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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Oriental religions
Falun Gong, founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992, attracted international
attention in 1999 after staging a demonstration outside government
offices in Beijing. It was subsequently banned. Followers then
created a number of media outlets outside China focused on
protesting the PRC's attack on the 'human rights' of practitioners.
This volume focuses on Falun Gong and violence. Though the author
notes accusations of how Chinese authorities have abused and
tortured practitioners, the volume will focus on Li Hongzhi's
teachings about 'spiritual warfare', and how these teachings have
motivated practitioners to deliberately seek brutalization and
martyrdom.
- Reveals how the sexual practices of the White Tigress can
preserve and restore a woman's physical youthfulness and mental
energy.
- The first modern guide to White Tigress techniques, the only
sexual teachings exclusively for women.
- Reveals for the first time in English the hidden teachings of
immortaless Hsi Wang Mu, a White Tigress from 3,000 years ago.
- Provides Western medical correlations to substantiate White
Tigress practices.
White Tigress women undertake disciplined sexual and spiritual
practices to maintain their beauty and youthfulness, realize their
full feminine potential, and achieve immortality. Revealed here for
the first time in English are the secrets of the White Tigress that
have all but disappeared from the world. Under the guidance of
Madame Lin, the matriarch of a distinguished White Tigress lineage
still in existence in Taiwan, Hsi Lai was given the privilege to
study these practices and record them from a modern perspective so
they will be forever preserved.
The vast majority of Taoist texts on alchemy, meditation, and
sexuality are directed at male practitioners. "The Sexual Teachings
of the White Tigress" presents traditions that focus on women,
traditions that stem from a long line of courtesans and female
Taoists. Translations of the ancient teachings from a rare White
Tigress manual dating back 3,000 years explain the sexual and
spiritual refinement of "ching" (sexual energy), "chi "(vital
energy), and "shen" (consciousness)--the Three Treasures of
Taoism--the secret to unlocking eternal youthfulness and
immortality.
The most common Buddhist practice in Asia is bowing, yet Buddhist
and Christian Responses to the Kowtow Problem is the first study of
Buddhist obeisance in China. In Confucian ritual, everyone is
supposed to kowtow, or bow, to the Chinese emperor. But Buddhists
claimed exemption from bowing to any layperson, even to their own
parents or the emperor. This tension erupted in an imperial debate
in 662. This study first asks how and why Buddhists should bow (to
the Buddha, and to monks), and then explores the arguments over
their refusing to bow to the emperor. These arguments take us into
the core ideas of Buddhism and imperial power: How can one achieve
nirvana by bowing? What is a Buddha image? Who is it that bows? Is
there any ritual that can exempt a subject of the emperor? What are
the limits of the state's power over human bodies? Centuries later,
Christians had a new set of problems with bowing in China, to the
emperor and to "idols." Buddhist and Christian Responses to the
Kowtow problem compares these cases of refusing to bow, discusses
modern theories of obeisance, and finally moves to examine some
contemporary analogies such as refusing to salute the American
flag. Contributing greatly to the study of the body and power,
ritual, religion and material culture, this volume is of interest
to scholars and students of religious studies, Buddhism, Chinese
history and material culture.
Steve Coutinho explores in detail the fundamental concepts of
Daoist thought as represented in three early texts: the Laozi, the
Zhuangzi, and the Liezi. Readers interested in philosophy yet
unfamiliar with Daoism will gain a comprehensive understanding of
these works from this analysis, and readers fascinated by ancient
China who also wish to grasp its philosophical foundations will
appreciate the clarity and depth of Coutinho's explanations.
Coutinho writes a volume for all readers, whether or not they have
a background in philosophy or Chinese studies. A work of
comparative philosophy, this volume also integrates the concepts
and methods of contemporary philosophical discourse into a
discussion of early Chinese thought. The resulting dialogue relates
ancient Chinese thought to contemporary philosophical issues and
uses modern Western ideas and approaches to throw new interpretive
light on classical texts. Rather than function as historical
curiosities, these works act as living philosophies in conversation
with contemporary thought and experience. Coutinho respects the
multiplicity of Daoist philosophies while also revealing a
distinctive philosophical sensibility, and he provides clear
explanations of these complex texts without resorting to
oversimplification.
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