Grandmaster Alex Anatole (born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

) is a

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, teacher, and writer. He directs centers of Taoist studies in Europe, Australia and the United States.

Life and career

Grandmaster Alex Anatole was born in Moscow, USSR. Immigrating to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1976, he began teaching the physical elements of traditional Taoism, including internal/external qi quong and meditation.

Temple of Original Simplicity
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In 1978 Grandmaster Alex Anatole founded the Center of Traditional Taoist Studies (originally The New England Center of Tao) near Boston. He established close ties to established temples in
Shanghai, China Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
. The temple houses a wide collection of
Taoist Deities Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...
, as well as, perhaps, the only Hall of Celestial Foxes (Chinese:
Huxian Húxiān ( "Fox Immortal"), also called Húshén ( "Fox God") or Húwáng ( "Fox Ruler") is a deity in Chinese religion whose cult is present in provinces of north China (from Henan and Shandong upwards), but especially in northeast China where i ...
, Japanese:
kitsune In Japanese folklore, , are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to ''yōkai'' folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of employing t ...
, Korean:
kumiho A kumiho or gumiho (, literally "nine-tailed fox") is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese and the Japanese . It can freely transform, among other things, into a beautiful woman ...
) in the United States. The temple offers traditional Taoist teachings including the philosophical teachings of the
Tao Te Ching The ''Tao Te Ching'' (, ; ) is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion d ...
,
meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
,
Qi Gong ''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...
, as well as the esoteric disciplines of The Celestial Fox Creed. The Center of Traditional Taoist Studies also offers Lin Hun Therapy and Taoist Divine Guidance, which were officially recognized by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2019. (Reg#: 5,945,459 and 6,974,275)

Publications
* The Truth of Tao (Center for Traditional Taoist Studies, Weston, Massachusetts, 2005), an analysis and application of the Taoist philosophy to life in the western world. The Essence of Tao (Center for Traditional Taoist Studies, Weston, Massachusetts, 2009) A lineage master's interpretation of the core chapters of the ''Tao Te Ching''. The Tao of Celestial Foxes-The Way to Immortality Vol. I, II, III (Center for Traditional Taoist Studies, Weston, Massachusetts, 2015, 2016, 2017) A Fox Master's explanation of the Fox Creed. A Synopsis of Taoist Teachings for the West (Center for Traditional Taoist Studies, Weston, Massachusetts, 2019)

References

Further reading

"Tracing the Contours of Daoism in North America"
by Louis Komjathy Nova Religion November 2004, Vol. 8, No. 2, Pages 5–27 (university of California Press)

External links

Official website

Profile
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
's Pluralism Project The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism Brandon Toropov, Chadwick Hansen
List of Daoist teachers in North America
compiled by Professor Louis Komjathy of
Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ame ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anatole, Alex Living people American spiritual writers American spiritual teachers American people of Russian descent Soviet emigrants to the United States Russian Taoists American Taoists Year of birth missing (living people)