Most commentators imagine contemporary China to be monolithic, atheistic, and materialist, and wholly divorced from its earlier customs, but Kenneth Dean combines evidence from historical texts and extensive fieldwork to reveal an entirely different picture. Since 1979, when the Chinese government relaxed some of its most stringent controls on religion, villagers in the isolated areas of Southeast China have maintained an "underground" effort to restore traditional rituals and local cults.

Originally published in 1995.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Drawing on ancient and modern sources, Watts treats the Chinese philosophy of Tao in much the same way as he did Zen Buddhism in his classic The Way of Zen. Critics agree that this last work stands as a perfect monument to the life and literature of Alan Watts.

The Tao Te Ching is one of China's ancient books of wisdom. This translation accurately reflects the original Chinese, so readers can learn what the Tao Te Ching really says. Beautiful black and white photographs of nature illustrate this book throughout.

The Ethical Foundations of Early Daoism: Zhuangzi's Unique Moral Vision presents a comprehensive study of the normative dimensions of early Daoism in general and the classic text Zhuangzi in particular. Lee argues that our inclination to view Daoism as an amoral tradition stems from Orientalist assumptions about Daoism as well as our received assumptions about the nature of morality. By enlarging the scope of morality, Lee suggests that early Daoist texts like the Zhuangzi can be read as works of moral philosophy that speak to specifically moral concerns in ethics, government, and society. Lee casts the moral imperative of the Zhuangzi as an ethics of attunement to the Way and develops this thesis in the context of friendship, government, death, and human flourishing.

Lao Tzu, who lived in China approximately 2600 years ago, tells us to seek that natural nameless state where there is peace and harmony. This book explores the way of Lao Tzu: the destination that Lao Tzu tells us to seek; the directions that Lao Tzu offers to help us to reach the destination; the problems that Lao Tzu tells us we will encounter trying to reach the destination; and finally the strategies that Lao Tzu offers to help us to overcome these problems and to successfully follow his directions. This book is part of the series 'Ways of the World' in which the ways of the founders of various religions and philosophies are explored. Each book follows the same format, exploring: the destination that we are told to seek; the directions offered to help us to reach that destination; problems that we are told will hinder us on our way; and finally strategies that are offered to help us to overcome these problems and to successfully follow the directions. This format not only helps to better understand the way, but also makes it easier to compare the various ways.

Tao Te Ching: The Ageless Book of Wisdom for Readers of All Ages brings the teachings of the legendary Taoist master, Lao-Tzu, to a wider, if not necessarily younger audience. In a departure from most other attempts, the book employs prose, rather than the poetic verse of the original manuscript. With brevity and clarity Villano captures Lao-Tzu's principal lessons: clues for welcoming the Tao into our lives, and for constructing a world of societal balance and harmony. Villano's prose is simple and breezy - a less-is-more literary style that appeals to younger readers and yet somehow seems enduringly consistent with Taoist philosophy.

The present geopolitical rise of India and China evokes much interest in the comparative study of these two ancient Asian cultures. There are various studies comparing Western and Indian philosophies and religions, and there are similar works comparing Chinese and Western philosophy and religion. However, so far there is no systemic comparative study of Chinese and Indian philosophies and religions. Therefore there is a need to fill this gap. As such, Brahman and Dao: Comparative Studies of Indian and Chinese Philosophy and Religion is a pioneering volume in that it highlights possible bridges between these two great cultures and complex systems of thought, with seventeen chapters on various Indo-Chinese comparative topics. The book focuses on four themes: metaphysics and soteriology; ethics; body, health and spirituality; and language and culture.

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.

As China is rapidly reemerging as the world's dominant economic powerhouse that it had been until the mid-eighteenth century, interest in its religions and philosophies is on the rise. Just as the history and culture of Western civilizations can hardly be grasped without a measure of knowledge about Christianity, an understanding of Chinese civilization and its history seems impossible without some comprehension of Daoism. Though it has long been clear that modern Daoism has its roots in Daoist movements of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), research on premodern Daoism had been largely neglected. Published in six languages (Italian, French, English, German, Chinese, and Japanese), the pioneering studies by Monica Esposito (1962-2011) on Qing Daoism have been instrumental in kindling keen scholarly interest both in the West and in China and Japan. This book presents corrected and augmented versions of three of Dr Esposito's seminal articles that had originally been published in English ("Daoism in the Qing," "The Longmen School and its Controversial History," and "Longmen Daoism in Qing China: Doctrinal Ideal and Local Reality") along with English versions of two articles that had hitherto only been available in Japanese and Chinese: "Beheading the Red Dragon: The Heart of Feminine Alchemy" and "An Example of Daoist and Tantric Interaction during the Qing Dynasty: The Longmen xinzong." In addition, this volume contains a bibliography of all her publications and a detailed index.

2012 Reprint of 1956 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The "Book of Tea" by Okakura Kakuz is a long essay linking the role of tea (Teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English Tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese life. The book emphasizes how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuz argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the book with a chapter on Tea Masters. This edition contains a new forward and a biographical sketch augmenting the original 1906 edition.

A presentation of the "Mi Yingchan," a Daoist practice manual known as "Secret of the Shining Toad."

Imagine China, late Warring States circa 250 BCE. Loose-knit associations of spiritual virtuosi have emerged from the evenfall of unwritten history possessing an archetypal understanding of nature and human potential. Their influence is felt reverberating through many social spheres including religion, government, arts, literature, and ethics, and they are becoming renowned for their contributions to the sciences, especially medicine, cosmology, and natural correspondence. Inspiring this remarkable historic movement are masters and adepts of the Way revered as shenxian - spiritual transcendents whose acutely insightful culture stands at the genesis of Daoist aspirations. Interestingly however, these fascinating luminaries, many of whom will be remembered as legendary immortals, have somehow managed to step into history unnamed.

In this study, these ancestral wayfarers are referred to as Yin Hejia, or Silver River people. By meticulously piecing together their legacy from fragments of attestations scattered among classic literature such as "Zhuangzi," "Baopuzi," and "Shenxian zhuang" to name only a few, we discover clear precedence for a well-defined praxis. Not surprisingly however, the systematic approach through which they cultivated spiritual transcendency remains disorganized in modern perceptions, split up as it is among so many different sources. Organizing and empowering this knowledge is particularly important now, as indigenous constructions of Daoism are absorbed into a global context and diligence in practicing orthodox methods aimed at profound levels of attainment has become virtually unheard of.

Here, for the first time, is a complete cultivation manual addressed to contemporary practitioners who are interested in shenxian arts as recorded and handed down by great adepts from the past. Presented in traditional style and divided into a series of time-honored graduations, the text is fully annotated and set to a rigorous standard of scholarly range. Distinguished in terms of accessibility and utility, in all it conveys a powerful overture to venerating the Dao through accommodating exquisite dimensions of human potential.

First Edition released May 2014.

Written by a sports psychologist and a renowned T'ai Chi master, here is a guide to enriching all of life's pursuits through the practice of its simple mental tools and wisdom. Using stories of success from athletes and businesspeople, the authors present techniques and exercises to promote relaxation and enhance performance.

Since the 1970s, the influence of oriental philosophy, in particular the Buddhist tradition, in the field of psychotherapy has been quite profound. Taoism has not had the same impact on modern psychotherapeutic models. Yet, as early as 1936, Alva LaSalle Kitselman who was, at that time, studying oriental languages at Stanford University, with a particular emphasis on Sanskrit, created his own version of the classic text of the Taoist tradition - the book of Lao Tzu entitled the Tao Teh King. His version of this classic was, as he said, a restatement rather than being a new translation from the ancient Chinese. After its publication, and through a chance encounter with one of the librarians at Stanford, he began to realise that Taoism and Taoist philosophy could be used as a form of therapy, specifically in the form he called 'non-directiveness' or 'non-directive therapy.' In the 1950s Kitsleman published an audio lecture on his early experiences using the Tao Teh King entitled 'An Ancient Therapy'. In the lecture he compared and contrasted his application of Taoist philosophy in psychotherapy with the 'client centred therapy' approach of Carl R. Rogers. This new publication of Kitselman's version of the Tao Teh King and the story of his discovery will hopefully ignite a real interest in combining the wisdom of this classic Taoist text with modern psychotherapeutic methodologies. A. L. 'Beau' Kitselman was a remarkable man, a genius whose interests ranged from mathematics, science and computer programming to exploring the potential of the human mind.

Laozi: Quest for the Ultimate Reality includes: The complete Chinese text of the Dao De Jing, presented with the English translation and interpretation, conveniently all in a single page for easy reference. The 81 chapters, each begins in a new page. Discussion: Of controversies and ethics, uniquely with evidences taken direct from the Dao De Jing itself Dating the Dao De Jing Authorship Is Laozi writing for the rulers? Is Laozi a mystic? Is Laozi religious? Is Laozi a philosopher? Is Laozi a scientist Is Laozi a pessimist Is Laozi laughable? The Chinese Bellows Concept of Dao (, the Primal Entity) Concept of De (, the Primal Virtue) Concepts of Wu (, Have-not), You (, Have) Concept of Naming Concept of Correlatives On Benevolence, Righteousness and Etiquette On Contentment On Fame and Wealth On Fears and Crises On Femininity appreciated On Freedom On Greatness On Happiness of the Daoist On Honesty On Humility On Life-Death, Survival On Meditation On Not-Contesting On Paradoxes On Problems and Difficulties On Purpose of Life On Retribution On Salvation On Self-Understanding and Cultivation On Success and Failure On Triumph of the Weak On Trust On Uncertainties of life On Wars On WuWei ( ) On WuWei, WuBuWei (, ) Conclusion: The Dao De Jing clearly reflects Laozi's quest for the ultimate reality (Dao), and the founding of pacific Daoism (De). Jingwei ( ): b.1945, was a research scientist in medical-biochemistry. Retired in 2007, he has since study the Dao De Jing very closely, and uniquely has discovered the scientist in Laozi, the philosopher. He believes he has demystified, not the man, but the book that has been baffling interpretors for centuries, and has succeeded in making it enjoyable to both the general public and the serious scholars, with the self-publication of this non-fiction monograph.

Everything in this world is born out of the same root and has a similar origin.

Though things look all different, they are actually the same, like the leaves on the left and those on the right.

If you always look at things with a humble mind and examine them closely, you will get to know that there is nothing irrelevant to the Universe.

Begin every day with gratitude and end every day with gratitude, and lead a pleasant and leisurely life. Your life is the only thing that you can create. The life that you create changes you, and your change will change you even more. Thus, how can you live your life unpleasantly?

"I simply needed to know I was wanted" "I simply needed to know I was wanted," Kenny Loggins once said. This comes from a man who knew how much people loved him and adored his songs, from a man who has been probably more productive in his life than ninety nine percent of the population, from a man who lived his life discovering His Way, His Tao, and never stopped. There's a lesson to be learned here, the lesson that the great thinkers of the ages, from Laozi (Lao Tzu), Buddha and Christ, to "enlightened" era philosophers like Kant, Hegel and Schopenhauer, to the modern spiritual leaders and thinkers of our age have been pondering and yet still do not have the answer to - "Can A Man Reach Perfection, the Spirit, the Divine, if you will?" Or perhaps there's no need to actually reach perfection and it is indeed the Way, the Tao that is our lives, that matters the most? Are we drifting aimlessly in a sea of change or are we looking for a beacon to guide us? For Kenny Loggins, that connection to the spiritual has always been his ability to, as he put it, " Stop and listen to the song playing in my head." This for him was the light, the love, the sense of Interconnectedness of the world as a whole and his songs are the records of what the Spirit imparted to him when he would allow himself to listen. For the man who was so connected to his inner self and to the spiritual around him, Kenny Loggins to this day is still discovering his Tao and that idea of never stop "listening to the songs that are playing in our heads," is, perhaps, his greatest gift to us. I hope you will embark on this journey with Kenny Loggins and me and we will all emerge wiser, better, and filled with the Love that is easy to find if we just stop and listen. After reading Kenny Loggins book, The Unimaginable Life, It was obvious he had underwent a major shift in his awareness to the innerconnectiveness, truth, and love of the universal divine love. Through his music he was able to demonstrate these new principles. With the release of the album "Leap of Faith" in 1991, Loggins brought forth his joy of this awakening and desired to share the incredible sense of love and belonging he had discovered. Even though by his own admission, his music had always had a deep spiritualness to it, it was with this album that he knew he was awakened to it and truly felt it. He was singing from his soul. He was singing an universal truth that has been here since the beginning of time. With Leap of Faith, his music took on a new higher level of spiritualness that reminded me of the same type of awareness that is in Zen and in Taoism. The principles of Truth, Love, and the Innerconnectiveness is essentially the same with Kenny Loggins as with Lao Tzu. Let's take a look at Kenny Loggins music from a Zen perspective. According to Osho, "Zen is like a telegram. It believes in the very essentials. It has no nonsense around it, no rituals, no chanting, no mantras, no scriptures- just small anecdotes. If you have the right awareness, they hit you directly in the heart. It is a very condensed and crystallized teaching, but it needs the person to be prepared for it. And the only preparation is meditative awareness. Zen and the Tao are very fragmentary, like telegrams, urgent, immediate, not giving you any explanation, but simply giving you the very essence, the perfume of thousand of flowers. You just have to be alert enough to absorb them. I'm trying to give a context, the right background, because I am talking to people who are not born in the Zen-Taoist tradition." Examples of these "telegrams" are throughout the lyrics of Loggins music. Like "Conviction of the Heart," this is a song that I believe that Lao Tzu could have written if he were alive today. This "telegram" drives home the very essence of the message with crystal clarity, "With any Conviction of the Heart, One with the earth, with the sky, One with everything in life, I believe that we'll survive, If we only try..."

Just as Christianity has its Vatican in Rome, modern Daoism boasts of a unique center of religious authority and administration: the Temple of the White Clouds (Baiyun guan) in Beijing, seat of the general headquarters of the Chinese Daoist Association. This temple complex in Beijing, called by Dr Esposito "modern Daoism's Vatican," houses the grave of the mythical founder of Daoism's Quanzhen tradition and celebrates the patriarchs of its Longmen ("Dragon Gate") branch as his legitimate heirs. Monica Esposito describes in this book how Daoist masters and historiographers in China, much like their Catholic counterparts in Europe, invented a glorious patriarchal lineage as well as a system of ordination designed to perpetuate orthodox transmission and central control. They also created a kind of New Testament: a new canonical collection of scriptures entitled "The Gist of the Daoist Canon" (Daozang jiyao). It contains hundreds of texts including the Daoist classic The Secret of the Golden Flower which achieved fame through the commentary by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. A classic study on the invention of religious traditions, the four parts of Creative Daoism describe in detail the construction of the Daoist Vatican's lineage of patriarchs, system of ordination, canon of sacred scriptures, and doctrine of universal salvation.