Taoism For Dummies

Introduction 1
Part I: Navigating the World of Taoism 7
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Taoism 9
Chapter 2: What Is Taoism? 19
Chapter 3: Don't Believe Everything You Think 31
Part II: Looking At the Development of Taoism 45
Chapter 4: Classical Taoist Philosophy 47
Chapter 5: The Development of Institutional Taoism 73
Chapter 6: Types of Taoism in China Today 91
Chapter 7: Go West, Old Tao, Go West 109
Part III: Examining Important Taoist Concepts 133
Chapter 8: What Is the Tao, and What Does It Mean to Follow It?135
Chapter 9: Doing Everything by Doing Nothing 157
Chapter 10: For Every Yin, There Is an Equal and Opposite Yang177
Chapter 11: Blue Heaven, Yellow Heaven: The Belief in a New Age193
Chapter 12: Writing What Can't Be Spoken: The Many Textsof Taoism 207
Part IV: Exploring Taoist Practices 225
Chapter 13: Remembering to Keep Forgetting 227
Chapter 14: Seeking the Path to Immortality 241
Chapter 15: Internal Cultivation through the Discipline ofAlchemy 259
Chapter 16: Martial, Gymnastic, and Healing Arts: T'ai-chiand Ch'i-kung 277
Chapter 17: Cosmic Renewal and Other Rituals 291
Part V: The Part of Tens 305
Chapter 18: Ten Common Misconceptions about Taoism 307
Chapter 19: Ten Bits of Advice for Acquiring Taoist Wisdom315
Chapter 20: Ten Places to See Taoist Stuff Happening Today323
Part VI: Appendixes 331
Appendix A: Glossary 333
Appendix B: Resources 347
Appendix C: Pronunciation Guide 353
Index 357