Self Transformation and Transcendence in Later Daoist Contemplative Traditions

Who are we? How do we fit in the universe? Like many other systems of thought around the world, the Daoist tradition approached these questions both through the creation of texts, teachings, and theory, and through the development of at times extremely complex embodied contemplative practices. Starting from a perspective of a person not as a unitary, monolithic entity, but rather as a composite of energies and influences, these practices seek to harmonize, balance, and transform the person. This course will explore how the possibilities of personal transformation were expressed in Daoist contemplative literature from the first centuries CE up to the modern day. Contemplative practice labs will also offer students an opportunity to explore the ideas in the texts through direct experience. No prerequisites.