Biography of Du Guangting

Author: Sun Yiping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This is an academic work that comprehensively and systematically studies the late Tang Dynasty Taoist thinker Du Guangting. Du Guangting (850–933) was a renowned "leader of the Taoist path" during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. He provided systematic and comprehensive elaborations on the philosophical theories, intellectual origins, cultivation methods, rituals, and beliefs of Taoism. This book uses the works of Du Guangting preserved in classics such as the Daozang as the primary research materials, drawing on new achievements in domestic and international Taoist studies. It systematically and comprehensively examines Du Guangting's life, major works, philosophical doctrines, beliefs, rituals, and literary works, proposing many new academic perspectives and expressing his own views on some debated issues in academia. The book argues that Du Guangting was not only the synthesizer of Tang Dynasty Taoist thought but also an important pioneer of new developments in Song and Yuan Dynasty Taoism. His thought played a crucial role in bridging the transition between Tang and Song Dynasty Taoism. The book uses the works of Du Guangting preserved in classics such as the Daozang as the primary research materials, drawing on new achievements in domestic and international Taoist studies. It systematically and comprehensively examines Du Guangting's life, major works, philosophical doctrines, beliefs, rituals, and literary works.