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An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism
"An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism" details and purchase
An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism: The Wisdom of the Sages
An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism: The Wisdom of the Sages
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Author(s): 
Subjects(s): 
Comparative Religion
Eastern Religion
Symbolism

Price:  $24.95

ISBN:  978-1-935493-16-7
Book Size:  8 × 11
# of Pages:  160
Language:  English



Description
This beautifully illustrated book introduces the reader to the history and development of Taoism, one of the great religious and philosophical movements in Chinese thought. Chapters include discussions on the concept of the Tao (or Way), the symbolism of Yin-Yang, the relationship between Taoism and the natural world, and the work and philosophy of the leading Taoist sages. The last section of the book deals with Taoist art, the symbolism of plants and animals, the Taoist garden, and the relationship of Taoism with Buddhism and Hinduism. This edited edition of selected chapters from J.C. Cooper’s writings on Taoism contains 118 stunning color illustrations and includes an index.

AWARDS

  • Winner of two USA "Best Books 2011" Awards, sponsored by USA Book News:
    – “Religion: Eastern Religions” category
    – “Best Interior Design” category (designed by Susana Marin)
  • Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for “New Age/Metaphysics/Spirituality”
  • Midwest Book Award Silver Medals in the categories: “Illustration”, “3 or More Color Cover”, & “Total Book Design”
  • Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize
  • Finalist for the da Vinci Eye Award
  • Silver Benjamin Franklin Best Book Award for “Interior Design, 3 or More Color”
More Information


Detailed Description
About the Author
Read Reviews
Table of Contents
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Detailed Description of An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism

J.C. Cooper (1905-1999) wrote some of the most compelling and insightful works on Taoism in the twentieth century. This may be due to her upbringing in China or her remarkable understanding of symbolism. This new book, edited by Joseph A. Fitzgerald, brings together the most important writings of Jean Campbell Cooper on Taoism and adds illustrates the mood and meaning of this tradition with select Taoist and Taoist-influenced paintings. The book introduces the reader to the history and development of Taoism, one of the great religious and philosophical movements in Chinese thought. Chapters include discussions on the concept of the Tao (or Way), the symbolism of Yin-Yang, the relationship between Taoism and the natural world, and the work and philosophy of the leading Taoist sages. The last section of the book deals with Taoist art, the symbolism of plants and animals, the Taoist garden, and the relationship of Taoism with Buddhism and Hinduism. This edited edition of selected chapters from J.C. Cooper’s writings on Taoism contains 118 stunning color illustrations and includes an index.

AWARDS

  • Winner of two USA "Best Books 2011" Awards, sponsored by USA Book News:
    – “Religion: Eastern Religions” category
    – “Best Interior Design” category (designed by Susana Marin)
  • Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for “New Age/Metaphysics/Spirituality”
  • Midwest Book Award Silver Medals in the categories: “Illustration”, “3 or More Color Cover”, & “Total Book Design”
  • Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize
  • Finalist for the da Vinci Eye Award
  • Silver Benjamin Franklin Best Book Award for “Interior Design, 3 or More Color”


About the Author(s)

Jean C Cooper

Informed by the perspective of the Perennial Philosophy, J. C. Cooper wrote and lectured extensively on the subjects of philosophy, comparative religion, and symbolism. She was the author of a wide range of books on spiritual topics, including Taoism, the Way of the Mystic, Yin and Yang, and Symbolism, the Universal Language, but is perhaps best known for her classic reference work: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols.

J. C. Cooper's writing is represented in “The Symbolism of the Taoist Garden” in Light from the East: Eastern Wisdom for the Modern West and “The Yin and the Yang in Nature” in Seeing God Everywhere: Essays on Nature and the Sacred. World Wisdom will publish a collection of her essays, along with beautiful Taoist art, in An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism, in 2010.


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Joseph A. Fitzgerald

Joseph Fitzgerald has authored or edited several books on diverse world religions and philosophy that have won more than ten awards, including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award. The subjects include Buddhism, Hinduism, the American Indians, Christianity, the ecological crisis and the Perennial Philosophy. Fitzgerald studied Comparative Religion at Indiana University, where he also earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. He is an adopted grandson of Thomas Yellowtail, one of the most honored American Indian spiritual leaders of the last century. For more than thirty years, Joseph has traveled extensively throughout the American Indian, Oriental and Islamic worlds. He has edited the following books for World Wisdom:

    

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Reviews of An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism

“Even though this work articulates the spiritual landscape of Taoism, its author also makes ‘points of contact with the perennial philosophy in other major religions … illustrating how, in many essential ways, they speak with one voice.’

“The author of this book, Jean Campbell Cooper (1905-1999), was born in Chefoo, in Northern China where she spent her formative years in the Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian cultures of China. Cooper wrote and lectured extensively on themes of philosophy, comparative religion, and symbolism. She was a regular contributor to the journal Studies in Comparative Religion. The contents of the book under review incorporate sections from three of J.C. Cooper’s works which continue to be among the most reliable introductions to Taoism. The three works are: Taoism: The Way of the Mystic (1972); Yin & Yang: The Taoist Harmony of Opposites (1981); and Chinese Alchemy: The Taoist Quest for Immortality (1984). This edited edition of selected chapters from Cooper’s writings on Taoism contains 118 stunning color illustrations and includes an index.…

“One of the central shortcomings of the West’s encounter with the East was the lack of accurate and reliable information on the Eastern teachings. It is in this context that J.C. Cooper’s work is significant for it provides a dependable introduction to Taoism, one of the three great religions of China. In a world where so much disharmony and disequilibrium dominate, there is much need for the return to the primordial unity where harmony and equilibrium can be found as ‘the Sages of the old’ have instructed and demonstrated.
Sacred Web



“Of the 'Three Religions' [i.e. the three main Chineses religions: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism] Taoism is the one least known in the West. Mrs. Cooper’s lucid exposition of the doctrines and practices of this religion richly satisfies a pressing need.”
William Stoddart, author of Outline of Buddhism, from the "Foreword" to An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism



“In the view of Thomas Merton, Taoism is basically direct and simple in that it seeks, 'as does all the greatest philosophical thought, to go immediately to the heart of things.' And it is straight to the heart of things that Jean Campbell Cooper takes us in her penetrating essays on the Taoist tradition and its presiding ideas.… The contents of this volume are gathered from three of her books which continue to be among the most reliable and accessible introductions to Taoism: The Way of the Mystic, Yin & Yang: The Taoist Harmony of Opposites, and Chinese Alchemy: The Taoist Quest for Immortality. While in the main they explore the distinctive contours of the Taoist spiritual landscape, these works are also notable for their author’s ability to identify points of contact between Taoism and other major religions, 'illustrating how, in many essential ways, they speak with one voice.'”
Joseph A. Fitzgerald, editor of Honen the Buddhist Saint, from the "Editor's Preface"



An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism: The Wisdom of the Sages provides a powerful introduction to Taoism combining scholarship with a lovely illustrated edition introducing readers to the history and development of Taoism. Its exploration of Taoist sages and philosophy includes a survey of Taoist art and makes for a top pick for any new age library!”
—from a review in the Midwest Book Review


Table of Contents for An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism

Editor’s Preface

Foreword by William Stoddart

The Tao

Te

Yin-Yang

The Pa Kua

Chuang Tzu and the Sages

Wu-Wei

The Natural

The Great Triad

Art

Symbolism

The Taoist Garden

Taoism and Hinduism

Taoism and Buddhism

List of Illustrations

Index

Biographical Notes




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