Brings Early Daoist Writings Into Conversation With Contemporary Contemplative The Contemplative Foundations Of Classical Daoism, Harold D. Roth Explores The Origins And Nature Of The Daoist Tradition, Arguing That Its Creators And Innovators Were Not Abstract Philosophers But, Rather, Mystics Engaged In Self-exploration And Self-cultivation, Which In Turn Provided The Insights Embodied In Such Famed Works As The Daodejing And Zhuangzi. In This Compilation Of Essays And Chapters Representing Nearly Thirty Years Of Scholarship, Roth Examines The Historical And Intellectual Origins Of Daoism And Demonstrates How This Distinctive Philosophy Emerged Directly From Practices That Were Essentially Contemplative In The First Part Of The Book, Roth Applies Text-critical Methods To Derive The Hidden Contemplative Dimensions Of Classical Daoism.