Wu-wei as an Ambiguous Ideal in the Chinese Tradition of Religion and Thought: A Conceptual and Historical Study
Abstract
The concept of wu-wei, which can be translated literally as "inexertion/inaction" appears most clearly in Tao te Ching (Book of Way and Virtue) attributed to -a quasi-historical and legendary figure- Lao Tzu who believed to have lived in the sixth century B.C. This famous term is defined as an important attribute of the nameless Tao by Lao Tzu. However, it has been suggested that there are references to this principle idealized by Lao Tzu in the preserved Chinese literature dated back to earlier periods. According to this claim, wu-wei is embodied and reflected in the attitudes and behaviours of the aristocratic gentleman or charismatic young nobleman in ancient Chinese poetry. Lao Tzu's contemporary Confucius and following them some Taoist and legalist theorists, philosophers and statesmen such as Chuang Tzu, Wang Pi and Shen Pu-hai and Han Fei also used the concept of wu-wei for individual spiritual evolution or political administration. Since wu-wei is a difficult concept to understand and define, it has been extended to different periods and areas and used in many senses close or far from each other. Therefore, wu-wei has been tried to be defined with different explanations, symbolic, allegorical, similes and metaphors from past to present. In this study, the traces of the concept of wu-wei, which is portrayed as a model of spiritual tranquillity in Taoism, in the tradition of Chinese religion and thought will be examined.
References
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Abstract
Literal olarak “gayretsizlik/eylemsizlik” şeklinde tercüme edilen wu-wei, en belirgin şekliyle Lao Tzu’ya atfedilen Tao Te Ching (Yol ve Erdem Klasiği) adlı eserde geçer ve yüce Tao’nun önemli bir vasfı olarak tanımlanır. Ancak Lao Tzu tarafından idealize edilen bu prensibe daha önceki dönemlerle tarihlendirilen korunmuş Çin literatüründe de atıfların olduğu ileri sürülmüştür. Bu iddiaya göre wu-wei, Shih-ching (Şiirler Kitabı) gibi eski Çin şiirinde aristokrat beyefendi veya karizmatik genç asilzadenin tutum ve davranışlarında ete kemiğe bürünmektedir. Lao Tzu ile aynı dönemde yaşayan Konfüçyüs ve daha sonra gelen Chuang Tzu, Wang Pi ile Shen Pu-hai ve Han Fei gibi bazı Taocu ve yasacı teorisyen, filozof ve devlet adamları da wu-wei kavramını farklı şekillerde -bireysel manevi tekâmül veya siyasi-politik yönetim minvalinde- kullanmışlardır. Farklı dönem ve alanlara teşmil edilip birbirine yakın veya uzak pek çok anlam yüklenmesinin sebebi ise wu-wei’in tanımlanması ve anlaşılması zor bir kavram olmasıdır. Bundan dolayı wu-wei geçmişten günümüze farklı açıklamalar, sembolik, alegorik ve mecazi benzetmeler ve metaforlarla tanımlanmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışmada, Taoizm özelinde manevi bir sükûnet modeli olarak resmedilen wu-wei kavramının Çin din ve düşünce geleneğindeki izleri sürülecektir.
Keywords
References
- Armstrong, Karen. Büyük Dönüşüm. Çev. Barış Baysal, İstanbul: Pegasus Yayınları, 2019.
- Aydın, Fuat. Klasik Çin Düşüncesine Giriş. Ankara: Eski Yeni Yayınları, 2018.
- Barrett, Nathaniel “Wu-wei and Flow: Comparative Reflections on Spirituality, Transendence, and Skill in the Zhuangzi”, Philosophy East and West 61/4 (2011): 679-706.
- Chuang Tzu’nun Kitabı. Çev. Levent Özşar. Bursa: Biblos Kitabevi, 2017.
- Cooper, J. C. Erdemin Işığı (Taoculuk). Çev. İsmet Zeki Eyuboğlu, İstanbul: Say Yayınları, 1994.
- Crell, Herrlee Glessner. Chinese Thought from Confucius to Mao Tse-tung. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1953.
- Creel, Herrlee Glessner. What is Taoism? And Other Studies in Chinese Cultural History. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1970.
- Csikszentmihalyi, Mark. “Thematic Analyses of the Laozi”, Dao Companion to Daoist Philosophy. Ed. Xiaogan Liu. Dordrecht: Springer, 2015.
- Dawson, Christopher. İlerleme ve Din. Çev. Yusuf Kaplan-Aylin Doğan. İstanbul: Açılım Kitap, 2003.
- Durand, Marion- Shogry, Simon. “Stoicism”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Erişim 18 Mart 2023. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/#Virt
- Eliade, Mircea. Dinsel İnançlar ve Düşünceler Tarihi. Çev. Ali Berktay. İstanbul: Kabalcı Yayınevi, 2003.
- Hansen, Chad. A Daoisdt Theory of Chinese Thought: A Philosophical Interpretation.New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
- I Ching ya da Değişimler Kitabı. Çev. Levent Özşar, Bursa: Biblos Yayınevi, 2010.
- Izutsu, Toshihiko. Tao-culuk’daki Anahtar Kavramlar. Çev. Ahmet Yüksel Özemre. İstanbul: Kaknüs Yayınları, 2001.
- Judith Magee Boltz, “Laozi”, Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. Lindsay Jones (Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005), VIII/5315-6
- Kirkland, Russell. Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. New York: Rourledge, 2005.
- Konfüçyüs. Konuşmalar. Çev. Murat Karlıdağ. İstanbul: Say Yayınları, 2018.
- Lai, Karyn L. An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
- Laozi. Bilinmeyen Öğretiler. Çev. İsmail Taşpınar. İstanbul: Kaknüs yayınları, 2014
- Laozi. Tao te ching. Çev. Sonya Özbey. İstanbul: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, 2013.
- Noss, David S.-Grangaard, Blake R. A History of the World’s Religions New York: Routledge, 2018.
- Overmyer, Daniel L.- Adler, Joseph A. “Chinese Religion: An Overview”, Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. Lindsay Jones (Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005), III/1582.
- Renwu, Tang. “A Comparison between Confucian and Daoist economic philosophies in the pre-Qin era”. The History of Ancient Chinese Economic Thought. Ed. Cheng Lin, Terry Peach, Wang Fang. 106-139. New York: Routledge, 2014.
- Slingerland, Edward. Effortless Action: Wu-wei as a Conceptual Metaphor and Spiritual Ideal in Early China. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Slingerland, Edward. “Effortless Action: The Chinese Spiritual Ideal of Wu-wei”. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 68/2 (2000): 293-327.
- Schwartz, Benjamin I. The world of Thought in Ancient China. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1985.
- The Analects of Confucius, Translated and Annotated by Arthur Waley. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1938.
- The Book of Odes, Chinese Text, Transcription and Translation by Bernhard Karlgren. Stockholm: The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1974.
- Xiaogan, Liu. “Wuwei (Non-action): From Laozi to Huainanzi”, Taoist Resources 3.1 (1991): 41-56.
- Xu, Gang. “Defining Junzi and Ren:Confucius as the Father of Professionalism”. Archives of Boston Society of Confucius 1/1 (2019):2-28.
- Wong, Eva. Taoism: An Essential Guide. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2011.
- Yalkın, Erden Miray Yazgan, Antikçağ Çin Felsefesi ve Mantık Çalışmaları, Demavend Yayınları, 2017.
- Yu-Lan, Fung. Çin Felsefesi Tarihi. Çev. Fuat Aydın. İstanbul: İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2009.
- Yu, Jiyuan. “Living with Nature: Stoicism and Daoism”. History of Philosophy Quarterly 25/1 (Jan. 2008), 1-19.
Details
| Primary Language | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | May 31, 2023 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2023 Volume: 11 Issue: 1 |
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