What do you think?
Rate this book
Nourishing the Essence of Life: The Outer, Inner, and Secret Teachings of Taoism
A Taoist adept provides a reader-friendly interpretation of the Taoist teachings on health and longevity
The teachings of Taoism, China's great wisdom tradition, apply to every aspect of life, from the physical to the spiritual—and include instruction on everything from lifestyle (a life of simplicity and moderation is best) to the work of inner alchemy that is said to lead to longevity and immortality.
Here, Eva Wong presents and explains three classic texts on understanding the Tao in the macrocosm of the universe and the microcosm of the body that provide an excellent overview of the three traditional levels of the Taoist teachings—Outer, Inner, and Secret. The Outer teachings are concerned with understanding the Tao as manifested in nature and society. They are easily accessible to the layperson and consist of the Taoist philosophy of nature and humanity, advice on daily living, and a brief introduction to the beginning stages of Taoist meditation. The Inner teachings familiarize the practitioner with the energetic structure of the human body and introduce methods of stilling the mind and cultivating internal energy for health and longevity. The Secret teachings describe the highest level of internal-alchemical transformations within the body and mind for attaining immortality.
The teachings of Taoism, China's great wisdom tradition, apply to every aspect of life, from the physical to the spiritual—and include instruction on everything from lifestyle (a life of simplicity and moderation is best) to the work of inner alchemy that is said to lead to longevity and immortality.
Here, Eva Wong presents and explains three classic texts on understanding the Tao in the macrocosm of the universe and the microcosm of the body that provide an excellent overview of the three traditional levels of the Taoist teachings—Outer, Inner, and Secret. The Outer teachings are concerned with understanding the Tao as manifested in nature and society. They are easily accessible to the layperson and consist of the Taoist philosophy of nature and humanity, advice on daily living, and a brief introduction to the beginning stages of Taoist meditation. The Inner teachings familiarize the practitioner with the energetic structure of the human body and introduce methods of stilling the mind and cultivating internal energy for health and longevity. The Secret teachings describe the highest level of internal-alchemical transformations within the body and mind for attaining immortality.
113 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2004
About the author
Eva Wong
73 books142 followersEva 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 5, 2019
A fascinating if faintly preposterous look into the more cult-like elements of Taoism. One recalls Rudolf Steiner somewhat when reading such magical woo written in such a literalist deadpan. Some of the numerology and "internal alchemy" in these texts make Scientology seem like a branch of the Baptist church by comparison.
Still, magical thinking is a useful thing if not taken too seriously. I particularly find value in the notion that life is composed of "light" and "muddiness"--there is no form without mud, and no clarity without light. There are some fun graphs tracking the physiology of the flow of tao-as-lifeforce, as well.
This is less a look into the practice's philosophy of living and more of a comically straightfaced instruction manual for how to turn yourself into a living god. A captivating read for anyone interested in fringe spirituality.
Still, magical thinking is a useful thing if not taken too seriously. I particularly find value in the notion that life is composed of "light" and "muddiness"--there is no form without mud, and no clarity without light. There are some fun graphs tracking the physiology of the flow of tao-as-lifeforce, as well.
This is less a look into the practice's philosophy of living and more of a comically straightfaced instruction manual for how to turn yourself into a living god. A captivating read for anyone interested in fringe spirituality.
March 6, 2024
To read this book is to read this in either of two ways.
It's possible to immerse into a vague poetry, one with abstraction and contradiction at its interior. When things are thought to be, they are not. When you realize they are not, they are. That sort of formula squeezes out the notion of a reality that cannot be explained, an understanding that is the goal.
But its process suggests humility.
It's also possible to take this as a verbal shell describing what in practice is a physical ritual.
Tao is that which is the Absence of anything nameable, yet is the Presence in all things. A 'non-tissue' of impossible thinness out of which any and all things rise.
The body . . . some of this seems to intimate . . . can be made to respond, to act-out, this process.
Readers should prepare for esoteria.
It's possible to immerse into a vague poetry, one with abstraction and contradiction at its interior. When things are thought to be, they are not. When you realize they are not, they are. That sort of formula squeezes out the notion of a reality that cannot be explained, an understanding that is the goal.
But its process suggests humility.
It's also possible to take this as a verbal shell describing what in practice is a physical ritual.
Tao is that which is the Absence of anything nameable, yet is the Presence in all things. A 'non-tissue' of impossible thinness out of which any and all things rise.
The body . . . some of this seems to intimate . . . can be made to respond, to act-out, this process.
Readers should prepare for esoteria.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews