Introducing Daoism

<p>Daoism is one of the major religious traditions of the East but in the past has not been as well known as Buddhism and Hinduism. With the increased interest in Eastern religions and alternative spiritual traditions interest in Daoism is increasing. <em>Introducing Daoism</em> is a lively and accessible introduction to this fascinating religion. </p><p><em>Introducing Daoism</em> presents Daoism’s key concepts and major practices in an integrated historical survey. From Daoism’s origins in antiquity through the Tang Ming and Quing dynasties and into the present day Livia Kohn explores Daoism’s movements and schools including: Daoist philosophy the organized religion and Daoist health practices. Each chapter introduces the main historical events of the period the leading figures in Daoism and Daoist scriptures and practices as well as covering a wealth of fascinating topics such as Chinese cosmology Daoist understanding of the body rituals and doctrine meditation mythology and poetry. Livia Kohn examines the connections between the defining concepts history and practices of Daoism and key issues in Asian and Western comparative religions making this the essential text for students studying Daoism on World Religions courses.</p><p>Illustrated throughout the book also includes text boxes summary charts a glossary which includes Chinese characters and a list of further reading to aid students’ understanding and revision. The accompanying website for this book can be found at <strong>www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415439978</strong>. </p>