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| Articles | |
| Devin Joshi | An Integrated Theory of Happiness: The Yang Zhu Chapter of the Liezi |
| Alex T. Hitchens | Mystery upon Mystery: Wang Bi on the Meaning of Xuan |
| Ezra Kohn | Lingzhi: Mushrooms, Immortality, and Order |
| Jacopo Scarin | Personal Quest and Anomic Events: Conversions to Daoism in Late Imperial China |
| Elliot Cohen | The Dao of Dialogue: Daoism, Psychology, and Psychotherapy |
| Aryeh Amihay & Lupeng Li | By Name and by Nature: Two Stories of People Named Unattractive in Daoist and Rabbinic Literature |
| Forum | |
| Jung Jae-seo | Overcoming Capitalism: New Visions and Daoist Concepts |
| Diane Rooney | Christianity and Daoism: Healing Beliefs, Practices, Philosophies |
| Jack Schaefer | Daoist Celestial Medicine: Community, Cultivation, and Compassion |
| Tong-Miin Liou | The Sincere Mind of Goodness: Psychotherapy and Cosmic Qi-Healing |
| Gregory Ripley | Daoist Forest Bathing: Finding Community with the More-than-Human World |
| Bae Kyu-han & Ko Nam-sik | Mind Cultivation in Daesoon Thought |
| Diane Rooney | How Daoism Found Me |
Devin Joshi – An Integrated Theory of Happiness: The Yang Zhu Chapter of the Liezi
This article examines the integrated approach to theorizing happiness in the Yang Zhu chapter of the book associated with the Daoist master Liezi. While ancient critics famously denounced Yang Zhu as an amoral, pleasure-seeking hedonist, I argue the Yang Zhu chapter offers an individually rational but socially non-conformist approach to well-being of considerable relevance to contemporary scholarship on happiness. Not only does the chapter offer an intriguing and counter-intuitive argument about what constitutes and causes well-being, but its philosophical implications address a large number of inescapably foundational conceptual questions that can serve as metrics for evaluating theories of happiness in general. These questions include the scope of happiness (i.e. who?, what?, when?, where?, how much?) causation (i.e. how?, why?), and purpose (i.e. why should it matter?) while also addressing possible tensions between subjective and objective experiences, uniform and diverse causality, individual and collective outcomes, relative vs. absolute happiness, and immediate vs. lasting fulfillment.
Alex T. Hitchens – Mystery upon Mystery: Wang Bi on the Meaning of Xuan
Xuan 玄 (mystery, dark) was ascribed critical philosophic importance by many thinkers of the tradition known as xuanxue 玄學 (Scholarly Exploration of the Dark, Neo-Daoism), principal among whom was Wang Bi. Through systematic analyses of the Laozi, he attempted to explore not only how “nonbeing” (wu 無) is the cosmic force guiding phenomenal existence, but also how xuan and dao 道 are paired, complementary aspects of the “means-by-which-things-are-so” (suoyi 所以). This article examines xuan from the perspective of Wang Bi and, through a close reading of his commentaries, finds that it signifies that which is holistically unknowable and ineffable, an indiscernible oneness where one can resonate with all things. This is premised on the “necessary” unspecificity of the “One” (yi 一) and is reflected in his philosophy of language. By exploring xuan in its philosophical, philological, and semantic context, it becomes apparent that it is more complex than previously thought.
Ezra Kohn – Lingzhi: Mushrooms, Immortality, and Order
This article examines references to the lingzhi 靈芝 mushroom in Song encyclopedic compilations (leishu 類書), specifically the Taiping yulan, as both a reflection and embodiment of greater shifts in the consolidation of state power and religious control during this period. This mushroom forms an ancient and vital component of Daoist medicine and alchemy, and an equally influential symbol in Daoist literature and art. Written references date back to the Han, when it was understood as both a divine medicine of immortality and signifier of political mandate. After providing an analysis of lingzhi’s symbolic significance from the Han until the Tang, this study argues that Song governmental encyclopedic efforts culturally stripped the fungus of its divine significations, which preceded its symbolic commodification in later periods.
Jacopo Scarin – Personal Quest and Anomic Events: Conversions to Daoism in Late Imperial China
This article presents the results of a preliminary study of the discourses on conversion found in Daoists’ biographies of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It first provides definitions of religion and conversion, inspired by Psychology and Sociology of Religion and by Religion Studies, then introduces the idea of anomic events, moments of growing tension(s) leading to a life-altering turning point. Next, it presents episodes taken from late-imperial primary sources that describe the processes leading people from different social classes to join a Daoist institution, study Daoist practice, and/or to live a Daoist-inspired life. Instead of attempting to recover data on the “actual” process of conversion, this article focuses on understanding how the authors and general society made sense of, and reported on, conversions to Daoism. Finally, the article outlines a tentative taxonomy of the factors influencing conversion in the historical account and explains how contemporary scholarship on conversion agrees with some of the intuitions found in the biographies.
Elliot Cohen – The Dao of Dialogue: Daoism, Psychology, and Psychotherapy
From analytical psychologist Carl Jung’s exploration of internal alchemy through humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow’s plea for a more Taoistic Science to pioneering person-centered therapist Carl Rogers’s embrace of nonaction, Daoist teachings have played a consistent, subtle but significant part in shaping popular approaches in psychology and psychotherapy. Contemporary cognitive therapies are increasingly informed by Daoist principles and cultivation practices—including the emergence of Chinese Taoist Cognitive Psychotherapy.
In this paper, I outline the past, present and future of this cross-cultural dialogue, in addition to reflecting on my own Daoist encounters and inspirations that have led to my pursuit of more transpersonal and ecological approaches and insights. Our current global predicament is largely the result of a prevalent, insidious, largely unquestioned anthropocentric mindset, which reduces the natural world to natural resources. It is my firm conviction that a more Daoist-based worldview may prove to be a potent antidote to this detrimental, default way of thinking and more vital than ever when faced with impending climate crises and catastrophe—bridging the psychological, ecological and soteriological.
Aryeh Amihay & Lupeng Li – By Name and by Nature: Two Stories of People Named Unattractive in Daoist and Rabbinic Literature
As part of a growing interest in comparing ancient Chinese and Jewish texts, this article examines two stories that share a theme of an unattractive person who is named according to their appearance. The Daoist story in the Zhuangzi describes Uglyface Tuo whose hideous looks did not deter women from adoring him and rulers admiring him for his administrative skill. A rabbinic story from the Babylonian Talmud (b. Nedarim 66b) recounts the story of a homely wife whose husband compelled her to show something pretty about her to a rabbi. Zhuangzi’s story thwarts any expectations for correlation between external appearances and internal substance, while the name continues to suggest a correlation between a label and content, defying a single approach. Within the Daoist tradition, and especially in Zhuangzi’s thought, this seems to be the point, arguing against epistemic certainty. In the strikingly different Talmudic story, the aptly named person is a woman whose features do not elicit attraction. The correlation of her name and her appearance remains the defining similarity between the narratives. It is this consistency that holds the key to the narrative’s resolution: her apposite name holds the power to restore order in the world, an order which her ugliness seems to threaten. The comparison between the two stories allows to enhance their contradictory lessons. The essay concludes by highlighting the benefits of cross-cultural research between these distant fields of study.