Introducing Chinese Religions

by Mario Poceski

Introducing Chinese Religions is the ideal starting point for students exploring the fascinating religious traditions of China. This introduction covers the whole spectrum of Chinese religious history, from the multi-faceted religious heritage of pre-modern China, to the practice of different religions in China today, as well as the spread and influence of Chinese religions throughout the world. Mario Poceski, an experienced teacher of Chinese religions, explores the three main traditions of Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, as well as the development of Western and popular religions in the region, such as Christianity and Islam. The book introduces students to the richness and diversity of Chinese religious life, pointing out mutual influences and intersections of the religions of the region, and how they interact with other elements of Chinese culture and society, including politics, literature and art. Illustrated throughout, the book also includes text boxes, summary charts, a glossary and a list of further reading to aid students’ understanding and revision. The accompanying website for this book can be found at www.routledge.com/textbooks/978041543....

Genres: Religion

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Annelotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a mixed bag: some parts were very smooth and engaging, while other parts were hard to get through. I found that the quality depended very much on the topic/chapter. Nevertheless, I appreciated the small summary of key points after each chapter and the easy introduction this book gave me to a lot of different things.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was required reading for a class I took on Chinese Religion. The class included travel to China and Hong Kong. I wasn't able to get the book until right before the trip and read most of it on the plane ride over and finished it on the plane ride back.

Took a lot of notes and learned about the "three teachings" of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It also covered very briefly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The book provided context for the trip.

[Tao Zheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid intro to Chinese religions and Chinese thought.

[NJ Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lots of interesting facts, but is written at too scholarly a level for the general public. It was probably aimed at the academia, hence the stilted and difficult language used in all the chapters. Too bad the author Mario Poceski could not write his book with a more accessible language style, because an English book on this subject (an introductory text about the major Chinese religions) is sorely lacking for general readers. This book is not one for general readers.

Which is a pity because with the meticulous research that he covered, this book is a treasure trove of history of the Chinese religions. But the writing was so dull and dry it can be quite a turn off. I can't help thinking about Bill Bryson's excellent writing style in "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and how much of a page turner it was (I couldn't put Bryson's book down once I started reading it). Poceski's work is quite unlike that, and I only mustered enough energy to read a chapter a day (sometimes only half a chapter), although I am actually extremely interested in reading about Poceski's subject matter (Chinese religions). (This tells you how dry and boring I found Poceski's writing style to be).

Despite my dislike about his presentation, I have to acknowledge that Poceski presents quite a lot of good material on the subject. General/lay readers should just be forewarned that as it is written as an academic publication, readability suffers considerably because of this. But it is probably perfect as a university textbook.