Review: Accessible presentation of the Tao
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 7, 2013
"The Way of the Tao, Living an Authentic Life" by Dennis Waller was recommended to me by a fellow reviewer and being interested in the Tao and Far Eastern philosophy I was keen to get my teeth into this.This could not have come at a better time in my life as I am busy with mundane things and often forget what is important and what is not.I have read quite a few books on the Tao and have part taken in meditations about its philosophy, but as the book points out, we all separate ourselves from the natural flow of the world, swim against the stream and do not see the value but the price of things.What strikes me most about this book is the brilliant choice of metaphors and the perfect simple wording of the  important teachings of the Tao, which by the way is not at all a religion or cult but a simple way of being and a non offensive life philosophy.The latter is an important point to make and one that Waller skillfully spends several chapters on: By quoting John Lennon, Mark Twain and many other 'regular' people he shows how innate to many cultures, individual ideas and common sense those teachings are, if only we can stick to them and make them a way of life.The book is very accessible, as is the translation of the original Verses of the Tao that makes up the second half of the book. If you are curious about the teachings of the Tao this is an excellent book to start with for its tremendous accessibility, the down-to-earth style and its presentation.My current life is quite in conflict with the way of things and Waller has helped me correct my course and re-focus.