Bücher von Eva Wong

Here, Taoist practitioner Eva Wong offers a colorful treatment of the history and evolution of Taoism, told through traditional teaching tales. These tales, which Wong first heard as a child growing up in Hong Kong, are gleaned from the local storytellers and the uncensored chronicles known as yeshi-the wild history of China, not monitored by the official imperial scholars and historians. The stories are by turns mysterious and intriguing, passionate and violent, and they are peppered with colorful characters, including hermits, politicians, social activists, revolutionaries, scholars, scientists, and mystics.Arranged chronologically from prehistory through the early twentieth century, these stories introduce the schools in the Taoist lineages, and capture the defeats and victories of Taoism, its periods of decadence and decay, and its renewal, maturation, and spiritual triumph. Wong puts these stories into context, and shows that Taoism is a dynamic spiritual tradition, constantly changing-and being influenced by-history.

To age with the sun and moon and be renewed by spring and summer, to conserve the seeds of growth in autumn and winter and to be nourished by the eternal breath of the Tao—these are the goals of the Taoist alchemists, the masters of the arts of health, longevity, and immortality. This book is a translation of a concise Taoist alchemical manual known as the Dragon-Tiger Classic, along with its two most important commentaries. The classic, written in ancient times by an unknown author and published during the fifteenth century BCE, is regarded by contemporary Taoist practitioners as the most complete guide to spiritual transformation. It covers the three forms of Taoist practice:    •  External alchemy, concerned with the ingestion of minerals, herbs, and other substances to attain health, longevity, and immortality    •  Sexual alchemy, in which the practitioner uses the energy of a sexual partner to cultivate his or her own energy    •  Internal alchemy, the practice of meditation, calisthenics, and yogic postures to cultivate mind and body An extensive introduction by the translator and the inclusion of two commentaries by traditional Chinese authors aid the reader in understanding this concise, symbolic text.

Here is a classic Chinese text on the Taoist arts of longevity and immortality. The text dates from the Five Dynasties (907-960 C. E.) and is attributed to Chungli Ch'uan and Lü Tung-pin-two of the most popular figures of Taoism and Chinese culture. This text focuses on Taoist inner alchemy, a theory and method for transforming the mind from within by using practices such as breath control, calisthenics, meditation practices, and sexual alchemy (the method of gathering energy from a sexual partner). The teachings address the following topics: • The nature of immortality and how it can be attained by realizing the laws of the Tao within us • The art of health • The art of longevity • How to deal with obstacles and recognize spiritual progress The Art of Health, Longevity, and Immortality will be of interest to both beginning students of Taoism and scholars. Wong's introduction includes a concise overview of the evolution of Taoist longevity practices as well as an elucidating section for readers who are unfamiliar with the teachings and practices of Taoist inner alchemy. She also includes a list of helpful hints for reading and understanding each section of the text.

As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Eva Wong heard and memorized many tales told to her by Hong Kong's finest professional storytellers, by actors on the radio, and by her grandmother. These popular tales of the Taoist immortals were also often dramatized in Chinese operas. The stories are of famous characters in Chinese history and myth: a hero's battle with the lords of evil, the founder of the Ming dynasty's treacherous betrayal of his friends, a young girl who saves her town by imitating rooster calls. Entertaining and often provocative, these tales usually include a moral. The immortals are role models in Chinese culture, as well as examples of enlightenment. Some of the immortals were healers, some were social activists, some were aristocrats, and some were entrepreneurs. The tales chosen by Eva Wong here are of the best-known immortals among the Chinese. Their names are household words and their stories are told and retold by one generation to the next.

In Holding Yin, Embracing Yang, Eva Wong presents translations of three key texts containing the highest teachings of the Eastern and Western schools of Taoist internal alchemy-the discipline of cultivating health, longevity, and immortality by transforming the energetic structures of body and mind. The texts are primarily concerned with meditation, breathing practices, and sexual yoga with a partner-all as means for developing within ourselves the same life-giving energy that sustains and nourishes the universe. The texts in this collection offer a clear view of the physical, mental, and spiritual methods of Taoist practice, showing why they are important and how these methods all can work together in the cultivation of mental peace, radiant health, and longevity. This collection will provide inspiration and the essential foundation necessary to begin Taoist practice under the guidance of a teacher. The three classics translated here are: Treatise on the Mysterious Orifice by Xuanweilun (sixteenth century), Discussion on the Cavity of the Tao by Daojiaotan (nineteenth century), and Secret Teachings on the Three Wheels by Sanjubizhi (nineteenth century). Included is an introduction in which Wong discusses the various schools of internal alchemy, as well as their main practices.