Eva Wong, trans., Cultivating Stillness: ATaoist Manual for transforming Body and Mind, with a commentary by Shui-ch'ing, and an introduction by Eva Wong (Boston & London: Shambhala, 1992) ("Cultivating Stillness is a text from the taoist cannon. Its Chinese name is the T'ai Shang Ch'ibg0ching Ching.... The name attributes its authorship to T'ai Shang Lao-chun, a title given to Lao-tzu within the Taoist religion....." Id. at x. "Sitting quietly and not moving is stillness. Craving is movement. If you are filled with desire and your senses are attached to objects, the heart is not still. Losing generative energy in sexual activity is movement. Storing generative energy is stillness. If you are free of cravings, in stillness you will see the mystery within." Id. at 13. "Those who cultivate the Tao regard purity and stillness as supreme. Do not see that which is not virtuous and your eyes will be pure and still. Do not hear that which is not virtuous and your ears will be pure and still. Do not say that which is not virtuous and your mouth will be pure and still. Do not do that which is not virtuous and your heart will be pure and still." Id. at 29. "The spirit tends toward purity, but the mind disturbs it." Id. at 35. "The spirit tends toward purity and stillness. Knowledge tends toward action and disturbs the mind so that it cannot be still. As this continues, the body and the mind are injured. When the spirit weakens, a hundred illnesses arise. Therefore, we need to realize the value of the human body. We need to appreciate the fortune of being born in the human form and the fortune of encountering the teachings of the Buddha and the Tao. You who are born in human form should not spend your time foolishly. You must value your original nature and your life. Recognize the difference between spirit and knowledge. Do not confuse the true with the false. Recognize the difference between the human mind and the mind of Tao. Do not mistake the human mind for the mind of Tao, and knowledge for the spirit. Do not mistake the false body for the true body." Id. at 37. "When the spirit is distracted, it will attach itself to ten thousand myriad things." Id. at 125. "When the ten thousand things arise, craving and desire emerge." Id. at 131. "You also need to know of the seven emotions and the seven injuries. The seven emotions are these: happiness, anger, sadness, fear, love, cruelty, desire. Excessive happiness inures the heart. Excessive anger injure the liver. Excessive sadness injures the lungs. Excessive fear injures the gall bladder. Excessive love injure the spirit. Excessive cruelty injures sensitivity. Excessive desire injures the spleen. There are the relations between the seven emotions and the seven injuries." Id. at 42-43. "Lao-tzu says: 'The honorable ones have nothing to argue. The dishonorable ones like to argue.'" "The honorable person has great knowledge and wisdom. The learning of the dishonorable person is shallow. Those who have nothing to argue are humble and sincere. Those who like to argue are competitive and egoistic. Lao-tzu says that the mind of the honorable person is like the mind of the sage. It embraces heaven and earth and is in harmony with the principles of heaven. It has a smooth cover and expresses itself humbly. It lowers its sharp peaks and hides its corners. Outside it appears round but inside it is square. It acts according to the principles of heaven. Everything it says is in harmony with all beings...." Id. at 101-102. * Id. at 55.).
Eva Wong, Feng-shui: The Ancient Wisdom of Harmonious Living for Modern Times (Boston & London: Shambhala, 1996) ("The true learning of feng-shui begins when we acknowledge our place in the universe, not necessarily a dominant place, but one that has its role in the scheme of things. This recognition and acceptance allow us to perceive and work with the energies present in the environment. We have often been taught that we live in a hostile world, or that the world is there for us to conquer or dominate. In the practice of feng-shui, we need to adopt a different worldview, one that recognizes us as co-workers with nature rather than its master. We also need to understand that knowledge is the power to cooperate rather than to manipulate." "Or relationship with the Tao forms the foundation of the practice of feng-shui." Id. at 41.).
Eva Wong, trans., Harmonizing Yin and Yang: The Dragon-Tiger Classic (Boston & London: Shambhala, 1997).
Eva Wong, trans, Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China (A Shambhala Classic) (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2004) ("'People think that cultivating the Tao is nothing but attending to their daily speech, how they should dress, what they should hear, and what they should eat. They do not know that they are trying to mold the Tao according to their conception of what it is. Thus they have lost the essence of the Tao. And then there are others who look for secretive methods and thereby stray into evil paths, and those who have the right intention but are weak in will. And there are those who worry too much about their progress. They advance an inch, but their anxiety sets them back ten feet. The Tao cannot b grasped with the ego. As long as the ego exists, the heart of the Tao cannot emerge. If one cannot cut the ties to gain and loss and to social pressures; if one is concerned with whether one's appearance is appealing, whether one's food is the best, whether one's wealth is acknowledged, and whether one's property is large, then one has not learned to see through the illusions of material things. Craving breeds anxiety. If you crave, then you will fear that it may be lost. If you do not get what you desire you will be disappointed. The ego is the source of craving. if your want to dissolve it, you must cut your tie ti gain and loss.... Ego causes attachment, but the heart of Tao is not attached to anything. It is not attached to beauty, ugliness, gains, losses, destruction, fame, fortune, even life or death. The heart of the Tao is capable of cutting through illusions and hindrances to the attainment of immortality. Awaken the heart of the Tao in yourself, and your effort of cultivation will bear fruit.'" Id. at 48-49.).
Eva Wong, The Shambhala Guide to Taoism (Boston & London: Shambhala, 1997).
Eva Wong, Tales of the Dancing Dragon: Stories of the Tao (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2007) ("What is virtue and honor? Virtue is placing the good of others before yourself, and honor is taking responsibility for your choices." Id. at 58-59. "If you execute people for their beliefs, you will suffer great karmic retribution." Id. at 103.).
Eva Wong, Tales of the Taoist Immortals: Stories of the Tao (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2001).
