Affectivity and the Nature of the Sage: Gleanings from A Tang Daoist Master

Abstract

This essay explores the place of <i>qing</i> in conceptions of the nature and being of the sage, focusing on the Tang Daoist master Wu Yun. What it seeks to show is that assumptions about the attainability of “sagehood” and the “nature” (<i>xing</i>) of human beings inform the interpretation of <i>qing</i>. In this context, the idea that the sage is quintessentially <i>wuqing</i>, marked by the absence of desire and emotions, will be examined. I will close with a comparative note on a Confucian account of the same period—namely, the <i>Fuxing shu</i> by Li Ao.