How many times over the years have I sat in meetings of people interested in metaphysics and heard people say longingly, "I want to grow," (meaning spiritually).  Well, here's your chance, people.  Mantak Chia has set up a system whereby we can do that very thing.  It's all laid out for us in his books so that there can be no more excuses for not achieving spiritual growth.  In the old days, we were the blind leading the blind.  We were groping our way along not really knowing what we were doing.  But now Master Chia, has brought us a clear-cut method though his modern translation and interpretation of an ancient wisdom system.<br><br>As others have said, this book is an overview.  If you check up on Mantak Chia you will see that he has written many books on Taoism.  He states that there are thousands of exercises you can do, but he gives you the main principles so that you can decide which exercises work best for you and even adapt them to you personally.  However, there are two exercises which are basic, and you must learn them.  They are the inner smile and the microcosmic orbit.  Neither is difficult.  My suggestion to anyone who begins to study Taoism is to learn first how to do the inner smile, then do it every morning.  All by itself it is invaluable and yields, if not immediate, then almost immediate results.  He states in one of his books that if you never did anything else but this one exercise, it would change your life for the better.  Fortunately it is actually quite pleasant to do, although you will have to brush up on your anatomy.<br><br>If any of you old timers, and maybe some new timers too, remember, it has been said that in ancient times, over the main entrance to every esoteric school was the admonition to "know yourself."  A lot of what Mantak Chia teaches is just that, how to know yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  But it is not painful like psychotherapy nor guilt producing like so many religious teachings.  I always thought Taoism was a religion, but it is not.  It is, however, compatible with all religions.<br><br>My impression of Master Chia is that he has ever striven to improve his teaching with newer updated books rather than just put out new books with nothing of further value in them as so many authors have done in an attempt to capitalize on the success of a first book.  In his many books he also comes at the same subject from different angles in order to deepen your understanding of the system.  I could go on and on praising Mantak Chia and Taoism because there is so much to praise, but you must experience his teachings for yourself in order to achieve the growth we have all longed for for so long.