Mysticism and kingship in China : the heart of Chinese wisdom

by Julia Ching

Paperback, 1997

Series

Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions (11)

Publication

Imprint: Cambridge, United Kingdom. ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 1997. OCLC Number: 914871753. Physical: Text : 1 volume : xxi, 302 pages ; 23 cm. Features: Includes bibliographic references, glossary, index.

Call number

Commentary / Ching

Barcode

BK-07436

ISBN

0521468280 / 9780521468282

Collections

Your library, Adult Materials, Religious Studies

CSS Library Notes

Description: "In this book, Julia Ching offers a magisterial survey of over four thousand years of Chinese civilisation through an examination of the relationship between kingship and mysticism. She investigates the sage-king myth and ideal, and analyses the various skills that have been required as qualifications of leadership. She argues that institutions of kingship were bound up with cultivation of trance states and communication with spirits. Over time, these associations were retained, though sidelined, as the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler, with a messianic appeal for the ruled. As a paradigm, it also became appropriated by private individuals who strove for wisdom without becoming kings. As the Confucian tradition interacted with the Taoist and the Buddhist, the religious character of spiritual and mystical cultivation became more pronounced. But the sage-king idea continued, promoting expectation of benevolent despotism rather than democratisation in Chinese civilisation."--from back cover

Table of Contents:
1. Son of Heaven: shamanic kingship --
2. Son of Heaven: kingship as cosmic paradigm --
3. The moral teacher as sage: philosophy appropriates the paradigm --
4. The metaphysician as sage: philosophy again appropriates the paradigm --
5. The paradigm enshrined: the authority of classics --
6. The mystic as sage: religion appropriates the paradigm --
7. The sage-king as messiah: religion again appropriates the paradigm --
8. All under Heaven: political power and the periphery --
A glossary of Sino-Japanese names and terms.

FY2017 /

Physical description

xxi, 302 p.; 23 cm

Description

In this book, Julia Ching offers a magisterial survey of over four thousand years of Chinese civilisation through an examination of the relationship between kingship and mysticism. She investigates the sage-king myth and ideal, arguing that institutions of kingship were bound up with cultivation of trance states and communication with spirits. Over time, these associations were retained, though sidelined, as the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler, with a messianic appeal for the ruled. As a paradigm, it also became appropriated by private individuals who strove for wisdom without becoming kings. As the Confucian tradition interacted with the Taoist and the Buddhist, the religious character of spiritual and mystical cultivation became more pronounced. But the sage-king idea continued, promoting expectations of benevolent despotism rather than democratisation in Chinese civilisation.… (more)