The Taoist body /cKristofer Schipper ; translated by Karen C.Duval

The ancient system of thought known as Taoism remains today the least well known of the world’s great religions and one of the most inaccessible wellsprings of Chinese culture. This is in large part because Western thought, despite the unifying insights of recent science, clings to the notion of the separation of matter and spirit, body and soul, Taoism refuses this dualism and considers the body's survival as essential as the soul's survival is to Christianity. Kristofer Schipper, departing from those who understand Taoism solely as a religious doctrine, argues compellingly for its inseparability from many traditional activities and practices of everyday life in China. His elegant and lucid introduction to the traditions of Taoism and the masters who transmit them will reward all those interested in China and in religions. Kristofer Schipper is currently Directeur d'Etudes at the Ecole pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, and Professor of Chinese History at the University of Leyden. An ordained Taoist priest and one of the world’s leading authorities on Taoism, Schipper has published extensively on the subject in French, English, Chinese, and Japanese. Le corps taoiste (The Taoist Body) was first published by Fayard, Paris, in 1982. Karen C. Duval is currently Research Editor with The Papers of Benjamin Franklin. Norman Girardot is Chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at Lehigh University and author of Myth and Meaning in Early Taoism (California, 1983). Translation of: 'Le corps taoïste', first published in 1982 by Librairie Arthéme Fayard, Paris

The ancient system of thought known as Taoism remains today the least well known of the world's great religions and one of the most inaccessible aspects of Chinese culture. This is in large part because Western thought clings to the notion of the separation of matter and spirit, body and soul. Taoism refuses this dualism and considers the body's perfection as essential as the soul's redemption is to Christianity.
Kristofer Schipper's elegant and lucid introduction to the traditions of Taoism and the masters who transmit them will reward all those interested in China and in religions. The result of over twenty-five years of research, including eight years of fieldwork in China, Schipper's book retraces, step by step, the way that leads from Chinese shamanism and traditional village life to the physical Tending Life techniques, which in turn lead to the mysticism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Schipper shows the fundamental unity underlying all aspects of Taoism as Taoism considers itself to be. The social body—the community, the village, the land—corresponds in all aspects to the physical body in Taoism. In both of them the survival of humanity is decided here and now. "My destiny is within me, not in Heaven!"

The ancient system of thought known as Taoism remains today the least well known of the world's great religions and one of the most inaccessible aspects of Chinese culture. This is in large part because Western thought clings to the notion of the separation of matter and spirit, body and soul. Taoism refuses this dualism and considers the body's perfection as essential as the soul's redemption is to Christianity. Kristofer Schipper's elegant and lucid introduction to the traditions of Taoism and the masters who transmit them will reward all those interested in China and in religions. The result of over twenty-five years of research, including eight years of fieldwork in China, Schipper's book retraces, step by step, the way that leads from Chinese shamanism and traditional village life to the physical Tending Life techniques, which in turn lead to the mysticism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. Schipper shows the fundamental unity underlying all aspects of Taoism as Taoism considers itself to be. The social bodythe community, the village, the landcorresponds in all aspects to the physical body in Taoism. In both of them the survival of humanity is decided here and now. "My destiny is within me, not in Heaven!" This Elegant And Lucid Introduction To The Traditions Of Taoism And The Masters Who Transmit Them Will Reward All Those Interested In China And In Religions. Foreword / Norman Giradot -- 1. Taoism. The Notion Of Religion. The Tao. The History Of Taoism. The Destruction Of Taoism -- 2. Everyday Religion. The Temples. The Calendar. Festivals. Food -- 3. Divinity. Cosmology. The Gods. Spiritual Power -- 4. The Masters Of The Gods. Puppets And Mediums. The Barefoot Master And His Ritual. The Dignitaries Of The Tao. The Register -- 5. Ritual. Becoming A Tao-shih. The Sacrifice Of Writings. The Altar -- 6. The Inner Landscape. The Environment. The Image Of The Body. The Inhabitants -- 7. Lao Tzu, The Body Of The Tao. Birth -- 8. Keeping The One. The Preliminary Stage: The Work Of The Chi (chi-kung). Chaos: The Work Of The Tao. The Return -- 9. The Immortals. The Abstinence From Grains. Mountains. Alchemy -- 10. Teaching Without Words. The Kingdom Of Humpty-dumpty. The Fast Of The Heart. Daily Life. Kristofer Schipper ; Foreword By Norman Girardot. Translation Of: Le Corps Taoïste. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 249-261) And Index. Cover Half Title Imprint Contents Foreword by Norman Girardot Author's Note 1 Taoism The Notion of Religion The Tao The History of Taoism The Destruction of Taoism 2 Everyday Religion The Temples The Calendar Festivals Food 3 Divinity Cosmology The Gods Spiritual Power 4 The Masters of the Gods Puppets and Mediums The Barefoot Master and His Ritual The Dignitaries of the Tao The Register 5 Ritual Becoming a Tao-shih The Sacrifice of Writings The Altar 6 The Inner Landscape The Environment The Image of the Body The Inhabitants 7 Lao Tzu, the Body of the Tao Birth 8 Keeping the One The Preliminary Stage: The Work of the Chi (Chi-kung) Chaos: The Work of the Tao The Return 9 The Immortals The Abstinence from Grains Mountains Alchemy 10 Teaching without Words The Kingdom of Humpty-Dumpty The Fast of the Heart Daily Life Notes Bibliography Index Suitable for those interested in China and in religions, this work offers an introduction to the traditions of Taoism and the masters who transmit them. It traces the way that leads from Chinese shamanism and traditional village life to the physical Tending Life techniques, which in turn lead to the mysticism of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.