Please note: In order to keep Hive up to date and provide users with the best features, we are no longer able to fully support Internet Explorer. The site is still available to you, however some sections of the site may appear broken. We would encourage you to move to a more modern browser like Firefox, Edge or Chrome in order to experience the site fully.

Supporting your high street Find out how »
Daoism : An Introduction, Hardback Book

Daoism : An Introduction Hardback

Part of the I.B. Tauris Introductions to Religion series

Hardback

Item not Available

Description

'The way that can be told is not the eternal Way; the name that can be named is not the eternal Name.' So begins the first verse of the mysterious "Dao De Jing", foundation text of the ancient Chinese religion of Daoism.

Often attributed to semi-mythical sage Laozi, the origins of this enigmatic document - which probably came into being in the third century BCE - are actually unknown.

But the tenets of Daoism laid down in the "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 writers such as the novelist 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.

Information

  • Item not Available

  • Format:Hardback
  • Pages:240 pages, 20 integrated black and white illustrations, 1 map
  • Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • Publication Date:
  • Category:
  • ISBN:9781845116385

Other Formats

Save 12%

£85.00

£74.69

Item not Available
Item not Available
Sign in to add to wishlist
 
Free Home Delivery

on all orders

 
Pick up orders

from local bookshops

Information

  • Item not Available

  • Format:Hardback
  • Pages:240 pages, 20 integrated black and white illustrations, 1 map
  • Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
  • Publication Date:
  • Category:
  • ISBN:9781845116385