The Paradox of Mysticism in the Zhuangzi: Oneness, Multiplicity, and the Transformation of Self and Reality

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Overall this is an excellent article, which should be published provided certain changes are made to make it easier for the reader to follow and to correct problems in word usage and syntax. The argument of the paper constitutes a fine, micro-level analysis of a well-known generalization about traditional East Asian thought: the complementarity and mutual interpenetration of “the one and the many,” which is especially evident in classical Daoism and East Asian (Mahayana) Buddhism – “saving the particulars” instead of reducing them to oneness.

On the first point, I think it is absolutely essential to add, either at the end of section 1 or beginning of section 2, quotations of the two allegories, labelling the four stages (1-4) you discuss. The quotations should be your translations, which you can say in footnote 1 are based on those of Ziporyn and Graham, with your adaptations. Every word and phrase you put in quotation marks in the following analysis (e.g. “lifeless” and “wet ash” on lines 82-83) should be found in the quoted passages

The rest of my comments focus on specific problems in word choice, grammar, and syntax. I have not read every paragraph with this level of scrutiny, so another qualified reader should read the paper with this level of attention to detail.

Line

35        introvertive and extrovertive mysticism

92        “pulsion” is a very rarely used word (I had never seen it before) – use “impulsion” instead (throughout the paper)

105      all things – not “all the things” – this appears many other times in the paper and should be corrected

115      despite mystical experiences arriving in unpredictable epiphanic moments

225      Lü

259      independence

270      the deepest construct by which human beings

278      not only does the individual self become

299      a “lasting attitude of the soul”

300      “excitements”, “frenzy”, or

301      consciousness as a

304      free soaring

306      Despite the fact that the two

308, 312          entails a certain

310      might be amplified, as

316      the mystical experience (mysterium tremendum et fascinans).

356      thickness and deepness;

357      infer a certain

371      that entails

387      (1985, p.xxx)

396      triumphing over

note 11 considers that

I only skimmed pages 10 – 12

528      Unitary Dao

note 12  Despite mysticism being manifested … reveals a deep

561      affirmation of the

564      a rebellion against what most scholars characterize as the very goal of mysticism itself: the pursuit of union with

596      simply allows

643      Not only is the unitary self identical

Note 14           but also entail a deep

References:  Ellwood, Mou, Schwartz, Yang, Ziporyn – book titles should be italics

            To repeat, this list should not be considered exhaustive. A careful proofreader should go over the paper again.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

See above.

Author Response

Please see the attachment. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper provides a detailed analysis of mystical experience in the Zhuangzi by structuring it into four stages as illustrated in the Huzi and Lady Yu allegories. The author articulates the mystical process in the Zhuangzi with remarkable clarity, and especially succeeds in highlighting the paradoxical dynamics of Zhuangzian thought. The paper’s most notable contribution lies in its illumination of how the mystical experience in the Zhuangzi does not culminate in the realization of Oneness, but paradoxically returns to the spontaneous multiplicity of all things. This insight captures the transformative power of paradox at the heart of mysticism in the Zhuangzi.

The author makes excellent use of the traditional Chinese commentary tradition to interpret difficult and elusive passages, demonstrating scholarly rigor and fidelity to the classical texts. In terms of both content and form, the paper meets the standards of professional academic writing and makes a meaningful contribution to the field. However, in the interest of enhancing its scholarly completeness and conceptual precision, I offer the following suggestions:

1. Citation Density and Contextual Clarity
   While the paper’s rich use of footnotes and previous scholarship is a strength, there are moments when the citations of various commentators are densely clustered in a single paragraph, often in short, sequential sentences. This can result in a lack of contextual flow or insufficiently supported claims. For example, in p.5, lines 195–218, the phrase “the incipient pulsion of the good” is grounded in Cheng Xuanying’s and Xuan Ying’s commentary linking it to the Yizhuan concept of “One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao.” Given that the phrase is a key thematic term in the paper, it would be helpful to provide supporting evidence from the Zhuangzi text itself, in addition to the Yizhuan-based commentary.
2. Clarification of the Concept of “the Good”
   The paper states that “the incipient pulsion of the good” is similar to Underhill’s concepts of “fecundity” and “abundant life,” as well as Bucke’s idea of “a Living Presence” and the “foundation of the world is love.” However, it remains unclear how these notions align with the Zhuangzi’s understanding of “the good (shan 善).” A more precise definition of what “the good” means within the Zhuangzi context would strengthen the argument.
3. Conceptual Ambiguity around “Oneness”
   The term Oneness plays a central role throughout the paper but appears in a variety of expressions, including absolute Oneness, complete Oneness, and the co-presence of Oneness and multiplicity (e.g., p.6). These terms are used in what appear to be experiential, ontological, and relational senses. However, the boundaries between them are not clearly drawn. I suggest the author provide a more systematic clarification of the conceptual framework.
4. Expansion on Mou Zongsan’s “realm metaphysics”
   The reference to Mou Zongsan’s concept of “realm metaphysics”(jing jie xing er shang xue境界形而上学) on p.9 is too brief. Since this is a philosophically rich term, the author should explain what Mou means by it and clarify how it relates to the mystical transformation described in the Zhuangzi.
5. Clarification of Research Motivation in the Introduction
   While the paper clearly frames Zhuangzi as a text of mystical experience, it begins immediately with a theoretical overview of mysticism without explaining why Zhuangzi should be interpreted from this lens. Although this approach is certainly valid and insightful, the reader is left asking, “Why mysticism?” It would strengthen the introduction if the author explicitly articulated the rationale and scholarly significance of reading the Zhuangzi as a mystical text. Clarifying this point would better contextualize the research question and establish the intellectual stakes of the paper.

Author Response

Please see the attachment. 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf