- Cooper, J.C. Taoism: The Way of the Mystic. Great
Britain. Aquarian Press, 1972. Crucible Press, 1990.
This
was the most helpful book that I read. It was very easy
reading and gave me most of the information I needed to
get a good grasp on Taoism. It was very useful for step
five, but I referred to it throughout the whole study. I
would recommend anyone who studies Taoism to read this
book. It is well worth it.
- Dictionary of Religions. Ed. Jonathan Smith.
Harper Collins, San Francisco. 1995-segment regarding
Taoism.
- Dictionary of World Religions. Keith Crim, editor.
Harper and Row, 1989. (section on Taoism pp. 742-745).
This
was pretty helpful, but not that clear in its wording. It
will work to give you an overview, but there are better
encyclopedias.
- Durrell,
Lawerence. A Smile in the
Mind's Eye. New York: Universe Books, 1982.
- Encyclopedia Britannica. "Taoism." V.28. 1994.
pp.383-396.
- Encyclopedia of Peace.
- Encyclopedia of Religion, The. Mircea Eliade,
editor. (section on Taoism) and also "Chinese
Millenarian Movements" Vol. 9, pp. 533, 535-536,
Macmillan Publishing, 1987. "T'ai - P'ing" Vol.
4; pp. 251. "Taoism" Vol. 14; pp. 289-332.
"Lao Tzu."
I did not use much information
from here, mostly because it was the same I had found in
other sources. It's good, but not a necessity for this
study.
Article on "Lao Tzu": Initial background of
the quasi-historical figure known to the West as Lao Tzu.
How the writings of Lao Tzu came to be associated under
that heading. Interconnections between Lao Tzu and
Confucianism.
I found this encyclopedia to be a helpful starting
point because it gave a broad overview of almost every
aspect one would want to know. However, it is not very
easy to read.
- Encyclopedia of World Religions.
- Fenton, Hein, Reynolds, Miller & Nielsen. Religions
of Asia. New York. St. Martin's Press, 1988.
This
is a text book that a friend lent to me. I only used it
for step five, and found it to be of little help. It only
talked about Taoism for about one page. I do not
recommend anyone to seek this book to help them with a
study of Taoism.
- Ferguson, John. War and Peace In The World's Religions
Chapter Five - Religions of the Far East. (Chapter on
Taoism). New York: Oxford University Press, 1977. (pp.
62-76).
I used photocopies notes which do not include
the author's name. I got them from Father Smith, though
so ask him if you wish to obtain a copy. They were very
useful for step six. They were also very interesting on
their own.
This was very helpful in writing step six. I think I
got a lot of information from this source. I think
someone studying Taoism should read this.
This was extremely helpful for step five, in both
parts. Even though this is only two pages long, I would
recommend it to anyone. It has a different way of saying
things.
Go to books: a-f, g-o,
p-z,
- Gibbs, Tam C. Lao Tzu: My Words are Very Easy to
Understand. Richmond , CA: North Atlantic Books,
1981.
This book was a translation of the Tao te ching.
I used it Lau's translation and Waley's translation. Each
of these translators interpreted some of the scripts in
different ways and it was neat to see where the
differences came about. Easy to understand also.
- Harper's Dictionary of Religion. Forthcoming.
(Handout from Russell Kirkland, local resource.)
- Hoff, Benjamin. The Tao of Pooh. New York: E.P.
Dutton, Inc., 1982.
A wonderful book in and of itself.
Explains Taoism through Winnie-the-Pooh and
Winnie-the-Pooh through Taoism. Contains explanations of
some of the basic concepts.
This was my favorite book that I read this semester.
It explains Taoism in terms of Winnie the Pooh, and makes
it very understandable. I would also mention that a
person does not have to be studying Taoism to appreciate
this book. It is a great book.
The book explains some basics of Taoism through the
use of both stories from Pooh and from China, and in the
process explains Winnie-the-Pooh with Taoism.
This was a wonderful book to read to begin my study.
Within it lies the work of an individual who has spent a
great amount of time with Taoism, learned from it, and
communivated what he learned through Pooh and his
friends. It is a great book for anyone to read, whether
to learn more about Taoism or just to read an
enlightening work. I wish that Hoff would have structured
it a little more tightly; I might have gleaned more from
it.
What a great book! This is definitely the best place
to start in any study of Taoism, whether its serious or
just a whim. I read the whole thing in one sitting. It is
really insightful and funny.
- Hoff, Benjamin. The Te of Piglet. New York:
Penguin Books. 1992.
I didn't like this book as much
as the Tao of Pooh.
- Hopfe, Lewis. Religions of the World. Sixth Ed.
Prentice Hall, NJ. 1994. pp. 190- 200.
- Hughes, Catherine. Shadow and Substance: Taoist
Mystical Reflections. New York: Seabury Press, c
1974.
Great book for focus and direction in study.
Illustrated with tasteful black-and-white photography,
pairing photos with verses in many instances. The verses
are from both Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Unstructured book;
title explains its purpose.
- Jou, Tsung Hwa. The Tao of Meditation: Way to
Enlightenment. Taiwan: Tai Chi Foundation, 1983.
- Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. California:
Stanford University Press, 1969.
- Lagerwey, John. Taoist Ritual In Chinese Society and
History. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company,
1987. (pp. ix - 17).
This is the book which influenced
me to study more of the philosophy of Taoism rather than
the more "religious" type of Taoism. I just
glanced through it and it kind of scared me.
Great translation of this classic. The introduction
was very informative and provided the basis for step 5.
It gave a clear outline of the history of Taoism, its
basic philosophies, and highlighted some points of the
Tao Te Ching.
- Lao, D.C. Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. Great Britain:
Penguin Books, 1963.
I enjoyed this translation of the
Tao te ching. The way this was translated reminded me of
Catholic proverbs. This is the translation that I used
the most for step six. There is also a good introduction
about the life of Lao Tzu in this book.
- Legge, James. The Texts of Taoism - Part I. New
York: Dover Publications, 1962. (pp. 47-60, 73-74, 85-86,
164-175).
- Littleton, Scott C. Eastern Wisdom an Illustrated
Guide to the Religions and Philosophies of the East. New
York: Henery Holt and Company, 1996.
This book helped
with steps five and six. It contains a great background
of Taoism. The rituals meditations are described
thoroughly.
- Merton, Thomas. The Way of Chuang Tzu. New York:
New Directions Publishing, 1965. (pp. 70-75).
- Mitchel, Stephen Tae te Ching New York: Harper
Collins. 1988.
Without a doubt the most valuable of
the interpretations that I came accross in my study.
- Muresan,
Lance. “Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu: A Guide to Life.”
- Palmer, Martin The Elements of Taoism Rockport,
MA: Element Books, 1991.
- Park, O'Hyn. Oriental Ideas in Recent Relgious
Thought. Lakemont, Ga: CSA Press. 1974.
I used
this book for step 7, especially the final chapter. It
talked about how Taoism addresses some modern day issues.
Unfortunately, what I read wasn't terribly specific.
- Payne, David. Confessions of a Taoist on Wall Street.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, c 1984.
This novel
fascinated me. It was the only work I read that attempted
to bring Taoism into the modern day. The author gave each
character life, and richly illustrated the characters as
well as the world they lived in. The progress of the book
follows the progression of the Tao: this is how the main
character lives. Highly recommended to show what form
Taoism might take in our world and the implications of
Taoism's collision with modern Western society.
- The Perennial Dictionalry of World Religions New
York: Harper Collins, 1981.
- Po-Tuan, Chang. The Inner Teachings of Taoism.
Translated by Thomas Clearly. Boston: Shambhala
Publications, 1986.
Contains some interesting verses
and diagrams, but is like the Ritual book in that it
contains information on things which many people would
not consider Taoism.
- Rosenthal, Stan. "Stan Rosenthal's Tao
TeChing".
- Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East.
Vol. 12 - Medieval China. Chief Editor Charles F. Horne,
Ph.D. New York; Parke, Austin, and Lipscomb, Inc., 1917.
This
is a good book despite its antiquity. Contains a couple
translations of the Tao Te Ching, along with Chuang Tse's
books and some other information on people.
- Schwartz, Benjamin I. The World of Thought in Ancient
China. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press (Harvard
University), c 1985.
Of immense value to those who
have a strong background in Chinese history. My
background is weak, so I had difficulty creating a
context for much of what he said. First 185 pages plus
the section on Taoism highly recommended to those who
enjoy challenging, thought-provoking reading.
- The Taoist Experience: An Anthology. Ed. Livia
Kohn. State University Press. NY, 1986. pp. 5-7; 194-
195.
- Thompson, Henry O. World Religions in War and Peace. Jefferson
NC. London, McFarland & Co. 1988. pp. 106- 113.
This
was very helpful for step five, especially for part b. It
has a good section about war in it, as well as a brief
section about Lao Tzu which I used for step seven.
- Tse, Lao. Tao Te Ching. Translated by Victor H.
Mair. New York: Bantam Books, 1990.
Contains an
updated and rearranged translation based on some recently
discovered manuscripts. Also has good information on Lao
Tse and Taoism in the appendixes.
There are many translations available of this book.
This is essential to read because it is the basis for the
worldview. It reads like poetry, and takes a lot of
thought, but it is very good. I would recommend that you
read it in clear frame of mind, because it takes a lot of
thought.
- Tzu, Chuang. Basic Writings. Tr. Burton Watson.
New York: Cambridge University Press, c 1964.
I chose
not to deal with the writings of Chuang Tzu closely
because he espoused many of the same views as Lao Tzu.
Translator's introduction not very helpful: it did not
explain much of the style and direction of the writings
of Chuang Tzu.
- Tzu, Lao. The Tao Te Ching translated by James
Legge in The Texts of Taoism - Part One. See
reference to Legge above.
- Tzu, Lao. Tao Te Ching translated by D. C. Lao.
London: Penguin Press, c 1963.
This translation of
some Taoist writings was my key reference for the
majority of my study. Translations clear and concise.
Extensive introduction essential reading for better
understanding of Lao Tzu's writings. Excellent
starting-point for an objective view of one key work of
the Taoist canon.
-
Tzu, Lao. Translated by Mair, Victor. Tao Te Ching. Bantam
Books. 1990.
-
Raymond
Van Over-"Taoist
Tales"
-
Waley, Arthur. The Way and Its Power: A Study of the
Tao Te Ching and its Place in the Chinese Thought. New
York: Grove Press, 1958.
This was the more difficult of
the translations to understand. This could be because it
is an older book.
- Watson, Burton. The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. New
York: Columbia University Press, 1968.
I also read this
book for step six to see what the writings of Chuang Tzu
were like. His works are hard to understand, so I did not
read a lot of this-just enough to get a general idea of
what the text was all about.
- Welch, Homes. The Parting of the Way: Lao Tzu and the
Taoist Movement. Methuen and Co. London. 1957. pp.
117- 157.
I did not read all of this book, but skimmed
for information on Lao Tzu and the basics of Taoism. He
is a good writer, and uses his opinion about certain
dimensions of Taoism. It is the first book that tried to
explain Taoism in words, so it is worth something for
that bravery. I should have read more of it, because it
was helpful.
- Welch, Holmes, Seidel, Anna. Facets of Taoism. New
Haven: Yale University Press, 1979.
- Wing, R.L. The Tao of Power. Garden City, New
York. Dolphin Books, 1986.
This was one of the most
helpful books I used. It gives some great information on
Lao Tzu and Taoism in a short, concise way. It also
contains a translation of Tao Te Ching, but I liked the
other translation I had better. The nice thing about this
was it gave summaries of what Lao Tzu meant in his
writings. That was helpful to refer to. I borrowed this
book from a friend who had to have this book for a class.
- Wong, Eva. Seven Taoist Masters. Boston:
Shambhala, 1990. pp. 1-60.
I used this book for my
vicarious experience in step four. It was really
interesting and I would recommend it to anyone. It is in
a sense a manual for teaching Taoism so I got a taste of
what the religion might actually be like. It is really
easy to follow and I would have liked to finish it if I
had the time.
- World Encyclopedia of Peace. Linus Pauling,
editor. Two volume. (information under headings of LAO
TZU and TAOISM) pp. 446-450. Pergamon Books, 1986.
This
was one of the best sources I used. It was very
informative and made Taoism a little easier to
understand. Helpful for steps five, six, and seven. This
should definitely be referred to throughout a study on
Taoism.
Excellent initial reference to consult; handy future
reference to make sure one has the facts straight.
- World
Encyclopedia of Peace.
Volume 2 Articles N- Z.
- The World's Religions New York: Harper Collins
Publishers, 1991.
Go to books: a-f,
g-o, p-z,
