loppear reviewed The Penumbra Unbound by Brook Ziporyn
outside my competency, but meditatively realized
3 étoiles
Guo's commentary project as presented is to invert and unify Taoist contrasting themes of social norms (naming) and spontaneity (nature), in a foreshadowing influence for Chan/Zen, to de-emphasize Non-Being as a numinous origin of Being, to ground all things as self-creating in a self-negating "vanishing into" in this translation. Whether this is compelling or utterly circular, Ziporyn does a lovely job mirroring that in steady direct attention to Guo's imagery and language and argument, with only the lightest references to contrasting or comparative philosophical interpretations.