365 Tao: Daily Meditations

365 Tao: Daily Meditations has been a constant companion for me over the last 6 months or so. As suggested by the book, I read one short passage corresponding to the current day, every day, and try to keep it in mind. Sometimes I only think about it for a few minutes. Sometimes it sticks with me for hours. Every once in a while a particular thought will stay with me for weeks.

That, in essence, captures the nature of this book: small vignettes of Taoist thought, presented not with forcefulness but with conviction, as an exercise for self-reflection. Whether you embrace Taoism, reject it, or are simply curious, the book presents for your perusal the author's own thoughts and meditations on broad-reaching, universal subject matters: getting through difficult times, appreciating what you have, balancing your day, living a better life -- but without annoying preachiness.

I recommend buying this book and keeping it with you for the rest of your life. Certainly the last 6 months with it have been beneficial to me. Each morning, looking at the next passage is a joy, not a chore.

This book has sat by my bedside for 5 years now, on a very regular basis I just pick it up and read a page at random, and it always speaks words of wisdom to me, that are relevant to whatever situation I find myself in.
It is beautifully written, and full of words of wisdom and kindness. It has taught me new ways to deal with life's ups and downs.
On a deeply subliminal level it has improved how I think and address situations.
I have bought this book as a present for my dearest friends and family. It has totally enriched my life, and I expect I will be referring to it for the rest of my natural life.

This paradigm ("now here's today's lesson") has of course been done to death, but I've found no better example of the genre than this one. (re)Reading today's (August 12) meditation:

"For a true master, Sitting on a throne Is no different than Sitting on dirt" (224 -- "Indifference")

I was moved to check out what other Amazon readers thought about this minor masterpiece. I was pleased -- but not surprised -- to see that it is generally getting the tribute it deserves. Ming-Dao repeats this same format (a one-word concept, accompanied by an elegant Chinese calligraphy for that concept and an aphoristic synopsis of it, followed by a meditation on it) in his _Everyday_Tao_ (also highly recommended), but I find that I really need the discipline of "today's lesson" to keep me centered in the ideas he so eloquently presents.

After years of study, several of them with Daoist masters, learning classical Chinese to read the Daoist classics in the original, I have found this book to be the finest book on the subject written in English. Chinese Daoist writings do not translate into Western languages very well. Terms crystal clear in Chinese become muddy waters in English. Deng Ming-Dao does not translate words, he has managed to express Chinese ideas in English words. I have vainly struggled to do so in order to share my insights with my husband. I treasure my copy of this books so much that I am purchasing a copy for him.

365 Tao is a small book that holds a wealth of wisdom without the "new-agey" feel some might expect.

From the first meditation titled "Beginning" to the last titled "Continuation", each turn of the page is a joy. Commentary by Deng Mind-Dao is thought provoking and enlightening.

A nice feature included is the appendix, showing which meditation to read on each day. Great idea for people who didn't start on the 1st of the year. It's also further divided into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

The perfect companion to start each day.