Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism
Recent research on Daoism has distinguished various models of self-cultivation present in the tradition, in particular those which aim at returning humanity to a natural, spontaneous form of existence (often associated with early pre-Qin “philosophical” Daoism), and those which a...
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MDPI AG
2019-06-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/6/388 |
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| author | Benjamin Coles |
| author_facet | Benjamin Coles |
| author_sort | Benjamin Coles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent research on Daoism has distinguished various models of self-cultivation present in the tradition, in particular those which aim at returning humanity to a natural, spontaneous form of existence (often associated with early pre-Qin “philosophical” Daoism), and those which aim at transcending human nature through technical practices (often associated with later “religious” Daoism). During the Wei-Jin period, organized Daoist religion was still in its early stages, yet the difference between the two models was very much an issue in the Dark Learning (<i>xuanxue</i>) thought of the intellectual elite. In this paper, I trace this debate as expressed in Wei-Jin thinker Guo Xiang’s <i>Commentary to the Zhuangzi</i>, in particular in Guo’s criticisms of the desire or attempt to exceed the limits (<i>ji</i>) of one’s inherent nature and his reinterpretation of the <i>Zhuangzi</i>’s criticisms of technical practices. While Guo follows Xiang Xiu in rejecting many of the claims of radical transcendence through self-cultivation, I argue that this does not imply that he lacks any positive conception of self-cultivation, but rather that he sees such cultivation as only possible through an immanent historical process in which both natural spontaneity and artificial techniques have a role to play. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:50:21Z |
| publishDate | 2019-06-01 |
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| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-cf710def404d4355bcebdc118563b3a32022-12-21T18:44:27ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442019-06-0110638810.3390/rel10060388rel10060388Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist NaturalismBenjamin Coles0School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, ChinaRecent research on Daoism has distinguished various models of self-cultivation present in the tradition, in particular those which aim at returning humanity to a natural, spontaneous form of existence (often associated with early pre-Qin “philosophical” Daoism), and those which aim at transcending human nature through technical practices (often associated with later “religious” Daoism). During the Wei-Jin period, organized Daoist religion was still in its early stages, yet the difference between the two models was very much an issue in the Dark Learning (<i>xuanxue</i>) thought of the intellectual elite. In this paper, I trace this debate as expressed in Wei-Jin thinker Guo Xiang’s <i>Commentary to the Zhuangzi</i>, in particular in Guo’s criticisms of the desire or attempt to exceed the limits (<i>ji</i>) of one’s inherent nature and his reinterpretation of the <i>Zhuangzi</i>’s criticisms of technical practices. While Guo follows Xiang Xiu in rejecting many of the claims of radical transcendence through self-cultivation, I argue that this does not imply that he lacks any positive conception of self-cultivation, but rather that he sees such cultivation as only possible through an immanent historical process in which both natural spontaneity and artificial techniques have a role to play.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/6/388self-cultivationDaoismGuo Xiangnaturalism<i>Zhuangzi</i> |
| spellingShingle | Benjamin Coles Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism Religions self-cultivation Daoism Guo Xiang naturalism <i>Zhuangzi</i> |
| title | Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism |
| title_full | Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism |
| title_fullStr | Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism |
| title_short | Guo Xiang and the Problem of Self-Cultivation in Daoist Naturalism |
| title_sort | guo xiang and the problem of self cultivation in daoist naturalism |
| topic | self-cultivation Daoism Guo Xiang naturalism <i>Zhuangzi</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/6/388 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT benjamincoles guoxiangandtheproblemofselfcultivationindaoistnaturalism |