Precious Volumes: An Introduction To Chinese Sectarian Scriptures From The Sixteenth And Seventeenth Centuries Introduction To Chinese Sectarian Scriptures From The Sixteenth And Seventeenth Centuries

"Precious volumes," or pao-ch�an , were produced by popular sects in the Ming and early Qing dynasties. These scriptures were believed to have been divinely revealed to sect leaders and contain teachings and ritual instructions that provide valuable information about a lively and widespread religious tradition outside mainstream Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Largely neglected until now, they testify to the imagination and devotion of popular religious leaders. This book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of pao-ch�an in any language, studies 34 early examples of this literature in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition. Although the work focuses on content and structure, it also treats the social context of these works as well as their transmission and ritual use. "Precious volumes, " or pao-chuan, were produced by popular sects in the Ming and early Qing dynasties. These scriptures were believed to have been divinely revealed to sect leaders and contain teachings and actual instructions that provide valuable information about a lively and widespread religious tradition outside mainstream Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Largely neglected until now, they testify to the imagination and devotion of popular religious leaders. This book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of pao-chuan in any language, studies 34 early examples of this literature in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition. Although the work focuses on content and structure, it also treats the social context of these works as well as their transmission and ritual use. 'Precious volumes,'or pao-chüan, were produced by popular sects in the Ming and early Qing dynasties. These scriptures were believed to have been divinely revealed to sect leaders and contain teachings and ritual instructions that provide valuable information about a lively and widespread religious tradition outside mainstream Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Largely neglected until now, they testify to the imagination and devotion of popular religious leaders. This book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of pao-chüan in any language, studies 34 early examples of this literature in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition. Although the work focuses on content and structure, it also treats the social context of these works as well as their transmission and ritual use. ""Precious volumes," or pao-chuan, were produced by popular religious sects in the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties. These scriptures were believed to have been divinely revealed to sect leaders and contain teachings and ritual instructions that provide valuable information about a lively and widespread religious tradition outside the mainstream religious systems of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Proscribed by the Chinese state and largely neglected until now, they testify to the imagination and devotion of popular religious leaders. This book, the most detailed and comprehensive study of early pao-chuan in any language, studies 34 examples of this literature from the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties in order to understand the origins and development of this textual tradition."--BOOK JACKET. SKMBT_C45013011511200 SKMBT_C45013011511270 SKMBT_C45013011511330 SKMBT_C45013011511420 SKMBT_C45013011511480 SKMBT_C45013011512320 Daniel L. Overmyer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [373]-416) And Index.