Fabrizio Pregadio is a Research Fellow at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. He has previously taught at different universities in Italy, Germany, the United States, and Canada. He is the author of "Great Clarity: Daoism and Alchemy in Early Medieval China" (Stanford University Press, 2006) and the editor of "The Encyclopedia of Taoism" (Routledge, 2008). His research focuses on the Daoist views of the human being and the Daoist traditions of self-cultivation, in particular Internal Alchemy (Neidan). He is currently working on a book on the Daoist master Liu Yiming (1734-1821).
In addition to his scholarly activities, he has published translations of original texts on Daoism and Daoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan) addressed to a wider audience. These translations, published by Golden Elixir Press (http://www.goldenelixir.com), include the "Cantong qi" (Seal of the Unity of the Three); the "Wuzhen pian" (Awakening to Reality); the "Ruyao jing" (Mirror for Compounding the Medicine); the "Yinfu jing" (Scripture of the Hidden Accordance); and "Cultivating the Tao", a work by Liu Yiming.
Address: Hartmannstr. 14, Bldg. 1, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
In addition to his scholarly activities, he has published translations of original texts on Daoism and Daoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan) addressed to a wider audience. These translations, published by Golden Elixir Press (http://www.goldenelixir.com), include the "Cantong qi" (Seal of the Unity of the Three); the "Wuzhen pian" (Awakening to Reality); the "Ruyao jing" (Mirror for Compounding the Medicine); the "Yinfu jing" (Scripture of the Hidden Accordance); and "Cultivating the Tao", a work by Liu Yiming.
Address: Hartmannstr. 14, Bldg. 1, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
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Books by Fabrizio Pregadio
Traditionally attributed to Wei Boyang and dated to about 150 CE, The Seal of the Unity of the Three is concerned with three major subjects — Taoism (the way of "non-doing"), Cosmology (the system of the Book of Changes), and Alchemy — and joins them to one another into a unique doctrine. The charm of its verses, the depth of its discourse, and its enigmatic language inspired a large number of commentaries and other works, and attracted the attention not only of Taoist masters and adepts, but also of philosophers, cosmologists, and poets.
In addition to a complete translation, this book contains a detailed introduction to the history and the teachings of The Seal of the Unity of the Three, explanations of each of its sections, and notes on its verses. Also included are several tables and pictures, an index of main subjects, and the complete Chinese text."
The book is divided into two main parts. Part 1 contains a catalogue of extant and lost commentaries, essays, and related texts, listing altogether about 150 works with systematic details on their authors, editions, and reprints. Part 2 contains a survey of the textual tradition of the Cantong qi, focused on the composition and contents of about 40 major texts. A final index of authors, editors, titles, and editions facilitates the use of the book.""
Liu Yiming was an 11th-generation master of the Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage. Having recovered from severe illness in his youth, he undertook extended traveling that led him to meet his two main masters. In 1780, he visited the Qiyun mountains, in the present-day Gansu province, and settled there. He devoted the second half of his life to teaching and writing. His works mainly consist of writings on Neidan and of commentaries on major Neidan scriptures.
Few other masters have illustrated the relation between Taoism and Internal Alchemy as clearly as Liu Yiming does in this book. Grafting Internal Alchemy into the teachings of the Book of the Way and Its Virtue (Daode jing) and of the later Taoist tradition, he shows how the way of the Golden Elixir can lead to the highest state of realization according to the Taoist principles.
Wang Mu (1908-92) received the Longmen ordination in his youth. He taught Internal Alchemy (Neidan) and was held in high regard by both Taoist practitioners and scholars. He served as a board member of the China Taoist Association and was for some time in charge of its research activities. He is known outside China mainly for his annotated edition of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), the text at the basis of the outline of Internal Alchemy that he provides in the present book.
Originally published as "Wuzhen pian danfa yaozhi" 「悟真篇」丹法要旨"
This book contains the first complete translation of the Ruyao jing and of the commentary by Wang Jie, who lived in the 14th century. Wang Jie — also known as Wang Daoyuan and as Huanran zi (Master of the Inchoate) — was a second-generation disciple of the great Neidan master, Li Daochun. He explains each poem in light of his tradition, and his commentary is characterized by a strong connection between the doctrinal and the practical aspects of Neidan. The translator's notes provide details on the main technical terms and on the relation of this work to other important texts of Internal Alchemy, in particular the Cantong qi (Seal of the Unity of the Three) and the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality).
Isabelle Robinet (1932-2000) was one of the most important Western scholars of Taoism. Her work dealt with several major topics: the Laozi and the Zhuangzi with their commentaries; the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) school of Taoism; Neidan (Internal Alchemy); and Taoist thought and cosmology. Her publications in English include Taoist Meditation: The Mao-shan Tradition of Great Purity (1993) and Taoism: Growth of a Religion (1997)."
Papers by Fabrizio Pregadio
Note: Professor Kristofer Schipper, to whom this article is dedicated, passed away on February 18, 2021. Five weeks earlier, I had sent him the final proofs. He read it and replied with a long, warm-hearted message that I will always cherish.
Traditionally attributed to Wei Boyang and dated to about 150 CE, The Seal of the Unity of the Three is concerned with three major subjects — Taoism (the way of "non-doing"), Cosmology (the system of the Book of Changes), and Alchemy — and joins them to one another into a unique doctrine. The charm of its verses, the depth of its discourse, and its enigmatic language inspired a large number of commentaries and other works, and attracted the attention not only of Taoist masters and adepts, but also of philosophers, cosmologists, and poets.
In addition to a complete translation, this book contains a detailed introduction to the history and the teachings of The Seal of the Unity of the Three, explanations of each of its sections, and notes on its verses. Also included are several tables and pictures, an index of main subjects, and the complete Chinese text."
The book is divided into two main parts. Part 1 contains a catalogue of extant and lost commentaries, essays, and related texts, listing altogether about 150 works with systematic details on their authors, editions, and reprints. Part 2 contains a survey of the textual tradition of the Cantong qi, focused on the composition and contents of about 40 major texts. A final index of authors, editors, titles, and editions facilitates the use of the book.""
Liu Yiming was an 11th-generation master of the Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage. Having recovered from severe illness in his youth, he undertook extended traveling that led him to meet his two main masters. In 1780, he visited the Qiyun mountains, in the present-day Gansu province, and settled there. He devoted the second half of his life to teaching and writing. His works mainly consist of writings on Neidan and of commentaries on major Neidan scriptures.
Few other masters have illustrated the relation between Taoism and Internal Alchemy as clearly as Liu Yiming does in this book. Grafting Internal Alchemy into the teachings of the Book of the Way and Its Virtue (Daode jing) and of the later Taoist tradition, he shows how the way of the Golden Elixir can lead to the highest state of realization according to the Taoist principles.
Wang Mu (1908-92) received the Longmen ordination in his youth. He taught Internal Alchemy (Neidan) and was held in high regard by both Taoist practitioners and scholars. He served as a board member of the China Taoist Association and was for some time in charge of its research activities. He is known outside China mainly for his annotated edition of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), the text at the basis of the outline of Internal Alchemy that he provides in the present book.
Originally published as "Wuzhen pian danfa yaozhi" 「悟真篇」丹法要旨"
This book contains the first complete translation of the Ruyao jing and of the commentary by Wang Jie, who lived in the 14th century. Wang Jie — also known as Wang Daoyuan and as Huanran zi (Master of the Inchoate) — was a second-generation disciple of the great Neidan master, Li Daochun. He explains each poem in light of his tradition, and his commentary is characterized by a strong connection between the doctrinal and the practical aspects of Neidan. The translator's notes provide details on the main technical terms and on the relation of this work to other important texts of Internal Alchemy, in particular the Cantong qi (Seal of the Unity of the Three) and the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality).
Isabelle Robinet (1932-2000) was one of the most important Western scholars of Taoism. Her work dealt with several major topics: the Laozi and the Zhuangzi with their commentaries; the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) school of Taoism; Neidan (Internal Alchemy); and Taoist thought and cosmology. Her publications in English include Taoist Meditation: The Mao-shan Tradition of Great Purity (1993) and Taoism: Growth of a Religion (1997)."
Note: Professor Kristofer Schipper, to whom this article is dedicated, passed away on February 18, 2021. Five weeks earlier, I had sent him the final proofs. He read it and replied with a long, warm-hearted message that I will always cherish.
Among others, early Daoist works (ca. 2nd-6th centuries) describe two main ways to attain immortality. The first is by going through a "simulated death" followed by the refining of the physical body, which then serves as a support for adepts to continue their practices. The second way consists in generating an inner "embryo" that is unaffected by death, and is the seed of one's rebirth as an immortal.
Internal Alchemy (Neidan), which developed from ca. 700, inherited elements of both practices. The refining of the basic components of one's own person results in the generation, gestation, and delivery of an embryo. In certain traditions, the embryo is seen as one's "dharma-body" (fashen), the unmanifested body of Buddhahood, which is free of birth and death. Despite the differences of perspective, here again the ordinary body is seen a support used to generate the immortal body.
This PDF outlines the main stages of development of the Chinese alchemical tradition, and the analogies and differences among doctrines and practices of its main branches and lineages.
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. Origins of Waidan
2. The Taiqing (Great Clarity) Tradition
3. Taoist Meditation and the Origins of Neidan
4. The Cantong qi (Seal of the Unity of the Three)
5. Waidan After the Cantong qi
6. Main Neidan Lineages and Masters
7. Neidan: General Perspectives
8. The Internal Elixir and the View of the Human Being
9. The Practice of the Internal Elixir