The Concept of Zhen 真 in the Zhuangzi

Chong, Kim-chong

doi:10.1353/pew.2011.0019

Cited by 17 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…But such true persons are very rare, partly because cosmic emulation is extremely difficult, partly because of the corrupting effects of human life. Zhuangzi's attacks on Confucians, Mohists, and others reflect his alarm at their promotion of forms of artifice ( wei ), such as morality, ‘rites’, and learning, that distort or destroy our capacities for spontaneous, natural ways of living (see Chong 2011: 333ff.). By fasting and wandering, a person slowly abandons these forms of artifice, thus becoming able to emulate Dao and so to ‘wander in the Heavenly’.…”

Section: Spontaneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Following the Way of Heaven’: Exemplarism, Emulation, and Daoism

Kidd¹

2019

J. of the Am. Philos. Assoc.

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Many ancient traditions recognise certain people as exemplars of virtue, the models for the good or flourishing human life. Certain traditions, however, incorporate a cosmic mode of emulation, where the virtues are manifestations, in human form, of qualities or aspects of the ground or source of the world. I defend this claim using the sustained case study of the forms of Daoist exemplarity found in the Book of Zhuangzi, then consider the charge that the aspiration to cosmic emulation is inhumane. It emerges that there are forms of emulation where the ultimate model for the good or flourishing life as manifested by the exemplar is nothing human.

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Section: Spontaneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Following the Way of Heaven’: Exemplarism, Emulation, and Daoism

Kidd¹

2019

J. of the Am. Philos. Assoc.

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“…Kim-Chong Chong warns us that zhēn does not refer to an ‘original simple nature’ that is inevitably ‘destroyed’ by systems of artifice, even if that emerged as a main theme of the Outer Chapters of Zhuāngzǐ . Aside from their polemical character, such talk narrows our sense of zhēn , insofar as it confines it within the binary of natural and artificial, obscuring the ‘greater and more imaginative possibilities’ for exemplarity presented in the first seven, ‘Inner’ Chapters (Chong (2011), 335, 327). Put another way, there is more to the true person, celebrated by Daoists, than their resistance to the artificialities of human life, a difference that resides in their special relations to the Way of Heaven.…”

Section: Daoist Exemplarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daoism, humanity, and the Way of Heaven

Kidd

2019

Rel. Stud.

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This article argues for a cross-culturally pluralistic conception of spiritual exemplarity. Three main modes of exemplarity are identified, distinguished by their underlying aspirations, which I label ‘allegiance’, ‘enlightened insight’, and ‘emulation’. After challenging some attempts to privilege the modes of exemplarity characteristic of theistic religions, I argue that perhaps the fullest example of the aspiration to emulation is the form of Daoism presented in The Book of Zhuāngzǐ. I conclude that what one finds across different cultures and traditions is a plurality of modes of spiritual exemplarity that should be acknowledge and explored, rather than given more reductive analyses that narrow our sense of the variety of ways of living a spiritual life.

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“…This essay draws on a Daoist classic Zhuangzi which is named after the philosopher Zhuangzi from the 4th century BCE, arguably the most famous Daoist thinker after Laozi. Scholars believe that the Zhuangzi is not written by Zhuangzi alone but also by other unknown writers over a long period (Chong, 2011; Graham, 1986). Hence I follow Chiu (2018) in using the name ‘Zhuangzi’ as referring to the writer(s) of the Zhuangzi text rather than the historical figure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking the notion of the high-performing education system: A Daoist response

Tan

2021

Research in Comparative and International Education

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This article challenges the dominant notion of the ‘high-performing education system’ and offers an alternative interpretation from a Daoist perspective. The paper highlights two salient characteristics of such a system: its ability to outperform other education systems in international large-scale assessments; and its status as a positive or negative ‘reference society’. It is contended that external standards are applied and imposed on educational systems across the globe, judging a system to be high- or low- performing, and consequently worthy of emulation or deserving of criticism. Three cardinal Daoist principles that are drawn from the Zhuangzi are expounded: a rejection of an external and oppressive dao (way); the emptying of one’s heart-mind; and an ethics of difference. A major implication is a celebration of a plurality of high performers and reference societies, each unique in its own dao but converging on mutual learning and appreciation.

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The Concept of Zhen 真 in the Zhuangzi

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

‘Following the Way of Heaven’: Exemplarism, Emulation, and Daoism

‘Following the Way of Heaven’: Exemplarism, Emulation, and Daoism

Daoism, humanity, and the Way of Heaven

Rethinking the notion of the high-performing education system: A Daoist response

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