|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Oriental religions > Taoism
The early Chinese text Master Zhuang (Zhuangzi) is well known for
its relativistic philosophy and colorful anecdotes. In the work,
Zhuang Zhou ca. 300 B.C.E.) dreams that he is a butterfly and
wonders, upon awaking, if he in fact dreamed that he was a
butterfly or if the butterfly is now dreaming that it is Zhuang
Zhou. The text also recounts Master Zhuang's encounter with a
skull, which praises the pleasures of death over the toil of
living. This anecdote became popular with Chinese poets of the
second and third century C.E. and found renewed significance with
the founders of Quanzhen Daoism in the twelfth century. The
Quanzhen masters transformed the skull into a skeleton and treated
the object as a metonym for death and a symbol of the refusal of
enlightenment. Later preachers made further revisions, adding
Master Zhuang's resurrection of the skeleton, a series of
accusations made by the skeleton against the philosopher, and the
enlightenment of the magistrate who judges their case. The legend
of the skeleton was widely popular throughout the Ming dynasty
(1368-1644), and the fiction writer Lu Xun (1881-1936) reimagined
it in the modern era. The first book in English to trace the
development of the legend and its relationship to centuries of
change in Chinese philosophy and culture, The Resurrected Skeleton
translates and contextualizes the story's major adaptations and
draws parallels with the Muslim legend of Jesus's encounter with a
skull and the European tradition of the Dance of Death. Translated
works include versions of the legend in the form of popular ballads
and plays, together with Lu Xun's short story of the 1930s,
underlining the continuity between traditional and modern Chinese
culture.
Thousands of years ago the immortals, known as the Shining Ones,
shipwrecked on the Chinese coast. Passing their shamanic practices
- such as ecstatic flight and how to find power animals and spirit
guides - on to the indigenous people, they, also, taught them the
wisdom of the Medicine Wheel. From the Taoist Medicine Wheel came
the principles of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the Eight
Forces, the Chinese zodiac and the I Ching. The Taoist Medicine
Wheel can, also, be found at the foundation of traditional Chinese
medicine and the esoteric sexual practices of Taoist Alchemy. In
the TAOIST SHAMAN, Master Mantak Chia and Kris Deva North explain
the shamanic principles of the Taoist Medicine Wheel, how it is
oriented on the Five Elements rather than the Four Directions, how
it relates to the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and the
trigrams of the I Ching and how it aligns with the Eight Forces of
the Pakua. Through illustrated teaching stories, the authors show
how the energetic principles of each of the Eight Forces are
reflected in the Eight Immortals. Revealing the wheel's application
to sacred sexuality, they offer exercises from the "Wheel of Love"
to strengthen and deepen relationships as well as providing a means
to access the Tao of Ecstasy. . Explains the principles of the
Taoist Medicine Wheel, including the five Elements, the animals of
the Chinese zodiac, and the trigrams of the I Ching . Includes
exercises from the "Wheel of love" to access the Tao of Ecstasy .
Contains illustrated teaching stories about the Eight Immortals
Although the study of traditional Chinese medicine has attracted
unprecedented attention in recent years, Western knowledge of it
has been limited because, until now, not a single Chinese classical
medical text has been available in a serious philological
translation. The present book offers, for the first time in any
Western language, a complete translation of an ancient Chinese
medical classic, the Nan-ching. The translation adheres to rigid
sinological standards and applies philological and historiographic
methods. The original text of the Nan-ching was compiled during the
first century A.D. by an unknown author. From that time forward,
this ancient text provoked an ongoing stream of commentaries.
Following the Sung era, it was misidentified as merely an
explanatory sequel to the classic of the Yellow Emperor, the
Huang-ti nei-ching. This volume, however, demonstrates that the
Nan-ching should once again be regarded as a significant and
innovative text in itself. It marked the apex and the conclusion of
the initial development phase of a conceptual system of health care
based on the doctrines of the Five Phases and yinyang. As the
classic of the medicine of systematic correspondence, the Nan-ching
covers all aspects of theoretical and practical health care within
these doctrines in an unusually systematic fashion. Most important
is its innovative discussion of pulse diagnosis and needle
treatment. Unschuld combines the translation of the text of the
Nan-ching with selected commentaries by twenty Chinese and Japanese
authors from the past seventeen centuries. These commentaries
provide insights into the processes of reception and transmission
of ancient Chinese concepts from the Han era to the present time,
and shed light on the issue of progress in Chinese medicine.
Central to the book, and contributing to a completely new
understanding of traditional Chinese medical thought, is the
identification of a "patterned knowledge" that characterizes-in
contrast to the monoparadigmatic tendencies in Western science and
medicine-the literature and practice of traditional Chinese health
care. Unschuld's translation of the Nan-ching is an accomplishment
of monumental proportions. Anthropologists, historians, and
sociologists as well as general readers interested in traditional
Chinese medicine-but who lack Chinese language abilities-will at
last have access to ancient Chinese concepts of health care and
therapy. Filling an enormous gap in the literature, Nan-ching-The
Classic of Difficult Issues is the kind of landmark work that will
shape the study of Chinese medicine for years to come. This title
is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates
University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate
the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing
on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality,
peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using
print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in
1986.
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.
Although the study of traditional Chinese medicine has attracted
unprecedented attention in recent years, Western knowledge of it
has been limited because, until now, not a single Chinese classical
medical text has been available in a serious philological
translation. The present book offers, for the first time in any
Western language, a complete translation of an ancient Chinese
medical classic, the Nan-ching. The translation adheres to rigid
sinological standards and applies philological and historiographic
methods. The original text of the Nan-ching was compiled during the
first century A.D. by an unknown author. From that time forward,
this ancient text provoked an ongoing stream of commentaries.
Following the Sung era, it was misidentified as merely an
explanatory sequel to the classic of the Yellow Emperor, the
Huang-ti nei-ching. This volume, however, demonstrates that the
Nan-ching should once again be regarded as a significant and
innovative text in itself. It marked the apex and the conclusion of
the initial development phase of a conceptual system of health care
based on the doctrines of the Five Phases and yinyang. As the
classic of the medicine of systematic correspondence, the Nan-ching
covers all aspects of theoretical and practical health care within
these doctrines in an unusually systematic fashion. Most important
is its innovative discussion of pulse diagnosis and needle
treatment. Unschuld combines the translation of the text of the
Nan-ching with selected commentaries by twenty Chinese and Japanese
authors from the past seventeen centuries. These commentaries
provide insights into the processes of reception and transmission
of ancient Chinese concepts from the Han era to the present time,
and shed light on the issue of progress in Chinese medicine.
Central to the book, and contributing to a completely new
understanding of traditional Chinese medical thought, is the
identification of a "patterned knowledge" that characterizes-in
contrast to the monoparadigmatic tendencies in Western science and
medicine-the literature and practice of traditional Chinese health
care. Unschuld's translation of the Nan-ching is an accomplishment
of monumental proportions. Anthropologists, historians, and
sociologists as well as general readers interested in traditional
Chinese medicine-but who lack Chinese language abilities-will at
last have access to ancient Chinese concepts of health care and
therapy. Filling an enormous gap in the literature, Nan-ching-The
Classic of Difficult Issues is the kind of landmark work that will
shape the study of Chinese medicine for years to come. This title
is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates
University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate
the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing
on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality,
peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using
print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in
1986.
In this richly illustrated book Stanley Abe explores the large body
of sculpture, ceramics, and other religious imagery produced for
China's common classes from the third to the sixth centuries C.E.
Created for those of lesser standing, these works contrast sharply
with those made for imperial patrons, illustrious monastics, or
other luminaries. They were often modest in scale, mass-produced,
and at times incomplete. These "ordinary images" have been
considered a largely nebulous, undistinguished mass of works
because they cannot be related to well-known historical figures or
social groups. Additionally, in a time and place where most
inhabitants were not literate, the available textual evidence
provides us with a remarkable view of China through the eyes of a
small and privileged educated class. There exists precious little
written material that embodies the concerns and voices of those of
lower standing.
Situating his study in the gaps between conventional categories
such as Buddhism, Daoism, and Chinese popular imagery, Abe examines
works that were commissioned by patrons of modest standing in
specific local contexts. These works include some of the earliest
known examples of Buddha-like images in China; a group of small
stone stupas from the northwest; inscribed image niches from a
cavernous Buddhist cave temple; and large stele with Buddhist,
Daoist, and mixed Buddhist-Daoist iconography from Shaanxi
province. In these four case studies, Abe questions established
notions of art historical practice by treating the works in a
manner that allows for more rather than less contradiction, less
rather than more certainty. Sensitive to the fragmentary nature of
the evidence and hisposition in a long tradition of scholarly
writing, the author offers a sustained argument against established
paradigms of cultural adaptation and formal development.
Sophisticated and lucidly written," Ordinary Images" offers an
unprecedented exploration of the lively and diverse nature of image
making and popular practices.
Spanning the centuries and crossing the globe, this engaging
introduction covers everything Daoist, from the religion of the
ancients to 21st century T'ai Chi and meditation. Complete with a
timeline of Daoist history and a full glossary, Daoism: A
Beginner's Guide will prove invaluable not only to students, but
also to general readers who wish to learn more about the origins
and nature of a profound tradition, and about its role and
relevance in our fast-moving 21st century existence.
A number of features mark this book apart from others. There is
simply no book currently available on Daoism (Taoism) written
primarily from a psychological perspective, covering topics on
Laozi's sociopolitical and psychological thoughts and their points
of contact with Western psychology, particularly that of Carl Jung.
The book comprises an in-depth introduction and a considered
translation of Laozi's classic on virtue and the Dao (Way). The
introduction covers Daoism as the counterculture in China and
beyond; the originality and distinctiveness of Laozi's thoughts;
the classic's influence and contemporary relevance to life in the
21st century; and insights on bilingualism that the author gained
in the process of translation. The book contains the very first
English translation of the Beida Laozi (Peking University Laozi),
in which the chapters on virtue precede those on the Dao.
Accordingly, the classic is renamed The Classic of Virtue and the
Dao. The author has given his best to honor both accuracy and
poetic beauty by paying great attention to diction, clarity, and
economy of expression. The Classic of Virtue and the Dao is one of
the most creative and thought-provoking texts of antiquity. All of
the 77 chapters of the classic are categorized into 13 thematic
groups, each of which begins with an introduction. This would make
it easier for the reader to grasp its major viewpoints and
concepts, such as virtue, humility, and selflessness. Titles for
individual chapters, as well as comments and notes, have also been
added.
This first Western-language translation of one of the great books
of the Daoist religious tradition, the Taiping jing, or Scripture
on Great Peace," documents early Chinese medieval thought and lays
the groundwork for a more complete understanding of Daoism's
origins. Barbara Hendrischke, a leading expert on the Taiping jing
in the West, has spent twenty-five years on this magisterial
translation, which includes notes that contextualize the
scripture's political and religious significance. Virtually unknown
to scholars until the 1970s, the Taiping jing raises the hope for
salvation in a practical manner by instructing men and women how to
appease heaven and satisfy earth and thereby reverse the fate that
thousands of years of human wrongdoing has brought about. The
scripture stems from the beginnings of the Daoist religious
movement, when ideas contained in the ancient Laozi were spread
with missionary fervor among the population at large. The Taiping
jing demonstrates how early Chinese medieval thought arose from the
breakdown of the old imperial order and replaced it with a vision
of a new, more diverse and fair society that would integrate
outsiders in particular women and people of a non-Chinese
background.
In his commentaries on five parables from the Leih Tzu, Osho brings a fresh and contemporary interpretation to the ancient wisdom of Tao. Leih Tzu was a well-known Taoist master in the fourth century B.C., and his sly critiques of a Confucius provide abundant opportunities for the reader to explore the contrasts between the rational and irrational, the male and female, the structured and the spontaneous.
"Who Is Really Happy" uses the discovery of a human skull on the roadside to probe into the question of immortality and how misery arises out of the existence of the ego.
"A Man Who Knows How to Console Himself" looks beneath the apparent cheerfulness of a wandering monk and asks if there is really a happiness that endures through life's ups and downs.
"No Regrets" is a parable about the difference between the knowledge that is gathered from the outside and the "knowing" that arises from within.
"No Rest for the Living" uses a dialogue between a despondent seeker and his master to reveal the limits of philosophy and the crippling consequences of living for the sake of some future goal.
"Best Be Still, Best Be Empty" discusses the difference between the path of the will, the via affirmitiva of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, versus the path of the mystic, the via negativa of Buddha and Lao Tzu.
A Q&A section addresses how Taoist understanding applies to everyday life in concrete, practical terms.
Daoism is the oldest indigenous philosophic-spiritual tradition of
China and one of the most ancient of the world's spiritual
structures. The name Daoism comes from the term dao, which meansa
"way" or a "road" through the field or woods to one's village. It
is also means the "way" to do something, such as how a master
craftsman carves wood, makes a bell, or even butchers an ox. But
dao is also a nominative in the history of Daoism, referring to the
energizing process that permeates and animates all of reality and
moves it along. However, both text and practice in this tradition
insist that dao itself cannot be described in words; itis not God
in the sense of Western philosophy or religion. Daoism has no
supreme being, even if there is an extensive grammar about
nominally self-conscious entities and powers for which the Chinese
use the word "spirit" (shen). For example, the highest powers of
Daoism are variously called Taishang Laojun (the deified Laozi),
the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi tianzun), the
Jade Emperor (Yuhuang Shangdi), or the Perfected Warrior (Zhenwu).
But these are expressions of dao in specific shen; they are not
identical to Dao, except in the most unique case-when Laozi, the
putative founder of Daoism and author of its major work, Daodejing,
is said to be one with the dao. Historical Dictionary of Daoism
contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, an extensive
bibliography, and more than 400 cross-referenced entries related to
the Chinese belief and worldview known as Daoism, including dozens
of Daoist terms, names, and practices. This book is an excellent
resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more
about Daoism.
|
You may like...
Tao TE Ching
Stephen Mitchell
Paperback
R393
R286
Discovery Miles 2 860
|