If you haven’t picked up on it in other posts, I have a moderate interest in eastern philosophy and religion (Taoism, Buddhism, etc.). I also enjoy listening to Wu-Tang Clan. So when my girlfriend bought me The Tao of Wu by the RZA for Christmas I read it in about two hours.
The RZA’s life journey has been truly extraordinary, taking him from the projects of Staten Island to Manhattan sound studios and even Hollywood (among his producer credits is the soundtrack for Kill Bill: Vol. 1). The Tao of Wu describes his spiritual journey.
Summary
The Tao of Wu is structured as an autobiography, with occasional digressions into areas as diverse as the theology of the Nation of Islam and its various derivatives, the interpretation of Buddhist koans and chess strategy. To the casual observer this might seem like a gimmick, but I found many of the anecdotes to be thought provoking and evocative of the cyclicality emphasized in Buddhism and Taoism.
Early on there is an anecdote about how, when RZA was young, his family moved into a new home and was almost immediately robbed. The robbery was devastating. However, there was some consolation in that the move allowed RZA to make a great friend–an older neighbor boy. After a couple of years of friendship came a surprising revelation:
‘When y’all first moved in, I robbed your house maaan. I never knew you was going to be a cool family.’ When he told me, there wasn’t much I could do about it, and by then he was my best friend–or as they say in the hood nowadays, my big homie–so in a way it was cool.
That’s just one lesson: Your allies can arrive as enemies, blessings as a curse.
Each chapter of the memoir is devoted to a particular “pillar of wisdom.” These are followed by brief meditations or words of wisdom. At the end of the first chapter, for example, comes a passage discussing the importance of solitude.
“I advise everyone to find an island in this life,” RZA writes. “Find a place where this culture can’t take energy from you, sap your will and originality.”
Who Should Read This Book
Literally everyone. Obviously Wu-Tang fans should read it, and it’s worth a look by anyone interested in eastern philosophy and religion. But beyond those obvious audiences the subject matter is accessible to everyone. If you read fast, you can take a first pass through the book in two or three hours. Given its meditative tone, The Tao of Wu is also worth keeping on the shelf to revisit from time to time.