Daoism Excavated: Cosmos and Humanity in Early Manuscripts (Contemporary Chinese Scholarship in Daoist Studies) - Softcover

Wang, Zhongjiang

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1931483620 ISBN 13: 9781931483629

Publisher: Three Pines Press, 2016

Synopsis

Daoism Excavated explores issues of cosmogony and cosmology, notably the understanding and political application of oneness in the light of newly excavated Daoist manuscripts. They include the Hengxian, Taiyi shengshui, Fanwu liuxing, and the Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor as well as the various new finds of Laoziversions from Guodian, Mawangdui, and the Peking University Han edition.
The work is meticulous and examines character variants and specific phrases in great detail, opening new understanding and powerful insights into the thinking and dynamics of early Daoist masters.

About this title

About the Author

Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is professor emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University. The author or editor of over 40 books, she now lives in Florida, serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies, and runs various workshops and conferences. Her specialty is medieval Daoism and the study of Chinese longevity practices. She has written and edited numerous books and is a long-term practitioner of taiji quan, qigong, yoga, and meditation.

Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is professor emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University. The author or editor of over 40 books, she now lives in Florida, serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Daoist Studies, and runs various workshops and conferences. Her specialty is medieval Daoism and the study of Chinese longevity practices. She has written and edited numerous books and is a long-term practitioner of taiji quan, qigong, yoga, and meditation.

Review

This new book on early Daoist cosmologies provides an innovative and insightful account of some of the main, recently excavated texts on cosmology. There is no other collection of essays in a Western language that discusses this particular group of new texts so clearly, according to a core logic underlying naturalistic approaches to human life and society. The author's deep familiarity with these excavated texts, in combination with his knowledge of the received philosophical traditions and in the expert, extremely fluid translation by Livia Kohn, culminates here in intriguing, synthetic interpretations that enhance our current understanding of the ancient philosophical and religious orientations of China. Truly a work of beauty, Daoism Excavated is a must for anyone interested in traditional Chinese thought. --Erica Brindley, Pennsylvania State University

Wang Zhongjiang of Peking University has been one of the most prominent researchers on recently excavated Chinese manuscripts and the light that they shed on Chinese philosophy and religion. In this superb collection, Livia Kohn translates Wang's studies of Laozi, Hengxian, Taiyi shengshui, and other texts at the forefront of this new wealth of material. The texts for the most part previously unknown in any edition share a strong focus on cosmology, but they also bear on the relationship between human beings and nature, offering exciting new insights. A path-breaking study, the book is essential for anyone with an interest in classical Chinese culture. --Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania

Edition details

• Publisher: Three Pines Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1931483620
• ISBN 13: 9781931483629
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 215