Nan Huaijin Selected Works. Volume 3

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Nan Huaijin is a renowned scholar with a high reputation both in China and abroad. Born in 1918 in Leqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, to a scholarly family, he is now 85 years old. From a young age, he received rigorous education at home and studied the classics. When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, the young Nan Huaijin abandoned his literary pursuits and joined 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 from worldly matters, he often traveled barefoot with a bamboo staff, exploring famous mountains and rivers, seeking out eminent monks and scholars. He once retreated to the Big Platform Temple on Mount Emei for three years of seclusion, thoroughly reading the vast Great Treasury of the Buddha’s Words. Later, he traveled to Tibet, studying with masters of Vajrayana Buddhism and gaining deep knowledge of its various 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. Soon after, he retired to Mount Tianzhu in Hangzhou and Mount Lu 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, spreading his knowledge to 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 numerous works. Especially notable is his approach of combining classics and history to explain the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. His explanations are extensive, insightful, vivid, and humorous, making him a beloved figure among readers across all levels in both Taiwan and mainland China. Fudan University Press is the earliest publisher of Nan Huaijin’s works and the one that has published 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 the original publisher’s authorization, these works have been compiled into ten volumes, bound in hardcover, to meet the needs of 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 Confucius, Mencius Unbound
Volume 3: The I Ching Unbound, The I Ching: Line by Line
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 Between Tradition and Modernity, General Remarks on Chinese Culture
Volume 7: How to Practice and Attain Enlightenment, The Healing Vision of the Sariputra Sutra, Basic Beliefs of a Buddhist
Volume 8: What the Diamond Sutra Means, The Lengye Sutra Today
Volume 9: A Brief Explanation of the Circle of Perfect Wisdom Sutra, Initial Practices of Meditation and Wisdom, The Lengye Sutra Today
Volume 10: The Original Meaning of the Great Learning
The I Ching (also known as the Book of Changes), one of the oldest divination texts in China, is also a philosophical work embodying the wisdom of ancient sages. It uses the symbol "—" (the yang line) to represent the masculine and "–" (the yin line) to represent the feminine as its basic signs. The eight trigrams (each composed of three lines) and the sixty-four hexagrams (each composed of six lines), formed by combining any two trigrams, serve as its fundamental diagrams. Through the interpretation of these hexagrams, it explains the laws governing the generation and transformation of things and phenomena. This book is a lecture record by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin on the I Ching. The first part introduces general knowledge about the I Ching and related topics, while the second part focuses on explaining the sixty-four hexagrams (starting with the Qian hexagram and ending with the Wuji hexagram), with the explanation of the Qian hexagram being the most detailed. The content includes hexagram names, hexagram terms, line terms, and their interpretations through the Tuan Ci (Judgment), Xiang Ci (Image), and Yan Wen (Commentary). The explanations are clear, accessible, and easy to understand. With the author’s and the original publisher’s authorization from Taiwan Lao Gǔ Cultural Enterprises, the 1987 revised edition is published for research purposes.
The I Ching is a masterpiece of Chinese culture and a required textbook for scholars in ancient times. The Zhisi Zhuan (Transmission of the Meanings), traditionally attributed to Confucius, is a general treatise on the I Ching, covering its philosophical essence, functions, origins, and divination methods, and has been highly regarded throughout history. This book is a lecture record by the renowned scholar Nan Huaijin on the Zhisi Zhuan. The approach is to first quote the original text of each chapter, then elaborate on it with historical knowledge, social phenomena, and natural phenomena from ancient and modern times. The language is simple yet profound in philosophy. With the author’s and the original publisher’s authorization from Taiwan Lao Gǔ Cultural Enterprises, the 1991 revised edition is published for research purposes.