Chinese magical medicine

This thought-provoking book is an important contribution to the study of medicine and religion in medieval China. . . . Like Mantras et mandarins: - Le buddhisme tantrique en Chine (1996), Chinese Magical Medicine was published posthumously. It builds on and fleshes out that first work. . . . However, unlike Mantras et mandarins, which was in most respects a finished work, . . . the six essays that constitute this book appear to be in various stages of development. In this work we have a snapshot of a great scholar in the process of wrestling with several challenging issues, providing a potent recipe for a stimulating read. Bernard Faure performed a praiseworthy service in assuming the task of editing and annotating this book for publication, maintaining Strickmann's lucid, entertaining, and accessible style while adding critical depth and substance to the reference matter. . . . Strickmann has left an important intellectual heritage. He has forged a workable path through a diverse and exotic terrain of literary materials--a path that should be followed, broadened, and deepened through future studies that produce both greater nuance and greater precision in the academic understanding and appreciation of the manifold connections between Taoism and Buddhism in medieval China. (1000+ words)