Download or read book Effortless Living written by Jason Gregory and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-03-13 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide for achieving an enlightened mind through the art of non-doing • Details meditation practices, focused on stillness of the mind, along with Patanjali’s yoga methods to maintain a consciousness referred to as “being in the zone” • Builds on Taoist, Confucian, and Hindu principles along with scientific findings to support wu-wei--the art of non-doing, non-forcing--as a way of life • Explains how wu-wei practitioners cultivate intelligent spontaneity and effortless action to allow the natural harmony of the cosmos to prevail The practice of non-doing, non-forcing is an essential aspect of Taoism known as wu-wei. Attributed to the great sage Lao-tzu, the philosophy of wu-wei teaches you how to develop a natural state of consciousness not bound by thought or preconceived limitations. Experienced by the greatest artists, athletes, musicians, and writers, this heightened state of consciousness, referred to as “being in the zone,” is where intelligent spontaneity and effortless action flourish via a practice rooted in permitting the natural harmony of the cosmos to prevail. Merging Taoist philosophy, Hindu principles, and Confucianism along with scientific findings, Jason Gregory outlines the practice of wu-wei as a vehicle to realize our innate freedom, revealing that when we release our ego and allow life to unfold as it will, we align ourselves more closely with our goals and cultivate skill and mastery along the way. Equating “being in the zone” with a stillness of the mind, Gregory shares meditation practices coupled with yoga exercises from Patanjali that allow you to approach life with a mastery of acceptance, releasing deluded beliefs of how to achieve success that make your mind “sticky” and poised for conflict. The author shows how practicing wu-wei paradoxically empowers you to accomplish all that you desire by having no intention to do so, as well as allowing you to become receptive to nature’s blueprint for expressing beauty. Revealing wisdom utilized by renowned sages, artists, and athletes who have adapted “being in the zone” as a way of life, the author shows that wu-wei can yield a renewed sense of trust in many aspects of your daily life, making each day more effortless. As an avid wu-wei practitioner, he provides keen insight on how you, too, can experience the beauty of achieving an enlightened, effortless mind while reveling in the process of life’s unfolding.
Download or read book Taoism and the Arts of China written by Stephen Little and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A celebration of Taoist art traces the influence of philosophy on the visual arts in China.
Download or read book Taoism and the Art of Living written by Kristina Benson and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Taoism and the Art of Living written by Kristina Benson and published by . This book was released on 2009-06-01 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benson discusses the history of this ancient philosophy, as well as the context in which it arose, and its application to today's busy and stressful world. Contrary to misconception, Taoism is not a religion, but rather, a way of seeing the world and approaching the self.
Download or read book Living the Wisdom of the Tao written by Dr Wayne W Dyer and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2009-09 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text offers an opportunity to internalize and directly experience the great wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, a collection of verses authored by the Chinese prophet Lao-tzu. Although just 81 short verses, the Tao encourages readers to change their lives by literally changing the way they think.
Download or read book Simple Taoism written by C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D. and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2015-12-08 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simple Taoism is designed to help the reader understand what Taoism is about and to help apply its best aspects to everyday living. Divided into three parts, the book outlines: A clear explanation of Taoism and how to apply its best aspects to your daily life. Simple instructions for exercises to lead a fuller life--meditation, breathing, chi kung, and tai chi chuan. An informative discussion of key Taoist concepts, including wu-wei (nonaction), yin and yang, and Te (power virtue, life).
Download or read book Effortless Action written by Edward Slingerland and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-05-24 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a systematic account of the role of the personal spiritual ideal of wu-wei--literally "no doing," but better rendered as "effortless action"--in early Chinese thought. Edward Slingerland's analysis shows that wu-wei represents the most general of a set of conceptual metaphors having to do with a state of effortless ease and unself-consciousness. This concept of effortlessness, he contends, serves as a common ideal for both Daoist and Confucian thinkers. He also argues that this concept contains within itself a conceptual tension that motivates the development of early Chinese thought: the so-called "paradox of wu-wei," or the question of how one can consciously "try not to try." Methodologically, this book represents a preliminary attempt to apply the contemporary theory of conceptual metaphor to the study of early Chinese thought. Although the focus is upon early China, both the subject matter and methodology have wider implications. The subject of wu-wei is relevant to anyone interested in later East Asian religious thought or in the so-called "virtue-ethics" tradition in the West. Moreover, the technique of conceptual metaphor analysis--along with the principle of "embodied realism" upon which it is based--provides an exciting new theoretical framework and methodological tool for the study of comparative thought, comparative religion, intellectual history, and even the humanities in general. Part of the purpose of this work is thus to help introduce scholars in the humanities and social sciences to this methodology, and provide an example of how it may be applied to a particular sub-field.
Download or read book The Art of Purposeful Living written by Lim Meng Sing and published by . This book was released on 2023-03-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this exceptionally erudite and illuminating book, The Art Of Purposeful Living: A Taoist Guide For The Modern Age, Dr Lim Meng Sing skilfully presents the essence of Lao Tze's immortal classic: Tao Te-Ching (Classic of The Way and of Virtue) by way of 300 memorable reflections. These reflections interpret the ageless wisdom of Taoism in clear simple language that is accessible to all. Lao Tze's Tao Te-Ching was written in classical Chinese (600 BCE) that even eminent scholars struggle to translate. Having it presented with simplicity and clarity is a gift to be savoured by anyone interested in living with integrity and purpose.
Download or read book Everyday Tao written by Ming-Dao Deng and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2013-06-25 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Taoist spirit comes to life, made vibrant and contemporary through the Chinese ideograms whose images and stories speak of living in harmony with the Tao. Everyday Tao revives an ancient approach to meditation and reflection by using these stories as sources of insight for spiritual growth. Tao is a person running along a path A companion volume to the bestselling 365 Tao, Everyday Tao offers clear, specific directions on bringing the Taoist spirit into our work, our relationships, and other aspects of our everyday lives. Each ideogram provides the starting point for a Taoist lesson. The narrative that follows shows how we can achieve an intimate relationship with nature, others, and our natural selves.
Download or read book Tao of Letting Go written by Bruce Frantzis and published by North Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2009 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is known from the Tao Te Ching, I Ching, and other Taoist texts is almost entirely literary. When Bruce Frantzis studied these texts with his main teacher, Grandmaster Liu Hung Chieh, he was taught their practical application: "This is what they say; this is what they mean; this is how to do them." In the TAO of Letting Go, Frantzis offers a bridge to this pragmatic approach for living a spiritual life. Spirituality is not just an aspiration for which people strive, he says, but a genuine, accomplishable reality. Frantzis shows how to expend maximum effort and yet not use force--the gentle way of the Water method--to enrich personal health and energy systems. The Water tradition continues the work of releasing inner conflicts, a process that begins with the Dissolving Method, passed down by Lao Tse in the Tao Te Ching over 2,500 years ago. The author shows how to completely let go of the blockages that bind and prevent the seeker from reaching full spiritual potential. Short, direct chapters and exercises cover such topics as breathing and awareness; Taoist meditation; fog and depression; modern anxiety; love and compassion; and more.
Download or read book A Personal Tao written by Casey Kochmer and published by Amberjack Software LLC. This book was released on 2005-09-01 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science is factReligion is faithMagic is perceptionKnow these boundaries to discover what lies beyond.What is the Tao? Don't ask. The Tao cannot be described, yet a person will express it simply by being alive. It is possible to list definitions from the dictionary, from various documents. Each definition: a set of words, echoes of reality. A common mistake is to think of the Tao as a state of mind, hence it can be touched through words. Tao is a state of existence and nonexistence, it's mental, spiritual, and physical states all blending together. Living to Tao will never be summarized in the mathematics of word play. Poetry, philosophy, literature all offer only helpful guidance but never the actual Tao. A simple analogy would be swimming under the water. It's possible to read about snorkeling or diving, but until diving under the water, feeling the pressure, experience seeing undersea life, having lungs squeeze outside-in yet feeling inside-out from pushing down as deeply as you can dive, only to resurface to feel a sudden gasp of wet air... all in 60 seconds of a run on sentence: it's an idea approximated by a reader but only grasped by the experiencer. When this last line was read by a friend of mine, she said: but when you snorkel the pressure doesnt feel like that. Surprised, I asked her if she ever dove to about 25 feet while snorkeling, she said no, at which moment we both realized how personal the experience becomes due to differences in the path taken. This example touches why discovering the Tao is a personal living experience.Why learn the Tao? Knowing of the Tao technically should not change anything. But it does, it's the same difference as: knowing yourself really shouldn't change who you are. Yet it does. It's the difference between, being yourself or the reflection in the mirror. When the answer is we are both, more and less..... The Tao is every contradiction, every truth and each of the standard circular Yoda Yoga mystical answer...leaving us with holding flowing water in a single hand. Try to grasp it, and its gone, yet our hands are wet. So accept the fact, we are each a contradiction, this is the truth being described when these mystical answers are bantered about: using one impossible statement to prove another impossible statement. The key for writing and reading this document comes down to a single reason: Words are never about the Tao, words are always about us. Sometimes to understand ourselves, we need to write aloud a personal truth as its human nature and hence the Tao to do so. The point becomes this: the Tao, itself isn't a path -- the path is living. Being human, living includes the experience of expression and introspection through words and speaking out. This is about discovering personal truth and how to flow with oneself. Yet learning is always a process of sharing. Reflections in this document become one possible outline out of many to help myself be... myself, while giving others a chance to comment and add their own personal style to the overall document. This then becomes a circular process between, author, reader and everyone involved to help define and discover a personal Tao.So....Move, tumble, stumble, spin poetry, swirl, dance: all this is about the Tao and us.
Download or read book The Art of Living written by Epictetus and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2013-02-05 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Epictetus was born into slavery about 55 ce in the eastern outreaches of the Roman Empire. Once freed, he established an influential school of Stoic philosophy, stressing that human beings cannot control life, only their responses to it. By putting into practice the ninety-three witty, wise, and razor-sharp instructions that make up The Art of Living, readers learn to meet the challenges of everyday life successfully and to face life's inevitable losses and disappointments with grace.
Download or read book Being Taoist written by and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2015-03-03 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautifully clear and accessible explanation of how to live a Taoist life—with an overview of Taoist philosophy—by a renowned Taoist master Taoism isn’t a spiritual extracurricular activity, it’s an integral practice for living all of life to the fullest. Taoist living rests on four pillars—the public, the domestic, the private, and the spirit lives. Not only do Taoists strive to live these four aspects fully and in a balanced way, they also believe there is an outlook and an art to each of them. Here, modern Taoist adept Eva Wong is your guide to living well according to the wisdom of this ancient system. Drawing from ancient Taoist texts, she explains in simple terms the Taoist masters’ approach to the four aspects of life, asking readers to reflect on the balance of their own lives and demonstrating how that balance is the secret infusing your life with health, harmony, and deep satisfaction.
Download or read book Trying Not to Try written by Edward Slingerland and published by Crown. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A deeply original exploration of the power of spontaneity—an ancient Chinese ideal that cognitive scientists are only now beginning to understand—and why it is so essential to our well-being Why is it always hard to fall asleep the night before an important meeting? Or be charming and relaxed on a first date? What is it about a politician who seems wooden or a comedian whose jokes fall flat or an athlete who chokes? In all of these cases, striving seems to backfire. In Trying Not To Try, Edward Slingerland explains why we find spontaneity so elusive, and shows how early Chinese thought points the way to happier, more authentic lives. We’ve long been told that the way to achieve our goals is through careful reasoning and conscious effort. But recent research suggests that many aspects of a satisfying life, like happiness and spontaneity, are best pursued indirectly. The early Chinese philosophers knew this, and they wrote extensively about an effortless way of being in the world, which they called wu-wei (ooo-way). They believed it was the source of all success in life, and they developed various strategies for getting it and hanging on to it. With clarity and wit, Slingerland introduces us to these thinkers and the marvelous characters in their texts, from the butcher whose blade glides effortlessly through an ox to the wood carver who sees his sculpture simply emerge from a solid block. Slingerland uncovers a direct line from wu-wei to the Force in Star Wars, explains why wu-wei is more powerful than flow, and tells us what it all means for getting a date. He also shows how new research reveals what’s happening in the brain when we’re in a state of wu-wei—why it makes us happy and effective and trustworthy, and how it might have even made civilization possible. Through stories of mythical creatures and drunken cart riders, jazz musicians and Japanese motorcycle gangs, Slingerland effortlessly blends Eastern thought and cutting-edge science to show us how we can live more fulfilling lives. Trying Not To Try is mind-expanding and deeply pleasurable, the perfect antidote to our striving modern culture.
Download or read book Taoist Feng Shui written by Susan Levitt and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1999-12-01 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • The first book to explain how feng shui developed from the Taoist systems of astrology, yin and yang, and the five elements. • Provides a background on Taoist philosophy to help readers better understand the principles of feng shui and how to use them properly. • Helps readers improve home, business, garden, property, neighborhoods, and much more. The Chinese art of feng shui has become extremely popular in the West, but too often advice on the subject consists of overly simplistic instructions for rearranging one's house without any explanation of the profound philosophical system behind these changes. The ancient Taoists developed feng shui from their understanding of the subtle interplay of energies that make up the universe, and no true mastery of feng shui is possible without a knowledge of Taoism. Taoist Feng Shui provides step-by-step guidelines for improving your home, business, garden, property, and neighborhood using this ancient system of knowledge. In Taoist Feng Shui, Susan Levitt traces the history of feng shui and shows how it is grounded in knowledge of yin and yang and the five Taoist elements of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, as well as many other principles essential to Taoism. Once a background in Taoism is established, readers can better understand the philosophy behind concepts such as choosing the best colors for each room of the home, room-by-room furniture placement, yin and yang balance, correct lighting, outdoor landscaping, the function of hallways and entrances, and the proper use of mirrors, crystals, fountains, and other feng shui tools. With in-depth examples from the author's private feng shui practice, Taoist Feng Shui can help all readers transform their personal environments to create peace, harmony, health, wealth, and good fortune.
Download or read book Emotional Intuition for Peak Performance written by Jason Gregory and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-06-16 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reveals a structured mind-body system for cultivating effortless action and intelligent spontaneity for peak performance • Details 4 fundamental habits and routines that are essential for developing peak performance and explains how to incorporate them into daily life • Explains the cognitive science behind the development of expert skills and how the teachings of ancient Eastern sages align with these scientific findings • Offers practices for cultivating physical and mental intelligence, fasting the mind, and harnessing creativity to achieve your desires Integrating the wisdom of the ancient sages with modern science, Jason Gregory explains how world-class artists and athletes reach peak performance--and how you, too, can harness this “lifestyle technology” to make your actions effortless, enjoy intelligent spontaneity, and reach optimal performance at a peak level. Drawing on modern cognitive science, Gregory explains dual process theory, which divides mental activity into two spheres: cold cognition, analogous with rational thought, and hot cognition, based on emotional intuition--a theory anticipated by ancient Eastern thought, especially the teachings of the Chinese sages. The author explains that peak performance is impossible to achieve by relying solely on cold cognition as it cuts you off from the energy reserves necessary to excel. He shows how the athletic concept of being “in the zone” is based on practices that have become energized by hot cognition and thus instinctive. Outlining a structured training system that blends hot and cold cognition, the author identifies four fundamental habits and routines that lay the foundation for a healthy embodied mind and mindful body and thus are essential for developing peak performance and success. He explains how these training methods are practical applications of ancient wisdom from Zen and Taoist traditions, such as wu-wei, as well as how they are supported by recent medical research. Building on the four fundamentals, he offers practices for cultivating physical and mental intelligence, fasting the mind, and harnessing creativity to achieve your desires. Gregory explains how, with regular practice, we can use the four fundamentals to create masterpiece days. And, as the masterpiece days compound, you build an unstoppable momentum where success is inevitable.
Download or read book Being Taoist written by and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2015-03-03 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautifully clear and accessible explanation of how to live a Taoist life—with an overview of Taoist philosophy—by a renowned Taoist master Taoism isn’t a spiritual extracurricular activity, it’s an integral practice for living all of life to the fullest. Taoist living rests on four pillars—the public, the domestic, the private, and the spirit lives. Not only do Taoists strive to live these four aspects fully and in a balanced way, they also believe there is an outlook and an art to each of them. Here, modern Taoist adept Eva Wong is your guide to living well according to the wisdom of this ancient system. Drawing from ancient Taoist texts, she explains in simple terms the Taoist masters’ approach to the four aspects of life, asking readers to reflect on the balance of their own lives and demonstrating how that balance is the secret infusing your life with health, harmony, and deep satisfaction.
