Great Clarity

Daoism and Alchemy in Early Medieval China

Inbunden, Engelska, 2006

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This is the first book to examine extensively the religious aspects of Chinese alchemy. Its main focus is the relation of alchemy to the Daoist traditions of the early medieval period (third to sixth centuries). It shows how alchemy contributed to and was tightly integrated into the elaborate body of doctrines and practices that Daoists built at that time, from which Daoism as we know it today evolved. The book also clarifies the origins of Chinese alchemy and the respective roles of alchemy and meditation in self-cultivation practices. It contains full translations of three important medieval texts, all of them accompanied by running commentaries, making available for the first time in English the gist of the early Chinese alchemical corpus.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2006-02-27
Mått155 x 235 x 34 mm
Vikt680 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieAsian Religions and Cultures
Antal sidor392
FörlagStanford University Press
ISBN9780804751773

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CONTENTS List of Illustrations, vi List of Tables, vii Conventions, viii Preface, xi Introduction, 1 Part One: THE HEAVEN OF GREAT CLARITY AND ITS REVELATIONS 1The Early History of Chinese Alchemy and the Way of the Great Clarity, 33 2The Heaven of Great Clarity, 53 3The Great Clarity Corpus, 82 Part Two: THE ELIXIRS OF THE GREAT CLARITY 4The Crucible and the Elixir, 104 5The Ritual Sequence, 124 6The Medicines of Great Clarity, 156 Part Three: A HISTORY OF THE GREAT CLARITY 7Gods, Demons, and Elixirs: Alchemy in Fourth-Century Jiangnan, 191 8The Way of the Great Clarity and Daoism in the Six Dynasties, 218 Part Four: TEXTS OF THE GREAT CLARITY 9Scripture of The Nine Elixirs, 244 10Scripture of the Golden Liquor, 288 11Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles, 294 Part Five: THE LEGACY OF THE GREAT CLARITY 12The Later History of Chinese Alchemy and the Decline of the Great Clarity, 306 Appendixes ADates of Texts in the Waidan Corpus, 340 BAdditional Notes on Great Clarity and Related Texts, 346 CAdditional Notes on the Commentary to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, 363 Glossary, 389 Works Quoted, 405 Index

"The book is beautifully set, adding value to its very informative, precise, marvelously detailed, and well-researched intellectual content." - Rudolf Pfister (East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine) "Pregadio has given us vastly improved picture of early alchemy, one that will certainly inspire a new generation to jump the barriers of scholarly habit. His deep textual study and willingness to ask new questions show that it is not too late to revivify the study of alchemy and its religious connections." - N. Sivin (Journal of Chinese Studies) "Pregadio has chosen this multifaceted term [Great Clarity/Taiqing] to label the earliest alchemist tradition, which is the focus of this superb study. With this publication, Pregadio has proven himself to be the leading scholar of early alchemy in China." - Journal of Chinese Religions