Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-i’s Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond

Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-i’s Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond
Author: Tsung-i Jao
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2022-09-12
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9004522573

The articles assembled in this volume present an important selection of Professor Jao Tsung-i’s research in the field of the early Chinese intellectual tradition, especially as it concerns the human condition. Whether his focus is on myth, religion, philosophy or morals, Jao consistently aims to describe how the series of developments broadly associated with the Axial Age unfolded in China. He is particularly interested in showing how early China had developed its own notion of transcendence as well as a system of prediction and morals that enabled man to act autonomously, without recourse to divine providence.

Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-I's Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond

Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-I's Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond
Author: Tsung-I Jao
Publisher: Collected Works of Jao Tsung-I
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022
Genre: History
ISBN: 9789004516823

"The articles in this volume present an important selection of Jao Tsung-i's research in the field of the early Chinese intellectual tradition, especially as concerns the question of the conditio humana. Whether his focus is on myth, religion, philosophy or morals, Jao constantly aims at describing the Chinese version of a series of developments that are broadly associated with the Axial Age in the study of the ancient world in general. He is particularly interested in showing how early China had developed its own notion of transcendence as well as a system of prediction and morals that allowed man to act on his own account, without having to rely on divine providence"--

Histories of Spiritual Traditions in China

Histories of Spiritual Traditions in China
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2024-10-03
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 9004714316

Discover China's rich spiritual history through the monumental works of polymath Jao Tsung-i, presented in English for the first time. Throughout his far-reaching discussions of Chinese religious history ranging from prehistoric ancestor worship to Daoist immortality cultism and beyond, Jao’s studies draw upon an immense range of sources, including stele inscriptions, excavated manuscripts, and prehistoric artifacts. Engage with the very best of 20th-century Chinese-speaking sinology and gain new insights into China’s fascinating history of spiritual traditions. This tour de force in Chinese religious history is a must-read for anyone seeking to unravel the complexities of China's intersecting spiritual traditions.

Jade-Carving Chisel and Luminous Ocean

Jade-Carving Chisel and Luminous Ocean
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2024-11-07
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 9004523561

Jao Tsung-i’s scholarship illuminated the development of classical Chinese literature from antiquity through the end of the Qing dynasty. In this volume, eight interviews with and essays by Jao are translated faithfully into English, giving a sampling of his diverse insights into literature and its broader significance. Topics range from the religious beliefs underpinning the earliest Chinese writings, to the influence of Chan Buddhism on Chinese poetics, to Gu Yanwu’s (1613–1682) poetic protest against the Manchu conquest. Collectively the essays demonstrate how literary art and spiritual beliefs have been intertwined throughout Chinese history.

Staging Tianxia

Staging Tianxia
Author: Lanlan Kuang
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2024-09-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0253070929

Staging Tianxia explores the ancient Chinese vision of world order known as tianxia (all under heaven) by focusing on the historical, performative, and rhetorical processes of expressive arts and cultural heritages that inform a vision of China as a historically multiethnic and cosmopolitan nation. Author Lanlan Kuang unites multimedia ethnographic research and theoretical insights from ethnomusicology, philosophy, religious studies, performance studies, and cognitive science, with a focus on Dunhuang bihua yuewu, a modern interpretation inserted into the Chinese classical dance and theatrical arts tradition. Staging Tianxia thus aims to redefine Silk Road studies and Dunhuangology, a transdisciplinary field dedicated to studying the texts and art of Dunhuang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that connected China via the Silk Road with Central Asia, South Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Staging Tianxia is a careful ethnographic study that looks at the importance of performance tradition and poetics in the arts and aesthetic theory of China.

Unlocking the Chinese Gate

Unlocking the Chinese Gate
Author: Galia Dor
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2024-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1438497547

Unlocking the Chinese Gate offers an innovative analysis of gates in early Chinese thought and material culture. Observing gates from various perspectives—including philosophy, architecture, and psychology—and through the conceptual lens of Chinese correlative thinking, Galia Dor conceptualizes the Chinese gate as a membrane-like apparatus that, from the space "in-between," efficaciously manifests (de) the Way (dao) into the "ten thousand" forms of actualized life. This methodology exposes an open-to-closed gradation between pairs of inside/outside (wai/nei) that resonates throughout the Chinese model of psychocosmic concentric circles. The consequential strategies (e.g., continuity/break, chaos/order) demonstrate how early Chinese cosmological, philosophical, and political idealities, as well as afterlife religious beliefs, were applied—including the various approaches to and practices of self-cultivation. The book sheds new light on ancient Chinese thought and material culture and offers points of comparison to Western thought and modern science, including a model of "decision-gating" that carries relevant implications and insights to our current lives.

The Shape of the Turtle

The Shape of the Turtle
Author: Sarah Allan
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1991-02-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0791494497

Many Chinese philosophic concepts derive from an ancient cosmology. This work is the first reconstructions of the mythic thought of the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1700- 1100 B.C.) which laid the foundation for later Chinese patterns of thought. Allan regards the myth, cosmology, divination, sacrificial ritual, and art of the Shang as different manifestations of a common religious system and each is examined in turn, building up a coherent and consistent picture. Although primarily concerned with the Shang, this work also describes the manner in which Shang thought was transformed in the later textual tradition.

Astrology and Cosmology in Early China

Astrology and Cosmology in Early China
Author: David W. Pankenier
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 617
Release: 2013-10-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107006724

Drawing on a vast array of scholarship, this pioneering text illustrates how profoundly astronomical phenomena shaped ancient Chinese civilization.

Cosmology and Political Culture in Early China

Cosmology and Political Culture in Early China
Author: Aihe Wang
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2000-05-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521624206

This book offers a radical reinterpretation of the formative stages of Chinese culture and history, tracing the central role played by cosmology in the formation of China's early empires. It crosses the disciplines of history, social anthropology, archaeology, and philosophy to illustrate how cosmological systems, particularly the Five Elements, shaped political culture. By focusing on dynamic change in early cosmology, the book undermines the notion that Chinese cosmology was homogenous and unchanging. By arguing that cosmology was intrinsic to power relations, it also challenges prevailing theories of political and intellectual history.

The Origins of Chinese Thought

The Origins of Chinese Thought
Author: Zehou Li
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2018-10-22
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9004379622

Winner of the 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title "The Origins of Chinese Thought offers an account of the origins and nature of a uniquely Chinese way of thinking that, carried through Confucian tradition, continues to define the character of Chinese culture and society. Li Zehou argues that vestiges of the practices of early shamanistic ritual, rationalized in ritual regulations and internalized in morals and values, continue to shape Chinese thought and relationships. This outlook and its understanding of the world, the divine, ourselves, one another, what is right and what is good differ fundamentally from other world traditions. As an alternative to modern liberalism, it offers unique resources for addressing modern Chinese—and even global—philosophic and moral issues."