This clear and reliable introduction to Taoism (also known as Daoism) brings a fresh dimension to a tradition that has found a natural place in Western society. Examining Taoist sacred texts together with current scholarship, it surveys Taoism's ancient roots, contemporary heritage and role in daily life.
From Taoism's spiritual philosophy to its practical perspectives on life and death, self-cultivation, morality, society, leadership and gender, Russell Kirkland's essential guide reveals the real contexts behind concepts such as Feng Shui and Tai Chi.

About the Author
Russell Kirkland is Associate Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at the University of Georgia. He is a member of the executive board of the Society for the Study of Chinese Religions, and of the board of directors of the U.S. Taoist Association. He has been writing on Taoism for over twenty years.

Reviews

'Amid the paucity of reliable textbook and introductory treatments of Daoism, Kirkland's work does an outstanding job of synthesizing contemporary scholarship with a highly readable overview of the historical, textual, and ritualistic aspects of Daoism. - Jeffrey Dippman, Central Washington University, Religious Studies Review

'Those of us who have been waiting for a thoroughly undated introduction to Daoism need wait no longer. Russell Kirkland, among America's best known scholars of Daoism, has offered us one in Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. ... [T]his work is a genuinely new introduction to Daoism that helps clear away much of the dense underbrush of Daoist history and textual relations, and also utilizes the most recent findings and conclusions of scholars of Daoism to set the reader on a more solid path to understanding China's most misunderstood and underappreciated transformational tradition.'- Ronnie Littlejohn, Philosophy East & West

Book Information
ISBN 9780415263221
Author Russell Kirkland
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 850g