Mysticism in the Zhuangzi
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Mysticism in the Zhuangzi A Dissertation Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Thomas John McConochie (馬常思) School of Humanities and Languages Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University of New South Wales January 2017 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). 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Date …………………………………………….............. i Abstract This dissertation proposes that the Zhuangzi contains some elements of mysticism, but not in the straightforward manner that scholars have typically suggested. A review of theories of mysticism shows that ‘mysticism’ in English-language literature covers a linguistically and culturally bound set of ideas originating in analyses of religious and philosophical traditions in Western culture. In this usage, the term refers to a wide variety of characteristics and phenomena associated with particular religious experiences. It is, therefore, problematic to study the Zhuangzi as if the text unambiguously presents a doctrine of mysticism according to the frames of reference defined in these Western studies of religion. This dissertation demonstrates that some dominant interpretations of mysticism in the Zhuangzi, which hold that mysticism is a core feature of the text, have not shown an awareness of the problematic nature of the term in its original contexts of use. This dissertation presents a more nuanced understanding of mysticism in the Zhuangzi through careful analyses of key passages of the text that contain mystical elements. i Acknowledgements Thank you to my supervisor, Associate Professor Karyn Lai (賴蘊慧). Karyn encouraged me to pursue my interest in the Zhuangzi when we met at the 2012 Australian Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy conference. During my candidature at UNSW, Karyn and I have worked closely together, not only on this PhD project, but also during my time as a postgraduate teaching fellow in 2014. Thank you for all your support, encouragement, and mentorship. Thank you to my co-supervisor, Dr. Michaelis Michael for giving me feedback on parts of this dissertation and for your encouragement. Thank you to my wife, Kristina, for your love and support. I was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Scholarship to undertake this PhD project. I thank Prof. John Makeham (ANU) and Dr. Jack Bowers (ANU) for supporting my application. ii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... ii Part One: The Research Background .............................................................................. 1 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Aims .............................................................................................................. 3 1.2. Significance ................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Methodology.................................................................................................. 3 1.4. A Note on Citations of the Zhuangzi ............................................................. 5 1.5. A Note on Romanisation ............................................................................... 6 1.6. Structure of the Dissertation .......................................................................... 6 2. Mysticism .............................................................................................................. 9 2.1. Origins of the Term .............................................................................................. 9 2.1.1. Usage in the 18th Century ........................................................................ 11 2.1.2. Usage in the 19th Century ........................................................................ 28 2.2. Main Issues in the Study of Mysticism ....................................................... 30 2.2.1. Mysticism is One-and-the-Same ............................................................. 31 2.2.2. There Several Different Kinds of Mystical Experience .......................... 32 2.2.3. There is a Common Core of Mystical Experience which Mystics Variously Interpret........................................................................................................... 34 2.2.4. Mysticism and Drugs ............................................................................... 37 2.2.5. Constructivism ......................................................................................... 43 2.2.6. De-Constructionism ................................................................................. 51 2.2.7. Who can be a ‘Mystic’? ........................................................................... 53 iii 2.2.8. Radical Empiricism & New Directions for the Study of Mysticism ....... 57 2.3. Examples of Mystical Texts ........................................................................ 60 2.3.1. Revelations of Divine Love ..................................................................... 61 2.3.2. The Story of My Heart............................................................................. 63 2.4. Conclusions ................................................................................................. 64 Part Two: Analysis of Interpretations of Mysticism in the Zhuangzi ........................... 67 3. Introductions to Chinese Philosophy ................................................................... 69 3.1. Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China ................................................... 69 3.1.1. Taoist Yoga: Nanguo Ziqi as a Zhuangzi-Daoist-Mystic ........................ 70 3.2. China in Antiquity ....................................................................................... 73 3.2.1. Via Purgativa ........................................................................................... 76 3.2.2. A Systematic Method of Mysticism from Laozi to Zhuangzi ................. 77 3.3. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy........................................................ 80 3.4. The World of Thought in Ancient China ..................................................... 84 3.4.1. Explaining the Mysticism of Mind Fasting in More Detail ..................... 89 3.5. Disputers of the Tao .................................................................................... 91 3.6. ‘Two Notes on the Translation of the Taoist Classics’ ................................ 94 3.6.1. Mind-Fasting; The Gui and the Shen Lodge Within Me ......................... 95 3.7. An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy....................................................... 97 3.8. Introduction to Chinese Philosophy .......................................................... 101 3.9. Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy ........................................... 104 3.10. Conclusions ............................................................................................... 108 4. Introductions to Daoism .................................................................................... 110 4.1. Taoist Meditation ....................................................................................... 110 iv 4.2. Taoism: