Taoism: The Enduring Tradition [Hardcover]

Russell Kirkland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2004

This clear and reliable introduction to Taoism (also known as Daoism) brings a fresh dimension to a tradition that has found a natural place in Western society. Examining Taoist sacred texts together with current scholarship, it surveys Taoism's ancient roots, contemporary heritage and role in daily life.
From Taoism's spiritual philosophy to its practical perspectives on life and death, self-cultivation, morality, society, leadership and gender, Russell Kirkland's essential guide reveals the real contexts behind concepts such as Feng Shui and Tai Chi.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Those of us who have been waiting for a thoroughly undated introduction to Daoism need wait no longer. Russell Kirkland, among America's best known scholars of Daoism, has offered us one in Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. ... [T]his work is a genuinely new introduction to Daoism that helps clear away much of the dense underbrush of Daoist history and textual relations, and also utilizes the most recent findings and conclusions of scholars of Daoism to set the reader on a more solid path to understanding China's most misunderstood and underappreciated transformational tradition.'
– Ronnie Littlejohn, Philosophy East & West

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Russell Kirkland is Associate Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at the University of Georgia. He is a member of the executive board of the Society for the Study of Chinese Religions, and of the board of directors of the U.S. Taoist Association. He has been writing on Taoism for over twenty years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New Ed edition (July 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415263212
• ISBN-13: 978-0415263214
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,325,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Taoism, July 27, 2009

By 

D. Foster "bobthefish" (Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taoism: The Enduring Tradition (Hardcover)

I have been trying for awhile to find accurate treatments of Taoism from actual scholars (not hacks who know nothing of Chinese history, religion, culture, or language - but have no problem filling the shelves at Barnes and Noble with fatuous fluff). This is an excellent book that not only covers the origins and development of Taoism from the perspective of the "Taoists" themselves (not from the perspective of Westerners who received most of their knowledge from often adversarial Confucians), but it even has an excellent section on "Cultivating the Tao" for those who are interested in putting Taoist traditions into practice.

Great exerpt:

"In the 20th Century West, Taoist practice was deeply misunderstood my narcissistic pseudo-Taoists, who falsely imagined that 'following the Tao' requires no more than 'going with the flow' or 'just being spontaneous.' To the contrary, Taoist practice traditionally rested upon self-discipline as 'the foundation that sets up the basic framework of mind and body in which alone the hard work of the path can be accomplished." (p. 202)

Check the references for other excellent sources on Taoism.

(Please remember that this is an academic source, so don't think you are going to read the "Tao of Poo" and then give the book a bad review when you see the big words. If you want something dumbed down, look elsewhere.)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Criticism of Taoist Scholarship, February 8, 2010

By 

sherpa01 "sherpa01" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Taoism (Kindle Edition)

I bought this book because it had great reviews and it's hard to find good material on the practices and texts of Taoism beyond the level of Tao of Pooh and Taoism for Dummies. But upon reading this torture of a text I found the other reviewers must have had different interests than mine, for what I've found in the book is a state-of-the-union address on Taoist scholarship (mainly how 19th and 20th century translators have not taken into consideration this or that text or aspect of Chinese history) but as to a rigorous explanation of the different practices and beliefs of Taoists there is not much to go on in this book. The author seems more interested in showing off his scholarship of Chinese thought and presenting what Taoism IS NOT than of telling us what those texts he so profusely cites say about what Taoism IS.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasure and tool, June 2, 2010

By 

Scholar (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taoism: The Enduring Tradition (Paperback)

In modern world only few learners of Taoism are blessed with a real teacher. The rest of us have to get by books, articles and similar sources. Unfortunately we quickly learn that there is a huge, stinky sewage of books by "experts" among which we are to seek for rare pearls.

This book is not only one of such pearls, it also teaches to deal with the sewage, to distinguish real scholarship from New Age "interpretations".

Yes, it is not an easy read because it is written more like research article, but if you are interested in essence of Taoist beliefs and philosophy this book absolutely worth the time you'll spend to read it.

But if you really believe that LeGuin is a Taoist then do not bother with this book.