The Butterfly as Companion: Meditations on the First Three Chapters of the Chuang Tzu (SUNY series in Religion and Philosophy) (English and Mandarin Chinese Edition)

Chuang Tzu's first three chapters are arranged into free verse (in Chinese, in the original word order) and translated, nearly word-for-word, with extensive critical glosses vis-a-vis over fifty Chinese, Japanese, and Western commentators. The exegetical, philosophical, and contemporary implications of these chapters are then meditated upon. Here, in Chuang Tzu's world, all strivings are a play, parodying stories and arguments; each plays off of and refers to the others. Chuang Tzu lived during the third and fourth centuries B.C. Historically, he is the foremost spokesman for Taoism and its legendary founder, Lao Tzu. It was mainly due to the influence of Chuang Tzu that Indian Buddhism was transformed in China into Ch'an into the unique vehicle we usually call by its Japanese name, Zen. This is the most thorough presentation to date of the Chuang Tzu's poetic beauty, philosophical insights, and unity. Thorough, serious, yet fun to read, this is a translation of the text and an exposition of the philosophy of Chuang Tzu the Taoist of ancient China.Chuang Tzu's first three chapters are arranged into free verse (in Chinese, in the original word order) and translated, nearly word-for-word, with extensive critical glosses vis-a-vis over fifty Chinese, Japanese, and Western commentators. The exegetical, philosophical, and contemporary implications of these chapters are then meditated upon. Here, in Chuang Tzu's world, all strivings are a play, parodying stories and arguments; each plays off of and refers to the others.Chuang Tzu lived during the third and fourth centuries B.C. Historically, he is the foremost spokesman for Taoism and its legendary founder, Lao Tzu. It was mainly due to the influence of Chuang Tzu that Indian Buddhism was transformed in China into Ch'an into the unique vehicle we usually call by its Japanese name, Zen.This is the most thorough presentation to date of the Chuang Tzu's poetic beauty, philosophical insights, and unity.Kuang-ming Wu is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Prologue: Companion To The Butterfly -- Preliminary Meditations -- Invitation By A Butterfly -- Why Companion, Not Commentary -- Conversation With A Roadside Skull -- The Poetic Chuang Tzu -- Chapter 1: Hsiao Yao Yu: Soaring--and Roaming -- The Kuo Hsiang Text -- Translation With Glosses -- Meditation--three Readings -- The Stories -- Roaming, Laughing -- A Close Look -- Chapter 2: Ch'i Wu Lun: Things, Theories--sorting Themselves Out -- The Kuo Hsiang Text -- Translation With Glosses -- Meditations--four Readings -- Survey -- A Detailed Look -- What All This Means -- Philosophy And Things Even-ing Themselves Out -- Chapter 3: Yang Sheng Chu: Nourishing Life--its Inner Principle -- The Kuo Hsiang Text -- Translation With Glosses -- Meditations--three Readings -- Coherence And Interrelations -- Segments And Words -- Our Understanding Of The Message -- Epilogue: The Butterfly As Companion -- Inconclusive Meditations -- Meaning -- Irony -- Play -- Companion. Kuang-ming Wu. Includes Indexes. Includes Bibliographies References (p. [451]-458).