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Daoist Mystical Philosophy: The Scripture of Western Ascension

A New, Revised, Electronic Edition

by Livia Kohn

Originally published by State University of New York Press in 1991, Taoist Mystical Philosophy went out of print and the copyright reverted to the author. She has now updated the terminology and bibliography, and makes the book accessible again in electronic format. The book can be downloaded in PDF format for just $12.

Description

The Scripture of Western Ascension is a central text of medieval Daoist mysticism. Written by an unknown author, probably of the Northern Celestial Masters at Louguan, in the late fifth century C.E., it closely resembles the Daode jing in structure and contents. Edited and commented on several times until the twelfth century, the text played an important role in Tang religious thought.

Kohn presents the first Western introduction to this aspect of traditional Chinese religious and culture. Through her careful textual study and fully annotated translation of the Scripture of Western Ascension, she delineates the history, structure, and contents of what mystical thought meant within the Daoist religion. She also discusses the religious background of the text and provides detailed analyses of philosophical concepts in chapters called  "The Physical Universe," "Mind, Knowledge, Language," and "The Way of the Sage."

Download the introduction in PDF format.

Table of Contents