Mysticism and Kingship in China: The Heart of Chinese Wisdom (Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions) Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Mysticism and Kingship in China: The Heart of Chinese Wisdom (Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions) Book

This book surveys over four-thousand years of Chinese civilisation through an examination of the relationship between kingship and mysticism. Julia Ching investigates the sage-king myth and ideal, and analyses the various skills that have been required as qualifications of leadership. She concludes that the sage-king ideal has promoted expectations of benevolent despotism rather than democratisation in Chinese society. Lucidly written, the book will be of interest to anyone seeking to understand how today's China continues to draw on its past.Read More

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  • Product Description

    In this book, Julia Ching offers a survey of over 4,000 years of Chinese civilization 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, the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler. As a paradigm, it was also 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 democratization in Chinese civilization.

  • 0521462932
  • 9780521462938
  • Julia Ching
  • 13 November 1997
  • Cambridge University Press
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 324
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