Transforming the Void: Embryological Discourse and Reproductive Imagery in East Asian Religions considers paths to self-cultivation and salvation that are patterned on human embryological development or procreative imagery in the religions of China and Japan. Focusing on Taoism, Esoteric Buddhism, Shinto, Shugendō, and local religious traditions, the contributors to the volume provide new insight into how the body's generative processes are harnessed as powerful metaphors for spiritual attainment. This volume offers an in-depth examination of the religious dimensions of embryology...
Transforming the Void: Embryological Discourse and Reproductive Imagery in East Asian Religions considers paths to self-cultivation and salvati...
This monograph traces an essential Daoist text from local tradition to empire-wide religion, unfolding a mysterious chapter of medieval China. In 648 CE, Tang imperial authorities collected every copy of the Writ of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang wen) and burned them. Two or three centuries earlier, this text was only known in Jiangnan, where it was regarded as essential local lore. In the span of a few generations, it would become the cornerstone of one of the three basic corpora of the Daoist Canon, a pillar of Daoism-and a perceived threat to the state. This volume provides a lucid...
This monograph traces an essential Daoist text from local tradition to empire-wide religion, unfolding a mysterious chapter of medieval China. In 6...