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The Daoist Tradition Also Available from Bloomsbury The Daoist Tradition Also available from Bloomsbury Chinese Religion, Xinzhong Yao and Yanxia Zhao Confucius: A Guide for the Perplexed, Yong Huang The Daoist Tradition An Introduction LOUIS KOMJATHY Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 175 Fifth Avenue London New York WC1B 3DP NY 10010 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com First published 2013 © Louis Komjathy, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Louis Komjathy has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury Academic or the author. Permissions Cover: Kate Townsend Ch. 10: Chart 10: Livia Kohn Ch. 11: Chart 11: Harold Roth Ch. 13: Fig. 20: Michael Saso Ch. 15: Fig. 22: Wu’s Healing Art Ch. 16: Fig. 25: British Taoist Association British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 9781472508942 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Komjathy, Louis, 1971- The Daoist tradition : an introduction / Louis Komjathy. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4411-1669-7 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-6873-3 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-9645-3 (epub) 1. Taoism. I. Title. BL1920.K647 2013 299.5’14--dc23 2012046571 Typeset by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NN For students “凡為道合藥，及避亂隱居者，莫不入山。然不知入山法者，多遇禍害。故諺有之曰，太華之 下，白骨狼藉。皆謂偏知一事，不能博備，雖有求生之志，而反強死也。” “All of those seeking the Dao and preparing medicines, as well as those fleeing political disorders and living as hermits, go to the mountains. Many, however, meet with harm or even death because they do not know the method for entering mountains. Hence the saying, ‘At the foot of the great Mount Hua, bleached bones lie scattered.’ Everyone knows that someone may have special knowledge about one thing, but one cannot know everything about all things. Some people set on the search for life, drive themselves to their own deaths.” —Ge Hong, Baopuzi neipian, Chapter 17 Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi Conventions xiii Illustrations xv Charts xvi Website xvii Map xviii Brief timeline of Daoist history xix PART ONE Historical overview 1 1 Approaching Daoism 3 2 The Daoist tradition 17 PART TWO Identity and community 37 3 Ways to affiliation 39 4 Community and social organization 61 PART THREE Worldview 81 5 Informing views and foundational concerns 83 6 Cosmogony, cosmology and theology 101 7 Views of self 123 PART FOUR Practice 143 8 Virtue, ethics and conduct guidelines 145 9 Dietetics 165 10 Health and longevity practice 187 11 Meditation 205 viii CONTENTS 12 Scripture and scripture study 225 13 Ritual 243 PART FIVE Place, sacred space, and material culture 263 14 Temples and sacred sites 265 15 Material culture 281 PART SIX Daoism in the modern world 301 16 Daoism in the modern world 303 Basic glossary 317 Notes 325 Bibliography 331 Index 353 Preface large stone gate opens into the deep mountains. You ponder the history of this Aplace, including how many people have passed through this gate and traveled through these mountains. They have had diverse orientations and motivations, from adherents seeking the Dao, to pilgrims rooted in reverence, to tourists interested in enjoying the beauty of landscape. As you muse on these dimensions of the experience, you notice an elderly nun standing near the gate. She gestures for you to enter. Her face reflects a life lived among mountains and forests, seasons and local influences. The deep facial lines might themselves be a map of the terrain. Peering into their depth, you begin to see contour lines, river valleys, and weather patterns. They are a physical history of weather patterns and days spent among sunlight, moonlight, darkness, silence, rain, mist, snow, wind, heat, and cold. Hers is a memory of mountain seclusion, conversations among peaks and valleys, dedicated self-culti- vation, and commitment to tradition. You ask her the way into the deep mountains, and she replies that the path extends into the white clouds. It is the way to the Way. If you continue, you will find cave hermitages and Daoist recluses, large monasteries and monastic communities, and pilgrims and tourists of every possible persuasion. If you stay long enough, you might observe and even participate in Daoist practice. Some inhabitants write calligraphy, play the zither, practice longevity methods, engage in meditation, and perform ritual. Some residents eat a simple vegetarian diet, while others live off of wild foods. Some find themselves located in the larger parameters of Daoist institution, while others live at its margins. Such is the Daoist tradition understood as a sacred site and a living community located in specific places at specific times. This book aims to provide a map of the various landscapes of Daoism. It represents a gate into the complex religious tradition which is Daoism. In the process, I encourage readers to imagine Daoism as an old growth forest, intact culture, and sacred site. The present book attempts to provide a comprehensive and integrated introduction to Daoism (Taoism) as an indigenous Chinese religion deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture and a contemporary global religious community characterized by cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. It begins with a discussion of key interpretive issues and a framework for understanding (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 provides an overview of Daoist history from the Warring States period (480–222 BCE) through the early modern period (1912–78). The book then explores Daoist identity (Chapter 3) and community (Chapter 4). The next set of chapters, the “worldview chapters,” cover classical and foundational views (Chapter 5), cosmogony, cosmology, and theology x Preface (Chapter 6), and views of self (Chapter 7). This section is followed by the “practice chapters,” which explore ethics (Chapter 8), dietetics (Chapter 9), health and longevity practice (Chapter 10), meditation (Chapter 11), scripture and scripture study (Chapter 12), and ritual (Chapter 13). The account then discusses sacred space (Chapter 14) as well as material culture (Chapter 15). The presentation concludes with a pioneering chapter on “global Daoism,” which continues the history documented in Chapter 2. Utilizing a thematic approach, and richly illustrated, The Daoist Tradition provides a new vision of Daoism as a complex tradition rooted in traditional Chinese culture, as a transnational religious tradition characterized by cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity, and as a living form of religiosity. Each chapter includes a chapter outline as well as suggestions for further reading. The book also contains a basic glossary of Daoism and a bibliography. Selections from representative texts also appear in textboxes throughout the chapters. Throughout the account, I aim to present Daoism as at once singular and plural, varied and unified. It is a vision of Daoism as both tradition and traditions. It is a vision of Daoism as a distinctive and intriguing religious culture, soteriological system, and way of life. Acknowledgments he present book represents twenty years of engagement with Daoism, including Treflection on the use and misuse of the name as well as participation in various discourse communities. The latter include Daoist Studies, Religious Studies, and the contemporary Daoist tradition, both as an indigenous Chinese and now global religion. These communities have contributed to my understanding of Daoism and to my writing of this presentation of Daoism. This occurred through formal academic exchange, informal conversations, and chance encounters and experiences. I am grateful to various friends, colleagues, students, and acquaintances who have clarified my understanding and supported my work. The book benefited from close readings by Suzanne Cahill (University of California, San Diego), James Miller (Queen’s University), and Harold Roth (Brown University). Suzanne Cahill provided helpful comments on tone, organization, and presentation style. James Miller gave necessary theoretical challenges and interpretive clarifica- tions. He was pivotal in improving the entire manuscript. Harold Roth contributed to my understanding of classical Daoism. His radical revisionist scholarship influenced and clarified some of my interpretations of the earliest Daoist communities in the Warring States period and Early Han dynasty. In terms of particular chapters, Michael Saso provided insights concerning contemporary ritual, David Palmer (University of Hong Kong) clarified my understanding of contemporary Hong Kong Daoism, while Elijah Siegler (College of Charleston) provided feedback on contemporary Western Daoism. I have done my best to address their comments and incorporate their suggestions. I am grateful for their involvement and for their contributions. The book is also informed by my sustained inquiry into contemporary mainland Chinese Daoism and by conversations with various members of the global Daoist community. In particular, the opportunity to live as a participant-observer in a number of Quanzhen monasteries challenged my understanding
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