DAILY PHOTO: Tin Hua Temple, Hong Kong
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Category Archives: Chinese Folk Religion
Lanterns [Kyōka]
rows of lanterns —
a jack-o-lantern patch —
lights the temple
on a dark, rainy night;
rain splats on a tin roof.
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BOOKS: “Wen-Tzu” Trans. by Thomas Cleary
Wen-Tzu by Lao-TzuMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Shambhala
This work is presented as “further thoughts of Laozi [老子].” Readers of the Dàodé jīng [道德经] will recognize many a familiar statement of that work, but this book is much more extensive and detailed. I say “presented as” because scholars no longer believe this was a product of Laozi and his lifetime (if such an individual ever existed.) For one thing, the book seems more syncretic than the Dàodé jīng, that is to say there are points at which it sounds strikingly Confucian — rather than purely Taoist.
As with the Dàodé jīng the Wénzǐ [文子] covers a lot of ground from metaphysics to individual ethics to political philosophy, but this book has more room to sprawl on each subject.
As with other Cleary translations, it’s a pretty readable translation.
I’d recommend it for readers interested in Chinese Philosophy.
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DAILY PHOTO: Gangtian Temple, Hualien
Nine Dragon Wall [Free Verse]
If you stare at
stone dragons
long enough
their stone-chiseled
forms will start
to glide
in tracked loops.
A steady motion of the
sinuous segments
unbroken by cloud.
They move slowly
and steadily --
never breaking off
into a new course.
Some figure-eight,
Some circle,
but never do they
come off the wall.
Their movements never
menace.
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DAILY PHOTO: Bukit Cina [Chinese Hill — 三宝山]
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DAILY PHOTO: Scenes from Melaka’s Chinese Temples
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DAILY PHOTO: Cheng Hoon Teng Temple
BOOKS: “Taoism: An Essential Guide” by Eva Wong
Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva WongMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site
This book offers the reader clarity about the scope of Taoism, a daunting challenge given Taoism’s long history and how it overlaps with other schools of philosophy as well as with Traditional Chinese Religion, more broadly. The book is divided into three parts: history, specialties (magic, divination, ceremony, inward training, and karma yoga,) and practices (meditation, somatic practices [e.g. qi gong and taijiquan,] and rituals and ceremonies.) The history section covers a period from pre-Taoist shamanic practices of 5,000 years ago, practices that would inform early Taoism, to a period during which Taoism became entwined with Buddhism and Confucianism. The specialties and practices sections attempt to give the reader a broad overview while avoiding discussion of “how-to.”
I found this book to be informative and interesting. It did feel more effectively geared toward someone with an interest in Taoism as religion rather than Taoism as a philosophy. The discussion does sometimes get into the weeds on issues like ceremonies and talismans (again, not in a how-to fashion, but with some arcane detail nevertheless,) but — at the same time — besides some discussion of the teachings of the Tao Te Jing and some exploration of Taoist metaphysics in the Divinational Taoism chapter, there’s not a lot of insight into Taoism as philosophy. That said, it does end each chapter with a “Further Reading” section that can point readers interested in a specific topic elsewhere.
If you’ve ever been overwhelmed at one of those bright and complicated Chinese temples and would like some insight into what Taoists do and how it’s different (or not different) from what Confucianists, Traditional Chinese Religion practitioners, and Zen Buddhists do, this is a good book to check out. If you’re solely interested in Taoism as a school of philosophy or otherwise have a specific focus such as qi gong and breathwork practices, you can probably find books that are better tailored to your needs.
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Tiger Riding for Beginners 