The Taoist Tradition

This book provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to Taoist thought and religion, treating them not as separate domains but as two inseparable aspects of a single tradition. Rather than privileging one over the other, it highlights their mutual interdependence and the ways in which they continually inform and shape one another. After two chapters on the thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi, the book outlines the origins of the Taoist religion and the main schools that flourished throughout the first and second millennia. Subsequent chapters are devoted to the Dao and the cosmos, ritual practices, the ideals of liberation and immortality, and the symbolic representations of the human body. The concluding chapters address the practices of “nourishing life,” meditation, and both external and internal alchemy. Accessible and authoritative, this book offers readers a clear overview of the richness and diversity of the Taoist tradition.

List of Figures and Tables
Chinese Dynasties
Foreword

Introduction

1   Laozi

2   Zhuangzi

3   The Ancient Period and the Divinization of Laozi

4   Main Schools and Lineages

5   Dao and Cosmos

6   Heavens, Deities, and Rituals

7   Ways of Liberation

8   Views of the Human Body

9   “Nourishing Life”

10   Meditation and Contemplation

11   External Alchemy (Waidan)

12   Internal Alchemy (Neidan)

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