Tales of Ai Tai To offers readers the ability to understand this ancient spiritual way and apply it to their lives. After each story there is a section called “Something to think about” where the reader is challenged to consider the teaching in the story and what it means to them. Kurt Aschermann is a follower of Tao and has written four books about coaching sports, a children’s chapter book and a book about the search for meaning and a spiritual life.
Johan Onvlee and Amy Shapiro show how the practice of T'ai Chi transforms real lives, through true stories drawn from a century of combined experience. Tales of Jo Onvlee (Johan's father and Amy's first T'ai Chi teacher & co-author of two I Ching books), plus tales from Amy's time with John Chung Li and as a teacher herself, show how this ancient Chinese art enhances health, relationships and one's outlook. Includes photos, instructions, plus appearances by a magical sparrow, and "Embrace Tiger" by Jo Onvlee. REVIEWER COMMENTS: "This book, The Sparrow's Tale, is a lovely and elegant story of how Tai Chi changed people's lives around the world by improving their mental and emotional health. But, it is so much more than that. It is a spiritual journey into the depths of these profound internal arts, on how they enable us to relax out of the way of our hidden power and limitlessly expanding energetic nature, so that this true nature can shine through us -- and in effect, change the world for the better. WOW! But, even beyond that, it offers brilliant practical ways to help students open their eyes to this energetic nature of our being, that can be profoundly beneficial to any teacher of any style of Tai Chi or Qigong. Thank you Amy and Johan for this unique and brilliant contribution to the Tai Chi and Qigong family--and for your own journey that has made a better world for all of us. We hope everyone reads this book. It will inspire them, and expand their view of these arts beyond the physical benefits, to something truly life altering on all levels." -- Bill Douglas, and Angela Wong-Douglas, Founders of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, 2009 Inductees to the Internal Arts Hall of Fame in NY, and best-selling authors of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & QiGong."
31 inspiring stories by Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu, and other Taoist masters—now presented in one easy-to-read volume featuring over 100 photographs. For thousands of years, students of the Tao have gleaned inspiration and illumination from its parables, and these thought-provoking examples discuss topics ranging from dignity in the face of challenge, to judging character, to how to deal with loss. Whether solidifying a spiritual truth, unravelling a puzzle for contemplation, or providing a moment of humor, these tales are a mainstay of Eastern philosophy. This unique collection brings together the most inspiring, illuminating and downright funny stories from the classical works of Taoist masters, alongside new writing inspired by traditional tales. Set against a backdrop of the mountains, waterfalls and gorges of China, these tales introduce important Taoist ideas about many of the most basic human experiences—including birth, death, loss, pleasure, and how to surrender to the most fundamental experience of the Tao itself. Interwoven with classic Taoist quotations and illustrated with beautiful photography throughout, these engrossing narratives are as relevant today as they were in the great dynasties of ancient China.
"The myth of the toad king is an important one for the Thai/Lao people, who have been faced with drought year in and year out, and it celebrates the battle victory of a human king, Phya Khankhaak, over the rain god, Phya Thaen. The story begins with the installation onto the throne and the recognition of Phya Khankhaak as a meritorious and just king by all creatures in the universe. Such an occurrence so humiliates Phya Thaen that he wields his power and lashes his great wrath on earth with drastic drought and hellish fire. Lucid and vivid descriptions of Phya Khankhaak's army and battle against Phya Thaen form the major part of the story. After the triumph of the human king over the god, Phya Thaen is forced to send down the rain seasonably to earth until the final destruction of earth arrives." "The translation is designed to be readable and accurate, as well as to convey the original cadences and nuances in the English translation. To accomplish such goals, translator Wajuppa Tossa assumes the roles of both a medium and a storyteller. The text is illustrated with intricate line drawings of mythical creatures and characters as well as scenes alluded to in the narrative." "Adding to the reader's appreciation of the significance of the myth in Thai culture are a summary of the story, notes on the translation, a biographical sketch of the late scribe, his writing samples, elegiac poems sung at his wake, and Isan geographical and historical backgrounds."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This book takes a fresh look at early modern Japanese Confucian thought through a study of Kumazawa Banzan (1619-91). It argues that, contrary to the often-held view that Confucianism was an ideological tool used to support the current regime, Banzan's thought suggests that the traditioncontained elements subversive to the status quo: Banzan is presented as a figure of protest. The book explores his stormy relations with feudal authority and his remonstrations against contemporary maladministration. Banzan also criticized the historical militarization of Japanese societyand high consumption, which he believed to cause deforestation and climatic warming. His thinking extended to metaphysics and the question of Japan's national identity. A remarkable feature of his thought was his identification of an arcadian society in the Tale of Genji, a book condemned bymost of his fellow Confucian thinkers. This book is based on Banzan's written works, both published and in manuscript, his correspondence, and other contemporary sources.
An annotated bibliography of contemporary Chinese novels and short stories published between 1949 and 1974. Includes succinct summaries and bibliographic detailes, including references to translations, for virtually all fictional works published in China during this period. Also includes author, title, and subject indexes.
During the centuries of its popularity, early Chinese vernacular fiction was never adequately preserved or even documented. The great popular appeal of the short stories saved them from oblivion, but it was only in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that they were first collected and published. Mr. Hanan's erudite study is the first thorough attempt to uncover the history of the Chinese short story. Using a variety of techniques, but principally that of stylistic analysis, the author solves the fundamental problem of dating the stories in terms of periods. He is able to place each story in one of three broad categories, early (ca. 1250-1450), middle (ca. 1400-1575), and late (ca. 1550-1627), and to assign some of them to the earlier or later part of the time span. In many cases he offers evidence of sources and influences, place of origin, and possible or probable authorship. On the basis of the author's research, it is possible to see in minutely researched detail how the short story developed in China, what kind of men composed it, its relationship to other kinds of literature, and the main social preoccupations with which it deals. The results of Mr. Hanan's study are vitally important to all scholars of Chinese literature. Historians and linguists will also find it valuable as a model of the innovative use of stylistic analysis.
For centuries the Chinese referred to their fiction as xiaoshuo, etymologically meaning roadside gossip or small talk, and held it in relative disregard.
