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  3. Mysticism and Kingship in China
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      15 December 2009
      13 November 1997
      ISBN:
      9780511612046
      9780521462938
      9780521468282
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511612046
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.56kg, 326 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.5kg, 328 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Area Studies, Buddhism and Eastern Religions, Asian Studies, Religion, Religion: General Interest
      Series:
      Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions (11)
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    Subjects:
    Area Studies, Buddhism and Eastern Religions, Asian Studies, Religion, Religion: General Interest
    Series:
    Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions (11)
    Information

    Book description

    In this book, Julia Ching offers a magisterial survey of over four thousand years of Chinese civilisation 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, these associations were retained, though sidelined, as the sage-king myth became a model for the actual ruler, with a messianic appeal for the ruled. As a paradigm, it also became 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 democratisation in Chinese civilisation.

    Reviews

    "Ching's study presents a masterful survey of Chinese history and religion." Religious Studies Review

    "The most welcome feature of Julia Ching's wide-ranging account of Mysticism and Kingship in China is her frequent and integral use of the tools of comparative religion." Studies in Religion

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