Taoist Meditation

The ancient meditation techniques of Taoism encompass a wide range of practices--with an aim toward cultivating a healthy body as well as an enlightened mind. These selections from classic texts of Taoist meditation represent the entire range of techniques--from sitting meditation practices to internal alchemy. Most of the texts appear here in English for the first time. Selections are taken from the following classics: "Anthology on Cultivation of Realization: " A document from 1739 (Ming Dynasty) that emphasizes development of the natural, social, and spiritual elements in human life. "Treatise on Sitting Forgetting: " A Tang Dynasty text that sets meditation practice in terms familiar to Confucians and Buddhists. "Sayings of Taoist Master Danyang: " Wisdom of the Taoist wizard and representative of the Complete Reality School. "Secret Writings on the Mechanism of Nature: " An anthology taken from one hundred sixty-three Taoist sources, including ancient classics and works on meditation and spiritual alchemy, along with admonitions and teachings of the great Taoist luminaries. "Zhang Sanfeng's Taiji Alchemy Secrets: " A treatise on the inner mediation practices that are the proper foundation of the martial art Taiji. "Secret Records of Understanding the Way: " A rare and remarkable collection of talks by an anonymous Taoist master of the later Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Traditional teachings with a sometimes strikingly modern bent.