---
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title: "Decoding the DAO: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation: A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Meditation"
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# Decoding the DAO: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation: A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Meditation

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Decoding the DAO: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation: A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Meditation [Tom Bisio] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Decoding the DAO: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation: A Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Meditation

Review: Practice manual and reference work for Daoist meditation that is clear, effective and impressive. - This is a really good guide to Daoist meditation that combines practical and progressive exercises and lessons, along with clear write-ups on the philosophy that underlies Daoist meditation, and extensive bibliographic resources for further study. Each of the 9 lessons are divided into a theory and practice part. The nine lessons focus on 1) setting proper bodily alignment and developing awareness of breathing, 2) developing abdominal/kidney breathing in the dantien area, 3) quieting the mind through counting the breath and mindfulness of thinking, 4) standing in Wuji posture, 5) Loosening body part by body part in the Wuji posture, 6) Dissolving blockages through qigong and body breathing, 7) connecting heaven-earth, circulating water-fire and connecting heart and kidneys in the triple heater, 8) microcosmic orbit, 9) returning golden fluid to the dantien. Additional practices for macrocosmic orbit and general life-cultivation techniques are given for practice beyond the nine lessons. The theory part of each lesson very well-written and makes Daoist philosophy easily understandable; they are also extensively referenced. As for the instructions for the practice sessions, they are simple, clear and effective. The second part of the book gives very important information that decodes Daoist imagery and language so that one can understand the inner message hidden in the classic texts and instructions on Daoist meditation. Selected chapters of the Dao De Jing are discussed, the Nei Jing Tu (Diagram of Inner Circulation of Qi/Breath) is explained, the meaning of key symbols such as dragon and tiger, immortals, five powers, lead and mercury, etc are given, and numerology, hexagrams and the Gen diagram is discussed. Without wasting words, the author effectively unravels the maze of archaic symbology and language associated with Daoist thought and practice, to reveal the key points of the practice. Three wonderful appendixes are then provided. Appendix 1 is especially useful, as it covers common reactions to Daoist meditation and how to deal with them. Appendix 2, also very useful, is a summary of the bodily configurations for Daoist meditation with hexagrams and mnemonics commonly used for this purpose. Appendix III is an extract from Sun Xi Kun's "Ba-Gua-Quan Zhen Chuan" which is extremely useful for Daoist meditation, and which includes sections specially dedicated for women practitioners. After the extensive appendixes, are chapter notes and an extensive bibliography. I find this book very impressive. It achieves a clarity and simplicity that is not simplistic, while having at the same time unusual depth and insight, and it also provides exemplary referencing for further studies. The lessons are well-taught, the author is skilled and knowledgeable, and the book is well-researched. Overall, this book was a joy to read, and I would recommend it to beginners and experienced meditators alike.
Review: Complete Teaching in One Place. Some Experience Necessary. - I have had this book for a couple of years and have read through the material once and now revisiting it.It is with this continued appreciation of this book that I write this review. I have practiced Zen and Daoism for 25 years and it has not been until recently that a lot more quality translations of Daoist material is being made available to the English speaking population for which I am eternally grateful. I study with a Daoist teacher in a tradition different from Tom. However, I will say that Tom's knowledge is spot on and he has a really good talent of making things simple without removing the crucial components. You can tell that Tom's study of this subject is wide. There are obvious influences from the teachings of the Yellow Court as well as teachings of Liu Yiming and the teachings of the Dragon Gate lineage among others. Tom's background in Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts contribute a great deal to his understanding of this material. Could you get everything you need from this one book? Perhaps, but that would depend on your background in these materials. It is not a beginners book, but could peak the interest of a beginner and the practices provided are certainly something a beginner could learn easily as well as support the practice of advanced practitioners. Having an understanding of the works of Chang Po-tuan, the Yi Jing as it relates to internal alchemy e.g., the Cantong Qi would be helpful. A great companion book to Tom's book would be the books Taoist Internal Alchemy and Foundations of Internal Alchemy by Fabrizio Pregadio. Refining the Elixir by Stuart Alve Olson is also a great text to have in reference to this work. Tom does a great job of helping you build a foundation and then at the end of the primary text, he provides Li Ching Yun's Golden Fluid method or the seated 8 Brocades. His technique is a bit different than that found in the work of Stuart Alve Olson's Liqingyun' Longevity methods, but a very close practice to what Tom provides in this work. I would also get LiQingyun's Eight Brocades DVD by Stuart Alve Olson to help you really practice this method. It is a great daily practice to really harness working with Jing, Qi, and Shen. The last part of Tom's book helps to crack the code of so many Daoist texts by using very lucid descriptions. There is really very few stones unturned in this area. In fact, since I have been practicing this stuff for a while, I started reading the book at Part II where all these terms are well described, then went back and read the first part to pick up little nuggets of practice and knowledge that Tom shares. A book that is similar to this one in its presentation is Damo Mitchell's White Moon on the Mountain Peak and parts of his Daoist Neigong. However, no disrespect to Damo's books as his teachings are very good, but I think this book by Tom is just so much more accessible and taken step by step can get you on your way to very serious internal cultivation.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,473,342 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #195 in I Ching (Books) #2,136 in Yoga (Books) #7,609 in Meditation (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (45) |
| Dimensions  | 7 x 0.9 x 10 inches |
| ISBN-10  | 1478703946 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1478703945 |
| Item Weight  | 1.82 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 446 pages |
| Publication date  | July 29, 2013 |
| Publisher  | Outskirts Press |

## Images

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Practice manual and reference work for Daoist meditation that is clear, effective and impressive.
*by W***T on October 23, 2015*

This is a really good guide to Daoist meditation that combines practical and progressive exercises and lessons, along with clear write-ups on the philosophy that underlies Daoist meditation, and extensive bibliographic resources for further study. Each of the 9 lessons are divided into a theory and practice part. The nine lessons focus on 1) setting proper bodily alignment and developing awareness of breathing, 2) developing abdominal/kidney breathing in the dantien area, 3) quieting the mind through counting the breath and mindfulness of thinking, 4) standing in Wuji posture, 5) Loosening body part by body part in the Wuji posture, 6) Dissolving blockages through qigong and body breathing, 7) connecting heaven-earth, circulating water-fire and connecting heart and kidneys in the triple heater, 8) microcosmic orbit, 9) returning golden fluid to the dantien. Additional practices for macrocosmic orbit and general life-cultivation techniques are given for practice beyond the nine lessons. The theory part of each lesson very well-written and makes Daoist philosophy easily understandable; they are also extensively referenced. As for the instructions for the practice sessions, they are simple, clear and effective. The second part of the book gives very important information that decodes Daoist imagery and language so that one can understand the inner message hidden in the classic texts and instructions on Daoist meditation. Selected chapters of the Dao De Jing are discussed, the Nei Jing Tu (Diagram of Inner Circulation of Qi/Breath) is explained, the meaning of key symbols such as dragon and tiger, immortals, five powers, lead and mercury, etc are given, and numerology, hexagrams and the Gen diagram is discussed. Without wasting words, the author effectively unravels the maze of archaic symbology and language associated with Daoist thought and practice, to reveal the key points of the practice. Three wonderful appendixes are then provided. Appendix 1 is especially useful, as it covers common reactions to Daoist meditation and how to deal with them. Appendix 2, also very useful, is a summary of the bodily configurations for Daoist meditation with hexagrams and mnemonics commonly used for this purpose. Appendix III is an extract from Sun Xi Kun's "Ba-Gua-Quan Zhen Chuan" which is extremely useful for Daoist meditation, and which includes sections specially dedicated for women practitioners. After the extensive appendixes, are chapter notes and an extensive bibliography. I find this book very impressive. It achieves a clarity and simplicity that is not simplistic, while having at the same time unusual depth and insight, and it also provides exemplary referencing for further studies. The lessons are well-taught, the author is skilled and knowledgeable, and the book is well-researched. Overall, this book was a joy to read, and I would recommend it to beginners and experienced meditators alike.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Complete Teaching in One Place. Some Experience Necessary.
*by W***O on September 10, 2021*

I have had this book for a couple of years and have read through the material once and now revisiting it.It is with this continued appreciation of this book that I write this review. I have practiced Zen and Daoism for 25 years and it has not been until recently that a lot more quality translations of Daoist material is being made available to the English speaking population for which I am eternally grateful. I study with a Daoist teacher in a tradition different from Tom. However, I will say that Tom's knowledge is spot on and he has a really good talent of making things simple without removing the crucial components. You can tell that Tom's study of this subject is wide. There are obvious influences from the teachings of the Yellow Court as well as teachings of Liu Yiming and the teachings of the Dragon Gate lineage among others. Tom's background in Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts contribute a great deal to his understanding of this material. Could you get everything you need from this one book? Perhaps, but that would depend on your background in these materials. It is not a beginners book, but could peak the interest of a beginner and the practices provided are certainly something a beginner could learn easily as well as support the practice of advanced practitioners. Having an understanding of the works of Chang Po-tuan, the Yi Jing as it relates to internal alchemy e.g., the Cantong Qi would be helpful. A great companion book to Tom's book would be the books Taoist Internal Alchemy and Foundations of Internal Alchemy by Fabrizio Pregadio. Refining the Elixir by Stuart Alve Olson is also a great text to have in reference to this work. Tom does a great job of helping you build a foundation and then at the end of the primary text, he provides Li Ching Yun's Golden Fluid method or the seated 8 Brocades. His technique is a bit different than that found in the work of Stuart Alve Olson's Liqingyun' Longevity methods, but a very close practice to what Tom provides in this work. I would also get LiQingyun's Eight Brocades DVD by Stuart Alve Olson to help you really practice this method. It is a great daily practice to really harness working with Jing, Qi, and Shen. The last part of Tom's book helps to crack the code of so many Daoist texts by using very lucid descriptions. There is really very few stones unturned in this area. In fact, since I have been practicing this stuff for a while, I started reading the book at Part II where all these terms are well described, then went back and read the first part to pick up little nuggets of practice and knowledge that Tom shares. A book that is similar to this one in its presentation is Damo Mitchell's White Moon on the Mountain Peak and parts of his Daoist Neigong. However, no disrespect to Damo's books as his teachings are very good, but I think this book by Tom is just so much more accessible and taken step by step can get you on your way to very serious internal cultivation.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Informative
*by A***R on February 8, 2022*

Provides a lot of solid information and a nice read.

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*Last updated: 2026-05-23*