The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition

OK, I'm not expert on Fu Talismans but I do know about Buddhism and the errors made are horrendous !This author or editor or maybe proof reader (!?) does not seems to know the difference between Pali & Sanskrit and this is important, it would be like a Western Occultist not knowing the difference between Latin & Greek, or a European Historian not knowing the different between German and English ! No one would take them seriously.Example: Page 207.Namo Avalokiteshvara ... This is Sanskrit NOT Pali, not only this but it's a Mahayana Deity NOT one found in the Pali Cannon, an inadmissible error for someone writing a book like this !Plus the translations and explanations of the mantras are misleading and some of the worst I have come across, they're as bad as those pf the early Victorian Theosophists.Example: Page 209.Om mani pad ma hom.Oh good lord, where to begin ? It's actually Om mani padme Hum - translation "Om Jewelled Lotus Hum" and the explanation given in the book is, well, silly.Also the author thinks one can "invoke" the Buddha so relieve suffering, sorry, but this is total nonsense, the Buddha in never invoked unless this is some weird Chinese thing from popular folk culture ?There are other errors but I can't be bothered to list them all. The obvious errors have I must admit put me off reading the rest of the book I really don't know how these days such errors could get through the editing process but they have and such errors make me wonder what others their are concerning Fu Talismans that I will not recognise because I don't know the subject and on these grounds I can't say I would trust this book without some ability to check this authors claims.By all means buy and enjoy but be careful. Also I would add that Traditionally Fu Talismans would only be created by advanced Daoist practitioners who could enter quite advanced states of consciousness to make Fu Talismans effective. Like all things in Esoterica popularisation (both in the East & West) had dumbed down what was once an advanced and profound practice.

This book is AMAZING! The writer took her time to organise the whole theory and practice of Esoteric & (some way) Exoteric Taoism as well. The best part of it, that this book is PERFECTLY compatible with Western Esoteric teachings! I've never studied TAOism before, but this book made me a tingling sensation (positively) in my stomach while I've red it. I believe, I should bow in front of Benebell Wen for her Great Effort to make this book exist and I hope more and more people will dive into it! THANK YOU BENEBELL!

My mentor is Chinese and doesn't speak English. All my texts are in Chinese, some ancient Chinese so to find such information in English was very invaluable to me.

Molto interessante e ricco di dettagli, ma fortemente sconsigliato a chi non abbia alcuna conoscenza pregressa della scrittura cinese, l’Autrice illustra le basi per le pratiche esoteriche Taoistiche illustra quali ideogrammi utilizzare, ma senza l’ ordine d’esecuzione dei tratti che li compongono!!! In cinese sbagliato l’ordine sbagliata la parola... o in questo caso sbagliato il talismano suppongo..

I ordered the second-hand book and it is perfect, the condition is like new, which is amazing.