Inner Teachings of Taoism

by Chang Po-Tuan, Thomas Cleary (Translator)

A classic Chinese work on the principles of Taoism, with a lucid commentary explaining the secret symbolism of the text.

Genres: Taoism, Philosophy, Spirituality, Alchemy

118 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 1986

Reviews

[Brett C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had difficulty attempting to understand this text. I wouldn't describe it as a text but a philosophical-centered narrative. There were stanzas that were elaborated upon that related to the inner teachings. The second part of the book I had trouble following to he honest. Taoism is something I know nothing about so maybe I should do more research if I choose to explore this book again. I could grasp the Yin and Yang ☯ concept the hexagrams of earth ☷, heaven ☰, fire ☲, and water ☵. But others like jade furnace and crimson chamber and gold elixir went over my head.

A lot of the verbiage and narrative would require the novice reader to do more research. I would only recommend this to someone who is familiar with Taoism and it's principles. Thanks!

[Zoubir · Rating 3 out of 5]

من كل الكتب الفلسفية و العقائدية التي قرأتها هذا أكثر كتاب غموضا بالنسبة لي (قبل كتاب شجرة الكون لابن العربي) . لكن الفكرة المحورية في الطاوية ( و هي الترجمة الحرفية للطُرقية فكلمة "طاو" تعني بالصينية "طريق") هي استخراج الإكسير الذهبي, و لكن ليس بالمعني الفيزيائي الذي يقصده الخيميائيون, بل هو بالرجوع للحالة الأولى و هي حالة ما قبل البداية, أي التجرّد من الحواس و الارتباط الأرضي.
ربما هذا آخر كتاب سأقرؤه عن الطاوية :D

[Jessica Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little difficult to follow but ultimately I think this is an interesting book if you’re looking into Taoism. It dispels all the symbolism and shares the intended meanings behind the original text. Sometimes it felt like I was reading in circles but I think thats part of the difficulty in understanding and describing Tao. Did I agree with everything, no. Were there some parts that expanded my understanding, yes.

[Kristina Giovanni · Rating 1 out of 5]

ANCIENT WORD SALAD

This was only interesting to me in how it demonstrates the phenomenon of "in-group-speak" that is often used in high control groups. The hypnotic repetition of words and phrases is meant to make the reader/speaker feel like something mystical is taking place but it's really just a form of hypnosis.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great for someone wanting to delve further into Taoism. I had difficulty getting through some parts of the book, but overall it was a good reference for me, and one book that I will always keep

[Jerry Wall · Rating 1 out of 5]

decoding the special words where one word means something else
true earth arrests true lead
nothingness produces snow, etc.

the initiate can tell you about the code.

OK

[RdWd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent English translation on the daoist alchemical practices. Importantly, it covers how the metaphoric language used by sages of the past has been misinterpreted (often literally) by certain "ignorant" religious adepts. It's a product of the Complete Reality School of Daoism.

Only a part of this book is the work of Chang Po-Tuan - part 1, which dates to 11th century. A commentary is then provided by Liu I-Ming (18th century daoist scholar). Sections 2 and 3 are Liu's own complementary work which aims to demystify some key alchemical metaphors by use of innovative symbols.

All of it is translated by Thomas Cleary, who's provided a relatively clear translation. Recommended reading, but only after the Daodejing and Zhuangzi.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to slow to a snail's pace reading this book and in spite of that still understood only a small portion of its contents. The difficulty for me came in reading this as my introduction to Taoism rather than being a clarification to the more familiar texts. A friend recommended this when I asked for a good "primer" to Taoism, and though he was clearly wrong I still believe this will be a book I refer back to as I read more books in this genre. Nonetheless, there is still enough to glean on this first time through to be quite intriguing and provided nice food for thought.

[Robert Francisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great treatise on internal alchemy as presented by the immortal Chang Po-Tuan with commentary by Lui I-Ming.