Author: Livia Kohn

Time in Daoist Practice: Cultivation and Calculation

Daoists pay close attention to all different modes and dimensions of time as defined by planetary movements in nature and various man-made calendar divisions, including also the hexagrams of the Yijing. Beyond this, they also work with time in the human body, linking certain features to stages of life and creating temporal rhythms by their own physical actions. They revert the flow of entropy within the body, establishing mastery over time, and transfigure their very physical constitution to subtler levels, opening ways to transcend time altogether.

This volume brings together senior and junior scholars as well as practitioners to explore planetary, calendar, and body time. They cover the entire history of Daoism, from its precursors in the Han to its monastic and popular activation in the 21st century, as well as a plethora of different methods—social predictions, personal horoscopes, physigonomy, healing modalities, qigong, self-cultivation, internal alchemy, and more. Opening new ways of looking at time and expressing uniquely Daoist features, the volume is path-breaking and highly relevant today. A must for anyone interested in time studies, religious practice, and Chinese culture.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $35.95, plus S&H / PDF download: $15

PAPERBACK: $35.95 plus S & H, PDF download: $15

ORDER HERE:https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=time+in+daoist+practice

JDS 14 (2021)

Paperback $25, plus S&H / PDF download $15

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=jds%2014https://www.l

Coming to Terms with Timelessness: Daoist Time in Comparative Perspective

Time, and in particular timelessness, plays a key role in Daoism, both in its more speculative and practical dimensions. This book explores this in comparison with other philosophies and religions. It alternates presentations of a more theoretical, speculative nature with those that focus on concrete life situations, examining the psychological potentials of time perception, the nature of situations, Daoism’s holistic worldview, similarities between Laozi and Plotinus, and Daoist versus Greek geometric models of the cosmos. They further study the role of Daoist notions in New Wave Taiwanese cinema, relate Daoist ideas to modern thinkers and its cultivation techniques to Zen Buddhism, trace the relevance of the Yijing to the Jungian concept of synchronicity, and explore the problem of boredom and predictability in prolongevity and immortality.

The book offers a wide range of topics and perspectives, engaging with new materials while stimulating innovative insights and opening new avenues of exploration. A must for all interested in the nature of Daoism, issues of time, and comparative philosophy.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $34.95, plus S&H; PDF download: $15

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=coming%20to%20terms%20with%20timelessness

Declarations of the Perfected–Part One: Setting Scripts and Images into Motion

This is the first part of a complete, annotated translation of the Zhen’gao, Tao Hongjing’s (456-536) masterful compilation of the Shangqing or Higher Clarity revelations, setting the stage for the heyday of medieval Daoism. This volume presents its first part (fasc.1-4), centering around the practice of achieving “spiritual union,” a spiritual analogue to sexual intercourse, with Perfected partners. The book is the first to examine in depth the full process of this practice—from preliminary courtship to the act of union itself, the gestation of the Perfected embryo in the body of the adept, and finally the adept’s rebirth.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $35.95, plus S&H / PDF ebook: $15.00

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=declarations%20of%20the%20perfected

Daoism and Chinese Culture

This textbook introduces the major schools, teachings, and practices of Daoism in a chronological survey. It offers an integrated vision of the Daoist tradition in its historical and cultural context, establishing connections with Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, popular religion, and political developments. It also places Daoism into a larger theoretical and comparative framework. The book makes ample use of original materials and provides references to further readings and original sources in translation. It is a powerful resource for teaching and studying alike.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $34.95, plus S&H / PDF ebook: $15.00

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=daoism%20and%20chinese%20culture

The Gourd and the Cross: Daoism and Christianity in Dialogue

The Gourd and the Cross goes back to an actual dialogue, first published in Korean in 2003. Reflecting highly personal understanding and exploration, it correlates Dao and the reign of God, compares Jesus and the sage of the Daode jing, and matches ideas of freedom in the Zhuangzi and the New Testament. It also establishes a dialogue between Daoist mind-fasting and Christian unknowing, examines concepts of Eastern immortality versus Western egalitarianism, and discusses visions of nature and humanity in the two religions, both traditionally and in terms of modern ecology. It concludes with an exploration of the interaction of Daoism and Christianity in Korean folk piety. Breaking exciting new ground, it brings Daoism to the fore in the growing field of interreligious dialogue. A must for anyone concerned with the changing face of religion and its impact in the contemporary world.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $34.95, plus S&H / PDF ebook: $15.00

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=gourd%20and%20cross

Ecofamilism: Women, Religion, and Environmental Protection in Taiwan

Ecofamilism proposes a new analytical framework, moving beyond ecofeminism, based on Western feminism and Christian theology, to illuminate Taiwanese women’s motivations and how they understand their role in the environmental movement. Based on extensive interviews with women founders, leaders, and members of six non-governmental, often religious-based, organizations from 1990-2015, the work presents contemporary issues in Taiwan from the perspectives of social anthropology, geography, inter-religious cooperation, and global ethics. Ecofamilism offers a new way of approaching life in contemporary Asia, engaging more precisely with while authentically portraying the experiences of Taiwanese women—whose gender roles are ancillary to motivations of family, religion, and society. Its key concept of ecofamilism pairs the notions of ecology and family while drawing on Chinese religio-cultural traditions of responsibility to the family to illuminate ecologically responsible positions toward society, environment, and all living beings.

`

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $34.95, plus S&H / PDF ebook: $15.00

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=ecofamilism

Mysticism and Meaning: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

This exciting new volume investigates the question of meaning of mystical phenomena and, conversely, queries the concept of “meaning” itself through insights afforded by mystical experiences.It brings together researchers from three different countries, representing highly disparate fields, including philosophy, psychology, history of religion, and semiotics. The point is to address the meaning of mysticism through a pertinent, up-to-date multidisciplinary approach. The editor’s introduction probes questions of complexity and perplexity as well as the reasons why problematizing mysticism leads to even greater enigmas. The thirteen chapters work along two main threads. One provides the contextual framework for the continuing fascination of mysticism, presenting historical traditions and personal accounts of mystical experiences; the other focuses on multidisciplinary investigations of the phenomenon of mysticism. A must-read for anyone wishing to expand their understanding of mysticism and its meaning.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $34.95, plus S&H / PDF ebook: $15.00

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=4&q=mysticism%20meaning

A World of Their Own: Daoist Monks and Their Community in Contemporary China

Joining the life of a small Daoist community temple, the author examines its structure, inhabitants, surrounding community, and gods. She outlines the individual’s choices, training, and path, then discusses the greater Daoist community in terms of pseudo-kinship structures and gender issues. The book is full of amazing detail and reliable, on-the-ground information: a must for anyone interested in the true face of religiosity and spiritual practice in China today.

Contents and Introduction

Paperback: $34.95, plus S&H / PDF ebook: $15.00

ORDER HERE:

https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=herrou

Daoist Priests of the Li Family: Ritual Life in Village China

Along with Jones’ moving film “Li Manshan: Portrait of a Folk Daoist” —watch here: https://vimeo.com/155660741—this engaging and original book describes a hereditary family of household Daoist priests in rural north China. It traces the vicissitudes of their lives—and ritual practices—over