Supercharged Taoist: An Amazing True Story to Inspire You on Your Own Adventure

by Stephen Russell

In the pages of this riveting book, The Barefoot Doctor charts his 25 years of training with some of the most inspiring and innovative teachers and gurus of their generation. You’ll meet a man who could drive with his eyes closed, the yogi who actually emitted light when meditating, the Tai Chi teacher who could throw people across the room with one finger, and luminaries such as R. D. Laing and Ram Dass. In addition, you’ll encounter colorful characters like Geronimo’s grandson and Psycho Dan, who’s on the lam for tearing off a man’s ears with his bare hands!

Recounting a journey that takes him from urban London to the back alleys of Hong Kong, to the mystical mountains of New Mexico and back again, The Barefoot Doctor achieves something he tells ripping yarns about real-life spiritual leaders that also succeed in passing on the essence of their teachings. As well as being hugely entertained, you’ll come away inspired to start living by your own intuition so you can create an incredible life for yourself.

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. Overall, glad to have read it as it was an interesting read. I learned some things and found myself resonating with some of the author's perspective. However, some sections felt like serious humble-brags and, despite the theme of highlighting the author's teachers, it felt like some teachers were included as a way to demonstrate the author's cleverness or power. The voice is seemingly conversational, but to a fault. I honestly feel it would have been better to cut down on the number of times he says things like "that's a story for later." Further, his time-jumping is made unclear at points, especially when he casually uses different verb tenses (ie: using present tense while speaking about the past, but also will casually bring things back to the present and at times I had to reread to see which he was doing). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you're interested in neowestern spiritual experiences (or a glimpse into this world during the 70's-80's), it's worth a quick read.