Filozofická fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze Ústav Dálného východu Diplomová práce Jakub Otčenášek Kou Qianzhi (365-448) a reforma taoismu za dynastie Severní Wei Kou Qianzhi (365-448) and the Daoist Reform during the Northern Wei Dynasty Vedoucí práce: Olga Lomová 2011 Konzultant: Jakub Hrubý Poděkování Chtěl bych poděkovat Olze Lomové za vstřícnost, ochotu a cenné rady při vedení mé práce. Můj velký dík patří také mým francouzským pedagogům z École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) v Paříži - Sylvii Hureau za pomoc s rešerší v buddhistických textech, Alainu Arraultovi za další rady a především Johnu Lagerweyovi, který mi pomohl proniknout do jazyka studovaného textu. Pobyt na EPHE mi byl umožněn studijním programem Erasmus. Svým rodičům děkuji za podporu při studiích. Prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem diplomovou práci vypracoval samostatně, že jsem řádně citoval všechny použité prameny a literaturu a že práce nebyla využita v rámci jiného vysokoškolského studia či k získání jiného nebo stejného titulu. V Praze dne 5. září 2011 Abstrakt Diplomová práce Kou Qianzhi (365-448) a reforma taoismu za dynastie Severní Wei analyzuje dílo Laojun yinsong jiejing 老君音誦誡經, připisované Kou Qianzhiovi 寇謙之, který v letech 424 až 448 působil na dvoře čínské dynastie Severní Wei jako hlava taoistické tradice nebeských...

The dissertation focuses on the texts of a religious movement known as Tianshidao (the Way of the Celestial Masters) from the 2nd to the 5th century CE. Tianshidao is presented as a multifaceted tradition that should not be reduced by a predefned essence or a teleological vision of history. Instead of reconstructing one coherent cosmology, the author interprets the texts as representing various alternative cosmologies. They are compared according to the theory of cultural bias of Mary Douglas, in terms of grid and group. Special atention is paid to the employment of the bureaucratic imagery and the representations of time which are interpreted in the context of the cultural bias and the various modes of relationship towards the institutions of Tianshidao and the state. The author also analyses the millennialist character of the movement which was noted by previous research and distinguishes between various types of millennialism. Key words Tianshidao, Daoism, Early-Medieval China, cosmology, millennialism.

This dissertation explores the philosophical and aesthetic continuities and changes of the shanshui genre and the ongoing relevance of Chinese philosophy, in particular Daoism, within a subfield of modern and contemporary Chinese art. This dissertation has been created in dialogue with these traditions. Reflections on how this research has impacted my own art practise is intertwined with the historical and analytical discussion. This multi-threaded, multi-disciplinary dissertation has been written as a form of dialectical discourse which employs both analytical and personal writing. As such it combines elements of visual art-making as both artistic expression and research process; art historical research and analysis; and, ongoing self-reflections around both practices. In addition to the analysis of the art of a selection of contemporary Chinese artists, my art-based research led to the creation and discussion of a series of artworks, including the core painting series and exhibition titled, For a Moment, Silence in 2016. My research led me to the conclusion that shanshui is much more than a traditional visual form in Chinese art history for it offers a unique modality of thinking, perceiving and engaging. This, in turn, is based on a fundamental and dynamic perception of the interrelatedness of all things in the world, a perception which is embedded in a classical Chinese worldview. I demonstrate from various angles that by connecting the personal with the art historical, as well as with a philosophical and a pragmatic understanding of traditional Chinese philosophy, the experience of shanshui can be internalized through contemporary art practice as a method of reflective and experiential learning. / Graduate / 2022-11-07

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This thesis examines the role of the cultural discourse on the indigenous religious traditions of China and their place within an officially sanctioned construction of Chinese culture. It starts by examining the concept of culture as it developed in the modern era, its place within the construction of national identities, and the marginalizing effects this has on certain members of national populations. Next it turns to the development of the cultural discourse within China from the mid-1800s to the Cultural Revolution, highlighting the social and legal transformations as they restricted and reframed the practice and articulation of religious traditions in mainland China. Following these early articulations of a cultural discourse in China and the subjugation of religious traditions to secular standards of legitimation, it examines the official presentations and governmentally sanctioned forms of the Daoist tradition in post-Mao China during a “cultural revival,” through an analysis of official publications and online presentations. Finally, it examines the way teachers and administrators package Chinese culture for a foreign audience through the Confucius Institute. This thesis argues that, despite greater freedom to explore indigenous traditions previously written off as “superstitious” within the cultural revival of contemporary China, the official cultural discourse in China continues to operate within the parameters of a modern cultural identity that marginalizes ritualistic forms of religion, allowing these religious forms to survive in an official space only as exotic images, sanitized and secularized activities, or ethical ideals.

Prenant principalement appui sur des matériaux de terrain et des documents historiques, la présente étude examine la tradition des maîtres rituels taoïstes. Celle-ci a été une des traditions religieuses les plus vivantes en Chine méridionale, depuis la dynastie des Song (960-1279). Il s’agit d’une tradition d’exorcisme qui a emprunté beaucoup d’éléments au tantrisme. Elle s’est bien intégrée au taoïsme tout en révélant des relations subtiles entre le taoïsme et la religion populaire. D’un point de vue ethnographique, les maîtres rituels constituent un groupe important de spécialistes de rituels à l’ouest du Fujian, au sud-est de la Chine. D’un point de vue historique, chez les maîtres rituels contemporains se trouvent des éléments qui remontent à l’antiquité. Ainsi, la céation et la maîtrise de soldats du monde invisible pour conjurer les êtres malfaisants en faveur du peuple constituent un trait caractéristique. La tradition des maîtres rituels a joué un rôle important non seulement dans la vie quotidienne du peuple, mais aussi dans les processus socio-culturels régionaux. Le présent travail étudie notamment un mythe de « batailles de méthodes » entre des maîtres rituels et des mauvais esprits qui a trouvé sa place dans un contexte de conflits ethniques à l’ouest du Fujian. Il examine aussi un culte des maîtres rituels qui a donné l’occasion aux différents groupes sociaux d’exprimer leurs compréhensions de leur légitimité, ainsi que des rituels d’ordination et des rituels servant à cacher les âmes humaines des mauvais esprits, rites de vie qui contribuent aussi à la construction de la communauté. / Relying mainly on field materials and historical documents, this study examines the tradition of Daoist ritual masters; one of the liveliest religious traditions in South China since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It is a tradition of exorcism which borrowed many elements from Tantrism; but it is also well integrated into Daoism while revealing subtle relations between Daoism and popular religion. From an ethnographic perspective, ritual masters are an important group of ritual specialists in western Fujian in Southeast China. From a historical point of view, among contemporary ritual masters, we can find many elements that date back to antiquity. Thus the making and mastery of soldiers of the invisible world for exorcising evil beings to save the people is a characteristic feature. The tradition of ritual masters has played an important role not only in the daily life of the people, but also in regional socio-cultural processes. In this regard, the present work studies a myth of “magic warfare” between ritual masters and evil spirits that has found its place in a context of ethnic conflict in western Fujian. It also examines a cult of ritual masters which gave the opportunity for different groups to express their understandings regarding legitimacy, as well as ordination rituals and rituals to hide human souls from evil spirits, that is, life rites which contribute also to the construction of community life.

The pursuit of harmony has always been a great concern of Chinese thinkers. In this process, especially prior to the Ming dynasty, a significant “borrowing” of their basic philosophical elements and their mutually syncretic metamorphosis was a common practice among three religious communities, particularly disseminated during times of crisis. The work of Wang Yangming proved to be an epitome of this philosophical “collaboration”, capable of producing new synthetic teachings that directly or indirectly linked two or more polarized teachings. He succeeded in modifying the existing Buddhist idea of inherited Buddha Nature to be now understood as an innate insight, while also promoting the practice of meditation, as a clear example of Chan and Daoist influence. Wang Yangming is probably best known for his emphasis on the simultaneity of the two functions – knowledge and action, viewed as a reinterpretation of non-Confucian ideas in a new Neo-Confucian framework.

The pursuit of harmony has always been a great concern of Chinese thinkers. In this process, especially prior to the Ming dynasty, a significant “borrowing” of their basic philosophical elements and their mutually syncretic metamorphosis was a common practice among three religious communities, particularly disseminated during times of crisis. The work of Wang Yangming proved to be an epitome of this philosophical “collaboration”, capable of producing new synthetic teachings that directly or indirectly linked two or more polarized teachings. He succeeded in modifying the existing Buddhist idea of inherited Buddha Nature to be now understood as an innate insight, while also promoting the practice of meditation, as a clear example of Chan and Daoist influence. Wang Yangming is probably best known for his emphasis on the simultaneity of the two functions – knowledge and action, viewed as a reinterpretation of non-Confucian ideas in a new Neo-Confucian framework.

This thesis explores the cross-cultural ecotheology of contemporary American poet Li-Young Lee by looking at the intersection of the human, the natural, and the sacred in his poetry. Close readings of Lee's poetic encounters with roses, persimmons, trees, wind, and light through the lens of Christianity and Daoism illustrate the way Lee is able to merge the Eastern concepts of interconnection and mutual harmony with Western ideas of sacredness and divinity. This discussion places Lee in direct conversation with modern and contemporary ecopoets who use the creative energy of language to express our moral and ethical responsibility to the world around us. Lee's poetry explores an innately sacred and transcendent relationship with the natural world that suggests that our understanding of our human identity is intricately tied to our respect and reverence for our natural environment.

Since 1950s, the concept of Kongwu (空無, Emptiness, Nothingness) has migrated into American-European experimental performances, including those of John Cage and Cage-influenced artists who developed Happenings, Fluxus, and intermedia practices. This research-through-practice investigates how the concept of kongwu, an intercultural synthesis of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism, may shape the principles underlying performance making and how performance may, in turn, elucidate Kongwu way of making sense the world. The installation-performance, Poem without Language contemplates Kongwu’s distrust of language by undermining the communicative purpose of writing and responds to Nam June Paik’s approach to media language. The research practice, One Street, Three Persons, Different Narratives, and Different Memories responds to John Cage’s use of silence to revise time and measurement, and exposes the habit, how we experience the ‘present’ as accumulations of the past, and how we order experiences as a linear continuity, which we call ‘time’. My performance, … is Present suggests different definitions of the ‘meditative mind’ and ‘being-here-and-now’ and critiques the relationship between embodiment and identity in Marina Abramović’s construction of ‘suchness’. Three works offer one response to the poetics and politics of intercultural encounters in the context of Chan/Zen in intermedia performance. My research-through-practice sheds light on Kongwu way of experiencing, particularly Kongwu’s attitude towards language, time, and self.