WESTON, Mass., May 28, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taoism is both a religion and philosophy with roots extending to ancient shamanism. Surprisingly, it retains a relevancy that is as pressing and indispensable than when codified 2,500 years ago. However, the challenges of translation and interpretation have created much confusion about Taoist principles. Thus, author Alex Anatole resolves to help people truly understand The Essence of Tao.
Taoism is now undergoing a rebirth much like Buddhism experienced during the 1960s. Americans are finding its holistic view of life urgently relevant as they grapple with the challenges of aging, terrorism, and the environment. For many, Taoism's uncorrupted faith, grounded in Nature, retains a purity that many yearn to bring into their lives. However, Taoism is also famous for its paradoxes, which can frustrate the Western mind. In reality, when properly explained, these paradoxes elaborate Taoism's basic principles in delightful ways.
The Essence of Tao takes the most important poems of the Tao Te Ching, which is history's second most translated book after Christianity's Holy Bible. It reorders them into a logical framework, and then explains their principles in an easy to understand fashion. It makes Taoism accessible by using everyday examples and avoiding terms that sound exotic and tend to confuse. Whereas the world's major religions have had to settle for two separate Truths -- one of faith and the other of reason -- Taoism needs no such accommodation, and this may attest to its celestial origins. This compelling book is written to expose the reader to this holistic view of reality in a way that beguiles while it instructs.
Since Lao Tzu first introduced the world to Taoism more than two millennia ago, his elegant teachings have been shrouded in mystery and interpreted in many different ways. Finally, The Truth of Tao explains the secrets of this powerful philosophical system in clear, concise language that every one can understand. Grand Master Alex Anatole takes readers on a journey of enlightenment, revealing the confusion inherent in Western and Eastern cultural values, clarifying Lao Tzu's principles, and showing how to apply these principles in every day situations. Taoism's elegant system logically unfolds, unifying the physical, mental and spiritual realms until ultimately the purpose of life is revealed.
The Essence of Tao and The Truth of Tao will be featured in the 2009 Beijing International Book Fair at Beijing, China in September 2009. For more information, log on to www.Xlibris.com.
About the Author
Grand Master Alex Anatole was born in Moscow, Russia. At the age of eight, he began studying all aspects of the Tao under the tutelage of a Taoist Sage with historical lineage to Taoism's ancient origins. Ordained as a Taoist priest, after twenty years of intensive training he immigrated to the United States in 1976, where he established the Temple of Original Simplicity near Boston, Massachusetts. Today, he teaches the classical principles of Taoism in an integrated program of physical, philosophical, and religious instruction; he also lectures throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Additional information about Grand Master Anatole and his temple can be found at www.tao.org
The Essence of Tao * by Alex Anatole
Publication Date: May 8, 2009
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 275 pages; 978-1-4415-2667-0
Cloth Hardback; $29.99; 275 pages; 978-1-4415-2668-7
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