No comments about The Empty Vessel: A Journal of Daoist Philosophy and Practice (Volume 14).

No comments about Daoist Health Preservation Exercises.

No comments about Eye on religion: by the brush and by the sword: Daoist perspectives on the body, illness, and healing.(Special Section: Spirituality/Medicine Interface ... An article from: Southern Medical Journal.

1 comments about Daoist Identity: History, Lineage, and Ritual.

1. I am a taoist priest in Hong Kong, and also a candidate of M.A.(Philosophy). Actually, I have read quite a lot of books relating taoism and DAOIST IDENTITY is one of the best books. I highly recommend Chapter 9 "Manifestations of Luzu in morden Guangdong and Hong Kong: The Rise and Growth of Spirit-Writing Cults" by Shiga Ichiko. It contains very useful information for my academic research paper.
   
   However, I would like to point out that the book is mainly for academic purposes, it is not suitable for beginners!

No comments about The Story of Han Xiangzi: The Alchemical Adventures of a Daoist Immortal (A China Program Book).

5 comments about A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought: A Philosophical Interpretation.

1. This book is very clearly written and sees ancient Chinese thought from a Daoist (rather than the traditional Confucian) point of view. Chad Hansen makes a detailed analysis of Confucius and Mencius though, based on their theory of language, and those chapters are exceptional too. Of course, the greatest chapter of the book is the one on Zhuangzi, that shows him to be a sophisticated thinker, having a theory of language inherited from the later Mohists that comes near in quality to Greek philosophy, although never going as far a creating a theory of reason. Highly recommended to all Daoists!



2. Captivating, clear, and powerful. Hansen analyzes the classical period of Chinese philosophy with stunning originality, but with scholarly precision and care. His inerpretation of Mo Tzu's role in Chinese philosophy completely redefined all of my thoughts on the subject. Hansen's insights will prove invaluable to any student of any philosophical tradition. This book is probably the best book about philosophy that I have read.



3. I am truly dumbfounded at the number of positive reviews this book has received. In my humble opinion Chad Hansen is barely a second rate thinker, and not qualified in the least to be writing about Chinese Philosophy. Being that space prohibits covering every detail of Mr. Hansen's book, I will concentrate on his complete inability to translate and thus interpret Chinese writing. As an example, I will use his translation (if one can truly call it a translation) of the first chapter of the Daodejing to expose his ignorance of Literary Chinese. What follows is Mr. Hansen's version of Ch.1 DDJ:
   
   To Guide with Names
   
   1. To guide what can be guided is not constant guiding.
   2. To name what can be named is not constant naming.
   3. 'Not-exist' names the beginning (boundary) of the cosmos (Heaven and earth)
   4. 'Exists' names the mother of the ten-thousand natural kinds .
   5. Thus, to treat 'not-exist' as constant is desiring to use it to view its mysteries.
   6. To treat 'exists' as constant is desiring to use it to view its manifestations.
   7. These two emerge together yet have different names.
   8. 'Together'--call that 'obscure.' 'Obscure' it and it is more obscure.
   9. . . . the gateway of a crowd of mysteries.
   
   Oh my, what a mess. Well, let's begin and try and sort this monstrosity out.
   
   1. For the Chinese character (Cc) "dao", Mr. Hansen, has chosen the word "guide". There is a Chinese character which means "to guide" and is pronounced "dao", but it is not the same "dao" used in the Daodejing. Also, he treats the first and third "dao" as verbs, only the second one is a verb because it is preceded by "ke" = "can be".
   2. He treats the first and third "ming" = "name" as verbs, only the second "ming" is a verb because it is preceded by "ke" = "can be".
   3. After the word "beginning" = (Cc) "shi", Mr. Hansen inserts the word (boundary) as if it were the true meaning of "shi". The sentence just got though stating that the beginning of "heaven and earth" = "tian de" is without a name (In Chinese, giving something a name also means categorizing it). So what does Mr. Hansen do - he gives it a name.
   4. OK
   5.
   6. Both lines 5 and 6 are such a mess it's beyond belief. There is a great deal of controversy regarding the correct punctuation of these two lines. What Mr. Hansen has done is to completely ignore punctuation altogether. He adds English words that not only have no corresponding equivalent in the Chinese text, they change the original meaning of the sentence. There are no Chinese characters in this sentence that correspond to "to treat". Also, the (Cc) "miao" translated "mysteries" is improper. At the time the DDJ was written "miao" only meant subtle.
   7. OK
   8. OK
   9. "Crowd" as a translation for "zhrong" is a very amateurish choice, as "zhrong" is not pertaining to just people in this sentence. Once again he mistranslates "miao".
   
   If Mr. Hansen is incapable of even properly translating this particular work, then the house of cards he has constructed his theories upon has no foundation. So why pick on Mr. Hansen when there are so many other poor translations and interpretations of Chinese works? Mr. Hansen is a professor of Chinese philosophy, such individuals should be held to a higher level of competence.



4. Dr Hansen takes us on a whirlwind tour of Chinese language, history, and culture. His deep knowledge of ancient Chinese history and thought is breath-taking. Most refreshing is his positivist approach to Chinese philosophy. He posits that there will be different possible understandings of our common human situation and, like a good literary critic(!), he allows the primary texts to suggest *in their own terms* what relevant differences exist in thinking the human.
   
   This book will be serious brain candy to anyone who has an interest in the history of ideas, comparative religion, or intercultural philosophy.



5. Dr Hansen's book is a difficult read, but certainly very rewarding. Hansen is one of the finest scholars in the world on Chinese philosophy and knows his Classical Chinese inside-out. This is an important book for all serious Chinese scholars. It would probably help to have a background in formal philosophy or linguistics however. Please disregard the comment below concerning Hansen's translations. The person in question is obviously clueless.

1 comments about White Tigress, Green Dragon.

1. The book is worth every penny you spend on it. It reveals how women can restore their energy, youth and gain illumination through sexual practices. This book is not for the narrow minded. You will begin to understand what it takes and means to practice a purer form of Tantric sex. The information is based on Chinese medicine and Taoist teachings. My wife who is a 15-year teacher of Qi Gong and practitioner of Zen Buddhism said the information is grounded in truth. The book is fairly easy to understand and use. It should be read in conjunction with "The Sexual Teachings of the White Tigress" and the "Sexual Teachings of the Jade Dragon". "The White Tigress Green Dragon" book has the most concise information in it.

No comments about The Daoist Monastic Manual: A Translation of the Fengdao Kejie (Aar Texts and Translations).

No comments about Living Design: The Daoist Way of Building.

No comments about Daoist Mystical Philosophy.