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Taoism and Chinese Religion Paperback – September 22, 2014
by Henri Maspero (Author), Frank a. Kierman Jr (Translator)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
Taoism and Chinese Religion by Henri Maspero Translated by Frank A. Kierman, Jr. Revised Edition - Quirin Pinyin Updated Editions (QPUE)
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.
First released by The University of Massachusetts Press in 1981, this Quirin Press Revised Edition brings back into print this classic of Western sinology and offers the full original text with the following features:
• Older Wade-Giles transliteration fully updated and revised to Pinyin.
• Fully re-typeset and proofed for typographical errors and inconsistencies.
• Expanded index including Chinese characters.
"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 "To the question whether his discoveries, opinions and interpretations have been outdated by the subsequent thirty years' research, it may be answered that leading scholars still rely with the utmost confidence on his writings as a framework whose validity has outdated their most recent findings, and whose detail has in many cases not been bettered."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 (from the sleeve-note to the original 1981 edition)
Maspero (1883-1945) was the first Western scholar to study the vast and recondite compendium of Daoist writing, the Daozang, and explore its historic meaning. The first part of the book closely examines Chinese society, religion, and folk-myth; the second part specifically focuses on the practice and form of Daoism and includes an extensive investigation of yoga-like procedures of nutrition, breathing exercises, and sexual techniques-all designed to ensure personal immortality in ancient Daoism.
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 of the Modern Tai;
- How Was Buddhism Introduced into China?;
- Daoism in Chinese Religious Beliefs of the Six Dynasties Period;
- The Poet Xi Kang and the Club of Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove;
- An Essay on Daoism in the First Centuries CE;
- How to Communicate with the Daoist Gods;
- Methods of "Nourishing the Vital Principle" in the Ancient Daoist Religion.
Keywords: Daoism | China - China | Religion
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Publisher : Quirin Press; Revised edition (September 22, 2014)
Language : English
Paperback : 734 pages
Publisher : Quirin Press; Revised edition (September 22, 2014)
Language : English
Paperback : 734 pages
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
Isabel A. Worden-Klym
5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Treasure
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2001
First written and translated posthumously from the French in the 1950's with a style and clarity saved for popular non-fiction, the late Doctor Maspero describes the various levels of Taoism, Chinese history and culture in amazing detail. Revised in the 1980's.
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hg
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2015
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Really interesting
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First written and translated posthumously from the French in the 1950's with a style and clarity saved for popular non-fiction, the late Doctor Maspero describes the various levels of Taoism, Chinese history and culture in amazing detail. Revised in the 1980's.
13 people found this helpful
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hg
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2015
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Really interesting
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Mel
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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.
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