Nan Huaijin Selected Works. Volume 1

Author: Nan Huaijin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Nan Huaijin, a renowned scholar with a high reputation both in China and abroad, was born in 1918 into a scholarly family in Leqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang. At 85 years old, he was nurtured by his parents in his early years and studied the classics and the Hundred Schools of Thought. When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, the young Nan Huaijin took up arms and served on the southwestern frontier. After returning to Sichuan, he taught at the Central Military Academy and Jinling University. With his exceptional talent and detachment from worldly matters, he often traveled with straw sandals and bamboo staffs, exploring famous mountains and rivers, seeking out eminent monks and scholars. He once retreated to the Pingping Temple on Mount Emei, where he secluded himself for three years, thoroughly reading the vast Buddhist canon. Later, he traveled to Tibet, studying with masters of Vajrayana Buddhism and gaining deep knowledge of the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism. After leaving Tibet, he went 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 scholarship. After moving to Taiwan, he was appointed to teach at Cultural University, Fu Jen University, and other universities and research institutes, 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 the classics and has a profound understanding of both Eastern and Western cultures. His extensive knowledge and numerous works have made him a celebrated figure. Particularly notable is his use of the "integration of classics and history" method to explain the major texts of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. His explanations are rich in references, blend the past and present, and are both profound and engaging, making him a beloved figure among readers across all levels in both mainland China and Taiwan. Fudan University Press is the earliest publisher of Nan Huaijin's works in China and the publisher with the most extensive and varied 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 following is the content of each volume:
Volume 1: The Analects Decoded
Volume 2: The Way of Lao Tzu and His Sayings, The Unfettered Mencius
Volume 3: Random Talks on the I Ching, The I Ching: Commentaries on the Xituan
Volume 4: Zen Buddhism and Taoism, Taoism, Esoteric Buddhism, and Eastern Mysticism, Meditation, Self-Cultivation, and Immortality
Volume 5: Glimpses into the Ocean of Zen, 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 Caught Between Tradition and Modernity, General Remarks on Chinese Culture
Volume 7: How to Practice and Attain Enlightenment, The Worldly Perspective of the Lotus Sutra, The Fundamental Beliefs of a Buddhist
Volume 8: What the Diamond Sutra Means, The Contemporary Interpretation of the Great Wisdom Sutra on Perfection of Wisdom
Volume 9: A Brief Explanation of the Sutra on the Perfection of Wisdom in Samantabhadra, Initial Practices of Samadhi and Wisdom, The Contemporary Interpretation of the Sutra on the Vajra Sound
Volume 10: The Subtle Meaning of the Great Learning
The Analects, compiled by Confucius's disciples and their successors, is an important Confucian classic that records the words and deeds of Confucius. Since the Western Han Dynasty, the doctrines expressed in the Analects have rapidly expanded, influencing politics, thought, culture, education, ethics, and morality, becoming a major symbol of traditional Chinese culture. Annotations and commentaries on the Analects have been passed down through generations. The renowned scholar Nan Huaijin, with his profound knowledge, has written The Analects Decoded through extensive references and a blend of the past and present. This work is a lecture record on the Analects. For each paragraph of the twenty chapters, he provides detailed and vivid explanations, not only highlighting the structure and connections between chapters but also elaborating on the meaning of the original text and related historical anecdotes. What makes it particularly innovative is that the author compiles his explanations into a series of historical stories, which are both profound and entertaining, setting it apart from other commentaries on the Analects. The original book was published by the Lao Gu Cultural Enterprise Company in Taiwan in May 1976. By 1988, it had gone through eighteen printings. To promote the shared Chinese culture of the mainland and Taiwan, the author and the original publisher have agreed to republish the eighteenth edition of The Analects Decoded for research purposes.