Taoism

Taoism by Jennifer Oldstone-Moore is very digestible introduction to this world religion-philosophy originating in China that has millions of adherents. It is the spiritual aspect of tai chi and qigong, which is why I decided to learn a little more. This little glossy book is a very brief overview comprising the chapters "Origins and Historical Development," "aspects of the Divine," "Sacred Texts," "Sacred Persons," "Ethical Principles, "Sacred Space," "Sacred Time," "Death and the Afterlife," and "Society and Religion," along with an introduction, transliterations glossary, bibliography, index, acknowledgments, and picture credits. Each chapter includes photos of one or more art objects or people and places associated with Taoism and show more translations of brief passages from Taoist literature and accompanying commentary. The book describes key historical and mythical figures; important sites, festivals, and rituals; the roles of spiritual leaders; the influences and connections with other traditions, including folk religions, Buddhism, and Confucianism; the key concepts, including ch'i, yin, and yang; and so on. This book appears to be a good place to start, if one wants to learn more about this tradition and Chinese culture in general. show less

Even though this is not meant to be a comprehensive text on Taoism, it does seem to touch all many of the key aspects. It feels like a book meant to be either a starting off point to learn more deeply about Taoism or possibly a book to review and remind the reader of things they have already studied. Since so many things are touched on in just over 100 pages, each page is very dense and requires the readers full attention. Each time something is mentioned that is covered in greater detail in another chapter, those pages are referenced so readers can easily look up that information if they wish to.

A thumbnail sketch of the mystic tradition. This book reads like a brochure. It's printed on glossy, heavyweight stock with full color illustrations. The facts are bare, but accurate, and its organization straightforward and accessible.