Mysticism and Kingship in China : The Heart of Chinese Wisdom
by
Julia Ching
Book Details
Format
Hardback or Cased Book
Book Series
Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions
ISBN-10
0521462932
ISBN-13
9780521462938
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Imprint
Cambridge University Press
Country of Manufacture
GB
Country of Publication
GB
Publication Date
Nov 13th, 1997
Print length
326 Pages
Weight
560 grams
Dimensions
23.50 x 15.70 x 2.30 cms
Ksh 14,750.00
Manufactured on Demand
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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. Lucidly written, the book will be of interest to anyone seeking to understand how today's China continues to draw on its past.
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.
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