Awakening to the Tao

This collection of brief meditative essays illustrates the ancient philosophy that holds the key to success in all aspects of lifeThe Tao is the ancient Chinese "Way" that has inspired numerous books, from The Tao of Physics to The Tao of Sex. This book, written by an 18th-century Taoist adept, might be called "The Tao of Tao."In 142 brief meditative essays, author Liu I-ming uses simple language and natural imagery to express the essence of the wisdom that holds the key to success in every human endeavor.

“"I-Ming wrote this collection of 142 meditations on the Tao in 1816. Using natural and mythical phenomena he illustrates in everyday language the principles and practice of the Tao as the whole of life. The result is the essence of the wisdom that holds the key to success in every field of human endeavor. This may be due in part to Cleary's excellent translation. What is most interesting about this book is that these meditations also awaken us to the basic wisdom of our own religion and show us what we need to do to make it the whole of our life. It is just one more example of the unity of basic principles we find in the diversity of our religious concepts. Highly recommended!"-- SSC Booknews”

"I-Ming wrote this collection of 142 meditations on the Tao in 1816. Using natural and mythical phenomena he illustrates in everyday language the principles and practice of the Tao as the whole of life. The result is the essence of the wisdom that holds the key to success in every field of human endeavor. This may be due in part to Cleary's excellent translation. What is most interesting about this book is that these meditations also awaken us to the basic wisdom of our own religion and show us what we need to do to make it the whole of our life. It is just one more example of the unity of basic principles we find in the diversity of our religious concepts. Highly recommended!"— SSC Booknews

Liu I-ming (1737-?) was a Taoist adept and a scholar of Buddhism and Confucianism. He is the author of commentaries on several Taoist classics, including The Taoist I Ching and The Inner Teachings of Taoism by Chang Po-tuan, both translated by Thomas Cleary.Thomas Cleary holds a PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. He is the translator of over fifty volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, and Arabic. A resident of Oakland, California, he passed away in June 2021.

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