|
|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Oriental religions
The Essential Mengzi offers a representative selection from Bryan
Van Norden's acclaimed translation of the full work, including the
most frequently studied passages and covering all of the work's
major themes. An appendix of selections from the classic commentary
of Zhu Xi--one of the most influential and insightful interpreters
of Confucianism--keyed to relevant passages, provides access to the
text and to its reception and interpretation. Also included are a
general Introduction, timeline, glossary, and selected
bibliography.
This innovative work on Chinese concepts of the afterlife is the
result of Stephen Bokenkamp's groundbreaking study of Chinese
scripture and the incorporation of Indic concepts into the Chinese
worldview. Here, he explores how Chinese authors, including Daoists
and non-Buddhists, received and deployed ideas about rebirth from
the third to the sixth centuries C.E. In tracing the antecedents of
these scriptures, Bokenkamp uncovers a stunning array of
non-Buddhist accounts that provide detail on the realms of the
dead, their denizens, and human interactions with them. Bokenkamp
demonstrates that the motive for the Daoist acceptance of Buddhist
notions of rebirth lay not so much in the power of these ideas as
in the work they could be made to do.
During the Heian period (794-1185), the sacred mountain Kinpusen,
literally the "Peak of Gold," came to cultural prominence as a
pilgrimage destination for the most powerful men in Japan-the
Fujiwara regents and the retired emperors. Real and Imagined
depicts their one-hundred-kilometer trek from the capital to the
rocky summit as well as the imaginative landscape they navigated.
Kinpusen was believed to be a realm of immortals, the domain of an
unconventional bodhisattva, and the home of an indigenous pantheon
of kami. These nominally private journeys to Kinpusen had political
implications for both the pilgrims and the mountain. While members
of the aristocracy and royalty used pilgrimage to legitimate
themselves and compete with one another, their patronage fed
rivalry among religious institutions. Thus, after flourishing under
the Fujiwara regents, Kinpusen's cult and community were rent by
violent altercations with the great Nara temple Kofukuji. The
resulting institutional reconfigurations laid the groundwork for
Shugendo, a new movement focused on religious mountain practice
that emerged around 1300. Using archival sources, archaeological
materials, noblemen's journals, sutras, official histories, and
vernacular narratives, this original study sheds new light on
Kinpusen, positioning it within the broader religious and political
history of the Heian period.
The ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism is more popular today than
ever. This accessible and enlightening collection offers stories
and quotations from the most celebrated Taoist masters including
Chuang Tzu, Lieh Tzu and Lao Tzu, as well as new writing inspired
by the traditional tales. Set against a stunning photographic
backdrop of the mountains, waterfalls and gorges of China, these
stories introduce important Taoist ideas about our most basic human
experiences, including birth, death, loss, gain, simple dignity in
the face of challenge, how to judge character, when to move
forward, when to retreat and how to surrender to the most
fundamental experience of the Tao itself. As a longtime student of
Taoism, Solala Towler understands that the simple yet profound
truths of spiritual practice and awakening are often best learned
from these entertaining, illuminating, puzzling, often downright
funny tales, rather than through ponderous exposition. These
engrossing narratives are as relevant and useful today as they were
in the great dynasties of ancient China.
|
You may like...
Tiara
John Reinhard Dizon
Hardcover
R754
R673
Discovery Miles 6 730
Weapons Grade
Don Bentley
Paperback
R505
R464
Discovery Miles 4 640
|