The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters

SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture

by Stephen Eskildsen

Stephen Eskildsen's book offers an in-depth study of the beliefs and practices of the Quanzhen (Complete Realization) School of Taoism, the predominant school of monastic Taoism in China. The Quanzhen School was founded in the latter half of the twelfth century by the eccentric holy man Wan Zhe (1113–1170), whose work was continued by his famous disciples commonly known as the Seven Realized Ones. This study draws upon surviving texts to examine the Quanzhen masters' approaches to mental discipline, intense asceticism, cultivation of health and longevity, mystical experience, supernormal powers, death and dying, charity and evangelism, and ritual. From these primary sources, Eskildsen provides a clear understanding of the nature of Quanzhen Taoism and reveals its core emphasis to be the cultivation of clarity and purity of mind that occurs not only through seated meditation, but also throughout the daily activities of life.

Genres: Taoism, Religion

282 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2004

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an overview of the teachings and practices (excluding those most directly relating to the Tao) of early Quanzhen Taoism. The title is straight forward.

The writing is unassuming and the content is evidence based. The esoteric aspects of the early Quanzhen School is not divulged. I was hoping it would be. Of the writings and stories drawn from, only the literal most meanings are conferred. This was still plenty interesting to me. I very much liked the sheer volume of source content, - which consumes half the volume.

Had I known that I am the type to prefer an anthology, I would have purchased 'The Way of Complete Perfection: A Quanzhen Daoist Anthology', by Louis Komjathy or 'Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts', by Fabrizio Pregadio. The former contains a number of the texts cited in this volume, while the latter contains only a handful of those strictly relevant texts (it's geared more towards the recondite aspects of the wider Niedan school).

Overall, I feel an anthology would be a more direct transmission of the teachings and practices, but overviews do have their place in the hands of those cut for time. The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters is, nearly, what it is advertised to be.

[Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does exactly what it says it's going to do - tell you about the teachings and practices of the early Quanzhen Taoists. Relying mostly on primary sources, Eskildsen does a good job of interpreting these for people who are not familiar with the terms. Futhermore, he gives plenty of notes at the end of the book, and an extensive bibliography. This book is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about the Quanzhen school of Taoism, especially since, as Eskilsden says in the last chapter, a lot of these practices are still used today.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember when... we started a new Daoist sect that wasn't really all that new?