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answered that leading scholars still rely with the utmost confidence on his writings as a framework whose validity has outdated their most recent findings, and whose detail has in many cases not been bettered."—Michael Loewe, University of Cambridge.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
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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
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Arthur Rosenfeld
Author
13 books
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October 30, 2015
I enjoyed every page. Delicious detail and a fresh view of much I hold dear.
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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
