Until now, no single work has been devoted to both a scholarly understanding of the complexities of the Daoist tradition and a critical exploration of its contribution to recent environmental concerns. The authors in Daoism and Ecology: Ways within a Cosmic Landscape consider the intersection of Daoism and Ecology, looking at the theoretical and historical implications associated with a Daoist approach to the environment.
They also analyze perspectives found in Daoist religious texts and within the larger Chinese cultural context in order to delineate key issues found in the classical texts. Through these analyses, they assess the applicability of modern-day Daoist thought and practice in China and the West, with respect to the contemporary ecological situation.
Preface Lawrence E. Sullivan
Series Foreword Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim
Note on the Romanization of Chinese Terms
Acknowledgments
Introduction N. J. Girardot, James Miller and Liu Xiaogan
Prologue: The Calabash Scrolls Stephen L. Field
I. Framing the Issues
"Daoism" and "Deep Ecology": Fantasy and Potentiality Jordan Paper
Ecological Questions for Daoist Thought: Contemporary Issues and Ancient Texts Joanne D. Birdwhistell
"Nature" as Part of Human Culture in Daoism Michael LaFargue
Daoism and the Quest for Order Terry F. Kleeman
Sectional Discussion: What Can Daoism Contribute to Ecology? James Miller
II. Ecological Readings of Daoist Texts
Daoist Ecology: The Inner Transformation. A Study of the Precepts of the Early Daoist Ecclesia Kristofer Schipper
The Daoist Concept of Central Harmony in the Scripture of Great Peace: Human Responsibility for the Maladies of Nature Chi-tim Lai
"Mutual Stealing among the Three Powers" in the Scripture of Unconscious Unification Zhang Jiyu and Li Yuanguo
Ingesting the Marvelous: The Practitioner’s Relationship to Nature According to Ge Hong Robert Ford Campany
Sectional Discussion: What Ecological Themes Are Found in Daoist Texts? James Miller, Richard G. Wang, and Edward Davis
III. Daoism and Ecology in a Cultural Context
Flowering Apricot: Environmental Practice, Folk Religion, and Daoism E. N. Anderson
In Search of Dragons: The Folk Ecology of Fengshui Stephen L. Field
An Introductory Study on Daoist Notions of Wilderness Thomas H. Hahn
Salvation in the Garden: Daoism and Ecology Jeffrey F. Meyer
Sectional Discussion: How Successfully Can We Apply the Concepts of Ecology to Daoist Cultural Contexts? John Patterson and James Miller
IV. Toward a Daoist Environmental Philosophy
From Reference to Deference: Daoism and the Natural World David L. Hall
The Local and the Focal in Realizing a Daoist World Roger T. Ames
"Responsible Non-Action" in a Natural World: Perspectives from the Neiye, Zhuangzi, and Daode jing Russell Kirkland
Metic Intelligence or Responsible Non-Action? Further Reflections on the Zhuangzi, Daode jing, and Neiye Lisa Raphals
Non-Action and the Environment Today: A Conceptual and Applied Study of Laozi’s Philosophy Liu Xiaogan
Sectional Discussion: What Are the Speculative Implications of Early Daoist Texts for an Environmental Ethics? Russell B. Goodman with James Miller
V. Practical Ecological Concerns in Contemporary Daoism
Respecting the Environment, or Visualizing Highest Clarity James Miller
A Declaration of the Chinese Daoist Association on Global Ecology Zhang Jiyu
Change Starts Small: Daoist Practice and the Ecology of Individual Lives. A Roundtable Discussion with Liu Ming, René Navarro, Linda Varone, Vincent Chu, Daniel Seitz, and Weidong Lu Compiled by Livia Kahn
Daoist Environmentalism in the West: Ursula K. Le Gum’s Reception and Transmission of Daoism Jonathan R. Herman
Sectional Discussion: Daoism--A Vital Tradition for the Contemporary Ecological Consciousness James Miller
Epilogue: Dao Song Ursula K. Le Guin
Bibliography on Daoism and Ecology James Miller, Jorge Highland, and Liu Xiaogan with Belle B. L. Tan and Zhong Hongzhi
Notes on Contributors
Glossary of Chinese Characters
Index
N. J. Girardot is University Distinguished Professor of Religion at Lehigh University. James Miller is Associate Professor of Chinese Religions, Queen’s University. Liu Xiagan is Professor of Philosophy, Chinese University of Hong Kong.