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Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life – A Beautifully Illustrated Guide to Taoist Wisdom and Meditation for Complete Health
In this beautifully illustrated offering of ancient wisdom, Deng Ming-Dao shares the secrets of the spiritual path handed down to him by Kwan Saihung, his Taoist master, as well as by herbalists, martial artists, and other practitioners of the ancient arts. Deng shows how Taoist philosophy and practice may be integrated into contemporary Western lifestyles for complete physical, mental, and spiritual health. He provides an abundance of philosophical and practical information about hygiene, diet, sexuality, physical exercise, meditation, medicine, finding one's purpose in life, finding the right teacher, death, and transcendence.
509 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
November 5, 2015
This is a deeply weird book.
And I'm not sure I'm in a position to offer a very good review.
In part, the book covers the history of Taoism. In part, it is an apology for Taoism. In part, it is a defense of a certain kind of Taoism. In part, it is a practical guidebook. These parts do not always go together, and indeed, the book undermines itself many times--at least to my mind.
Nonetheless, it seems like an excellent introductory guide to the thing we call Taoism, at least as it is not (partially) understood.
Deng interprets Taoists as descendants of Chinese shamans. He believes that they seek balance in their own lives and reject society. The balance means that they both try to perfect their body and their mind, and that they do this through proper eating, exercise, and conservation of certain kinds of energy that is then transformed into mental clarity.
At the same time he is creating a tradition for Taoism, and outlining its history--necessarily placing it in a social context, though insisting Taoism is outside of society--he is also trying to update and secularize Taoism. The pantheon of gods associated with the practice are not necessary, he says, and indeed, Taoism is supposedly just the scientific method practiced in an individual life. (Never mind that there is no such thing as the scientific method.) The problem with this argument is that it blurs Taoism to such an extent that it stops being a practice at all. If Taoism is just about figuring out the best way to live your life, why the rest of the rigamarole.
And there is a lot of rigamarole. There are dietary recommendations based on body type--while he also insists one should not think overmuch about diet--specific herbs for specific maladies, a right way to meditate, and exercises that sound a bit like the Taoist version of yoga. (His history is not so detailed as to discuss the various interactions of Taoism with other doctrines.) It is hard to understand the exercises from the text though.
A lot is put out simply as his interpretation, without any real argument, which I suppose goes with this being a guide book, but it is hard to accept particular interpretations--he insists that competition is necessary and that old-fashioned ideas about the conservation of energy through reduced sexual activity is reasonable, for example. In his discussion he jumps from Taoism as religion to Taosim as philosophy to Taoism as ritual, though he wants to insist that it's really a set of disciplines.
A lot of this reminds me of the current paleo or primal movement, in its insistence that inferred practices from long long ago must be taken up to escape modern ills--he just doesn't go back quite so far as the primal enthusiasts. But in both cases, thousands of years of human culture are just assumed away.
And that seems especially problematic for an advocate of Taoism--since the Taoist is supposed to expect and accept change. The last section on the ills of modern society and modern technology does not fit well with his characterization of Taoism as the philosophy that sees life as "sweet" (compared to the Buddhist view of life as bitter, and the Confucian view of it as sour). What we're experiencing now is still life, and so the idea that we need to return to practices several thousands of years old is . . . underexplained. Particularly when he notes that many of the practices in the past have been secret, and contested.
So what this amounts to is Deng's view of Taoist best practices. Which the reader is supposed to take on face value.
For those who do--more power to you! I'm not arguing one shouldn't. It's just that the case wasn't made for me.
Sure, the idea of having balance in life, of being physical active and intellectually curious is good. But it is so anodyne, I don't see why it needs to be attached to the rest of the disciplinary practices given here.
And I'm not sure I'm in a position to offer a very good review.
In part, the book covers the history of Taoism. In part, it is an apology for Taoism. In part, it is a defense of a certain kind of Taoism. In part, it is a practical guidebook. These parts do not always go together, and indeed, the book undermines itself many times--at least to my mind.
Nonetheless, it seems like an excellent introductory guide to the thing we call Taoism, at least as it is not (partially) understood.
Deng interprets Taoists as descendants of Chinese shamans. He believes that they seek balance in their own lives and reject society. The balance means that they both try to perfect their body and their mind, and that they do this through proper eating, exercise, and conservation of certain kinds of energy that is then transformed into mental clarity.
At the same time he is creating a tradition for Taoism, and outlining its history--necessarily placing it in a social context, though insisting Taoism is outside of society--he is also trying to update and secularize Taoism. The pantheon of gods associated with the practice are not necessary, he says, and indeed, Taoism is supposedly just the scientific method practiced in an individual life. (Never mind that there is no such thing as the scientific method.) The problem with this argument is that it blurs Taoism to such an extent that it stops being a practice at all. If Taoism is just about figuring out the best way to live your life, why the rest of the rigamarole.
And there is a lot of rigamarole. There are dietary recommendations based on body type--while he also insists one should not think overmuch about diet--specific herbs for specific maladies, a right way to meditate, and exercises that sound a bit like the Taoist version of yoga. (His history is not so detailed as to discuss the various interactions of Taoism with other doctrines.) It is hard to understand the exercises from the text though.
A lot is put out simply as his interpretation, without any real argument, which I suppose goes with this being a guide book, but it is hard to accept particular interpretations--he insists that competition is necessary and that old-fashioned ideas about the conservation of energy through reduced sexual activity is reasonable, for example. In his discussion he jumps from Taoism as religion to Taosim as philosophy to Taoism as ritual, though he wants to insist that it's really a set of disciplines.
A lot of this reminds me of the current paleo or primal movement, in its insistence that inferred practices from long long ago must be taken up to escape modern ills--he just doesn't go back quite so far as the primal enthusiasts. But in both cases, thousands of years of human culture are just assumed away.
And that seems especially problematic for an advocate of Taoism--since the Taoist is supposed to expect and accept change. The last section on the ills of modern society and modern technology does not fit well with his characterization of Taoism as the philosophy that sees life as "sweet" (compared to the Buddhist view of life as bitter, and the Confucian view of it as sour). What we're experiencing now is still life, and so the idea that we need to return to practices several thousands of years old is . . . underexplained. Particularly when he notes that many of the practices in the past have been secret, and contested.
So what this amounts to is Deng's view of Taoist best practices. Which the reader is supposed to take on face value.
For those who do--more power to you! I'm not arguing one shouldn't. It's just that the case wasn't made for me.
Sure, the idea of having balance in life, of being physical active and intellectually curious is good. But it is so anodyne, I don't see why it needs to be attached to the rest of the disciplinary practices given here.
December 21, 2014
This book offers a lucid introduction to Taoist traditions regarding physical and emotional health. The author adapts the essence of these traditions to modern life through concise prose and elegant illustrations. The catch is that, despite these features, the book relies far too much on pseudoscience. More could have been done to incorporate modern findings about nutrition and health into the book's thesis, to shape ancient metaphors to facts we actually have. Keeping up with the research is part of the scholar's mission, after all. Overreliance on pseudoscience unfortunately prevents the book from being as helpful as it wants to be.
Deng's '365 Tao' makes a more suitable introduction to applying Taoist ideas to modern life.
Deng's '365 Tao' makes a more suitable introduction to applying Taoist ideas to modern life.
September 8, 2014
Great book. I didn't read this straight through, I kind of came and went this book between reading some fiction. There is a lot of Taoist wisdom in here. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Taiosim, or study internal martial arts. I absorbed a lot of useful information. For example I never thought of eating with the seasons. For example, eating heavier foods like meat dishes, stews and soups in the winter months and lighter foods like fruits and salads in the summer months. It seems like it should be common knowledge and perhaps a lot of people do it already, but I have to say i've had more energy this summer by staying away from heavier foods.
Worth a read.
Worth a read.
December 28, 2009
Good overview of one practitioners ideas on Taoism. I enjoyed the book quite a bit when i read it, but it's not on my to-reread list.
June 18, 2015
Ok. Not special. It seemed like a nice collection of stuff that was written by others.
Read
December 8, 2016Not rating this one just yet. I haven't actually done the practical bits (it includes a lot of Qi Gong, etc.), so it's hard to judge. Part of me wants to view this book rather negatively. While it talks about the non-dogmatic aspects of Taoism, it also has some very proscriptive aspects, which while not necessarily 100% contradictory, still turns me off. And yet, the descriptions of the core philosophy of Taoism is pretty good.
July 18, 2008
This book covers some history, beliefs, exercises, diet and meditations, it has a lot of information to give people a better idea of how to practice taoism. Worth the read for those that wants a more indepth look at taoism. A good next step after the Tao Te Ching.
March 1, 2014
This actually goes along with a lot that my husband practices in his life and it's been slow reading for me as I have to digest some of the information before continuing on in the book still even with that I highly recommend it.
March 24, 2018
Hmm, considering I loved his other book, this one was a disappointment. My bad for not actually wanting to live like a traditional Taoist. Sadly (for a low review), Taoism might be the closest to my understanding, were it to get a linquistic upgrade to modern thinking.
December 20, 2009
Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life by Ming-dao Deng (1990)
Read
May 11, 2010thids id the book I was searching for recently
August 27, 2010
Good introduction to many aspects of Taoist practices and philosophy.
January 21, 2013
Good introduction to some aspects of Daoism, but does not give an accurate picture of Daoism in its proper context.
Read
April 21, 2013Pretty cool. Worth re-reading. Has some very detailed descriptions/illustrations of various qigong exercises, which I have not figured out how to do.
January 5, 2015
Part of the backbone of my library on Asian philosophy.
May 23, 2021
“the great dao is straightforward, but people like detours.”
August 12, 2018
This is a instructional guide that is intended to aid one’s walk in the Tao. It’s a good starting point for those who are desiring to find their individual path. It offers suggestions on how to walk those paths successfully.
February 24, 2021
Excellent introduction to the complexity and nuances of Toaism
March 26, 2022
I enjoyed this. Complete book on the TAO. Very interesting!
April 1, 2025
DNF. Sorry Ming. I'm sure it slaps but there are better ways to learn Tai chi than having it dictated by audiobook.
September 5, 2018
Different than the other books on taoism out there. There were some different interpretations about some common principles that were very thought provoking.
Discussed a lot about discipline and goals. There are surface-level contradictions with wu-wei and the simplicity of taoism, and striving for goals or following creative sparks. This is the first taoist text I've come across that really addresses how these things can coincide. Letting go of education, for instance, can mean to be uneducated, but in the context of what was written, it was more about the attachment to a specific kind of education. Letting go of accomplishments is necessary after a goal is achieved. "You are doing all these things precisely to leave them behind." And it's also only possible to let go of the accomplishment after having achieved it. These things are not to be sought after for their sake, but to define who you are through your creativity, interests, and efforts.
The quote that will stay with me is, "The crux of the matter (taoism) is that you should minimize your limitations." Get educated and skilled in many topics for the sake of being able to let it go and live a simple, taoist life. The taoist wu-wei, not-doing, is about timely actions, not inaction.
Granted, this is all in relation to the philosophy sections within the book, which were the only ones to hold my interest. There were many other chapters that I thought were quite tedious. Specifically, the chapters on qigong, herbs, other traditional chinese medicine stuff, and of course the chapter on finding a master. This was the weirdest chapter, by far. All in all, good philosophy sections, boring rest of the book.
Discussed a lot about discipline and goals. There are surface-level contradictions with wu-wei and the simplicity of taoism, and striving for goals or following creative sparks. This is the first taoist text I've come across that really addresses how these things can coincide. Letting go of education, for instance, can mean to be uneducated, but in the context of what was written, it was more about the attachment to a specific kind of education. Letting go of accomplishments is necessary after a goal is achieved. "You are doing all these things precisely to leave them behind." And it's also only possible to let go of the accomplishment after having achieved it. These things are not to be sought after for their sake, but to define who you are through your creativity, interests, and efforts.
The quote that will stay with me is, "The crux of the matter (taoism) is that you should minimize your limitations." Get educated and skilled in many topics for the sake of being able to let it go and live a simple, taoist life. The taoist wu-wei, not-doing, is about timely actions, not inaction.
Granted, this is all in relation to the philosophy sections within the book, which were the only ones to hold my interest. There were many other chapters that I thought were quite tedious. Specifically, the chapters on qigong, herbs, other traditional chinese medicine stuff, and of course the chapter on finding a master. This was the weirdest chapter, by far. All in all, good philosophy sections, boring rest of the book.
August 8, 2021
Chapter 3 shows the first form "Marrow Washing Classic" Xi Sui Jing. I wanted to see a video that matches the diagrams or steps in the form as presented on paper, but after a dozen videos on YouTube, I was unable to find one that matched. The titles matched, but not the steps. I understand the steps may vary, but I shod at least find ONE video that matches. Chapter 4 has another sequence of steps, and if I can't find a video, I'll have to change to a book that I can find video demonstrations.
January 15, 2010
I enjoyed the Chronicles of Tao by the same author...
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews