Links to Internal Alchemy

by Livia Kohn

The Huangting jing (Yellow Court Scripture), a central classic of Daoist meditation translated earlier in this series, continued to grow over the centuries, linking to internal alchemy in the Song dynasty. This book translates two sets of relevant materials: three sections from the 12^th-century collection Daoshu (Pivot of Dao) by the scholar Zeng Zao (d. 1155) and a commentary to the entire Neijing in the form of poems by Liu Chuxuan (1147-1203), one of the Seven Perfected of the school of Complete Perfection. Taken together, these texts illustrate the adaptation and reinterpretation of the Huangting jing in the context of internal alchemy, showing its growth as part of advanced Daoist meditation and demonstrating its role in the context of monastic discipline. Presenting comprehensive translations of important documents and reevaluating the maturation process of internal alchemy, the book greatly contributes to the study of Daoist cultivation and Chinese intellectual history.

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PRAISE

This is an exceedingly rich and informative study of internal alchemy in the 11^{th to} 12^th centuries, focusing on how its masters interpreted the Huangting jing scriptures and adapted their ideas.  The study provides full English translations of the most relevant texts. Drawing on the best secondary scholarship, it also provides excellent discussions on the history of the texts and the people who produced them.I particularly appreciate the discussion on Zeng Zao and the Daoshu but also benefited from reading the commentary to the text by the Complete Perfection master Liu Chuxuan. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of Daoism and the development of internal alchemy.

—Stephen Eskildsen, Professor, International Christian University, Tokyo

This volume presents translations of key texts in the history of Daoist internal alchemy (neidan), associated with the Zhong-Lü and Northern lineages, together with detailed introductions to their textual, historical, and doctrinal contexts. While all of these works are variously related to the Huangting jing, each reveals a different aspect of its reception. Together, they illuminate the role of the Yellow Court vision in the emergence and development of neidan thought and practice.

—Fabrizio Pregadio, Research Scholar, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

THE AUTHOR

Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University. The author or editor of close to sixty books (including the annual Journal of Daoist Studies), she spent ten years in Kyoto doing research. She now serves as the executive editor of Three Pines Press and guides study tours to Japan.

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