Product Description
Using a wide variety of original sources, this book brings to light how and why asceticism was carried out by Taoists during the first six centuries of the common era. It examines the practice of fasting, celibacy, self-imposed poverty, wilderness seclusion and sleep-avoidance, and it discusses the beliefs and attitudes that motivated and justified such drastic actions.

Asceticism in Early Taoist Religion demonstrates that although Taoist ascetics pursued austerities that were extremely rigorous, they did not seek to mortify the flesh. Through their austerities, they almost always sought to improve their physical strength and health, because they aspired toward physical longevity as well as spiritual perfection. Even though they sometimes taxed their bodies severely, they believed that their strength and health would eventually be restored if they persevered. The highest goal was to ascend to divine realms in an immortal body.

However, certain beliefs that emerged during this period--particularly those influenced by Buddhism--may have caused some Taoist ascetics to virtually abandon their concern with longevity, and to focus disproportionately upon the perfection of the spirit. Such ascetics were more likely to purposely harm and neglect their bodies, contradictory as this may have been to the cherished ideals of the Taoist religion. Eskildsen traces how this problem may have emerged, and how it was viewed and dealt with by those who maintained the ideal of longevity. ... Read more

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El valor del estudio serio y profundo
Que obra erudita tan completa y general a la vez! Para aquellos que investigamos, estudiamos y practicamos el ascetismo y las recomendaciones dieteticas de los taoistas, esta obra agrega conocimiento y seriedad de primera mano. Agradezco profundamente el serio esfuerzo de este erudito. ... Read more

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An exploration of Chinese thought during a time of monumental change, the period after the fall of the Han dynasty. ... Read more

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Renowned international scholars examine crucial issues surrounding the Laozi, the third century Chinese classic also known as the Daodejing in this indispensable volume. The work offers diverse interpretations, a wide range of scholarly traditions, and a variety of ways to engage, ponder, and evaluate the Laozi. ... Read more

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Lao Tzu
a great book for people who are interested in the philosophy and the practices of the earliest "Daoists". Many of the best modern scholars have contributed essays to this book, such as Liu Xiaogan, Robert Henricks, Harold Roth, Philip Ivanhoe and Isabelle Robinet. Check out the sample pages available above. Liu Xiaogan's 24-page essay examining Ziran ("naturalness and spontaneity") is my personal favourite. I believe that this "concept" is the most important one in all of the Daoist philosophy. Ivanhoe brings to light some aspects of De (Virtue - Power) that previous scholars have overlooked. Isabelle Robinet also wrote a good essay illustrating, by comparison, the various interpretations of many past "experts".

BAO PU ... Read more

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An engagement between Confucianism and the philosophy of Richard Rorty. ... Read more

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A Cornerstone of Sorts
The three way comparison format (english translation, cultural translation, and reasoning for translation based on historical and linguistic fact) and the dry, reserved language give this book the cut to access unique tumblers in the most difficult of locks.LeFargue and his students (he mentions them adding their understanding) paint meaning and understanding like a watercolor, with each layer's contribution plainly visible, rather than the masking qualities of psuedo-scientists' day-glo acrylic or the holistic turtles' enamel pastels.Triangulating one's own understanding from a single source is an unusual treat.For a rational and restrained mind the fit is magic and the bolt of suspicion is thrown back (or a rough slide for some).All the same its the only book in its genre I've been able to wholly admire.

Meaningful text or Rorschach test?
Michael LaFargue says the Tao Te Ching is the former even though it's often treated as the latter.

According to LaFargue (my paraphrase), there are two ways to read the Tao Te Ching, just as there are two ways to read any text.

The first -- the one taken by any number of readers of Lao-Tzu, including some "translators" whom LaFargue doesn't name and I won't either -- is to point your face at it and sort of see how it makes you, like, _feel_, you know?

The second, and the one LaFargue favors, is to place the text in the context for which it was written and try to understand what its writer or speaker would have intended by it.

This is the approach LaFargue uses in order to produce his excellent (and thoroughly annotated and cross-referenced) translation of the Tao Te Ching. He also, in an extremely helpful essay on hermeneutics, discusses this approach at length and explains the context in which he believes the text to have been written.

I won't try to discuss every topic he covers, but one extremely helpful point is his identification of much of the text as what he calls "compensatory wisdom." On his view, some of the Tao Te Ching's pithy sayings are intended not as metaphysical speculation but only as counters to contrary human tendencies. (When we say that "a watched pot never boils," we surely do not mean that if you sit there and watch a pot, it will literally _never_ boil. We are merely warning against a common tendency to rush things that can't be rushed.)

This seems to me to be right on the money, and indeed to be pretty widely applicable to Oriental religious literature including the Bible. It is the right way, for example, to read the book of Proverbs, and some of Jesus's sayings from the Christian New Testament as well.

LaFargue's volume, then, may be of interest both to readers of Lao-Tzu and to readers of the Jewish and Christian Bibles. In discussions of "biblical inerrancy" and such, it is too often forgotten that the Bible is ancient Near Eastern literature and therefore not written to modern Western European standards. Inerrantists and religious "liberals" alike could surely profit from greater appreciation of this point; many apparent contradictions just disappear (and so do some theological creeds) once we understand that the text isn't _always_ offering us metaphysical principles.

In any event, widespread reading of LaFargue's book might spare us another spate of ill-considered screeds on "the Tao of" this, that, and the other thing. What a relief that would be.

Inspiring contextualisation and translation: perfect.
As an anthropologist, constantly confronted with hermeneutics and the interpretation of culturally unknown texts and social situations and as a former student of chinese language and philosophie I can only stronglyrecommend this book. It is -by far- the best translation and interpretationI have ever read. Crucial to the the understanding of teh tao te qing is agood and profound explanation of the historical and social setting of thework and its probable authors. Lafargue has achieved this wonderfully.Strongly recommended... ... Read more

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The dynamic relationship between the individual and society has been a central concern of Taoism from its ancient beginnings—which is perhaps why certain Taoist classics, like Sun Tzu’s Art of War, are so often consulted these days for leadership advice. This anthology presents a wide range of texts revealing the processes of integrating personal spirituality with social responsibility central to Taoist tradition across the centuries and throughout the schools. There are a wealth of approaches to life in the world presented here, but at the heart of each is an understanding that even a mystic must be socially responsible and that self-cultivation is primary preparation for anyone called to lead. ... Read more

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A Must Purchase
The Construction of Space in Early China (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)
Without opening "The Construction of Space in Early China," this reader immediately knew of the outstanding scholastic caliber of its author, Mark Edward Lewis, not to mention the publishing caliber of the State University of New York Press (SUNY) and its excellent SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture. Consequently, my expectations were high and I am very pleased to say they were not disappointed in the least. This is a must purchase for those interesting in obtaining a more thorough appreciation and understanding of the Chinese quest for a harmonious union between themselves and their biophysical and socio-anthropological environment that gave rise to a Weltanschauung, or "world view." This study describes their way of reasoning and how they conceived of themselves as being an integral part of the imaged cosmos and intrinsically interjoined with its spiritual, physical, and moral "influences." This is a must purchase for those interesting in obtaining a more thorough grasp of this dimension of Chinese civilization how the Chinese conceived of space and time in relation to themselves and, in turn,their governance of themselves and those other cultures around them. My only regret is that this important study does not have a glossary of relevant terms and words, along with their corresponding ideograms, for the convenience of its readers. ... Read more

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A consideration of China's Mount Emei, long important in Chinese culture and history and of particular significance to Buddhists. ... Read more

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Worth the Journey -- A Landmark Work in the History of Chinese Religion
James Hargett in his Stairway to Heaven - a Journey to the Summit of Mount Emei, writes an outstanding work introducing the reader to the physical, spiritual, and political geography that has shaped one of the greatest holy mountains of China.Mount Emei, or Emei Shan in Chinese, is a vast mountain in the heart of Sichuan Province in southwestern China and is now recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.The mountain, however, is full of paradoxes.Home to many varieties of "precious lights," the ten-thousand foot tall mountain did not enter into the realm of Chinese history -- when the poet Zuo Si wrote a rhapsody about the mountain in the third century.It was not until the time of the tenth or eleventh centuries that the mountain was even summitted.

Rather than merely relying on just a chronological approach to writing a biography of this magnificent mountain, Hargett centers his work on the account left by the Song Dynasty official and Buddhist pilgrim Fan Cheng Da (1126-1193) who climbed the mountain in 1177.Using Fan's work as a compass and road map to the mountain, Hargett takes us through a physical and historical journey to Mount Emei.As we gain in elevation and perspective, he also presents an astonishing amount of research collected from poetry, travelogues, and national histories regarding this wonderful place on the western frontier of the Middle Kingdom.Hargett then layer upon layer skillfully weaves in the accounts left by the Tang Dynasty poet, Li Bo, the Ming Dynasty Buddhist and Daoist gazetteers, and, the actions taken by the Emperors and national officials to endow, control, suppress, or revive access to the mountain.Hargett, who is a Professor of Chinese at the University at Albany State University of New York, has also personally climbed the mountain and this experience intimately illuminates his subject and infuses his writing with a delicate and subtle flavor.

One of the remarkable strengths of Hargett's work is his balance.Rather than getting caught up in a secondary debate as to how to classify the mountain and its boundaries, he shows us how Chinese aesthetics, natural geography, Buddhism, Daoism, and ethnic consciousness all have contributed to creating the identify of Emei Shan.Emei Shan is as much a peak, a range, a tourist attraction, and a place that is as much visited in the mind as well as on foot.

The core of his work revolves around revealing -- in ascending steps -- the nature of Emei Shan.The mountain is shown first as that distant range in a faraway place on the periphery of the Chinese heartland.Like the first Chinese visitors, Hargett shows us Emei as a home to extraordinary physical beauty that would later attracts Daoists who discover Emei's capacity to serve as a bridge from the mundane to immortality.Once established as a holy place, Buddhist monks rediscover Emei Shan who not only use its topography to retell the virtues of the Buddha, but also transform it into a home for the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Puxian Pusa).In effect, they create a new physical and metaphysical history.Now triply endowed by its nature, its holiness, and its history, Emei Shan becomes the focal point of national political interest as emperors bestow their prestige upon the mountain and monks and nuns offer their intentions for the benefit of the State.This social, natural, and metaphysical symbiosis now consciously matures and becomes a center of gravity for other holy mountain ranges and -- by implication -- for China as a whole.

Although this was not the conscious intention of Hargetts' work to compare Western vs. East Asian concepts of time and place, his study of the temporal, physical, and metaphysical space that shapes Emei Shan provides a rich exploration into the essence of the Chinese world view.Carefully documenting and qualifying his observations, he shows how Emei Shan itself is a simile for the transition from center to periphery and a bridge between heaven and earth, a galaxy without boundaries.Unlike the linear view of creator vs. created and measured vs. unmeasured that are the driving concerns of the Western approach to reality, Hargett richly reveals the Chinese ideal of the action and interaction between man, society, and universe, an interaction that spirals out and back, looping again and again, and where there is distance, but never an edge.

Despite the density of information on geography, personalities, and events that have shaped the 2,000-year human history of the mountain, Hargett's writing remains lucid and well framed, carefully guiding the reader from stage to stage and place to place.His translation of Chinese terms is superb.He introduces the reader to dozens of unique Chinese concepts, such as "Zhengshi" or "official historical works" and "Dao Shi" or "Daoist adepts."His English renderings ring true to their original Chinese meanings but are concrete and easily assimilated.I never once had to, as the Chinese put it, "zhou mei tou" or "furrow my brow" in reading this excellent work.That being said, there were two, minor oversights.On page 131 there is a typo, "hot bowels" instead of "hot bowls" and the two photos of famous paintings of Emei Shan on pages 62 and 174 were so dark as to make render them ineffective as illustrations of the mountain's beauty.

While one can use Hargetts' Stairway to Heaven as a physical and historical roadmap to Emei Shan, it is my hope that Hargett in future editions of the work would take more time to explain two very interesting side trails.These two observations are given with the realization that side trails can be difficult, for side trails by their nature can just as readily delay as well as shorten one's approach to the summit.

The first side trail is regarding the role of one major visitor to the mountain, the Daoist Hu Shi An (1593-1663).Hargett many times refers to his works, especially the tome Yi E Lai.Perhaps his closeness to Hu's reflections led Hargett to omit by accident a translation of the work's title, which I would render as "Translating the Tones of [Mount] E." More importantly, we never get a full sense of who Hu Shi An was and why his Yi E Lai was so influential to the development of Emei Shan's identity, especially as Hu Shi An apparently wanted to promote his particular, if not entirely historically reliable, vision of the great mountain.

The second side trail that I would encourage Hargett to explore is the place and meaning of Sheshen Yai or Suicide Cliff.Although Suicide Cliff does overlook a near 5,000-foot drop, he writes, "it is not difficult to imagine how a zealous pilgrim might, in a moment of ecstatic frenzy, attempt the leap directly to the 'Pure Land.'"(See page 184.)My concern here is that while mentioning this dark yet significant tradition of suicide by Buddhist pilgrims a number of times, he does not provide any historical context for it.Although Buddhist suicides by fire are first documented as becoming widespread in the 5th century in the Lives of Eminent Monks (Gao Seng Zhuan) and Lives of the Nuns (Biqiuni Zhuan), both works of the early sixth century, the ties with Pure Land, China's earliest indigenous Buddhist Tradition (Zong), are only contemporaneous at best.Speaking on broader, ethical terms, suicide is considered to be the taking of life in Buddhism and since the creation of the first monastic communities in Eastern India, it is also a parajika, or major transgression, the attempt of which is grounds for immediate expulsion from the Sangha or Buddhist monastic community.I point out the significance of this side trail, not so much as to raise questions concerning the evolution of this peculiar Chinese tradition, but to point out that such exploration may have also led the author to consider Emei Shan's role in the development of Buddhist philosophy. However, as there are already many fine works on the history of Buddhist ideas in China, I am more than satisfied to have enjoyed such a well-written and well-constructed history, demography, and economy of one of the greatest natural and spiritual wonders of the world.

Through Hargett, we are able to truly visit this great mountain and like Li Bo, we are invited to transcend the earthly realm and join the Immortals.This brief review cannot do justice to the scope, vision, and depth of learning that Hargett brings to the fields of Chinese history and Chinese religion.In short, I can think of no one better to guide me on this "journey of 10,000 miles." ... Read more

Product Description
The relation between liberal democracy and Confucianism is explored by author Chenyang Li as he argues for a Chinese future where both coexist as independent value systems. This relationship is shown through a comparative study of Chinese and Western ideas and philosophies of being, truth, language, ethics, religion, and values. The book covers a wide range of philosophers and philosophies, including Aristotle, Zhuang Zi, Heidegger, Confucius, Kripke, and feminist care ethics. Li shows how a comparative approach to different patterns of thinking in Chinese and Western traditions sheds light on the intelligibility of Chinese multiple ethico-religious practice, which in turn supports the claim that democracy and Confucianism can coexist as independent value systems. ... Read more

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Excerpts of Book Reviews
Book reviews on Chenyang Li's "The Tao Encounters the West: Explorations in Comparative Philosophy"

from ETHICS (October 2000):

"An impressive achievement in comparative philosophy, this book covers a broad sweep and includes chapters on ontology, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of language. It reads easily while insightfully addressing fundamental issues with large implications."

"This book culminates in an interesting and plausible argument that the best course for the potential democratization of China is for a thick, value-laden, conception of democracy to exist side by side with a robust Confucianism as complementary value systems, on the model of the coexistence of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism."

from JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION (March 2001):

"This volume by Chenyang Li is a substantial contribution to comparative theology, at once erudite, subtle, and brilliant in its argument."

"Each of the chapters can be read as a separate stand-alone essay, and as such each is imaginative, demonstrative of new insights, technically disciplined, and a contribution to its topic."

"Li's book is far more than a set of comparative essays; rather it is a sustained systematic argument for a new position in the current debate about democracy in China, one that emphasizes the inconsistencies of democracy with Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism."

"Li's position is serious and extremely well argued. It is not merely comparative philosophy but a creatitive venture that brings philosophies into comparison by its own substance."

from CHOICE (September 1999):

"This book fills a timely need for systematic examination and treatment of fundamental philosophical problems from a comparative perspective, with special reference to the Chinese and Western traditions. Chenyang Li is eminently qualified to write this book, as his learning encompasses philosophies of China as well as those of the West.In Seven chapters, Li lucidly discusses being, truth, language, ethics, family, religion, and justice by comparing and contrasting the Confucian, Taoist, and Western approaches. He also suggests ways and means of harmoniously accommodating, in modern China, Confucian and Western democratic values. His critique of Kripke's theory of naming is cogent and persuasive."

"[T]his book is a very valuable contribution to comparative philosophy." ... Read more

Product Description

This is the first volume in English to provide a comprehensive introduction to the philosophical thinking of representative Neo-Confucian thinkers from the eleventh to eighteenth centuries. The volume describes the contributions these thinkers made to debates and discussions associated with the interpretation and deployment of key concepts and issues such as: sagehood; xing (human nature); xin (heart/mind); li (principle) and qi (vital force); dao; tian (heaven); ren (humanity); qing (feeling); cheng (sincerity) ; knowledge; learning; innate capacities vs. learned capacities; self-cultivation; as well as the legacies of the sages of antiquity, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi. Individual chapters also locate the contexts in which these debates and discussions were developed: from interchanges with contemporaries to arguments extended through time. No other book exists which attempts to provide the same sort of comprehensive coverage and analysis. Individual contributors are all experts in the field and range from senior scholars to outstanding early career scholars who have been recommended to the project by their peers.

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Explores the religion developed by the Quanzhen Taoists, who sought to cultivate the mind not only through seated meditation, but also throughout the daily activities of life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent translation, very careful.
You can see the care put into the use of terminology. The precision, careful evaluation.Exquisite work.

It Is What It Is
There is no misdirection in the title of Stephen Eskildsen's book. It is a meaty compendium of the teachings and practices of early Taoist masters of the Quanzhen sect. Much of the content is taken from the writings of the masters themselves, giving authenticity to the book as a credible source. Eskildsen provides summaries of, and commentaries on, the quoted passages which add to the readability of the work. His comments reflect a common-sense attitude towards the sometimes extravagant claims of the masters. Eskildsen is no dupe, but neither is he a debunker. He allows for the shaping of ancient accounts of religious experiences according to the cultural expectations and historical traditions of the time. Some of his observations are tinged with a wry humor that adds to the informality of his presentation. The substance is there, but Eskildsen keeps it from becoming a boring collection of old bones. Notes are extensive and as informative as the text. Extensive bibliography and glossary of Chinese terms in both English and Chinese calligraphy. This is a solid resource for both students of Chinese religious history and practitioners of Taoism.

Excellent text book
This is a very good book. It will help the "friends of Dao" to get closer to their source. Textbook format. ... Read more

Product Description
A systematic study of Wang Bi's (226-249) commentary on the Laozi, this book provides the first systematic study of a Chinese commentator's scholarly craft and introduces a highly sophisticated Chinese way of reading the Taoist classic, one that differs greatly from Western interpretations.

The Laozi has been translated into Western languages hundreds of times over the past two hundred years. It has become the book of Chinese philosophy most widely appreciated for its philosophical depth and lyrical form. Nevertheless, very little attention has been paid to the way in which this book was read in China. This book introduces the reader to a highly sophisticated Chinese way of reading this Taoist classic, a way that differs greatly from the many translations of the Laozi available in the West. ... Read more

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Ian Myles Slater on: The First Installment
"The Craft of a Chinese Commentator" is the first, and probably by far the most accessible, of Rudolf G. Wagner's three volumes on Wang Bi (226-249; Wade-Giles transliteration, Wang Pi), and his commentary on the "Laozi," or "Daodejing" (Wade-Giles, Lao-tzu, Tao Te Ching). The text of the "Laozi" usually translated by Western Sinologists is the edition known as the "Wang Pi text," and three English translations of the "Wang Pi Commentary" had appeared when this book was published.

Wang Bi, although occasionally dismissed by those who prefer religious readings of the "Tao Te Ching" as a logic-chopping "born metaphysician," is probably by a wide margin the traditional commentator most admired by Western scholars. Unhappily for the serious study of his commentaries, that isn't saying much. An almost Protestant zeal to get at the "real meaning" of a Chinese Scripture by stripping away layers of what is presumed to be obfuscation has combined with the recognition that many "received" interpretations were, in fact, politically motivated, to make the whole subject seem of minor importance to serious scholars. (Arthur Waley, although, or because, he was aware of the importance of commentary in the Jewish tradition, explicitly tried to by-pass the Chinese equivalents as much as possible.)

Rudolf Wagner finds it necessary to point out in "Craft," that, although the fact was generally ignored, it had already been demonstrated that the "Wang Pi text" of the "Laozi" did not match the commentary, and was in fact a much later edition, with several layers of added corruption. And the text of the Commentary itself was not in the best shape either! Demonstrations of these matters, and their solutions, however, is postponed.

One main focus of this book is the investigation of the traditional accounts of the young genius, who, in a very short life, changed the direction of study of both the "Laozi"and the "Yijing" (I Ching; or, less familiarly, the "Zhouyi," "'Changes' of the Chou Dynasty"). Wagner clears away a good deal of mythologization; and, of even greater value in some ways, deals with what the legend-making process tells us about how Wang Bi was perceived.

We learn how a very young man came into possession of one of the greatest private collections of manuscripts in all of China, a matter of great importance when the Imperial libraries were destroyed in an age of upheaval; how being a provincial nobody probably saved his life when his more highly placed friends were wiped out in a purge of the "Pure Speech" movement (sounds very modern); and how his early death was attributed, not to the authorities, but the outraged spirits of the Han commentators he disdained -- and whose works are now lost.

There is also a literary and linguistic side of the study, analyzing Wang Bi's understanding of the stylistic features of classical Chinese which function to some extent as the written language's grammar (a category which some Chinese have been only too glad to follow some Westerners in denying is relevant; a position finally abandoned, although its traces remain in the literature). I found this fascinating, although harder to follow than the biographical and historical material. Presumably a reader who actually knows Chinese, particularly Classical Chinese, would find it less of a strain. Or maybe not; Wagner seems to be challenging some assumptions embedded in how the language is taught.

Wagner's description of what he calls the "Interlocking Parallel Style" (IPS), and Wang Bi's use of it as a reading technique, and in his own exposition, seemed to me to be convincing. Of course, I at first associated the term Parallel Style with ancient western poetries (Biblical Hebrew, Old English, and others), and not all the connections I was making were helpful to following the argument. Wagner's translation of Wang Bi should make it clearer whether this concept is as useful as it seems to be in examples provided here. (To anticipate a comment below, for whateve it is worth, I think it does.)

The actual substance of Wang Bi's "Laozi" commentary, and his philosophy, are given only a cursory treatment in "Craft," for the very good reason that they are the subject of two later books, then already being prepared for publication. One of these, "Language, Ontology, and Political Philosophy in China: Wang Bi's Scholarly Exploration of the Dark (Xuanxue)," I have yet to try reading.

I am working my way, slowly, through Wagner's "A Chinese Reading of the 'Daodejing': Wang Bi's Commentary on the 'Laozi' with Critical Text and Translation," which establishes a critical text of two works (one long thought lost) by Wang Bi, with translation and commentary, and a reconstruction of the Laozi text he was using, based on other Chinese editions, and the ancient manuscripts excavated at Mawangdui and Guodian, the former of which, in particular, seemingly have a common ancestor with Wang Bi's preferred text, although not identical to it. So far, the Interlocking Parallel Style approach does seem to clarify the translation, even if Wagner's method of displaying it on the page is at first a little distracting.

I can report, therefore, that "The Craft of the Chinese Commentator," although it can stand alone, proves to be the essential introduction to this larger, and much more technical volume; and I assume it has the same relationship to "Language, Ontology, and Political Philosophy."

For specialists only
This is a very technical analysis of the structure of Wang Bi's Laozi commentary, and it is clearly written. As a general reader (non-sinologist) I was able to read it, my interest in Wang Bi had been sparked by John Lynn's translations of the Laozi and Yijing commentaries, and Alan Chan's "Two Visions of the Way". But at the end of the book, I had the feeling of being unable to set the sinological data of Wagner in the broader context of the Chinese culture of the time. Presumably because Wagner is writing for specialists or post-graduate students who already know it. Having a strong personal interest in philosophy, I found this book insensitive to the philosophical issues. I know that Wagner published another book on Wang Bi's philosophy, but I feel that the philosophical issues should not be separated from the subject at any time. A great example of detailed technical sinology with a sensitivity to philosophy is the Brooks' recent "Original Analects" study. ... Read more

Product Description
A cross-cultural work that reinvigorates the consideration of enlightenment. ... Read more

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"Explores the work of Guo Ziang, a Neo-Taoist thinker who developed a radical philosophy of freedom and spontaneity." ... Read more

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Hoping for something different
Guo Xiang is a little-known and relatively late Taoist writer. He followed a common usage in rigidly decorous Confucian society. Phrasing anything as a new idea would have been an unforgivable snub to the classic masters, but commentaries on the classics honored them properly. This book is phrased as a commentary on the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), but the commentary really says more about Guo's thinking than about Zhuangzi's.

Unlike earlier Taoist authors, Guo was firmly a part of a strict, hierarchical, Confucian society. That gives much of his writing an odd cast. Earlier Taoists seemed quite egalitarian, rating the high or low according to their wisdom in The Way. Guo, among other things, reinforces the status quo by saying it is The Way for some to have much and others to have little - it would be improper to take from the former or to give to the latter. Social rank seems like a force of nature, on a par with gravity.

Guo said lots more, too, but I found it hard to get Guo's words from this book. This is overwhelmingly a philosophical commentary on the text of Guo, not a presentation of that text. As a result, Guo's own words are taken selectively, with little concern for their original order or context. That selectivity supported the modern commmentator's theses well. It will disappoint readers who, like me, mostly want a translation of the original text. The commentary seems well done, but just isn't what I was after.

I'm reviewing this as an amateur enthusiast of Asian classics, not as a serious sinologist or philosopher. I expect other reviewers, with other purposes and expectations, to rate this book very differently.

//wiredweird ... Read more

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Presents wide-ranging and up-to-date interpretations of the Zhuangzi, the Daoist classic and one of the most elusive works ever written. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1870.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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The Dao Companion to Japanese Confucian Philosophy will be part of the handbook series Dao Companion to Chinese Philosophy, published by Springer. This series is being edited by Professor Huang Yong, Professor of Philosophy at Kutztown University and Editor of Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy. This volume includes original essays by scholars from the U.S., Europe, Japan, and China, discussing important philosophical writings by Japanese Confucian philosophers. The main focus, historically, will be the early-modern period (1600-1868), when much original Confucian philosophizing occurred, and Confucianism in modern Japan.

The Dao Companion to Japanese Confucian Philosophy makes a significant contribution to the Dao handbook series, and equally to the field of Japanese philosophy. This new volume including original philosophical studies will be a major contribution to the study of Confucianism generally and Japanese philosophy in particular.

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Examines the thought of Li Guangdi, an exponent of the Cheng-Zhu school of Confucianism and a powerful statesman during the Qing dynasty. ... Read more