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Religion prof examines ancient Daoist religious movement
October 05, 2007
Assistant professor of religion Louis Komjathy recently published a new book, “Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism.”
The book focuses on early Quanzhen (complete perfection) Daoism, a 12th century Daoist religious movement and subsequent monastic order. His study is the first to approach the religious movement from a comparative religious studies perspective.
In his study, Komjathy places emphasis on the complex interplay among views of self, specific training regimens and the types of experiences that were expected to follow from dedicated praxis.
On the basis of historical contextualization and textual analysis, it is demonstrated that in its formative and incipient organized phases Quanzhen was a Daoist religious community consisting of a few renunciants dedicated to religious praxis. The study proper is followed by a complete annotated translation of a text attributed to the founder, which represents one of only two early Quanzhen texts translated to date. Subsequent appendices address issues of dating and contents of the early textual corpus, as well as technical Quanzhen religious terminology.
Komjathy received his doctorate degree in religious studies from Boston University. Along with his position at PLU, he is also a research associate of the Institute of Religion, Science, and Social Studies at Shandong University in China. He also co-directs the Center for Daoist Studies and co-chairs the Daoist Studies Consultation of the American Academy of Religion. Komjathy has previously published “Title Index to Daoist Collections” in 2002.
In his study, Komjathy places emphasis on the complex interplay among views of self, specific training regimens and the types of experiences that were expected to follow from dedicated praxis.
On the basis of historical contextualization and textual analysis, it is demonstrated that in its formative and incipient organized phases Quanzhen was a Daoist religious community consisting of a few renunciants dedicated to religious praxis. The study proper is followed by a complete annotated translation of a text attributed to the founder, which represents one of only two early Quanzhen texts translated to date. Subsequent appendices address issues of dating and contents of the early textual corpus, as well as technical Quanzhen religious terminology.
Komjathy received his doctorate degree in religious studies from Boston University. Along with his position at PLU, he is also a research associate of the Institute of Religion, Science, and Social Studies at Shandong University in China. He also co-directs the Center for Daoist Studies and co-chairs the Daoist Studies Consultation of the American Academy of Religion. Komjathy has previously published “Title Index to Daoist Collections” in 2002.