Jonathan Herman - Taoism For Dummies

Taoism For Dummies

Published by
John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.
6045 Freemont Blvd.
Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3
www.wiley.com

Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 6045 Freemont Blvd., Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions . For authorization to photocopy items for corporate, personal, or educational use, please contact in writing The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For more information, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free, 1-800-893-5777.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The contents of this work are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or promoting a specific method, diagnosis, or treatment by physicians for any particular patient. The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. In view of ongoing research, equipment modifications, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to the use of medicines, equipment, and devices, the reader is urged to review and evaluate the information provided in the package insert or instructions for each medicine, equipment, or device for, among other things, any changes in the instructions or indication of usage and for added warnings and precautions. Readers should consult with a specialist where appropriate. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. No warranty may be created or extended by any promotional statements for this work. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any damages arising herefrom.

For general information on John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., including all books published by Wiley, please call our warehouse, Tel 1-800-567-4797. For reseller information, including discounts and premium sales, please call our sales department, Tel 416-646-7992. For press review copies, author interviews, or other publicity information, please contact our marketing department, Tel 416-646-4584, Fax 416-236-4448.

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport .

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com . For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com .

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Herman, Jonathan R., 1957

Taoism for dummies / Jonathan Herman.

Includes index.

Issued also in electronic format.

ISBN 978-1-118-42396-7 (pbk); 978-1-118-42397-4 (ebk); 978-1-118-42398-1 (ebk); 978-1-118-42665-4 (ebk)

1. Taoism. I. Title.

BL1920.S48 2013 299.514 C2013-900865-9

Printed in the United States

1 2 3 4 5 RRD 17 16 15 14 13

About the Author

Jonathan R. Herman received his PhD in Chinese Religion from Harvard University in 1992. He is currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he teaches courses on Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto, world religions, comparative mysticism, and critical theory in the study of religion. He has also taught at Harvard University, Boston College, Tufts University, the University of Vermont, and Lewis & Clark College, and served for 12 years as an officer in the Society for the Study of Chinese Religions.

Jon is the author of I and Tao: Martin Bubers Encounter with Chuang Tzu (State University of New York Press) and has written extensively on a range of Chinese religion topics, including American and European transmissions of Taoism, Taoist environmentalism, Confucian hermeneutics, and Neo-Confucian mysticism. He also writes about a number of contemporary issues in the study of religion, including interfaith dialogue, mysticism and postmodernism, the relationship between religion and spirituality, religion and public discourse, and character education in the public schools.

Dedication

To my mother, Mae, who loved to teach and who continues to teach me how to teach out of love.

Authors Acknowledgments

Thanks to my catcher and copy editor, Elizabeth Kuball; my acquisitions editor at Wiley, Anam Ahmed; my research assistant, Randall Knighton; and my GSU department chair, Kathryn McClymond, who supported this departure from the usual publish or perish scholarship. Thanks to my many friends, colleagues, and mentors in Taoist studies and the academic study of religion for all theyve taught me over the years, with a special thanks to Norman Girardot for his critical eye and enthusiastic support.

Most of all, I thank my family Carly, Molly, and Ellen for giving me the space and time to work on this book... and just for being my family.

Publishers Acknowledgments

Were proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com . For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions and Editorial

Project Editor: Elizabeth Kuball

Acquiring Editor: Anam Ahmed

Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball

Technical Editor: Norman Girardot, PhD

Production Editor: Lindsay Humphreys

Editorial Assistant: Kathy Deady

Cover Photos: iStockphoto.com / me4o

Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( www.the5thwave.com )

Composition Services

Senior Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees

Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Creasey

Proofreaders: Melissa D. Buddendeck, Jessica Kramer

Indexer: Slivoskey Indexing Services

John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

Deborah Barton, Vice President and Director of Operations