An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy: From Ancient Philosophy to Chinese Buddhism

An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy is the most comprehensive book of its kind. Highly accessible, the text takes an analytical approach to successfully demystify the themes of ancient Chinese philosophy and unravel the complexities of early Chinese Buddhism. Beginning with the philosophy of Yijing, Part I covers seven additional major philosophers from the ancient period: Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Mozi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Hanfeizi. Part II introduces the reader to the four major schools in Chinese Buddhism: the Consciousness–Only, the Hua–yan, the Tian–tai, and the Chan. Mutual themes connect chapters, highlighting the continuity of thought, while an unbiased analysis helps to define their differences. Contemporary commentaries and debates on the central issues in Chinese philosophy round out the book, presenting an incisive introduction to the field.

Acknowledgments. Preface. Comparative Philosophy Timeline. Introduction: What Is Chinese Philosophy?. Part I: Ancient Chinese Philosophy. Introduction. 1. Yijing (I Ching): the Cosmological Foundation of Chinese Philosophy. 2. Confucius (Kongzi) in the Analects. 3. Mencius (Mengzi). 4. Xunzi (Hsün Tzu). 5. Mozi (Mo Tzu). 6. Laozi (Lao Tzu). 7. Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu). 8. Hanfeizi (Han Fei Tzu). Part II: Chinese Buddhism. Introduction. 9. The Consciousness–Only (Wei–Shi) School. 10. The Hua–yan (Hua–yen) School. 11. The Tian–tai (T’ien–t’ai) School. 12. The Chan School (Zen Buddhism). Notes. Referencesand Further Reading. Appendix.: Translation Conversion Table. Index.

JeeLoo Liu is Associate Professor of Philosophy at California State University at Fullerton. In addition to Chinese philosophy, she specializes in the philosophy of mind and metaphysics. She has published articles in the Journal of Philosophical Research and the Journal of Chinese Philosophy.

"This kind of work is long overdue... This book will undoubtedly make classical Chinese thought more relevant to contemporary philosophical discourse and more accessible to analytically–minded readers." Shirong Luo, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews “Combining firm control of original sources and contemporary scholarship with sophisticated philosophical analysis, this book is clearly the best introduction to Chinese philosophy. It will be interesting to specialists, and enlightening to lay readers.” Ying–shih Yu, Princeton University “JeeLoo Liu has written a wonderful introduction to Chinese philosophy. Her book is introductory without being superficial, full of sure–handed scholarship, and at once analytical and sensitive to the cultural setting in which these great philosophies developed.” John Perry, Stanford University