Philosophy And Religion In Early Medieval China

Author : Alan K. L. Chan,Yuet-Keung Lo
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2010-08-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781438431895

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Philosophy and Religion in Early Medieval China by Alan K. L. Chan,Yuet-Keung Lo Pdf

Exploring a time of profound change, this book details the intellectual ferment after the fall of the Han dynasty. Questions about "heaven" and the affairs of the world that had seemed resolved by Han Confucianism resurfaced and demanded reconsideration. New currents in philosophy, religion, and intellectual life emerged to leave an indelible mark on the subsequent development of Chinese thought and culture. This period saw the rise of xuanxue ("dark learning" or "learning of the mysterious Dao"), the establishment of religious Daoism, and the rise of Buddhism. In examining the key ideas of xuanxue and focusing on its main proponents, the contributors to this volume call into question the often-presumed monolithic identity of this broad philosophical front. The volume also highlights the richness and complexity of religion in China during this period, examining the relationship between the Way of the Celestial Master and local, popular religious beliefs and practices, and discussing the relationship between religious Daoism and Buddhism.

Author : Alan K. L. Chan,Yuet-Keung Lo
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2010-07-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781438432199

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Interpretation and Literature in Early Medieval China by Alan K. L. Chan,Yuet-Keung Lo Pdf

Covering a time of great intellectual ferment and great influence on what was to come, this book explores the literary and hermeneutic world of early medieval China. In addition to profound political changes, the fall of the Han dynasty allowed new currents in aesthetics, literature, interpretation, ethics, and religion to emerge during the Wei-Jin Nanbeichao period. The contributors to this volume present developments in literature and interpretation during this era from a variety of methodological perspectives, frequently highlighting issues hitherto unremarked in Western or even Chinese and Japanese scholarship. These include the rise of new literary and artistic values as the Han declined, changing patterns of patronage that helped reshape literary tastes and genres, and new developments in literary criticism. The religious changes of the period are revealed in the literary self-presentation of spiritual seekers, the influence of Daoism on motifs in poetry, and Buddhist influences on both poetry and historiography. Traditional Chinese literary figures, such as the fox and the ghost, receive fresh analysis about their particular representation during this period.

Author : Nathan Sivin
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:718217886

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Medicine, Philosophy and Religion in Ancient China by Nathan Sivin Pdf

Author : Robert Ford Campany
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Page : 321 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2009-02-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780824863494

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Making Transcendents by Robert Ford Campany Pdf

Honorable Mention, Joseph Levenson Prize (pre-1900 category), Association for Asian Studies By the middle of the third century B.C.E. in China there were individuals who sought to become transcendents (xian)—deathless, godlike beings endowed with supernormal powers. This quest for transcendence became a major form of religious expression and helped lay the foundation on which the first Daoist religion was built. Both xian and those who aspired to this exalted status in the centuries leading up to 350 C.E. have traditionally been portrayed as secretive and hermit-like figures. This groundbreaking study offers a very different view of xian-seekers in late classical and early medieval China. It suggests that transcendence did not involve a withdrawal from society but rather should be seen as a religious role situated among other social roles and conceived in contrast to them. Robert Campany argues that the much-discussed secrecy surrounding ascetic disciplines was actually one important way in which practitioners presented themselves to others. He contends, moreover, that many adepts were not socially isolated at all but were much sought after for their power to heal the sick, divine the future, and narrate their exotic experiences. The book moves from a description of the roles of xian and xian-seekers to an account of how individuals filled these roles, whether by their own agency or by others’—or, often, by both. Campany summarizes the repertoire of features that constituted xian roles and presents a detailed example of what analyses of those cultural repertoires look like. He charts the functions of a basic dialectic in the self-presentations of adepts and examines their narratives and relations with others, including family members and officials. Finally, he looks at hagiographies as attempts to persuade readers as to the identities and reputations of past individuals. His interpretation of these stories allows us to see how reputations were shaped and even co-opted—sometimes quite surprisingly—into the ranks of xian. Making Transcendents provides a nuanced discussion that draws on a sophisticated grasp of diverse theoretical sources while being thoroughly grounded in traditional Chinese hagiographical, historiographical, and scriptural texts. The picture it presents of the quest for transcendence as a social phenomenon in early medieval China is original and provocative, as is the paradigm it offers for understanding the roles of holy persons in other societies.

Author : Herbert Allen Giles
Publisher : DigiCat
Page : 49 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2022-06-13
Category : Religion
ISBN : EAN:8596547066774

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Religions of Ancient China by Herbert Allen Giles Pdf

"Religions of Ancient China" by Herbert Allen Giles is an educational text that helped to bring the rich history of ancient China to the western world. A seminal text, the book is still worth reading today, despite the greater number of books on the topic that are now available.

Author : Chun Shan
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 340 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2012-06-26
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783642293177

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Major Aspects of Chinese Religion and Philosophy by Chun Shan Pdf

The book addresses academically the major aspects of Chinese religion and philosophy, designated as the doctrine of being internal sage and external king. The perspective applied is the integration between western and Chinese scholarship and English readers may gain an easy and interesting access to Chinese intellectual tradition, distinctive itself in a harmony between being holy and secular in any mundane human being to the western tradition of “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. By this contrast the intellectual charms and spiritual merits of Chinese tradition will be better appreciated, hence conducive to the much anticipated dialogues between western and eastern civilizations at this globalized yet conflicted world. ​

Author : David Chai
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 250 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2021-09-09
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781000437386

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Reading Ji Kang's Essays by David Chai Pdf

This is the first English-language book on the philosophy of Ji Kang. Moreover, it offers the first systematic treatment of his philosophy, thus filling a significant gap in English-language scholarship on early medieval Chinese literature and philosophy. David Chai brings to light Ji Kang’s Neo-Daoist heritage and explores the themes in his writings that were derived from classical Daoism, most notably the need for humanity to return to a more harmonious co-existence with Nature to further our own self-understanding. His analysis is unique in that it balances translation and annotation with expositing the creative philosophizing of Neo-Daoism. Chai analyzes the entirety of Ji Kang’s essays, exploring his philosophical reflections on music, aesthetics, ethics, self-cultivation, and fate. Reading Ji Kang/s Essays will be of interest to scholars and students of Chinese philosophy and literature. It offers the first comprehensive philosophical examination of a heretofore neglected figure in Neo-Daoism.

Author : Daniel Fried
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2018-10-29
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781438471938

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Dao and Sign in History by Daniel Fried Pdf

Provides a new perspective on important linguistic issues in philosophical and religious Daoism through the comparative lens of twentieth-century European philosophies of language. From its earliest origins in the Dao De Jing, Daoism has been known as a movement that is skeptical of the ability of language to fully express the truth. While many scholars have compared the earliest works of Daoism to language-skeptical movements in twentieth-century European philosophy and have debated to what degree early Daoism does or does not resemble these recent movements, Daniel Fried breaks new ground by examining a much broader array of Daoist materials from ancient and medieval China and showing how these works influenced ideas about language in medieval religion, literature, and politics. Through an extended comparison with a broad sample of European philosophical works, the book explores how ideas about language grow out of a given historical moment and advances a larger argument about how philosophical and religious ideas cannot be divided into “content” and “context.” “Fried combines the disciplines of semiotics with a largely philosophical approach, thus offering fresh insights into both disciplines, while looking at issues from multiple perspectives.” — Steven Burik, author of The End of Comparative Philosophy and the Task of Comparative Thinking: Heidegger, Derrida, and Daoism

Author : John Lagerwey,Marc Kalinowski
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 1281 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2008-12-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789004168350

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Early Chinese Religion: Part One: Shang Through Han (1250 BC-220 AD) (2 Vols) by John Lagerwey,Marc Kalinowski Pdf

Together, and for the first time in any language, the 24 essays gathered in these volumes provide a composite picture of the history of religion in ancient China from the emergence of writing ca. 1250 BC to the collapse of the first major imperial dynasty in 220 AD. It is a multi-faceted tale of changing gods and rituals that includes the emergence of a form of “secular humanism” that doubts the existence of the gods and the efficacy of ritual and of an imperial orthodoxy that founds its legitimacy on a distinction between licit and illicit sacrifices. Written by specialists in a variety of disciplines, the essays cover such subjects as divination and cosmology, exorcism and medicine, ethics and self-cultivation, mythology, taboos, sacrifice, shamanism, burial practices, iconography, and political philosophy. Produced under the aegis of the Centre de recherche sur les civilisations chinoise, japonaise et tibétaine (UMR 8155) and the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris).

Author : Arthur Waley
Publisher : Stanford University Press
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1982
Category : Literary Collections
ISBN : 0804711690

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Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China by Arthur Waley Pdf

In the fourth century BC three conflicting points of view in Chinese philosophy received classic expression: the Taoist, the Confucianist, and the "Realist." This book underscores the interplay between these three philosophies, drawing on extracts from Chuang Tzu, Mencius, and Han Fei Tzu.

Author : Mu-chou Poo,Poo Mu-Chou,Muzhou Pu
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 350 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 1998-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0791436292

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In Search of Personal Welfare by Mu-chou Poo,Poo Mu-Chou,Muzhou Pu Pdf

The first major reassessment of ancient Chinese religion to appear in recent years, this book presents the religious mentality of the period through personal and daily experiences.

Author : Herbert Allen Giles
Publisher : Forgotten Books
Page : 79 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2015-06-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1330258282

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Religions of Ancient China by Herbert Allen Giles Pdf

Excerpt from Religions of Ancient China The problem of the universe has never offered the slightest difficulty to Chinese philosophers. Before the beginning of all things, there was Nothing. In the lapse of ages Nothing coalesced into Unity, the Great Monad. After more ages, the Great Monad separated into Duality, the Male and Female Principles in nature; and then, by a process of biogenesis, the visible universe was produced. An addition, however, to this simple system had to be made, in deference to, and on a plane with, the intelligence of the masses. According to this, the Male and Female Principles were each subdivided into Greater and Lesser, and then from the interaction of these four agencies a being, named P'an Ku, came into existence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Author : Wendy Swartz,Robert Ford Campany,Yang Lu,Jessey Choo
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 745 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2014-03-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9780231531009

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Early Medieval China by Wendy Swartz,Robert Ford Campany,Yang Lu,Jessey Choo Pdf

This innovative sourcebook builds a dynamic understanding of China's early medieval period (220–589) through an original selection and arrangement of literary, historical, religious, and critical texts. A tumultuous and formative era, these centuries saw the longest stretch of political fragmentation in China's imperial history, resulting in new ethnic configurations, the rise of powerful clans, and a pervasive divide between north and south. Deploying thematic categories, the editors sketch the period in a novel way for students and, by featuring many texts translated into English for the first time, recast the era for specialists. Thematic topics include regional definitions and tensions, governing mechanisms and social reality, ideas of self and other, relations with the unseen world, everyday life, and cultural concepts. Within each section, the editors and translators introduce the selected texts and provide critical commentary on their historical significance, along with suggestions for further reading and research.

Author : Giles Herbert A
Publisher : Legare Street Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2022-10-27
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1018940537

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Religion of Ancient China by Giles Herbert A Pdf

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Author : Herbert A Giles
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2020-05-16
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9798646115431

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Religions Of Ancient China by Herbert A Giles Pdf

Philosophical Theory of the Universe.-The problem of the universe has never offered the slightest difficulty to Chinese philosophers. Before the beginning of all things, there was Nothing. In the lapse of ages Nothing coalesced into Unity, the Great Monad. After more ages, the Great Monad separated into Duality, the Male and Female Principles in nature; and then, by a process of biogenesis, the visible universe was produced. Popular Cosmogeny.-An addition, however, to this simple system had to be made, in deference to, and on a plane with, the intelligence of the masses. According to this, the Male and Female Principles were each subdivided into Greater and Lesser, and then from the interaction of these four agencies a being, named P'an Ku, came into existence. He seems to have come into life endowed with perfect knowledge, and his function was to set the economy of the universe in order.