Raymond Bart Vespe
The Lieh Tzu, here titled as Hsing Shih Sheng/The Nature of Real Living, is a principal text of the ancient Spiritual tradition of Chinese Taoism. It is a compilation of narratives recorded over two-thousand years ago and is a companion text of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching/The Tao Virtuosity Experience and Chuang Tzu’s Nei P’ien/The Interior Records. It is set in the same historical time period of great human conflict, social upheaval, political intrigue and bloody warfare among competing feudal states. Not only offering guidelines for wise ruling and true being, the narratives illustrate poignant vicissitudes of universal realities and practicalities of the everyday living and ordinary experiences of human beings and some of the difficulties associated with seeking, pursuing, acquiring and displaying excessive status, fame, wealth, profit and power.The present work is an original rendering of one-hundred eleven of the narratives along with their psychotherapeutically-oriented commentaries that have complementary applications for conducting and participating in the attending relationship/process of psychotherapy. The commentaries are not only relevant and useful for professionals but also for anyone who is interested in the benefits of finding some encouragement, support and guidance throughout their unique wayfaring journey from being mostly ego-identified to realistically living a more awakened, conscious, reasonable, sufficient, gratifying and meaningful Spiritual and Soulful human life.The present volume isalso the final volume of A TAOIST TRILOGY - THREE TAOIST CLASSICS / SAN TAO CHING; Vol. 1 Lao Tzu’s Tao Virtuosity Experience; Vol. 2 - Chuang Tzu’s Seven Interior Records; Vol. 3 - Lieh Tzu’s Nature of Real Living — Original Renditions and Psychotherapeutic Commentaries.The essential perennial wisdom and way of being and living modeled and transmitted by the three most central historical figures of the ancient Chinese Spiritual and philosophical tradition of Taoism; Sacred and wise, true and free and real and practical Tao-identified Sages and Masters; is contained in this never before combined three volume boxed-set trilogy, two of which have now been published.The author’s original renderings of, and cogent psychotherapeutic commentaries upon, the over two-thousand year old classics of ancient Chinese Taoism are made from the broad perspective of a seasoned wayfaring counselor and sojourning pilgrim with over sixty years of personal and professional experience integrating and interweaving the teachings and practices of Eastern psychospiritual traditions and disciplines and the theories and methodologies of Western psychotherapeutic schools and approaches.The renditions and commentaries are not only intended for use by professional psychotherapists and counselors. While they offer an alternative, complementary and integrative way of conducting psychotherapy as traditionally and conventionally practiced; they are made relevant, meaningful, useful and beneficial for us modern day human beings who are interested in wisely, truly, freely and practically; Spiritually and Soulfully; being a more awakened, real, authentic and intimate individual and living a more optimal, fulfilling, peaceful and enjoyable life.
