Entering the Tao by Hua-Ching Ni presents practices and attitudes from the path of the Integral Way that "help, conserve, nourish and refine the subtle energy." In Taoist arts and metaphysics, energy is the key to a full and vital life. Hua-Ching Ni, who has written more than 45 books on Chinese philosophy, healing techniques, and related subjects, contends that a "fresh, alive, elastic mind" is a solid foundation for spiritual self-cultivation.

These pages offer a smorgasbord of insights into Taoist wisdom. "To discover magnificence in every moment of life," Master Ni writes, "is truly life's greatest reward." He outlines the potencies of yin and yang, the values of spiritual soberness and spiritual tipsiness, some conditions of longevity (such as take care of old problems), the nutrition of light and dark, two kinds of walking, and some guidelines for a healthy natural lifestyle. What is clear in all of this is that a student of the Integral Way is "gently in motion" avoiding the excesses of stagnation and restlessness. Entering the Tao celebrates spontaneity and flow as the wellsprings of a creative and fulfilling life.

Contrary to what one reviewer from the US wrote this book does not promote any of Ni"s so called organisation/products...it is in fact a book which readers will feel relaxed after reading and ponder on the many simple solutions to our life"s many perceived problems.

I also recommend reading Ni"s other books as i believe his books promote self-responsibility rather than rigid religious concepts and nowhere in his books do i find him promoting himself as the "One who knows all", rather what he does promote i believe is to free one"s mind from fixed concepts and to live life naturally....

Truly Ni"s teachings are refreshing as well as enlightening in many aspects....

Dear Readers, After reading this new publication "Entering the Tao" many times, I realized the treasure of this book is the easy to read "hands-on" approach to entering the Tao in modern times. It is basic guidance to follow written in simple terms. There is no big mystery or special requirements. You just live a simple life and to do so we need to exclude a few things and remember a few basic things we may have forgotten. The beauty and joy of reading this book over and over is that it brings great peace. When I was in the middle of a crisis situation, it helped me to find some momentary joy and to see the learning and growth in it. Following the guidance helped me to remove most of the anxiety, pressure, and feeling of hopelessness. In my opinion the book will bring any reader to the realization that these experiences are in fact external and should be treated that way. At first I thought my experience was unique and that I had no way out (in more than one way -- out of the situation or out of the pain it caused). All that changed after reading this book! When you enter the Tao, there IS great peace. What a great stress reliever! Doing the practices you will find in other books by Hua Ching Ni, which are extremely helpful, but to get the right mindset we need to change our normal negative way of thinking and viewing ourselves and the world. Entering the Tao teaches us how to go about this. I highly recommend this book as one of the treasures shared by Ni and after reading this book you may want to read many more of his publications. It is a great starter book!

Mr Ni owns a huge organization of "seekers" whom he presents himself as an "Achieved Taoist Master" The book is no more than a book to exploit the naive and gullible and hopefully recuit some cult members. Don't waste your time

After reading the review by our friend in france I decided to share my response concerning this book i just read. It suprised me that someone could respond the way they did to a delicate teaching such as Hua ching Ni. Anyhow the teachings of "mother of the yellow altar" are informative, historically and spiritually. For any who wish to grasp the ungraspable or emerge themselve in an immortal tradition, this book is an experience. For those unaware of the female contribution to Tao, then this bok will illuminate your understanding. For women who wish to receive wisdom from a woman, and explore their own inherent nature, this book is essential. I feel the benefits of such a treasured subtle teaching will benefit not only your own life but generations that follow.

"If you do not understand something the teacher is teaching you, do not have an emotional reaction. If the teacher is not clear in the teaching, do not have an emotional reaction. That causes you to feel either happy or upset. In the tradition of spiritual self-cultivation, your position is to borrow the teacher's existence, presence, image, teaching to help YOUR OWN spiritual cultivation. . . . . It is improper to entrust all your fortune to a teacher, . . . . Never die for your teacher or his teaching; if you do, you are placing your soul in the wolf's mouth. . . . . Learn to respect the teacher who gives you something to support the growth of your life spirit." (excerpts from Chapter 1) Had the serendipitous task of investigating further about the writer. Master Hua-Ching Ni usually travels to assist or teach at different spiritual centers around the world and leaves all the day-to-day running of Yo San College (School of Chinese Traditional Medicine and Acupuncture) to his sons. Further study of this man's work, writings and life reveal that he is a genuinely spiritually achieved person and teacher of true spiritual attainment. Read ALL his books whenever you can. Find out for yourselves. The most important work in anyone's life is your SELF-CULTIVATION. To know truth, to hear truth, to speak the truth, and to live life with absolute clarity. I highly recommend this book for most people who hear of Master Ni for the first time. Genuine spiritual seekers will find it hard to put his books down. His books require several readings as more and more applicable wisdom to your life will be revealed dependent upon your current stage of spiritual evolution and maturity.

After reading the Tao of Nutritrian by Dr. Chang this book is not worth the paper its printed on. There is much more useful book on foods, than this book.

gThe Tao of Nutritionh is a food therapy guide based on the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which looks at food in a slightly different way from Western nutrition. The book is divided into 5 main sections. Section 1 very briefly outlines the theory including yin and yang, the main organs of the body, the 5 elements and 5 tastes, causes of diseases, prevention of diseases and a guideline for a balanced diet based on a pyramid (which is not unlike that used in macrobiotics). Section 2 is a list of foods including detail on both the energetics (i.e. which of the 5 tastes the food has, as well as whether it has a cooling, warming or moistening tendency) and healing aspects (such as clearing heat, removing dampness, lubricating the lungs, strengthening the heart etc.) of each food. Section 3 gives tips on which foods can help various health conditions such as bronchitis, eczema and headaches. Section 4 offers vegetarian recipes. Section 5 offers a simple meal plan.

As a non-vegetarian who has studied a little TCM, I was a little disappointed at the vegetarian bent of this book (although some fish and meat are included in the food list in Section 2). TCM does not discriminate against meat, and in fact some meats, such as chicken, are considered a very nourishing food for the weak, sick or elderly. That aside, this is an excellent book showing how to use food for both maintaining health and healing general health conditions.

gThe Tao of Nutritionh is a food therapy guide based on the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which looks at food in a slightly different way from Western nutrition. The book is divided into 5 main sections. Section 1 very briefly outlines the theory including yin and yang, the main organs of the body, the 5 elements and 5 tastes, causes of diseases, prevention of diseases and a guideline for a balanced diet based on a pyramid (which is not unlike that used in macrobiotics). Section 2 is a list of foods including detail on both the energetics (i.e. which of the 5 tastes the food has, as well as whether it has a cooling, warming or moistening tendency) and healing aspects (such as clearing heat, removing dampness, lubricating the lungs, strengthening the heart etc.) of each food. Section 3 gives tips on which foods can help various health conditions, such as bronchitis, eczema and headaches. Section 4 offers vegetarian recipes. Section 5 offers a simple meal plan.

As a non-vegetarian who has studied a little TCM, I was a little disappointed at the vegetarian bent of this book (although some fish and meat are included in the food list in Section 2). TCM does not discriminate against meat, and in fact some meats, such as chicken, are considered a very nourishing food for the weak, sick or elderly. That aside, this is an excellent book showing how to use food for both maintaining health and healing general health conditions.

This man is bogus and basically taking advantage of the gullible and naive. This man is not an achieved Taoist master as he himself claims... do waste your money or time.....

This book helps me as well, in particular it has a theme of natural wholeness as a way of life. I believe that Ni Hua-Ching is true to that theme.

There is a sprinkling of Chinese cosmology which will certainly put off some readers, but the theme is clear -- aim for wholeness and well-being in the here and now. Who can complain about that?

whether master ni is achieved or not, based on my own experience, the book does help in concrete terms. i like and benefit from the concise and vernacular explanation of daily taoist practices for an average person in his daily life.

This author is bogus and not really knowledgabe about Dao-in or Qigong for that matter, don't waste your time... there are many legit books by authors whom have a real knowledge of these techniques.

As in all of Master Ni's books that I have read, he gives the reader a gentle and caring approach to the topic at hand. His chapter on the relationship between mind and body is unique and insightful. Master Ni is not a man of dogma. He will guide but not insist or forcibly hold the reader's hand to take him or her to a predetermined destination. If you are looking for a guru to spoon feed you answers, then Master Ni may not be for you. If you are attempting to be spiritually self-reliant through your own cultivation, then I would highly recommend Master Ni's body of work.

Dao-in has proven to be such an effective way for me to get up and completely prepared for my daily activities. Not only is it easy for me particularly to learn, it incorporates certain movements which also serve to tone my body. I'm not sure who can appropriately state who is or who is not bogus becasue it all depends on you and your level of absorbtion. I'd recommend this for seniors, for those interested in yoga and anyone else who feels like flexibility would be a welcome addition to their life Enjoy but i do say if you get the book get the tape so you can see how the form is suppose to be done correctly, you don't want to hurt yourself.

Ni is a cult leader and an (achieved master) self reported by MR. NI himself..If your the type that believe BS like that, then you may like this book as its as bogus as the day is long.

As an instructor of T'ai Chi, I recommend this book to all of my students. Hua-Ching Ni seems to relate his knowledge to each reader individually. Any martial arts instructor would benefit in reading this book.

This is one of the best books ever to explain the science and philosophy of Taoism. The first section brilliantly explains yin/yang, chi, the five elements, etc. in a manner few other authors could ever match. Consider one of the authors explanations of the nature of yin and yang: "Yang is something that seeks to accomplish itself, yin is something that seeks to join in the act of accomplishment." This book is full of simple yet profound and unique gems like that. The last section gives some details of the authors remarkable spiritual lineage, something this author modestly omits from his other books.

No matter how I try to justify my reasons for buying this book; upon completing the whole book, I'm forced to condemn the contents of this so-called spiritual text by an accomplished taoist master. Its a total waste of money but I must admit I was lured into buying this book by its cover title. Never judge a book by its cover apply to this book in an inverse sense.

I found this book to have many valuable exercises some which I have practiced daily and others more sporadically. Many of the exercises sharpen your spiritual powers, or open you to new opportunities. Other exercises add much needed protections from the negative influences of daily life. I would advise reading this book with care, and awareness so as to get the full benefit from it. This book has been a great source of guidance and comfort for me personally and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in developing their sense of virtue or their character in general.

Among so many other taoist books, this one i read daily to survive this world. Full of practical yet powerful ideas to put to use that are only limited by my own weaknesses. I recommend it to those who are still searching.

This book is a serious disapointment to the student of Taoism. This author is attempting to make himself a guru, instead of teaching and sharing the ways of the Tao.

Some interesting stories and informations are in this book, but not practical exercises (for this you must take a course). Author uses too many times words "I", "My mom", "My dad"
Author never read a holy bible, but he made a conclusion like "If Jesus knew bad times - years, days, months (from Chinese Astrology) he could avoid death on the cross". The fact is that Jesus intentionaly died on the cross...

Dispite opinion to the contrary, Internal Alchemy contains many treasures. Search them out for yourself and make you own decision as to its validity.

This author has nothing to do with real Taoism, but spins things in Taoism his way, calling himself an achieved "Master". A total fruad aimed at the naive and gullible.

This book is one of the more advanced texts by Master Ni. I would suggest that a person study the simpler works first before getting involved with the more advanced teachings as this one. This text is best understood once the basics are grasped. A simpler work would be "Spiritual Messages of a Buffalo Rider" for anyone who is interested.

Besides being way overpriced this book is inacurate and I feel there are much, much better books out there that cover this subject correctly.

This author writes books on almost everything and puts himself out as an "achieved master" and his way is the only way.... If you want a completely slanted and biased view from an "achieved master" that is the "ONLY" one with any knowledge...then this book is for you....

I have been working with this book for some 2 years, studying the I Ching. While it is not an easy read- particularly the first 11 chapters, it providews an in-depth look at the roots of the I Ching and the development of the hexagrams and Chinese cosmology. The hexagrams themselves are lovingly examined with commentaries that provoke thought and self -inspection. It may not tell you whether to take the job or get married, but it will give you an insight into an aspect of a situation that you might not otherwise consider. Master Ni provides many wonderful stories in his commentaries that provide useful tools for living consciously and responsibly.