Oneness with Heaven and Earth
Arc The Journal of the School of Religious Studies December 1, 2007 DOI: 10.26443/arc.v35i.541 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that Chinese mysticism is a varied tradition present across Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, and that it can be characterized by general features that distinguish it from Western and Indian systems, though specific commonalities and differences are to be explored. |
Abstract
hinese mysticism has a long and varied history: from the early thinkers of the Axial Age through various permutations in the middle ages to modem versions of both theory and practice.It spread throughout the different aspects of the Chinese tradition and was present as much in the dominant school of Confucianism and the foreign religion of Buddhism as in Daoism, the indigenous higher religion of China.How, then, is the Chinese mystical tradition different from comparable Western and Indian systems?What are some of its fundamental characteristics?Can we pinpoint commonalities and differences among its main indigenous forms, Confucianism and Daoism?What are these traditions?And what is their take on wisdom, the self, mystical training, the ideal human, and the way they envision mystical union?Let us begin with general characteristics.