Gary Delany DeAngelis and Warren G. Frisina (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Teaching the Daode Jing (DDJ) was written for non‐specialist faculty who are including the DDJ in a widening group of courses in Asian studies, religion, philosophy, history, humanities ...
More
Teaching the Daode Jing (DDJ) was written for non‐specialist faculty who are including the DDJ in a widening group of courses in Asian studies, religion, philosophy, history, humanities and political science. It provides up‐to‐date information on contemporary scholarship and detailed discussion of classroom strategies that have been successfully employed in a variety of teaching environments. Contributors include well‐known scholars of Daoism such as Livia Kohn, Norman Girardot, Robert Henricks, Russell Kirkland, Hans‐Georg Moeller and Michael LaFargue. In addition, there are essays by Eva Wong (Daoist practitioner), David Hall (philosophy), Gary DeAngelis (mysticism), and a jointly written essay on pedagogical strategies by Judith Berling, Geoffrey Foy, and John Thompson (Chinese religion). Their essays address questions such as: Should we capitalize on popular interest in the DDJ in our classrooms? Which, among the many translations and scholarly approaches ought we to use? Is it appropriate to think of the DDJ as a religious text at all? There are several times in many of the essays where the attention to concrete classroom practice is brought clearly into focus. Thus, readers will find several specific tips that can be used in their own classrooms.Less
Teaching the Daode Jing (DDJ) was written for non‐specialist faculty who are including the DDJ in a widening group of courses in Asian studies, religion, philosophy, history, humanities and political science. It provides up‐to‐date information on contemporary scholarship and detailed discussion of classroom strategies that have been successfully employed in a variety of teaching environments. Contributors include well‐known scholars of Daoism such as Livia Kohn, Norman Girardot, Robert Henricks, Russell Kirkland, Hans‐Georg Moeller and Michael LaFargue. In addition, there are essays by Eva Wong (Daoist practitioner), David Hall (philosophy), Gary DeAngelis (mysticism), and a jointly written essay on pedagogical strategies by Judith Berling, Geoffrey Foy, and John Thompson (Chinese religion). Their essays address questions such as: Should we capitalize on popular interest in the DDJ in our classrooms? Which, among the many translations and scholarly approaches ought we to use? Is it appropriate to think of the DDJ as a religious text at all? There are several times in many of the essays where the attention to concrete classroom practice is brought clearly into focus. Thus, readers will find several specific tips that can be used in their own classrooms.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Eva Wong
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The contemporary Daoist practitioner, Eva Wong, explains that many of the DDJ 's most puzzling passages make perfect sense when seen in the light of Daoist activities and exercises. Specifically, she ...
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The contemporary Daoist practitioner, Eva Wong, explains that many of the DDJ 's most puzzling passages make perfect sense when seen in the light of Daoist activities and exercises. Specifically, she argues that phrases like “quieting the mind,” “nourishing the soul”, “infant breathing,” and “cleaning the subtle mirror” point toward particular kinds of actions which early (and in many cases contemporary) Daoists believed would lead one to live a life more nearly in accord with the Dao. Less
The contemporary Daoist practitioner, Eva Wong, explains that many of the DDJ 's most puzzling passages make perfect sense when seen in the light of Daoist activities and exercises. Specifically, she argues that phrases like “quieting the mind,” “nourishing the soul”, “infant breathing,” and “cleaning the subtle mirror” point toward particular kinds of actions which early (and in many cases contemporary) Daoists believed would lead one to live a life more nearly in accord with the Dao.
Robert W. Foster
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195311600
- eISBN:
- 9780199870707
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311600.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Neo‐Confucianism was the predominant intellectual movement within China from the twelfth through seventeenth centuries. It insisted on the ultimate reality of this world and the ultimate importance ...
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Neo‐Confucianism was the predominant intellectual movement within China from the twelfth through seventeenth centuries. It insisted on the ultimate reality of this world and the ultimate importance of individual development within a social context. Drawing on renewed interest in classical Confucian texts such as the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Centrality and Commonality, Neo‐Confucianism stressed education, morality, and engagement. Neo‐Confucians were intensely interested in developing a worldview that connected human beings with the universe and affirmed that human ethics are themselves natural expressions of universal patterns. By doing so, they underscored the importance of social engagement in a world that was not only ultimately real but also ultimately moral.Less
Neo‐Confucianism was the predominant intellectual movement within China from the twelfth through seventeenth centuries. It insisted on the ultimate reality of this world and the ultimate importance of individual development within a social context. Drawing on renewed interest in classical Confucian texts such as the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Centrality and Commonality, Neo‐Confucianism stressed education, morality, and engagement. Neo‐Confucians were intensely interested in developing a worldview that connected human beings with the universe and affirmed that human ethics are themselves natural expressions of universal patterns. By doing so, they underscored the importance of social engagement in a world that was not only ultimately real but also ultimately moral.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Russell Kirkland
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
In this “contrarian” approach to reading he DDJ, Russell Kirkland argues that most textbooks do a credible job of presenting the DDJ as it has been inherited through both Confucian and Western ...
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In this “contrarian” approach to reading he DDJ, Russell Kirkland argues that most textbooks do a credible job of presenting the DDJ as it has been inherited through both Confucian and Western conceptual lenses, but that such a view fails to see the Daoist as they saw themselves. He challenges students to “ponder the alienity of ancient China” before making assumptions about what the text is trying to accomplish. By focusing their attention on early Daoist religious practices, and the status of the DDJ as a Daoist scripture, Kirkland aims to cultivate in his students an appreciation for both the originary aims of the text and the way hermeneutical models are developed, challenged and clarified.Less
In this “contrarian” approach to reading he DDJ, Russell Kirkland argues that most textbooks do a credible job of presenting the DDJ as it has been inherited through both Confucian and Western conceptual lenses, but that such a view fails to see the Daoist as they saw themselves. He challenges students to “ponder the alienity of ancient China” before making assumptions about what the text is trying to accomplish. By focusing their attention on early Daoist religious practices, and the status of the DDJ as a Daoist scripture, Kirkland aims to cultivate in his students an appreciation for both the originary aims of the text and the way hermeneutical models are developed, challenged and clarified.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Michael LaFargue
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Michael LaFargue aims to cultivate in students a capacity to see the DDJ from the point of view of its many literary forms and implied interlocutors. By exploring the structures of proverbial sayings ...
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Michael LaFargue aims to cultivate in students a capacity to see the DDJ from the point of view of its many literary forms and implied interlocutors. By exploring the structures of proverbial sayings he leads students away from the tendency to take its statements too literally, a tendency that typically makes the DDJ seem more obscure and mysterious than it is. LaFargue encourages students to ask: What “pragmatic implications” of the DDJ's statements can we reasonably attribute to the early Daoist practitioners who both produced and made use of this text? This leads to a historicist understanding of the DDJ that is rooted in questions quite different from those that a contemporary western reader would typically bring to the text.Less
Michael LaFargue aims to cultivate in students a capacity to see the DDJ from the point of view of its many literary forms and implied interlocutors. By exploring the structures of proverbial sayings he leads students away from the tendency to take its statements too literally, a tendency that typically makes the DDJ seem more obscure and mysterious than it is. LaFargue encourages students to ask: What “pragmatic implications” of the DDJ's statements can we reasonably attribute to the early Daoist practitioners who both produced and made use of this text? This leads to a historicist understanding of the DDJ that is rooted in questions quite different from those that a contemporary western reader would typically bring to the text.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Harold D. Roth
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Eschewing both the uncritical faith stance of Daoism's apologists as well as the reductionist tendencies among some contemporary secularists, Harold D. Roth preaches a middle path when it comes to ...
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Eschewing both the uncritical faith stance of Daoism's apologists as well as the reductionist tendencies among some contemporary secularists, Harold D. Roth preaches a middle path when it comes to analyzing and teaching the Daode jing. Since the Daode jing draws from a meditative tradition that utilizes breath control he suggests our teaching include a mix of both third‐person analysis (where we rely on the traditional tools of scholarship such as historical‐textual research, hermeneutical analysis, and contemporary philosophic reflection) and first‐person analysis (where we encourage our students to engage in simple meditation and breathing exercises that are tied to specific chapters and that add an experiential dimension to their study). He suggests this combination as a way of both discharging our scholarly responsibilities while demonstrating a healthy respect for the integrity and coherence of this ancient text.Less
Eschewing both the uncritical faith stance of Daoism's apologists as well as the reductionist tendencies among some contemporary secularists, Harold D. Roth preaches a middle path when it comes to analyzing and teaching the Daode jing. Since the Daode jing draws from a meditative tradition that utilizes breath control he suggests our teaching include a mix of both third‐person analysis (where we rely on the traditional tools of scholarship such as historical‐textual research, hermeneutical analysis, and contemporary philosophic reflection) and first‐person analysis (where we encourage our students to engage in simple meditation and breathing exercises that are tied to specific chapters and that add an experiential dimension to their study). He suggests this combination as a way of both discharging our scholarly responsibilities while demonstrating a healthy respect for the integrity and coherence of this ancient text.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Robert G. Henricks
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
For many years Robert Henricks has used the image of an untended field to help his students understand what the DDJ means by the Dao. Henrick's field is not a farmer's field but rather a natural ...
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For many years Robert Henricks has used the image of an untended field to help his students understand what the DDJ means by the Dao. Henrick's field is not a farmer's field but rather a natural field that is “barren and deserted in the winter but filled with a host of different wildflowers throughout the spring and summer.” This analogy leads naturally into discussion of such central Daoist themes as: the Dao's rhythmic cycles from tranquility to activity and back; the need to remain “rooted” in the Dao; the true nature of morality; and what the DDJ might mean by immortality.Less
For many years Robert Henricks has used the image of an untended field to help his students understand what the DDJ means by the Dao. Henrick's field is not a farmer's field but rather a natural field that is “barren and deserted in the winter but filled with a host of different wildflowers throughout the spring and summer.” This analogy leads naturally into discussion of such central Daoist themes as: the Dao's rhythmic cycles from tranquility to activity and back; the need to remain “rooted” in the Dao; the true nature of morality; and what the DDJ might mean by immortality.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and David L. Hall
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This essay discusses the way the DDJ contradicts or even subverts many Western philosophic and religious assumptions about ontology, cosmology and the self. Where many Western philosophers describe ...
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This essay discusses the way the DDJ contradicts or even subverts many Western philosophic and religious assumptions about ontology, cosmology and the self. Where many Western philosophers describe being as “a common property or a relational structure” the DDJ seems not to posit any such “superordinate One to which the Many reduce.” Similarly, where many Western thinkers portray the self as a collection of competing and sometimes conflicting faculties (e.g. reason, appetite and will), the DDJ does not. Bringing students to an awareness of these differences is, David L. Hall argues, an excellent way to introduce them to the advantages of a comparative approach to philosophic reflection.Less
This essay discusses the way the DDJ contradicts or even subverts many Western philosophic and religious assumptions about ontology, cosmology and the self. Where many Western philosophers describe being as “a common property or a relational structure” the DDJ seems not to posit any such “superordinate One to which the Many reduce.” Similarly, where many Western thinkers portray the self as a collection of competing and sometimes conflicting faculties (e.g. reason, appetite and will), the DDJ does not. Bringing students to an awareness of these differences is, David L. Hall argues, an excellent way to introduce them to the advantages of a comparative approach to philosophic reflection.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Gary D. DeAngelis
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This essay outlines the way Gary D. DeAngelis employs the DDJ in a course on comparative mysticisms. Beginning with Ninian Smart's definition of mystical experience as a “state of consciousness where ...
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This essay outlines the way Gary D. DeAngelis employs the DDJ in a course on comparative mysticisms. Beginning with Ninian Smart's definition of mystical experience as a “state of consciousness where one ‘acquires a fundamental insight into the nature of reality,'” DeAngelis leads students into a discussion of how the DDJ responds to two basic questions: “What is the nature of ultimate reality?; and How may one experience that reality?” These questions lead students to explore basic epistemological issues as they come to a deeper understanding of what the DDJ may mean by saying that it is possible to “know” a Dao which is itself “unknowable.”Less
This essay outlines the way Gary D. DeAngelis employs the DDJ in a course on comparative mysticisms. Beginning with Ninian Smart's definition of mystical experience as a “state of consciousness where one ‘acquires a fundamental insight into the nature of reality,'” DeAngelis leads students into a discussion of how the DDJ responds to two basic questions: “What is the nature of ultimate reality?; and How may one experience that reality?” These questions lead students to explore basic epistemological issues as they come to a deeper understanding of what the DDJ may mean by saying that it is possible to “know” a Dao which is itself “unknowable.”
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, Judith Berling, Geoffrey Foy, and John Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This collaborative effort between an experienced teacher/scholar and two (then) graduate students presents three “overlapping” strategies for teaching the DDJ. The first emphasizes situating the DDJ ...
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This collaborative effort between an experienced teacher/scholar and two (then) graduate students presents three “overlapping” strategies for teaching the DDJ. The first emphasizes situating the DDJ within the context of Zhou Chinese intellectual struggles and then proceeds by student led discussions about thematically grouped chapters. The second contrasts contemporary expectations regarding gender language with the DDJ 's own use of feminine metaphors in order to help students uncover what the text may mean when it uses those metaphors in the way that it does. The third aims to turn the DDJ 's notorious ambiguity to the teacher's advantage by leading students through a series of re‐readings of the text from different points of view. This third strategy helps students to see how their understanding of the text changes with each re‐reading, and that all interpretations are context‐dependent.Less
This collaborative effort between an experienced teacher/scholar and two (then) graduate students presents three “overlapping” strategies for teaching the DDJ. The first emphasizes situating the DDJ within the context of Zhou Chinese intellectual struggles and then proceeds by student led discussions about thematically grouped chapters. The second contrasts contemporary expectations regarding gender language with the DDJ 's own use of feminine metaphors in order to help students uncover what the text may mean when it uses those metaphors in the way that it does. The third aims to turn the DDJ 's notorious ambiguity to the teacher's advantage by leading students through a series of re‐readings of the text from different points of view. This third strategy helps students to see how their understanding of the text changes with each re‐reading, and that all interpretations are context‐dependent.
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Norman J. Girardot
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Reflecting on his own history of teaching the DDJ at American colleges and universities from the early 1970's through to the end of the 20th century, Norman Girardot describes scholarly and cultural ...
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Reflecting on his own history of teaching the DDJ at American colleges and universities from the early 1970's through to the end of the 20th century, Norman Girardot describes scholarly and cultural changes that have had an impact on what he does in the classroom, especially his use of popularized presentations of the DDJ both as a way of opening students to the text, and as a reference point to be criticized once he has led them toward a fuller understanding of its historical and cultural context. Included is a discussion of the nature and role of performative ritual including a one‐day college‐wide phantasmagora called “Dao‐day.”Less
Reflecting on his own history of teaching the DDJ at American colleges and universities from the early 1970's through to the end of the 20th century, Norman Girardot describes scholarly and cultural changes that have had an impact on what he does in the classroom, especially his use of popularized presentations of the DDJ both as a way of opening students to the text, and as a reference point to be criticized once he has led them toward a fuller understanding of its historical and cultural context. Included is a discussion of the nature and role of performative ritual including a one‐day college‐wide phantasmagora called “Dao‐day.”
Gary D. DeAngelis, Warren G. Frisina, and Livia Kohn
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195332704
- eISBN:
- 9780199868155
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195332704.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This essay urges teachers of the Daode jing to cultivate in their students an appreciation of the multifarious history and ongoing reception of the DDJ and the traditions it has helped spawn. In ...
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This essay urges teachers of the Daode jing to cultivate in their students an appreciation of the multifarious history and ongoing reception of the DDJ and the traditions it has helped spawn. In particular it urges that our students come to understand the textual history of the DDJ's development (as revealed via recent archeological finds), the historical reality surrounding the text's creation (e.g. Warring States politics; competing philosophic views), and the role the DDJ has played in the development of Daoist rituals and practices. Livia Kohn also suggests that students would benefit from an appreciation of the religious dimensions of Daoism, especially an understanding of the meditative and cultivation practices which seem so critical to the early Daoist communities and the development of Laozi from legendary antagonist of Confucius to the status of a divine being.Less
This essay urges teachers of the Daode jing to cultivate in their students an appreciation of the multifarious history and ongoing reception of the DDJ and the traditions it has helped spawn. In particular it urges that our students come to understand the textual history of the DDJ's development (as revealed via recent archeological finds), the historical reality surrounding the text's creation (e.g. Warring States politics; competing philosophic views), and the role the DDJ has played in the development of Daoist rituals and practices. Livia Kohn also suggests that students would benefit from an appreciation of the religious dimensions of Daoism, especially an understanding of the meditative and cultivation practices which seem so critical to the early Daoist communities and the development of Laozi from legendary antagonist of Confucius to the status of a divine being.
Livia Kohn
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195306316
- eISBN:
- 9780199867721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306316.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Celibacy was not central to Daoism ethos and the basic Confucian conviction that the family represented the basis of Chinese society, although harnessing and refining sexual energy, a basic power of ...
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Celibacy was not central to Daoism ethos and the basic Confucian conviction that the family represented the basis of Chinese society, although harnessing and refining sexual energy, a basic power of life, was essential to Daoism. Inner alchemy schools stressed female superiority in order to harness the primal sexual energy with the intention of transforming it into a spiritual force that created an immortal embryo within one's body. Sexual techniques did not completely eliminate celibacy because it was used as a prelude to enhancing concentration and meditation practices.Less
Celibacy was not central to Daoism ethos and the basic Confucian conviction that the family represented the basis of Chinese society, although harnessing and refining sexual energy, a basic power of life, was essential to Daoism. Inner alchemy schools stressed female superiority in order to harness the primal sexual energy with the intention of transforming it into a spiritual force that created an immortal embryo within one's body. Sexual techniques did not completely eliminate celibacy because it was used as a prelude to enhancing concentration and meditation practices.
Barry Allen
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231172721
- eISBN:
- 9780231539340
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231172721.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The first book to focus on the intersection of Western philosophy and the Asian martial arts, Striking Beauty studies the historical and philosophical traditions of Asian martial arts practice and ...
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The first book to focus on the intersection of Western philosophy and the Asian martial arts, Striking Beauty studies the historical and philosophical traditions of Asian martial arts practice and its ethical value in the modern world. Expanding Western philosophy’s usual outlook, the book forces a theoretical reckoning with the concerns of Chinese philosophy and the aesthetic and technical dimensions of martial arts practice. Striking Beauty elucidates the relationship between Asian martial arts and the Chinese philosophical traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the Chinese art of war. It connects martial arts practice to the Western concepts of mind-body dualism and materialism, sports aesthetics, and the ethics of violence. The work ameliorates Western philosophy’s hostility toward the body, emphasizing the pleasure of watching and engaging in martial arts, along with their beauty and the ethical problem of their violence.Less
The first book to focus on the intersection of Western philosophy and the Asian martial arts, Striking Beauty studies the historical and philosophical traditions of Asian martial arts practice and its ethical value in the modern world. Expanding Western philosophy’s usual outlook, the book forces a theoretical reckoning with the concerns of Chinese philosophy and the aesthetic and technical dimensions of martial arts practice. Striking Beauty elucidates the relationship between Asian martial arts and the Chinese philosophical traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and the Chinese art of war. It connects martial arts practice to the Western concepts of mind-body dualism and materialism, sports aesthetics, and the ethics of violence. The work ameliorates Western philosophy’s hostility toward the body, emphasizing the pleasure of watching and engaging in martial arts, along with their beauty and the ethical problem of their violence.
Holloway Kenneth W.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195371451
- eISBN:
- 9780199870653
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371451.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter introduces the problem of recently excavated texts from Guodian being seen as nothing more than new ways to support old ideas about the glorious Chinese tradition. Sources of this ...
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This chapter introduces the problem of recently excavated texts from Guodian being seen as nothing more than new ways to support old ideas about the glorious Chinese tradition. Sources of this problem are discussed first. Next is an overview of ways that this methodology skews our understanding of lost manuscripts. In particular, the evidence found in tombs is significantly different from the Han dynasty notion of Confucianism and Daoism as balkanized schools. Two texts from Guodian are highlighted: “The Five Aspects of Conduct” (“Wuxing Pian”) and the Laozi, or Dao De Jing. The last part of the introduction provides an overview of subsequent chapters.Less
This chapter introduces the problem of recently excavated texts from Guodian being seen as nothing more than new ways to support old ideas about the glorious Chinese tradition. Sources of this problem are discussed first. Next is an overview of ways that this methodology skews our understanding of lost manuscripts. In particular, the evidence found in tombs is significantly different from the Han dynasty notion of Confucianism and Daoism as balkanized schools. Two texts from Guodian are highlighted: “The Five Aspects of Conduct” (“Wuxing Pian”) and the Laozi, or Dao De Jing. The last part of the introduction provides an overview of subsequent chapters.
Paul U. Unschuld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257658
- eISBN:
- 9780520944701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257658.003.0041
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
This chapter looks at how things continued in China after antiquity. The Han dynasty existed at almost the same time as the Roman Empire but it fell in the early third century. The Han Empire broke ...
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This chapter looks at how things continued in China after antiquity. The Han dynasty existed at almost the same time as the Roman Empire but it fell in the early third century. The Han Empire broke up in China but the resulting individual parts basically continued the same culture that had served as the foundation for the Han dynasty. It would continue until the beginning of the twentieth century. Northern people of the steppe, nomads, repeatedly managed to conquer a China that was no longer militarily fit and to set up their own dynasties. But each time, the foreign rulers eventually became even more Chinese than the Chinese themselves. Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, in all their more or less profound reformulations and conceptual extensions, always oriented themselves toward their roots. The Mongolian rule from the thirteenth into the fourteenth century and the following Ming and Qing dynasties were markedly more autocratic than earlier eras.Less
This chapter looks at how things continued in China after antiquity. The Han dynasty existed at almost the same time as the Roman Empire but it fell in the early third century. The Han Empire broke up in China but the resulting individual parts basically continued the same culture that had served as the foundation for the Han dynasty. It would continue until the beginning of the twentieth century. Northern people of the steppe, nomads, repeatedly managed to conquer a China that was no longer militarily fit and to set up their own dynasties. But each time, the foreign rulers eventually became even more Chinese than the Chinese themselves. Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, in all their more or less profound reformulations and conceptual extensions, always oriented themselves toward their roots. The Mongolian rule from the thirteenth into the fourteenth century and the following Ming and Qing dynasties were markedly more autocratic than earlier eras.
Paul U. Unschuld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257658
- eISBN:
- 9780520944701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257658.003.0045
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
This chapter provides an overview on a new world view, Neo-Confucianism, developed by philosophers of that era. This view of human society and of nature offered itself as a new model image for ...
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This chapter provides an overview on a new world view, Neo-Confucianism, developed by philosophers of that era. This view of human society and of nature offered itself as a new model image for medicine. Neo-Confucianism significantly affected medicine but the effects remained superficial. They joined Confucian-Legalistic medicine with the system of pharmacy that had been established under Daoism. The image from the classic Yellow Thearch in the Han era was once again clearly reaffirmed in the Song era. Confucianism was expanded and newly interpreted yet progress always cited the supposed or real authorities of distant antiquity that the new views were made to resemble. Physicians found a real authority from the Han era to whom they could trace their innovations. The innovations were not only due to the changed social philosophy but marginal structural changes might also have made a contribution.Less
This chapter provides an overview on a new world view, Neo-Confucianism, developed by philosophers of that era. This view of human society and of nature offered itself as a new model image for medicine. Neo-Confucianism significantly affected medicine but the effects remained superficial. They joined Confucian-Legalistic medicine with the system of pharmacy that had been established under Daoism. The image from the classic Yellow Thearch in the Han era was once again clearly reaffirmed in the Song era. Confucianism was expanded and newly interpreted yet progress always cited the supposed or real authorities of distant antiquity that the new views were made to resemble. Physicians found a real authority from the Han era to whom they could trace their innovations. The innovations were not only due to the changed social philosophy but marginal structural changes might also have made a contribution.
Paul U. Unschuld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257658
- eISBN:
- 9780520944701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257658.003.0047
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
The Chinese authors who created the new pharmacology starting in the eleventh and twelfth centuries were not narrow-minded physicians who focused solely on the human body's suffering and remained ...
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The Chinese authors who created the new pharmacology starting in the eleventh and twelfth centuries were not narrow-minded physicians who focused solely on the human body's suffering and remained isolated from history, politics, and the ideas of their philosophers. As the political philosophy of the Neo-Confucians restored the comprehensive validity of Confucianism and incorporated themes hitherto reserved for Daoism, they produced, for the first time, the comprehensive validity of the doctrines of yin-yang and the five agents by applying to the explanation of the effects of the pharmaceutics in the body. Political philosophy and professional physicians' politics permitted the origins of pharmacology. It is not unusual in China for doctors to offer a diagnosis for free and to earn their living from the sale of pharmaceutics. For this, patients first need to see a physician instead of going directly to an apothecary. It was the task of pharmacology and gave physicians the knowledge of where and how pharmaceutics worked in the body.Less
The Chinese authors who created the new pharmacology starting in the eleventh and twelfth centuries were not narrow-minded physicians who focused solely on the human body's suffering and remained isolated from history, politics, and the ideas of their philosophers. As the political philosophy of the Neo-Confucians restored the comprehensive validity of Confucianism and incorporated themes hitherto reserved for Daoism, they produced, for the first time, the comprehensive validity of the doctrines of yin-yang and the five agents by applying to the explanation of the effects of the pharmaceutics in the body. Political philosophy and professional physicians' politics permitted the origins of pharmacology. It is not unusual in China for doctors to offer a diagnosis for free and to earn their living from the sale of pharmaceutics. For this, patients first need to see a physician instead of going directly to an apothecary. It was the task of pharmacology and gave physicians the knowledge of where and how pharmaceutics worked in the body.
Peter C. Hodgson
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199273614
- eISBN:
- 9780191602443
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199273618.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The second and longest part of the lectures treats religions other than Christianity under the theme of ‘determinate religion’. It is a topic in which Hegel evinced a growing fascination, but he ...
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The second and longest part of the lectures treats religions other than Christianity under the theme of ‘determinate religion’. It is a topic in which Hegel evinced a growing fascination, but he never achieved a satisfactory arrangement of the materials. What he offers has more the character of a geography or typology of religions than of a history of religions, despite his claim to track the movement of spirit through history. This chapter focuses on Hegel’s affinity with and critique of Asian religions and his evolving treatment of Judaism. The chapter concludes by proposing that the depth structure of Hegel’s thinking is closer to religious pluralism than to inclusivism, and that he envisions a future religion of free and concrete spirit.Less
The second and longest part of the lectures treats religions other than Christianity under the theme of ‘determinate religion’. It is a topic in which Hegel evinced a growing fascination, but he never achieved a satisfactory arrangement of the materials. What he offers has more the character of a geography or typology of religions than of a history of religions, despite his claim to track the movement of spirit through history. This chapter focuses on Hegel’s affinity with and critique of Asian religions and his evolving treatment of Judaism. The chapter concludes by proposing that the depth structure of Hegel’s thinking is closer to religious pluralism than to inclusivism, and that he envisions a future religion of free and concrete spirit.
Robert C. Fuller
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146806
- eISBN:
- 9780199834204
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146808.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
By the middle of the twentieth century, there was already a core of beliefs and attitudes widely held among America's unchurched spiritual seekers. Although many of these seekers turned to exotic new ...
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By the middle of the twentieth century, there was already a core of beliefs and attitudes widely held among America's unchurched spiritual seekers. Although many of these seekers turned to exotic new sources of religious thought, they tended to filter these exotic philosophies through a familiar set of beliefs that grew out of the American metaphysical tradition. Many Americans have,e.g., become fascinated with Asian spiritual teachings (e.g., Hindu meditation systems, Zen Buddhism, and Daosim). Others have embraced feminist spiritualities, ecological spiritualities, Wicca, and many versions of Neo‐Paganism. Together these exotic sources of religious thought constitute what is commonly known as the New Age movement, a cluster of interests that informs the personal spirituality of millions of churched and unchurched Americans.Less
By the middle of the twentieth century, there was already a core of beliefs and attitudes widely held among America's unchurched spiritual seekers. Although many of these seekers turned to exotic new sources of religious thought, they tended to filter these exotic philosophies through a familiar set of beliefs that grew out of the American metaphysical tradition. Many Americans have,e.g., become fascinated with Asian spiritual teachings (e.g., Hindu meditation systems, Zen Buddhism, and Daosim). Others have embraced feminist spiritualities, ecological spiritualities, Wicca, and many versions of Neo‐Paganism. Together these exotic sources of religious thought constitute what is commonly known as the New Age movement, a cluster of interests that informs the personal spirituality of millions of churched and unchurched Americans.
