This provocative, visually stunning volume draws upon Taoist teachings to explore the creative and spiritual dimensions of the art of photography. Excerpts from the Taoist classic the Chuang-tzu and the writings of Western aesthetes are complemented by over 60 photographs from the work of such canonical photographers as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alfred Stieglitz, and Dorothea Lange. Lucid instructional text and enlightening exercises assure that photographers of all levels will be able to incorporate the lessons of the Tao into their own work.

Combining ancient principles of harmony with modern camera techniques, this unusual book offers photographers new ways to produce innovative, meaningful, and memorable pictures by applying Tao concepts of Yin and Yang. 70 color, 35 b&w, and 30 duotone illustrations.

What is known from the Tao Te Ching, I Ching, and other Taoist texts is almost entirely literary. When Bruce Frantzis studied these texts with his main teacher, Grandmaster Liu Hung Chieh, he was taught their practical application: "This is what they say; this is what they mean; this is how to do them." In the TAO of Letting Go, Frantzis offers a bridge to this pragmatic approach for living a spiritual life. Spirituality is not just an aspiration for which people strive, he says, but a genuine, accomplishable reality. Frantzis shows how to expend maximum effort and yet not use force--the gentle way of the Water method--to enrich personal health and energy systems. The Water tradition continues the work of releasing inner conflicts, a process that begins with the Dissolving Method, passed down by Lao Tse in the Tao Te Ching over 2,500 years ago. The author shows how to completely let go of the blockages that bind and prevent the seeker from reaching full spiritual potential. Short, direct chapters and exercises cover such topics as breathing and awareness; Taoist meditation; fog and depression; modern anxiety; love and compassion; and more.

From the founder of the Wu-Tang Clan—celebrating their 25th anniversary this year—an inspirational book for the hip hop fan. The RZA, founder of the Wu-Tang Clan, imparts the lessons he's learned on his journey from the Staten Island projects to international superstardom. A devout student of knowledge in every form in which he's found it, he distills here the wisdom he's acquired into seven "pillars," each based on a formative event in his life-from the moment he first heard the call of hip-hop to the death of his cousin and Clan- mate, Russell Jones, aka ODB. Delivered in RZA's unmistakable style, at once surprising, profound, and provocative, The Tao of Wu is a spiritual memoir the world has never seen before, and will never see again. A nonfiction Siddhartha for the hip-hop generation from the author of The Wu-Tang Manual, it will enlighten, entertain, and inspire.

"Hawaiian Light is a meditative poem celebrating ocean, sun, moon, sky, and the volcanic fires that created the magnificent tropical archipelago of Hawaii in the turbulent waters of the Pacific millions of years ago." "These eighty-six stunning color photographs, both delicate and bold, reveal a dimension of the Hawaiian Islands that tourists rarely glimpse. Over a period of fifteen years, photographer Nobu Nakayama has collected a unique array of images that unveil the subtle splendor of nature and her cosmic rhythms." "Nakayama's tranquil photographs are interwoven with ancient sacred verses from the Tao Te Ching, each profoundly illustrating a principle of Taoist philosophy. Just as Taoism encourages us to retire from the complexity of the world to live a life of divine simplicity, the images in this book inspire a sublime retreat from the stresses of modern life."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Critically acclaimed photographer David Ward explores the essential attributes of a successful landscape photograph—simplicity, ambiguity, and beauty—in this intriguing companion to his first book, Landscape Within. David discusses how the notion of beauty has been viewed by artists and psychologists and how, despite various modifications over the centuries, the concept of beauty remains relevant. David suggests that all photographers’ work either poses a question or seeks to impose the photographer’s viewpoint, and he goes on to investigate how photography affects our interpretation of the world around us. Accompanied by a selection of David’s stunning, large-format landscape images, this is an elegant and insightful look into the nature of photography.

People love Bill Murray movies, but even more, they love crazy stories about Bill Murray out in the world. Bill reads poetry to construction workers. Bill joins in strangers' kickball games. Bill steals a golf cart in Stockholm. Bill follows the Roots – a hip hop band – around. Bill pays a kid $5 to ride his bicycle into a swimming pool. The most popular Bill Murray story of all time (which he will neither confirm nor deny): on a crowded street, he puts his hands over a stranger's eyes from behind and says "Guess who?" When he lifts his hands to reveal his identity as Bill Murray, he tells the gobsmacked stranger, "No one will ever believe you." For The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing, best-selling author Gavin Edwards tracked down the best authentic Bill Murray stories. People savour these anecdotes; they consume them with a bottomless hunger; they routinely turn them into viral hits. The book not only has the greatest hits of Bill's eye-opening interactions with the world, it puts them in the context of a larger philosophy (revealed to the author in an exclusive interview): Bill Murray is secretly teaching us all how to live our lives.

A New Way of Healing "Tao of Surfing is an inspired book and a unique reflection that will have a lasting effect on anyone who reads it." -Bob Walch, The Monterey County Herald The roads I travel and the waves I search for and ride exemplify the flowing movement and continuous change of life itself. - From the book "Author Allen in fine, thoughtful fashion writes well, informally, and there is haiku in his observations A delightful book, effortlessly wise." -The Book Reader "From the first pages of this remarkable book I was captivated by the gently profound philosophy of riding through life with graceful balance." -Greg Ambrose, author of Surfer's Guide to Hawaii and co-author of Memories of Duke, the Legend Comes to Life Internationally acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize nominated author Michael A. Allen, takes you on a journey into the recesses of your soul and explores the ontological question, "What is our underlying essence?" Mr. Allen uses the metaphor of the sea, and its ebb and flow, to describe the Tao of life's cycle. And he discovers within this unique reflection a new way to comfort and heal the Self from the trauma of death. His long time interest in film brought him to write the screenplay adaptation with his brother in law Alex Carig in order to make Tao of Surfing into a full-length feature motion picture. Mr. Allen was initially inspired to write Tao of Surfing after his brother-his surfing partner-died from the complication of AIDS.