Over the last decade there has been a marked increase in the study of Daoism especially in Japan, China and the West, with a new generation of scholars broadening our understanding of the religion. Including contributions from the foremost scholars in the field, Daoism in History presents new and important research. These essays honour one of the pioneers of Daoist studies, Emeritus Professor Liu Ts'un-yan. His major essay 'Was Celestial Master Zhang a Historical Figure?' addresses one of the pivotal questions in the entire history of Daoism and is included here as the final essay. In addition, a Chinese character glossary, bibliography and index conclude the book. The first in an exciting new series, this book presents brand new thinking on Daoism - a field now recognized as one of the most vital areas of research in Chinese history and the history of religions.

Qi ("vital energy") is one of the most important concepts in Chinese philosophy and culture, and neo-Confucian Zhang Zai (1020-1077) plays a pivotal role in developing the notion. An investigation of his philosophy of qi is not confined to his particularity, but sheds light upon the notion of qi as it is understood within Chinese and East Asian thought in general. Yet, his position has not been given a thorough philosophical analysis in contemporary times. The purpose of this book is to provide a thorough and proper understanding of Zhang Zai's philosophy of qi. Zhang Zai's Philosophy of Qi: A Practical Understanding focuses on the practical argument underlying Zhang Zai's development of qi that emphasizes the endeavor to create meaningful coherence amongst our differences through mutual communication and transformation. In addition to this, the book compares and engages Zhang Zai's philosophy of qi with John Dewey's philosophy of aesthetic experience in order to make Zhang Zai's position more plausible and relevant to the contemporary Western audience.

A brilliant cross-cultural Arabic interpretation of a key text of yoga philosophy The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the foundational text of yoga philosophy to this day and is still used by millions of yoga practitioners and students worldwide. Written in a question-and-answer format, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali deals with the theory and practice of yoga and the psychological question of the liberation of the soul from attachments. This book is a new edition and translation into English of the Arabic translation and commentary on this text by the brilliant eleventh-century polymath al-Biruni. Given the many historical variants of the Yoga Sutras, his Kitab Batanjali is important for yoga studies as the earliest translation of the Sanskrit text. It is also of unique value as an Arabic text within Islamic studies, given the intellectual and philosophical challenges that faced the medieval Muslim reader when presented with the intricacy of composition, interpretation, and allusion that permeates this translation. A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

From early times, Daoist writers claimed to receive scriptures via revelation from heavenly beings. In numerous cases, these writings were composed over the course of many nights and by different mediums. New revelations were often hastily appended, and the resulting unevenness gave rise to the impression that Daoist texts often appear slapdash and contain contradictions. A Library of Clouds focuses on the rewriting of Daoist scriptures in the Upper Clarity (Shangqing) lineage in fourth? and fifth?century China. Scholarship on Upper Clarity Daoism has been dominated by attempts to uncover "original" or "authentic" texts, which has resulted in the neglect of later scriptures- including the work fully translated and annotated here, the Scripture of the Immaculate Numen, one of the Three Wonders (sanqi) and among the most prized Daoist texts in medieval China. The scripture's lack of a coherent structure and its different authorial voices have led many to see it not as a unified work but the creation of different editors who shaped and reshaped it over time. A Library of Clouds constructs new ways of understanding the complex authorship of texts like the Scripture of the Immaculate Numen and their place in early medieval Daoism. It stresses their significance in understanding the ways in which manuscripts were written, received, and distributed in early medieval China. By situating the scripture within its immediate hagiographic and ritual contexts, it suggests that this kind of revelatory literature is best understood as a pastiche of ideas, a process of weaving together previously circulating notions and beliefs into a new scriptural fabric.

The Zhenzheng lun (T 2112, Treatise of Revealing the Correct) is a Chinese Buddhist apologetic treatise with a distinct anti-Daoist stance in three juan. It is organized as a dialogue between a Daoist, the "Venerable Obstructed by Customs" (zhisu gongzi ), and the Buddhist "Master Revealing the Correct" (zhenzheng xiansheng ) in which the former is gradually led towards an orthodox Buddhist understanding by the latter through the refutation of his various arguments against Buddhism. Composed in the late 7th century, the text was authored depending on the political interests and strategies of Wu Zhao (624-705), who in 690 was enthroned as Empress Wu Zetian . This study of Thomas Julch offers a richly annotated and complete translation of the Zhenzheng lun along with an introductory part that focuses on reconstructing the political and propagandistic circumstances relevant to the understanding of the Zhenzheng lun.

China looks back on a long history of religious diversity. Though not entirely free from conflicts, it was comparatively much more peaceful than the religious history of the West. What were the reasons? Was it a strong control exercised by the ruling authorities? Was it the powerful ideal of harmony extended to the religious realm? Was it a different sense of religious identity? How translates this heritage into contemporary China, its current politics and its most recent discussions after the liberalization of religions in the 1980s? This volume offers fresh insights by renowned scholars and specialists in the field.

Daoism is one of the major religious traditions of the East, but in the past has not been as well known as Buddhism and Hinduism. With the increased interest in Eastern religions, and alternative spiritual traditions, interest in Daoism is increasing. Introducing Daoism is a lively and accessible introduction to this fascinating religion. Introducing Daoism presents Daoism's key concepts and major practices in an integrated historical survey. From Daoism's origins in antiquity, through the Tang, Ming, and Quing dynasties, and into the present day, Livia Kohn explores Daoism's movements and schools, including: Daoist philosophy, the organized religion, and Daoist health practices. Each chapter introduces the main historical events of the period, the leading figures in Daoism, and Daoist scriptures and practices, as well as covering a wealth of fascinating topics such as Chinese cosmology, Daoist understanding of the body, rituals and doctrine, meditation, mythology, and poetry. Livia Kohn examines the connections between the defining concepts, history, and practices of Daoism, and key issues in Asian and Western comparative religions, making this the essential text for students studying Daoism on World Religions courses. Illustrated throughout, the book also includes text boxes, summary charts, a glossary which includes Chinese characters, and a list of further reading to aid students' understanding and revision. The accompanying website for this book can be found at www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415439978.

This exciting new book is a detailed examination of pilgrimages in Japan, including the meanings of travel, transformation, and the discovery of identity through encounters with the sacred, in a variety of interesting dimensions in both historical and contemporary Japanese culture, linked by the unifying theme of a spiritual quest. Several fascinating new approaches to traditional forms of pilgrimage are put forward by a wide range of specialists in anthropology, religion and cultural studies, who set Japanese pilgrimage in a wider comparative perspective. They apply models of pilgrimage to quests for vocational fulfilment, examining cases as diverse as the civil service, painting and poetry, and present ethnographies of contemporary reconstructions of old spiritual quests, as conflicting (and sometimes global) demands impinge on the time and space of would-be pilgrims.

Daoism is one of the major religious traditions of the East, but in the past has not been as well known as Buddhism and Hinduism. With the increased interest in Eastern religions, and alternative spiritual traditions, interest in Daoism is increasing. Introducing Daoism is a lively and accessible introduction to this fascinating religion. Introducing Daoism presents Daoism's key concepts and major practices in an integrated historical survey. From Daoism's origins in antiquity, through the Tang, Ming, and Quing dynasties, and into the present day, Livia Kohn explores Daoism's movements and schools, including: Daoist philosophy, the organized religion, and Daoist health practices. Each chapter introduces the main historical events of the period, the leading figures in Daoism, and Daoist scriptures and practices, as well as covering a wealth of fascinating topics such as Chinese cosmology, Daoist understanding of the body, rituals and doctrine, meditation, mythology, and poetry. Livia Kohn examines the connections between the defining concepts, history, and practices of Daoism, and key issues in Asian and Western comparative religions, making this the essential text for students studying Daoism on World Religions courses. Illustrated throughout, the book also includes text boxes, summary charts, a glossary which includes Chinese characters, and a list of further reading to aid students' understanding and revision. The accompanying website for this book can be found at www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415439978.

From bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai, a delightfully illustrated version of the classic work of Daoist philosophy C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. Here, he works his magic again with a delightful graphic adaptation of the complete text of Laozi's Dao De Jing, the beloved source of Daoist philosophy. Masterfully transforming Laozi's challenging work into entertaining and enlightening episodes, Tsai offers a uniquely fresh, relevant, and accessible version of one of the world's most influential books. After opening with Laozi's biography from the Shi Ji, Tsai turns the stage over to Laozi, who patiently explains his ideas to his earnest students (and us). Laozi describes the spontaneity of natural processes, the paradoxical effects of ethical precepts, the limits of language, the values of simplicity, and, above all else, how to go with the flow. In brief episodes that tantalize and inspire, he takes us into the subtle complexities of human existence. Ultimately, Laozi, a master visionary, guides us to the mountaintop to reveal an expansive view of life. A marvelous edition of a timeless classic, this book also presents Laozi's original Chinese text in sidebars on each page, enriching the book for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an illuminating introduction.

The Art of War is the collection of leadership and military strategies composed by the esteemed Chinese general, Sun Tzu. Divided into 13 distinct chapters, each category gives clarity and voice to varying subjects pertaining to the intricacies of war and wartime strategy. Having inspired generations of readers,The Art of War continues to be perceived as a kind of spiritual lighthouse for all those seeking sage leadership advice. Though Sun Tzu's expertise was considered to be professing wartime strategy, the principals enumerated within the text extend far beyond the logistics of a battlefield. Having lived during the Warring States Period, Sun Tzu understood conflict and political strife. Sun Tzu, using the culmination of decades worth of knowledge inspired generations of leaders with his words. His insight was not wasted on the bloodshed of lives lost in battle, yet it was composed into beautifully succinct proverbs and adages that make up the whole of The Art of War. Perhaps his most well-known axiom is, "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat." With proverbs as popular as the one above, the entirety of his work is composed of this level of insight. As pertinent as it was when it was written over 2,000 year ago, The Art of War is a true work of philosophical mastery. With eye-catching new covers and a professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Art of War is both modern and readable.

This is the first work available in English which addresses Zhuangzi's thought as a whole. It presents an interpretation of the Zhuangzi, a book in thirty-three chapters that is the most important collection of Daoist texts in early China.

The author introduces a complex reading that shows the unity of Zhuangzi's thought, in particular in his views of action, language, and ethics. By addressing methodological questions that arise in reading Zhuangzi, a hermeneutics is developed which makes understanding Zhuangzi's religious thought possible.

A theoretical contribution to comparative philosophy and the cross-cultural study of religious traditions, the book serves as an introduction to Daoism for graduate students in religion, philosophy, and East Asian Studies.

This exciting new book is a detailed examination of pilgrimages in Japan, including the meanings of travel, transformation, and the discovery of identity through encounters with the sacred, in a variety of interesting dimensions in both historical and contemporary Japanese culture, linked by the unifying theme of a spiritual quest.

Several fascinating new approaches to traditional forms of pilgrimage are put forward by a wide range of specialists in anthropology, religion and cultural studies, who set Japanese pilgrimage in a wider comparative perspective. They apply models of pilgrimage to quests for vocational fulfilment, examining cases as diverse as the civil service, painting and poetry, and present ethnographies of contemporary reconstructions of old spiritual quests, as conflicting (and sometimes global) demands impinge on the time and space of would-be pilgrims.

Christian dialogic writings flourished in the Catholic missions in late Ming China. This study focuses on the mission work of the Italian Jesuit Giulio Aleni (Ai Rulue , 1582-1649) in Fujian and the unique text Kouduo richao (Diary of Oral Admonitions, 1630-1640) that records the religious and intellectual conversations among the Jesuits and local converts. By examining the mechanisms of dialogue in Kouduo richao and other Christian works distinguished by a certain dialogue form, the author of the present work aims to reveal the formation of a hybrid Christian-Confucian identity in late Ming Chinese religious experience. By offering the new approach of dialogic hybridization, the book not only treats dialogue as an important yet underestimated genre in late Ming Christian literature, but it also uncovers a self-other identity complex in the dialogic exchanges of the Jesuits and Chinese scholars. Giulio Aleni, Kouduo richao, and Christian-Confucian Dialogism in Late Ming Fujian is a multi-faceted investigation of the religious, philosophical, ethical, scientific, and artistic topics discussed among the Jesuits and late Ming scholars. This comprehensive research echoes what the distinguished Sinologist Erik Zurcher (1928-2008) said about the richness and diversity of Chinese Christian texts produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. Following Zurcher's careful study and annotated full translation of Kouduo richao (Monumenta Serica Monograph Series, LVI/1-2), the present work features a set of new findings beyond the endeavours of Zurcher and other scholars. With the key concept of Christian-Confucian dialogism, it tells the intriguing story of Aleni's mission work and the thriving Christian communities in late Ming Fujian.

This study in German offers profound insights into the life and thoughts of Wang Guowei (1877-1927). Like many intellectuals who strongly perceived the necessity of reforms in the waning years of the Late Qing dynasty, i.e. after the Opium wars, Wang sought to strengthen China's position against foreign, in particular Western, powers. Contrary to earlier approaches, which either advocated a close adherence to Confucian traditions or tried to adapt only elements of Western material culture, mainly industrial and military technology, Wang Guowei aimed at reviving traditional Chinese culture by analysing its source texts using a modern scientific approach (and thereby started the discipline of guoxue [national studies]) and simultaneously adapting compatible elements of Western immaterial culture. Thus, Wang became known as an authority on Chinese paleography as well as on German philosophy, especially Kantian epistomology.

Wisdom's Way is a collection of true stories from ancient China. Filled with palace intrigue, ambitious warlords, greedy swindlers, and justice-seeking wise men, each story evokes the legendary wisdom of the Far East. These delightful tales offer both historical lessons and insight into human relationships, from the grand maneuvering of emperors to a pair of tradesmen arguing over an old coat.

The Islamic Orient studies the travel accounts of four British travelers during the nineteenth century. Through a critical analysis of these works, the author examines and questions Edward Said's concept of "Orientalism" and "Orientalist" discourse: his argument that the orientalist view had such a strong influence on westerners that they invariably perceived the orient through the lens of orientalism. On the contrary, the author argues, no single factor had an overwhelming influence on them. She shows that westerners often struggled with their own conceptions of the orient, and being away for long periods from their homelands, were in fact able to stand between cultures and view them both as insiders and outsiders. The literary devices used to examine these writings are structure, characterization, satire, landscape description, and word choice, as also the social and political milieu of the writers. The major influences in the author's analysis are Said, Foucault, Abdel-Malek and Marie Louise Pratt.

Stephen Eskildsen's book offers an in-depth study of the beliefs and practices of the Quanzhen (Complete Realization) School of Taoism, the predominant school of monastic Taoism in China.The Quanzhen School was founded in the latter half of the twelfth century by the eccentric holy man Wan Zhe (1113-1170), whose work was continued by his famous disciples commonly known as the Seven Realized Ones.This study draws upon surviving texts to examine the Quanzhen masters'approaches to mental discipline, intense asceticism, cultivation of health and longevity, mystical experience, supernormal powers, views of death and dying, charity and evangelism, and ritual. From these primary sources, Eskildsen provides a clear understanding of the nature of Quanzhen Taoism and reveals its core emphasis to be the cultivation of clarity and purity of mind that occurs not only through seated meditation, but also throughout the daily activities of life.

In this important book, a leading authority on Japanese religions brings together for the first time in English his extensive work on the subject. The book is important both for what it reveals about Japanese religions, and also because it demonstrates for western readers the distinctive Japanese approaches to the study of the subject and the different Japanese intellectual traditions which inform it. The book includes historical, cultural, regional and social approaches, and explains historical changes and regional differences. It goes on to provide cultural and symbolic analyses of festivals to reveal their full meanings, and examines Japanese religions among Japanese and non-Japanese communities abroad, exploring the key role of religion in defining Japanese ethnic identity outside Japan.

The study of the religion of Daoism has flourished over the last decade in China, Japan and the West. A new generation of scholars has appeared who are rewriting our understandings of Daoism, which is perceived to be 'China's indigenous high religion'. Daoism in History brings together essays by some of the leading scholars from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK, France, Italy and the US, thus presenting new and important research in the field. These essays honour one of the pioneers of Daoist Studies, Emeritus Professor Liu Ts'un-yan. His essay Was Celestial Master Zhang a Historical Figure?, a major work, which addresses one of the pivotal questions in the entire history of Daoism is the final essay in this book. A Chinese character glossary as well as a bibliography and index conclude the book. The field of Daoist studies is now recognised as one of the most vital areas of research in Chinese history and the history of religions. Daoism in History is a major contribution to the area.

Apart from Confucius, Lao Tzu is the most eminent figure in Chinese antiquity. The book attributed to him, the Tao Te Ching, is the classic statement of the system of thought known as Taoism. Much of the doctrine of the Tao Te Ching was later clarified and modified by the greatest of the Taoist philosophers and writers, Chuang Tzu, whose chief work bears his name. The major ideas contained in these two early texts form the basis of this concise yet comprehensive history and analysis of Taoism, which also presents biographical information on Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu and an account of religious Taoism. Largely because of its emphasis on passivity, quietism, and mysticism, Taoism never enjoyed wide popular or official favor, and it was gradually overshadowed by the more positive and active ideology of Confucianism. Through the centuries, however, its influence on intellectuals has led to much of China's greatest art and literature, not to mention a religion that has persisted as a spiritual force to the present day.

Written by one of the leading scholars on Japanese culture, this collection of papers centres on Shinto rites and festivals and shrine buildings. Among the topics covered are the imperial family and Shinto, the three great emperors, Yatagarasu, Yasoshima-No-Matsuri and Kamo Gejo Ryosha.

Eschewing the path of religious pamphleteering in favor of a broad juridical and sociological approach, Hozumi describes the practice of Japanese ancestor-worship, its origins, manifestations, peculiarities and social and legal implications. The author lays aside many misconceptions regarding ancestor-worship, permitting us to see Japanese cultures and religions in an entirely new light. Among the fascinating topics covered are ancestor-worship in Europe and America, the theory of the dread of ghosts, sacred places in the Japanese house, and the relation of ancestor-worship to loyalty and patriotism.