MUSINGS OF A CHINESE VEGETARIAN: LIANG GENTAN] Translated By Yaichiro Isobe [LIA

[HANG Ying-ming]. [Hong Zicheng]

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Tokyo 1926, Yuhodo. Green cloth, gold-stamped spine title, a very clean & solid example, texts in Japanese, English and Chinese, 316p., Japanese colophon, translated by Yaichiro Isobe, 10.5 x 17.2 cm. * * FIRST & ONLY OBSCURE EDITION * * . *** **** *** . . AN OBSCURE EARLY CHINESE WORK ON VEGETARIANISM . . . * This is an obscure example. . The original Chinese author, is mostly unknown, beyond the fact that he flourished during the Wanri era [1575-1619] of the Ming dynasty. The title in the preface is written as: TS'AI-KEN-T'AN. Ts'ai means 'vegetables, ken: roots and t'an talk" . Literally "Talks by a m an who lives on vegetable roots," or "The meditations of a man who lives a plain and humble life." . The title was suggested by a celebrated remark of a Chinese scholar who flourished during the Sung dynasty to the effect that "that anything worth doing is possible for a man who confines his diet exclusively to vegetables." . The author also notes that Chu Tzu the great Confucian scholar of the Sung dynasty said: Among my contemporaries there are too many who have degenerated because they cannot live on a vegetable diet." . The author also continues that "The only way by which a sound moral character can best be cultivated " .is by being a vegetarian.doctrines of Tauism [Tao] and Buddhism are grafted on the teachings of Confucius." . Above liberally quoted from the preface. . * THE TEXT: The texts consists of Hang's writing in Chinese characters, followed by Japanese [Kanji] characters, then by English for each statement in the book. . The book is full of superb observations and keen commentaries of all aspects of life. Here is a prime example: "The avaricious, not content with a share of gold, are angry that they are not given a jade; not satisfied with the investure [sic] of a peerage, they are covetous of a higher title. Possessed of power and wealth, they are not better than beggars, because their desires are insatiable. On the contrary, to those who are contented, a vegetable diet will be more delicious than a dainty, and a cotton coat warmer than furs. Common people in such a frame of mind are not inferior in happiness to kings and princes." . The book is divided into two parts: Book I, Book II. . *** RARE AND SELDOM FOUND EXAMPLE ! This title is quite obscure and almost never found. It is a superb group of essays by the 16-17 century Chinese scholar. . *** Color photos are posted to our website. . *** CONDITION: The book is bound in the publisher's original green pebbled cloth, with typical wear to corner, edges, spine head/tail, corner boards showing through, else clean contents & solid. Spine nicely gold -stamped with long design, title & publisher's name. . *** REFERENCE: . OCLC Number/Unique Identifier:8676977 * We found the one and only reference to this book: .themista.com/freeebooks/chvege.htm . *.

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• Titolo: MUSINGS OF A CHINESE VEGETARIAN: LIANG GENTAN] Translated By Yaichiro Isobe [LIA