An Introduction To Daoist Thought

Author : Eske Møllgaard
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134097476
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.70/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An Introduction to Daoist Thought written by Eske Møllgaard and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-08-07 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : Steve Coutinho
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231512880
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An Introduction to Daoist Philosophies written by Steve Coutinho and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-11-19 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Author : Chad Hansen
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0195350766
Total Pages : 465 pages
Book Rating : 4.60/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought written by Chad Hansen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-08-17 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ambitious book presents a new interpretation of Chinese thought guided both by a philosopher's sense of mystery and by a sound philosophical theory of meaning. That dual goal, Hansen argues, requires a unified translation theory. It must provide a single coherent account of the issues that motivated both the recently untangled Chinese linguistic analysis and the familiar moral-political disputes. Hansen's unified approach uncovers a philosophical sophistication in Daoism that traditional accounts have overlooked.

Author : Hans-Georg Moeller
Publisher : Open Court
ISBN 13 : 0812697502
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Daoism Explained written by Hans-Georg Moeller and published by Open Court. This book was released on 2011-04-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hans-Georg Moeller has achieved the perfect blend with Daoism Explained. It is both a fascinating introduction on Daoist thought as well as an original and insightful contribution to Eastern philosophy. This book will take the place of The Tao of Pooh by Hoff. Like that book, Doaism Explained offers a comprehensive presentation of Daoist philosophy that is interesting and easy to follow. The study sheds new light on many Doaist allegories by showing how modern translations often concealed the original wit and humor of the Chinese original, or imposed alien philosophical frameworks on them. It attempts to take away the metaphysical and Christian disguises with which Daoist philosophy has been obscured by Western interpretations in the past 100 years.

Author : Eske Møllgaard
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134097484
Total Pages : 171 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An Introduction to Daoist Thought written by Eske Møllgaard and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-08-07 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is increasing interest in Daoism in the West, where Laozi [Lao Tzu] is well-known. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to Zhuangzi, the most brilliant but overlooked Daoist thinker in ancient China First book in English to introduce this important Daoist thinker Offers succinct accounts of ancient Chinese schools of thought (Confucians, Mohist logicians, Sophists, and so on) that competed with the Daoists Compares Zhuangzi’s thought to Western philosophy and suggests striking similarities as well as decisive differences China’s significance in the world is increasing and today it is indispensable to understand Chinese culture. Daoist views of language and ethics are crucial to the Chinese tradition, but have generally be overlooked in the West Of interest to scholars of East Asian Studies, East Asian Religion and Philosophy

Author : Stephen R. Bokenkamp
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 052092312X
Total Pages : 520 pages
Book Rating : 4.26/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Early Daoist Scriptures written by Stephen R. Bokenkamp and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-11-10 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For centuries Daoism (Taoism) has played a central role in the development of Chinese thought and civilization, yet to this day only a few of its sacred texts have been translated into English. Now Stephen R. Bokenkamp introduces the reader to ancient scriptures never before published in the West, providing a systematic and easily accessible introduction to early Daoism (c. 2nd-6th C.E.). Representative works from each of the principal Daoist traditions comprise the basic structure of the book, with each chapter accompanied by an introduction that places the material within a historical and cultural context. Included are translations of the earliest Daoist commentary to Laozi's Daode jing (Tao Te Ching); historical documents relating the history of the early Daoist church; a petitioning ritual used to free believers from complaints brought against them by the dead; and two complete scriptures, one on individual meditation practice and another designed to rescue humanity from the terrors of hell through recitation of its powerful charms. In addition, Bokenkamp elucidates the connections Daoism holds with other schools of thought, particularly Confucianism and Buddhism. This book provides a much-needed introduction to Daoism for students of religion and is a welcome addition for scholars wishing to explore Daoist sacred literature. It serves as an overview to every aspect of early Daoist tradition and all the seminal practices which have helped shape the religion as it exists today.

Author : Ronnie L. Littlejohn
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0857738178
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Daoism written by Ronnie L. Littlejohn and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2009-03-16 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The way that can be told is not the eternal Way; the name that can be named is not the eternal Name.' So begins the first verse of the mysterious "Dao De Jing", foundation text of the ancient Chinese religion of Daoism. Often attributed to semi-mythical sage Laozi, the origins of this enigmatic document - which probably came into being in the third century BCE - are actually unknown. But the tenets of Daoism laid down in the "Dao De Jing", and in later texts like the "Yi Jing" (or "Book of Changes"), continue to exert considerable fascination, particularly in the West, where in recent years they have been popularized by writers such as the novelist Ursula K LeGuin. In this fresh and engaging introduction to Daoism, Ronnie L Littlejohn discusses the central facets of a tradition which can sometimes seem as elusive as the slippery notion of 'Dao' itself. The author shows that fundamental to Daoism is the notion of 'Wu-wei', or non-action: a paradoxical idea emphasizing alignment of the self with the harmony of the universe, a universe in continual flux and change. This flux is expressed by the famous symbol of Dao, the 'taiji' representing yin and yang eternally correlating in the form of a harmonious circle. Exploring the great subtleties of this ancient religion, Littlejohn traces its development and encounters with Buddhism; its expression in art and literature; its fight for survival during the Cultural Revolution; and its manifestations in modern-day China and beyond.

Author : J.J. Clarke
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134625278
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.77/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Tao of the West written by J.J. Clarke and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-01-04 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, J.J. Clarke shows us how Taoist texts, ideas, and practices have been assimilated within a whole range of Western ideas and agendas. We see how Chinese thinkers such as Lao-tzu and Chuang tzu, along with practices such as Feng Shui and Tai Chi, have been used as a key Western inspiration in religion, philosophy, ethics, politics, ecology and health. The Tao of the West not only provides a fascinating introduction to Taoism, it also offers a timely insight into the history of the West's encounter with this ancient tradition, and into the issues arising from inter-cultural dialogue. Anyone interested in understanding the key influence Taoism has had on the West will welcome and embrace this book.

Author : Roel Sterckx
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 1541618459
Total Pages : 512 pages
Book Rating : 4.59/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ways of Heaven written by Roel Sterckx and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2019-09-17 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brilliant history of ancient China's masters of philosophy -- and how they help us understand China today In Ways of Heaven, leading China scholar Roel Sterckx offers an engrossing introduction to classical China's world of ideas. Drawing on evocative examples from philosophical texts, literature, and everyday life over centuries of Chinese history, Sterckx introduces major thinkers and traditions, illuminates key concepts like the dao, qi, yin, and yang, and examines questions of leadership, social order, death, nature, and more. He also reveals how these ideas shape contemporary China, from table manners at a traditional banquet, to the Chinese obsession with education and family, to the rhetoric of political leaders and the nation's grand strategy. Essential reading for students, travelers, businesspeople, and anyone curious about this rising global power, Ways of Heaven shows that to comprehend China today we must learn to think Chinese.

Author : Harold D. Roth
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438482728
Total Pages : 460 pages
Book Rating : 4.29/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Contemplative Foundations of Classical Daoism written by Harold D. Roth and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2021-05-01 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Contemplative Foundations of Classical Daoism, Harold D. Roth explores the origins and nature of the Daoist tradition, arguing that its creators and innovators were not abstract philosophers but, rather, mystics engaged in self-exploration and self-cultivation, which in turn provided the insights embodied in such famed works as the Daodejing and Zhuangzi. In this compilation of essays and chapters representing nearly thirty years of scholarship, Roth examines the historical and intellectual origins of Daoism and demonstrates how this distinctive philosophy emerged directly from practices that were essentially contemplative in nature. In the first part of the book, Roth applies text-critical methods to derive the hidden contemplative dimensions of classical Daoism. In the second part, he applies a "contemplative hermeneutic" to explore the relationship between contemplative practices and classical Daoist philosophy and, in so doing, brings early Daoist writings into conversation with contemporary contemplative studies. To this he adds an introduction in which he reflects on the arc and influence on the field of early Chinese thought of this rich vein of scholarship and an afterword in which he applies both interpretive methods to the vexing question of the authorship of the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi. The Contemplative Foundations of Classical Daoism brings to fruition the cumulative investigations and observations of a leading figure in the emerging field of contemplative studies as they pertain to a core component of early Chinese thought.