The teachings of Taoist Master Chuang

By Michael Saso

Book Overview

Until his death in 1976 Master Chuang, a descendant of 35 generations of Taoist Priests, carried out his ancient rituals for the benefit of a small band of believers in Taiwan. His family, who claimed... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300020805
• ISBN13: 9780300020809
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Five Stars!

Can I just get in line behind everyone else here? This is a unqiely excellent book. I highly recommend it. There are soooo many books about Daoism, except that almost none have any real relevance to Daoism whatsoever. Here we have a scholar who seems to have a deep understanding of Taoist practice. But this is a book about his training at the hands of a true Daoist Master, so I guess that's to be expected. Nonetheless, this is a real, authentic, detailed view of Taoist practice. Not highflying philosophy or navel-gazing, but real descriptions of real practices. Some of the activities described in this excellent book are astoundingly complex. It's as if someone realized the concept of yin-yang, and kept developing it without cessation for a long, long time. Eventually, detailed practices regarding ritual, spirits, magic, personal transmutation and more arose. This is basically the history of Taoism itself, as reflected in the knowledge of one intensely experienced Master, as told by his spiritual disciple. My only complaint with this book? I wish it were twice as long.

A Great Surprise

I had almost given up hope. I've seen enough translations of the Tao Te Ching to last a lifetime. I'm not interested in learning how to apply Taoist philosophy to my career. What I want is to learn more about actual Taoism, about how Taoists practice and live. Just when I was about to give up any hope of ever finding the information I wanted, along comes Taoist Master Chuang. It's an excellent book, clearly written and filled with detailed practical examples of Taoist practices, ritual, worship, and magic. I especially enjoyed the author's vivid depictions of a slew of modern Taoists. Some of the images conformed to my preconceptions, and some did not. But all were fascinating. I also think the "history of Taoism" section is fabulous. This seems to be an insider's view, something that we don't normally see in typical academic works. All in all, this was a great surprise and a great book.

A Wonderful Eye-Opening Book

I have an MA in Taoism, and I'm considering going after my PhD. I've spent lots and lots of time reading through dusty books on Taoism, and I can assure everyone that I think this is one of the best. In an area where translations of the Tao Te Ching abound, this is one of the few works that provides real detail regarding Taoist practice. Instead of philosophy and spiritual fluff, this book really relates what it is like to be a Taoist in the world of dust. Only after reading and re-reading this wonderful book could I really begin to see how Master Chuang captures the heart of Taoism in concrete actions, and how he does this on behalf of his community. Everyone interested in Taoism should read this book!

The Other Reviews Don't Lie

OK, I was looking for some books on Taoism, and I found "Taoist Master Chuang." I read the other reviews, and decided that I had to read this book for myself. Without doubt I'm glad I did. Master Chuang describes Taoist history in a way that is so much more thorough and succint than in any other book I've read. Now we know how Taoists themselves view Taoist history! And the second half of the book, which deals with Taoist practices like mantra, hand gestures called mudra, magical spells to control spirits, etc., is without peer. This is no theorectical discussion, this is a detailed description of actual practice. It's about time someone wrote this book, and I applaud Michael Saso for doing so.

AMAZING BOOK!

This is simply a tremendous book that everyone who is interested in Taoism should read. Saso, who is not only a Professor of Taoist but is also a legitimate Taoist Priest, describes his training in full detail. He gives real descriptions of rituals, incantations, spirit-controlling spells, etc. Plus you get to know Taoist history as Saso's own master knew it. This sort of information just isn't available anywhere else. If you already have a grounding in basic Taoism and want to know more about higher-level activities, this is one of the only references you'll find.