L'Autrice raccoglie in questo volume le storie degli Immortali più noti tra i cinesi. I loro nomi in Cina sono a tutti familiari, le leggende che li accompagnano vengono raccontate da una generazione all'altra e spesso sono state drammatizzate in opere teatrali. Divertite e spesso provocatorie, queste storie solitamente sono accompagnate da una morale, perché gli Immortali sono modelli nella cultura cinese, sono esempi di illuminazione. Alcuni di essi erano guaritori, altri erano attivisti sociali, aristocratici, imprenditori e i racconti che li riguardano ci aiutano a comprendere l'immaginifico e variegato mosaico della cultura taoista.

Citing long-term evolution (LTE) as a huge success, deployed around the world, the authors aim to explain how LTE can be used as a technology enabler for public safety networks; hence, the focus on describing the new public-safety-related features that were standardized in 3GPP Release 12 on top of LTE. They provide an overview of this technology and some of the most important services available in LTE. Six chapters are: introduction to LTE/SAE; regulatory features; LTE for public safety networks; proximity services; group communication over LTE; summary and outlook. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

A beautifully clear and accessible explanation of how to live a Taoist life--by reknowned Taoist master Eva Wong.

Being Taoist is one of the most readable books on Taoist philosophy available. It shines a light on exactly what it takes to live a Taoist life. Taoist living rests on four pillars--the public, the domestic, the private, and the spirit lives. Not only do Taoists strive to live these four aspects fully and in a balanced way, they also believe there is an outlook and an art to each of them. Eva Wong uses the teachings of Taoist masters (one for each pillar) to explain the essential concepts. She then gives voice to these texts--simplifying them, removing barriers to understanding, and making them completely accessible and relevant to the modern reader.
Wong is a clear and enthusiastic guide to this intriguing spiritual Way, and she challenges us to stop, reflect, and ask ourselves: Do we balance the public, domestic, private, and spirit aspects in our lives? Do we emphasize some at the expense of the others? Do we ever think about unifying worldly and spiritual wisdom in our lives?

For the first time, the great depth and diversity of Taoist spirituality is introduced in a single, accessible manual.

Taoism, known widely today through the teachings of the classic Tao Te Ching and the practices of t'ai chi and feng-shui, is less known for its unique traditions of meditation, physical training, magical practice, and internal alchemy. Covering all of the most important texts, figures, and events, this essential guide illuminates Taoism's extraordinarily rich history and remarkable variety of practice. A comprehensive bibliography for further study completes this valuable reference work.

Here, Taoist practitioner Eva Wong offers a colorful treatment of the history and evolution of Taoism, told through traditional teaching tales. These tales, which Wong first heard as a child growing up in Hong Kong, are gleaned from the local storytellers and the uncensored chronicles known as yeshi—the wild history of China, not monitored by the official imperial scholars and historians. The stories are by turns mysterious and intriguing, passionate and violent, and they are peppered with colorful characters, including hermits, politicians, social activists, revolutionaries, scholars, scientists, and mystics. Arranged chronologically from prehistory through the early twentieth century, these stories introduce the schools in the Taoist lineages, and capture the defeats and victories of Taoism, its periods of decadence and decay, and its renewal, maturation, and spiritual triumph. Wong puts these stories into context, and shows that Taoism is a dynamic spiritual tradition, constantly changing—and being influenced by—history.

In Holding Yin, Embracing Yang, Eva Wong presents translations of three key texts containing the highest teachings of the Eastern and Western schools of Taoist internal alchemy—the discipline of cultivating health, longevity, and immortality by transforming the energetic structures of body and mind. The texts are primarily concerned with meditation, breathing practices, and sexual yoga with a partner—all as means for developing within ourselves the same life-giving energy that sustains and nourishes the universe.

The texts in this collection offer a clear view of the physical, mental, and spiritual methods of Taoist practice, showing why they are important and how these methods all can work together in the cultivation of mental peace, radiant health, and longevity. This collection will provide inspiration and the essential foundation necessary to begin Taoist practice under the guidance of a teacher.

The three classics translated here are: Treatise on the Mysterious Orifice by Xuanweilun (sixteenth century), Discussion on the Cavity of the Tao by Daojiaotan (nineteenth century), and Secret Teachings on the Three Wheels by Sanjubizhi (nineteenth century). Included is an introduction in which Wong discusses the various schools of internal alchemy, as well as their main practices.

This tale of adventure interweaves history and legend to present the fundamentals of Taoism. Written by an unknown author, Seven Taoist Masters is the story of six men and one woman who overcome tremendous hardships on the journey to self-mastery. These characters and their teacher, Wang Ch'ung-yang, are all historical figures who lived in the Southern Sung (1127-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. And Wang is regarded as the greatest patriarch of the Complete Reality school, a branch of Taoism that has a strong affinity with Zen Buddhism. This novel brings to life the essentials of Taoist philosophy and practice, both through Wang's instructions - on such topics as the cultivation of mind and body; meditation techniques; and overcoming the four obstacles of anger, greed, lust, and drunkenness - and through the characters' entertaining experiences.

The teachings of Taoism, China's great wisdom tradition, apply to every aspect of life, from the physical to the spiritual—and include instruction on everything from lifestyle (a life of simplicity and moderation is best) to the work of inner alchemy that is said to lead to longevity and immortality.

Here, Eva Wong presents and explains three classic texts on understanding the Tao in the macrocosm of the universe and the microcosm of the body that provide an excellent overview of the three traditional levels of the Taoist teachings—Outer, Inner, and Secret. The Outer teachings are concerned with understanding the Tao as manifested in nature and society. They are easily accessible to the layperson and consist of the Taoist philosophy of nature and humanity, advice on daily living, and a brief introduction to the beginning stages of Taoist meditation. The Inner teachings familiarize the practitioner with the energetic structure of the human body and introduce methods of stilling the mind and cultivating internal energy for health and longevity. The Secret teachings describe the highest level of internal-alchemical transformations within the body and mind for attaining immortality.

The Lieh-tzu is a collection of stories and philosophical musings of a sage of the same name who lived around the fourth century BCE. Lieh-tzu's teachings range from the origin and purpose of life, the Taoist view of reality, and the nature of enlightenment to the training of the body and mind, communication, and the importance of personal freedom. This distinctive translation presents Lieh-tzu as a friendly, intimate companion speaking directly to the reader in a contemporary voice about matters relevant to our everyday lives.

As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Eva Wong heard and memorized many tales told to her by Hong Kong's finest professional storytellers, by actors on the radio, and by her grandmother. These popular tales of the Taoist immortals were also often dramatized in Chinese operas. The stories are of famous characters in Chinese history and myth: a hero's battle with the lords of evil, the founder of the Ming dynasty's treacherous betrayal of his friends, a young girl who saves her town by imitating rooster calls. Entertaining and often provocative, these tales usually include a moral. The immortals are role models in Chinese culture, as well as examples of enlightenment. Some of the immortals were healers, some were social activists, some were aristocrats, and some were entrepreneurs. The tales chosen by Eva Wong here are of the best-known immortals among the Chinese. Their names are household words and their stories are told and retold by one generation to the next.

This fully illustrated, comprehensive workbook is designed primarily for homeowners, renters, architects, and business owners who want to put feng-shui to practical personal use—to choose a home, build a house, select an office, or find a retail space. Real estate agents, interior designers, and architects will also find it useful as a reference manual. The text and exercises proceed in systematic fashion from basic principles to specific projects, covering the following lessons:



   •  Evaluating the landscape and external environment by using the techniques of the Landform School
   •  Using the geomantic compass to chart patterns of energy within a building
   •  Planning the usage of space
   •  Matching occupants to a house
   •  Deciding on the placement of furniture
   •  Improving the feng-shui of a building with countermeasures, enhancers, and renovations
   •  Building a new house
   •  Choosing or designing an apartment, business suite, or retail space

Here is a classic Chinese text on the Taoist arts of longevity and immortality. The text dates from the Five Dynasties (907?960 C. E.) and is attributed to Chungli Ch'uan and Lü Tung-pin—two of the most popular figures of Taoism and Chinese culture. This text focuses on Taoist inner alchemy, a theory and method for transforming the mind from within by using practices such as breath control, calisthenics, meditation practices, and sexual alchemy (the method of gathering energy from a sexual partner).

The teachings address the following topics:

   •  The nature of immortality and how it can be attained by realizing the laws of the Tao within us
   •  The art of health
   •  The art of longevity
   •  How to deal with obstacles and recognize spiritual progress


The Art of Health, Longevity, and Immortality will be of interest to both beginning students of Taoism and scholars. Wong's introduction includes a concise overview of the evolution of Taoist longevity practices as well as an elucidating section for readers who are unfamiliar with the teachings and practices of Taoist inner alchemy. She also includes a list of helpful hints for reading and understanding each section of the text.

To age with the sun and moon and be renewed by spring and summer, to conserve the seeds of growth in autumn and winter and to be nourished by the eternal breath of the Tao—these are the goals of the Taoist alchemists, the masters of the arts of health, longevity, and immortality.

This book is a translation of a concise Taoist alchemical manual known as the Dragon-Tiger Classic, along with its two most important commentaries. The classic, written in ancient times by an unknown author and published during the fifteenth century BCE, is regarded by contemporary Taoist practitioners as the most complete guide to spiritual transformation. It covers the three forms of Taoist practice:

   •  External alchemy, concerned with the ingestion of minerals, herbs, and other substances to attain health, longevity, and immortality
   •  Sexual alchemy, in which the practitioner uses the energy of a sexual partner to cultivate his or her own energy
   •  Internal alchemy, the practice of meditation, calisthenics, and yogic postures to cultivate mind and body


An extensive introduction by the translator and the inclusion of two commentaries by traditional Chinese authors aid the reader in understanding this concise, symbolic text.

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the real Way," reads a famous line from the Tao-te-ching. But although the Tao cannot be described by words, words can allow us to catch a fleeting glimpse of that mysterious energy of the universe which is the source of life. The readings in this book are a beginner's entrée into the vast treasury of writings from the sacred Chinese tradition, consisting of original translations of excerpts from the Taoist canon. Brief introductions and notes on the translation accompany the selections from the classics; books of devotional and mystical Taoism; texts of internal alchemy; stories of Taoist immortals, magicians, and sorcerers; ethical tracts; chants and rituals; and teachings on meditation and methods of longevity.

Here is a complete, in-depth course in the traditional Chinese art of harmonious design - including instructions for making your own geomantic compass for feng-shui readings.
The ancient art of feng-shui has guided the Chinese people for thousands of years in designing cities, building homes, and burying the dead. Deeply rooted in Taoist and shamanic origins, it is not simply a list of directives for building auspicious structures or arranging interiors for good luck - it is the art of reading the patterns of the universe and living in harmony with the environment. Today, as people become aware of the need to recover an intimate relationship with the earth and the ecosphere, feng-shui offers a set of pragmatics in choosing a home, locating a business, developing ecologically sensitive land use, and planning a harmonious neighborhood.
Eva Wong offers comprehensive instructions in the basics of feng-shui, with step-by-step guidance in analyzing sites, buildings, and interiors. Readers are given a glimpse into the history of fen-shui from prehistoric to modern times through stories of shamans, magicians, Taoist mystics, and scholars. They are introduced to the theoretical foundation of feng-shui as they learn about Taoist cosmology, the Chinese calendar, and the pa-k'ua or eight-trigrams diagram. They will learn how to make and read a geomantic compass, a device from the tenth century that is still used today. They will also be drawn into a world where nature is sentient and animated by energies. With the completion of the curriculum, readers will have a working knowledge of how to live harmoniously with these energies of the earth and environment.

Equanimity, good health, peace of mind, and long life are the goals of the ancient Taoist tradition known as "internal alchemy," of which Cultivating Stillness is a key text. Written between the second and fifth centuries, the book is attributed to T'ai Shang Lao-chun—the legendary figure more widely known as Lao-Tzu, author of the Tao-te Ching . The accompanying commentary, written in the nineteenth century by Shui-ch'ing Tzu, explains the alchemical symbolism of the text and the methods for cultivating internal stillness of body and mind. A principal part of the Taoist canon for many centuries, Cultivating Stillness is still the first book studied by Taoist initiates today.