Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques

by Livia Kohn (Editor), Yoshinobu Sakade (Editor)

Book by

Genres: Taoism

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Livia Kohn is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's alright. This book is a collection of essays about exactly what it says on the tin: Taoist meditation and longevity techniques. Most of the essays are Japanese, however a few are French and a few are Anglo (US, UK, etc?). The essays focus on different aspects of Taoist meditation, ranging from historical analyses with a focus on Chinese and Japanese practice of Taoism, to descriptions of specific life-extending elixirs and meditation techniques. The final essay in the book is written about Falun Gong and contemporary qi-focused movements branching out from Taoism. It is slightly haunting to read in light of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong. The essays themselves are neutral to me in terms of interest. Most are neither interesting nor disinteresting. Prior familiarity with Taoism is essential for reading this work, as some of the essays become unbelievably bogged with the name-dropping of Taoist sages or concepts.