The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction by Louis Komjathy (review)

“Nature” is not the only word that might leave readers perplexed. In view of the contributors’ free and frequent use of the terms “religion” and “religious,” it seems necessary, at the risk of banality, to point out that “religion” is not Chinese; in fact, as readers of the Journal of Chinese Religions are surely aware, there is no native Chinese word for it. (The modern word zongjiao 宗教 was borrowed from Japanese precisely when translators of Western texts needed a word for “religion.”)15 Thus the book aims to show how Xunzi can shed light on a concept for which there was no word in his own language. Are we dealing, then, with a pseudo-problem? Perhaps not, but the editors should have addressed this question explicitly; readers should not be left to wonder. I think the contributors’ view is essentially that religion is a universal human phenomenon that we happen to call “religion” in English, but maybe I am misconstruing them. Or it might be a disciplinary marker: the editors state that Ritual and Religion in the Xunzi is intended as a plea for including Xunzi in a Religious Studies curriculum (p. 16). This goal has my wholehearted support, even with the pang that it makes Xunzi (and religion) seem a bit academic. PAUL R. GOLDIN University of Pennsylvania LOUIS KOMJATHY, The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction. London: Bloomsbury, 2013. xxiii, 375 pp. £22.99, US$39.95 (pb). ISBN 978-1-4411-6873-3 Following the tradition of English-language introductions to the Daoist religion published in the first decade of the twenty-first century,16 Louis Komjathy has composed a comprehensive description of Daoism which combines an abundance of factual information with fresh insights and innovative concepts. While acknowledging the significance of a historical framework and remaining attentive throughout the book to the multifarious forms of Daoist religious life during all periods of Chinese (and world) history, Komjathy models the organizing pattern of his work after central conceptions and practices of the Daoist tradition—past and present. This book is addressed to an academic as well as general audience and is especially designed for classroom use, in combination with online resources accessible through the publisher’s companion website. It should be noted that Komjathy, drawing not only on his academic training but also on his experiences as “participant-observer” (p. xi), strives to provide a new vision of Daoism “as a transnational religious tradition characterized 15 Cf. Yong Chen, Confucianism as Religion: Controversies and Consequences (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2013), 14ff. Zongjiao is attested in Chinese sources long before this, but with a meaning that I would describe as “the doctrines of a particular sect,” certainly not “religion” in its modern sense. Tim H. Barrett and Francesca Tarocco, “Terminology and Religious Identity: Buddhism and the Genealogy of the Term zongjiao,” in Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe: Encounters, Notions, and Comparative Perspectives, ed. Volkhard Krech and Marion Steinicke (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2012), 307–319, provide further notes on nineteenth-century usages of zongjiao. 16 These include Taoism: The Enduring Tradition (London and New York: Routledge, 2004) by Russell Kirkland; Daoism and Chinese Culture (Cambridge, MA: Three Pines Press, 2001, rev. edition 2004); and Introducing Daoism (London and New York: Routledge, 2009) by Livia Kohn; as well as Daoism: A Short Introduction (Oxford: Oneworld, 2003, republished as Daoism: A Beginner’s Guide in 2008) by James Miller. 104 BOOK REVIEWS bycultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity” (p. x), thatis, a traditionalChinese religion which has begun to make inroads into non-Chinese cultural environments to become “global Daoism.” Thus, the intended audience of the present book includes “Daoist adherents and sympathizers” (p. xii). On a formal note, The Daoist Tradition is very well organized and clearly arranged. Each chapter begins with a chapter outline and ends with suggestions for further reading. Numerous passages from representative Daoist texts, either in Komjathy’s own translation or adapted from earlier renderings, appear in text boxes. Illustrations, charts, a timeline of Daoist history, and a basic glossary complement the main text. All Daoist titles and terms are translated, but their Chinese characters are, regrettably, not provided (with the exception of very...