The Daode Jing: A Guide

by Livia Kohn

Overview

The Daode jing ("Book of the Dao and Its Virtue") is an essential work in both traditional Chinese culture and world philosophy. The oldest text of philosophical Daoism, and widely venerated among religious Daoist practitioners, it was composed around the middle of the 4th century BCE. Ascribed to a thinker named Laozi, a contemporary of Confucius, the work is based on a set of aphorisms designed to help local lords improve their techniques of government. The most translated book after the Bible, the Daode jing appears in numerous variants and remains highly relevant in the modern world. This guide provides an overview of the text, presenting its historical unfolding, its major concepts, and its contemporary use. It also gives some indication of its essence by citing relevant passages and linking them to the religious practices of traditional Daoism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190689841
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/25/2019
Series:	Guides to Sacred Texts
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	3 MB

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.

Table of Contents

Introduction PART I: THE TEXT Chapter 1: Times and Authorship The Axial Age The Warring States Confucianism Yin-Yang Cosmology Laozi The Laozi Legend Divinization Chapter 2: Textual Development Language Texts in Tombs Guodian Mawangdui Heshang gong Standardization Wang Bi Chapter 3: General Principles Dao Cosmic Unfolding Natural Dynamics Self-Being Virtue Images and Metaphors Chapter 4: Social Application Nonaction Social Reality Sufficiency Humility and Simplicity Clarity and Stillness Sagehood PART II: TRADITIONAL EXPANSIONS Chapter 5: Communities and Politics Primitivism Self-Cultivation Longevity Techniques Inward Training The Jixia Academy Syncretism and Huang-Lao Masters of Methods Chapter 6: Devotional Activation Early Recitation The Celestial Masters Immortality Meditation Ritual Veneration Ordination Integrated Practice Chapter 7: Commentary Exegeses The Nature of Commentaries Ideal Rulership Personal Self-Cultivation Original Nonbeing Western Ascension Mystical Attainment Chapter 8: Later Developments Twofold Mystery Imperial Attention Song Huizong Internal Alchemy Daode jing Readings Clarity and Stillness The Qingjing jing PART III: MODERN RECEPTION Chapter 9: China Today Religious Veneration Academic Study Intellectual Engagement Politics and Education Ecology Cognitive Therapy Self-Help Chapter 10: In the World Eastern Transmission Early Western Reception Seeing Dao Philosophical Adaptation Popular Understanding Multiple Readings Chapter 11: English Translations Types of Translations Literal Translations Historical Scholarship Philosophical Readings Poetic Versions Social Applications Self-Help Manuals Whimsical Renditions Chapter 12: Western Adaptations Daoist Leadership Doing Business Ecology The Tao of . . . Literary Allegories Songs of Dao

Editorial Reviews

"the volume provides accessible and altogether reliable insights in the Daoist tradition and thereby documents one aspect the Dàodéjīng's persuasive power" — Barbara Hendrischke, Religious Studies Review

"Kohn's Daode jing has a minimum of specialist jargon, and is written in an approachable style that will make it perfect for anyone interested in Chinese philosophy, religion, medicine, arts, or martial arts. Readers of the Yijing, the Book of Changes, will find this volume helpful for better understanding the breadth of the Yi's cultural roots." — Contemplating the I Ching

"The volume is a succinct one, the main text consists only of 116 pages: but those pages are busy with instructive narrative, data, and illustrations; it is thus a recommended text for all students of comparative and Asian religions." — Lehel Balogh, Hokkaido University, Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher