A celebration of Taoist art traces the influence of philosophy on the visual arts in China.

This book provides a systemic introduction of Daoism in China. Subjects includes the spirituality in early China, establishment and lineage of the celestial masters, Daoist deities, temples, and sacred places, the influence of Daoism in culture and customs. With black and white photographs, including shrines, temples, and deities.

First published in 1985, The Chinese Art of Tea is an exploration into the history of tea and the Chinese art of tea, known as ch’a-shu. The book begins by delving into the history and legends surrounding tea before moving on to a study of the Emperor Hui Tsung’s treatise on tea and approaches to tea during the Ming Dynasty. It discusses tea gardens, teahouses, the relationship between tea and ceramics, and the connection between tea and health. The book also features a detailed manual for practising the art of drinking tea, including advice for choosing tea, buying tea, different types of infusion and drinking vessels, and the attitude required for obtaining the fullest satisfaction from tea. The Chinese Art of Tea is ideal for anyone with an interest in the history and art of drinking tea, and the social and cultural history of China.

"Picturing the True Form investigates the long-neglected visual culture of Daoism, China’s primary indigenous religion, from the tenth through thirteenth centuries with references to both earlier and later times. In this richly illustrated book, Shih-shan Susan Huang provides a comprehensive mapping of Daoist images in various media, including Dunhuang manuscripts, funerary artifacts, and paintings, as well as other charts, illustrations, and talismans preserved in the fifteenth-century Daoist Canon. True form (zhenxing), the key concept behind Daoist visuality, is not static, but entails an active journey of seeing underlying and secret phenomena.This book’s structure mirrors the two-part Daoist journey from inner to outer. Part I focuses on inner images associated with meditation and visualization practices for self-cultivation and longevity. Part II investigates the visual and material dimensions of Daoist ritual. Interwoven through these discussions is the idea that the inner and outer mirror each other and the boundary demarcating the two is fluid. Huang also reveals three central modes of Daoist symbolism—aniconic, immaterial, and ephemeral—and shows how Daoist image-making goes beyond the traditional dichotomy of text and image to incorporate writings in image design. It is these particular features that distinguish Daoist visual culture from its Buddhist counterpart."

'In Creativity and Taoism, Chang Chung-yuan makes the elusive principle of Tao available to the western mind with objectivity, warmth, and depth of insight. It is an important contribution to the task of making the Taoist wisdom accessible to the western intellect' - Ira Progoff 'No one can read Chang's book without experiencing a broadening of his mental horizons' - John C. H. Wu, Philosophy East and West 'His interpretation of the Taoist roots of Ch'an has been presented with taste and learning that help to clear up many questions that must have occurred to anyone familiar with his subject. "The Spirit of the Valley" dwells in this quiet and gentle man who, as so rarely happens, actually embodies some of the philosophic traits of which he writes' - Gerald Sykes 'If the end of reading is the enhancement of life, the enlargement of experience and understanding, then this book becomes an important step in that direction. Dr. Chang writes in a style both lucid and felicitous. He displays with becoming modesty a mastery of the field, its development and its ideas... There is hardly a page which does not give pleasure' - Robert R. Kirsh, Los Angeles Times 'Professor Chang's study, a brilliant exposition and analysis, is concerned with the relevance and applicability of the Taoist view in Chinese artistic and intellectual creativity. Few other works facilitate so sensitive an understanding of creative impulse and expression in Chinese culture' - Hyman Kublin, Library Journal Simultaneously accessible and scholarly, this classic book considers the underlying philosophy and the aesthetics of Chinese art and poetry, the expression of the Taoist approach to existence. Chapters cover everything from the potential of creativity to the way tranquillity is reflected in Chinese poems and painting. Chung-yuan Chang's deceptively simple and always lucid narrative explores the relationship between the Tao and the creative arts, introducing classic paintings and poems to bring Taoism to life.

First published in 1934. Unlike previous translations, this translation of Lao Tzu's Tao Tê Ching is based not on the medieval commentaries but on a close study of the whole of early Chinese literature.

IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK AT A REDUCED RATE OF 28$ INCLUDING SHIPPING/POSTAGE TO ANY LOCATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR SHOP https: //purplecloudinstitute.com/product/the-arts-of-daoism/ The Arts of Daoism presents a set of key lectures on some of the major arts and practices of Daoism by a contemporary Daoist priest and master, Li Shifu, the Abbot of Five Immortals Temple in the Wu dang mountains in China. These are supported by generous excerpts from classic Daoist texts on these topics, and engaging discussions between a master and his students that illuminate the questions and problems that arise on the path. The topics discussed in remarkable and lively detail by Li Shifu include: the art of fasting, the forms of Daoist meditation - seated, standing and sleeping - for tranquillity, health and spiritual awakening, and the interpretation of dreams. Li Shifu's talks combine technical exactitude with penetrating explorations of the underlying philosophy, and frank, humorous, profound and helpful advice for those at beginner or intermediate stages in their practice. The auxiliary texts include passages, stories and chapter excerpts from some of the greats in Daoism, such as Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi, Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, Ge Hong, Zhang Sanfeng and Chen Tuan in important selections from the Daoist canon, many of which are appearing in English for the first time. A notable highlight is two chapters from the Classic of Categories 類經 by the renowned physician, Zhang Jingyue, on dream interpretation as an analytical tool in the diagnosis of a patient's illness. Equally addressed to both the general reader and the serious practitioner, The Arts of Daoism is an indispensable guide for anyone with a philosophical and practical interest in Daoism and traditional Chinese practices for health and wellbeing. May this book serve as a beacon, leading you to the headwaters and confluence of awakening. Returning to the Source (guīgēn 歸根). Home. -Louis Komjathy 康思奇 (Xiūjìng 修靜 [Cultivating Stillness]; Wànruì 萬瑞 [Myriad Blessings]), Ph.D., CSO Co-director and Senior Teacher Daoist Foundation/Center for Daoist Studies