Taoist Classics, Volume 3: Vitality, Energy, Spirit, The Secret of the Golden Flower, Immortal Sisters, and Awakening to the Tao

The Taoist Classics: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary #3

by Thomas Cleary (Translator)

The Taoist I Ching: The classic tool for understanding the heart of any situation—illuminated by the commentary of the nineteenth-century Taoist adept Liu I-ming.

I Ching Mandalas: A traditional program of study that enables students of the I Ching to achieve a deeper understanding of its philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Taoism, Religion, Spirituality, Psychology, Reference

608 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2000

About the author

Dr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.

Reviews

[Stan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, this comment is only about The Secret of the Golden Flower, but apparently the stand-alone version is out of print. I guess it is included in this volume.
This is a tough book, but it is truly a classic in psychological/mental development, both from a historical as well as a contemporary perspective. An important sub-theme of this book is the debunking of the well known Richard Wilhelm version, which is apparently highly inaccurate and incomplete, and which therefore makes Jung's theories about Eastern spirituality rather suspect. I'm no expert on Jung, so I won't comment further on that.
This is probably the third or fourth time I've read it, though it has been over 10 years since the previous time, I believe. As I said, it is a bit tough going, but well worth it. Anyone with the slightest interest in Taoist and Buddhist approaches to mind matters will get a lot out of it. For those with no background in Taoism or Buddhism it might be a bit tougher going, but should be well worth it. It's funny to give it five stars and yet confess I don't grasp everything in the book, but... hey, that's the way it is.

[Adam Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume of Taoist Classics shows the blending of the Tao with Buddhism and Confucism to form a variety of schools and philosophies. Assuming you've read the volumes in order, you can see the mastery of Thomas Cleary's editting where in the first volume he lays the groundwork and highlights the primary texts, then, in the second volume, illustrates the transitional departure from ancient taoism and the reinterpretation (and in many cases misinterpretation) that would occur, and ending at the taoist revival which is very much a part of what the third volume shows as the blend with confucism and buddhism.
Finishing three volumes puts you at about 1600 pages of text, alegories, metaphor, and very confusing parables, but what I had found, as a first time reader of the Tao, was that the Tao reveals itself, and the texts simply recommend what to look for. My advice: "Don't worry about 'getting it'. If you're worried about understanding it, then you might miss the purpose of the text itself. This is becoming more and more apparent as I read the fourth volume which is entirely the I Ching and I Ching Mandalas. I've already read the first 150 or so pages and felt like none of it has stuck, but then, and a nice walk home, it all makes sense at once. That is the power of the texts herein. So take your time, savour it, and remember you can always reread parts. As much as it's been a huge, sometimes daunting undertaking, it has been immensely rewarding, and I can't wait to read it all again after allowing it to set in.

[Edward Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep Wisdom for the Spiritual Journey.

The author is not a practitioner though his interpretations are fair compared to other students of the Tao.

[Felix Delong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh... a basic introduction to meditation clothed in a complicated symbolical language of Chinese alchemy.

[Douglas Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable