Heavens and Grottos: New Explorations in Daoist Cosmography
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1549
Special Issue Editors
Interests: studies on the history and thought of Daoism
Interests: early modern and modern Daoism and Chinese religions
Interests: history of Chinese ideas and religions
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Heavens and grotto-heavens are important and special parts of the Daoist universe and, in Daoist traditions, they are, respectively located in the upper and lower planes of the universe, as distinguished from the middle or terrestrial space inhabited by humans. These special cosmic planes are considered to be the sacred areas where the gods are hidden and they are also the destinations that practitioners of Daoist religions yearn to reach. Their efforts translate into a host of this-worldly practices. In this Special Issue, we propose a collection of articles focused on these two planes of the Daoist conception of the universe in order to reveal a better understanding of the special cultural value of Daoist cosmography.
We invite those who are interested to contribute an academic paper that may encompass, but is not limited, to the exploration of the following research topics and questions:
- The evolution of Daoist concepts of the heavens within the larger history of Chinese cosmology;
- The evolution of the Daoist concepts of grotto-heavens and differences compared to other Daoist sacred places;
- The relationsghip between beliefs in deities and the Daoist concepts of the heavens and grottos;
- The interaction between the Daoist grotto-heavens and local society, including the ways in which local societies and populations think of and approach grotto-heavens;
- Studies on visual sources, pilgrimages, drama, and fiction describing Daoist heavens and sacred grottos;
- Daoist self-cultivation practices and conceptions of inner geography in relation to grotto-heavens;
- Spiritual beings and other non-humans who reside in grotto-heavens;
- The temporal dimensions of the concept of grotto-heavens.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue and full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Zhaojie Bai
Dr. Vincent Goossaert
Dr. Johan Rols
Dr. Jonathan E. E. Pettit
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Daoist heavens
- Grotto-heavens
- Daoist cosmography
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