The Art of War: A Reader’s Guide to the Way of Leadership and Strategy

Which Art of War should you read? A Reader's Guide to Sun Tzu’s classic on strategy and leadership in English, with multiple translations and connected works.

Learn more

The Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita

From the introduction of Ravi Ravindra's Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad means "blessed"; Gita means "song." The Bhagavad Gita is The Song of the Blessed One, although the title is often rendered as The Song of the Blessed Lord, referring to Krishna, an incarnation of the Highest Divinity. The title is also written as Bhagavadgita when the two words are compounded. Within the Hindu tradition, the Bhagavad Gita is regarded as a smriti (that which is remembered) text rather than a shruti (that which is revealed) text, and therefore it is not considered to be ul­timately authoritative like the Vedas and the Upanishads. This is as it should be—each one needs to find one’s own attitude to it rather than be governed by an excessive veneration imposed by the ortho­doxy in the tradition. However, by ordinary rational measures nothing is completely straightforward in Indian thought. The Bhagavad Gita is also called Gitopanishad as well as Yogopanishad, implying its status as an Upani­shad. Since the Gita is drawn from the Mahabharata, it is included in the smriti texts. However, being one of the Upanishads, it has a status of shruti. Since the Bhagavad Gita represents a summary of the Upa­nishadic teachings, it is also called the Upanishad of the Upanishads. It is sometimes said that the Upanishads are the cow and Krishna, the cowherd, milks the cow in the presence of Arjuna, the calf, and the milk is the Bhagavad Gita! The Gita is also called a mokshashastra, or scripture of liberation, since it deals with the science of the Absolute and teaches the way to freedom without measure. In the Hindu tradition, the Bhagavad Gita is one of the three foundational texts (prasthana trayi, literally "three points of departure"), along with the Brahma Sutras (also known as Vedanta Sutras) and the Upanishads, on which a teacher (acharya) must write a commentary in order to be taken seriously. R. C. Zaehner, a well-known Western scholar, has remarked, "As with almost every major religious text in India, no firm date can be assigned to the Gita. It seems certain, however, that it was written later than the ‘classical’ Upanishads, with the possible exception of the Maitri Upanishad, which was post-Buddhistic. One would prob­ably not be far wrong if one dated it at some time between the fifth and the second centuries b.c." According to the Hindu tradition, the teaching in the Bhagavad Gita was given at the end of Dvapara Yuga and the beginning of our present Kali Yuga. A helpful reminder by Juan Mascaro: “Scholars differ as to the date of the Bhagavad Gita; but as the roots of this great poem are in Eternity the date of its reve­lation in time is of little spiritual importance."

Learn more

The Energy of Life from Eva Wong's Being Taoist

Discover Taoist teachings on life energy, natural breathing, and longevity in this excerpt from Eva Wong's Being Taoist, exploring harmony of body and spirit. Understanding the Energy of Life See Product An excerpt from Eva Wong's Being Taoist Laozi said the following: The valley spirit that does not die is the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is the root of the sky and the earth. Heshang Gong (202–157 b.c.e.), known as the Sage of the River, added the following: Valley means protection. If we are able to protect the spirit, we will live long and never die. The spirit guards the five viscera. Within the liver is the luminous spirit; within the lungs is the soul; within the kidneys is the generative essence; within the heart is the essence of intelligence; within the spleen is the spirit of feelings and intention. If any of these organs is injured, the guardian of that viscus will leave. As a result, life energy will be harmed, and health will deteriorate. The key to longevity lies in the Mysterious Female. What is the Mysterious Female? Mysterious refers to the sky. In the senses, it is the nostrils. Female refers to the earth. In the senses, it is the mouth. The vapor of the sky enters through the nostrils and is stored in the heart. This vapor is fresh and subtle. When it enters and resides in the heart, it makes us intelligent and wise. However, when coupled with discursive thought, it gives rise to excitement, anger, desire, fear, and anxiety. The ruler of these feelings is male in nature. Entering through the nostrils, the vapor of the sky interacts with the vapor stored in the heart. Exiting through the nostrils, the vapor of the heart returns to the sky. The earth provides us with food and is the source of the five flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty. The vapor of the earth enters through the mouth and resides in the liver. The five flavors interact with the muscles, the bones, and the blood, and when coupled with feelings give rise to happiness, anger, sorrow, delight, love, and hate. The ruler of these six feelings is female in nature. Entering through the mouth, the vapor of the earth interacts with the vapor stored in the liver. Exiting through the mouth, the vapor of the liver returns to the earth. The cycles of inhalation and exhalation are intimately tied to the interactive exchange between the vapors of the sky and the earth and the vapors of the body. The nostrils and the mouth are the orifices where the primordial vapors of the sky and the earth enter the human body. Primordial vapor enters the body as the subtle breath, which is soft and elusive. To absorb the vapors of the sky and the earth, inhalation and exhalation must be natural and not forced. Only in this way can the vapors of the sky and the earth enter the body to nourish the internal organs. Distance yourself from desire, and you will live a long and healthy life. Let desire run your life, and the spirit will lose its brightness. When the spirit loses its luminosity, the production of the generative essence will be compromised. When the generative essence is low, the body will weaken. With the continued weakening of the spirit and the body, there will be no alternative but early death. Books by Eva Wong See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product

Learn more

Taoism Fundamentals with Eva Wong

Explore the fundamentals of Taoism with Eva Wong through ancient wisdom, Taoist history, spiritual practices, and the art of living in harmony with nature. Eva Wong is a practitioner of the Xiantianwujimen (Primordial Limitless Gate) lineage of qigong, the Quanzhen (Complete Reality) lineage of meditation, and the Wudangshan (Wudang Mountain) lineage of martial arts. She is the author and translator of over fourteen books on Taoism. In her own words... Tales of the Taoist Immortals by Eva Wong Growing up in Hong Kong and brought up in the Chinese culture, I developed an interest in Taoism when I was about nine years old. My first introduction to Taoism was through stories of Taoist immortals (realized beings) told to me by my grandmother. My interest in the stories of the Taoist immortals did not stop when I became an adult and moved to the United States. Whenever I returned to Hong Kong, I'd visit the parks where the storytellers gathered on summer evenings. There, under the banyan trees on makeshift benches, the storytellers would weave their tales, their voices taking on the characters in the stories. The audience would be spellbound, their familiar reality suspended. And for a while, we would be taken to exotic lands, meet extraordinary people, and witness heroic and magical deeds. As my training in the Taoist arts deepened, I realized that the stories of the immortals were not just fantasies fabricated to entertain our imagination, but wellsprings of Taoist teachings. The immortals were mortals once. They learned their lessons in life as they tamed their minds, nourished the qi in their bodies, and cultivated virtue and compassion. How they lived and how they became realized beings became the inspiration of my two books Tales of the Taoist Immortals and Tales of the Dancing Dragon. Tales of the Taoist Immortals was written to introduce the reader to the most well-known Taoist immortals. Who were these people? What walks of life did they come from? How do their lives and deeds teach us about Taoism? Of all the Taoist immortals, perhaps the most famous was the group known as the Eight Immortals. There was Lu Dongbin, the scholar who, after failing the civil service examinations several times, saw through the illusion of fame and fortune to become a practitioner of the Taoist arts of health at the age of sixty. There was Han Zhongli, a military commander who met a shaman when he was lost in the western deserts of China. He, too, saw through the illusion of power and fortune, and quit his military career to become a Taoist practitioner. There was Lady Ho, the daughter of an aristocrat who traded a life of glamour and wealth to live as a hermit in the caves. The rest of the book is devoted to stories of Taoist immortals ranging from sages to diviners, magicians, and alchemists. You will meet people who, before they became immortals, were princes, herbalists, sorcerers, beggars, housewives, ministers, and artists. Rich or poor, famous or unknown, intellectual or uneducated, they had the following in common: they tempered their bodies, stilled their minds, and “lived” virtue and compassion in their everyday lives. See Product Tales of the Dancing Dragon Stories of the Tao by Eva Wong Tales of the Dancing Dragon is the companion book to Tales of the Taoist Immortals. I decided to take the history of Taoism and render it as stories. The history of Taoism had for long time been a subject of interest to scholars, but not to the public. I wanted to make the history of this spiritual tradition accessible to the everyday reader. This history is filled with extraordinary people and epoch-making events. Some stories will delight, others will shock; but all contain some aspect of the teachings of Taoism presented in a way accessible to even those who have little exposure to Taoism. These tales not only provoke insight, but are also fun to read. I have divided Taoism’s history into epochs, beginning with the legendary times when history is woven with myth and legend. Here the stories tell how the universe was created, how the early sages of China taught the ancient people wisdom, gave them knowledge, and honed their survival skills. They tell of how early Chinese society was formed, and how enlightened sovereigns governed the nation in peace and harmony. The next epoch saw Taoism being drawn into social and political movements, first as a victim and later as a force in shaping society and government. The third epoch in the history of Taoism is often called The Golden Age of Taoism—a time when the major lineages of Taoism were founded and developed. The impact of these developments are still seen in the Taoist practices today. The next epoch coincided with the a time when Chinese power in Asia was at its height. During this period, Taoists became advisers and confidants to emperors. In the last epoch, which continues to our modern time, Taoism’s loss of influence in politics led the lineages and schools to turn inward to strengthen their philosophical basis and practices. A large network of temples and monasteries emerged, in China and overseas, and it was this new development in Taoism’s history that allowed it to survive a political and social upheaval that could have wiped out the entire spiritual tradition. See Product Four Huts Asian Writings on the Simple Life translated by Burton Watson What a delightful little collection! Burton Watson’s translation of four pieces of Asian literature describing living simply and harmoniously with nature is like four impressionist paintings in that they are personal yet unsentimental, humorous yet poignant. The book conveys the best picture of a Taoist lifestyle: living in a simple dwelling surrounded by the natural world. To live in harmony with the natural world without a lot of accessories is the essence of the Taoist lifestyle. In our modern society, where “large” and “more” are the buzzwords of today’s real estate, it is refreshing to share the delight of living the quiet and good life with these four writers. In “Record of the Ten-Foot Hut,” a Japanese Shinto priest describes his retirement home: “As my years have grown in number, my houses have gotten smaller and smaller. . . . It measures ten feet square and less than seven feet in height. . . . Two carts would hold it all, with no other expense than the labor to pull the carts. . . . In summer I hear the cuckoo. . . . in autumn the cicada’s cry fills my ears. . . . In winter, I watch the snow pile up and melt away again. . . .” In “Record of the Pond Pavilion,” a minister of the Japanese imperial government who was trained in Chinese literature and calligraphy, and who is also an expert in divination and Chinese geomancy (feng-shui), finds a quiet rural village to live in retirement. He built several simple structures: a small house for his wife and children, a meditation room, and a private study. He even designed the landscape according to feng-shui principles, placing gardens, ponds, trees, bushes, and gazebos in their most auspicious locations. Of the kinds of features people want in their dream homes nowadays, the author of “Record of the Pond Pavilion” has this to say: “Though the expenditure runs into many millions in cash, they manage to live there barely two or more years. . . . Ah, when the wise man builds a house, he causes no expense to the people, no trouble to the spirits. He uses benevolence and righteousness for his ridgepole and beam, ritual and law for his pillar and base stone, truth and virtue for a gate and door, mercy and love for a wall and hedge. . . . When one has such a house to live in, no fire can consume it, no wind topple it, no misfortune come to threaten it, no disaster happen its way. . . .” As a feng-shui practitioner, I find that after all the technical expertise I provide, the most basic advice I give is this: energy circulates best in a simple house that does not have useless features, that is built in harmony with the land, and that uses designs that are not harmful to its occupants and neighbors. I find the collection in Four Huts to be little gems, the kind of writings that you will turn to periodically to evoke sanity and delight in simple living. Finally, I recommend Lao-Tzu's Te-Tao Ching, translated by Robert G. Henricks. Most people know this first book of Taoism by its familiar title Tao-te Ching. Why does Robert Henricks’s translation switch the order of Tao and Te, Way and Virtue, in the title? In the 1970s, the tomb of a prominent Chinese was excavated, and in it was a version of the text that predates the one used in all the existing translations of this Taoist classic. The title not only places “Virtue&rd before “Way,” but chapters 38 through 79 comprise the first half of the text, while chapters 1 through 37 make up the latter half. There are also some differences (not major) between this older text and the newer known one. Henricks’s translation is lucid and accessible to nonacademic readers. While it excels in scholarship, it uses neither the archaic idioms characteristic of the older translations nor the self-help clichés found in some other renderings of the text. This classic of Taoism contains some of the most profound teachings of this wisdom tradition. If you want to know what lies at the base of the philosophical and spiritual tradition of Taoism, the Te-Tao Ching is a must-read. The title itself carries the message that the Natural Way and Virtue are inseparable. If not, why are these two characters used to together in the title? Henricks’s translation will give you an idea of what it means to cultivate virtue, rule a country, nourish life energy, tame the wayward mind, and live a simple and contented life. See Product Books by Eva Wong See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product See Product

Learn more

Hidden Treasure - Out of This World

Out of This World: Otherworldly Journeys from Gilgamesh to Albert Einstein by I. P. Couliano From Homer to Dante to Swami Yogananda, from Hades to the Seventh Heaven to LSD trips, the late scholar of altered states takes us on a journey through the wild world of ecstatic visionary experiences as they've occurred throughout the ages and around the globe. More fascinating than their intriguing variety is the fact that they always seem to happen. No age, land, culture, or religious tradition has been without some of them.

Learn more

Hidden Treasure - A Monk's Alphabet

A Monk's Alphabet: Moments of Stillness in a Turning World by Jeremy Driscoll, OSB Yes, that's OSB as in Order of Saint Benedict. This Roman Catholic monk and theologian kept a journal of short reflections inspired by contact with various and sundry experiences: Listening to Beethoven, air travel, Washington, D.C, mosquitoes €¦ He alphabetized them by their fanciful titles to create this idiosyncratic alphabet-from anniversary to oyster to Zaccheus. The chapters can be read consecutively or, even more fun, be dipped into randomly for unexpected delights.

Learn more

Hidden Treasure - The Red Thread of Passion

The Red Thread of Passion by David Guy Is sex an enemy that must be subdued before spiritual practice can happen, or is it a powerful creative force and a vehicle of enlightenment? Opinions have differed throughout the ages. Rather than forcing his own answer, David Guy takes the question as an impetus for exploration, examining the lives and works of sexual pioneers-from poets to sex workers-for the wisdom they offer about how the sexual and spiritual might be united.

Learn more

Hidden Treasure - The Cloud of Unknowing

The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel: A New Translation by Carmen Acevedo Butcher What makes Carmen's translation of this classic of Christian mysticism stand out from the others is that she puts it in a modern voice that aims to be the equivalent of the original Middle English: the simple and intimate instructions of a spiritual elder (or possibly an eldress-the author is anonymous) to a disciple on approaching the knowledge-beyond-knowledge. Most other translations miss the intimacy and accessibility. And Carmen's explanations of her carefully considered word choices make her notes themselves a pretty interesting read.

Learn more