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The Cantong qi is the main text of Taoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan). In addition to Taoist masters and adepts, it has also attracted the attention of philosophers, cosmologists, poets, literati, calligraphers, philologists, and bibliophiles. No less than 38 commentaries written through the end of the 19th century are extant, and dozens of texts found in the Taoist Canon and elsewhere are related to it. The present book is the most complete guide available in any language to this vast literature. 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 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.This book is a companion to the complete translation of the Cantong qi published by same author, entitled The Seal of the Unity of the Three: A Translation and Study of the Cantong qi, the Source of the Taoist Way of the Golden Elixir (Golden Elixir Press, 2011).Contents Preface, viiINTRODUCTION Main Works on the Cantong qi: A Short Survey, 1PART I: BIBLIOGRAPHIC CATALOGUE Introduction, 15 1. Commentaries, 21 2. Essays and Related Works, 77 3. Lost Works, 91 4. Works Attributed to Wei Boyang, 103PART II: COMMENTARIES, ESSAYS, AND RELATED WORKS Introduction, 109 1. Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, 111 2. Song and Yuan Dynasties, 131 3. Ming and Qing Dynasties, 159 4. The Ancient Text and Its Commentaries, 185APPENDIXES 1. The Three Books of the Cantong qi, 201 2. Main Indicators of Textual Filiation, 211 3. Chinese Text, 217Index of Names, Titles, and Editions, 233Works Quoted, 251

This book contains four essays on Internal Alchemy (Neidan) by Isabelle Robinet, originally published in French and translated here for the first time into English. The essays are concerned with the alchemical principle of "inversion"; the devices used by the alchemists to "give form to the Formless by the word, and thus manifest the authentic and absolute Dao"; the symbolic function of numbers in Taoism and in Internal Alchemy; and the original meanings of the terms "External Elixir" (waidan) and "Internal Elixir" (neidan).Table of ContentsAcknowledgements, vii1. The World Upside Down in Taoist Internal Alchemy, 1 2. The Alchemical Language, or the Effort to Say the Contradictory, 17 3. Role and Meaning of Numbers in Taoist Cosmology and Alchemy, 45 4. On the Meaning of the Terms Waidan and Neidan, 75Tables and Pictures, 103 Appendix: Works by Isabelle Robinet, 113 Glossary of Chinese Characters, 117 Works Quoted, 123

Originally written for Chinese readers, this book provides a clear description of the Taoist practice of Internal Alchemy, or Neidan. The author outlines the four stages of the alchemical practice and clarifies several relevant terms and notions, including Essence, Breath, and Spirit; the Cinnabar Fields; the "Fire Times"; and the Embryo. The book is based on the system of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), one of the main sources of Internal Alchemy, and contains about two hundred quotations from original Taoist texts.Table of ContentsForeword, viiINTRODUCTION, 1 The Basis: Essence and Spirit, 3STAGES OF THE ALCHEMICAL PRACTICE IN AWAKENING TO REALITY, 11 The Four Stages, 13 "Laying the Foundations," 15 Main Points in the Practice of "Laying the Foundations," 20 The Functions of Essence, Breath, and Spirit, 36 Terms Related to the "Coagulation of the Three Treasures," 52 Conclusion of the Stage of "Laying the Foundations," 63 "Refining Essence to Transmute it into Breath," 65 "Refining Breath to Transmute it into Spirit," 99 "Refining Spirit to Return to Emptiness," 109CONCLUSION, 119 The "Arts of the Way," 121Tables, 123Glossary of Chinese Characters, 133

Shaikh Sharfuddin Maneri (14th century) is also known as Makhdum-ul-Mulk, or Master of the Kingdom. Born near Patna in Behar, India, he was initiated by Najibuddin Firdausi and was equally proficient in secular learning and esoteric knowledge. The present book consists of the translation of extracts from the Maktubat-i-Sadi ("The Hundred Letters," or rather essays on definite subjects), the most elaborate and comprehensive of his works.

First published in 1943, this outstanding book represents in many ways the most complete achievement of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), one of the main modern representatives of the Hindu tradition. Displaying an unequaled mastery of Sanskrit, Pali, Greek, Latin, and medieval German and Italian sources, Coomaraswamy shows that "the Indian tradition is one of the forms of the Philosophia Perennis, and as such, embodies those universal truths to which no one people or age can make exclusive claim." The present edition (Golden Elixir Press, 2011) does not contain errors found in other recent editions of this masterful work. The entire text has been carefully checked word by word against the original English edition - including terms and passages in Sanskrit, Greek, and other languages - and endnotes have been changed to footnotes. In addition, the present edition is the only one that includes all the additions and changes that the Author contributed, shortly before his death, to the French translation of his work.

Awakening to Reality (Wuzhen pian) is one of the most important and best-known Taoist alchemical texts. Written in the eleventh century, it describes in a poetical form, and in a typically cryptic and allusive language, several facets of Neidan, or Internal Alchemy. This book contains a translation of the first part of the text, consisting of sixteen poems, which provide a concise but comprehensive exposition of Neidan. In addition to notes that intend to clarify the meaning of the more obscure points, the book also contains selections from Liu Yiming's commentary, dating from the late 18th century, which is distinguished by the use of a lucid and plain language.Table of ContentsPreface, viiIntroduction, 1Translation, 21Selections from Liu Yiming's Commentary, 75Textual Notes, 89Glossary of Chinese Characters, 95Works Quoted, 101

The Ruyao jing (Mirror for Compounding the Medicine) is one of the most famous texts of Taoist Internal Alchemy, or Neidan. Written in the 10th century and attributed to Cui Xifan, it describes the foundations of Internal Alchemy in 20 short poems of four verses. Because of its symbolic and cryptic language, it has been subjected to different and sometimes conflicting interpretations.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 Hunran zi (Master of the Inchoate) - was a second-generation disciple of the great Neidan master, Li Daochun. 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).The book is vol. 1 in the "Masters" series of Golden Elixir Press.Contents: Introduction, p. viiTranslation, p. 1Five Poems by Wang Jie, p. 65Chinese Text, p. 69Glossary of Chinese Characters, p. 83Works Quoted, p. 89

Under an allusive poetical language and thick layers of images and symbols, The Seal of the Unity of the Three (Cantong qi) hides the exposition of the teachings that gave birth to Taoist Internal Alchemy, or Neidan.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.