The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction

by Louis Komjathy

Using a historical, textual and ethnographic approach, this is the most comprehensive presentation of Daoism to date. In addition to revealing the historical contours and primary concerns of Chinese Daoists and Daoist communities, The Daoist Tradition provides an account of key themes and defining characteristics of Daoist religiosity, revealing Daoism to be a living and lived religion. Exploring Daoism from a comparative religious studies perspective, this book gives the reader a deeper understanding of religious traditions more broadly. Beginning with an overview of Daoist history, The Daoist Tradition then covers key elements of Daoist worldviews and major Daoist practices. This is followed by a discussion of the importance of place and sacred sites as well as representative examples of material culture in Daoism. The work concludes with an overview of Daoism in the modern world. The book includes a historical timeline, a map of China, 25 images, a glossary, text boxes, suggested reading and chapter overviews. A companion website provides both student and lecturer

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Taoism

400 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2013

About the author

Louis Komjathy 康思奇 (Ph.D., Religious Studies; Boston University) is an independent scholar-educator and translator (www.louiskomjathy.org). He researches and has published extensively in Contemplative Studies, Daoist Studies, and Religious Studies, with specific interests in contemplative practice, embodiment, and mystical experience. He is founding Co-chair of the Daoist Studies Unit (2004-2010) and Contemplative Studies Unit (2010-2016) in the American Academy of Religion, and founding Co-director of the Daoist Foundation (www.daoistfoundation.org). In addition to nine books to date, he has contributed chapters to _Meditation and the Classroom: Contemplative Pedagogy for Religious Studies_ (2011), _Perceiving the Divine through the Human Body: Mystical Sensuality_ (2011), _The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions_ (2012), _The Oxford Handbook of Religious Conversion_ (2014), _Religion: A Next-Generation Handbook for Its Robust Study_ (2016), _Teaching Interreligious Encounters_ (2017), _Ineffability: An Exercise in Comparative Philosophy of Religion_ (2017), and _Transformational Embodiment in Asian Religions: Subtle Bodies, Spatial Bodies_ (2020), among others. His current work explores cross-cultural and perennial questions related to aliveness, extraordinariness, flourishing, transmutation, and trans-temporality. He lives in semi-seclusion on the Northshore of Chicago, Illinois.

Reviews

[Luis Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro excelente. Aborda el taoísmo como una religión de larga tradición iniciada por pequeños linajes y comunidades interesados en la armonización con la ley universal (道 dào), la conducta virtuosa según dicha ley (德 dé) y el refinamiento espiritual y corporal para retornar a su vacuidad primigenia. Este sería el taoísmo clásico o «filosófico». Desde ahí, analiza en cada capítulo aspectos concretos de la tradición taoísta —su cosmovisión, su dieta, su ética, su sistema monástico, etc.— de manera evolutiva e histórica; desde sus orígenes hasta su forma actual. Hay, además, un capítulo inicial centrado en la historia propia del taoísmo y otro al taoísmo contemporáneo globalizado.
El autor conoce muy bien el chino clásico, la religión y la cultura china. Es claro en su exposición y con ánimo riguroso, sin llegar a ser árido. Totalmente recomendado.

[Tynan Brooks]

I admire Komjathy's position as both a scholar and practitioner of Daoism. As an introductory text, it's quite broad, and leaves plenty of room for an interested reader to search for further info on the topics they're interested in. More than anything, it communicates the degree of difference within Daoism.

[Arthur Rosenfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the academic treatises available on the subject, this is the most forthrightly organized and readable. I don't concur with all Professor Komjathy's conclusions, but I admire the work.