Used in China as a book of divination and source of wisdom for more than three thousand years, the "I Ching" has been taken up by millions of English-language speakers in the nineteenth century. The first translation ever to appear in English that includes one of the major Chinese philosophical commentaries, the Columbia "I Ching" presents the classic book of changes for the world today.

Richard Lynn's introduction to this new translation explains the organization of "The Classic of Changes" through the history of its various parts, and describes how the text was and still is used as a manual of divination with both the stalk and coin methods. For the fortune-telling novice, he provides a chart of trigrams and hexagrams; an index of terms, names, and concepts; and a glossary and bibliography.

Lynn presents for the first time in English the fascinating commentary on the "I Ching" written by Wang Bi (226-249), who was the main interpreter of the work for some seven hundred years. Wang Bi interpreted the "I Ching" as a book of moral and political wisdom, arguing that the text should not be read literally, but rather as an expression of abstract ideas. Lynn places Wang Bi's commentary in historical context.

For beginners and devotees alike, Columbia's "I Ching" is the clearest and most authoritative translation of this ancient classic.

"Of ways you may speak, / but not the Perennial Way; / By names you may name, / but not the Perennial Name." So begins the best-loved of all the classical books of China and the most universally popular, the Daodejing or Classic of the Way and Life-Force. Laozi's 2,500 year-old masterpiece is a work that defies definition. The dominant image is of the Way, the mysterious path through the whole cosmos modeled on the great Silver River or Milky Way that traverses the heavens. A life-giving stream, the Way gives rise to all things and holds them in her motherly embrace. It enables the individual, and society as a whole, to find balance, to let go of useless grasping, and to live in harmony with the great unchanging laws that govern the universe and all its inhabitants. This new translation draws on the latest archaeological finds and brings out the word play and poetry of the original. Straightforward commentary accompanies the text, and the introduction provides helpful historical and interpretative context.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

In this rare firsthand account of an individual's pursuit of sagehood, the early Ming dynasty scholar and teacher Wu Yubi chronicles his progress and his setbacks, as he strives to integrate the Neo-Confucian practices of self-examination and self-cultivation into everyday life. In more than three hundred entries, spanning much of his adult life, Wu paints a vivid picture, not only of the life of the mind, but also of the life of a teacher of modest means, struggling to make ends meet in a rural community. This volume features M. Theresa Kelleher's superb translation of Wu's journal, along with translations of more than a dozen letters from his personal correspondence. A general Introduction discusses Neo-Confucianism and the Ming dynasty, and includes biographical information that puts the main work in context. A substantial commentary on the journal discusses the obstacles and supports Wu encounters in pursuit of his goal, the conflict between discipline and restraint of the self and the nurturing and expanding of the self, Wu's successes and failures, and Wu's role as a teacher. Also included are a map of the Ming dynasty, a pronunciation guide, a chronology of Chinese dynasties, a glossary of names, a glossary of book titles, and suggestions for further reading.

"Precious volumes," or "pao-chuan," were produced by popular sects in the Ming and early Qing dynasties. These scriptures were believed to have been divinely revealed to sect leaders and contain teachings and ritual instructions that provide valuable information about a lively and widespread religious tradition outside mainstream Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Largely neglected until now, they testify to the imagination and devotion of popular religious leaders. This book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of "pao-chuan" in any language, studies 34 early examples of this literature in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition. Although the work focuses on content and structure, it also treats the social context of these works as well as their transmission and ritual use.

In his unprecedented account of the way of martial arts, Master Zhongxian Wu explores WuDao through systematic instruction of select practices from the legendary Dai Family Style XinYi Martial Arts School. Traditional Chinese martial arts embody the richness and depth of Daoist philosophy, and their disciplined practice is an effective way to experience healing, internal alchemy and spiritual transformation. XinYi martial arts, as with all traditional Chinese martial arts, build strength and stamina, and involve a process of inner cultivation that can bring practitioners closer to the Dao. The author examines and interprets the connections between Daoist numerology, the spirit of classical Chinese martial arts, and internal alchemy practices. With extensive reference to the classic texts, the book provides unique and considered guidance that will inspire and empower practitioners of all levels. An authentic insight into the spiritual world of classical Chinese martial arts, this book is essential reading for practitioners of martial arts, NeiDan (internal alchemy), XinYi, Xingyi Quan, Taiji Quan, Bagua Zhang, Qigong and Chinese medicine, as well as anyone interested in traditional Chinese culture.

In 1917, the Beijing silk merchant Wei Enbo's vision of Jesus sparked a religious revival, characterized by healings, exorcisms, tongues-speaking, and, most provocatively, a call for a return to authentic Christianity that challenged the Western missionary establishment in China. This revival gave rise to the True Jesus Church, China's first major native denomination. The church was one of the earliest Chinese expressions of the twentieth century charismatic and Pentecostal tradition which is now the dominant mode of twenty-first century Chinese Christianity. To understand the faith of millions of Chinese Christians today, we must understand how this particular form of Chinese community took root and flourished even throughout the wrenching changes and dislocations of the past century. The church's history links together key themes in modern Chinese social history, such as longstanding cultural exchange between China and the West, imperialism and globalization, game-changing advances in transport and communications technology, and the relationship between religious movements and the state in the late Qing (circa 1850-1911), Republican (1912-1949), and Communist (1950-present-day) eras. Vivid storytelling highlights shifts and tensions within Chinese society on a human scale. How did mounting foreign incursions and domestic crises pave the way for Wei Enbo, a rural farmhand, to become a wealthy merchant in the early 1900s? Why did women in the 1920s and 30s, such as an orphaned girl named Yang Zhendao, devote themselves so wholeheartedly to a patriarchal religious system? What kinds of pressures induced church leaders in a meeting in the 1950s to agree that "Comrade Stalin" had saved many more people than Jesus? This book tells the striking but also familiar tale of the promise and peril attending the collective pursuit of the extraordinary-how individuals within the True Jesus Church in China over the past century have sought to muster divine and human resources to transform their world.

How can people living in one of the poorest countries in the world be among the most charitable? In this book, Hiroko Kawanami examines the culture of giving in Myanmar, and explores the pivotal role that Buddhist monastic members occupy in creating a platform for civil society. Despite having at one time been listed as one of the poorest countries in the world in GNP terms, Myanmar has topped a global generosity list for the past four years with more than 90 percent of the population engaged in 'giving' activities. This book explores the close relationship that Buddhists share with the monastic community in Myanmar, extending observations of this relationship into an understanding of wider Buddhist cultures. It then examines how deeply the reciprocal transactions of giving and receiving in society - or interdependent living - are implicated in the Buddhist faith. The Culture of Giving in Myanmar fills a gap in research on Buddhist offerings in Myanmar, and is an important contribution to the growing field of Myanmar studies and anthropology of Buddhism.

A masterpiece of ancient Chinese philosophy, second in influence only to the "Tao Te Ching"
One of the founders of Taoism, Chuang Tzu was firmly opposed to Confucian values of order, control, and hierarchy, believing the perfect state to be one where primal, innate nature rules. Full of profundity as well as tricks, knaves, sages, jokers, unbelievably named people, and uptight Confucians, "The Book of Chuang Tzu" perceives the Tao-the Way of Nature- not as a term to be explained but as a path to walk. Radical and subversive, employing wit, humor, and shock tactics, "The Book of Chuang Tzu" offers an intriguing look deep into Chinese culture.

Written during the Tang dynasty, this unusual tantric guide documents a sexual tantra that is thought to have been practiced by kings for several dynasties, before losing favor to a more ascetic approach to Taoism. According to legend, the author was last seen on the edge of a precipice, clasping the book to his chest, and proclaiming the sincerity of his practice. Translated into English for the first time, this illuminating text carefully describes the methods of this sexual internal alchemy practice, pursued strictly for the spiritual advancement of the practitioner, and undertaken only once desire and attachment for a consort had been overcome. Cloaked in metaphor, the techniques and attendant virtues of the practice are presented in beautiful poetry and prose, with explanatory commentaries throughout. This is an important historical text that will provide a fascinating insight into ancient tantric practices for anyone with an interest in Taoism, Chinese history and philosophy, and tantra or meditation practices.

Daoism Explained offers an interpretation of the tenets of Daoist philosophy on the basis of the imagery employed in various Daoist texts. The author explains the significance of such images as water and the female and allegories such as the "Dream of the Butterfly," and shows how they connect to each other and how ancient Chinese philosophers understood them. The book also sheds new light on many important allegories by showing how modern translations often conceal the wit and humor of the Chinese original. Written for those who are interested in Asian beliefs and religions as well as for specialists in the field of comparative and Chinese philosophy, Daoism Explained is a comprehensive and fascinating - yet easy-to-follow - introduction to Daoist thought.

Confucianism demonstrates a remarkable wealth of resources for rethinking human-earth relations. This second volume in the series on religions of the world and the environment includes sixteen essays that address the ecological crisis and the question of Confucianism from three perspectives: the historical describes this East Asian tradition's views of nature, social ethics, and cosmology, which may shed light on contemporary problems; a dialogical approach links Confucianism to other philosophic and religious traditions; an examination of engaged Confucianism looks at its involvement in concrete ecological issues.