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Where Sufism and Taoism Meets | Technology of the Heart ??
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Where Sufism and Taoism Meets
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1.
The Black Pearl: Spiritual Illumination in Sufism and East Asian Philosophies by Henry Bayman
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Where Sufism and Taoism Meets
0 Sadiq Saturday, November 09, 2013
1.
The Black Pearl: Spiritual Illumination in Sufism and East Asian Philosophies by Henry Bayman
is an unique work in the genre of Comparative Spirituality and Religion, unique because it successfully brings together apparently quite distinct traditions. This was one of the most interesting book I have ever read early on on the subject of Sufism and universal vision of the Sufis at Eastern Religions at a time when I was living in East Asia, somewhat immersed in its culture and tradition. So when I discovered the book at the library of National University of Singapore while I was studying there, it was a welcome source of inspiration and illumination, for it enabled me to appreciate more deeply the Eastern Path and Tradition. The subject matter of language and communication and they are used to communicate truth, aspects of reality always fascinates me, and this book is a very good demonstration how truth can be found in language which are so vastly different in every aspect, yet they embody and points the same truth.
Where are you hurrying to?
you will see
the same moon tonight
wherever you go!
~ Izumi Shikibu
In the preface of this book the author shares how his study and interest earlier in Eastern Philosophies and Thoughts lead him on to Religious Traditions. According to him, Islamic Sufism has much in common with Buddhism, with Taoism, with Zen and Confucianism. He however doesn't deny the differences. This book was not meant to be a comparative study but rather a light on some of the understandings of reality from sufi view as well as that of the eastern religio-spiritual traditions.
I am quoting a part from this book where the concept of God and Taosim is discussed along with God concept in East Asian Culture which is mentioned in chapter 7 of the book. About this chapter the author summarizes as:
Chapter 7 takes up the subject of God in East Asian culture. Although there has not been a strong trend of monotheism in East Asia, yet the sages of various traditions have never been too far from the truth. It is only a slight rearrangement that will help us to discern this universal truth within East Asian wisdom as well. Especially important in this context is the concept of “nirvana in Brahman,” developed on the basis of an insight provided solely by Sufism. The chapter ends with the realization that “there is no deity but God.”
2.
Tao, T’ien, Ti, Kami
The earliest ancestors of the Chinese believed in One God (called Shang Ti or T’ien Ti). It is impossible to overemphasize the fact that Chinese culture and Chinese history begins with the concept of One God. Although today, God is not recognized explicitly in East Asian thought, yet His recognition is just around the corner. The Chinese terms Tao, T’ien, Ti, and the Japanese term Kami all refer to sacredness or the Absolute. Since there cannot be more than one Absolute, at bottom they all must refer to the same thing.
At first, a person may find the identification of Tao, T’ien, Ti, and Kami in this way unusual, even objectionable. They appear to be referring to different concepts. But in reality it is correct, for Truth is only One. It is called “Heavenly Oneness” (ch’ien i) in the Book of Changes, “the All-pervading One” (i kuan) in the Confucian classics, “Holding onto the One” (shou i) in Taoist scriptures, and “One” (Ahad) in the Koran. The goal of human beings, the end result of all self-cultivation, is to realize this Oneness. As the Zen master Hui-neng remarks in the T’an Ching (Platform Sermons), “When One is realized, nothing remains to be done.”
God and the Taoists
The concept of the Tao, Dao, or Way, is at first glance quite similar to the God concept. Further reflection may lead one away from such a notion. The Tao, one finds, is the ultimate metaphysical principle, is impersonal, and is never conceived of as Deity.
On the other hand, further study may also reveal deeper affinities between the Tao and God. In metaphysical terms, Taoism claims that the Tao both is everything and created everything. Only the Tao exists. It has no parts or divisions and nothing inside or outside It. It transcends both time and space. These are all equally valid descriptions of the Real from the standpoint of Sufism.
Probably the work that delves most deeply into the relationship between the concepts of God and Tao is Toshihiko Izutsu’s seminal study, Sufism and Taoism.
According to Izutsu, the Absolute is called Haqq (the Real) by Ibn Arabi and Tao (the Way) by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Since Chuang Tzu wrote in greater detail than Lao Tzu, it is to the work of the former that we must turn to find references to God, if indeed there are any.
According to the Tao Te Ching, “the Tao produces, or makes grow, the ten thousand things.” So when Chuang Tzu says that the sage “reaches the primordial Purity, and stands side by side with the Great Beginning,” he is saying that the sage is made an eyewitness to the creation (“production”) of the universe (shêng: produce, bring into existence). This he calls the “Great Awakening” (ta chüeh), which he contrasts with the “Big Dream,” our mundane experience of the world in ordinary waking consciousness. Ibn Arabi concurs: “The world is an illusion; it has no real existence.”
According to Chuang Tzu, all things freely transform themselves into one another, which he calls the “Transmutation—or Transformation—of things” (wu hua). This is the Taoist version of “mutual interpenetration” or jijimuge, and is called “the flowing/spreading of Existence” (sarayan al-wujud) by the Sufi sage Ibn Arabi. This suggests that boundaries are real-yet-unreal (a situation highlighted by the phrase “No Boundary”), and that ultimately, all things are merged together into an absolute Unity.
If the Tao “produced” the ten thousand things, then the Tao is in some sense the “creator” of things. Do we find anywhere within the Chuang Tzu (the name of his work) explicit reference to a Creator? The answer is: Yes, we do.
… Chuang Tzu concludes that “there is some real Ruler (chên tsai)”:
It is impossible for us to see Him in a concrete form. He is acting—there can be no doubt about it... He does show His activity, but He has no sensible form.
The way Chuang Tzu uses another term, Virtue (tê), reminds us of another Name, Lord (Rabb), in its Arabic sense. Etymologically linked to the terms “trainer, teacher” (murabbi) and “governess” (murabbiya), rabb describes one who oversees something from beginning to end, who fosters it, nurtures it and brings it to completion. Chuang Tzu says: “The Way gives birth to the ten thousand things. The Virtue fosters them, makes them grow, feeds them, perfects them, crystallizes them, stabilizes, rears, and shelters them.”
Other affinities between Sufism and Taoism abound. Chuang Tzu’s expression, “sitting in oblivion” (tso wang) is the equivalent of the Sufic “Annihilation” (fana), or also perhaps One Who is Independent of all things. In this connection, Chuang Tzu makes a master say: “I have now lost myself,” which means that the sage is ego-less. This points to the annihilation of the subject/object boundary. As Izutsu explains, where there is no “I,” there are no “objects.” It is one of the most difficult things, however, to nullify one’s own self. Once this is achieved, says Chuang Tzu, “the ten thousand things are exactly the same as my own self.” Chuang Tzu’s “illumination” (ming) is another name for Gnosis (marifah).
The “sacred man,” he says, “illuminates everything in the light of Heaven,” and according to the Koran, “God is the Light of the heavens and the earth” (24:35). The Ultimate Man (chi jen) and God are inseparable. Chuang Tzu speaks of “those who, being completely unified with the Creator Himself, take delight in the realm of the original Unity before it is divided into Heaven and Earth.” A sage, according to him, is “the Helper of Heaven,” in parallel with Abdulqader Geylani, who was called the divine Helper (gaws). Chuang Tzu’s “Mystery of Mysteries” (hsüan chih yu hsüan), the ultimate metaphysical state of the Absolute, also happens to be the name of a book by Geylani, “The Mystery of Mysteries” (Sirr al-asrar). This, Izutsu explains, is none other than the Essence of the Absolute (zat al- mutlaq). According to Ibn Arabi, the world is the shadow of the Absolute: “He exists in every particular thing...as the very essence of that particular thing.”
All this points to a further confirmation of a central thesis of this book: God is non-explicit in the East, but this does not mean He is non-existent. Just below the threshold of consciousness, and ready to bloom at the earliest convenience, is the full acknowledgment that God exists.
The Knowledge of No Knowledge
The Taoist sages were well aware that the cognition of Unity entails an entirely different order of knowledge. Chuang Tzu asked: “Who knows this knowledge-without-knowledge?” Fung Yu-lan explains: “In order to be one with the Great One, the sage has to transcend and forget the distinctions between things. The way to do this is to discard knowledge...to discard knowledge means to forget these distinctions. Once all distinctions are forgotten, there remains only the undifferentiable one, which is the great whole. By achieving this condition, the sage may be said to have knowledge of another and higher level, which is called by the Taoists ‘knowledge which is not knowledge.’”
The Sufi sages agree. According to the famous Sufi Sahl Tustari: “Gnosis (marifa) is the knowledge of no-knowledge.”
Mahmud Shabistari explains:
Everything emerges with its opposite.
But God has neither an opposite, nor anything similar! And when He has no opposite, I don’t know:
How can one who follows reason know Him, how?
God informs the Grand Sheikh Abdulqader Geylani, “My Way for the Learned is in abandoning knowledge. The knowledge of knowledge is ignorance of knowledge.” In other words, all differentiation and distinctions have to be “unlearned.” The Yogic term samadhi (synthesis, integration) and the Vedantic advaita (non-duality) point to this undifferentiation, as do the Sufic terms tawhid (Unification) and jam (Fusion).
By “unknowing” the Many (Multiplicity), one comes to know the One (Unity). As Rumi says, “Where should we seek knowledge? In the abandonment of knowledge.” These views have found expression in the Sufi saying: “Forget all you know, transform your knowledge into ignorance.” The Hindu tradition also recognized this truth: as the Kena Upanishad puts it, “To know is not to know, not to know is to know.”
Let us conclude this section by statements to this effect by respective luminaries from the two teachings. Says Lao Tzu: “The further one travels along the Way, the less one knows.” And Abu Bakr, the foremost Companion of the Prophet: “O God, the pinnacle of knowing Whom is unknowing.” Can there be any doubt that both are speaking of the same thing, of “Knowledge of the One”?
None-self but One Self
The Chinese Secret of the Golden Flower begins with the words: “That which exists through itself is called the Way (Tao). Tao has neither name nor shape. It is the one essence, the one primal spirit.” In Sufism, self-existence (qiyam bi-nafsihi, svabhava) is one of the Attributes belonging to God’s Essence. The Sufic term translates literally as “standing by His own self,” and means “dependent on nothing and no one else for His existence.” It is one of the Attributes by which the Essence differs from all other things. All things which the Essence gives rise to, on the other hand, are other-dependent and non-self-existent (qiyam bi- ghayrihi, nihsvabhava, pratityasamutpada). That “other” is the rest of existence and—since the rest of manifestation is equally dependent and powerless—in the final analysis, the Other is the Essence. If Nagarjuna had not equated Emptiness with dependent origination, thus introducing a different ontological category (sunyata, adam), it would have been much easier to see this. Yet even this statement needs to be qualified by the fact that Nagarjuna was originally referring to the “void of self” that the Buddha spoke of, which is technically not at all inaccurate.
[+] The Book the Black Pearl has a copy available in public domain and can be accessed here.
> Also visit Official Website of Henry Bayman.
# Further:
* Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
* The Perfect Man According to Taoism and Its Relevance with Sufism: A Brief Survey
* Sufism and Zen
* The Tao of Islam by Sachiko Murata
* Om Mani Padme Hum | a sufic interpretation
* How a Taoist Master sends his student to be a Sufi
Where are you hurrying to?
you will see
the same moon tonight
wherever you go!
~ Izumi Shikibu
In the preface of this book the author shares how his study and interest earlier in Eastern Philosophies and Thoughts lead him on to Religious Traditions. According to him, Islamic Sufism has much in common with Buddhism, with Taoism, with Zen and Confucianism. He however doesn't deny the differences. This book was not meant to be a comparative study but rather a light on some of the understandings of reality from sufi view as well as that of the eastern religio-spiritual traditions.I am quoting a part from this book where the concept of God and Taosim is discussed along with God concept in East Asian Culture which is mentioned in chapter 7 of the book. About this chapter the author summarizes as:
Chapter 7 takes up the subject of God in East Asian culture. Although there has not been a strong trend of monotheism in East Asia, yet the sages of various traditions have never been too far from the truth. It is only a slight rearrangement that will help us to discern this universal truth within East Asian wisdom as well. Especially important in this context is the concept of “nirvana in Brahman,” developed on the basis of an insight provided solely by Sufism. The chapter ends with the realization that “there is no deity but God.”
2.
Tao, T’ien, Ti, Kami
The earliest ancestors of the Chinese believed in One God (called Shang Ti or T’ien Ti). It is impossible to overemphasize the fact that Chinese culture and Chinese history begins with the concept of One God. Although today, God is not recognized explicitly in East Asian thought, yet His recognition is just around the corner. The Chinese terms Tao, T’ien, Ti, and the Japanese term Kami all refer to sacredness or the Absolute. Since there cannot be more than one Absolute, at bottom they all must refer to the same thing.
At first, a person may find the identification of Tao, T’ien, Ti, and Kami in this way unusual, even objectionable. They appear to be referring to different concepts. But in reality it is correct, for Truth is only One. It is called “Heavenly Oneness” (ch’ien i) in the Book of Changes, “the All-pervading One” (i kuan) in the Confucian classics, “Holding onto the One” (shou i) in Taoist scriptures, and “One” (Ahad) in the Koran. The goal of human beings, the end result of all self-cultivation, is to realize this Oneness. As the Zen master Hui-neng remarks in the T’an Ching (Platform Sermons), “When One is realized, nothing remains to be done.”
God and the Taoists
The concept of the Tao, Dao, or Way, is at first glance quite similar to the God concept. Further reflection may lead one away from such a notion. The Tao, one finds, is the ultimate metaphysical principle, is impersonal, and is never conceived of as Deity.
On the other hand, further study may also reveal deeper affinities between the Tao and God. In metaphysical terms, Taoism claims that the Tao both is everything and created everything. Only the Tao exists. It has no parts or divisions and nothing inside or outside It. It transcends both time and space. These are all equally valid descriptions of the Real from the standpoint of Sufism.
Probably the work that delves most deeply into the relationship between the concepts of God and Tao is Toshihiko Izutsu’s seminal study, Sufism and Taoism.
According to Izutsu, the Absolute is called Haqq (the Real) by Ibn Arabi and Tao (the Way) by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Since Chuang Tzu wrote in greater detail than Lao Tzu, it is to the work of the former that we must turn to find references to God, if indeed there are any.
According to the Tao Te Ching, “the Tao produces, or makes grow, the ten thousand things.” So when Chuang Tzu says that the sage “reaches the primordial Purity, and stands side by side with the Great Beginning,” he is saying that the sage is made an eyewitness to the creation (“production”) of the universe (shêng: produce, bring into existence). This he calls the “Great Awakening” (ta chüeh), which he contrasts with the “Big Dream,” our mundane experience of the world in ordinary waking consciousness. Ibn Arabi concurs: “The world is an illusion; it has no real existence.”
According to Chuang Tzu, all things freely transform themselves into one another, which he calls the “Transmutation—or Transformation—of things” (wu hua). This is the Taoist version of “mutual interpenetration” or jijimuge, and is called “the flowing/spreading of Existence” (sarayan al-wujud) by the Sufi sage Ibn Arabi. This suggests that boundaries are real-yet-unreal (a situation highlighted by the phrase “No Boundary”), and that ultimately, all things are merged together into an absolute Unity.
If the Tao “produced” the ten thousand things, then the Tao is in some sense the “creator” of things. Do we find anywhere within the Chuang Tzu (the name of his work) explicit reference to a Creator? The answer is: Yes, we do.
… Chuang Tzu concludes that “there is some real Ruler (chên tsai)”:
It is impossible for us to see Him in a concrete form. He is acting—there can be no doubt about it... He does show His activity, but He has no sensible form.
The way Chuang Tzu uses another term, Virtue (tê), reminds us of another Name, Lord (Rabb), in its Arabic sense. Etymologically linked to the terms “trainer, teacher” (murabbi) and “governess” (murabbiya), rabb describes one who oversees something from beginning to end, who fosters it, nurtures it and brings it to completion. Chuang Tzu says: “The Way gives birth to the ten thousand things. The Virtue fosters them, makes them grow, feeds them, perfects them, crystallizes them, stabilizes, rears, and shelters them.”
Other affinities between Sufism and Taoism abound. Chuang Tzu’s expression, “sitting in oblivion” (tso wang) is the equivalent of the Sufic “Annihilation” (fana), or also perhaps One Who is Independent of all things. In this connection, Chuang Tzu makes a master say: “I have now lost myself,” which means that the sage is ego-less. This points to the annihilation of the subject/object boundary. As Izutsu explains, where there is no “I,” there are no “objects.” It is one of the most difficult things, however, to nullify one’s own self. Once this is achieved, says Chuang Tzu, “the ten thousand things are exactly the same as my own self.” Chuang Tzu’s “illumination” (ming) is another name for Gnosis (marifah).
The “sacred man,” he says, “illuminates everything in the light of Heaven,” and according to the Koran, “God is the Light of the heavens and the earth” (24:35). The Ultimate Man (chi jen) and God are inseparable. Chuang Tzu speaks of “those who, being completely unified with the Creator Himself, take delight in the realm of the original Unity before it is divided into Heaven and Earth.” A sage, according to him, is “the Helper of Heaven,” in parallel with Abdulqader Geylani, who was called the divine Helper (gaws). Chuang Tzu’s “Mystery of Mysteries” (hsüan chih yu hsüan), the ultimate metaphysical state of the Absolute, also happens to be the name of a book by Geylani, “The Mystery of Mysteries” (Sirr al-asrar). This, Izutsu explains, is none other than the Essence of the Absolute (zat al- mutlaq). According to Ibn Arabi, the world is the shadow of the Absolute: “He exists in every particular thing...as the very essence of that particular thing.”
All this points to a further confirmation of a central thesis of this book: God is non-explicit in the East, but this does not mean He is non-existent. Just below the threshold of consciousness, and ready to bloom at the earliest convenience, is the full acknowledgment that God exists.
The Knowledge of No Knowledge
The Taoist sages were well aware that the cognition of Unity entails an entirely different order of knowledge. Chuang Tzu asked: “Who knows this knowledge-without-knowledge?” Fung Yu-lan explains: “In order to be one with the Great One, the sage has to transcend and forget the distinctions between things. The way to do this is to discard knowledge...to discard knowledge means to forget these distinctions. Once all distinctions are forgotten, there remains only the undifferentiable one, which is the great whole. By achieving this condition, the sage may be said to have knowledge of another and higher level, which is called by the Taoists ‘knowledge which is not knowledge.’”
The Sufi sages agree. According to the famous Sufi Sahl Tustari: “Gnosis (marifa) is the knowledge of no-knowledge.”
Mahmud Shabistari explains:
Everything emerges with its opposite.
But God has neither an opposite, nor anything similar! And when He has no opposite, I don’t know:
How can one who follows reason know Him, how?
God informs the Grand Sheikh Abdulqader Geylani, “My Way for the Learned is in abandoning knowledge. The knowledge of knowledge is ignorance of knowledge.” In other words, all differentiation and distinctions have to be “unlearned.” The Yogic term samadhi (synthesis, integration) and the Vedantic advaita (non-duality) point to this undifferentiation, as do the Sufic terms tawhid (Unification) and jam (Fusion).
By “unknowing” the Many (Multiplicity), one comes to know the One (Unity). As Rumi says, “Where should we seek knowledge? In the abandonment of knowledge.” These views have found expression in the Sufi saying: “Forget all you know, transform your knowledge into ignorance.” The Hindu tradition also recognized this truth: as the Kena Upanishad puts it, “To know is not to know, not to know is to know.”
Let us conclude this section by statements to this effect by respective luminaries from the two teachings. Says Lao Tzu: “The further one travels along the Way, the less one knows.” And Abu Bakr, the foremost Companion of the Prophet: “O God, the pinnacle of knowing Whom is unknowing.” Can there be any doubt that both are speaking of the same thing, of “Knowledge of the One”?
None-self but One SelfThe Chinese Secret of the Golden Flower begins with the words: “That which exists through itself is called the Way (Tao). Tao has neither name nor shape. It is the one essence, the one primal spirit.” In Sufism, self-existence (qiyam bi-nafsihi, svabhava) is one of the Attributes belonging to God’s Essence. The Sufic term translates literally as “standing by His own self,” and means “dependent on nothing and no one else for His existence.” It is one of the Attributes by which the Essence differs from all other things. All things which the Essence gives rise to, on the other hand, are other-dependent and non-self-existent (qiyam bi- ghayrihi, nihsvabhava, pratityasamutpada). That “other” is the rest of existence and—since the rest of manifestation is equally dependent and powerless—in the final analysis, the Other is the Essence. If Nagarjuna had not equated Emptiness with dependent origination, thus introducing a different ontological category (sunyata, adam), it would have been much easier to see this. Yet even this statement needs to be qualified by the fact that Nagarjuna was originally referring to the “void of self” that the Buddha spoke of, which is technically not at all inaccurate.
[+] The Book the Black Pearl has a copy available in public domain and can be accessed here.
> Also visit Official Website of Henry Bayman.
# Further:
* Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
* The Perfect Man According to Taoism and Its Relevance with Sufism: A Brief Survey
* Sufism and Zen
* The Tao of Islam by Sachiko Murata
* Om Mani Padme Hum | a sufic interpretation
* How a Taoist Master sends his student to be a Sufi
Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study by Toshihiko Izutsu | Amazon Goodreads
Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts of Ibn 'Arabi and Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu by Toshihiko Izutsu
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Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
In this deeply learned work, Toshihiko Izutsu compares the metaphysical and mystical thought-systems of Sufism and Taoism and discovers that, although historically unrelated, the two share features and patterns which prove fruitful for a transhistorical dialogue. His original and suggestive approach opens new doors in the study of comparative philosophy and mysticism.
Izutsu begins with Ibn 'Arabi, analyzing and isolating the major ontological concepts of this most challenging of Islamic thinkers. Then, in the second part of the book, Izutsu turns his attention to an analysis of parallel concepts of two great Taoist thinkers, Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. Only after laying bare the fundamental structure of each world view does Izutsu embark, in the final section of the book, upon a comparative analysis. Only thus, he argues, can he be sure to avoid easy and superficial comparisons. Izutsu maintains that both the Sufi and Taoist world views are based on two pivots-the Absolute Man and the Perfect Man-with a whole system of oncological thought being developed between these two pivots. Izutsu discusses similarities in these ontological systems and advances the hypothesis that certain patterns of mystical and metaphysical thought may be shared even by systems with no apparent historical connection.
This second edition of Sufism and Taoism is the first published in the United States. The original edition, published in English and in Japan, was prized by the few English-speaking scholars who knew of it as a model in the field of comparative philosophy. Making available in English much new material on both sides of its comparison, Sufism and Taoism richly fulfills Izutsu's motivating desire "to open a new vista in the domain of comparative philosophy."
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From the Back Cover
"Professor Izutsu's work is a pioneering attempt to bring into focus the shareable philosophical concerns of two seemingly unrelated landmarks into religious thought. His method is suggestive, interpretation new and bold, and material used important for further research. His book is useful to students of comparative religion, philosophy of religion, cultural anthropology, Asian thought and religion, and Islamic and Taoist studies."--Tu Wei-ming
"[This book] carries out a comparison in depth between Islamic and Chinese thought for the first time in modern scholarship. . . . Since this book appeared it has influenced every work on Ibn 'Arabi and metaphysical Sufism...[and] any cursory study of Sufism during the last fifteen years will reveal the extent of Izutsu's influence."--Seyyed Hossein Nasr
About the Author
Toshihiko Izutsu is Professor Emeritus at Keio University of Japan. A world authority on Islamic thought, he taught for ten years in Iran and has been active in promoting transcultural dialogue in philosophy.
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Publisher : *University of California Press; 1st edition (6 August 1984)
Language : English
Hardcover : 493 pages
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Dr. Don Whyte
5.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly work.Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 27 June 2014
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This took alot of concentrated time to read but it was worth every minute. His study of Sufism and Taoism is original and well researched. Truly a work of scholarship, recommended for serious students of Sufism and Taoism.
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Samuel W. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Izutsu meticulously unpacks the profound metaphysics of Ibn ...Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 22 May 2018
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Dr. Izutsu patiently and meticulously unpacks the metaphysics of first, Ibn 'Arabi, and then Zhuangzi and Laozi. He also--particularly with regard to the Daoist masters--beautifully outlines the programs through and by which one comes to embody/become that metaphysics. Finally, he compares and locates deep congruences between Ibn 'Arabi and Zhuangzi/Laozi. This erudite and deeply felt work will stimulate and inspire anyone who is interested in spiritual expansion and/or comparitive mysticism; it might change the minds of those who feel the comparitive mysticism project is misguided, or impossible.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, in depth , thoroughReviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 26 October 2017
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The mystics will recognise all the familiar "landmarks" in this amazing book, despite it sounding technical, formal and wordy.
I absolutely loved this book.
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Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts of Ibn 'Arabi and Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu by Toshihiko Izutsu
Toshihiko Izutsu
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Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
493 pages, Hardcover
Book details & editions
Toshihiko Izutsu was a university professor and author of many books on Islam and other religions. He taught at the Institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio University in Tokyo, the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
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Mamluk Qayser
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April 13, 2022
This book is one of Isutzu's cornerstone: an epic expanding on the works of Ibnu Arabi, especially in his magnum opus Fusus al-Hikam.
Ibnu Arabi is one of the great physical that expounds the teaching of the Unity of Existence (wahdah al-wujud) into Islamic orthodoxy. While, of course, to say that that the orthodoxy fully accepted the idea is stretching too far. The ontological model would always be an uncomfortable fringe to many orthodox figures, for it is not that far from al-Asharite idea of "eternalness of substance" (in comparison to attributes), but the idea of Unity of Existence have too much of fringe of bombastic metaphors and also the cases of (misunderstood?) extremists such as al-Hallaj and other succumbed mystics. It took al-Attas to reformulate the idea in a more sober exposition, pulling it from the high heaven of similes to a robust digestible fact.
The model, in my opinion, is the only robust ontological model that bypasses the jettison between two indubitable facts; of the Absoluteness of God and the existence of the world. Spinoza has answered the first in a more chimerical way in his monism; by concluding God is so Absolute that He also includes within Himself the attributes of extension. The latter part has been answered in its most extreme form by the heretical mystic sects that affirms gross materialism, or perhaps the Asharites and the philosophers, who in their sincere way to retain the transcendence of God, affirm the theory of eternalness of substance.
This model has been expounded again and again somewhere in my reviews here, especially under al-Attas' "Degrees of Existence", al-Ghazzali's "Niche of Light" and Toshihko Isutzu's "Concept and Meaning of Existence".
2022
Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
In this deeply learned work, Toshihiko Izutsu compares the metaphysical and mystical thought-systems of Sufism and Taoism and discovers that, although historically unrelated, the two share features and patterns which prove fruitful for a transhistorical dialogue. His original and suggestive approach opens new doors in the study of comparative philosophy and mysticism.
Izutsu begins with Ibn 'Arabi, analyzing and isolating the major ontological concepts of this most challenging of Islamic thinkers. Then, in the second part of the book, Izutsu turns his attention to an analysis of parallel concepts of two great Taoist thinkers, Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. Only after laying bare the fundamental structure of each world view does Izutsu embark, in the final section of the book, upon a comparative analysis. Only thus, he argues, can he be sure to avoid easy and superficial comparisons. Izutsu maintains that both the Sufi and Taoist world views are based on two pivots-the Absolute Man and the Perfect Man-with a whole system of oncological thought being developed between these two pivots. Izutsu discusses similarities in these ontological systems and advances the hypothesis that certain patterns of mystical and metaphysical thought may be shared even by systems with no apparent historical connection.
This second edition of Sufism and Taoism is the first published in the United States. The original edition, published in English and in Japan, was prized by the few English-speaking scholars who knew of it as a model in the field of comparative philosophy. Making available in English much new material on both sides of its comparison, Sufism and Taoism richly fulfills Izutsu's motivating desire "to open a new vista in the domain of comparative philosophy."
Product description
From the Back Cover
"Professor Izutsu's work is a pioneering attempt to bring into focus the shareable philosophical concerns of two seemingly unrelated landmarks into religious thought. His method is suggestive, interpretation new and bold, and material used important for further research. His book is useful to students of comparative religion, philosophy of religion, cultural anthropology, Asian thought and religion, and Islamic and Taoist studies."--Tu Wei-ming
"[This book] carries out a comparison in depth between Islamic and Chinese thought for the first time in modern scholarship. . . . Since this book appeared it has influenced every work on Ibn 'Arabi and metaphysical Sufism...[and] any cursory study of Sufism during the last fifteen years will reveal the extent of Izutsu's influence."--Seyyed Hossein Nasr
About the Author
Toshihiko Izutsu is Professor Emeritus at Keio University of Japan. A world authority on Islamic thought, he taught for ten years in Iran and has been active in promoting transcultural dialogue in philosophy.
Product details
Publisher : *University of California Press; 1st edition (6 August 1984)
Language : English
Hardcover : 493 pages
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Dr. Don Whyte
5.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly work.Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 27 June 2014
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This took alot of concentrated time to read but it was worth every minute. His study of Sufism and Taoism is original and well researched. Truly a work of scholarship, recommended for serious students of Sufism and Taoism.
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PW108
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scholarly and Fascinating: An in-depth Comparison of Two Profound Spiritual Paths
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 10 November 2021
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Professor Toshihiko Izutsu’s writing in this stellar book is amazingly well researched and understandable. Either half of the book could stand on its own, but together they represent a (as far as I know) heretofore unattempted examination of the core aspects of the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi, in relation to the Taoist thought of Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu.
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Professor Toshihiko Izutsu’s writing in this stellar book is amazingly well researched and understandable. Either half of the book could stand on its own, but together they represent a (as far as I know) heretofore unattempted examination of the core aspects of the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi, in relation to the Taoist thought of Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu.
At first blush, mystical Islam and Taoism may appear to be an odd couple, but as it is with most of the world’s great spiritual traditions,
they share many esoteric commonalities — regardless of what the dogmatic fundamentalists say.
My introduction to Izutsu was from footnotes in a well-worth exploring book titled “A Treasury of Sufi Wisdom: The Path of Unity” edited by Peter Samsel, and previously reviewed by me as well.
My introduction to Izutsu was from footnotes in a well-worth exploring book titled “A Treasury of Sufi Wisdom: The Path of Unity” edited by Peter Samsel, and previously reviewed by me as well.
I was so impressed with their clarity that I bought the book the citations were from: Izutsu’s “Creation and the Timeless Order of Things: Essays in Islamic Mystical Philosophy.”
I have recently reviewed this book too.
In addition, I’ve found one more from his oeuvre thankfully still in print: “Toward a Philosophy of Zen Buddhism.”
I’ve not read it at the time this review was written, but based on his two books that I have read, I am positive that I’ll find it requiring a review. If these specific areas of philosophy, metaphysics, and religion are in your wheelhouse, then I have no doubts that Izutsu’s work will both impress and enlighten!
3 people found this helpful
3 people found this helpful
Samuel W. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Izutsu meticulously unpacks the profound metaphysics of Ibn ...Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 22 May 2018
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Dr. Izutsu patiently and meticulously unpacks the metaphysics of first, Ibn 'Arabi, and then Zhuangzi and Laozi. He also--particularly with regard to the Daoist masters--beautifully outlines the programs through and by which one comes to embody/become that metaphysics. Finally, he compares and locates deep congruences between Ibn 'Arabi and Zhuangzi/Laozi. This erudite and deeply felt work will stimulate and inspire anyone who is interested in spiritual expansion and/or comparitive mysticism; it might change the minds of those who feel the comparitive mysticism project is misguided, or impossible.
8 people found this helpful
Lydia Mills
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, in depth , thoroughReviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 26 October 2017
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The mystics will recognise all the familiar "landmarks" in this amazing book, despite it sounding technical, formal and wordy.
I absolutely loved this book.
10 people found this helpful
William
5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't be more pleased.Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 15 May 2020
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Excellent item, well described, packaging and speed of mailing were great. Thank you.
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Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts of Ibn 'Arabi and Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu by Toshihiko Izutsu
Toshihiko Izutsu
4.67
6 ratings1 review
Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
493 pages, Hardcover
Book details & editions
Toshihiko Izutsu was a university professor and author of many books on Islam and other religions. He taught at the Institute of Cultural and Linguistic studies at Keio University in Tokyo, the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy in Tehran, and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
4.67
6 ratings1 review
Mamluk Qayser
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April 13, 2022
This book is one of Isutzu's cornerstone: an epic expanding on the works of Ibnu Arabi, especially in his magnum opus Fusus al-Hikam.
Ibnu Arabi is one of the great physical that expounds the teaching of the Unity of Existence (wahdah al-wujud) into Islamic orthodoxy. While, of course, to say that that the orthodoxy fully accepted the idea is stretching too far. The ontological model would always be an uncomfortable fringe to many orthodox figures, for it is not that far from al-Asharite idea of "eternalness of substance" (in comparison to attributes), but the idea of Unity of Existence have too much of fringe of bombastic metaphors and also the cases of (misunderstood?) extremists such as al-Hallaj and other succumbed mystics. It took al-Attas to reformulate the idea in a more sober exposition, pulling it from the high heaven of similes to a robust digestible fact.
The model, in my opinion, is the only robust ontological model that bypasses the jettison between two indubitable facts; of the Absoluteness of God and the existence of the world. Spinoza has answered the first in a more chimerical way in his monism; by concluding God is so Absolute that He also includes within Himself the attributes of extension. The latter part has been answered in its most extreme form by the heretical mystic sects that affirms gross materialism, or perhaps the Asharites and the philosophers, who in their sincere way to retain the transcendence of God, affirm the theory of eternalness of substance.
This model has been expounded again and again somewhere in my reviews here, especially under al-Attas' "Degrees of Existence", al-Ghazzali's "Niche of Light" and Toshihko Isutzu's "Concept and Meaning of Existence".
2022
Henri Maspero - Wikipedia
Henri Maspero - Wikipedia
Henri Maspero
Henri Maspero | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born | Henri Paul Gaston Maspero 15 December 1883 Paris, France | ||
| Died | 17 March 1945 (aged 61) | ||
| Scientific career | |||
| Fields | Daoism, Chinese history | ||
| Institutions | La Sorbonne École Pratique des Hautes Études | ||
| Academic advisors | Édouard Chavannes Sylvain Lévi | ||
| Chinese name | |||
| Traditional Chinese | 馬伯樂 | ||
| Simplified Chinese | 马伯乐 | ||
| |||
Henri Paul Gaston Maspero (15 December 1883 – 17 March 1945) was a French sinologist and professor who contributed to a variety of topics relating to East Asia. Maspero is best known for his pioneering studies of Daoism. He was imprisoned by the Nazis during World War II and died in the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Life and career[edit]
Henri Maspero was born on 15 December 1883 in Paris, France. His father, Gaston Maspero, was a famous French Egyptologist who was of Italian ancestry. Maspero was also Jewish.[1] After studies in history and literature, in 1905 he joined his father in Egypt and later published the study Les Finances de l'Egypte sous les Lagides. After returning to Paris in 1907, he studied the Chinese language under Édouard Chavannes and law at Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales. In 1908 he went to Hanoi, studying at the École française d'Extrême-Orient.
In 1918 he succeeded Édouard Chavannes as the chair of Chinese at the Collège de France. He published his monumental La Chine Antique in 1927. During the following years he replaced Marcel Granet for the chair of Chinese civilisation at the Sorbonne, directed the department of Chinese religions at the École pratique des hautes études, and was selected to be a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres.
On 26 July 1944, Maspero and his wife, who were still living in Nazi-occupied Paris, were arrested because of their son's involvement with the French Resistance.[2] Maspero was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp, where he endured its brutal conditions for over six months before dying on 17 March 1945, aged 61, only three weeks before the camp's liberation by the U.S. Third Army.
See also[edit]
- Georges Maspero (1872–1942), French sinologist, son of Gaston, brother of Henri and Jean
- Jean Maspero (1885–1915), French papyrologist, brother of Henri and Georges
- François Maspero (1932–2015), French author, journalist and publisher, son of Henri
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ Katz (2014), p. xv.
- ^ Yetts (1946), p. 95.
Sources[edit]
- Auboyer, Jeannine (1947). "Henri Maspero (1883–1945)". Artibus Asiae (in French). 10 (1): 61–64. JSTOR 3248491.
- Demiéville, Paul (1947). "Henri Maspero et l'avenir des études chinoises" [Henri Maspero and the Future of Chinese Studies]. T'oung Pao (in French). 38 (1): 16–42. doi:10.1163/156853297x00473. JSTOR 4527248.
- Honey, David B. (2001). Incense at the Altar: Pioneering Sinologists and the Development of Classical Chinese Philology. American Oriental Series 86. New Haven, Connecticut: American Oriental Society. ISBN 0-940490-16-1.
- Katz, Paul R. (2014). Religion in China and Its Modern Fate. Waltham: Brandeis University Press.
- Yetts, W. Perceval (1946). "Obituary Notices – Henri Maspéro". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1): 95. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00100097. JSTOR 25222077.
External links[edit]
- Some of his works are available free online courtesy of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Henri Maspero, by E. Bruce Brooks: biography with photographs
초사(楚辭) - sillokwiki
초사(楚辭) - sillokwiki:
초사(楚辭)
주요 정보
대표표제 초사
한글표제 초사
한자표제 楚辭
분야 문학/한문
유형 문헌
지역 한국
시대 조선
왕대 세종
집필자 성낙수
저편자 굴원(屈原)/유향(劉向)
간행처
간행년일 1428년(세종 10)
권책수 1책
소장처 국립중앙도서관
조선왕조실록사전 연계
초사(楚辭)
조선왕조실록 기사 연계
『세종실록』 10년 11월 12일, 『세종실록』 11년 3월 18일, 『세종실록』 17년 6월 26일
중국 초(楚)나라의 굴원(屈原)과 宋玉(송옥) 등의 운문을 편집한 책.
목차
1 개설
2 편찬/발간 경위
3 서지 사항
4 굴원의 생애와 『초사』
5 참고문헌
6 관계망
개설
『초사(楚辭)』는 중국 초나라의 굴원과 송옥의 작품을 비롯하여 한(漢)나라 때의 모방작들까지 포함하고 있는 책이다. 서한(西漢)의 유향(劉向)이 초나라의 운문풍 작품 16개를 모아 책으로 편찬하였다. 굴원과 송옥을 비롯하여, 경차(景差), 회남소산(淮南小山), 동방삭(東方朔), 엄기(嚴忌), 왕포(王褒)와 유향 자신의 작품들이 포함되어 있다.
편찬/발간 경위
『초사』라는 이름은 한(漢)나라의 『사기(史記)』와 『한서(漢書)』에 처음 등장한다. 이는 사마천(司馬遷)의 『사기』가 완성된 기원전 91년에 이미 ‘초사’가 유행했다는 것을 뜻한다. 그런데 이때의 ‘초사’는 글자 그대로 초나라의 노래라는 뜻이었다. 유향의 손을 거치면서 『초사』는 책 이름이 되었다.
『초사』의 주석서는 매우 많은데, 왕일(王逸)의 『초사장구(楚辭章句)』가 가장 오래된 주석서이며, 남송(南宋) 때 홍흥조(洪興祖)가 지은 『초사보주(楚辭補注)』는 왕일의 주석에 설명을 더했다. 그리고 이 시대의 주희(朱熹)는 『초사집주(楚辭集注)』를 편찬하여 비교적 간명하게 요점을 밝혔다.
이렇듯 오랜 시기에 걸쳐 읽힌 『초사』는 삼국시대 때부터 우리 문학에 간헐적으로 인용되기 시작했으며, 고려시대에는 이규보(李奎報)를 비롯한 많은 문인들이 초사를 수용하고 변용하기 시작했다. 조선시대에 들어서면 정치적 혼란기 때면 문인들은 더 적극적으로 초사를 수용하는 것을 볼 수 있다. 특히 조선 선비들의 유배 시가에 『초사』의 흔적이 잘 드러나는데, 굴원이 간신의 이간질로 인해 쫓겨난 후 지은 「이소(離騷)」가 가장 많이 인용되었다고 해도 과언이 아니다. 이렇듯 조선 선비들의 『초사』 수용은 다양한 층위의 문사들이 다양한 양상을 보였으며, 그들의 작품 속에서 다양한 미의식의 확산을 가져왔다. 그 가운데서도 굴원의 비장미 넘치는 글과 원망의 미학을 우아하고 숭고하게 잘 수용하고 있는 것을 볼 수 있다.
한편 세종(世宗)은 『초사』를 이백 번을 읽을 정도로 아꼈다고 전하는데, 왕위에 오른 후 공부하는 사람에게 반드시 필요한 책이라며 주자소에서 인행하게 하였다.(『세종실록』 10년 11월 12일) 그리고 집현전(集賢殿) 관원들에게 나누어주었으며, 시학을 진흥시키기 위하여 성균관 생원들에게 『초사』를 읽게 하기도 하였다.(『세종실록』 11년 3월 18일),(『세종실록』 17년 6월 26일)
서지 사항
1책으로 구성되어 있으며, 주자소에서 간행하였다. 책의 크기는 세로 36.0cm, 가로 21.0cm이고, 지질은 한지이다.
국립중앙도서관에 보관 중이다.
굴원의 생애와 『초사』
『초사』의 가장 대표적인 작가는 굴원이다. 초나라 왕족의 후손인 굴원은 어렸을 때부터 영리했으며, 커서는 박학다식하고 언변이 뛰어나, 26세의 젊은 나이에 좌도(左徒)의 벼슬에 임명되었다. 좌도는 내정(內政)뿐 아니라 외교를 담당한 중책으로, 굴원이 왕의 총애를 얼마나 받았는지 짐작하게 한다. 명문가의 혈통이자 뛰어난 자질을 타고 났으며 왕의 신임까지 한 몸에 받아 출세가도를 달리면서 굴원을 시샘하는 사람들도 많아졌다.
한편 굴원이 살던 시기의 초나라는 전국시대(戰國時代)라는 격동기에 있었다. 주(周)나라의 강력한 중앙집권체제가 무너지면서 제후국들은 저마다 왕을 칭하고 정치적으로 독립하기 시작했다. 그 가운데 초나라는 넓은 영토와 풍부한 자원, 아름다운 자연환경 속에서 높은 문화적 수준을 자랑하는 나라였다. 그러나 부패한 귀족들 때문에 정치적으로는 위기에 직면해 있었고, 굴원 당시의 회왕(懷王)도 어지러운 정국을 바로잡기에는 역부족이었다. 특히 진(秦)나라와의 긴장 관계를 원활하게 풀지 못하면서 초나라는 사면초가의 상황에 처해 있었다. 굴원은 제(齊)나라와 긴밀한 관계를 유지해야 한다고 간언했지만 회왕은 그의 말을 듣지 않았고, 오히려 상관대부(上官大夫)와 근상(靳尙) 같은 간사한 측근들의 말만 신뢰하여 굴원을 쫓아냈다. 당시 굴원이 비탄한 심정으로 쓴 작품이 「이소」이다.
이후 회왕은 제나라와 연합했다가 다시 배반하고, 진나라와 연합하는 등 외교적인 실책을 거듭하였다. 굴원은 이때에도 열심히 간언하였지만, 회왕은 끝까지 그의 말을 듣지 않았고, 아들인 자란(子蘭)의 말만 듣다가 진나라에서 객사하고 말았다. 당시 초나라 사람들은 회왕을 진나라로 보낸 자란에 대해 몹시 반감을 품었으나, 굴원에 대해서는 깊은 동정심을 갖고 있었다. 여론이 자기에게 불리하다는 것을 감지한 자란은 상관대부를 시켜 새로 즉위한 경양왕(頃襄王)에게 굴원을 비방하도록 했다. 또다시 모함에 빠진 굴원은 결국 자신의 뜻을 펴지 못하고 강남으로 쫓겨나 멱라강(覓羅江)에 빠져 죽고 만다.
그런데 후세의 유학자들은 오히려 굴원을 비판하기도 했다. 굴원이 지나치게 자신의 재주를 드러냈고 울분을 삭이지 못했을 뿐 아니라, 군주의 과실을 과장해 폭로했다는 것이다. 즉 유교에서 말하는 명철보신(明哲保身)의 중용(中庸)의 덕을 지키지 않았다는 것이다. 물론 이러한 지적대로 굴원이 울분을 거리낌 없이 토해내고, 신화 속의 기이한 이야기들까지 자유롭게 노래한 것은 유교의 이상과는 다소 거리가 있다. 그러나 가슴으로부터 끓어오르는 억울함과 슬픔을 그토록 절실하게 노래하였으므로, 오늘날까지도 중국인들은 최고의 애국자이자 시인으로서 굴원을 꼽는 것을 주저하지 않는다.
참고문헌
『세종실록(世宗實錄)』
김인규 역해, 『초사』, 청아출판사, 1988.
류성준 편저, 『초사』, 문이재, 2000.
선정규, 『굴원 평전 - 장강을 떠도는 영혼』, 신서원, 2000.
신두환, 「한국 한문학의 전통적 사유와 문예미 - 조선사인(朝鮮士人)들의 『초사(楚辭)』 수용(受容)과 그 미의식(美意識)」, 『한문학논집』 30, 근역한문학회, 2010
Taoism and Chinese Religion Henri Maspero | PDF |
Taoism and Chinese Religion (PDFDrive) | PDF | Heaven | China
Taoism and Chinese Religion
Henri Maspero
,
Joni Lovenduski
,
Frank A. Kierman
(Translator)
4.00
11 ratings3 reviews
This book is a translation of Le Taoisme et les Religions Chinoises, which was posthumously published in France in 1971. It is the first English translation of most of the seminal works on Chinese religion of the great sinologist Henri Maspero. Maspero (1883-1945) was the first Western scholar to study the vast and recondite compendium of Taoist writing, the Tao-tsang.
As his discovery of its historic meaning was explained in publication, it exploded forever the myths that China was either a country without religion or one with three religions. Maspero, as did other French sinologists, rejected the idea that Confucian¬ism was the philosophy of the majority of ancient Chinese.
The first part of the book closely examines Chinese society, religion, and folk-myth; the second part focuses on the practice and form of Taoism specifically and includes an extensive investigation of yoga-like procedures of nutrition, breathing exercises, and sexual techniques—all designed to insure personal immortality in ancient Taoism. The titles of the nine "books" comprising this study give an indication of its breadth and variety: Chinese Religion in Its Historical Development; The Mythology of Modern China; The Society and Religion of the Ancient Chinese and the Modern Tai; How was Buddhism Introduced into China?; Taoism in Chinese Religious Beliefs during the Six Dynasties Period; The Poet Hsi K'ang and the Club of Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove; An Essay on Taoism in the First Centuries A.D.; HOW to Communicate with the Taoist Gods; Methods of "Nourishing the Vital Principle" in the Ancient Taoist Religion.
"It is largely thanks to [Maspero's] pioneer work in the fields of Chinese religion, anthropology, linguistics and history that China's contribution to the achievement of man could first be reviewed on terms of parity with those of other civilizations.
"To the question whether his discoveries, opinions and interpretations have been out¬dated by the subsequent thirty years' re¬search, it may be answered that leading scholars still rely with the utmost confidence on his writings as a framework whose validity has outdated their most recent findings, and whose detail has in many cases not been bettered."—Michael Loewe, University of Cambridge.
Frank A. Kierman, Jr., teaches history at Rider College and is co-editor of Chinese Ways in Warfare. (Publication of this book has been aided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.)
On the jacket is an engraved diagram of a mirror-back, of T'ang date though after the pattern of Han mirror-mandalas, from the Taoist Canon, ch. 196. For explanation of its elements and translation of the poem it includes, see Edward H. Schafer, "A T'ang Mirror" in Early China 4 (1978-79), pp. 56-59.
578 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1971
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====================
Henri Maspero
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Henri Paul Gaston Maspero (15 December 1883 – 17 March 1945) was a French sinologist and professor who contributed to a variety of topics relating to East Asia. Maspero is best known for his pioneering studies of Daoism. He was imprisoned by the Nazis during World War II and died in the Buchenwald concentration camp.
See also:
Gaston Maspero
Georges Maspero (1872–1942), French sinologist
Jean Maspero (1885–1915), French papyrologist
François Maspero (1932–2015), French author and journalist
====
Community Reviews
4.00
11 ratings3 reviews
Mel
3,202 reviews
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March 27, 2015
Henri Maspero was one of the early French sinologists who studied Taoism in great depth. This is a huge collection of essays that he published in a variety of journals in the 20s, 30s and 40s. It is interesting from a historical point of view to see how the religion was presented in the early 20th century. Quite a lot of what he discusses is still relevant, but as it was the foundation of Taoist studies it is at a much more basic level than more recent work. Still it does make for very enjoyable, and detailed reading. The topics covered include the pantheon of Taoism, early rituals, the development of the religion, and inner alchemy practices. It is interesting that he focused on the yellow turbans so much, and the Celestial masters so little, which is quite different to Taoist studies today. Likewise his choice of texts to use as sources was quite different. However, this just added to my interest as it was fascinating to see the way the discipline has grown over the years. I'm not sure I would recommend this book to someone who is just starting out in Taoist studies or wanting to know more. I think it is a decent overview, but I also think it is good to approach the material with a modern understanding to get the most out of it. Still I think a new reader who approached it with an open mind would find it interesting as it does cover a lot of the basics and the background. I'm really glad I was able to find a relatively cheap 2nd hand copy of this on sale in Paris.
20th-century-non-fiction
bought-2015
====
Arthur Rosenfeld
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13 books
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October 30, 2015
I enjoyed every page. Delicious detail and a fresh view of much I hold dear.
===
Rob
24 reviews
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May 30, 2010
This is a highly regarded scholarly book, but unless you need an untarnished citation to back up some academic exercise I would look elsewhere. Too verbose, too many uninteresting details, but not enough detail to really be encyclopedic. Not to knock the author, but if it had been written a decade later IMHO it would not have the reputation it does.
There are more recent, more accessible books on Daoism. Even people who recommend this book admit it it thick and dry and best read in short bursts over a span of time.
philosophy
【書評】ガンジス河で「キリスト教と日本人」を問う：遠藤周作著『深い河』 | nippon.com
【書評】ガンジス河で「キリスト教と日本人」を問う：遠藤周作著『深い河』 | nippon.com
【書評】ガンジス河で「キリスト教と日本人」を問う：遠藤周作著『深い河』
Books 文化 社会没後25年が経ち、今なお「狐狸庵（こりあん）先生」と親しまれる遠藤周作。生前の本人の希望で、隠れキリシタンを扱った『沈黙』と共に棺の中に納められた本作品は、遠藤文学の集大成となる最後の長編小説である。「日本人のキリスト教」を問い続けた遠藤が、インドの母なる河ガンジスを現地取材しながら、様々な業（ごう）を抱えている日本人を描き、宗教とは何かを考えさせる。
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- 日本語
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「僕はヨーロッパの基督教を信じているのではない」
物語はそれぞれの苦しみを秘めた人たちが、インドツアーに参加することで進んでいく。主人公の一人が、インド旅行のメンバーとなる病院ボランティアの美津子。もう一人の主人公が、母の影響でクリスチャンとなり、神父を志す大津。
美津子と大津は同じ大学で学生時代をすごした。実は意地悪で人を真剣に愛せない美津子は、大津の信じる神をからかいたくて、彼を誘惑する。大津はキリストを「玉ねぎ」と呼ぶようになり、神を棄てると約束するが、彼女に捨てられた後、フランスに渡り神学生となった。新婚旅行でフランスに来た美津子は、新郎と別行動をとって大津と再会し、神を棄てたのではないかと問い詰める。すると大津はキリストを語りだす。
「あなた（美津子）から棄てられたからこそ――、ぼくは……人間から棄てられたあの人（キリスト）の苦しみが……少しはわかったんです」「ぼくは聞いたんです。おいで、という声を。おいで、私はお前と同じように捨てられた。だから私だけは決して、お前を棄てない、という声を」
美津子「おかしな人。日本人でしょ、あなたは。日本人のあなたがヨーロッパの基督教を信じるなんて」
大津「ぼくはヨーロッパの基督教を信じているんじゃありません」「三年間、ここに住んで、ぼくはここの国の考え方に疲れました。彼等が手でこね、彼等の心に合うように作った考え方が……東洋人のぼくには重いんです。仏蘭西人の上級生や先生たちにうち明けると、真理にはヨーロッパも東洋もないって戒められました」「やがて日本に戻ったら……日本人の心にあう基督教を考えたいんです」
大津はその後、異端者と見なされて、インドに移り、ガンジス河近くの修道院に入った。夫と早く離婚した美津子は、大津がインドにいるとの噂を聞き、このインド旅行に参加したのだった。
全てをのみこむ愛の河
こうして日本からの一行が、大河ガンジスの中流にあるヒンズー教と仏教の聖地ベナレス（本書ではヴァーラーナスィと表記）にやってくる。ここには階段状の沐（もく）浴場があり、巡礼者たちが身を清めている一方で、亡くなった人々の火葬場もあり、遺灰が河に流される。生と死が混在した宗教都市になっている。
大津はここの修道院も追い出され、ヒンズー教徒の中に入って、息絶えた人たちを運び、火葬後にガンジス河に流すのを日課としていた。そして、美津子とまた再会する。
信仰の道に進む大津は、「玉ねぎ（キリストのこと）がヨーロッパの基督教だけでなく、ヒンズー教のなかにも、仏教のなかにも生きておられると思うから、そのような生き方を選んだ」と語る。美津子は「でもあなたは一生を台なしにしたわ」と言う。
一行が現地滞在中にインデラ・ガンジー首相の暗殺事件が起きた。大津は美津子にこう語る。
「（行き倒れの）彼等が、河のほとりで炎に包まれる時、ぼくは玉ねぎにお祈りします。ぼくが手わたすこの人をどうぞ受けとり抱いてくださいと」「ガンジス河を見るたびに、ぼくは玉ねぎを考えます。ガンジス河は指の腐った手を差し出す物乞いの女も、殺されたガンジー首相も同じように拒まず、一人一人の灰をのみこんで流れていきます。玉ねぎという愛の河はどんな醜い人間も、どんなよごれた人間もすべて拒まず受け入れて流れます」
美津子もやがて、「あの河だけは、ヒンズー教徒のためだけではなく、すべての人のための深い河という気がしました」と語るようになっていく。
遠藤周作は、こう訴えたかったのではないか。神は大河ガンジスのように、すべてを飲み込んでくれる。だから、他の宗教を排除し、対立してはいけない。キリストが決して唯一、最高の神ではない。日本の八百万（やおよろず）の神々のごとく、数多くの神と共にある存在であるべきだ。これが「日本人のキリスト教」ではないかと。
遠藤周作の転生
本書のもう一つのテーマが、輪廻転生（りんねてんしょう）である。人間をはじめ命あるものが何度も生死を繰り返し、新しい生命に生まれ変わること。晩年に差し掛かっていた著者には興味あるテーマだったに違いない。ただし、クリスチャンの遠藤はイエス・キリストの復活と同じ意味で使っている。別のものに生まれ変わることではなく、他の人の心の中に残るということである。
本書の第1章は、後にインド旅行に参加する磯辺が、妻をがんで失う内容だ。臨終間際に妻が「わたくし、必ず、生まれ変わるから、この世界の何処かに。探して…」と言い残したので、磯辺は日本人の生まれ変わりといわれる少女を探しに行く。その妻が死ぬ間際を末期がん患者のボランティアとして介護したのが美津子で、偶然に磯辺と同じツアーに参加した。
美津子がインド旅行の終わりの方で、亡き妻の生まれ変わりを見つけられなかった磯辺に、「少なくとも奥さまは磯辺さんのなかに、確かに転生していらっしゃいます」と慰めている。また、大津は美津子に「玉ねぎは今、ぼくのなかにも生きている」と語っている。
著者は終わり近くでこう述べる。
玉ねぎは、昔々に亡くなったが、彼は他の人間のなかに転生した。二千年ちかい歳月の後も、今の修道女たちのなかに転生し、大津のなかに転生した。
この物語は、見ていたテレビの画面が突然、消えたようにして終わってしまう。これは、本書の書き出しが「やき芋ォ、やき芋、ほかほかのやき芋ォ。」で始まる意外性と対をなしているのかもしれない。文中でキリストを玉ねぎと呼んだりして、狐狸庵先生のいたずら心も十分に感じられる。難しいテーマの作品を、少しでも楽しんで読んでもらうというサービス精神なのだろう。
筆者（斉藤）は遠藤のインド取材の同行者から話を聞いたことがある。70歳に近い遠藤は体調が万全ではなかったが、暑い中、インドをリアルに体験するため時には安宿に泊まり、またベナレスでは火葬場そばの階段に平然と腰かけ、ガンジス河畔の光景を見つめていたという。
そこで感じたことが、本書の一節にこう記されている。
薔薇色の朝日を全身に受けながらガンジス河の水を口に含み、合掌している裸体の男女が並んでいた。その一人一人に人生があり、他人には言えぬ秘密があり、そしてそれを重く背中に背負って生きている。ガンジスの河のなかで彼等は浄化せねばならぬ何かを持っている。
遠藤周作は日本人の中に転生（復活）している。
『深い河』
遠藤周作著
講談社文庫（新装版）
文庫判：400ページ
価格：858円（税込み）
発行日：2021年5月14日
ISBN:978-4-06-523448-8
この記事につけられたキーワード
斉藤 勝久SAITŌ Katsuhisa経歴・執筆一覧を見る
ジャーナリスト。1951年東京生まれ。早稲田大学政治経済学部卒業。読売新聞社の社会部で司法を担当したほか、86年から89年まで宮内庁担当として「昭和の最後の日」や平成への代替わりを取材。医療部にも在籍。2016年夏からフリーに。ニッポンドットコムで18年5月から「スパイ・ゾルゲ」の連載6回。同年9月から皇室の「2回のお代替わりを見つめて」を長期連載。主に近現代史の取材・執筆を続けている。
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