Daoist studies

Золотые книги и нефритовые письмена: даосские письменные памятники III—VI вв. / Сергей Владимирович Филонов ; Амур. гос. ун-т, Центр синологических исследований. — Санкт-Петербург: Петербургское Востоковедение, 2011. — 654, [2] с.: ил., рис., табл.

Sergey Filonov. “Henri Maspero and European Taoist Studies: concluding article,” in: Sergej Pakhomov (ed.), Maspero, Henry. Taoism. Transl. from French (St. Petersburg : Science Press, 2007), pp. 278—292. ISBN 978-5-02-026924-8. (In Russian).
Филонов С.В. Анри Масперо и европейская даология: размышления на полях книги «Даосизм» // Масперо А. Даосизм / Пер. с франц. В.Ю. Быстрова; Под ред. С.В. Пахомова; Заключит. статья С.В. Филонова. — СПб.: Наука, 2007. — С. 278—292.

Sergey Filonov. “Early Taoism: Looking for methodological integrity,” in: Religiovedenie (Study of Religion), No. 3 (2009), pp. 56—69. ISSN 2072-8662. (In Russian).
Филонов С.В. Ранний даосизм: поиск методологической целостности // Религиоведение. — 2009. — № 3. — С. 56—69. ISSN 2072-8662.

Sergey Filonov. The early stage of the formation of Taoist religious tradition: case study of the history of compilation of Taoist Canon. Synopsis for the Ph.D. thesis / Saint Petersburg State University. St. Petersburg, 2000. 
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Филонов С.В. Ранний этап формирования религиозной традиции даосизма. Автореферат диссертации… кандидата философских наук по специальности 09.00.06 «Философия религии» / Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет. — СПб., 2000.

This set of four articles, focusing on cases in Hong Kong, offer rich materials for studying the evolution of ritual practices in Chinese religion, within a local social context. Scholarship on Daoism and Chinese religion has identified a number of broad categories of religious specialist and organization: the non-monastic “householder priests” 活居道士 typically of the Zhengyi 正一 order, and other, “vernacular” ritual masters; the monastic Daoist monks of the Quanzhen 全真 order; lay spirit-writing groups often called “phoenix halls” 鸞堂; salvationist movements and redemptive societies, and so on. Each of these represents a specific type of religious lineage and organization, and of relationship between religious professionals and lay clients and practitioners. But these categorizations are merely convenient abstractions: as these four articles show, the boundaries between them are blurred, negotiated, and evolving. Over time, a single group may evolve from one type to another, or one type of group may replace another as the dominant provider of a specific set of local rituals. The content and significance of rituals also evolves within a shifting ecology of religious providers, community organizations, socio-political contexts and spacial transformations.

""This paper examines convergent discourses of cure, health and transcendence in fourth century Daoist scriptures. The therapeutic massages, inner awareness and visualisation practices described here are from a collection of revelations which became the founding documents for Shangqing (Upper Clarity) Daoism, one of the most influential sects of its time. Although formal theories organised these practices so that salvation superseded curing, in practice they were used together. This blending was achieved through a series of textual features and synæsthesic practices intended to address existential and bodily crises simultaneously. This paper shows how therapeutic interests were fundamental to soteriology, and how salvation informed therapy, thus drawing attention to the entanglements of religion and medicine in early medieval China.""

In Daoism in the 20th Century an interdisciplinary group of scholars explores the social history and anthropology of Daoism from the late 19th century until the present, focusing on the evolution of traditional forms of practice and community, as well as modern reforms and reinventions in China and on the global stage. Essays investigate ritual specialists, body cultivation and meditation traditions, monasticism, new religious movements, state-sponsored institutionalization, and transnational networks.

Over the preceding decade, the story of Xie Ziran's " ascent " has drawn much scholarly attention. Scholars have, for the most part, employed historical methods to study the tale, intending to elucidate the origins, psychologies, and socio-cultural backgrounds of Xie Ziran and her fellow practitioners. Basing myself on a thorough recognition of the fictionality of the Xie Ziran story, I attempt here a literary analysis that I hope will show the main features of the image of Daoist priestesses created in this myth.

2021 “Ge xianweng zhouhou beiji fang 葛仙翁肘後備急方” in Lai Chi-tim 黎志添ed. Daozang jiyao – Tiyao 道藏輯要 提要 [Companion to the Essentials of the Daoist Canon], Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong Press. 809-819

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A bibliographic study of the surviving textual editions of the Zhouhou beiji fang, an influential recipe text dating to the fourth-century, compiled by the Daoist Ge Hong. It argues that the date for this text can be placed as early as 306, and discusses the various editions and influences on the subsequent text. An entry in the Companion to the Daozang jiyao.  Entry is in Chinese.

作為宋代以來佛、道教濟幽科儀最主要的薦拔對象，孤魂並非一開始就出現的。“孤魂”一詞的被選定以及孤魂概念與類型的形成，歷時漫長，過程複雜，也是道教消化與應對佛教“餓鬼”觀念衝擊的一個最終結果。而在道教創造出孤魂概念之後，佛教水陸儀在延續餓鬼救濟的同時，也將孤魂納入其賑濟序列，儘管在適用中也存在一些觀念上的衝突和表達上的困境。而最值得注意的是，孤魂在佛、道教幽科中被按照社會身份予以分類，包括十類以上，反映齊同慈愛的關懷。同時，作為幽科服務的提供者，僧、道二類也被列入孤魂，反映對修行者遭遇死亡的正視與應對。

Qigong—a regimen of body, breath, and mental training exercises—was one of the most widespread cultural and religious movements of late-twentieth-century urban China. The practice was promoted by senior Communist Party leaders as a uniquely Chinese healing tradition and as a harbinger of a new scientific revolution, yet the movement’s mass popularity and the almost religious devotion of its followers led to its ruthless suppression.

In this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the qigong craze and its reflection of key trends that have shaped China since 1949, including the search for a national identity and an emphasis on the absolute authority of science. Qigong offered the promise of an all-powerful technology of the body rooted in the mysteries of Chinese culture. However, after 1995 the scientific underpinnings of qigong would come under attack, its leaders denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, suppressed as “evil cults”.

According to Palmer, the success of the movement proves that a hugely important religious dimension not only survived under the CCP, but was actively fostered, if not created, by high-ranking party members. Tracing the complex relationships among the masters, officials, scientists, practitioners, and ideologues involved in qigong, Palmer opens a fascinating window on the transformation of Chinese tradition as it evolved along with the Chinese state. As he brilliantly demonstrates, the rise and collapse of the qigong movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.

Monograph study on the theme of Heavenly Court painting (chaoyuan tu 朝元圖) in Daoist temple painting, investigating its historical development, iconography, ritual foundations, mural production process, and personalisations. This download contains the introduction and frontmatter.

This article is a critique of the neologism “Daoist medicine” (daojiao yixue 道教醫學) that has recently entered scholarly discourse in China. It provides evidence that this expression is an anachronism which found its way into scholarly discourse in 1995 and has now become so widely used that it is seen as representing an undisputed “historical fact.” It demonstrates that the term has no precursor in the pre-modern record, and critiques two substantive attempts to set up “Daoist medicine” as an analytical term. It reviews earlier scholarship on Daoism and medicine, or healing, within the larger context of religion and medicine, and shows how attention has shifted, particularly in relation to the notion of overlap or intersection of these historical fields of study. It proposes that earlier frameworks grounded in epistemology or simple social identity do not effectively represent the complexity of these therapies. Practice theory, on the other hand, provides a useful analytic for unpacking the organisation and transmission of curing knowledge. Such an approach foregrounds the processes and dynamics of assemblage, rather than theoretical abstractions. The article concludes by proposing a focus on the Daoing of medicine, that is, the variety of processes by which therapies come to be known as Daoist, rather than imposing an anachronistic concept like Daoist medicine.

The Shanhai jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) is a description of the sacred geography of early China. This study argues that the later Daoist sacred geography of sacred mountains and grotto-heavens is a continuation and elaboration of the one envisioned in the Shanhai jing. After analyzing the structure, contents, compilation history, and dates of this complex text, I argue that the Shanhai jing originally was intended as a guidebook for administrating resources and territorial relations at the Qin and early Han courts, and followed a specific cosmological model similar to that found in early Daoist texts. The cosmological model of the Shanhai jing stands in opposition to that promoted in the Yugong (Tribute of Yu), a text on geography in the Confucian classics. The study further argues that Daoist sacred geography after the Han continues the cosmological ideals of the Shanhai jing but without the original administrative purposes. Yet it continues its important task of maintaining territorial relations indirectly-through rituals at sacred sites.

Luk, Tsing Tsing Crystal. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2017. 10798713.

This thesis aims to conduct a comprehensive study on the theoretical and historical connection between Neidan and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) based on a detailed study of the Nedian scripture Yi-dao Huan-yuan [special characters omitted], compiled in the Qing Dynasty.

First of all, based on a variety of editions found in different libraries in China, one can see that the publication of the scripture was connected to the Luˇ zuˇ [special characters omitted] spirit-writing movement during the Qing period. Signs of the movement can be found in the main text, prefaces, and the religion background of its editors and fundraisers. In additions to its formation, the Luˇ zuˇ spirit-writing cults and their disciplesf religious believes also played an important role in the circulation and re-publication of the scriptures in the 19th century.

Secondly, based on previous Neidan studies, one could not bypass the fact that most Neidan scholars usually omit the connection between Neidan and TCM. Especially in regard to the definition of Xing-mìng [special characters omitted] in Neidan texts, the application of TCM theories in this concept was usually dismissed. The discourse of Zhēn yào [special characters omitted] in Neidan, based on theories of Chinese Materia Medica, Medicine Formulae and Etiology developed in Song and the theoretical evolution in the Meridian System during Song and Yuan period played an important role in neidan texts. In addition to the above, the Diagnostic Approaches by applying a theory called Xīn cáng shén wèi jūnzhuˇ zhī guān lùn [special characters omitted] , a theory that emphasis the Heart [special characters omitted] as a residence where Shén [special characters omitted], the Monarchy [special characters omitted] resides, played a major role in the discourse of practice of Xing-ming in Neidan texts. Just as Neidan texts emphasized, Xìng and Mìng are interconnect and inter-related. This discourse was the main concept of the Xīn cáng shén wèi junzhuˇ zhī guān lùn, according to which onefs body is related to onefs mind so that mind and body should be diagnosed and healed as one. Through an in-depth study of the application of TCM theories in Yi-dao Huanyuan and its Neidan practice, and carefully explained the history of each medical concepts, one can understand that the principle of Xìng-mìng in Neidan was built upon the Chinese medical context.

Based on the theories mentioned above, Yi-dao Huan-yuan demonstrates that the interconnection and inter-relations of Xìng-mìng was built upon the influence of the heart to Ming mén [special characters omitted], or vice versa. Mìng mén is one of the concepts applied in TCM. Under the Xin cáng shén wèi jūnzhuˇ zhī guān lùn and related concepts, the phrase Xìng-mìng in Neidan does not only carry common meanings, but medical understanding based on the medical identity and medical knowledge of their authors and editors. From this study, one could see how the medical development in Song and Yuan period impacted the terms and phrases used in Neidan texts and the theories applied in such texts.

Finally, after going through the medical details of the Neidan practice presented in Yi-dao Huan-yuan, it is hard to omit that most medical theories and concepts applied in Neidan practice were found or influenced by Daoists who also happen to be some of the most famous practitioners in Chinese Medical history.

In conclusion, we will review the fact that the theories and concepts these Daoists built became the core of TCM practice. They not only shaped the development of TCM, but also originated the meaning of terms applied in Neidan regarding to organs, meridians, Yào [special characters omitted] and Xìng-mìng etc. Their contributions have long been understood as religious healing instead of professional medicine in Daoist Studies. This point of view has underestimated the influence of Daoism in TCM development, and the interaction of the two. Vice versa, this has also limited the understanding, in Neidan studies, regarding to the applications of medical terms, concepts and theories.

Estudio del contenido y la estructura del texto "padre de todos los libros de alquimia de China". No existe traducción al castellano de este tratado imprescindible para comprender los fundamentos de la alquimia china. Este estudio se coloca bajo licencia Creative Commons. Si vas a usarlo de algún modo, por favor, cita la fuente. © Jordi Vilà i Oliveras (2007)

The proposed paper presents an overview on the matter of virtue from different philosophical angles. It concentrates on three different schools of thought coming from the West and the East and their respective concepts of virtue. These schools of thought and the therewith-associated personalities and works discussed in this paper are Aristotelian virtue ethics, Confucianism and Daoism. The paper focuses specifically on the Nicomachean Ethics (NE) by Aristotle, the Analects belonging to Confucianism, and the Dao De Jing coming from Daoism.
The paper is divided into three major parts. First, the concept of virtue of each school is outlined. In the second part, the concrete virtues as such according to each school are explained. In the third part, these virtues are then applied in specific business contexts like business practice, corporate culture and leadership, illuminating each school’s characteristic approach. The paper closes with a summary and conclusion.
In the conclusion the paper outlines differences as well as similarities between Aristotelian and Confucian virtue ethics. Yet, the author generally takes a critical stance towards comparisons merely for the sake of finding similarities. Particularly between Aristotelian and Confucian virtue ethics there is a significant difference when it comes to the cultural and historical background of these schools, which should not be ignored. Besides, even within Chinese philosophy there are already significant differences when it comes to concepts and practice.

Note: this is a pre-publication draft, see final published version (chapter 15) in: David Chai, ed., Dao Companion to Xuanxue 玄學 (Neo-Daoism). Springer, 2020.

Abstract: The philosophy of Wang Bi 王弼 (226-249) was articulated in his commentaries on the Analects (Lunyu 論語), the Daodejing 道德經, and the Yijing 易經 (Classic of Changes). His Daodejing and Yijing commentaries shaped the reception and hermeneutics of these texts while his commentary on the Analects survived only in a fragmentary condition. Despite his prioritization of Confucius (Kongzi 孔子) as the ultimate paradigmatic figure of the sage, Wang's works offer a syncretist Daoist, or "neo-Daost" mysterious learning (xuanxue 玄學), reasons for this priority. This reconstructed Daoist notion of nothingness (wu無) functions as a key concept that informs his readings of the classics and his depiction of the relationship between language, imagination, and reflection. Wang interpreted the Yijing as a dynamic medium for reflecting on and interpreting nature, society, and one's own situation. This chapter elucidates Wang Bi's commentaries, focusing particularly on the relation between words (yan言), images (xiang 象), meanings (yi 意), and the forgetting (wang 忘) of words, images, and ideas in the context of Wang’s interpretation of responsiveness from nothingness. Nothingness cannot be thematically grasped as a thing or something, and it resists being treated as a determinate idea or propositional said. It is irreducible to words, images, and ideas. Its primordiality is disclosed and enacted in practices of emptying, forgetting, and letting go.

This anthology presents complete or partial translations of sixteen important works belonging to the Taoist tradition of Neidan, or Internal Alchemy. While the selections are far from covering the whole field of Neidan—a virtually impossible task, given its width and variety—they are representative of its main lineages and branches. Texts have been selected in this perspective and are arranged chronologically, in order to provide an overview not only of Neidan, but also of the history of its discourses and practices. Four of the sixteen texts are integrally translated. Six texts and two commentaries are translated here (entirely or partially) for the first time into English. The book is concluded by several tables and by an index of the main terms.

A translation of the main scripture chanted daily in Yi Guan Daoism (一貫道), along with some other supporting documents translated - Purpose of the Path, Mission of the Road, the Purpose of the Dao, the Purpose of the Road into Repair (道之宗), Ritual Ceremony of the Revolving Wheel Circulating Great Mutual Sincere Warmth (禮運大同篤), and Entering the Gate of the Dao (道義入門)

Гуманитарные исследования в Восточной Сибири и на Дальнем Востоке №4 (42), 2017, с. 29-36.
Статья посвящена анализу структуры, содержания и концептуальных оснований одного из важнейших ритуалов даосской традиции Тяньсинь, получившей распространение в Китае эпохи Сун (960-1279). Автор рассматривает ритуал изгнания демонов ("вызова [демонов] на допрос", као чжао) и подробно анализирует содержание каждой из четырех его фаз. Проведенный анализ приводит к выводу о наличии очевидных параллелей между ритуалами экзорцизма, характерными для даосской школы Тяньсинь эпохи Сун и уголовным судопроизводством этого же времени.
The article is devoted to the analysis of the structure, content and conceptual foundations of the most impotent rites of Tianxin Taoist tradition which became widespread in China in the Song era (960-1279). The author studies the rite of expulsion of demons ("summoning [demons] for questioning", kao zhao) and provides the detailed analysis of its four phases. The author comes to the conclusion thet there are obvious parallels between the rite of exorcism in Taoist Tianxin school and the criminal procedure of the Song era.

學界對清代（1644—1912）皇室與佛教的互動展開全面考察。清宮宗教藝術之研究向來以藏傳佛教為重心，涉及京城內外建造的一系列六品佛樓以及數量眾多的造像和法器。滿清帝王對其他宗教傳統的認知，囿於傳世文物及史料不足，一直難以深入探討。乾隆早期，皇帝交蘇州織造訂製一批供養御筆寫經的雕漆匣，器表雕刻之神像是道教與佛教視覺文化在清宮交融的稀見材料，迄今仍乏人關注。本文先分析經匣樣式及神譜構成，藉助造辦處活計清檔去重組其設計過程，再結合高宗的寫經活動與供奉場景，比較他在兩大宗教的供養人角色。經匣設計與御書經冊相配合，供奉於紫禁城內多間道教宮觀及佛堂，表明官方宗教活動的重心雖然在於藏傳佛教，道教仍是皇室祭祀不可或缺的組成部分。雕漆神譜濃縮了乾隆皇帝對佛道二教的宇宙觀，反映其常年定期抄經、事神禮佛，祈求靈驗之虔敬心態。神像經匣與寫經共同構建宗教聖物，作為頭位供奉品的重要性延續至清末，除為帝王個人祈福延壽之外，亦具有護國佑民的作用。

Drawing on a series of Six-class Buddhist Pavilions constructed in Beijing and beyond, as well as abundant statues and ritual implements enshrined inside them, recent scholarship on religious art at the Qing (1644-1912) court has mainly focused on the dynamic relationship between the imperial household and Tibetan Buddhism. Due to the lack of extant artifacts and archival sources, the question of how Manchu Qing rulers perceived other religious traditions has yet to be fully explored. During the early Qianlong reign, a set of carved lacquer boxes were imperially commissioned in Suzhou to encase Daoist and Buddhist scriptures transcribed by the Qianlong emperor. Carved images of numerous deities decorated on lacquer surfaces serve as rare evidence of the convergence of Buddhist and Daoist visual cultures at the Qing court, and they still remain obscure. This article first analyzes the style and deity formations of the scripture boxes, contextualizing their production in light of the Archives of the Imperial Workshops (Qinggong Neiwufu zaobanchu dang’an zonghui). It then reconstructs the distinct roles of Daoism and Buddhism in imperial patronage by focusing on Qianlong’s scripture transcriptions and their interior displays. Elaborately designed and combined as a whole, the lacquer boxes and imperially transcribed scriptures served as religious offerings enshrined at various Daoist and Buddhist temples in the Forbidden City. Despite the official emphasis on Tibetan Buddhism, Daoism was an integral part of court rituals of the time. The Daoist and Buddhist pantheons on lacquer boxes offer a glimpse of Qianlong’s religious cosmology, as reflected in his regular scripture copying and devout prayers to myriad deities for merit-making and efficacy. As the most important offerings until the downfall of the Qing dynasty, together they constitute the sacred objects that offered blessings and protection not only for Qianlong himself but for the empire under the Manchu rule.

As one of the greatest masterpieces in Chinese history, Dao De Jing is a philosophical work by Laozi (Li Er, c.571-471 BCE) published in the 4th century BCE. It contains 81 chapters/verses whose essence is on moral philosophy and ideal ways for humans to be in harmony with nature, self-cultivation, governing the country, deploying military forces, among other things. Although some of the ideas are only historically relevant at the time when Laozi lived, the majority of his thoughts is still pertinent today because human nature has not drastically changed since antiquity, and many social ills that Laozi mentioned still exist even now. Dao De Jing is one of the most translated works in world literature, and second most popular sacred scripture after the Bible. It is hoped that everyone can find something useful in these verses, as the Chinese saying suggests: “The benevolent sees benevolence, and the wise sees wisdom.” This translation has attempted to adhere as faithfully as possible to the original meanings in the Chinese text, and to reflect Mandarin pronunciations and recent revisionary development in Daoist scholarship. The edition has employed Pinyin rather than the older Wade-Giles system for transcribing Chinese words. Hence, the Chinese character for the “Way” is rendered “Dao” rather than “Tao,” Dao De Jing in place of Tao Te Ching, and Laozi for Lao Tzu. The 140-page volume is for anyone interested in Chinese philosophy, and for those who want to learn the art of living from it.

Confucian texts like the Doctrine of the Mean, espouse self-cultivation by adhering to communal norms, refining relationships between “monarch and subjects … the father and the son … the husband and the wife etc.” Three moral traits of “sagacity, charity and character” are attained through “studying”, “charity” and “doing good deeds”, and having “a sense of shame.” Early Daoist self-cultivation texts instead prescribe internalized practice to achieve individual transcendence. Abstract or esoteric concepts of self-cultivation are first discernible in the philosophical speculations of the “Warring States” or Zhangou age, the period to which the emergence of the Daoism can be traced. The earliest of these, the Neiye (“inward training”) grounds psychology and self-cultivation in a physiological substratum, and prescribes techniques to induce self-transcendence, optimum health, and longevity. 
This paper will examine the concept of the emptiness in Chinese philosophical thought, outlining the development of abstract notions of the self and self-cultivation practices in the formative period of daojia (Daoist philosophy), and the mutation in meaning of the concept of wu wei, variously rendered “non contrived,” “non-artificial, “non striving,” and “taking no action contrary to nature,” in texts that precede the Wang Bi, after which it was read as “non action.”

Introduction to my translation of Heshang Gong's commentary, second edition with translator commentary.

Looking at Heshang Gong's influence on the Daoist tradition, and new considerations for dating both the Heshang Gong commentary, and the Dao De Jing.

Subsections also include: "Dao, De, and Oneness in Heshang Gong’s Commentary;"  "Ethics and Kindness in the Dao De Jing;" and "The Politics of Lao Zi."