Taoism: Growth of a Religion

by Isabelle Robinet

Book Overview

This is a survey of the history of Taoism from approximately the third century B.C. to the fourteenth century A.D. For many years, it was customary to divide Taoism into "philosophical Taoism" and "religious Taoism." The author has long argued that this is a false division and that "religious" Taoism is simply the practice of "philosophical" Taoism. She sees Taoism as foremost a religion, and the present work traces the development of Taoism up...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804728399
• ISBN13: 9780804728393
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A key text on Taoism

A highly recommendable scholarly discussion of the origin and development of Taoism up to the 14th century CE. I have long been frustrated by the popular distinction between 'philosophical' and 'religious' Taoism, since such a distinction could in principle be made of any religion. The danger is that what westerners like they call 'philosophical' and what they don't like they label 'religious'and then dispense with. The idea that some metaphysical 'essence' of Taoism deserves to be taken seriously, while the rituals and practice of Taoism do not is fundamentally bad scholarship. Fortunately then, Robinet challenges the popular view head on by claiming and showing that 'religious' Taoism is simply the practice of 'philosophical' Taoism. One without the other is senseless. This is an important work, but for a general introduction to Taoism for the interested beginner I would also recommend Martin Palmer's 'The Elements of Taoism'. Palmer sems to be aware of and in sympathy with Robinet's position.

A must for serious students of Chinese religious history

This is simply an excellent volume, a solid overview of one thousand years of Daoism from THE expert on the Shangqing school of southern Daoism (4th-5th c.AD). The bibliography alone makes this book worth it, both extensive and broken down by period. I'm just finishing up a master's concerning Ge Hong's "Baopuzi" and I'm about to start a Ph.D. project on the "Huainanzi," and I must say that even though I've read many excellent texts on Daoism, Robinet's provides some excellent defining concepts as well as a good introduction to many of the strengths of French scholarship in my field.