Project MUSE®: Journal of Daoist Studies - Latest Articles
https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711
Project MUSE®: Latest articles in Journal of Daoist Studies.daily12026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00text/htmlen-USVol. 1 (2008) through current issueLatest Articles: Journal of Daoist StudiesTWOProject MUSE®Journal of Daoist Studies1941-5524Latest articles in Journal of Daoist Studies. Feed provided by Project MUSE®Archetypes of Death in Ancient China
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979572
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Culturally specific interpretations of death are significant because they are intrinsically connected with prevalent conceptions of the self, the person, the body, and with definitions of life, which are transmitted through ritual and (oral) literature. Death and death rituals are central concerns of most cultural and religious systems. In his classical study on the representation of death Robert Hertz (Hertz 1960, 27) has pointed out that in many cultures, death is not understood as a unique moment, but as an episode in a journey which integrates life and death. Death is generally depicted to be not the end of life, nor are the dead entirely disconnected from the living. Our main objective is to provide an
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallArchetypes of Death in Ancient China2026-01-23text/htmlen-USArchetypes of Death in Ancient China2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®514742026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Perceptions of Evil in the Daode jing
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979571
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The Daode jing does not propose a closed philosophical system with fixed terms and concrete meanings. Besides the abstract notion of Dao, the Way, which remains as dark as Heraclitus' lόgos, Plato's agathón, or Confucius's benevolence (rén 仁), there are only few instances which work with philosophical terms in the narrow sense. This ambiguity of Daoist thought — deliberately utilized in its early phases—alienated even the great philosopher Hegel, who was in a search of a "kingdom of determinations" (Reich von Bestimmungen; Kui 2011, 58). Seeing things through European eyes, he could not help but comment with discomfort that "the Chinese remained in abstraction" (2011, 57). In fact, Laozi—or whoever compiled the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallPerceptions of Evil in the Daode jing2026-01-23text/htmlen-USPerceptions of Evil in the Daode jing2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®338342026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23A Systematic Model of Dao's Temporality
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979570
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The interpretation of temporality within Dao, as presented in the Daode jing, has been a subject of scholarly discussion. The opening lines of the most widely circulated version state: "The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name" (see Mitchell 1988). This passage traditionally employs "eternal" or "constant" (chang 常) to characterize the authentic Dao, suggesting a concept that transcends the fleeting nature of time. However, Wang (2004) argues that an older version of the term "constant" (heng 恒), pivotal in relation to Laozi's concept of time and Dao, has been omitted from most editions of Daode jing for nearly two millennia. Instead, its synonym chang has
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallA Systematic Model of Dao's Temporality2026-01-23text/htmlen-USA Systematic Model of Dao's Temporality2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®678662026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23When Flesh becomes Meat
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979573
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The human body is also analogous to the organization of a nation, which was conceived as an organism throughout Chinese tradition. Many Daoist texts present this concept in a precise and developed way, relating each organ to an official, with the ruling organ, the heart, the homologue of the prince.It was a chilly morning in the year 1904. The execution of Wang Weiqin unfolded in the middle of a crowd of soldiers and onlookers who had gathered to watch the most severe legal penalty the Qing state could impose. Two soldiers brought forward the basket holding the knives that the procedure required. Others stripped the victim and bound him by his queue to a tripod in such a way that the front of his body was fully
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallWhen Flesh becomes Meat2026-01-23text/htmlen-USWhen Flesh becomes Meat2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®500342026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23The Magical Power of Music: The Chinese Lute and the Music of Spheres as Symbols of Cosmic Harmony
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979574
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The cosmic significance of music is not unique to Chinese thought but is a recurring theme across numerous ancient civilizations. It is closely linked to theories of resonance and cosmic harmony. In ancient China, as in ancient Greece, the world was conceived as a harmonious whole in which the human microcosm and the cosmic macrocosm existed in a state of interpenetration and resonance. Music served as the most palpable expression of this harmony, embodying its sensory manifestation.In ancient Greek philosophy, this idea is exemplified by the concept of the "music of the spheres," particularly in Pythagorean thought and in Plato's dialogues (Timaeus, Republic). In Chinese cosmology, a comparable notion is found in
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallThe Magical Power of Music: The Chinese Lute and the Music of Spheres as Symbols of Cosmic Harmony2026-01-23text/htmlen-USThe Magical Power of Music: The Chinese Lute and the Music of Spheres as Symbols of Cosmic Harmony2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®880842026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23The Simple and Easy Taijiquan: New Ways of Cultivating the Matter-Energy in the Human Body
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979575
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It is well known that Zheng Manqing 郑曼青 (1902-1975) was the first person who reduced the 128-posture Taijiquan1 he had learned from Yang Chengfu 杨澄甫 (1883-1936) down to 37 postures. He himself called this shortened form "Jianyi taijiquan 简易太极拳. "Although "jiangi" can mean "simplified" in modern Chinese, it is misleading to call this popular style Taijiquan merely a "simplified" version of the traditional martial art. Whenever Zheng talked about the short form he had developed for modern people, he never used the concept of "simplification" (jianhua 简化). In response to some readers' complaints that it was difficult to comprehend the essential principles in his terse Master Zheng's Thirteen Treatises on Taijiquan
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallThe Simple and Easy Taijiquan: New Ways of Cultivating the Matter-Energy in the Human Body2026-01-23text/htmlen-USThe Simple and Easy Taijiquan: New Ways of Cultivating the Matter-Energy in the Human Body2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®1229112026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Inner Alchemy in Fourteen Ideograms
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979576
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In the early 1990s, I picked up a brief 18-page brochure, probably at the Qingyang gong 青羊宫 (Black Sheep Temple) in Chengdu. Written by Ren Farong 任法融, it was published by the Chinese Daoist Association and has a preface dated to April 1983. Entitled Taishang Laojun zuo shisizi yangsheng jue shiyi 太上老君作十四字养生诀释义 (Explanation of the Meaning of Instructions on Nourishing Life in Fourteen Ideograms, Revealed by the Highest Lord Lao).
[AI Generated Alt Text] Left: cover with figure under a yin-yang and bagua and vertical Chinese title 太上老君作十四字养生诀释义 (Health Instructions). Right: page with Chinese text.
It consists of fourteen combinations of two or three characters, written in traditional format, together with Ren's
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallInner Alchemy in Fourteen Ideograms2026-01-23text/htmlen-USInner Alchemy in Fourteen Ideograms2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®587172026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23The Daoist Immortal Ma Danyang and the Secrets of the Twelve Heavenly Star Points
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979577
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Ma Yu, aka Danyang (1123-1183), is one of the Seven Perfected, the direct disciples of Wang Chongyang (1113-1170) who founded the school of Complete Perfection (Quanzhen). His Twelve Heavenly Star Points (tianxing shier jie) are perhaps the most valuable assembly of systemized acupuncture points in the history of Chinese medicine, based on their efficacy. Although few in number, these points are considered a distillation of the greater system of medicine, including acupuncture, modalities that began to develop in ancient China about two thousand years ago.However, all medical practitioners, past and present, are indebted to the ancient masters of religious Daoism. This is because traditional Daoist medicine is
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallThe Daoist Immortal Ma Danyang and the Secrets of the Twelve Heavenly Star Points2026-01-23text/htmlen-USThe Daoist Immortal Ma Danyang and the Secrets of the Twelve Heavenly Star Points2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®367792026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Daoism, Emotions, and Communication in the College Classroom
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979578
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It's no mystery that we live in a deeply polarized society—one in which many seek the comfort of those who share their values and often fear those who differ politically, socially, culturally, or otherwise. As a history professor who integrates mindfulness meditation and the principles of Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, I witness this polarization firsthand, especially when students fall eerily silent as I introduce historical events that echo today's contentious issues.Grounded in Daoist principles, my mission and teaching strategies emphasize self-awareness and self-compassion, while fostering authentic self-expression and respectful, meaningful dialogue. Some students have shared that they
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallDaoism, Emotions, and Communication in the College Classroom2026-01-23text/htmlen-USDaoism, Emotions, and Communication in the College Classroom2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®614432026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Awakening through Dao Cultivation: Master Zhenyi's Vision of REBIRTH
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979579
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In a world where modern life often leaves us disconnected from our true selves, the ancient wisdom of Daoist cultivation provides a profound pathway to inner peace, self-realization and ultimate liberation. For thousands of years, Daoist practices have been veiled in mystery: sacred texts were deliberately written in puzzling, symbolic, and coded language, making them incomprehensible to outsiders, and only those who received direct oral transmission, personal guidance, or initiation from a master could fully understand them. While this secrecy preserved invaluable wisdom, it also left many seekers lost in a fog of poetic abstraction.Master Zhenyi 真一, aka Fu Yishan 傅一山, cuts through this fog with his pioneering
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallAwakening through Dao Cultivation: Master Zhenyi's Vision of REBIRTH2026-01-23text/htmlen-USAwakening through Dao Cultivation: Master Zhenyi's Vision of REBIRTH2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®206982026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Daoist Dietary Principles: The Science of Fasting
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979580
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The ancient wisdom of Daoism extends beyond spiritual and philosophical realms, deeply influencing dietary habits. This article explores the traditional Daoist dietary calendar, the physiological reasons behind these practices, and how modern science supports ancient fasting techniques, particularly in relation to human growth hormone (HGH) production.The first rule is that eating is not the same every day. Rather, each day of the week has its own set of recommendations and preferred foods:Follow a detox diet that excludes meat, that is consume mostly plants and greens.Since this aligns with the heart or the trigram Dui, it is best to have fish as an essential part of the diet. Try to include at least one
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallDaoist Dietary Principles: The Science of Fasting2026-01-23text/htmlen-USDaoist Dietary Principles: The Science of Fasting2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®242302026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Into the Mountains: Exploring China's Sacred Daoist Peaks
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979581
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In the early 1990s, I was initiated into the lineage of the Hong Kong based Qingsong guan in Brisbane, Australia. Shortly afterwards, I served as a member of its delegation to the great rite of renewal held at the Baiyun guan in Beijing. This historic ceremony was to mark the resurgence of Daoism in the Chinese mainland and was to profoundly affect the unfolding of my life. Following this, I returned to China and lived and worked between two countries. I maintained a commitment to ritual service whilst in Australia and travelled to many Daoist mountains while in China. In 2025 my experiences were published Earnshaw Books as Into the Mountains, Exploring China's Sacred Daoist Peaks, from which the following is
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallInto the Mountains: Exploring China's Sacred Daoist Peaks2026-01-23text/htmlen-USInto the Mountains: Exploring China's Sacred Daoist Peaks2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®542932026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Dark Daoism and Plant Humanities: An Intersection
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979582
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We are surrounded by plants. We enjoy their shadow and breathe in the oxygen they produce. We cut them, we paint them, we ask them to speak on our behalf, saying, "I love you" or "I'm sorry." They teach us about letting go and they renew our hope, each spring, showing us that no winter is without an end.Although plants occupy such an important part of our daily lives, they have long been waiting at the margins of both science and culture, and often remained invisible, a phenomenon labeled "plant blindness." The two botanists noticed the fact that plants are underrepresented in the American curricula for primary and secondary schools, defining the term as "the inability to see or notice the plants in one's own
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallDark Daoism and Plant Humanities: An Intersection2026-01-23text/htmlen-USDark Daoism and Plant Humanities: An Intersection2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®347522026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23Chinese Metaphysics for Protection and Resilience: Harmonizing Heaven, Humanity, and Earth
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979583
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Dark forces, whether understood literally or metaphorically, are recognized across cultures as influences that disrupt human well-being. Their effects are tangible: accidents, illness, financial setbacks, confusion, and emotional turmoil, that undermine health, wealth, and relationships. Numerous traditions attribute such disruptions to unseen energetic disturbances directed at a specific individual—deliberate psychic or energetic attacks often arising from conflict, envy, or perceived offense. However, most misfortunes typically arise from ordinary human error or environmental conditions.In either case, significant protection is achieved by strengthening one's state of being. By raising one's vibration—cultivating
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallChinese Metaphysics for Protection and Resilience: Harmonizing Heaven, Humanity, and Earth2026-01-23text/htmlen-USChinese Metaphysics for Protection and Resilience: Harmonizing Heaven, Humanity, and Earth2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®124472026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23New Books
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/979584
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Assandri, Friederike, Inter-Religious Court Debates in the Early Tang Dynasty. A Translation of Reports of Nine Public Debates Between Buddhists and Daoists From Daoxuan's Ji gujin Fo Dao lunheng (T 2104). Leiden: Brill, 2025..Public debate between representatives of different teachings was an important element in the formation of medieval intellectual culture; but documentation is scarce. Daoxuan's reports are unique as they afford us a vivid glimpse on the debates between Buddhists and Daoists held at the courts of the early Tang, including philosophical exchanges, jokes, and lively polemics. The reports are part of Buddhist apologetic literature, and thus important documents relating to the introduction and
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/711/image/coversmallNew Books2026-01-23text/htmlen-USNew Books2026-01-232026TWOProject MUSE®346272026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002026-01-23