Kohn / LaFargue Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching

Erscheinungsjahr 1998
ISBN: 978-1-4384-0948-1
Verlag: State University of New York Press
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 330 Seiten

CHOICE 1998 Outstanding Academic Books


Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching presents a coherent collection of materials on the ancient Chinese classic and its author, describing traditional and modern Western interpretations. Written and edited by recognized international specialists in the field, this book brings Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching together to present current scholarship on their history and interpretation. Contributors include William H. Baxter, Alan K.L. Chan, A.C. Graham, Julia M. Hardy, Yoshiko Kamitsuka, Livia Kohn, Michael LaFargue, Julian Pas, Isabelle Robinet, Benjamin Schwartz, and Liu Xiaogan. Divided into four parts, the book provides a wealth of information on the influential Chinese classic.


Part One, "Ancient Myths," discusses who Lao-tzu was, how he developed into a god of religious Taoism, and how his divinity was represented in medieval Chinese sculpture. Part Two, "Chinese Interpretations," discusses the role of the text in traditional China, studying the major commentaries by Wang Pi and He-shang-kung, looking at about thirty commentaries and their philological and doctrinal interpretations and examining the ritual uses the text found in medieval Taoism. Part Three, "Modern Readings," contains a critical discussion of the Tao-te-ching's reception in the West, a general analysis of its major doctrines, and a contemporary Chinese vision of its possible relevance for life today. Part Four, "Critical Methods," presents recent findings on the Tao-te-ching's linguistic structure and probable date, a historical, hermeneutic enquiry into its original meaning, and an evaluative guide to seventeen major English translations.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kohn, Livia

LaFargue, Michael

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Tables and Figures


Permissions


Preface


Editors' Introduction


Part I. Ancient Myths


1. The Origins of the Legend of Lao Tan


A. C. Graham


2. The Lao-tzu Myth


Livia Kohn


3. Lao-tzu in Six Dynasties Taoist Sculpture


Yoshiko Kamitsuka


Part II. Chinese Interpretations


4. A Tale of Two Commentaries: Ho-shang-kung and Wang Pi on the Lao-tzu


Alan K. L. Chan


5. Later Commentaries: Textual Polysemy and Syncretistic Interpretations


Isabelle Robinet


6. The Tao-te-ching in Ritual


Livia Kohn


Part III. Modern Readings


7. Influential Western Interpretations of the Tao-te-ching


Julia M. Hardy


8. The Thought of the Tao-te-ching


Benjamin Schwartz


9. Naturalness (Tzu-jan), the Core Value in Taoism: Its Ancient Meaning and Its Significance Today


Liu Xiaogan


Part IV. Critical Methods


10. Situating the Language of the Lao-tzu: The Probable Date of the Tao-te-ching


William H. Baxter


11. Recovering the Tao-te-ching's Original Meaning: Some Remarks on Historical Hermeneutics


Michael LaFargue


12. On Translating the Tao-te-ching


Michael LaFargue and Julian Pas


Appendix: Index to Citations from Tao-te-ching Chapters


Glossary


List of Contributors


Index

Über Autor(innen)

Livia Kohn is Associate Professor of Religion at Boston University. She has written many books including most recently
The Taoist Experience: An Anthology, also published by SUNY Press, and
Laughing at the Tao: Debates among Buddhists and Taoists in Medieval China.
Michael LaFargue is Lecturer in Religious Studies and Director of the East Asian Studies program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is the author of
The Tao of the Tao-te-ching and
Tao and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao-te-ching, both published by SUNY Press.