Cultivating Stillness: A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind

by Eva Wong

Equanimity, good health, peace of mind, and long life are the goals of the ancient Taoist tradition known as "internal alchemy," of which Cultivating Stillness is a key text. Written between the second and fifth centuries, the book is attributed to T'ai Shang Lao-chun—the legendary figure more widely known as Lao-Tzu, author of the Tao-te Ching . The accompanying commentary, written in the nineteenth century by Shui-ch'ing Tzu, explains the alchemical symbolism of the text and the methods for cultivating internal stillness of body and mind. A principal part of the Taoist canon for many centuries, Cultivating Stillness is still the first book studied by Taoist initiates today.

Genres: Taoism, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Meditation, Buddhism

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 1992

About the author

Eva Wong is an independent scholar and a practitioner of the Taoist arts of the Pre-Celestial Way and Complete Reality lineages. She has written and translated many books on Taoism and related topics.

Reviews

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could very well be my all time one favorite book.
One of the most real and authentic books on Taoism put into English language.
Seven Taoist Masters is the next best and far more entertaining and accessible.
I wished there were more that were comparable and authentic.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to read. There are a lot of terms introduced and then used. The clarification of some of these terms is not always sufficient to understand what they mean. I enjoyed parts of it, but other parts were hard to understand. I'll likely return to it at another time, but I couldn't finish it at this point in time.

[Kaberoi Rua · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested with internal alchemy, health, longevity, taoisim, or on the path of spiritual enlightenment then I highly recommend this book. This is a book that can be read over and over again.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you are hungry, zen monkeys will feed you peaches.

[Amy Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the problem with a lot of Taoist classics is that they use flowery, symbolic language that is extremely abstruse. Without some sort of a guide, most of it is clear as mud. I've worked with someone who worked with a Taoist master, and that gave me enough for maybe 5-10% of this. I've had a few experiences in meditation that I could use to draw parallels to certain passages (say 1-2%), and the rest was very nearly gibberish, apart from the constant lifestyle/craving admonitions (which made me think of the taiji adage, 'Don't insist; don't resist'; they feel rather "insisting" imo).

I found the initial passages more helpful than the commentary, in most cases, as the commentary dives deep into the abstruse Taoist meditative symbolism, while the initial passages are in much plainer language. It's interesting that the end-states of the Chinese Big Three are conflated here (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism). It makes me wonder if practitioners of the other Two would agree with that. Possibly, but in a differently flavored direction.

Anyway, if you don't have at least one of a Taoist teacher, manual of Taoist symbolic imagery, or a strong meditation practice, this will probably not be all that helpful. At least two of those three would be better.

[Darnell]

What would a star rating for a book like this actually mean? It's a religious or philosophical text, depending on how you slice it, and written for those already interested in practicing. I found the layers of original text and commentary interesting, but it's essentially layering abstractions on abstractions.

[Neil Crowle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents a basic Taoist text, studied by Taoist initiates after the Dao De Jing. It contains the text and an extensive commentary. It will not make a lot of sense to those who know nothing of the material it presents.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly organized, poor transliterations, contradictions with the Daodejing not explained.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated this translation. It answered questions I had been carrying.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I have had this book on my shelf for years, I continue to find a certain peace within the pages due Eva Wong's ability to capture the essence of Taoism for transformation. I have studied the I Ching off & on over the years, she brings a light that is refreshing and subtle to the movement and the alchemical symbolism of the text.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking, helpful - good to have this material available, Eva Wong does a great job

[Will Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent. Well worth the trouble to wade through.

[Lugdag Severino · Rating 5 out of 5]

an essential book for understanding of Taoist spirituality

[David Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loving every minute of it.

[Padraic Cghln · Rating 2 out of 5]

nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh