Putting Daoist Thought into Practice

Happiness, Longevity, and Enlightenment

Devin K Joshi author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:4th Oct '24

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Putting Daoist Thought into Practice cover

This book shows how Chinese wisdom originating many centuries ago is still highly relevant to our lives today as the Daoist classics provide insightful prescriptions on how to live a life full of happiness, contentment, and healthy longevity. They also provide guidance regarding personal ethics, sustainable economics, and achieving enlightenment.

The book contains reflections on how to achieve happiness drawing from the Liezi, a Daoist classic, and it examines Daoist ideas about nourishing life to achieve longevity and the marked similarity between these principles and people living in “blue zones” today with the highest concentration of centenarians. It explores Daoist views on consciousness and enlightenment in the Laozi and Zhuangzi and their close resemblance to some of the most influential “new age” teachings on the subject. It highlights the ethical character of a Daoist sage by drawing on the Daoist classic of the Wenzi and enumerates lessons for transitioning toward a sustainable economy from the Daodejing.

Covering multiple dimensions of classical Daoist thought and their contemporary applications to human development and well-being, this text will usefully inform scholars, students, and researchers of Asian studies, religion, and philosophy, and individuals seeking self-improvement and personal wellness.

"Devin Joshi’s new work places ancient Daoist ideals and teachings into a dialogue with modern values and issues, focusing on the pursuit of happiness, the quest for longevity, the yearning for inner peace, the ethics of leadership, and the sustainability of the environment. In each of the five chapters, he presents a comprehensive and coherent outline of the Daoist vision, based on key classics that include but also go beyond the central works of Laozi and Zhuangzi, then matches this with contemporary theories and studies, such as the blue zones of centenarian living and Eckhart Tolle’s concept of Being. The book, well organized and easy to read, makes an important contribution to the contemporary relevance and adaption of ancient Chinese wisdom. It is inspiring for those interested in Daoism and Chinese thought but an absolute must for anyone interested in ways of creating a more harmonious and more sustainable world."

Livia Kohn, Professor, Boston University, United States

"Putting Daoist Thought into Practice’ is a scholarly and timely book that engagingly explores the contemporary and timeless themes of happiness, longevity and human potential, whilst also considering the ways Daoist teachings may guide us towards more ethical and sustainable ways of living. Professor Devin K. Joshi convincingly demonstrates how ancient wisdom can meaningfully inform, and potentially transform, modern times."

Elliot Cohen, Chartered Psychologist, Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Transpersonal Psychology Section, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and Interdisciplinary Psychology at Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom

ISBN: 9781032852560

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 350g

92 pages