Wang Fuzhi (1619-1692), a Ming loyalist, was forced to find solutions for both cultural and political crises of his time. In this book Mingran Tan provides a comprehensive review of Wang Fuzhi's understanding of historical events and his interpretation of the Confucian classics. Tan explains what kind of Confucian system Wang Fuzhi was trying to construct according to his motto, "The Six Classics require me to create something new". He sought a basis for Confucian values such as filial piety, humanity and ritual propriety from political, moral and cosmological perspectives, arguing that they could cultivate a noble personality, beatify political governance, and improve social and cosmological harmony. This inspired Wang Fuzhi's attempt to establish a syncretic blend of the three branches of Neo-Confucianism, i.e., Zhu Xi's (1130-1200) philosophy of principle , Wang Yangming's (1472-1529) philosophy of mind and Zhang Zai's (1020-1077) philosophy of qi (material force). The most thorough work on Wang Fuzhi available in English, this study corrects some general misunderstanding of the nature of Wang Fuzhi's philosophy and helps readers to understand Wang Fuzhi from an organic perspective. Building upon previous scholars' research on Wang Fuzhi's notion of moral cultivation, Tan gives a comprehensive understanding of how Wang Fuzhi improves social and cosmological harmony through compliance with Confucian rituals.

Contents Include CONFUCIANISM Confucius and the Confucian School Religious Ideas of the Confucian Classes Confucian Ethics Modern Confucianism TAOISM Lao-tzu The Tao-Teth-Ching Later Taoist Writers Modern TaoismKeywords: Confucian Ethics Confucian School Lao Tzu Confucianism Taoism Religious Ideas Confucius Taoist Tao

The Buddhist Bible was first published in Vermont in 1932 by DWIGHT GODDARD (1861-1939), a pioneer in the American Zen Buddhist movement. It contains edited versions of foundational Buddhist texts designed to provide spiritual seekers with the heart of the Zen message. Writing at a time when Buddhism was greatly misunderstood in the West, Goddard hoped to bring a new and deep understanding to light. His mission was not only to explain Buddhism to his fellow Americans but to show how the ancient religion could be made relevant to modern problems. The Buddhist Bible made a huge impact when it was published and is known to have influenced the views of iconic Beat author Jack Kerouac.

Under the leadership of Mazu Daoyi (709-788) and his numerous disciples, the Hongzhou School emerged as the dominant tradition of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in China during the middle part of the Tang dynasty(618-907). Mario Poceski offers a systematic examination of the Hongzhou School's momentous growth and rise to preeminence as the bearer of Chan orthodoxy, and analyzes its doctrines against the backdrop of the intellectual and religious milieus of Tang China. Poceski demonstrates that the Hongzhou School represented the first emergence of an empire-wide Chan tradition that had strongholds throughout China and replaced the various fragmented Schools of early Chan with an inclusive orthodoxy.
Poceski's study is based on the earliest strata of permanent sources, rather than on the later apocryphal "encounter dialogue" stories regularly used to construe widely-accepted but historically unwarranted interpretations about the nature of Chan in the Tang dynasty. He challenges the traditional and popularly-accepted view of the Hongzhou School as a revolutionary movement that rejected mainstream mores and teachings, charting a new path for Chan's independent growth as a unique Buddhist tradition. This view, he argues, rests on a misreading of key elements of the Hongzhou School's history. Rather than acting as an unorthodox movement, the Hongzhou School's success was actually based largely on its ability to mediate tensions between traditionalist and iconoclastic tendencies. Going beyond conventional romanticized interpretations that highlight the radical character of the Hongzhou School, Poceski shows that there was much greater continuity between early and classical Chan-and between theHongzhou School and the rest of Tang Buddhism-than previously thought.

Jesuit on the Roof of the World is the first full-length study in any language of Ippolito Desideri (1684-1733), a Jesuit explorer and missionary who traveled in Tibet from 1715 to 1721.
Based on close readings of a wide range of primary sources in Tibetan, Italian, and Latin, Jesuit on the Roof of the World follows Desideri's journey across the great Western deserts of Tibet, his entry into the court of the Mongol chieftain Lhazang Khan, and his flight across Eastern Tibet during the wars that shook Tibet during the early-eighteenth century. While telling of these harrowing events, Desideri relates the dramatic encounter between his Jesuit philosophy and the scholasticism of the Geluk monks; the personal conflict between his own Roman Catholic beliefs and his appreciation of Tibet religion and culture; and the travails of a variety of colorful characters whose political intrigues led to the invasion of Zunghar Mongols of 1717 and the establishment of the Chinese protectorate in 1720.
As the Tibetans fought among themselves, the missionary waged his own war against demons, sorcerers, and rival scholastic philosophers. Towering over all in the mind of the missionary was the "fabulous idol" Avalokitesvara and its embodiment in the Sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso. In describing his spiritual warfare against the Tibetan "pope," the missionary offers a unique glimpse into theological problem of the salvation of non-Christians in early modern theology; the curious-and highly controversial-appeal of Hermetic philosophy in the Asian missions; the political underbelly of the Chinese Rites Controversy; and the persistent European fascination with the land of snows."

Here is a book you will appreciate even if you have read many Buddhist books. This book expounds the Dharma in a very lucid way and illuminates the Heart Sutra from Buddhism's apex of psychology and philosophy. This book is a sharp weapon useful for cutting the root of ignorance. It is one thing to talk about or read about the meaning of life and quite another to move through the levels of wisdom to actually live that meaning. Here you'll find a detailed map of the journey to meaning.

Originally published in 1931, this is a systematic and comprehensive history of caste in India and its influence on Hindu law, social institutions and society as a whole. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: The Caste System - Caste in the Rigveda - Caste during the Brahmana Period - Caste in the Sutras - Caste in the Sutras Continued - Appendix - Verifications from Non-Brahmanical Writings - Caste in Early Buddhist Literature - Caste in Greek Accounts - Bibliography

Compelled to seek something more than what modern society has to offer, Robert Sibley turned to an ancient setting for help in recovering what has been lost. The Henro Michi is one of the oldest and most famous pilgrimage routes in Japan. It consists of a circuit of eighty-eight temples around the perimeter of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands. Every henro, or pilgrim, is said to follow in the footsteps of K b Daishi, the ninth-century ascetic who founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism. Over the course of two months, the author walked this 1,400-kilometer route (roughly 870 miles), visiting the sacred sites and performing their prescribed rituals.Although himself a gaijin, or foreigner, Sibley saw no other pilgrim on the trail who was not Japanese. Some of the people he met became not only close companions but also ardent teachers of the language and culture. These fellow pilgrims' own stories add to the author's narrative in unexpected and powerful ways. Sibley's descriptions of the natural surroundings, the customs and etiquette, the temples and guesthouses will inspire any reader who has longed to escape the confines of everyday life and to embrace the emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of a pilgrimage."

Whether through lyrical celebrations of the wonders of nature; paeans to the steadfastness of women; or salutations to the world leaders who have in their various ways provided inspiration to his lifelong devotion to the causes of peace, justice and education, Daisaku Ikeda in his poems expresses unwavering commitment to the development of a humanistic global culture. These translations, the first of a three-volume collection and based on the Japanese Complete Works of Daisaku Ikeda (Ikeda Daisaku zenshu), cover the years 1945-2007, and explore the many subjects to which the leader of the Soka Gakkai International has devoted his 'poetic heart and mind.' The translators have sought to reproduce the rhythms and timbres of a voice, which- though influenced by the likes of Whitman, Defoe, Dumas, Ibsen, Emerson and Shelley- is yet distinctive and unique. Sometimes the poet adopts a simple vernacular note; at other times the compression associated with Japanese poeic forms haiku and waka. But at all times the poetry maintains a stately rhythm that reflects the dignity of ordinary language and expression. This collection will delight readers familiar with the prose writings of the author as well as those coming to his work for the first time. The poems within it speak, with freedom and feeling, of a world where genuine poetry reigns supreme- and of a world where poetic perception becomes a perception of interconnectedness; between friends. between humanity and nature, or between humanity and the cosmos.

The Mahabharata preserves powerful journeys of women recognized as the feminine divine and the feminine heroic in the larger culture of India. Each journey upholds the unique aspects of women's life. This book analytically examines the narratives of eleven women from the Mahabharata in the historical context as well as in association with religious and cultural practices. Lavanya Vemsani brings together history, myth, religion, and practice to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the history of Hindu women, as well as their significance within religious Indian culture. Additionally, Vemsani provides important perspective for understanding the enduring legacy of these women in popular culture and modern society.

Presenting a comprehensive portrayal of the reading of Chinese and Buddhist philosophy in early twentieth-century German thought, Chinese and Buddhist Philosophy in Early Twentieth-Century German Thought examines the implications of these readings for contemporary issues in comparative and intercultural philosophy. Through a series of case studies from the late 19th-century and early 20th-century, Eric Nelson focuses on the reception and uses of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism in German philosophy, covering figures as diverse as Buber, Heidegger, and Misch. He argues that the growing intertextuality between traditions cannot be appropriately interpreted through notions of exclusive identities, closed horizons, or unitary traditions. Providing an account of the context, motivations, and hermeneutical strategies of early twentieth-century European thinkers' interpretation of Asian philosophy, Nelson also throws new light on the question of the relation between Heidegger and Asian philosophy. Reflecting the growing interest in the possibility of intercultural and global philosophy, Chinese and Buddhist Philosophy in Early Twentieth-Century German Thought opens up the possibility of a more inclusive intercultural conception of philosophy.

This study revisits one of the most extensive examples of the spread of ideas in the history of civilization: the diffusion of Indian religious and political ideas to Southeast Asia before the advent of Islam and European colonialism. Hindu and Buddhist concepts and symbols of kingship and statecraft helped to legitimize Southeast Asian rulers, and transform the political institutions and authority of Southeast Asia. But the process of this diffusion was not accompanied by imperialism, political hegemony, or "colonization" as conventionally understood. This book investigates different explanations of the spread of Indian ideas offered by scholars, including why and how it occurred and what were its key political and institutional outcomes. It challenges the view that strategic competition is a recurring phenomenon when civilizations encounter each other.