Synthesis philosophica, Vol. 29 No. 1, 2014.
Original scientific paper
A Dream of Death. Transformation of the Conditions of Existence in the Book Zhuangzi
Tania Becker
; Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Abstract
The Book Zhuangzi 莊子 is one of the oldest and at the same time most literary book of early philosophical Daoism (Warring States period, early 5th century BC – 221. BC). This book, full of anecdotes, parables and metaphors, through its poetical quality became a classic of world literature. Death is one of the main themes in the Book Zhuangzi. The title of this article “A Dream of Death” is related to the 18th Chapter of the Zhuangzi, to the story where Master Zhuang happens to find a scull on his way. In the same night both protagonists, Zhuangzi and the scull, lead a conversation about the Hereafter in the Master’s dream. Beside this anecdote the article will introduce another two well-known stories of the Book. The Zhuangzi’s idea of death as a change of different states of mind has been influencing the Chinese spiritual praxis and philosophy until today. The outlining of the importance and the understanding of death in the context of this early philosophical Daoist writing will be article’s main focus.
Keywords
early philosophical Daoism; death; dream; states of mind; transition; Hereafter
Hrčak ID:
138228
URI
Publication date:
26.11.2014.
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