LAST ITEM HELD MATCHING THIS TITLE STATED:

Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.. 1976.. 295pp, notes, bibliography, glossary, dustjacket trifle soiled. Very good copy. "This unusual book is a survey of Chinese folk religious sects from the Han era to the 20th century, with an emphasis on those of Buddhist orientation. Focusing on the rituals and beliefs of such prominent groups as the White Lotus (which staged the great rebellion of the 18th century), the author describes how many of these sects, although regarded as illegal, developed their own traditions of organisation, leadership and scripture, and maintained active congregational life over long periods of time. In a new, convincing interpretation, Overmyer proposes that the White Lotus and Lo or Wu-wei associations were religiously as well as politically orientated with distinctive ideas and goals of their own." .