Sitting in Oblivion: The Heart of Daoist Meditation

It's a very good scholary work on zuowang. If you're looking for a practical manual on the techniques with helpful guidance as you progress, you won't find it here. This is really an academic exposition on the subject. It's particularly dry during the first half of the book, but the author quietly moistens the material with her own experience as it progresses and finishes, which is the best part. The technique is relatively straight-forward, so I'm surprised more wasn't added to make it easier to practice for oneself in these modern times in this work, but it is what it is.

Sofar, the author 1 does not teach meditation in the book, 2 claims that she does not beleive it will work, 3 criticises it as she talks about it, and 4 adds her own stupid remarks at the end of every sentence that would have been good.Not only this, but she didn't even write the book!! I would be posting a nicer reveiw, but come on!; if you put out a book, we expect it to be you!! She just added parts to an older book that she wrote which was still nothing but, by the looks of it, an essay for her english class.Remove the books that this book criticises, and there is no book.

I had lost all hope for a book on advanced meditation coming out of academia. This one blew me away. I has many examples of the most advanced meditators and the techniques used by them. This book was so impressive that I bought all Livia Kohns other books. I haven't read those yet, but I'll review as I go.

This is a very useful resource for studying Daoist/Taoist meditation, specifically the form known as Zuowang ("sitting and forgetting" / "sitting in oblivion"), which is similar to what Buddhists call "silent illumination". This book is actually an anthology of eight translated Daoist scriptures along with a big introduction. The scriptures have slightly varied approaches and interpretations of this kind of meditation, which is good because you can see different perspectives within Daoism to the matter. Personally, I felt that three works inside best represented fundamental Daoist to meditation: Sun Simiao's "Inscription on the "Cunshen lianqi ming", the "Tianyinzi", and the "Dingguan jing". Though it's all worth reading.There are a few things I want to point out, however. First, readers should be aware that Zuowang is not the only form of Daoist meditation (even if it is among the most popular); there are various other methods such as visualization and chanting which are not covered by this book. Although she mentions different methods, Livia Kohn does not clearly distinguish between different forms of Zuowang. Focusing on an acupoint or Dantian, focusing on the breath, and not focusing on anything (in the style of "silent illumination" or "emptiness meditation") are all forms of Zuowang. Actually, just like "Xinzhai" ("fasting the heart-mind"), it is more accurate to say that "Zuowang" is more of a meditation state or concept than an actual method.Second, some people complain that certain works like Sima Chengzhen's "Zuowang lun" show too much focus on detachment from the world and also some puritanical attitudes. This is not a Daoist or Chinese attitude; in fact it is due to Buddhist influences on Daoism. I recommend that readers investigate pre-Buddhist Daoist meditation (found in Guanzi, Huainanzi, etc.) as well as various sects or sub-sects in Daoism which have different perspectives. Actually, although from "Sitting in Oblivion" you might think that Sima Chengzhen's work represents the Shangqing Sect, but that's not the case. As you can see even from some parts of Kohn's "The Taoist Experience", Shangqing meditation has various forms, most of which use visualizations and some of which even involve sexual experiences (quite different than the views fearful of sexuality you find in many sources).Third, Livia Kohn insists in this book and others on the Buddhist distinction between "concentration meditation" and "insight meditation" (samatha vs. vipassana). Actually, this whole notion is completely incorrect, both within Daoism and Buddhism. In reality, this dichotomy was created in Burma in the 1800s; it is not what Buddha taught. What Buddhism really teaches is that any proper form of meditation involves three elements: Samatha (calming the mind), Samadhi (awareness/concentration), and Vipassana (insight/wisdom). In other words, there is a form of meditation popularized by Burmese monks called "Vipassana" and people think that only this form of meditation will get you "insight/wisdom" while others will only calm your mind or develop concentration. In reality, Buddhism teaches that all the forms of meditation (breathing, mantra recitation, silent illumination, etc.) will get you vipassana/insight. Now, on top of this, Kohn mixes up the meaning of the terms Samatha and Samadhi. I know, it's slightly embarrassing since she makes these mistakes in multiple books and seem quite sure of herself from the way she writes, but someone had to point this out. On the bright side, many Buddhists I have met - even ones highly experienced in meditation - have fallen into these misconceptions until I got them to look into the matter more deeply. So it's understandable.Lastly, I want to mention that one reviewer claimed that Livia Kohn wrote in this book that she didn't think the meditation methods described in the anthology would work. This is completely untrue.. Although I disagree with or find questionable various statements or analyses she makes, she is clearly a Daoist and shows great appreciation for these meditation methods.

Came quickly and exactly as described.

The description of this book on this page is accurate, so I won't labor the reader of this review with any repetition. This is an excellent study of zuowang, an ancient Daoist meditation practice usually translated as "sitting in oblivion." The book is divided into two parts with the first half providing the reader with a good historical and techinical overview of the practice; the concluding section is a translation of Sima Chengzhen's "Zuowang lun," a text that best represents the meditation practice of sitting in oblivion. Livia Kohn has written many books on this subject and is considered an expert in the field. I found her writing style clear and engaging. Chinese terms are translated, the text includes helpful footnotes, key concepts are thoroughly explained, and a generous bibliography complete a book I would consider academic in character and content. Though written for the serious student of Daoism, I think this book could also be read by a less seasoned student of religion with benefit.However, if you are looking for a good introduction to Daoist meditation, you should be advised that the scope of this book is limited to the zuowang tradition and terminates its historical study in the T'ang dynasty. As Livia Kohn makes clear, the zuowang practice largely developed out of a seventh and eighth century intellectual environment in which there was a great interplay of ideas between Buddhists and Daoists. Though zuowang is clearly a Daoist phenomenon built upon the preceeding developments of pre-Han ascetics, the Highest Clarity schools (see  Taoist Meditation: The Mao-Shan Tradition of Great Purity (Suny Series, Toward a Comparative Philosophy of Religions) ), the Twofold Mystery Movement (see  Beyond the Daode Jing: Twofold Mystery in Tang Daoism  also by this publisher), with an heavy reliance on the "Zhuangzi" as a source text, the Buddhist influences are clear and unmistakable. Livia Kohn expertly compares and contrasts the two religions and the influences of Tiantai, Chan, and Yogacara Buddhism in the development of zuowang meditation. Zuowang is largely colored by emphasis on breathing techniques, mental awareness, interconnectedness, and karmic retribution. Other Daoist meditation concerns such as developing an immortal foetus (see  Taoist Yoga: Alchemy & Immortality ), or alchemy and its symbolism (see  The Inner Teachings of Taoism ) will not be found in this study. In the end Kohn concludes, "The close similarity, moreover, between oblivion and Chan--both arising in seventh-to-eighth centuries on similar foundations--allows us to classify them as one single type of meditation (p. 118)." Zuowang, while uniquely Daoist, mirrors the buddhist tradition in spirit. An earlier book by Kohn,  Early Chinese Mysticism : Philosophy and Soteriology in the Taoist Tradition , might be a better starting point for someone seeking an introduction less technique specific and an approach less given to Buddhism.A strength in this study is the discussion of inner visualization. It is an area in which my knowledge is lacking, so anything I find to read about it is helpful. However, why Kohn does not try to introduce some explanation of "imagination" into the subject is disappointing. Some Western thinkers (I recall Hume, Kant, Keats, and Coleridge) see imagination has an important faculty for integration and intellectual expansion. The Chinese technique is interesting, though I find it hard to reconcile with the mental iconoclasm usually associated with meditation practices, especially Chan Buddhism. I wish Kohn had expanded her discussion in this area.If I were to offer a criticism of the book, it is a problem I find common among Chinese meditation material. While there is a theoretical language that espouses unity, wholeness, and integration, the techniques to achieve it are apophatic and dualistic, seeking to diminish the senses and emotions and the construction of an apparent "false self" so that "body and mind drop off." This seeming negativity to the body is to be ameliorated by an interior rebirth that later engages the world in a spiritual manner that still, nonetheless, sees the body and world as an antagonism to overcome. This seeming contradiction never seems to be adequately dealt with, and Kohn's book seems to suffer slightly from the incoherence despite its outstanding explication of the material.Overall, this book is really good. I would encourage purchasing it. In many ways, I think it is a cornerstone text on the subject and anyone interested in Chinese meditation would benefit from it.

not particularly clear, but deep topic

top notch