Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps on the Way

by Solala Towler, Chungliang Al Huang (Foreword by)

Overview

Most people think of the Tao Te Ching as a book on philosophy or a treatise on leadership. Yet there is a little-known treasure hidden within the familiar passages of Lao Tzu’s work: step-by-step practical guidance for the spiritual journey. With Practicing the Tao Te Ching, renowned teacher Solala Towler reveals a new facet to this spiritual classic, offering accessible instructions paired with each of the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching.

"Tao is a way of deep reflection and learning from nature, considered the highest teacher," writes Towler. "It teaches us to follow the energy flows within the heavens, the earth, and our own bodies." With lucid instruction and deep insight, he guides you through meditations, movement and breathing practices, subtle energy exercises, and inner reflections—all to help you to embody Taoist wisdom in every aspect of your life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781622036035
Publisher:	Sounds True, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/01/2016
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Solala Towler
Solala Towler has taught and practiced Taoist meditation and qigong for more than 25 years. He is author of Tales from the Tao, Tao Paths to Love, and more. Solala is the editor of The Empty Vessel, a widely respected journal of Taoist philosophy and practice. He teaches qigong and sound healing at conferences and workshops around the country. For more, visit abodetao.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction 1

Step 1 Practice Developing Your Inner Vision 9

Step 2 Practice Warming Up Your Energy System 15

Step 3 Practice Filling the Jade Pond 20

Step 4 Practice Empty Vessel Meditation 24

Step 5 Practice Bellows Breathing 27

Step 6 Practice Primal Mother Meditation 31

Step 7 Practice Belly Breathing 34

Step 8 Practice Water Meditation 38

Step 9 Practice Taoist Lifestyle Advice 41

Step 10 Practice Guarding the One Meditation 45

Step 11 Practice Alchemical Dantian Breathing 50

Step 12 Rractiee Organ Balancing Meditation 53

Step 13 Practice Expansion Meditation 57

Step 14 Practice Embracing the One 60

Step 15 Practice Stillness and Movement 64

Step 16 Practice Sitting and Forgetting 67

Step 17 Practice Letting Go 71

Step 18 Practice Experiencing the Unlimited Self 74

Step 19 Practice Head Knowledge Versus Belly Knowledge 77

Step 20 Practice Great Mother Meditation 81

Step 21 Practice Inner Knowing 85

Step 22 Practice Standing like a Tree 87

Step 23 Practice Six Healing Sounds 91

Step 24 Practice Inner Releasing 95

Step 25 Practice The Path of the Sage 97

Step 26 Practice Rooting and Grounding Practic 101

Step 27 Practice The Path of Refinement 104

Step 28 Practice Learning Your Balance Point 108

Step 29 Practice Useful Versus Mindless Activity 112

Step 30 Practice Journaling Your Journey 115

Step 31 Practice Not Wielding Weapons 118

Step 32 Practice Life Review Practice 122

Step 33 Practice Knowing Yourself Through Gongfu 125

Step 34 Practice The Wordless Journey 128

Step 35 Practice Becoming Who You Really Are 130

Step 36 Practice The Soft Overcoming the Hard 133

Step 37 Practice Change, Transformation, and the Art of Imperfection 136

Step 38 Practice The I Ching 139

Step 39 Practice Full Moon Meditation 143

Step 40 Practice Returning to Source 146

Step 41 Practice Sense of Humor Is Essential 149

Step 42 Practice Nonviolence Toward Yourself 153

Step 43 Practice Road Rules 156

Step 44 Practice Strengthening Your Spleen's Earth Energy 159

Step 45 Practice Tranquil Sitting 162

Step 46 Practice The True Heart 166

Step 47 Practice The Inner Journey 169

Step 48 Practice Letting Go 172

Step 49 Practice Becoming the Watcher 175

Step 50 Practice Heavenly Dew 179

Step 51 Practice Living from Your Childlike Heart 183

Step 52 Practice Turning the Light Around 186

Step 53 Practice Pain as Medicine 190

Step 54 Practice The Palace of Inner Observation 194

Step 55 Practice Guarding the Jing 198

Step 56 Practice Stillness in the Midst of Activity 203

Step 57 Practice One Thing at a Time 206

Step 58 Practice The Hall of Light 210

Step 59 Practice Tree Chi Gong 213

Step 60 Practice Hungry Ghosts 217

Step 61 Practice Balancing Yin and Yang 220

Step 62 Practice Clarity and Quiescence Practice 224

Step 63 Practice The Wu Wei Way of Effortless Effort 228

Step 64 Practice Looking Up Practice 231

Step 65 Practice The Journey to Wholeness 236

Step 66 Practice Gathering Chi from the Earth and the Sun 240

Step 67 Practice Slow Breathing 244

Step 68 Practice The Warrior's Breath 249

Step 69 Practice Gathering Chi from the Four Directions 253

Step 70 Practice In the Garden 258

Step 71 Practice Applying Your Knowledge 261

Step 72 Practice Working with the Spirits 263

Step 73 Practice Swallowing the Sun and Moon 267

Step 74 Practice Taking Up the Tools of the Master 270

Step 75 Practice Walking Meditation 274

Step 76 Practice Staying Young Chi Gong 277

Step 77 Practice The Way of Tea 282

Step 78 Practice Spontaneous Chi Gong 287

Step 79 Practice Giving Up the Need to Be Right 291

Step 80 Practice Taoist Advice for Modern Times 294

Step 81 Practice Small Heavenly Orbit 298

Afterword 304

Acknowledgments 305

About the Author 306

Editorial Reviews

05/16/2016
Towler (Tales from the Tao), a teacher of Taoist meditation and qigong for over two decades, suggests that the Tao Te Ching is a spiritual practice guide for moving oneself toward oneness with the Tao. He guides readers through each of the 81 verses with a threefold approach. Towler translates the verses using clear, succinct phrasing without sacrificing poetics. His commentary is meant for contemplation, drawing influence from Chuang Tzu (another Taoist teacher), Ho Shang Gong (a more esoteric, alchemical interpreter), and his own teacher, Hua-Ching Ni. The practices involve paying close attention to the energies of the body while reflecting on one's current ways of living. Towler wishes to teach readers how to connect to Tao so that "you can understand and experience just who you really are and live a life in the world just doing what you naturally do." Towler is a gentle and warm teacher, successfully rendering the Tao Te Ching into everyday practical language and making its concepts available to a general audience. Those who are looking to become more spontaneous, open, and honest will find a worthy guide in Towler. (May)

Publishers Weekly

I have not read such an inspiring, fascinating nor powerfully spiritual publication as Practicing Tao Te Ching by Solala Towler for such a long time...[It] is a truly great and impressive work—one that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for an authentic form of effective spiritual guidance in their lives. Our rating: 5/5.” —Spirituality Today

“Towler (Tales from the Tao), a teacher of Taoist meditation and qigong for over two decades, suggests that the Tao Te Ching is a spiritual practice guide for moving oneself toward oneness with the Tao. He guides readers through each of the 81 verses with a threefold approach. Towler translates the verses using clear, succinct phrasing without sacrificing poetics. His commentary is meant for contemplation, drawing influence from Chuang Tzu (another Taoist teacher), Ho Shang Gong (a more esoteric, alchemical interpreter), and his own teacher, Hua-Ching Ni...Towler is a gentle and warm teacher, successfully rendering the Tao Te Ching into everyday practical language and making its concepts available to a general audience. Those who are looking to become more spontaneous, open, and honest will find a worthy guide in Towler.” —Publishers Weekly

“In Practicing the Tao Te Ching, Solala Towler offers a thoughtful and practical guide to the practice of Taoism. Many books have been written about the ancient Chinese text, the Tao Te Ching, but Towler’s view is uniquely grounded and accessible.
Towler explores a central theme for each of the eighty-one short verses of the Tao Te Ching and pairs these with experiential exercises in meditation, breathing, or movement—such as Water Meditation, Sitting and Forgetting, or Giving Up the Need to Be Right. In the introduction, he advises the reader to begin by reading the verses sequentially, as each chapter and practice builds on the last.
For the individual seeker interested in exploring Tao, this work will speak sincerely to the heart and mind...Towler offers a powerful and quietly profound tool for journeyers who are drawn to this spiritual path.” —Kristen Rabe, Foreword Reviews

“As the cornerstone of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching is known for its mystical treatise and abstruse understanding on metaphysics and concrete science. This well-written and accessible book throws the door wide open for practitioners to better understand the Tao Te Ching through dedicated practice. Solala Towler’s approach reveals the quintessence of the study: Taoism relies upon practice, the cultivation of innate nature, and preserving life force. Under his guidance, both beginners and the experienced can deepen their practice as well as digest the inner core meaning of the Tao Te Ching.” —Hu Xuezhi, author of Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic

“A well-written and eminently useful guide to putting the teachings of Taoism’s greatest sage into one’s daily life and practice. So simple, even Lao Tzu would understand it.” —Red Pine, author of Lao-Tzu’s Taoteching

“I own two-dozen Tao Te Ching translations. Solala Towler's unique addition outshines them in brilliant new ways. He treats Lao Tzu as a personal Sage-guide, and ingeniously turns this classic of mystical Tao philosophy into a boots-on-the ground manual for spiritual practice. This awakens a fresh perspective—it becomes a Living Guide to The Way. He suggests we consult it daily, like the I Ching, for divination—and that we use the many Taoist practices he offers in this precious manual to grasp the subtle qi reality Lao Tzu describes. Solala immersed himself in all things Taoist for decades as publisher of The Empty Vessel magazine. Practicing the Tao Te Ching is a distillation of vast wisdom into practical methods that use tai chi, qigong, feng shui, and Tao inner alchemy to help us ‘get’ Lao Tzu. The result is a treasure trove with 81 Steps (Verses) to Sagehood—a modern masterpiece the Old Boy himself would admire. It’s a worthy addition to any qi-cultivator’s library and promises a lifetime of refining our soul’s Way.” —Michael Winn, coauthor with Mantak Chia of seven books on Taoist methods and founder of healingdao.com

“When I first took a college course on the Tao Te Ching, the teacher had us study many different translations simultaneously, which is a testament to the depth and timelessness of the original work. Like any true classic, the Tao Te Ching still inspires new ideas, deep and life-changing perspectives, limitless discussion, and cultivation of one’s spirit. Over millennia, it has become a vast tree with many branches of translations, commentaries, and different applications in fields as vast as art and science. Practicing the Tao Te Ching is a marvelous branch, sprouting out of this giant, ever-growing body of work. Solala Towler has provided commentary that not only helps elucidate the location of the many paths the Old Sage points to, but Solala has also successfully guided us down some of these paths with real, practical ways to cultivate and experience some of the teachings in this classic. As many of these pathways are covered in the brambles of a few thousand years of overgrowth, pushing aside some of the modern weeds to see the paths leading into the old forest is invaluable. Most commentaries stop there. Solala Towler has taken his role as a guide more seriously, and helped lead us down some of these old ways. We need more discussions that offer practical guidance with the potential for actual transformation and experiential growth like this book offers!” —Wu De, author of Zen & Tea One Flavor and The Way of Tea; publisher of Global Tea Hut magazine

From the Publisher