Description: A fresh, modern translation of key selections from this timeless text opens up classic Taoist beliefs and practices with insightful commentary that highlights how you can live a more balanced, authentic and joyful life by following Taoist principles.
Brief description:
Livia Kohn, PhD, a leading Taoist scholar, is professor emerita of religion and East Asian studies at Boston University. She is author or editor of over twenty-five books and many articles on Taoism and East Asian religions, including Daoism and Chinese Culture; Daoism Handbook; Health and Long Life: The Chinese Way and Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness--Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Paths). She teaches workshops all over the world, spearheads international conferences on Taoist studies and is executive editor at Three Pines Press and the Journal of Daoist Studies.
Review Quotes:
Kohn (religion & East Asian studies, emerita, Boston Univ.; Daoism and Chinese Culture) draws on the second principal source text of the Taoist tradition, the Chuang-tzu-which we now know best for the famed "butterfly dream," an anecdote that has given rise to many philosophical questions-to clarify a number of Taoist beliefs and practices. Kohn's work is not a complete or scholarly version of the ancient text but a thematically arranged selection designed to appeal to Western readers. VERDICT Kohn's introduction to a lesser-known exponent of the Tao should appeal, as intended, to many spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Asian traditions.