Popular religious movements and heterodox sects in Chinese history / by Hubert Seiwert ; in collaboration with Ma Xisha.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [506]-526) and index.

Popular Sects and Heterodoxy Before the Ming Dynasty -- Prophecies and Messianism in Han Confucianism -- Popular Sects and the Early Daoist Tradition -- Roots of the Daoist Tradition -- New Developments during the Han Dynasty -- The Formation of Daoist Orthodoxies -- Popular Sects after the Han Dynasty -- Eschatology and Millenarianism -- Heterodox Movements in Medieval Buddhism -- Critique of Buddhism as a Heterodox Religion -- Buddhism, Popular Religions, and Rebellions -- Eschatological Beliefs in Buddhist Sectarianism -- The Social Dimension of Heterodox Buddhist Sectarianism -- The Elimination of Heterodoxy -- Conclusion: The Formation of Orthodoxies and Heterodoxies -- Popular Sectarianism during the Song and Yuan dynasties -- Popular Buddhism and Buddhist Sectarianism -- The White Cloud movement -- The White Lotus movement -- Other Sectarian Traditions -- Heterodox sects during the Song -- Millenarian sects during the Yuan -- Popular Religious Movements During the Ming and Qing Dynasties -- The Luo Teaching: The Shaping of a New Tradition -- The Formation of a New Tradition -- The Unfolding of a Tradition -- The Dynamics of a Popular Religious Movement -- The Spectrum of Popular Religious Teachings in Late Ming -- Popular Religious Teachings in Early Ming -- Huangtian Jiao (Yellow Heaven Teaching) -- Hongyang Jiao (Vast Yang Teaching) -- Sanyi Jiao (Three-in-One Teaching) -- Homogenization and Diversification of Sectarian Traditions -- The Longhua Jing (Dragon-Flower Scripture) as Synthesis of Sectarian Traditions in North China.

Annotation In rough chronological order from antiquity to the 19th century, Seiwert (comparative religion, Leipzig U.) identifies and describes religious communities and movements outside the official religion. For the period before the Ming dynasty, he looks at prophecies and messianism in Han Confucianism, popular sects and the early Daoist tradition, heterodox movements in medieval Buddhism, and popular sectarianism during the Song and Yuan dynasties. He devotes the second half of the book to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ma Xisha (world religions, Chinese Academy for the Social Sciences) collaborated on the work. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Annotation This groundbreaking book surveys the entire history of popular religious sects in Chinese history. "Publish this Book!" is the unequivocal recommendation taken from the peer reviews.<BR>In part one the reader will find a thorough treatment of the formation of the notions of orthodoxy and heterodoxy in the contexts of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.<BR>Chronologically organized, the work continues to deal with each new religious movement; its teachings, scriptures, social organisation, and political significance. <BR>The discussions on the patterns laid bare and on the dynamics of popular religious movements in Chinese society, make this book indispensable for all those who wish to gain a true understanding of the mechanics of "Popular religious movements in historical and contemporary China.