A Chinese Reading of the Daodejing: Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation
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Many of the brightest Chinese minds have used the form of the commentary to open the terse and poetic chapters of the Laozi to their readers and also to develop a philosophy of their own. None has been more sophisticated, philosophically probing, and influential in the endeavor than a young genius of the third century C.E., Wang Bi (126-249). In this book, Rudolf G. Wagner provides a full translation of the Laozi that extracts from Wang Bi's Commentary the manner in which he read the text, as well as a full translation of Wang Bi's Commentary and his essay on the "subtle pointers" of the Laozi. The result is a Chinese reading of the Laozi that will surprise and delight Western readers familiar with some of the many translations of the work.
Creativity and Taoism: A Study of Chinese Philosophy, Art and Poetry
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In Creativity and Taoism, Chang Chung-yuan makes the elusive principle of Tao available to the western mind with objectivity, warmth, and depth of insight. It is an important contribution to the task of making the Taoist wisdom accessible to the western intellect' - Ira Progoff 'No one can read Chang's book without experiencing a broadening of his mental horizons' - John C. H. Wu, Philosophy East and West 'His interpretation of the Taoist roots of Ch'an has been presented with taste and learning that help to clear up many questions that must have occurred to anyone familiar with his subject. "The Spirit of the Valley" dwells in this quiet and gentle man who, as so rarely happens, actually embodies some of the philosophic traits of which he writes' - Gerald Sykes 'If the end of reading is the enhancement of life, the enlargement of experience and understanding, then this book becomes an important step in that direction. Dr. Chang writes in a style both lucid and felicitous. He displays with becoming modesty a mastery of the field, its development and its ideas... There is hardly a page which does not give pleasure' - Robert R. Kirsh, Los Angeles Times 'Professor Chang's study, a brilliant exposition and analysis, is concerned with the relevance and applicability of the Taoist view in Chinese artistic and intellectual creativity. Few other works facilitate so sensitive an understanding of creative impulse and expression in Chinese culture' - Hyman Kublin, Library Journal Simultaneously accessible and scholarly, this classic book considers the underlying philosophy and the aesthetics of Chinese art and poetry, the expression of the Taoist approach to existence. Chapters cover everything from the potential of creativity to the way tranquillity is reflected in Chinese poems and painting. Chung-yuan Chang's deceptively simple and always lucid narrative explores the relationship between the Tao and the creative arts, introducing classic paintings and poems to bring Taoism to life.
Daodejing
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'Of ways you may speak,but not the Perennial Way;By names you may name,but not the Perennial Name.'The best-loved of all the classical books of China and the most universally popular, the Daodejing or Classic of the Way and Life-Force is a work that defies definition. It encapsulates the main tenets of Daoism, and upholds a way of being as well as a philosophy and a religion. The dominant imageis of the Way, the mysterious path through the whole cosmos modelled on the great Silver River or Milky Way that traverses the heavens. A life-giving stream, the Way gives rise to all things and holds them in her motherly embrace. It enables the individual, and society as a whole, to harmonize thedisparate demands of daily life and achieve a more profound level of understanding.This new translation draws on the latest archaeological finds and brings out the word play and poetry of the original. Simple commentary accompanies the text, and the introduction provides further historical and interpretative context.
Daoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory
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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.
Early Daoist Scriptures
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"A work of historic proportions. . . . A whole new world of ancient religious life is being opened to us here, and readers can trust Bokenkamp to guide them through that world."--Russell Kirkland, University of Georgia "Bokenkamp, whose previous works on Daoism are already deservedly well known and appreciated, presents complete translations of six major Daoist texts. His introductions to each of them delineate and elucidate some points of both the history and fundamental notions of Daoism, which so far have remained unclear or subject to debate. This book will undoubtedly provide a better understanding of Daoism."--Isabelle Robinet, author of "Taoist Meditation: The Mao-shan Tradition of Great Purity
Heaven and Earth Are Not Humane: The Problem of Evil in Classical Chinese Philosophy
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That bad things happen to good people was as true in early China as it is today. Franklin Perkins uses this observation as the thread by which to trace the effort by Chinese thinkers of the Warring States Period (c.475-221 BCE), a time of great conflict and division, to seek reconciliation between humankind and the world. Perkins provides rich new readings of classical Chinese texts and reflects on their significance for Western philosophical discourse.
Illustrated Tao Te Ching
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Whether there ever was such a person as Lao Tzu is not certain, but that the Tao Te Ching has been one of the most important texts in Chinese culture for over 2000 years is beyond question. In recent years its influence outside China has grown enormously, and it is now probably the best-known Chinese text in the West.
In the Shadows of the Dao: Laozi, the Sage, and the Daodejing
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Challenges standard views of the origins of the Daodejing, revealing the work's roots in a tradition of physical cultivation.
The Pristine Dao
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The Laozi (Daodejing) and the Zhuangzi have long been familiar to Western readers and have served as basic sources of knowledge about early Chinese Daoism. Modern translations and studies of these works have encouraged a perception of Daoism as a mystical philosophy heavy with political implications that advises kings to become one with the Dao. Breaking with this standard approach, The Pristine Dao argues that the Laozi and the Zhuangzi participated in a much wider tradition of metaphysical discourse that included a larger corpus of early Chinese writings. This book demonstrates that early Daoist discourse possessed a distinct, textually constituted coherence and a religious sensibility that starkly differed from the intellectual background of all other traditions of early China, including Confucianism. The author argues that this discourse is best analyzed through its emergence from the mythological imagination of early China, and that it was unified by a set of notions about the Dao that was shared by all of its participants. The author introduces certain categories from the Western religious and philosophical traditions in order to bring out the distinctive qualities constituting this discourse and to encourage its comparison with other religious and philosophical traditions.
Reading the Dao
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The Dao De Jing represents one of the most important works of Chinese philosophy, in which the author, Lao Zi (c. 580-500 BC), lays the foundations of Taoism. Composed of 81 short sections, the text itself is written in a poetic style that is ambiguous and challenging for the modern reader. Yet while its meaning may be obscure, the text displays the originality of Lao Zi's wisdom and remains a hugely influential work to this day. In Reading the Dao: A Thematic Inquiry, Wang Keping offers a clear and accessible guide to this hugely important text. Wang's thematic approach opens up key elements of the Dao De Jing in a way that highlights and clarifies the central arguments for the modern reader. Presenting comprehensive textual analysis of key passages and a useful survey of recent Taoist scholarship, the book provides the reader with an insight into the origins of Taoist philosophy. This is the ideal companion to the study of this classic Taoist text.
Tao - a New Way of Thinking
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This exceptional translation of the Tao Tê Ching by Chinese scholar Chung-yuan Chang reveals the true wisdom and beauty of this ancient Chinese text. Traditionally attributed to Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu, the Tao Tê Ching remains relevant worldwide today, more than two thousand years after it was written. This translation of the Taoist text, with Chang's accompanying commentaries, illuminates the real meaning of the Tao Tê Ching and makes this Chinese classic both accessible and relevant to modern ways of thinking, without any reduction of the complex thought within its pages. Chang Chung-yuan is unique in his approach and his introduction and commentaries place the Taoist text in the context of Western metaphysics, making reference to Heidegger, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Jung, Plato, Kant and Nietzsche, as well as capturing the context within which Taoism came to the West. Tao: A New Way of Thinking will be fascinating to anyone with an interest in Taoism and will be particularly appealing to those interested in comparative philosophy.
Tao Te Ching or, The Tao and its Characteristics
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The Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese book of wisdom, said to have been written by the Taoist sage Laozi (or Lao Tzu, the Old Master) in the 6th century BC. It is the cornerstone text in Chinese Taoism, a philosophy, religion and way of life, and is also central to Chinese Buddhism. The Tao Te Ching has been an inspiration and guide to many Chinese artists, poets, calligraphers, and even gardeners, throughout history. In recent years its influence has spread far...
The Texts of Taoism
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Volume 1 of sacred writings of mystical Chinese religion reveal Tao, the way -- the key to living an obstacle-free life. Based on wu-wei, taking no unnatural action, it would make individual existence like the flow of water with no obstacles to impede. Famed Sinologist here offers standard English version of major Taoist writings.
The World of Thought in Ancient China
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The center of this prodigious work of scholarship is a fresh examination of the range of Chinese culture thought during the formative period of Chinese culture. Benjamin Schwartz looks at the surviving texts of this period with a particular focus on the range of diversity to be found in them. While emphasizing the problematic and complex nature of this thought he also considers views which stress the unity of Chinese culture. Attention is accorded to pre-Confucian texts, to the evolution of early Confucianism, to Mo-Tzu, to the "Taoists" the legalists, the Ying-Yang school, the "five classics" as well as to intellectual issues which cut across the conventional classification of schools. The main focus is on the high cultural texts, but Mr. Schwartz also explores the question of the relationship of these texts to the vast realm of popular culture.
