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This section comprises articles and papers dealing with some of the most important Taoist topics or commenting on the Taoist texts. Our papers are intended for people who already have some experience with the Taoist philosophy (or for our students who followed our courses). They are edited in PDF and are
delivered through email or download.
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List of Available Papers
Chuang-tzu and Formal Thinking US$ 10 Discusses about Chuang-tzu's approach of the formal thinking. Another passage from Chuang-tzu that put Sinologists to a lot of trouble, is the one concerning Master's odd behavior on the day of his
wife's funeral. This passage belongs to Book XVIII, paragraph 2: "Perfect Enjoyment".
[Paper by Jhian Yang, word count: 1054, PDF, download]
The Sage Walks on Tao US$ 15 Discusses a fragment from Tao-te ching in the light of Christian and Taoist ethics.
What I am trying to show here is that the translation follows the
basic Christian principles: "The one in need will be satiated" - this one can be found in the "Sermon on the Mount", Mt.: 5.
Or: "He has no pride thus he shines". If you visit Christian Orthodox monasteries, you will have the opportunity to see modesty and humiliation being (hypocritically) put into practice.
Does it follow from here that Lao-tzu had been a forerunner of Christianity or rather, that Christian God and his Commandments are everywhere
valid? Or, that the "Bible" - the "New Testament" in particular - is universal? These are all appealing ideas and we cannot but feel some inner satisfaction at the thought that the principles of our religion have found a home all over the world!
[Paper by Jhian Yang, word count: 814, PDF, download]
Taoist Medicine and Modern Mentality US$ 15 The paper treats of a short story about master Yang and his approach of classical Taoist medicine. The story comes from book Lieh-tzu. The opinion of classical Taoist thinkers on the
practice and efficiency of medicine is entirely surprising in view of what we know about classical Chinese medicine today. Although we are used to trusting the therapeutic effects of acupuncture, for example, and in spite of our belief that it characterized ancient China, Taoist ancient text are completely different in their perspective. We shall further illustrate that attitude with a short tale of master Yang-tzu and one of his friends, who had fallen ill. The latter was
making painful efforts to convince his family that his illness had to be addressed otherwise than the (even nowadays') customary appeal to a doctor's services.
[Paper by Jhian Yang, word count: 1088, PDF, download]
The Philosophy of Naturalness in I-ching US$ 10 The philosophy of I-ching is focused on the idea of change. Change is eternal - both for the cosmical and the human world - and therefore it is necessary to know in due time how to adapt to it.
We can see here the oracular function of I-ching, namely that of connecting our activity to the temporary conditions and to correct those tendencies that couldn't be successful in a given social or cosmical context.
On the other hand, there are some key themes of "I-ching" philosophy, which we also find in the Taoist philosophy.
[Paper by Jhian Yang, word count: 735, PDF, download]
Yin and Yang in Real Life US$ 15
This paper treats of yin and yang and their connection to the real life. There have been many more or less successful
attempts at translating into facts of real life the main principles of Taoism. Curios enough, although these terms are very well known, when it comes to finding out the way they are used in fact, one meets up insurmountable difficulties.
Most people act as if these terms had no relevance for everyday life. They are dealt with as abstract notions of a dialectical philosophical system with no expression whatsoever in the real life. It is the modern Western philosophies that
taught us to think this way.
While we do believe it likely that yin and yang should define actual forces and realities, still we don't see what these realities are - beside endless listings with characteristics of things and beings.
[Paper by Jhian Yang, word count: 835, PDF, download]
Lao-tzu and Emptiness US$ 15
A fragment of Tao-te ching construed in terms of mental emptiness practice. Somewhere in "Tao-te ching" we can find an excerpt translated as follows:
"The sage empties their minds and fills their bellies."
I know you'll smile and say that this piece of advice is very present-day: crowds need food, not intellectual nourishment.
Still, Taoist interpreters, and many others apart from them, have noticed here references to long-life practices, where the emphasis is placed upon abdominal breathing exercises and meditation...
[Paper by Jhian Yang, word count: 594, PDF, delivered by email]
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