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The reader should know that this book is heavily infused with eastern Christian mysticism and thought. Daoism is actually a distortion of Laozi's thinking.
With great intuitive insight, the general revelation of God was perceived by one of China's ancient philosophers. Only now the 21st century are we finding out how the God of Abraham revealed himself to Laozi.
It should be pointed out that this link to Laozi is not a link to what developed later, that is, Daoism. This link between the God of the Bible is now becoming better known.
For additional information see http://www.chinasoul.com/e/e-wk.htm. This book does point this out.
Even so, there are unique insights to the Trinity and to the original state of man.
I wanted a religion or philosophy that addressed suffering with some depth. It showed Christ as the fulfillment of all mankind's deepest longings. Then I found "Christ the Eternal Tao". It gave Christianity context. I actually cried while reading it.
Believe it or not, I had never heard of Eastern Orthodoxy. Tao is Way in Chinese. The humility of Taoism is profuoundly Christian. I also discovered the Tao Teh Ching to be strangely trinitarian (the One gives birth to Three).
I found some in Zen and Taoism. I was in a great deal of emotional pain at that point in my life and had grown weary of pious platitudes and simplistic theology. Christ was not painted as a westernized, blue-eyed person. I had become a severely disillusioned American Evangelical Protestant. You have to build on what is true in any given situation. That intrigued me.
He was prophetic. that I most craved. I read "Christ the Eternal Tao" five or six years ago. I saw how the Greeks evangelized the Russians who evangelized the Chinese and the Alaskans. I saw the martyr connections between the churches.
Christ says He is the Way.
I discovered that I didn't have to label all other religions as completely false in order to believe in Christ.
He saw through a glass darkly, as we all do.
I longed for beauty, simplicity,harmony, and silence.
I had come full circle: converted by the Protestants, leaving that for the beauty and simplicity of Zen and Taoism, and returning to Christianity through the Eastern door.
It showed classic Chinese culture as having the simplicity, silence, beauty, etc.
Every culture gets some things right.
Lao Tzu wasn't wrong.
I had finally come home.
Contrary to almost every translation of the Tao-Te-ching that is available nowadays,this book shows what Lao Tse really had in mind when he spoke of TAO.Not the nihilist,"buddhist" approach,neither the new age approach,but the real meaning.TAO meaning GOD,Infinity,not created and never ending.And then suddenly the Tao Te Ching makes sense.Sometimes when I read books about taoism it seemed to me that the author was "bending backward" trying to make the reader see that Tao has nothing to do with a creator.And that is what made not too much sense,in my opinion.Finally through the work of an orthodox monk I saw the "light".
Hieromonk Damascene is an Eastern Christian Monk. For him it is truly East meets East, thus this book synergizes the truth revealed through the Church, the illumination of the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed to a humble human, Lao Tzu, when he left pride far behind him in a search for the true way, the Tao.This book includes little to none western nuances or anything hinting to rationalism. The only ideas from the west that parallels the contents of this work are leftovers from the theology of the Church the West left behind a thousand years ago.Christ the Eternal Tao is an amazing work. Please read it and feel the warmth both these traditions have to offer when centered around the message, life and being of the eternal Logos and Tao, Jesus Christ.
Then move into the history and his version of the 'Christian Tao Te Ching', if you will. If you are looking for profound spiritual instruction from one whom I know lives his path ( for I have met Fr.
But the middle sections on "Watchfulness", "Prayer", etc were, for me, life changing. So many of the other reviews are focused on the comparative aspects of Taoism and Christianity, which certainly is a factor in the first sections of this book.
Damascene someday writes a book just on Prayer. I have never read such wonderful instructions and inspiring guidance on how one can truly pray, develop a relationship with Christ and experience the spiritual healing and peace that can occur when one get's beyond the 'little mind' to the 'higher mind' or 'Nous' from which one can receive God's peace and guidance.
I hope Fr. Damascene) then just buy this book and start in the middle.
You may be amazed and touched.
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