Livia Kohn, PhD, a leading Taoist scholar, is professor emerita of religion and East Asian studies at Boston University. She is author or editor of over twenty-five books and many articles on Taoism and East Asian religions, including Daoism and Chinese Culture; Daoism Handbook; Health and Long Life: The Chinese Way and Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness—Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Paths). She teaches workshops all over the world, spearheads international conferences on Taoist studies and is executive editor at Three Pines Press and the Journal of Daoist Studies.

• Introduction viiUniversal Patterns1. Perfect Happiness 32. The Universe 173. Life and Death 334. Cosmos and Destiny 47Body and Mind5. The Self 616. Dreams 757. The Human Mind 87Self-Transformation8. Oblivion 1039. Realizing Tao 11910. The Perfected 137The New Life11. Uselessness 15312. Natural Skills 16713. In the World 17914. When in Power 193Suggestions for Further Reading 207

Kohn (religion & East Asian studies, emerita, Boston Univ.; Daoism and Chinese Culture) draws on the second principal source text of the Taoist tradition, the Chuang-tzu—which we now know best for the famed "butterfly dream," an anecdote that has given rise to many philosophical questions—to clarify a number of Taoist beliefs and practices. Kohn's work is not a complete or scholarly version of the ancient text but a thematically arranged selection designed to appeal to Western readers. VERDICT Kohn’s introduction to a lesser-known exponent of the Tao should appeal, as intended, to many spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Asian traditions.

Livia Kohn, PhD, a leading Taoist scholar, is professor emerita of religion and East Asian studies at Boston University. She is author or editor of over twenty-five books and many articles on Taoism and East Asian religions, including Daoism and Chinese Culture; Daoism Handbook; Health and Long Life: The Chinese Way and Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness—Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Paths). She teaches workshops all over the world, spearheads international conferences on Taoist studies and is executive editor at Three Pines Press and the Journal of Daoist Studies.

• Introduction viiUniversal Patterns1. Perfect Happiness 32. The Universe 173. Life and Death 334. Cosmos and Destiny 47Body and Mind5. The Self 616. Dreams 757. The Human Mind 87Self-Transformation8. Oblivion 1039. Realizing Tao 11910. The Perfected 137The New Life11. Uselessness 15312. Natural Skills 16713. In the World 17914. When in Power 193Suggestions for Further Reading 207

Kohn (religion & East Asian studies, emerita, Boston Univ.; Daoism and Chinese Culture) draws on the second principal source text of the Taoist tradition, the Chuang-tzu—which we now know best for the famed "butterfly dream," an anecdote that has given rise to many philosophical questions—to clarify a number of Taoist beliefs and practices. Kohn's work is not a complete or scholarly version of the ancient text but a thematically arranged selection designed to appeal to Western readers. VERDICT Kohn’s introduction to a lesser-known exponent of the Tao should appeal, as intended, to many spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Asian traditions.

Livia Kohn, PhD, a leading Taoist scholar, is professor emerita of religion and East Asian studies at Boston University. She is author or editor of over twenty-five books and many articles on Taoism and East Asian religions, including Daoism and Chinese Culture; Daoism Handbook; Health and Long Life: The Chinese Way and Chuang-tzu: The Tao of Perfect Happiness—Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Paths). She teaches workshops all over the world, spearheads international conferences on Taoist studies and is executive editor at Three Pines Press and the Journal of Daoist Studies.

• Introduction viiUniversal Patterns1. Perfect Happiness 32. The Universe 173. Life and Death 334. Cosmos and Destiny 47Body and Mind5. The Self 616. Dreams 757. The Human Mind 87Self-Transformation8. Oblivion 1039. Realizing Tao 11910. The Perfected 137The New Life11. Uselessness 15312. Natural Skills 16713. In the World 17914. When in Power 193Suggestions for Further Reading 207

Kohn (religion & East Asian studies, emerita, Boston Univ.; Daoism and Chinese Culture) draws on the second principal source text of the Taoist tradition, the Chuang-tzu—which we now know best for the famed "butterfly dream," an anecdote that has given rise to many philosophical questions—to clarify a number of Taoist beliefs and practices. Kohn's work is not a complete or scholarly version of the ancient text but a thematically arranged selection designed to appeal to Western readers. VERDICT Kohn’s introduction to a lesser-known exponent of the Tao should appeal, as intended, to many spiritual seekers, especially those interested in Asian traditions.