Cultivating Stillness: A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind

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.