Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism (Brill, 2007)
A comprehensive and definitive scholarly study of early Quánzhēn 全眞 (Complete Perfection) Daoism. Recommended supplemental reading for ADS Third-Year Training.
Handbooks for Daoist Practice 修道手冊 (Yuen Yuen Institute, 2008 [2003])
A translation series of nine important practice-oriented Daoist texts. Includes ten booklets plus slipcase. This second edition has been out-of-print for many years and now is supplanted by the three-volume Twentieth Anniversary Edition (TAE), which was recently published by Square Inch Press. (Note that this edition has been used as the basis of various plagiarized popular versions.)
The Way of Complete Perfection: A Quanzhen Daoist Anthology (State University of New York Press, 2013)
An anthology of English translations of primary Quánzhēn 全眞 (Complete Perfection) Daoist literature. In addition to a robust and representative sampling of early Quánzhēn literature and late medieval Quánzhēn monastic manuals, the collection includes the definitive translation of the Chūzhēn jiè 初眞戒 (Precepts of Initial Perfection) by Wáng Chángyuè 王常月 (Kūnyáng 崑陽 [Paradisiacal Yang]; 1622?-1680), the founder of the official Lóngmén 龍門 (Dragon Gate) lineage. Recommended supplemental reading for ADS Third-Year Training.
The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction (Bloomsbury Academic, 2013)
An integrated and comprehensive introduction to Daoism as an indigenous Chinese and now global religious tradition. This is the primary historical overview and foundational interpretive framework for understanding Daoism used in the Daoist Foundation community as well as the textbook for ADS First-Year Training. Access Supplemental Materials.
Daoism: A Guide for the Perplexed (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014)
A concise introduction intended to provide a foundational understanding of Daoism for beginning students and general readers.
Contemplative Literature: A Comparative Sourcebook on Meditation and Contemplative Prayer (State University of New York Press, 2015)
An anthology of primary texts on meditation and contemplative prayer from a wide range of religious traditions. In addition to his framing theoretical and interpretive chapters, this edited volume includes Louis Komjathy’s chapter on Daoist internal alchemy (nèidān 內丹) and his ground-breaking critical discussion of modern therapeutic meditation.
An annotated translation and study of the thirteenth-century Daoist Horse Taming Pictures, which consist of twelve illustrated poems about stages on the Daoist contemplative path. The text is specifically associated with the late medieval Quánzhēn 全眞 (Complete Perfection) monastic order. The book discusses Daoist meditation practice in detail and includes a contemplative commentary. Also the first book to fuse Animal Studies, Contemplative Studies, Daoist Studies, and Religious Studies.
Introducing Contemplative Studies (Wiley-Blackwell, 2018)
The first and only book-length introduction to the emerging, interdisciplinary field of Contemplative Studies. Although primarily theoretical and comparative, this book offers a variety of insights about contemplative practice in general and interpretive frameworks for understanding praxis in a more sophisticated and comprehensive manner. For Daoists committed to a study-practice path, it helps to clarify the complex relationship among view, practice, and experience and to inspire deeper reflection on approach, context, locatedness, and models.
Entering Stillness: A Guide to Daoist Practice 入靜指南 (Square Inch Press, 2022)
A poetic and practical introduction to tradition-based Daoist practice-realization from an applied, committed, and lived perspective. Includes a robust and sophisticated discussion of Daoist Quiet Sitting (jìngzuò 靜坐). This is the primary Daoist practice manual used in the Daoist Foundation community and the textbook for ADS Second-Year Training. Composed and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). Read Preface. See Table of Contents.
Primer for Translating Daoist Literature 道文翻譯入門 (Purple Cloud Press, 2022)
A primer for translating classical Chinese Daoist texts and a bilingual sourcebook of Daoist literature. Includes resources for understanding Daoist etymology, Daoist lexigraphy, and Daoist translation proper. It also may be engaged and applied as a textual supplement to the Handbooks for Daoist Practice. Composed and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). Read Preface. See Table of Contents. Download Electronic Supplement.
Handbooks for Daoist Practice 修道手冊 (Square Inch Press, 2023)
Three-volume Twentieth Anniversary Edition (TAE) of the classic series of bilingual Chinese-English translations of nine important, representative, and practice-oriented Daoist texts. Volume I contains the general introduction and Handbooks 1-3; volume II includes Handbooks 4-6; and volume III contains Handbooks 7-9 and the combined bibliography. Includes the standard Daoist translations of the core Three Scriptures (sānjīng 三經) of Quánzhēn 全眞 (Complete Perfection) Daoism, namely, Dàodé jīng 道德經 (Scripture on the Dao and Inner Power; HDP #2), Qīngjìng jīng 清靜經 (Scripture on Clarity and Stillness; HDP #4), and Yīnfú jīng 陰符經 (Scripture on the Hidden Talisman; HDP #7). This is the primary Daoist sourcebook used in the Daoist Foundation community and the focus of our scripture study meetings. Revised and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). Read Preface. See Table of Contents. Download Electronic Supplement.
Dàodé jīng: A Contextual, Contemplative, and Annotated Bilingual Translation (Square Inch Press, 2023)
A bilingual Chinese-English translation and interpretive study of the Lǎozǐ 老子 (Lǎo-tzǔ; Book of Venerable Masters), more often referred to with its honorific title of Dàodé jīng 道德經 (Tào-té chīng; Scripture on the Dao and Inner Power). As an exercise in historical retrieval and contemplative hermeneutics, this is the first contemplative translation rooted in a Daoist scholar-practitioner approach. It also is the standard translation utilized in the Daoist Foundation community and the recommended translation for Daoists more generally. Composed and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). Read Preface. See Table of Contents. Download Crib Sheet and Self-Study Guide.
Dàodé jīng: A Daoist Contemplative Translation (Square Inch Press, 2024)
An abridged edition of Louis Komjathy’s landmark Dàodé jīng: A Contextual, Contemplative, and Annotated Bilingual Translation (Square Inch Press, 2023). Responding to requests from readers and teachers for an accessible, affordable, and reliable general-audience translation, Dàodé jīng: A Daoist Contemplative Translation distills its more technical predecessor and companion publication. The book consists of a new concise and framing introduction, the original bilingual translation, three appendices, and suggestions for further reading. Composed and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). (Note that this edition is increasingly being used as the basis of various plagiarized popular versions, specifically by individuals who lack classical Chinese language facility and/or the requisite Daoist religious literacy.)
Traces of a Daoist Immortal: Chén Tuán 陳摶 of the Western Marchmount (Brill, 2024)
The first comprehensive and systematic study of the Daoist mountain hermit and eventual immortal Chén Tuán 陳摶 (Xīyí 希夷 [Infinitesimal Subtlety]; d. 989). Includes contextual introductions and annotated translations of ten major works associated with Chén. Also contains information on Daoist sleep practice and immortality as transtemporality. For members of the Daoist Foundation community, the book provides guidance on Huàshān 華山 (Mount Hua) and Huàshān pài 華山派 (Mount Hua Lineage). Recommended supplemental reading for ADS Third-Year Training. Revised and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). Read Preface. See Table of Contents. Download Electronic Supplement.
Bǎopǔzǐ nèipiān 抱朴子內篇 (Inner Chapters of Master Embracing Simplicity): An Annotated Translation of Gě Hóng’s 葛洪 Masterwork (Square Inch Press, 2025)
The first complete annotated English translation of the Bǎopǔzǐ nèipiān 抱朴子內篇 (Inner Chapters of Master Embracing Simplicity; DZ 1185; ZH 980; abbrev. NP). This is an early medieval Daoist literary work by Gě Hóng 葛洪 (Bàopǔ 抱朴 [Embracing Simplicity]; 283-343), a Daoist alchemist, paternal grandnephew of Gě Xuán 葛玄 (164-244), and systematizer of the Tàiqīng 太清 (Great Clarity) movement. Although primarily focusing on Jīndān 金丹 (Golden Elixir), also known as external alchemy (wàidān 外丹), the text contains many insights about Daoist practice-realization, including Daoist practice principles, and deep reflections on the importance of Daoist teacher/student qualities and relationships. A two-volume set and the first title in the Daoist Translation Series 道教翻譯叢書 (DTS), the translation was crafted by the Daoist Translation Committee 道教翻譯學會 (DTC), which is under the editorial direction of Dr. Louis Komjathy. Volume I includes the introduction and chapters 1-10, while volume II contains chapters 11-20, the appendices, and the bibliography. Composed and completed at Red Bird Lodge 朱雀舍 (Highland Park, IL). Read Preface. See Table of Contents. Download Chinese Text and Daoist Teachings Contained in the Bàopǔzǐ nèipiān.
