DAOISM AND ECOLOGY: WAYS WITHIN A COSMIC LANDSCAPE. Edited by N. J. Girardot, James Miller, and Liu Xiaogan. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001. Pp. lxxiii + 478; foreword; epilogue; bibliography; glossary. Cloth, $36.95, ISBN 0-945454-29-5; paper, $24.95, ISBN 0-945454-30-9.
This anthology joins other fine works in the Religions of the World and Ecology series published by the Center for the Study of World Religions of the Harvard Divinity School and coordinated by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim. The guiding principle of the series is its fundamental belief that in our search for a more comprehensive ecological worldview it is inevitable that we will draw from the symbolic and conceptual resources of the rich religious traditions of the world. The editors of this extraordinary collection of Daoist materials wisely chose to operate with a broad and inclusive understanding of Daoism, one that honors the philosophical, sociological, and religious distinctiveness of the various Daoist sectarian traditions. While some may feel that this approach begs the definitional problem of "Daoism," the overwhelming advantage of this decision is to avoid the common reductionism of Daoism to the Lao-Zhuang tradition narrowly defined.
The first grouping of papers takes up a series of questions related to the theoretical and historical underpinnings of a Daoist approach to the environment. Included are the following essays: "'Daoism' and 'Deep Ecology': Fantasy and Potentiality" (3-21) by Jordan Paper; "Ecological Questions for Daoist Thought: Contemporary Issues and Ancient Texts" (23-44) by Joanne Birdwhistell; "'Nature' as Part of Human Culture in Daoism" (45-60) by Michael LaFargue; and "Daoism and the Quest for Order" (61-69) by Terry Kleeman. James Miller concludes the section with a discussion paper entitled "What Can Daoism Contribute to Ecology?" (71-75). The second section is devoted to the analysis of Daoist religious scriptures. Discussions in this section are Kristofer Schipper's commentary on the ecological teachings of the Yibai bashi jie (180 Precepts) (79-93); Chi-tim Lai's essay on the Taiping jing (Scripture of Great Peace) (95-111); Zhang Jiyu and Li Yuanguo on the Yinfu jing (Scripture of Unconscious Unification) (113-24); and Robert Campany on Ge Hong's writings (125-47). This section concludes with a reflective discussion, this time by Miller, Richard Wang and Edward Davis (149-53). The papers in section three are concerned with cultural and folk practices that have Daoist affinities: E.N. Anderson provides a meditation on the relationship between Daoist practice and agricultural life (157-83); Stephen Field writes on Fengshui (Chinese geomancy; 185-200); Thomas Hahn discusses Daoist notions of wilderness (201-18); and Jeffrey Meyer's essay examines Chinese gardening as a metaphor for the Daoist approach to ecology (219-36). In their reflective paper, Miller and John Patterson consider the following question: "How Successfully Can We Apply the Concepts of Ecology to Daoist Cultural Contexts?" (237-41). Several authors attempt to construct a Daoist environmental philosophy in section four of the book. David Hall's "From Reference to Deference: Daoism and the Natural World" (245-63) and Roger Ames' "The Local and the Focal in Realizing a Daoist World" (265-82) are reinterpretations of the Daode jing and Zhuangzi. Two papers are particularly concerned with the question whether wuwei (non-action) can be a concept with contemporary moral relevance: Russell Kirkland's "'Responsible Non-Action' in a Natural World: Perspectives from the Neiye, Zhuangzi, and Daode jing" (283-304), and Lisa Raphal's "Metic Intelligence or Responsible Non-Action? Further Reflections on the Zhuangzi, Daode jing, and Neiye" (305-14). A more activist interpretation of a Daoist environmental ethic is defended by Liu Xiaogan in "Non-Action and the Environment Today: A Conceptual and Applied Study of Laozi's Philosophy" (315-39). Here Miller and Russell Goodman also provide a retrospective discussion for the sectional essays (341-47). The work concludes with several efforts to apply various aspects of Daoist tradition to the contemporary ecological situation. James Miller articulates the implications of a Daoist visionary experience in his "Respecting the Environment, or Visualizing Highest Clarity" (351-59). Next, there is Zhang Jiyu's "Declaration of the Chinese Daoist Association on Global Ecology" (361-72) and "Change Starts Small: Daoist Practice and the Ecology of Individual Lives" (373-90), an account of a roundtable by Daoist practitioners, which was compiled by Livia Kohn. In this section, Jonathan Herman also argues for the significance of Ursula Le Guin's redaction of Daoism (391-406). Finally, James Miller provides another sectional discussion (407-10).
This work makes numerous contributions to our understanding of Daoist environmental philosophy, but there is also much offered to the reader in terms of methodology for studying and applying Daoism in general. The text makes a very important contribution to both the practitioner and academician. Strongly recommended for scholars of Daoism, individuals interested in religion and ecology, and general readers. All libraries should have this book.

DIE WELT ALS WENDUNG. ZU EINER LITERARISCHEN LEKT¨¹RE DES WAHREN BUCHES VOM S¨¹DLICHEN BL¨¹TENLAND. By Hans Peter Hoffmann. Opera Sinologica 13. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2001. Pp. 410. Cloth, €64.00, ISBN 0940-7927.
This is a monumental study of the Zhuangzi as a literary work. Hoffmann's study divides into three parts. The first part discusses the various problems related to reading the Zhuangzi as a literary rather than a philosophical work. Here Hoffmann also discusses the challenges of using the methodology of literary analysis to examine and understand the text, a methodology which stands in contrast to a more philosophical and conventional interpretation. The author carefully presents the different modes, citing previous studies extensively and making a convincing argument for the applicability of literary methods. Part two is entitled "The World as Transformation," thus echoing the main title of the book and bringing out its key thesis.
According to Hoffmann, the Zhuangzi, with its various stories, fables, parables, and metaphors, is itself the verbalized expression of the fundamental idea of transformation. Seen both cosmologically and literally, transformation forms the backbone and the essential topic of the work and is played out in a variety of different formats. A key way that the theme of transformation is worked with is in the so-called "spillover sayings," literally "jug words," that have one level of meaning literally but, like water flowing from a jug, spill over into wider and more complex meanings. The great gourd, the story of the swimmer, and many more are such spillover sayings-indicating the depth of transformation both textually and in terms of meaning. Part three looks at "Transformation in the World" and examines more complex stories that relate events from different perspectives and thus open mind and language to a deeper level of being. Here the story of the joy of fish and the flight of the great Peng bird are emphasized and discussed; in each case Hoffmann examines what philosophical readings have identified as a form of relativism in a literary and language-based manner. The book represents solid scholarship and makes much use of previous studies. It has Chinese characters in the text, making identification of Chinese terms very easy. It also contains an ample bibliography and detailed index. Recommended for scholars of the Zhuangzi and those conducting research on classical Daoist texts and Chinese literature. Research libraries should also acquire Hoffmann's study.

WAY AND BYWAY: TAOISM, LOCAL RELIGION, AND MODELS OF DIVINITY IN SUNG AND MODERN CHINA. By Robert Hymes. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. Pp. xvii + 364; appendix; glossary; index. Cloth, $60.00, ISBN 0-520-20758-0; Paper, $24.95, ISBN 0-520-20759-9.
Expanding on his earlier Statesmen and Gentlemen: The Elite of Fu-chou, Chiang-hsi, in Northern and Southern Sung (Cambridge University Press, 1986) and Ordering the World: Approaches to State and Society in Sung Dynasty China (co-authored with Conrad Schirokauer; University of California Press, 1993), here Hymes examines Chinese conceptions of the divine during the Song dynasty (Northern: 960-1126; Southern: 1127-1279). In particular, this study focuses on two new religious traditions at the time, namely, the Tianxin (Celestial Heart) tradition (ch. 2), a nationally active school of healing and exorcistic ritual, and the "Three Immortals cult" (chs. 3, 4, and 5), also referred to as the "Three Lords cult" or "Huagai cult," which originated on Huagai shan (Flower Canopy Mountain; Jiangxi) and centered on worship of the so-called Three Immortals (Masters Fuqiu, Wang and Guo). "The central project of this book is to connect the different choices that different actors make from a repertoire of religious models to differences in their places in society, the situations in which they find themselves, and their views of religious and secular authority" (5).
Hymes argues for a strong, sometimes unconscious but sometimes purposeful tendency to analogize between two spheres treated as equally real: from the divine to the human and from the human to the divine. He also sees Song religion as the meeting point of a relatively few common assumptions, a wide variety of usages, gods, rituals, and practices, and several organized and semi-organized bodies contending to impose order on variety (21). Religious activity in turn expanded, multiplied, and differentiated during the Song. Way and Byway contains nine chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Celestial Heart Taoism; (3) Hua-kai Mountain and Its Immortals; (4) The Rise of the Hua-kai Cult; (5) Explaining the Rise of the Hua-kai Cult; (6) Taoists, Local Gods, and the Transformation of Wang Wen-ch'ing; (7) The Bureaucratic Model: A Speculation; (8) God Worship and the Chiao; and (9) Conclusion: The Two Models. Finally, an appendix discusses issues revolving around the dates of specific individuals and texts, specifically Deng Yougong, the Shangqing tianxin zhengfa (Correct Methods of Celestial Heart from Shangqing; HY 566), Shangqing gusui lingwen guil¨¹ (Spirit Code: A Numinous Text from the Marrow of Shangqing; HY 461), and Huagai shan Fuqiu Wang Guo san zhenjun shishi (Verities of the Three Perfected Lords Fuqiu, Wang, and Guo of Huagai Mountain; HY 777).
Utilizing diverse source materials, Way and Byway offers in-depth analysis of Song religious innovations such as popular ritual movements and deity cults. Perhaps most importantly, the book makes a compelling argument for revising the "bureaucratic model" of Chinese divinity. Hymes identifies two competing "models of divinity," namely, the bureaucratic model and the personal model (on characteristics of the former see 4, 171-72, 267; on the later see 4-5, 265-66). The centrality of these models within Chinese society varies according to three elements that condition their use: (1) the god, (2) the representer or actor, and (3) the context (267). According to Hymes' analysis, the bureaucratic model tends to predominate among professional clergy, while the personal model tends to be more central to lay and local conceptions. This general tendency, of course, varies according to social circumstances. The reader may also become confused by reference to the "Three Immortals cult" under three different names: Three Immortals cult, Three Lords cult, and Huagai cult. This confusion is added to because the Chinese terms are not included in either the main body of the work or the glossary. Gathering from the title of a related text, the cult was most specifically related to worship of the "Three Perfected Lords" (san zhenjun). This minor deficiency aside, Way and Byway is an excellent book, recommended for scholars specializing in Chinese history and religion. The book will make an important contribution to research libraries and the personal collections of researchers involved in the study of Daoism as well as of Song and post-Song religious traditions.

IMAGES OF THE IMMORTAL: THE CULT OF L¨¹ DONGBIN AT THE PALACE OF ETERNAL JOY. By Paul R. Katz. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999. Pp. xvi + 309; maps; illustrations; appendixes; glossary; index. Cloth, $49.00, ISBN 0-8248-2170-X.
This impressively researched book examines the history of Yongle gong (Palace of Eternal Joy; Shanxi), one of the oldest and most important sacred sites dedicated to L¨¹ Dongbin (b. 798? C.E.). Originally founded in the 10th century as a popular shrine, during the Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115-1234) the Palace of Eternal Joy was converted into a Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) monastery and, according to Katz, played a central role in the spread of the cult of L¨¹ Dongbin. Katz's study has two stated goals: to explore the cultural diversity of Chinese sacred sites (4), and to trace the diverse interpretations of L¨¹ Dongbin at the Palace of Eternal Joy (5). In addition, "[there is] a perception, however invidious, that area studies tends to focus more on reading texts or describing events than on interpreting them in the context of a broad theoretical framework. This book, which concerns the practice of religion in late imperial China, attempts to counter such misconceptions" (ix). That is, in combination with historical description and cultural documentation, Katz concerns himself with larger theoretical and methodological issues, specifically issues deriving from critical historiography, literary criticism, and social scientific perspectives.
The book consists of an introduction, conclusion and five chapters: (1) The Site:¡ª the Palace of Eternal Joy; (2) The Cult¡ªthe Immortal L¨¹ Dongbin; (3) Text 1¡ªTemple Inscriptions; (4) Text 2¡ªthe Murals; and (5) Reception and Reinterpretation. In addition to an extensive bibliography, the book also contains two appendixes, the first being a list of stele inscriptions at the Palace of Eternal Joy and the second listing hagiographic murals in the Chunyang dian (Hall of Purified Yang).
Katz's work is noteworthy for a variety of reasons, particularly the diversity of its theoretical and methodological approaches as well as source materials considered. Katz utilizes literary critical methods and insights gleaned from "microhistory" to reveal the competing concerns and motivations of the Palace of Eternal Joy's inhabitants, patrons, and worshippers. Moreover, the translation and interpretation of texts (Daoist, officialist, popular, etc.), stele inscriptions, and murals leads to a more extensive and balanced account of this Daoist sacred site. For those engaged in Daoist Studies, Images of the Immortal provides one of the few readily available accounts of a Daoist sacred site (passim). It also contains important information on the early Quanzhen tradition (ch. 2) and the veneration of L¨¹ Dongbin, a central figure in the development of internal alchemy (neidan) (also ch. 2). With regards to the latter, Katz clearly and convincingly demonstrates the competing interpretations of Ancestor L¨¹ occurring simultaneously at the Palace of Eternal Joy: from Daoist immortal to popular healer and wonder-worker, from patron god of prostitutes to Quanzhen patriarch. These competing images and interpretations varied according to historical context and socio-economic position. Thus, it is a mistake to refer to L¨¹ Dongbin simply as a "Daoist immortal" or a "patriarch of internal alchemy" without historical qualification. Highly recommended for specialists in the fields of Daoist Studies, Chinese history and religions, and individuals interested in deepening their knowledge of the Daoist tradition. A welcome addition to any research library or personal archive.
(See also Journal of Chinese Religions 29 [2001]: 308-10; Religious Studies Review 27.2 [2001]: 199).

GREAT PERFECTION: RELIGION AND ETHNICITY IN A CHINESE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM. By Terry F. Kleeman. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1998. Pp. vii + 251; bibliography; index. Cloth, $39.00, ISBN 0-8248-1800-8.
This work is an exploration of the state of Cheng-Han and its significance for the study of Chinese history and culture. The target period is the first half of the fourth century C.E. Although the book has value for scholars of Chinese history in general, it is of interest especially to those who work in Daoist studies. The Celestial Masters movement is the womb from which the Li family, founders of the Cheng state emerged. A substantial portion of the work is devoted to the translation of documents of historical, religious, and philosophical interest. No Chinese text is provided. The translations integrate several sources, relying on the Record of the Land of Huayang as not only the most reliable, but also as the framework for the use of the other supplemental materials. The author uses italics and his footnote system to aid the reader in identifying how he has integrated the various texts. The translated materials are grouped around the various members of the Li family (Li Te, Li Liu, Li Xiang, Li Xiong, Li Ban, Li Qi, Li Shou, Li Shi) and the role they played in the formation and development of the state.
The texts, although taking up the second half of the book, are the source for the topical narrative the author uses in the first half. The topics are ethnicity and identity; religion; history; and sources of Cheng history. This topical structure is at one and the same time the book's strength and its weakness. I found that I had to constantly move between the sections to get a full picture of an event or person's role. For example, the relationship of the Lis is not explained in the topical sections of the first half of the book and historical details necessary to understand a point on ethnicity or religion are not explained in those sections (compare what is said of Li Xiang's militia on p. 58, 81, 93). Sometimes this does create a question of factual accuracy. The author speaks of the murder of Li Xiang (82) in the religion section and yet elsewhere (the history and translation sections) he describes Li Xiang's execution (93, 150). And when the author says Zhao Xin died at the refugees' hands (82), that hardly gives the full story (93). Some material turns up in one topical section that is omitted in another [Li Xiong's reward of Fan Changsheng described in the religion section (83) is omitted in the history section]. Perhaps a coherently flowing single narrative hung on an historical frame would have been preferable to the topical chapters. This is not to say that the author's research is inadequate in any way. Quite to the contrary, the work provides excellent newly translated material, and very clear analysis and suggestive interpretations.
In the section on ethnicity and identity the author provides an overview of four pitfalls involved in studying the subject of ethnicity in premodern China and these are well developed and carefully explained. He then provides an overview of Sichuan during this period, and of the Ba people specifically. He offers an interpretive model of three divergent patterns of interaction between Chinese and non-Chinese which may have application with respect to other ethnographic studies of China. Particularly worth noting is the section on religion. The author's strengths are most evident here. This section provides an introduction to the Celestial Master movement, with information not easily found elsewhere in one place. The ties between this movement and Mt. Tai in Shangdong, how the movement came to exert substantial influence in the Dunhuang and Chang'an area, the administrative and moral code of the Celestial Master state, and its strong milleniarian beliefs are all explained with great clarity and conciseness. The author explains how the Li family was aligned with the Celestial Master Daoist belief and practice tradition, and claims that "The Daoist faith was an important factor in the fate of the Lis and their state." The section on history contextualizes the Cheng-Han state in fourth-century Chinese society and political developments. A sub-text of this historical material is the diffusion of Celestial Master religion throughout north China. The author concludes that inhabitants of Sichuan fared better under the Lis than persons in most other parts of China at the time, because of the talents of the Li family, the wisdom of their advisors, and the tenets of their religious faith. The translations in this work and the author's interpretations certainly commend this work to all scholars interested in Daoist studies.

LAO-TZU AND THE TAO-TE-CHING. Edited by Livia Kohn and Michael LaFargue. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998. Pp. xii + 330; illustrations; appendix; glossary. Paper, $25.95, ISBN 0-7914-3600-4.
This deservedly award-winning book is a collection of articles dedicated to the study of the Daode jing. It consists of four parts: (1) Ancient Myths (23-88); (2) Chinese Interpretations (89-164); (3) Modern Readings (165-230); and (4) Critical Methods (166-301). The book also includes an appendix (Index to Citations from Tao-te-ching Chapters) and an index. Thus, the composition of the book is arranged to represent various approaches to the Daode jing: readers can in good succession make their acquaintance with the most important aspects of the history and teaching of the Daode jing as well as with traditional and modern interpretations of this seminal Taoist text.
The first part consists of three articles. A.C. Graham's article, a reprint from his Studies in Chinese Philosophy and Philosophical Literature (SUNY, 1990), examines the origins of the legend of Laozi as the author of the Daode jing. He argues that from the third century B.C.E. onward the author of the text became identified with the ancient Lao Dan, recognized teacher of Confucius. Laozi as author of the text was also identified with another Lao Dan, grand historiographer of Zhou who prophesized about the victory of the state of Qin as unifier of All-under-Heaven about 375 B.C.E. In "The Lao-tzu Myth," Livia Kohn gives a thorough examination of this myth in terms of the divinization of Lao-tzu. Next, Yoshiko Kamitsuka's article analyzes the sculptural images of Lao-tzu from the period of the Six Dynasties (3rd-6th centuries C.E.). It contains two interesting photos of Taoist images from that time and a useful table of Daoist bas-relief steles and images of the fifth and sixth centuries (68-69).
The second part also includes three articles. The first of the articles is written by Alan K.L. Chan. Here Chan compares two well-known commentaries on the Daode jing: those of Wang Bi and Hehang gong. In her article on commentary literature (translated from French), the late Isabelle Robinet examines the textual polysemy and syncretistic interpretations of the later commentaries on the Daode jing (mostly from the Tang dynasty [618-907 C.E.]). Robinet analyzes different types of readings of the Daode jing: philological, ideological, and even inner alchemical (such as that of Bo Yuchan [1194-ca. 1227]). In this context, the texts of the Chonngxuan (Twofold Mystery) school are of primary importance for the author, but she also examines Buddhist and Neo-Confucian readings of the Daode jing. Robinet's article also contains a very useful table of Daode jing commentaries in chronological order (120-121). The next article by Livia Kohn is dedicated to the utilization of the Daode jing in ritual. Kohn discusses the ritual usages of the text from early Han times (reciting) up to the period of Southern and Northern Dynasties (meditation, meditative reciting, and even ordination and the taking of precepts). Kohn's article clearly demonstrates that the Daode jing has never been a purely philosophical or theoretical text; from the earliest period of its interpretative history it was closely associated with Taoist rites and longevity practice.
The third part of the book consists of three articles written by Julia M. Hardy, Benjamin Schwarz, and Liu Xiaogan. Hardy gives a very detailed analytical review of Western interpretations of the Daode jing, from the nineteenth century (J.P. Abel-R¨¦musat, Stanislas Julien, and James Legge) up to the works of contemporary scholars. In the next article, a reprint from his The World of Thought in Ancient China (Harvard University Press, 1985), the late Benjamin Schwartz discusses the ideas of the Daode jing within the framework of Chinese intellectual history. Next, Liu Xiaogan examines one of the central concepts of early Taoist thought, i.e., "naturalness" (tzu-jan), emphasizing the importance of this Taoist notion for contemporary humankind. The fourth and last part of the book also contains three articles. In the first, William H. Baxter gives a very useful and precise philological analysis of the language of the Daode jing in relation to the probable date of the text. The results of his research? The text was written around 350 B.C.E., a timeframe in keeping with the date established based on analysis of the earliest known Kuo-tien manuscript. Next, Michael LaFargue gives a brief outline of his methodology of historical hermeneutics for producing an adequate interpretation of the Daode jing. This involves examining the text within the historical context of China in the middle of the first millennium B.C.E. In the final article, LaFargue and the late Julian Pas analyze the problems of translating of the Daode jing through the examples of two textual passages, namely, 4:1 and 13:1. This article is very useful for anyone interested in translating of the text. Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching is highly recommended for scholars in the fields of Taoist Studies, Chinese philosophy, Chinese history, Chinese literature, Chinese religion, and comparative philosophy and religion. Individuals interested in deepening their understanding of Chinese thought in general and the Daode jing in particular will also benefit from this book. All libraries should also acquire this book.