Daoism

ISBN: 9781845116385 出版年：2009 页码：181 Ronnie L Littlejohn Bloomsbury Publishing

The wtold is not the eternal Way; the nanamed is not the eternal Name.' So begins the first verse of the mysterious "Dao De Jing", foundatiancient Chinese religion of Daoism. Often attributed to semi-mythicthe origins of this enigmatic document - which probably came into being in the third century BCE - are actually unknown. But the tenets of Daoism la"Dao De Jing", and in later texts like the "Yi Jing" (or "Book of Changes"), continue to exert considerable fascination, particularly in the West, where in recent years they have been popularised by writenovelist Ursula K LeGuin.In this fresh and engaging introduction to Daoism, Ronnie L Littlejohn discusses the central facets of a tradition which can sometimes seem as elusive as the slippery notion of 'Dao' itself. The author shows that fundamental to Daoism is the notion of 'Wu-wei', or non-action: a paradoxical idea emphasising alignment of the self with the harmony of the universe, a universe in continual flux and change.This flux is expressed by the famous symbol of Dao, the 'taiji' representing yin and yang eternally correlating in the form of a harmonious circle. Exploring the great subtleties of this ancient religion, Littlejohn traces its development and encounters with Buddhism; its expression in art and literature; its fight for survival during the Cultural Revolution; and its manifestations in modern-day China and beyond.