Table of Contents
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Zoom ID: 692 288 2342
Passcode: 654321
Abstract
In this talk, Professor Miller interprets medieval Daoism as the mediation of porous human bodies and celestial phenomena via scriptural transmission and ritual practice. Stars are understood as palaces where gods reside. Visualization connects these cosmic phenomena with the organs of the Daoist’s body. Mountain grottoes serve as sites for cosmic encounters. The porosity of earth, humans, and stars forms the basis for an understanding of human, planetary and cosmic vitality as interconnected in an economy of cosmic power. The focus on the celestial realm as a network of vitality extends our understanding of health to the cosmos as a whole, prefiguring the astrobiological emphasis on the affordance of habitability by planets and their solar systems.
About the Speaker
James Miller is Professor of Humanities and Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Duke Kunshan University. His research is based in the study of Chinese philosophy, theology, and religion, with an emphasis on philosophy of nature, environmental ethics, and the intersection of religion and ecology in China. He is the author of China’s Green Religion: Daoism and the Quest for a Sustainable Future (Columbia University Press, 2017) and the editor-in-chief of Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture and Ecology.
Should you have any inquiries about this talk, please contact Mr. Sun Jiayue (xungayud@connect.hku.hk). We look forward to seeing you.
