Immortal Sisters: Secret Teachings of Taoist Women Second Edition (Paperback)

by Thomas Cleary (Editor, Translator) "As mentioned in the Translator's Introduction, Sun Buer is one of the most beloved figures of Chinese folklore, standing with her teacher's teachers among one..." (more)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books; New edition edition (Nov 11 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556432224
ISBN-13: 978-1556432224
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15 x 1 cm
Shipping Weight: 205 g

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #149,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#12 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Cleary, Thomas
#20 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Feminist
#60 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Women

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Product Description

Immortal Sisters presents life stories and teachings of distinguished female Taoist adepts who lived from the third to twelfth centuries. Among them is the poet and mystic Sun Bu-er, who passed into folklore as one of the famous Seven Immortals and appears as a character in countless popular novels of China. These accomplished women, renowned in their own day and in history, represent a uniquely female heritage of spiritual mastery. Through poems, stories, teachings, and commentaries, Immortal Sisters sheds light on the spiritual methods taught and practiced by these women and illustrates the importance of the feminine in Taoism.

About the Author

Thomas Cleary is highly regarded as one of the greatest contemporary translators of Asian texts. Among his translations are many classic texts of Buddhism, Taoism, and I Ching studies, including The Essential Tao, Awakening to the Tao, and The Buddhist I Ching. His works have been retranslated into German, Italian, French, Turkish, Hebrew, Spanish, Czech, Thai, Indonesian, Mandarin, and other modern languages.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
As mentioned in the Translator's Introduction, Sun Buer is one of the most beloved figures of Chinese folklore, standing with her teacher's teachers among one of the favorite groups of popular immortals. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Rarer than one bird singing, more beautiful than its song, Dec 10 2002

By	Lisbeth West (Carter Lake, Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The poetry of Sappho has been read as THE example of women from ancient times, but this text shows us that the rarest of the jewels come from the Eastern civilization. These works are like a Chinese brush painter's stroke; from the heart of the spirit to the characters on the page. Each stroke reads as if it is found in a great brushpainter's' tradition of "having the bamboo completed in your chest" -- or seeing with one's inner eye and then simply writing what one sees.

What an exceptional find for students of daoism who are interested in learning the true beauty and wonderful myth of the Taoist Immortals and their jouneys! The Immortals include women but seldom do we get the chance to learn of them -- or in this case -- read their actual "bamboos of the chest."

Yes, Cleary follows his tradition of translating rare and visionary material, but since I have yet to master the language, I cannot say how true his translations are to the original words. This poetry is as simple as a final brushstroke in the holy spot on a sheet of rice paper. But these interpretations are filtered by what men perceive in these women's writing, and how their lives shape this text.

I wait to hear the translations from wonderful contemporary daoist women like we find in the mastery of Eva Wong. Clearly, the author notes that few works were written for both women and men. These ancient women were clear that much of the poetry was written for women only.

Do not hesitate to purchase a copy of this amazing gift to the world of beauty. Each page is fresh with new readings and is a staple of my bedside library. The works shape meaning into paths I follow and into the nature I seek as I live in solitude on the side of a mountain.

In the busy city, in a quick moment on that bus in rush hour, or during a break in your day of dealing with "reality" -- this amazing little text will spill over to give you the visions of the immortals and the sanctity of the women who penned each verse.

Nothing can be better for your quest of "having the bamboo completed in your chest."

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4.0 out of 5 stars enlightenting information for women involved in meditation, Sep 23 1999

By A Customer

Very practical information regarding women and the practice of Taoism. The commentaries are extreamly valuable in uncovering the underlying messages within the text.

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5.0 out of 5 stars An ancient guide for woman taoist alchemy, Mar 24 1999

By	John L "hum" (New York) - See all my reviews

Cleary again has done an incredible job of translating from the writing of a modern taoist master Cheng Yinling who was the head of the China Taoist Association. Master Cheng's wrote the comentary based on the ancinet text of several woman taoist masters who gave very detail instruction in the image rich langauge of taoist oral tradition. Cleary is able to tease out some of the more unique terminology like the spirit water as salivia. Having read the original Chinese text, I have to say that Cleary did a great translation job once again.

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