Customer Reviews

365 Tao

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This little gem is a must for those who want a little more out of the day-to-day. In its pages you'll find what you need to hear or maybe what you ought to hear but have not taken the time to reflect on. Tao (Dao "The way) is not an easy concept to grasp. Then again if it was easy would we bother. It's simple calendar is matched carefully to changes of the seasons. Each day starts with a Chinese character (accompanied by its English rendering) which is artistically drawn and opens with a poetic passage. Then the fun starts. Whether it is by analogy or parable or just plain straight language the author endeavors to bring to you the deeper meaning how the knowledge of Tao can have a positive spin in your life. The most appealing aspect of the book is how an age-old concept is adapted to the modern day. I have had friends respond to daily passages in such a way that leaves them inspired enough to write me emails about it. In so doing they are playing out the most powerful message of Tao "being one with others and all that's around us".

I love this book. It gives you a little something to think about each day. It really is amazing how a few words can mean so much. If you need a little something to keep you grounded in what really matters each day this is wonderful book.

This is a fascinating book that I enjoyed very much. This book's format makes it very interesting and motivating. Each page (one for each day of the year) starts with a Chinese character in beautiful calligraphic script. The English meaning of this character is given, as well as a verse in easy-to-read English providing more insight about the inner meaning of that character and the Chinese way of thinking. Below this, a few paragraphs of prose provide additional food for thought surrounding the theme of that day.

I found the writing style of Deng Mind-Dao very interesting and inspiring. The topics chosen were important and relevant to one's daily life. I found the best way to use "365 Tao" for me is to read a page in the bathroom each morning. The readings stimulated my thoughts and ideas for the whole day. Often I would practice yoga afterwards. Overall it is a nice book, and I would readily buy any other book by Deng Ming-Dao.

I found this delight in a local bookstore near the time it first was published and I must admit that my copy appears as if it has been through a war. It is duct-taped, held together with rubber bands and glue, and has become a classic of perspective when I cannot find it clearly in my daily life and meditation.

I found daoism long before this book appeared and had a simple understanding of its path. Ming-Dao creates a lovely (sometimes overused) vision of living in the dao in this daily "meditation" book". I read it diligently when I first began my recovery from addiction and, with the fellowship's approved material, found an incredible harmony betwen the two. As I followed my path through the twelve steps, I realized that the daodejing was implicit in all the philosophies and values of the steps.

Later in recovery, I discovered that lacked discipline to refer to the text each day prior to or after my daily meditation sessions. I now enjoy a group of other folks in my fellowship who could not quite undertand the principle of a higher power. In daoism of course, one cannot explain the void, or the priciples of action non-action.

Ming-Dao does his best to give us reference material to recognize our own path in a stream of life. His poetic view of his own experiences and his world yield intricate and also mightly brushstrokes on the art implicit of dao.

I would not take this as the one and all book of daoism -- in fact many other texts should be added to your library in your discovery the ancient scriptures and how they have evolved to such a commercialized reading material. (When searching for this title I found it the highest rated book on Amazon.com's listing for Taoist literature.)

Start with simply remembering that time (those times, or "perfect moments" as some would say) when everything seemed as if you had done that job or created that ___ with no effort at all. You may have stated that you were "in the zone" and the act/ creation/ sport was completely fluid and natural to you. One with the dance... "One in the moment."

There you will begin your journey in understanding the simplicity of balance in the dao.

I found this delight in a local bookstore near the time it first was published and I must admit that my copy appears as if it has been through a war. It is duct-taped, held together with rubber bands and glue, and has become a classic of perspective when I cannot find it clearly in my daily life and meditation.

I found daoism long before this book appeared and had a simple understanding of its path. Ming-Dao creates a lovely (sometimes overused) vision of living in the dao in this daily "meditation" book". I read it diligently when I first began my recovery from addiction and, with the fellowship's approved material, found an incredible harmony betwen the two. As I followed my path through the twelve steps, I realized that the daodejing was implicit in all the philosophies and values of the steps.

Later in recovery, I discovered that lacked discipline to refer to the text each day prior to or after my daily meditation sessions. I began a club (now group) online for those in my fellowship who could not quite undertand the principle of a higher power. In daoism of course, one cannot explain the void, or the priciples of action non-action.

Ming-Dao does his best to give us reference material to recognize our own path in a stream of life. His poetic view of his own experiences and his world yield intricate and also mightly brushstrokes on the art implicit of dao.

I would not take this as the one and all book of daoism -- in fact many other texts should be added to your library in your discovery the ancient scriptures and how they have evolved to such a commercialized reading material. (When searching for this title I found it the highest rated book on Amazon's listing for Taoist literature.)

Start with simply remembering that time (those times, or "perfect moments" as some would say) when everything seemed as if you had done that job or created that ___ with no effort at all. You may have stated that you were "in the zone" and the act/ creation/ sport was completely fluid and natural to you. One with the dance... "One in the moment."

There you will begin your journey in understanding the simplicity of the daodejing. "Person on a path."

I've found this book to be a fantastic way to start my day. I read each day's page shortly after I get up and the short reading helps keep things in perspective throughout the day.

A great book. It helps people to better understand the ancient way and enables them to encorporate it in their daily lives.

After years of study, several of them with Daoist masters, learning classical Chinese to read the Daoist classics in the original, I have found this book to be the finest book on the subject written in English. Chinese Daoist writings do not translate into Western languages very well. Terms crystal clear in Chinese become muddy waters in English. Deng Ming-Dao does not translate words, he has managed to express Chinese ideas in English words. I have vainly struggled to do so in order to share my insights with my husband. I treasure my copy of this books so much that I am purchasing a copy for him.

I put this book to good use every day. I suggest reading it in bed in the morning, or right before going to sleep. It is amazing how, once you understand it, the Tao can be applied to your everyday life. It seems as if each time I read a page, something had happened recently that was appropriate for that passage. Even better are the times when I will read a passage, and will be able to apply it a few days later. This book has helped me keep a calm head in many situations. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with a busy and complicated life. Trust me: You need this book:)

This paradigm ("now here's today's lesson") has of course been done to death, but I've found no better example of the genre than this one. (re)Reading today's (August 12) meditation:

"For a true master, Sitting on a throne Is no different than Sitting on dirt" (224 -- "Indifference")

I was moved to check out what other Amazon readers thought about this minor masterpiece. I was pleased -- but not surprised -- to see that it is generally getting the tribute it deserves. Ming-Dao repeats this same format (a one-word concept, accompanied by an elegant Chinese calligraphy for that concept and an aphoristic synopsis of it, followed by a meditation on it) in his _Everyday_Tao_ (also highly recommended), but I find that I really need the discipline of "today's lesson" to keep me centered in the ideas he so eloquently presents.