Over the last decade there has been a marked increase in the study of Daoism especially in Japan, China and the West, with a new generation of scholars broadening our understanding of the religion. Including contributions from the foremost scholars in the field, Daoism in History presents new and important research.
These essays honour one of the pioneers of Daoist studies, Emeritus Professor Liu Ts'un-yan. His major essay 'Was Celestial Master Zhang a Historical Figure?' addresses one of the pivotal questions in the entire history of Daoism and is included here as the final essay. In addition, a Chinese character glossary, bibliography and index conclude the book.
The first in an exciting new series, this book presents brand new thinking on Daoism - a field now recognized as one of the most vital areas of research in Chinese history and the history of religions.

1. On Dreaming of Being Left-Handed: Liu Ts'un-yan and Daoist Studies 2. "Let Living and Dead Take Separate Paths": Bureaucratisation and Textualisation in Early Chinese Mortuary Ritual 3. Preliminary Considerations in the Search for a Daoist Dhammapada 4. The Visvantara-jataka in Buddhist and Daoist Translation 5. Visions of Evil: Demonology and Orthodoxy in Early Daoism 6. Between Karmic Retribution and Entwining Infusion: Is the Karma of the Parent Visited Upon the Child? 7. Early Daoist Meditation and the Origins of Inner Alchemy 8.The Dynamic Design: Ritual and Contemplative Graphics in Daoist Scriptures 9. Was Celestial Master Zhang a Historical Figure?

Benjamin Penny is Research Fellow in the Division of Pacific and Asian History, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University. He is the editor of Religion and Biography in China and Tibet (also published by Routledge).