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I have just recieved an email to say Floyd (the kitty) is safe and sound and sleeping in Vancouver! He will be here tommorow and my Uncle has agreed to give us a lift to pick him up. Now off to my first class at SOAS!
Taoism Under the Tang is written by T.H. Barrett who was almost my professor this year at SOAS. In August he unexpectedly got funding for a research project from Taiwan and so unfortunately I won't be studying with him this year.
I've been trying to read this book since I first decided that I wanted to come to SOAS and take the religion course. But it had a very small printing and is next to impossible to come across in anything other than university libraries. Which is quite a shame really because it's a most excellent book.
Like Dien's book it's also just about a 100 pages, more a monograph. But despite it's short length it contains so much information. I know this one will be cited in my eventual essay and dissertation. The book looks chronologically at how the Tang government, in particular the imperial house, used Taoism to legitimize it's rule and how they supported the religion throughout this time.
There is an entire very enlightening chapter dealing with Empress Wu, containing much of the information I had been searching for. The political reasons behind her different allegiances with Taoism and Buddhism and how she was able to use both to help legitimize her rule. At times however, Professor Barrett did come across as less than sympathetic towards the woman Emperor.
The book focused less on doctrine and more on the way Taoism was used by the rulers, and their practical applications. A very useful book, that answered a lot of questions and also brought about new areas of questions for further study. I don't want to give it back to the library! At least I should be able to renew it for a few more weeks!
I've been trying to read this book since I first decided that I wanted to come to SOAS and take the religion course. But it had a very small printing and is next to impossible to come across in anything other than university libraries. Which is quite a shame really because it's a most excellent book.
Like Dien's book it's also just about a 100 pages, more a monograph. But despite it's short length it contains so much information. I know this one will be cited in my eventual essay and dissertation. The book looks chronologically at how the Tang government, in particular the imperial house, used Taoism to legitimize it's rule and how they supported the religion throughout this time.
There is an entire very enlightening chapter dealing with Empress Wu, containing much of the information I had been searching for. The political reasons behind her different allegiances with Taoism and Buddhism and how she was able to use both to help legitimize her rule. At times however, Professor Barrett did come across as less than sympathetic towards the woman Emperor.
The book focused less on doctrine and more on the way Taoism was used by the rulers, and their practical applications. A very useful book, that answered a lot of questions and also brought about new areas of questions for further study. I don't want to give it back to the library! At least I should be able to renew it for a few more weeks!
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