Foreword Norman J. Girardot Preface 1. Understanding Taoism Realities, Constructs, and Hermeneutical Challenges What "Taoism" is: Fact, Tradition, and Self-Identification 2. The Classical Legacy Taoism and 'The Hundred Schools' The 'Useless Words' of Chuang Chou Cultivating Life's Subtle Forces: The Nei-Yeh From 'The Elders' of Ch'u to the Chi-hsia Academy: The Tao Te Ching What Taoists Inherited from Classical Times 3. The Course of the Taoist Tradition Wellsprings Southerly Currents Northerly Currents The High-Water Mark The Damming of the Tao? Old Currents, New Channels Life in the Tideways 4. The Socio-Political Matrix of Taoism 'Literati Taoism' Women in Taoism: Data, Interpretation, and Issues Women in Taoist History Taoists and Dynasts 5. The Cultivated Life Life, Death, and 'Transcendence' Cultivating Reality Conclusion Works Cited IndexLife Life, Death, and 'Transcendence' Cultivating Reality Conclusion Works Cited Index.