of practice to the moment-by-moment harmonization of body, mind, and spirit.
Bob began Zen practice in 1971; since 1988 he has practiced at the Berkeley Zen Center in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryū Suzuki. Bob's dharma name is Meiko Onzen ("Clear Mirror, Calm Sitting"). In 2007 he was shuso (head student) for the practice period there. He was given lay entrustment by his teacher, Sojun Mel Weitsman, in 2010 and has since been active in the Lay Zen Teachers' Association of North America. (website: www.LZTA.org)
Bob received authorization to teach Dayan ("Wild Goose") Qigong in 1999 from Master Hui Liu of the Wen Wu School in the tradition of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun. Bob regularly teaches qigong at the Wen Wu school and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ten years ago he began the first qigong program to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland; since then it has spread to many other medical centers.
In order to devote himself full time to Zen and Qigong practice, Bob recently retired from 25 years in Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers, working in the Departments of Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine, and Neurology. While there he served as chief psychologist and as the head of assessment services. As a psychotherapist he specialized in brief therapy and, with Moshe Talmon and Michael Hoyt, did research on single session interventions. In Behavioral Medicine he developed a mindfulness-based program for patients with chronic pain. Bob initiated training programs in neuropsychology, hypnosis, and brief psychotherapy and held grants researching dementia and adult attention deficit disorder.
Bob is the author of numerous journal articles and the book Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy. His most recent book, Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching will be published by Wisdom Press in Spring 2013.
Bob has been a Fulbright Professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in Bangalore, India; director of the psychology doctoral program at the California Institute of Integral Studies; and was active in the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. He has given presentations and workshops around the world, including in Nepal, India, Australia, Japan, Europe and South America.
Bob has been a lifelong avid backpacker in the Sierras and Cascades. Since 2000, Bob has spent one or two months each year in the Himalayas. He assisted his friend, Robin Boustead, in the development of portions of the Great Himalaya Trail across Nepal and India. Bob is the proud father of two grown daughters who are enthusiastic climbers, lovers of the outdoors, and committed to social justice.
Bob sees the sitting meditation of zazen and the moving meditation of qigong as two complementary expressions which mutually reinforce the natural practice of the Way in ordinary, everyday activity. Psychology and neurobiology can help inform this practice, but neither explain nor constrain it:. The brain is not the mind and (as Zen Master Dogen teaches us), the mind is not the I; our bodies-and-minds are the universe, one bright pearl.
Bob began Zen practice in 1971; since 1988 he has practiced at the Berkeley Zen Center in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryū Suzuki. Bob's dharma name is Meiko Onzen ("Clear Mirror, Calm Sitting"). In 2007 he was shuso (head student) for the practice period there. He was given lay entrustment by his teacher, Sojun Mel Weitsman, in 2010 and has since been active in the Lay Zen Teachers' Association of North America. (website: www.LZTA.org)
Bob received authorization to teach Dayan ("Wild Goose") Qigong in 1999 from Master Hui Liu of the Wen Wu School in the tradition of Grandmaster Yang Mei Jun. Bob regularly teaches qigong at the Wen Wu school and the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ten years ago he began the first qigong program to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland; since then it has spread to many other medical centers.
In order to devote himself full time to Zen and Qigong practice, Bob recently retired from 25 years in Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers, working in the Departments of Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine, and Neurology. While there he served as chief psychologist and as the head of assessment services. As a psychotherapist he specialized in brief therapy and, with Moshe Talmon and Michael Hoyt, did research on single session interventions. In Behavioral Medicine he developed a mindfulness-based program for patients with chronic pain. Bob initiated training programs in neuropsychology, hypnosis, and brief psychotherapy and held grants researching dementia and adult attention deficit disorder.
Bob is the author of numerous journal articles and the book Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy. His most recent book, Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching will be published by Wisdom Press in Spring 2013.
Bob has been a Fulbright Professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience in Bangalore, India; director of the psychology doctoral program at the California Institute of Integral Studies; and was active in the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration. He has given presentations and workshops around the world, including in Nepal, India, Australia, Japan, Europe and South America.
Bob has been a lifelong avid backpacker in the Sierras and Cascades. Since 2000, Bob has spent one or two months each year in the Himalayas. He assisted his friend, Robin Boustead, in the development of portions of the Great Himalaya Trail across Nepal and India. Bob is the proud father of two grown daughters who are enthusiastic climbers, lovers of the outdoors, and committed to social justice.
Bob sees the sitting meditation of zazen and the moving meditation of qigong as two complementary expressions which mutually reinforce the natural practice of the Way in ordinary, everyday activity. Psychology and neurobiology can help inform this practice, but neither explain nor constrain it:. The brain is not the mind and (as Zen Master Dogen teaches us), the mind is not the I; our bodies-and-minds are the universe, one bright pearl.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 20, 2016
This was what I was reading at the time as I fully transitioned from secular atheist to "well, okay, the zen mindfulness exercises really do calm me down and make me feel better... let's say Buddhist until further notice" Taoist or Confucianist. It's all the same in the end. We're all seriously just people here, and this actually helps me improve.
Te is what I found most interesting.
The literature is kind of out there.. But honestly, I have concrete proof that when I "ground" myself with a zen meditation or the like, concentration and everything else comes much easier!
Te is what I found most interesting.
The literature is kind of out there.. But honestly, I have concrete proof that when I "ground" myself with a zen meditation or the like, concentration and everything else comes much easier!
Read
April 14, 2023I took the approach of reading one chapter of Walking the Way each morning before starting my day. In each of the 81 chapters Rosenbaum offers 1) a verse from the Tao Te Ching 2) general reflection on the central idea or theme of that verse and 3) a personal anecdote related to the verse. As Rosenbaum himself puts it: "Each chapter consists of a verse from the Tao Te Ching followed by an essay on some aspects of the verse as it relates to being yourself, concluding with a personal anecdote." Each chapter is about 3-4 pages.
Rosenabaum brings an interesting perspective to the Tao: he is a psychotherapist and nueropsychologist who has practiced both Zen Buddhism and Dayan Qigong for thirty years. I especially appreciated the personal anecdotes that ended each chapter. They helped ground the more abstract and aphoristic elements of the verse and short essays. The essays are focused and unpack the ideas expressed in the verse in clear, direct language.
The verses themselves are Rosenbaum's own composite translation compiled from multiple translations (he includes an annotated bibliography of the ten translations he favored) and tweaked to highlight meanings or bring a shade of Zen to the verse. Personally, I found Rosenbaum's versions unnecessarily obscure. I would recommend reading your own preferred translation along with each of Rosenbaum's chapters, especially if you are new to the Tao Te Ching.
As with any book like this, including the Tao Te Ching itself, some chapters resonated more deeply than others. I'm sure that different chapters resonate will resonate for each reader (and even for the same reader depending on the day).
The beauty of the Tao Te Ching is that its truths are deeply simple and natural. This is also what makes those truths challenging to embrace. Our minds want complexity. Rosenbaum's heartfelt efforts and struggles to embrace the Tao are relatable and often valuable.
Rosenabaum brings an interesting perspective to the Tao: he is a psychotherapist and nueropsychologist who has practiced both Zen Buddhism and Dayan Qigong for thirty years. I especially appreciated the personal anecdotes that ended each chapter. They helped ground the more abstract and aphoristic elements of the verse and short essays. The essays are focused and unpack the ideas expressed in the verse in clear, direct language.
The verses themselves are Rosenbaum's own composite translation compiled from multiple translations (he includes an annotated bibliography of the ten translations he favored) and tweaked to highlight meanings or bring a shade of Zen to the verse. Personally, I found Rosenbaum's versions unnecessarily obscure. I would recommend reading your own preferred translation along with each of Rosenbaum's chapters, especially if you are new to the Tao Te Ching.
As with any book like this, including the Tao Te Ching itself, some chapters resonated more deeply than others. I'm sure that different chapters resonate will resonate for each reader (and even for the same reader depending on the day).
The beauty of the Tao Te Ching is that its truths are deeply simple and natural. This is also what makes those truths challenging to embrace. Our minds want complexity. Rosenbaum's heartfelt efforts and struggles to embrace the Tao are relatable and often valuable.
March 24, 2025
So simple and so profound.
April 13, 2014
Lightweight and utterly forgettable. Read ~40 pages leaving almost no impression whatsoever, so set aside.
October 22, 2016
At times it was quite insightful.
January 6, 2017
Found much wisdom presented in an accessible way.
December 12, 2017
Excellent book - Highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews