Nan Huaijin Selected Works (Volume 4) -- Meditation, Cultivation, and Immortality. Taoism, Esoteric Buddhism, and Eastern Mysticism

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Nan Huaijin, a renowned scholar with international acclaim, was born in 1918 into a scholarly family in Leqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang. At 85 years old, he received early education at home and studied the classics in his youth. When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, the young Nan Huaijin abandoned his literary pursuits to join the army, serving on the southwestern frontier. After the war, he returned to Sichuan and taught at the Central Military Academy and Jinling University. With exceptional talent and detachment, he often traveled the mountains and rivers with simple sandals and bamboo staffs, seeking out eminent monks and scholars. He once secluded himself at Emei Mountain’s Daping Temple for three years, studying the vast Buddhist canon. Later, he traveled to Tibet, meeting with masters of Vajrayana Buddhism and deeply researching the doctrines of all schools. After leaving Tibet, he moved to Kunming, initially teaching at Yunnan University and later at Sichuan University. After the war, he returned to his hometown and later retired to Tianzhu Mountain in Hangzhou and Lushan in Jiangxi, dedicating himself to scholarly pursuits. After moving to Taiwan, he was appointed to teach at Cultural University, Fu Jen University, and other universities and research institutions in Japan, the United States, and Central and South America. In recent years, he has resided in Hong Kong, contributing significantly to cultural exchange between the mainland and Taiwan. Nan Huaijin is well-versed in classics, history, and philosophy, bridging Eastern and Western cultures with profound knowledge and extensive writings. Especially notable is his use of the "integration of classics and history" method to explain the core texts of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. His teachings are rich in references, insightful, vivid, and humorous, achieving remarkable success in popularizing traditional Chinese culture and winning the admiration of readers across all levels in both Taiwan and the mainland. Fudan University Press is the earliest publisher of Nan Huaijin’s works in China and the publisher with the most comprehensive collection of his writings. They have published a total of twenty-four works by Nan Huaijin, most of which are his representative works. With the author’s and original publisher’s authorization, these works have been compiled into ten volumes, bound in hardcover to meet the needs of readers for reading and collecting. The contents of each volume are as follows:
Volume 1: The Analects Decoded
Volume 2: The Way of Lao Tzu and the Way of Confucius, Mencius Unbound
Volume 3: The I Ching Unbound, Commentary on the I Ching
Volume 4: Zen and Taoism, Taoism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Eastern Mysticism, Meditation for Self-Cultivation and Longevity
Volume 5: Exploring the Zen Sea, Zen Talks, An Outline of the Development of Buddhism in China, An Outline of the Development of Taoism in China
Volume 6: Experiences from History, A New Generation of Tradition, General Remarks on Chinese Culture
Volume 7: How to Practice Buddhism, The Perspective of the Lotus Sutra on the World, Basic Beliefs of Buddhist Practitioners
Volume 8: What the Diamond Sutra Means, A Modern Interpretation of the Great Wisdom of the Lengyan Sutra
Volume 9: A Brief Explanation of the Great Awakening Sutra, Initial Practices of Mind and Emotion, A Modern Interpretation of the Great Wisdom of the Lengya Sutra
Volume 10: The Original Meaning of the Great Learning
Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism have stood as the three pillars of learning, collectively known as the "three teachings." They have both competed and absorbed each other, evolving and influencing the development of Chinese thought and culture in various ways. Zen and Taoism, written by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin (originally titled An Introduction to Zen and Taoism, published by the Taiwan Lao Gu Cultural Enterprise Company), is a systematic study that explores the essence, origins, practices, and impact of Zen and Taoism. The book is divided into two parts. The first part, "Zen and Buddhism," provides an in-depth analysis of the historical context of Buddhism’s emergence, the fundamental doctrines of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, the lineage of Zen, the life of Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch, who laid the foundation for later Zen thought, the records, cases, and methods of Zen, the relationship between Zen and Neo-Confucianism, the influence of Zen on Tang poetry, Song lyrics, Yuan quatrains, and Ming-Qing novels, and the renowned monastic system. The second part, "Taoism and Taoism," offers insightful perspectives on the origins of hermits and alchemists, the divisions of spiritual cultivation, pill-taking, and rituals, the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, the cultural traditions of Qi and Yan, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, the immortal alchemy of Taoism, the formation and evolution of Taoism, and its contributions to ancient astronomy, mathematics, geomancy, physics, chemistry, and medicine. With the author’s and original publisher’s consent, the 1989 tenth edition of An Introduction to Zen and Taoism has been renamed and republished for study.
How was the universe created with heaven and earth and all things within it? What is the true extent of the human mind’s capabilities? Can self-cultivation and health practices extend life? Throughout history, people have persistently sought answers to these questions. The mysticism that emerged in ancient China, India, and Egypt also revolved around these themes. Taoism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Eastern Mysticism, written by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin, is a work that explores these topics from the perspectives of culture and medicine. The book is divided into three parts. The first part primarily discusses the history, theory, and practices of Vajrayana Buddhism, especially the cultivation of the "three secrets" of body, speech, and mind. The second part focuses on the I Ching and traditional Chinese medicine, particularly the issue of qi and meridians. The third part includes related essays and prefaces. With the author’s and original publisher’s authorization, the 1985 revised edition of Lao Gu has been published for study.
"Immortality" has been a dream and pursuit of people for thousands of years. Different experts have offered various views on how to achieve it. To answer the inquiries of learners, the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin, drawing on his years of practice and ancient and modern writings, has written Meditation for Self-Cultivation and Longevity. The book emphasizes the meditation practices of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Its contents include: the posture and key points of meditation; the reactions of qi in the body during meditation and the psychological and physiological changes it induces; the seven-posture meditation of Buddhism; the internal alchemy meditation of Taoism; methods to open the Ren and Du meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians; the theory of qi-gong in traditional Chinese medicine; and the cultivation methods from works such as The Secret Method of Taiji Alchemy and The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. It provides valuable guidance to correct misconceptions and promote longevity. With the author’s and original publisher’s consent, the 1989 seventeenth edition of Meditation for Self-Cultivation and Longevity from Taiwan has been republished for readers.