Suggested Reading List for Tai-Chi

 

"Time is of no account with great thoughts. They are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author's minds, ages ago."
-Samuel Smiles

OK, here goes! I get asked for book recommendations for Tai-Chi, so here is an article and a list. Don't blame me if you go broke, join the club!

Suggested reading list for Tai-Chi and related arts and sciences.

Master Liang always encouraged us to read as much as we practiced. He would caution us that “if you believe entirely in books, better not read books.” He also gave us many guidelines about how to study from books. For instance, he would tell us that if eight out of ten authors say the same thing, then we could pretty much conclude that that was an accurate teaching. If an author said something different from the majority of authors, Master Liang pointed out that it could mean that either that author was at a higher level and had more insight, or was a lower level with lesser insight. We had to discern for ourselves whether to accept that writing or not. I was fortunate to have Master Liang as my sounding board and teacher. When you read books about Tai-Chi, especially if you've been practicing for a while, you will actually experience some physical benefit by reading and letting your imagination stimulate and move your energy, or ch’i.

The bare minimum, and the most quoted and used, of readings that Master Liang suggested were from the Tai-Chi Classics, the Art of War, and the source of these two, the Tao Te Ching. Below is a list of what I consider some essential reading on Tai-Chi and related topics. There are many beginner books on the market as well as personal-story books, but for me, first as a student and now as a teacher, I want books that cover the widest amount of topics or the deepest level of the subject.

Included are some books from other subjects that are related to both Tai-Chi, Taoism, health, martial arts, spirituality, and a short list of books from outside the Chinese culture which I think will greatly enhance your practice. I’ll leave you with Master Liang’s often repeated adage,

 “You should learn from many teachers, read many books. But only by serious practice can you discover the truth for yourself.”

Tai-Chi

Tai-Chi Chuan for Health and Self-Defense by Master T.T. Liang

Cheng Tzus 13 Treatises on Tai-Chi Chuan Trans by Benjamin Lo

Tai-Chi Touchstones: Yangs Family Secret Transmissions by Douglas Wile

Tai-Chi Chuan and Meditation by Da Liu

Drawing Silk, Master’s Secrets for Successful Tai Chi Practice by Paul Gallagher

Lessons with Master Liang by Ray Hayward

There Are No Secrets by Wolf Lowenthal

The Tao of Tai-Chi Chuan by Jou Tsung-Hwa

Yang Cheng Fu the Essence and Applications of Taijiquan trans by Louis Swaim

Taiji Sword and Other Writings by Chen Wei-ming Trans by Barbara Davis

On Tai-Chi Chuan by T.Y .Pang

Practical Use of Tai-Chi Chuan by Yeung (Yang) Sau-Chung

Fundamentals of Tai-Chi Chuan by Wen-shan Huang

How to Grasp the Sparrows Tail if You Don’t Speak Chinese by Jane Shorre

Silk; Meditations on Tai-Chi Postures by Morgan Grace Willow

Tai-Chi: A Simplified Method of Calisthenics for Health and Self-Defense by Cheng Man-ch’ing

Tai-Chi Chuan Its Effects and Practical Applications by Yearning K. Chen

Taijiquan Classics: an annotated translation by Barbara Davis

Questions and Answers on Tai Chi Chuan by Chen Wei-ming Trans by Robert W.Smith and Benjamin Lo

Tai-Chi Weapons by Tseng Ju-pai

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai-Chi by Peter Wayne

Master Cheng’s New Method of Taichi Ch’uan Self-Cultivation by Cheng Man-ch’ing Trans by Mark Hennessy

Taoism, Qi Gong, Spirituality

Tao Te Ching by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English

Sun Tzu’s Art of War Trans by Samuel Griffith

The Tao of Love and Sex by Jolan Chang

The Way of Qi Gong by Kenneth Cohen

Taoist Mysteries and Magic by John Blofeld

The Importance of Living by Lin Yu-tang

The Art of the Bed Chamber by Douglas Wile

Taoism: The Road to Immortality by John Blofeld

The Jade Mountain by Whitter Bynner

The Illustrated I Ching by R.L. Wing

Related Martial Arts

Hsing Yi Chinese Mind-Body Boxing by Robert W Smith

Mother Fists by Chiang Jung-chiao

Chinese Boxing Masters and Methods by Robert W Smith

Liang Zhen Pu Eight Trigrams Palm by Li Zi Ming

Real Gold Does Not Fear the Fire: the Teachings of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi by Ray Hayward

The Major Methods of Wudang Sword by Huang Yuan Xiou Trans by Dr Lu Mei-hui

Bong Bu by Paul Eng

Shao-Lin Temple Boxing by Robert W. Smith

Others:

Anam Cara by John O’Donoghue

Soul Food by Jack Kornfeld and Christina Feldman

The Druid Way by Philip Carr-Gomm

The Celtic Wisdom of Trees Jane Gifford

Druids, a Beginners Manual by Cairistiona Worthington

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

In Search of the Miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky

Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castaneda

The Sufis by Idries Shah