Some Troubles and Perils of Taoist Meditation

Maney Publishing
SOME TROUBLES AND PERILS OF TAOIST MEDITATION

Author(s): Stephen Eskildsen
Source: Monumenta Serica, Vol. 56 (2008), pp. 259-291
Published by: Maney Publishing
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40727603
Accessed: 14-02-2016 22:04 UTC
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/
info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Maney Publishing is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Monumenta Serica.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 128.119.168.112 on Sun, 14 Feb 2016 22:04:19 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
*
MONUMENTA
SERICA &
56 (2008): 259-291 î&:$r
SOME TROUBLES AND PERILS OF TAOIST MEDITATION
Stephen Eskildsen
Contents
Introduction 259
Mania, Delusion,and theThreatof Insanity 261
PhysicalAgonies,Suspensionof Breathingand Pulse, andtheDangerof Death 272
Conclusion 288
Bibliography 289
ChineseAbstract 291
Introduction
Sometimes,Taoistmeditation can entailcertaintroublesand perils.The troubles
can be bothmentaland physical,and theperilscan includeneurosis,insanity, ill-
ness and even death.These problems,it wouldseem,are caused by theseverity
of theself-denialthatpractitionersare sometimesrequiredor encouragedto un-
dertake,as well as by thenature of themeditationtechniqueand theconsequent
tranceexperience.This paperwill examinehow suchtroublesand perilsare de-
scribedin severalTaoist textsof different periods,and how thesetextsrespec-
tivelyexplainand propose to deal with suchproblems.
Perhapsthemostvividand extensivedescription of thetroublesand perilsof
Taoist meditationavailableis a discourseentitled"Jindanzhengyan"á^HiJR
(GoldenElixirSignsof Proof).This textis includedin theZhuzhenneidanjiyao
atUfàfJllic (CollectedEssentialsof InternalAlchemyfromthe Realized Be-
ings),1an anthologyofinternalalchemicaldiscoursesandpoemscompiledby a cer-
tainXuanquanzi"££-? (Masterof theCompletionof Mystery),2 perhapsaround
13OO.3"Jindanzhengyan"describesvariousunusualphenomena- somepleasant,
1 DZ 1258/TT
999, 2/9a-13a.(The DZ numberindicatesthetitlenumberassignedto thetextin
KristoferSchipperand FranciscusVerellen[eds.], The TaoistCanon: A HistoricalCompanion
to theDaozang [Chicago2004]. The "TT" numberindicatesthefascicleof the 1926 Shanghai
photoreprinteditionof theTaoistcanonin whichthetextis found.)
2 This authoralso went the
by sobriquet,HaitianQiuyueDaoren MJOKFii&A (Taoist of Au-
tumnMoon in theSkyovertheSea).
3 On
page 3/3a(withina treatiseentitled"Qingxiazhenrenneiyongbiwen"WlîXÀfàffl !#:£),
one findsreference to the "jiazi ψ-F year [of thecycleof the60 combinations
of the 'stems'
and branches]of theXianchunJila$era of theSong Dynasty."The Xianchunreignera lasted
from1265 to 1274; oddly,therewas nojiazi yearduringthisreignera. However,thisdatere-
ferencedoes at leastenableus to estimatethedateof theanthology.
260 StephenEskildsen
sometraumatic, someauspicious,and somehazardous- thatneidanÇ^f' (inter-

nal alchemy)meditation practitioners can expectto experienceas theystriveand
progress in practice. perhapsa document
their It is thatcirculatedwithintheQuan-
zhen ik% School duringthe Yuan periodor earlier.This speculationis based
primarily on thefactthatthecompilerXuanquanzi,an otherwiseobscurefigure,
also compiledtheZhenxianzhizhiyuluAilljJïfêtnii (A Recordof Sayingsthat
are theDirectInstructions of RealizedImmortals, DZ 1256/TT998), an anthol-
ogy of discoursesby the famousQuanzhenmastersMa Yu !§$! (1123-1184),
Tan ChuduanlfWm (1123-1185), Liu Chuxuan8IÄ"£ (1147-1203), Qiu Chuji
SlSM (1143-1227), Hao Datong^ffi (1140-1212) and Yin ZhipingΡΜΨ
(1169-1251). This suggeststhatXuanquanziwas perhapsa Quanzhencleric,and
that"Jindanzhengyan"was a workthatQuanzhenpractitioners in generalmay
have consideredauthoritative and valuable.It is plausibleto conjecturethat"Jin-
dan zhengyan"describesa regimensimilarto thatundergone by Quanzhenadepts
in themovement's foundational years.
Our discussionof thetroublesand perilsof Taoistmeditation will examineas
itsinitialfocalpointthedata foundin "Jindanzhengyan. " For each sortof trou-
ble or perilto be discussed,we shall firstlook at thepertinent descriptionand
discussionin "Jindanzhengyan,"afterwhichwe shallexamineparalleldata and
discussionsin othertexts.Some of thesetexts(including"Qingxiazhenrennei-
yongbiwen"WSAÀrtfflïfcfc,4 BixuziqinzhuanzhizhiÜÄTÜfilÄtt (DZ
241/TT114),"Lunbaguanjie"
fitAHtp5and "Lun jue" |t/'ill£6) areof
liutong
date and provenancesimilarto "Jindanzhengyan."However,we shall also ex-
aminematerialfromtwoearliertexts,theXiandaojingHÜM (DZ 862/TT578;
Six Dynasties[220-618] or Tang [618-907]),7and theZhonghuang
jing Φ AM
4 InZhuzhen
jiyao, 3/1a-1Ob.
neidan
5 InZhuzhen
jiyao,3/1Ob-12a.
neidan
6 InZhuzhen
jiyao, 3/12a-14a.
neidan
7 withtheTaishanglaojunzhongjing
Kristofer Schipper,basedon textualsimilarities A-t^fí Ψ
M (DZ 1168/TT839) and theTaiqingzhenrenluomingjueÀJSAÀ&fàlfc (DZ 132/TT59),
statesthattheXiandaojing shouldbe consideredcontemporaneous to theseothertwo works-
1st
i.e., in his opinion,priorto 317 (the year of theEastern JinDynasty).See KristoferSchip-
per and Franciscus Verellen (eds.), The Taoist Canon: A Companionto theDaozang,
Historical
vol. 1, p. 95. In theDaozang tiyaoiljUKSlic, theXiandaojing is datedmuchmoreconserva-
tivelyas "Tang periodor later,"based on thepresenceof substantial passagescloselymatching
withportionsof theTaixijingweilunflaBÄÄH (DZ 829/TT571) andFuqijingyilunMMJÊ
Äfft(DZ 830/TT571; by Sima Chengzhen [647-735]),bothof whichdateto theTang. See Ren
JiyuffiHtÊC (ed.), Daozang tiyaoitSASiJ? (Beijing 1991), p. 626. In myview, theDaozang
tiyao seems somewhat conservative in datingtheXiandaojing. BoththeTaixijingweilun and
theFuqi jingyilun seem to incorporate earliermaterialfromothersources;such
significantly
otherearliersourcesmaywell be thesourcesdrawnon by theXiandaojing. It is also highlyli-
kelythattheXiandaojingconsistsof multiplelayersof variousorigins.The textis dividedinto
threepartsthatdifferin format:(1) an openingsectionwithno subheading thattakestheform
ofutterances by Laozi lÉrf (la-3a); (2) "Sudaojie" %MM (Explanations on theSimpleTao; 3a-
12a), whichbearstheformat of a conversation betweenLaozi and anonymous and
interlocutors;
SomeTroublesand Perils of Τaoist Meditation 261
(DZ 817/TT586; maintextca. 4thc. [?]; commentary ca. 700),8as wellfromone

moderntext,theDachengjieyao ~X$MM (ExpedientEssentialson the Great
Accomplishment; late 19thor early20thcentury).9
Our dataas a wholewillprovidea pictureof a rangeofexperiences, mentaland
physical,common to Taoist meditation of
practitioners various periods. These
in
typesof experiences, fact, most have
certainly their in
parallels mysticaltradi-
tionselsewhere.
Mania, Delusion,and the Threatof Insanity

The firsttwo pages or so of "Jindanzhengyan"consistof a numberedlist of
eightsections10
enumerating variousphenomenathatare to be expected.The first
sectionreadsas follows:
-# τλΐ* ^ëii^Hs HMë ^msi^ ^mmm
mm* ^wm
*ï? mmmmxmAt sbh&h&
(3) "Juegushiqi fa" feHkfè^Lfè (MethodforCuttingOffGrainsand EatingQi' 12a-14a),

whichquotesno person,andconcludeswitha quotefroma certainShenxiantu W'hM (Diagram
of Divine Immortals;whichas Schipperpointsout, is one of thearchaic,alternative titlesfor
theTaishanglaojunzhongjing).Overall,thelanguageand contentof theXiandaojing bearsan
archaicappearance,especiallyin the "Sudao jie" section.Therewe finddescribed,utterly free
of alchemicaltermsand metaphors,or of any referencesto internalalchemicalmastersand
texts,a yogicmethodcarriedout in a recliningposition.It is withinthissectionthatwe find-
as pointedoutby Schipper- namesgivento internal, visceralspiritsthatcloselyresemblesome
of thosefoundin theTaishanglaojunzhongjingandtheTaiqingzhenrenluomingjue.
8 Full
title,Taiqingzhonghuang zhenjingjçfê ΦΜΜΜ- Another,closelysimilarversionof this
textis foundin the massiveTaoist anthologyYunjiqiqian 83£-t;!8 (DZ 1032/TT677-702;
compiledby Zhang Junfang ^MJ% [fl. 1008-1025]), whereit comprisesthe 13thj uan. The
textconsistsof themaintext(thejing M) and thecommentary (thezhu |±). The maintext- or
substantial portionsof it - may well predate HongÏS$^ (283-364), who in his Baopuzi nei-
Ge
pian íitfHPF*3ÍBí (DZ 1185/TT 868-870)listsZhonghuang jing amongthetitlesof scriptures he
had seen in thelibraryof his mentorZhengYinJPJjLThe commentary portionseems to date
significantlylater,butdoes seemto have been knownto Bai LizhongË3JBS&(sobriquetLiang-
qiuzi ^Jxi; fl. 710-730), who quotesit in his commentary to theHuangtingneijingjing^M.
I*3Ä$M(in Yunjiqiqian 11-12). For a discussionon thedatingof theZhonghuang jing, see pp.
93-103of mydoctoraldissertation ("Severe Asceticism in Early Daoist Religion"[University of
BritishColumbia,1994]).
9
My citationsof thistextwill be fromthe 1988 editionpublishedin Taiyuan(ShanxiProvince)
by theShanxirenminchubanshe(ShanxiPeople's Press). This editionbearsthreedifferent pre-
faces,one of whichbearsthedate of 1928 (MinguoRM [Republic]18). The textitselfmakes
numerousreferences to majorMingand Qing periodneidanmasters.It also appearsthatmem-
bersof sectariansocietiessuchas theTongshanShe |W)#$tand XiantianDao 5feîl, playeda
rolein thetext'spublication and proliferation,
ifnotitsactualcomposition.
10 Almosttheentiretextof "Lun
baguanjie"is identicalto thisfirstportionof "Jindanzhengyan."
The phenomenaenumerated in the eightsectionswere apparently knownas the "eightjunc-
tures"φα guanjieAMW)-
262 Stephen Eskildsen
First,whenundergoing thegreatexercise,you shoulddiligently guardit for 100

in a
days,residing quiet room. Be attached to nothingon the outside,and have no
thoughtson the inside. Make yourbody like a witheredtree and yourheartlike
cold ashes. Immediately put an end to yourmyriadattachments, and be of one
body withthe Great Void. Putting to use your numinous light,[practice]conscien-
tiouslyday and night.In about three or five yourmindwill be-
days, naturally,
come stableand yourqi willbecomeharmonious. You willbe fullofjoy, and will
become modestand yieldingtowardotherpeople. The sages say thatfive days
constitutes
a singlestage[ofpractice].11
The textthusenjoinspractitioners to committo an intensive100-dayregimenof
seclusionand meditation.12 The exerciseitselfappearsto be fairlyuncomplicated,
unless- as it so oftenseemsto be thecase withneidanmanuals- detailsof the
mechanicsoftheexercise(postures,movements, breathingtechnique,swallowing
of air/saliva, knockingof teeth,concretevisualizations) have been leftout. It ap-
pears, at least,thatpractitioners are to simplymaketheminddetachedand se-
rene,empty it of all consciousthoughts, and to thereby enterintoa stateof self-
-
oblivionand unionwiththe Universal essentiallythe methodof "sittingand
forgetting" describedin thesixthchapterof theZhuangzi#£~?.13 The underlying
assumption, perhaps,is thatpractitioners have previously,at a morepreliminary
of
phase training, practicedmethods that are morecomplicatedand mechanical.
Anyway, the first of
sign significant progress,whichcomesaboutin 3 to 5 days,
is a stateof innerharmony andjoy, accompaniedby humility of character;so far
theeffects are good andpleasant,butin no way strangeor miraculous.
Sections2 through 5 describemuchmoreextraordinary phenomena- perhaps
occurringin ensuingintervalsof about 3-5 days (this is not clearlystated)-
whichare all to be consideredgood and auspicious.14 we are told,
Practitioners,
willfeelsensationsin theirbodiesthatare understood to resultfromphysiological
phenomenainvolvedin the wondrouscreationof the internalelixir. They will
feeltheheart-fire descending and thekidney-water rising(whichis also described
11 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 2/9a-b.
12 This is reminiscent hut"
of thewell-known practiceof 100-dayseclusionin the"fathom-square
(huanduM^) attributed to QuanzhenfounderWang Zhe (1113-1170) and widelyemulated
withintheearlyQuanzhenmovement. appearspossiblethattheregimendescribedin
It certainly
"Jindanzhengyan"is thisverysame regimen.However,the text,in sayingthatin 3-5 days
become"modestand yieldingtowardotherpeople" seemsto suggestthatthereis
practitioners
at least some humaninteraction duringthe 100 days. An excellentdiscussionof the 100-day
huandumeditation in theearlyQuanzhenmovementcan be foundin VincentGoossaert,"La
creationdu taoïsmemoderne:L'ordre Quanzhen" (Ph.D. dissertation, Ecole Pratiquedes
HautesEtudes,Sectiondes SciencesReligieuses,1997), pp. 171-219.Also, it is notquiteclear
whether the"100 days" is meantto comprisetheentirety of theregimen.In themoderncompi-
lation,theDachengjieyao - whichcontainsa significant amountof materialidenticalto "Jindan
zhengyan"- 100 days is merelythedurationof theinitialstageknownas "BuildingtheFoun-
dation."This is supposedto be followedby threeyearsof "Nursing"and nineyearsof "Facing
theWall."
13 See
Zhuangzi:Basic Writings (New York2003), translated by BurtonWatson,pp. 86-87.
14 Zhuzhenneidan 1
2/9b-0a .
jiyao ,
Some Troubles and Perils of Taoist Meditation 263
as "kan iX and //$£ [trigramsfromthe Book of Changes] copulating"),15the five

viscera (wuzang 3lÜc: liver,heart,spleen, lungs and kidneys)producingfluidsand
harmoniousqi flowingthroughout theblood vessels and passages withinthebody.
As theyenjoy these invigoratingsensations,practitioners will begin to smell ex-
quisite aromas and savor the sweet fluids that come gushing out fromunder the
tongue. They become able to refrainfromall eating, drinkingand sleeping. (It is
highlyplausible to speculatethatmuch of the difficulty thatpractitioners eventually
come to experience is caused by the lack of food, water and rest.) They will gain
supernormalvision (abilityto see clearly at nightand to see throughsolid objects)
and clairvoyance. They will even become able to see and know of thingstranspir-
ing in the celestial and infernalrealms. They will see strangelightscoming from
theireyes and red mist swirlingover theirheads; in regard to this the reader is
told, "Do not thinkthis is eerie. This is broughtabout by the strengthof the
medicine."16The term "medicine" here most likely refersnot to any actual medi-
cine ingestedby the practitioner,but ratherto the meditationexercise and the sa-
lubriousqi thatit activatesand mobilizes.
However, in sections 6 through8, the text describes phenomena thatmust be
regardedas highlytroublesomeand dangerous. Those described in sections 6 and
7 pertainto mentallife:
λ#mmmÉj«gnnêir mmmm
*mm±m^^rmt^^
Sixth,yourcleverspiritwillleap and dance.You willsinganddancespontaneously,
and uttercrazywordsfromyourmouth.You will composepoetryand will notbe
able to be restrained.These thingsare causedby theThreeCorpses.If you do not
guardagainst all
this, of yourpreviouseffortswillbe wasted.
^#m^mm
mxwi^
urzwtm
fr&=F&miL&
Seventh,you will be sometimes joyfuland sometimessad. Upon meetingpeople
youwill talk,laugh,discourseon themysteries
and expoundupontheTao. This is
also due to the confusionand disorderbroughtabout by the Three Corpse De-
mons.17
Described here is a manic state- accompaniedby depressivemood swings- where
practitionersact out witheccentric,gregariousand incoherentbehavior, in appar-
ent haste to exhibittheirself-fanciedwisdom.18However, the texttells us thatthis
"wisdom" is sheer delusion broughtabout by those infamouscorporeal demons,
15
Kan, whichis comprisedof a solid line betweentwo brokenlines H, is the "yangwithinthe
yin,nwhichhereseemsto denotetheqiM* thatrisesup fromthekidneys.Li, comprisedof a
brokenline in betweentwo solid lines ΞΞ,is the "yinwithintheyang," i.e., thefluidthatde-
scendsfromtheheart.
16 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 2/1Oa.
17 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 2/10a.
18 As I have
pointedout elsewhere,this descriptionis highlyreminiscent of the behaviorof
QuanzhenfounderWangZhe - particularly duringhis yearsof intensiveself-cultivation
at Liu-
Village- describedin thehagiographies.
jiang giJ3# See Eskildsen2004, pp. 104-110.
theThreeCorpses(sanshiELF or HJü). This manic,deludedstateposes a seri-

ous problemindeed- surrendering oneselfto it bringsto naughtall previousef-
fort.
"Qingxiazhenrenneiyongbiwen," anotherdocumentcontainedin the Zhu-
zhenneidanjiyao - and whichseemsto date to theXianchunreignera (1265-
1274) of theSouthernSong period19 - similarlywarnsof manic,deludedstates,
and warnsthatthesecan culminatein insanity.Often,accordingto thisdocu-
ment,suchmentalproblems,as well as physicalproblems,occurbecausepracti-
tioners- mostlythoseaffiliatedwithsectsthatthe authorconsidersunsophisti-
catedor heterodox("side schools" [pangmen^Π]) - are flawedand misguided
in theirtechniques:
Furthermore,peoplethesedayswhoenterintosideschoolsdo notknowtheprin-
of
ciples empty nothingness, andsilentoperation.
spontaneity Instead,theyfool-
ishlypractice
bending, stretching,
blowing, gulping,
rubbing,massaging, leading
andguiding visualization
(lightgymnastics), andconcentratedvision.Ultimately
theygiveriseto deludedthoughtsanddeludedactions,andendup becoming ill.
WhiteLotusTaoistsbecomeyellow-faced (haggard). Taoistsbecome
Qi-circulating
psychotic.20
Whatis meantby "WhiteLotusTaoists" (bailiandaorenÖÄÄA) is notclear,
butitwouldseemto denotemembers of someor otherofthelay sectarian Buddhist
societiesof thetime,21 who taughtand practicedmeditation techniquesof a nei-
dan variety.Whateverthecase, theproblemwiththem,as well as the so-called
Taoists"(yunqidaorenMÃUÀ), seemsto be thattheirmethods
"g/'-circulating
are too complicated and mechanicaland thusfailto fostertheserenityrequiredto
allow thewondersof inneralchemyto unfoldspontaneously. The frequent results
are physicalfrailtyand insanity.
The textfurtheron lamentsas follows:
Whyis itthatteachers
inthepasthaveexplained ofqi inthevari-
this(the"arrival"
hoursoftheday,andhowandwhento "fetch
ousorgansofthebodyatparticular
19 Seen. 3.
20 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 3/2b-3a.
21 These and worshipdevoted
typicallyexpoundeda millenarian, Utopiandoctrinewithmythology
to figuressuchas Amitãbha,Maitreyaand a primalgoddessknownas theGoldenMotherof the
JasperPool (Yaochi Jinmu It is also well knownthatsome of thesegroupsalso in-
í§ft!lá£"fÇ).
corporatedneidan-style meditation and terminology into theirpracticesand teachings.See
Daniel L. Overmyer, PreciousVolumes:An Introduction to ChineseSectarianScriptures
from
theSixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries(Cambridge,Mass. 1999); Daniel L. Overmyer, Folk
BuddhistReligion:DissentingSects in Late TraditionalChina (Cambridge,Mass. 1976); Bar-
endJ. terHaar, The WhiteLotusTeachingsin ChineseReligiousHistory(Leiden 1992).
themedicine"and "transport in detail,and yetlaterpeople stillhave

the fire")22
doubts?This is all because theyare stuckin emptynothingness, and thusdo not
knowhow to embarkupontheexercise.ThustheirWombBreathing (taixi)23is not
completed and they returnto stubborn emptiness.They become careless in their
and
spontaneity get drowned in deluded thoughts and forced actions.Thus their
mindsand spiritsare wronglyexpended,and thisbringsaboutdisease.24
Here the author laments instances where practitionersfall into delusion and dis-
ease while neglectingthe teachingsof knowledgeable teachers. Here theirfailing
comes not frombeing too complex or mechanical in their approach, but rather
frommerelyemptyingthe mind withoutany regard to the subtletiespertainingto
the naturalcyclical operationsof the body and the cosmos. Althoughone should
not tryto force the desired physiological phenomena throughprocedures thatare
too complicatedand meddlesome,it would appear thatsome conscious care should
be takenas to thingssuch as the timeof day, durationand intensityof the medita-
tive trance,as well as perhaps the respiratorytechnique to be employed, and the
partof the body on which to concentrate.
However, most significantly forthis study,"Qingxia zhenrenneiyongbiwen"
goes on to tell us thatmanic and deluded statescan occur among well-guidedand
competentpractitioners after theyhave progressed significantlyin theirpractice,
and have already experiencedmany wondrousphenomena. It agrees with "Jindan
zhengyan" in the view that these are malignantin their nature and source, and
thattheycan bringtrulygrave consequences:
&&&&&&&%μζ& mm* ^bâís« smmm
mmn<Xië
λ
mu B£#5t
ut'ùwr
^w«tt ùtnm&
nz**im&%mm.
mmfà
Forgetyourbody and sit silentlywithyourthoughts stilled.Afteryou have thus
fetched[theinternalalchemicalingredients] and the [proper]juncturein timear-
rives,yourears, eyes, handsand feetwill be clear and strong.The hundreddis-
eases will notexist[in you]. Naturally,[from]yourtwokidneys,firewill rise up
through yourspinelikea chariot.Hot waterwill swirlaboutin yourNiwan(in the
brain),and sweetdew will be constantly drippingintoyourmouth.If you elimi-
nateall thehundredthoughts by preserving thespiritwhilenotsleeping,withina
fewmonthsand a fewdaysyoureyeswillproducea divinelight,and thismind[of
yours]will be thoroughly clear. If you have thenatureof wisdom,theseare the
22 These mattersare discussedin the

text,in quiteabstracttermselusiveto a layperson'sunder-
on pp. 3a-4a of thetext.
standing,
23 This wordis found in Taoistmeditation manualsof variousperiods,and can varyin
commonly
its meaning.It typicallyrefersto some formof respiration in whichinhalationand exhalation
fromthenose and mouthis slowedor temporarily held. In neidantexts,it frequently
refersto a
conditionin whichspiritand qi are broughttogether in thelowerElixirField in thelowerab-
domento conceiveand nurture theinternal elixir.
24 Zhuzhenneidan 4a.
jiyao,
signs. [However],if you attainthis,do notimmediatelythinkthatthisis theulti-

mateTao. Otherwise, you willbecome insane added).25
(emphasis
Therewill stillbe demonichindrances. Whenyouentertheroomto sitand forget,

yourwisdomwill doubleand a hundreddivinemarvelswill occur.All thestrange
and monstrous thingsundertheheavens;the fruitsborn [through karma]before
[this]life and afterdeath; rare encounterswithdivine immortals;and terrors
wroughtby ghostsand spiritswill gatherbeforeyou. [You will have] theEye of
Wisdomof True Suchness.[It will be] as thoughthe gods have attachedthem-
selvesto you. All of thisis producedby demonichindrances.Do notimmediately
takethisto be theTao. You musthold firmly to thesinglethought- theso-called
One of theGreatMystery.Guardthattrueform.You mustnottakedelusionto be
truthnor followyouremotionsas thoughtheywere the [true]nature.If you can
guardtheOne in thisway, you can accomplishtheTao. Manypeople nowadays
of insightand stability
lack stability of strengthat thispoint.Thereforetheybe-
come possessedby externalwickedness.Not only do theynot succeed in their
studyof theTao, theybecomeinsaneinstead(emphasisadded).26
The consequencewarnedof in "Qingxiazhenrenneiyongbiwen"is a direone -
insanity.Practitioners who becomedeludednotonlybecomefailuresby neidan
standards, butalso becomedysfunctional even by ordinarysocial standards.The
firstof theabove twopassageswarnsof theself-delusion and insanitythatresult
whenpractitioners arrogantly over-estimatetheirlevel of attainment.The second
passage warns of how thedelusionand is
insanity wrought by demons - perhaps
theThreeCorpsesare amongthem,thoughsuchis notspecifically indicated.The
demonsdeceiveand temptpractitioners by showingthemvariousvisionsand be-
stowing them with -
psychicpowers genuine,perhaps,but ultimately evil and
harmful - thatlead to thearrogantdelusionand eventualinsanity. Of course,think
whatone may of demonsand theirrole in theprocess,it would appearhighly
plausibleto speculatethatsleep deprivation (encouragedin thefirstpassage) is a
major factorin bringing about the hallucinationsand the variousmentalprob-
lems.27
25 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 3/8a.
26 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 3/8b-9a.
27 Bixuzi
qinzhuanzhizhi,a textthatis mostlyidenticalto "Qingxiazhenrenneiyongbiwen,"of-
fersthefollowinginteresting explanationas to whyit is necessaryto avoid sleeping:"As soon
as you sleep,yourqi immediately changesintoblood and cannotascend.If youdo notsleepbut
insteadstaywide awake, theyangqi will rise. As forordinary people of theworld,theirtwo
eyes are connectedto theliver.Whatcomesto nurture it is thecontrollingspiritof theheart.
Therefore, divine immortals have blue eyes thatdazzle the eyes of otherpeople. Ordinarypeo-
ple who cultivatetheTao shouldnotsleep deeply.If you sleep, theyinqi accumulates,turns
intoblood, and enterstheliver.It will be unableto riseup and nourishthetwo eyes so as to
SomeTroublesand Perils of Taoist Meditation 267
The Xiandaojing, a muchearliertext(Six Dynastiesor Tang), similarlyde-

scribeshallucinations,accompaniedby manic,disorderlyspeech and behavior,
thatoccurat a certainsignificantstageof progressin a meditation regimen.In a
sectionbearingthetitle"Sudaojie" (Explanationon theSimpleDao; 3a-12a), the
textdescribesa methodof innerconcentration and controlledbreathingthatis
carriedoutin a reclining in
position an austerelyfurnished
hut.The exerciseshould
be carriedout 3 or 4 timesa day for 100 days in orderto bringaboutexcellent
results,afterwhichone maycarryitoutas muchas one wants,ifone so chooses.28
(As we have seen, 100 daysis also therecommended durationof practicein "Jin-
dan zhengyan.")Withinseveraldays(2-3 daysformen; 3-5 daysforwomen)of
beginning thepractice,practitionersare supposedto be able to activatetheprimal
qi from theElixirField (dantianΛΈΒ) in thelowerabdomen.Once thishappens,
thereare to be various"signs" such as rumblingin the intestines, hasteningof
pulse,aching in thehands and feet, a sensationof thebody becoming cold and the
fiveviscera "becomeclear and bright"(visibleto the practitioner?). The adept
also beginsto have visions.In regardto thevisionsand theiraccompanying ef-
fects,the text- whichtakes the formof a conversation betweenthe philoso-
pher/deityLaozi and interlocutors- informs us as follows:
Someone asked,"Whatsortsofthings
aretheapparitions
thatonewillonesee?"
Laozi said,"After theTao forsometen,twenty
practicing or moredays,there
willbe a white-headed
old woman,alwaysattended
on herleftor right
bya girl.
Aftera whiletheywillleave,and suddenlyyouwillnotknowwheretheyare.
Thisis theapparition."
Someoneasked,"WhenI see theapparition

myhandsandfeetshake,andI utter
senselesswords,shouldI thenclosemyeyesandcontemplate
uponmy[Elixir]
Field?"
communicate
naturally with theholy"WE Äffitt**ÄE±JR^&tItIM'JHÄ±flt£ Ätt
AmgßUH1
*##îi^ttib m'>x
»flukesfe#atii
λλ«*α#^rt»* m'mm
ftJULAfF^tg±Äffi§
g^fflS(lOa).
28 Xiandao
jing 6a reads: "Laozi said, 'When[practicing]
theTao, carryitout3 or 4 timesa day.
After100 days,theTao is accomplished.Thenyoucan practiceit without[limitin] number[of
timesperday].'" ifB Μ^-ΒΞ,Ε^Ζ WBfê Ä/& &&Ζ^9ί. Xiandaojing lia reads,
"Someoneasked, 'Is therea set durationwithinwhichtheTao is accomplished, or not?' Laozi
said, '60 days is theintermediate durationand 100 days is thegreatduration.Once theTao is
accomplished, thebodywill no longerage. Aftermanyrepetitions and days [ofpractice],your
qi will move aboutlike windand rain.' sKîtJÄBiW PIÄ^ ^Ï0 Tn+BÄ + S 10^
XfS.ÄöM £*'&% ftWBXÄirinÄW.
yourmindand single-mindedly
Laozi said, "Concentrate close youreyes and con-
template uponthe[Elixir]Field. Circulatetheqi as before.Do notgiveup, and do
notentertain doubts.Aftera longwhile,theapparitions willcease."
%ψβ é;*# £*£ M'jjt/g

m& fc»jË£fi!i» à
mmzmmzmwm
Someone asked, "If one constantlycloses the eyes and contemplates upon the
[Elixir]Field,howcan one endup seeingapparitions?"
Laozi said, "If yourmindis notyetconcentrated and yourwill is notyetstable,
you will see apparitions.
Do notbe self-satisfied,
and do notgive riseto fearand
take on othertasks. Do not conversewithit (the apparition).If [a person]con-
verseswithit,itwilltakethepersonawaywithit."
mmm
*sb#îje« n£His&^t mm¥
Someoneasked, "Whenit (theqil theapparitions?) has notyetarrived,myhands
and feetshakeand I uttersenselesswords.I am notdoingthison purpose.Is this
due to somethingnatural?"
Laozi said, "This is somethingnaturallydone by the qi. This is not something
causedby anything wicked."
Someoneasked,"Whatiftheshakingof thehandsand feetand thesenselessutter-

ancesdo notstop?"
Laozi said, "Withinan hour,or at most,twohours,theqi will stabilize,themind
willbecomeconcentrated, and thereby[theshakingandbabbling]will stop."
äcföitJL1i#£AE*
%m s&#
^ía äa# #&*«*'mMAzmrn
Someoneasked, "If I see apparitions,will theystop[comingif I] tell [other]peo-
ple aboutthem?"
Laozi said, "If you tellpeople,thegods will no longercome. The apparitions are
theintermediaries of theRealizedBeings.Do notyell insultsat them.The sound
of theirfootstepsis good."29
Thus,at aroundthepointwherehallucinations handsand
begin,thepractitioners'
feetbeginshaking,whiletheirmouthsbabbleincoherently. These certainlyseem
like worrisomesymptoms suggestiveof mentalor neurologicaldisorder. How-
ever,whilethetextdoes seemtohintinoneplacethatinsanity - or evendeath(?) -
can occur (if such is whatis meantwhenit says thattheapparitions will "take
away" thepersonthatconverses with it), it seemsto the
consider problemsbenign
in origin,and relativelyeasyto overcome.The shakingandbabblingare described
as natural,temporary effectsof theqi thatare "notwicked,"and whichwill sub-
29
Xiandaojing,7a-8a.
side withinan houror two at most;all theadeptneedsto do is to calmlypersist

in the fundamental concentration technique,whichis to focusthe mindon the
ElixirField. The apparitionscan be harmful ifone foolishlyconverseswiththem,
yettheirvisitationsare to be considereddesirable(this whyyou shouldnottell
is
othersaboutyourencounters withthem),sincetheyare "intermediaries" of be-
nevolentRealized Beings, withwhichone does ultimately want to come into
communication.
Taoistsin moderntimeshave also engagedin regimensof secludedmeditation
of 100 days or more,in whichsimilarhallucinations and irregularitiesof action
and speechwereexperienced, or at leastanticipated.Indicationof thisis foundin
theDachengjieyao, a lengthy neidanmanualcompiledin thelate Qing or early
Republicanperiod. This text, which is presentedin theformatof numerousdis-
-
coursesascribed probablymostlyfictitiously - to variousprominent personali-
in severalplaces incorporates
ties,30 passages identicalto thosefoundin "Jindan
zhengyan."It wouldappearthatthetext'smoderncompilershad consulted"Jin-
dan zhengyan"(or some closelyrelateddocument),and regardeditsteachingsas
instructiveand authoritative.Sections6 and 7 of "Jindanzhengyan"- describing
thedelusionand maniathatcan overtakepractitioners - can be foundembedded
in thefollowing discourseinDachengjieyao:
&mXB '%Ύ$}Ζ# ΙΞ^-t» Ξ8ΒΛΑ ΞΓλ^ iÜAM -W##
A DetailedDescription of theDangersof DevilishHallucinations

Bo Letian31 said, "When you entertheroomto carryoutyourexercise,theThree
Hun and Seven Po,32 respectiveEightLuminaries(bajing) of the Three Sec-
the
tions,33theThreeCorpses(sanshi)and NineWorms(jiuchong),34 theFive Viscera
inside
and Six Bowels alongwithall theyin spirits the human body,will be unable
to toleratethestillness.
mifetezm mmmm&^m»*»
mitztjM sme#ã
jríi*-
Χ^ίύιΨï££S ^ΜΦΜ $îA'm ÜEH^ íiij££t£t âffiβ
ff*iftit
£ ffl^fög x^mmmmmk
&mnMggiiffiä *mïïm^#ít 9tit
30 The text'sformatthus
seriouslyraises the questionof whetherspiritwriting(JujitfcÄL)may
have been involvedin thecompilationof thebook. Perhapsthevariousprominent personages
werebeingchanneled(or so itwas perhapsclaimed)withinspiritwriting séances.
31 This refersto noneotherthanBo
Juyiâ® H (772-846), therenownedTang poet. The ascrip-
tionhereseemsalmostcertainly spurious.
32 The nunand are to residein thehumanbodysinceat least
po multiplesouls thatwerethought
theWarringStatesperiod.The former are consideredcelestialandyangin nature,whilethelat-
terare thought to be chthonicandyin in nature.
33 This refersto deitiesthatdwellin the
Upper(head), Middle(chest)and Lower(lowerabdomen)
ElixirFields; thereare eightper "section"fora totalof 24.
34 These are
corporealdemonsthought to habitually
temptpeople intoevil, self-destructive
behav-
ior, so as to cause themto die quicker.The ThreeCorpsesare also thought to sometimesas-
cendto theheavensto reportpeoples' transgressions to thecelestialbureaucracy.
Everytimeyou reachtheclimaxof thetrance(ding),35[theyin spirits]transform

and producehallucinations. You maysee a red snake,or you maysee theQueen
Motherof theWest (Xiwangmu).[You may see] varioussightssuch as phoenix
carriagesand dragonchariots,or theVermillionSparrow(zhuque)and theDark
Warrior(xuanwu).36[You may see] CelestialMastersand ImmortalSons, Jade
Maidensand TrueOfficials,[or hear]musicreverberating. [You maysee] strange
beasts and monstersof extraordinary formand countenance.ImmortalWomen
maycomebeforeyou to discusstheTao. Pale-facedscholarsmaycome to engage
you in discussion.Long flagpolesand jeweled canopiesmay come to greetyou.
[Bearing]celestialdocuments and holychapters,[divineenvoys]mayapproachto
beckonand instruct you. [You maysee visionsof thingsthatoccurred]beforeyour
birth[or willoccur]afteryourdeath.[You maysee] yourfather, wifeand
mother,
children.Withmyriadtransformations, [thespirits]will bringforth
varioustrials.
If you acknowledgethemyou will fallintothedevils' pit,havingbeentempted by
devils.Yourpriorefforts willthenbe wasted.
m&nmfb<&?ε*»n^gii arrama smwftwtfus«mâift
mmjpäh· ^αμ,κ mmm&*«*« immmmit&m slrhr*
You mustlower yourscreenand shutyouropening,kill the mindand be mo-
tionless;themyriaddevilswill thereby retreat.Occasionallyyou shouldopenboth
eyes to emitdivinelightthatwill flashand radiate;thisis yourSwordof Wisdom.
[Then],controlling [yourspiritand qi] withrenewedresolve,gatherit intothe
Cavernof qi. Deeply and serenely,do not look and do not listen.Leave those
wickeddevils alone as theytransform and come; do not concernyourselfwith
themwhatsoever.Firmlyhold to properawareness,and naturallythe devilish
sightswilldisappear.
mm tÄTcttBift
μ^ψά ^ξγμ n&m±m^'^ ^nmn
If yourwisdomleaps and dances,you spontaneously singand dance, uttercrazy
wordsfromyourmouth,composepoems and claim to have alreadyattainedthe
peerless,marvelousTao, knowthatall thisis merelythetrickeryof thespirits,the
mischiefof theThreePengs(sanpeng;i.e., theThreeCorpses). If you have even
theleastbitofjoy, anger,worryor fear,or anyemotionaldistress,yourspiritwill
thenhave wavered.If youcryand laugh,or rejoiceand lament,thisall meansthat
yourprimalspirithas wavered,and is notguardingtheElixir.This is due to the
manipulationof theThreeCorpses,and mustbe putto an end immediately. Strive
to thecraziness.Constantly
hardto entertrance,and pay no attention beware,and
takecontrol.Hopefullyyouwillnotfallintothedevils'pitand wasteyourefforts.
35 This term
originatesin Buddhistliteraturewhere it used to referto the states of trance, or medi-
tative absorption (samãdhi [in Sanskrit]; also transcribedin Chinese as sanmei ΞΐΜ) cultivated
in Buddhistmeditation.
36 The Vermillion
Sparrow and Dark Warrior are the symbolic beasts of the south and north,re-
spectively. The Dark Warrior is depicted in art as a snake wrapped around and conjoined with a
turtle.
Some Troubles and Perils of Taoist Meditation 27 1
You maysee a white[-haired]

old manridingon a dragonor ridingon a deer. If he
calls yourname,yourmindshouldrejectit. You absolutelymustnotanswer.
i£j?3imîjjii %mm%mm
ièva<ùwzw**ïWj&mBmzm&
You maysee theThreeOfficialscomingto examinemeritsand demerits,[or see]
yourkinfolkall receivingpunishments
and threats.Your mindshouldrejectit.
You absolutely
mustnotbecomeworriedor scared,or feelsadnessandpity.
If you acknowledge[anyof thehallucinations]

as beingreality,you will become
startledand awakenedas froma dream.Thus you will definitely
putto wasteyour
practice- thiswouldtrulybe a pity!37
While"Jindanzhengyan,"in thepassageexaminedearlier,does notindicatethat
thedelusionand maniaare precededor accompaniedby misleadingvisions,such
is amplyindicatedherein theDachengjieyao (as it is in "Qingxiazhenrennei-
yongbiwen"and Xiandaojing). The visionsare attributed hereto "devils" (mo
Ä), and are considered extremely harmful and dangerous. is thecase in "Jin-
As
dan zhengyan,"the mania and delusionare attributed specificallyto the Three
Corpses (a.k.a. Three Pengs).38 All of thiscan distract
practitionersfromtheir
fundamental task,which is to "guardtheElixir."At theveryleast,thiscan result
in theirsquandering all priorefforts; in sayingthattheymight"fallintothedevils'
pit," it is perhaps also that
warning theycould fallintoinsanity.Adeptsare thus
advisedto remainconcentrated and undistracted- heretheDachengjieyao is no
different fromtheothertextswe have examinedthusfar.However,it also says
thatadeptsmayhave recourseto the"Swordof Wisdom,"whichhererefersto a
techniquein whichadeptsin perilcan quicklyopen theireyes - apparently the
idea is to shockand driveawaythedevilsby suddenlyexposingthemto light.
In sum, so far,we can see thatTaoist meditation textsfromdiverseperiods
indicatethatpractitioners can at timesexperienceand manifest symptoms sugges-
tive of seriouspsychologicalor neurologicaldisorder.It bears mentioning here
thatsuchtroublesand perilsare well knownwithinmysticaltraditions otherthan
Taoismand outsideof China. A good examplethatcomesto mindwouldbe the
"Zen sickness"suffered by the greatJapaneseRinzai Zen BuddhistmasterHa-
kuinEkakuα PISH (1685-1768), whosesymptoms includeddizziness,dryness
in thelungs(?), coldnessin thelegs, ringingin theears, a weak feelingin the
liver,fear,anxietyand wild fancies.39 In theMuslimSufitradition some practi-
tionershave been knownto becomeinsaneas a resultof havinghad a sudden,
dramaticecstasyof divineunion. Such people are knownas "attractedones"
(majdhub),and are describedas "completelylost and submergedin the divine
37
Dachengjieyao, pp. 75-76.
38 CertainTaoistmeditation
texts,suchas theZhonghuang jing, forexample,providenamesfor
theeach of theThreeCorpses.Theyall have Pengas theirsurname.
39 See Heinrich
Dumoulin,Zen Buddhism:A History,vol. 2. Japan(New York 1990), p. 376.
unity,theireyes'liketwocupsfilledwithblood',inspiring
awe, andat timesshock-
ingpeoplewiththeirbehavior."40
PhysicalAgonies,Suspensionof Breathingand Pulse,

and theDanger of Death
"Jindanzhengyan,"afterwarningof themanic,deludedstatesin sections6 and 7
discussedabove,moveson in section8 to describesomeordeals,mostlyof a more
physicalnature:
A# UHMBSii £*ii£Ä*ß£ PtÄ** £JPÏ*fêftírálA^SH^
S* «'ÙW« »MSiârilA·lîAUè H«íteftiE^^ttr rt^íP- #X±tk
Eight,eventhoughthehundred passageshaveopenedup, iftheqi of thefivegrains

has notbeeneliminated, and theyinqi is notexhausted,diseaseswill notyetdis-
appear.Practitionersshouldmakea covenantwithHeaven,vowingto submitto a
hundredchallengeswitha devotedmind,to cutoffall thoughts of longing,stingi-
ness and greed,to eliminateall ego-hoodand live selflessly,and to be properly
mindfulof whatfacesthem,whileregarding insideand outsideas one. Seize the
properqi of heavenand earth.Extracttheyinand exchangeit withyang. If you
drinkand eat,whether it is muchor little,filthwill flowendlesslyfromyournose.
In yourmouththerewillbe foulodors,rancidimpurities andvomiting.
m^nnj'ns«is*äs %mmmft waû
mmmm
Constantly in thebelly[youhave thesensationof something]risingand falling,of
thunder rumbling, lightning and of windand clouds. You will have leak-
striking
ages risingup fromfrontand back. You will digestgrainsintoa formresembling
silverygreaseandcrossbowpellets.
Fromyourintestines and stomachyou will excretefoulthingsthatare unusually

Afterthisa milkyoil will swirldownwhichis of a pleasant
malodorousand filthy.
andunusualfragrance,and whichcan be smelledbyeveryonearoundyou.
jlkeßt^»«Hfeί^ϋ^ AW>È£'ÙEWM«SS'fcÄΞ
'hffiÄT£fyft«l>
rn& **Ét* aslUítt #*&£«isffi^^ ®e'mifag«fc££
Urinewill swirldownwithfivecolorsof cinnabarsand. This meansthatyouhave
qi will run
If you do notguarddiligently,
been able to stealthemyriadthings.41
out and be lost. If yourmindbecomescarelessand lazy, yourbodywill become
40 See Annemarie
Schimmel, MysticalDimensionsofIslam (ChapelHill 1975), p. 106
41 This
appearsto be an allusion to a passage in theHuangdiyin/u fingjfrftfgföfä(DZ 31/TT
27; ca. Tang period;thistextis frequently citedand commented on by internalalchemists)that
reads,"Heavenand Earthare stolenby themyriadthings,themyriadthingsare stolenby peo-
"
ple, and peopleare stolenby themyriadthings. The objectof theseekerof longlifeis to re-
ceive nourishment and sustenance fromthethingsaroundhim(stealthemyriadthings),without
draininghis vitalitythrough excessivesensualindulgencein thethingsaroundhim(get stolen
fromby themyriadthings).Apparently, theurineis thoughtto bear thefivecolorsof thefive
agents, which is considered an that
indication the body gettingto be properlynourishedby
is
theessentialcosmicenergies,without receivinganydefilementor ill effects.
weak and yourmindvacuous.The ThreeCorpseswill all arise and thesix deple-

tionswill all come about,thusagitatingand disturbingyourmind.While sitting
quietlyyou will giveriseto and
doubts, feel and
fearful uneasy.Whenyoulie down
to sleepyouwillbecomestartled andscared,andhaveendlessvisionsofevilthings.42
This passage describes various difficultiesthat are said to occur because practi-
tionershave not yet purged the body of the "qi of the Five Grains" and the "yin
qi." It appears that adepts are supposed to be undertakingsome very rigorous
formof fasting.As long as theystill eat and drink,theyare thoughtto be suscep-
tible to diseases (as we saw previously, the abilityto do withoutfood drinkand
sleep is one of the desirable effectssaid to result from extended practice). The
fastingis intendedto transforma feeble, unclean yin body into a clean, healthy
yang body. While thisprocess is ultimatelysupposed to bringabout total well be-
ing, it is extremelystressfuland traumaticboth physicallyand mentally.Practi-
tionersexperience a great amountof weariness and anxiety,and will sufferfrom
many digestivedisorders. They will be able to gauge theirprogress in theirinner
purgationby theirexcreta, which are extremelyfoul at first,but latertake on cer-
tain strange,yetpleasant aromas and appearances.
"Lun liutongjue," a probably roughlycontemporaneousessay also found in
the Zhuzhen neidan jiyao, describes a similarprocess of purgationthatoccurs as
one transformsthe body, and at the same time describes a rathergruesome "in-
ternalexcretion," wherebythe impuritiesare released fromthe body as pus from
boils thatwill cover the body.
mmmm%tm
?&*»£m&&mm »m*«m&m
*λ» bj**»
metarn
mm junmwfe®
mm^M
Whenyourmeritis greatand thenumbersare sufficient, youwill change
naturally
yourbody. You will perhapsexcreteinternally, and perhapson the surface[of
yourbody]you will be coveredwithboils emitting malodorousand foul[pus]. If
you do notexcreteinternallyyou will naturally,fromyourlargeand smallintes-
tines,produce[excreta]of fivedifferentcolors. Whenit comes to thisstage,do
notbe afraid.Once you have completelyreplacedtheyin defilements and water
and grains,yourbodywillnaturallybecomecomfortable. If youcan exchangeyour
bonesin themannerof a snakethatshedsitsskinor a cicada thatescapes itsshell,
you can trustthatyourbodyand spiritare bothmarvelous,and you can unitein
truthwiththeTao.43
Scary and hideous thoughthe transformative process may be, "Lun liutongjue"
and "Jindanzhengyan" agree thatit is a necessary and ultimatelybeneficialproc-
ess. The troubles will subside as long as the practitionerperseveres. This is be-
cause practitioners,while restrictingtheirdiets, manage to produce, nurtureand
mobilize internalqi thatcan nourishand permeatethe body. The "Jindanzheng-
yan" explains as follows:
42 Zhuzhenneidanjiyao, 2/1Oa-11a .
43 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 3/13b.
Whenresidingin yourquietroomit is crucialto avoidbad odorsand filth,as well

as theqi of [foods]of variousfragrancesand flavors.Also, avoid foodsthatare
raw, cold or firm,as well as foodsthatare salty,tasty,spicyor sour. If you do
notavoidthese,therealqi of thefiveviscerawillbecomedamaged.
m^ *«ι*α mmmm
^έμμ,^ ft^m hjäü Ttuytm ^n
mi -bEB«^Λ$ι*ρnm^Mm&M Mnnwmm.nMTtm
«t£ê
ϋ44^
If the qi of the fivevisceraare produced,and theyascend and descendwithout
clogging,and if thehundredvessels flowthroughout, and theprimalqi fillsthe
belly,you will naturally stopdrinking and eating,withoutever becominghungry
or thirsty.If you startto feelmoreand moretiredand distressed, do notconsider
thisto be strange.Afterseven days (or seven timesseven days?),45yourqi and
strength will increase.Your spiritwill [then]be pureand yourqi will becomein-
vigorated.Day and nightyou will notsleep. Soon you will getyourmyriadspirits
to dwell peacefully[withinyou], and theqi will returnto thePrimalSea. Drink
and foodwillnaturally be eliminated
(?).46
Thus,by restrictingtheirdiets,practitionersavoiddoingdamageto theirfivevis-
cera (liver,heart,spleen,lungs,kidneys),whichin turnproduceinternalqi that
eventually comes to permeatethebodyand fillthebelly,thusrendering practi-
tionersinvulnerableto hunger,as well as fatigueand sleepiness.
"Jindanzhengyan"goes on to give severalmoredescriptions of traumasthat
-
willbesettheadept all of whichshallpass aftercomingto a crisis:
ϋϋ *
«#WB#
&*&&£ ΜΜϊΊ'υHii^fn ϊ#ΐ^£ ΞΜΡΒ*«fc-ô-«d>
% u^mm±x^p$ τχ^ ^mzm mMf&ÉL
Mmmvt nm
m^nifo.
Suddenlyyou are afflictedwithillness. Wicked qi attacksthe heart,the Three

thefiveqi are notproduced,theThreePas-
Burners(sanjiao)41are disharmonious,
sages are blocked,and yourdrinking eatingdecrease.Coldnessand heathave
and
are notconstant.Thereis a sourand bit-
theirtimes(?). Advancingand retreating
tertastein themouth.Fromabove nothingdescends,and frombelow nothingas-
44 The characterm
y ÜL,whichwouldnormallymeanto advanceor move forward,sometimesis
cognatein meaningand usage to thecharacter jin #, whichmeansto exhaustor come to an
end. Here I have determined - thatsuch is thecase. However,it is possiblethat
- tentatively
thefinalsentenceoughtto be translated, "Drinkand foodwill advancenaturally."If so, this
wouldseemto meanone of twothings.It perhapsmeansthattheadeptwill be nourishednatu-
rallyby a moresublimeformof nutrition thatis in thepureqi of thebody;or itperhapsmeans
thatonce thefastis brokenafterthebodyhas beenpurified and revitalized, will
thepractitioner
havea healthy,robustappetite.
45 The texthere
(whichreadsqi si yihou-fcΕ Βί$) does notmakesense,and seemsto be corrupt.
It probablyshouldreadqiriyihou-fc0 B# ("aftersevendays"), or qiqi yihou-fc-fcBÎt(after
seven[times]seven[days]).
46 Zhuzhen
neidanjiyao,2/1la.
47 The entrance to thestomach,theinsideof thestomachandtheentranceabove thebladder.
cends.Bloodaccumulates betweentheheartandlungs.Suddenly youwillvomita

blood.Theillness
fewbowlsfullofpurplish-blackish willthengradually
goaway.48
Here is describeda greatphysicalmalaisewherethedesirablephysiological phe-
nomena- theproduction and circulation of theqi instrumentalto concoctingthe
InnerElixir- temporarily stagnate.Puzzlingandproblematic here,perhaps,is how
thepassage also mentions theloss of appetiteas a disconcertingsymptom of this
illness.Sinceelsewherethetextseemsto strongly is
implythattheadept supposed
one mightthinkthattheloss of appetitewouldbe considereda good
to be fasting,
thing.Perhapstheunstatedassumption is thatthereis a certaindesirablepace at
whichpractitioners shoulddecreasetheirfoodintake.Perhapsthedisease causes
theadeptto lose appetitemoreabruptly thannormal,whichis considereddiscon-
certing. Whatever the case, the crisiscomes to a climaxwitha trulygruesome
phenomenon (thevomiting of darkpurpleblood), whichis regardedas buta na-
turalpartof therecoveryprocess.It is notclear(to thisauthor,anyway)whatthe
propermedicalexplanation forthiswouldbe, and one certainly wonderswhether
thesituationin factmeritsmuchgreaterconcernthanthetext indicates.It would
appearthattheassumption of thetext'sauthoris thatthevomiting of darkpurple
bloodconstitutes thepurgation of thepathogens(yinqi HHO fromthebody.
Further on, thetextstates:
fêm -i$s» n^mm-#^mmztosig«*

mt>%&
Your drinking and eatingwill decrease,and graduallythiswill bringabouta pe-
riodof weakenedenergy.Or, thiswillbringabout... (herethereseemsto be a la-
cuna in thetext)... Or, you mightfeelpain in thelowerbelly. [You may feel]a
stabbingpain in botharmpits.Your six bowels may emita noise resembling the
tearing of silk. This all occursbecause the chronicdiseases of yourvisceraand
bowels are beingattackedby the strength of themedicine.This will come about
temporarily, and will cause you to constantlybe thirsty.
Therebyyou can drink
licoricesoup,butmuststrictly avoidthevariousthings(foodand drink).
zn^m mm^m
^φα« «&*£ **#&h τ
b^&u^z mmmm
The Five Spirits(ofthefiveviscera)are notpure,andyoufeelanguishin yourbreast.
Your mindis hazyand you feeluneasywhenlyingdownto sleep. Do notconsider
thisstrange.Justguardit single-mindedly, and gradually[theuneasiness]will go
away. Once you have excreted
a foul and malodorousstrangesubstance,theillness
willgraduallygo away.49
The ailmentsdescribedhereare certainly muchmoreeasy to understand, particu-
larlyiftakenas furtherevidencethatpractitioners
wereundergoing intensivefast-
ing. Exhaustion,abdominalpain, thirstand anxietycan be seen as verynatural
resultsof excessivephysicalstress,malnutrition
and seclusion.Yet, thetextclaims
thatall thetroubleswill cease whenpathogensare excretedas large waste,and
48 Zhuzhen
jiyao, 2/11a-b.
neidan
49 Zhuzhen
neidan
jiyao,2/12a-b.
that practitionersshould persevere in the austere regimen, partakingin nothing

beyond the prescribedlicorice soup. Much of the anguish, it claims, is actually
caused by the good, salubrious yang qi β§ϋ< (the "medicine") that is attacking
and purgingtheyin qi thatcauses the body's chronicillnesses.
The textfurtherstates,
You give riseto a rawdisease(??). Your bodyfeelsas thoughfieryqi is steaming

and bakingthefourextremities. Day and nightyou feelconfused,agitatedand de-
lirious.The hundredjointsfeela sourpain, as thoughtheyare beingbeatenand
crushed.The fieryqi bakes and refinesyoursinewsand bones fora long time.
Then,unexpectedly, comesoutandyouare fine.This is thetrueeman-
perspiration
cipation.50
Here, apparently,the curative,purgativeqi manifestsits presence in the formof
fever,deliriumand anxiety.The pathogens,whenpurged,come out as perspiration.
Once the body has been purged of pathogensand revitalizedby the salubrious
inner qi, it appears that practitionerswere allowed to resume eating, although
theirdiet mustbe keptbland. The "Jindanzhengyan" states,
be*5« *&ig#WS4ÄmmzM *mmsi*L&
avoid thevariousflavors.
Once you are eatingthe fivegrains,you muststrictly
Theydamagethelivingqi. Newlyrinsedqi cannotstandup totheqi ofgrains(?).51
The meaningof this passage - especially the last sentence- is not entirelyclear.
However, the implicationhere seems to be thatadepts will resume eating; the en-
joinder here seems to be to then limit oneself to the bland staple foods, and to
avoid strongflavors.The textfurtheron statesas follows:
mm^mg^^îfe
-mmm~smwm
íîrifs ρψΐ?*** >u>+*ntä
Everyyearyou eat thefivegrains,and you alwaystastefragrant flavorsin your

mouth.Your mindand spiritare peacefulandjoyful.Witheach circulation[ofqi],
thehundredblood vessels are all orderly.Peacefulthroughoutthe fourseasons,
you naturally unitewithheavenand earth.Move and circulateaccordingto the
numbersofyin andyang.Withintheintervals of thecomingand goingof thesun
and moon,and thecomingand goingof day and night,do notlose [harmony] with
thenumbers.52
This passage seems to describe adepts who, having once purifiedand transformed
themselvesthroughthe rigorous regimen,live harmoniouslyand contently;they
eat just the "five grains" and consider themdelicious, much like of the denizens
of theLaozïs (ch. 80) primitiveutopia, who considertheirfood "sweet."
50 Zhuzhen 2/12b.
neidanjiyao,
51 Zhuzhen
neidanjiyao,11a.
52 Zhuzhen
jiyao,2/1lb-12a.
neidan
An influential precedent to thistheoryand methodof purgation and revitaliza-

tionthrough starvation whichI have discussedin a previousstudy- 53is found
-
in the Zhonghuang jing (Taiqing zhonghuangzhenjing^^φ^^^). The
commentary to theZhonghuang jing (whichis datableto roughly700) describesa
rigorousfastingregimenhighlyreminiscent in manyways to thatof "Jindan
zhengyan."By abstaining from all food and eventuallyall drinkas well - early
on, the drinkingof special soups made withingredients such as sesame seeds,
powdered tukahoe (filling^^), milk,honey and matrimony vine(gouqiffOtö)is
-
permitted practitioners are to purgetheirbodiesof impurities. Thisleadsto vari-
ous problemssuchas thirst, hunger,fatigue, emaciation, depression andanxiety.As
practitioners purge their bodies of all small and largewaste, their urinebecomes
a yellowish-orange (a symptom of dehydration), and theyexcreteblood,puss, fat
deposits and a
finally, slimy membrane. All of thistakesplace withinabout30
days, after which no
practitioners longer feel hunger,and startto show marked
improvement in theirphysicaland mentalcondition.Unlikethe "Jindanzheng-
yan," the Zhonghuang jing gives a concrete,straightforward descriptionof a
methodof imbibingqi (juqi WMò thatis to be carriedout duringthistime,and
foran additional70 days,fora totalof 100 days. It involveslyingon one's back
and swallowinglarge quantitiesof air intothe esophagus.Apparently, by thus
fillingtheirdigestivesystemwithair, adeptstriedto staveoffhunger.The text,
of course,claimsmorepositivelythatthesalubriousqi in theair thusswallowed
nourishesand strengthens the body, while attackingand purgingits pathogens
and resident demons,particularly theinfamous ThreeWorms(a.k.a. ThreeCorpses
or ThreePengs)thatdwellin theUpperMiddleand Lower ElixirFields. By the
end of the 100 days,practitioners obtainhealth,strength and wisdomfarsurpass-
ing whattheyhad priorto embarking on theregimen.Furthermore, theyobtain
an "X-rayvision"of sortsthatenablesthemto "see" theirfiveviscera;fromthis
pointtheyare to moveon to thetechnique of "womb-breathing" (taixi),whichhere
denotesa methodof breath-holding and innervisualization by which one activates
marvelous,salubriousqi thatdwellsinnately withinthefiveviscera.
The manysimilarities betweentherespective100-dayregimensin the "Jindan
zhengyan"and the Zhonghuang jing make one wonderwhetherneidan practi-
tionersof theSouthernSong/Jin- Yuan periodand onwardwereperpetuating the
samemethoddescribedin theZhonghuang jing. (Significantly,the "Lun baguan-
jie," a textthatis mostlyidenticalto thefirstfewpages of "Jindanzhengyan,"
quotesa shortpassage fromtheZhonghuang jing thatreads: "Justimbibethe[qi
of] OriginalHarmonyand eliminatetheFive Grains"jB^jtÛ^'SM-54) How-
ever,one mustnotethat"Jindanzhengyan"makesno mentionof swallowingair
intotheesophagus.Unless "Jindanzhengyan"has merelyomittedvitalinforma-
tionpertaining to thecontentof theexercise,it wouldappearthatneidanpracti-
53 Asceticism
in EarlyTaoistReligion(Albany1998), pp. 44-51.
54 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 3/11a.
tionersof thetimetookto hearttheZhonghuang jing's notionofpurging theThree

Corpsesandevilqi through fasting, butemployed a differenttechnique indoingso.
Rigorousdietarydiscipline is also required for the method described in "Su-
dao jing" sectionof theXiandaojing. Duringthecourseof theregimen, one must
eat only "dryand light"foodssuchas parchedrice, roastedwheat,driedmeat,
jujubesand chestnuts; eatinglightis said to facilitate one's endeavorto breathein
themannerrequiredby the exercise.Afterone ceases to practicethe regimen,
one mustwait100 daysbeforeresuming eatingheavierfood,buteventhenshould
maintaina modestfoodintake.Ideally,if one aspiresto immortality, one should
to all
try stopeating together, and with sustained practiceone is supposedto be-
comeimpervious to hungerandthirst. 55
"Sudao jie" is followedin theXiandaojing by a sectionentitled"Juegushiqi
fa," or "MethodforEliminating Grainsand Eatingqi" (12a-14a). Althoughthis
sectionmayin factconstitute a textuallayerof separateprovenancefromthatof
thesectionprecedingit, it is plausibleto speculatethatthecompilerof theXian-
dao jing intended thetechniquedescribedin the "Juegushiqifa" to be employed
as themeansof facilitating thefastrecommended forthemostambitiousadeptsin
the "Sudao jie." The technique,whichis to be undertaken in the morning,in-
volvesfirstinvokingone by one the three deitiesYuanxian Diqing7U5fe^5BP, Zi-
dan Guangjianψ ;f*Bft§? and YuanyangGuxuan7Üß§#1C,to respectively guard
theUpper,MiddleandLowerElixirFields,so as to enableone to obtainthe"port-
able feasts"(xingchuÍT/Sf)thatwillmakeone's qi abundantand sufficient. Then,
in a reclining a
position,with singlepeppercorn placed in the mouth (to stimulate
salivaryflow),one is to swallow360 mouthfuls (4 repetitions of 90 swallows,
withpausesforrestin between)of salivamixedwithair (takenintothemouthvia
thenose). The idea, then,is fortheair and salivathusswallowedto substitute for
55 The"Sudao
jie" section
oftheXiandao jing(8a-b)contains thefollowing passages:"Someone
asked,'Whatshouldoneeat?'" sRISlitSfctëfitÎ."Laozi said,'Eat things thataredryand
such
light, as parchedrice,roasted wheat, driedmeat,jujubes and This
chestnuts. enablesyour
to be
respirations sustained, and is theway to nurturelife'"if 0 #U£fiái4ÉI fiH^J^M
BiSS ^JEÍ^-ft#£álit. "Someone asked,'Afterwards, afterhowmanydayscanoneeat
heavyfoodsandcookeddishes?'"sRFît Bíf HBõIÍ#t"At/ÍII?^. "Laozisaid,Ί00 days
aftertheTao is accomplished youcantakethesethings as yourfood.However, itis essential
thatyoulimityourintakeof it'" if Ξ it^cíSHH Sfcfl^'frWÜSfid^*. "Someone
asked,'IfI constantly theqi oftheTao, shouldI cutoffgrains?'"HKfnJil
[cultivate] ifîilA "I
£gf5/p."Laozi said,'If youwantto transcend theworldandseparate fromthevulgar,you
mustquickly cutthemoff.Ifyoulengthily [nourish
yourself] withqi andbreath,youwillnei-
therthirstnorhunger. Thisis thegreatessentialoftheTao'" if Β j&íftStttgifê M^fëZ
WÄ,JAA>^01^ί§ ϋλ^. "Someone asked,'Ifyouwanttopractice concentratedmedi-
is itacceptable
tation, ifonedoesnotwanttocutoffgrains?'"äcfnäilSfcSflS ^SfcSBiS"I
>F. "Laozisaid,'Whenyoueatgrainsandfillthebelly,therancidness accumulates intopiles
offeces,andthegodswillnotdwellinthebody.Ifyoujust[practice] Tao without af-
ceasing,
tera longwhileyouwillnaturally no longerhunger'"if Β iMSflftfi JÄifAlt tt^/ST^
ordinary food;thus,in itsbasic principles,themethodis rathersimilarto thatof

theZhonghuang jing. "Juegushiqifa" goes on to describe- in a mannerrather
resembling whatwe have seen in "Jindanzhengyan,"Zhonghuang jing and "Su-
dao jie" - a 100-dayprocess of psycho-physical transformationentailingboth
traumasand wonders:
zm m'mm^wmm±m^mήε*αμβ rnrnymmmäfä ^zm

mmmim^zmm&mvt
AflfiíB« ^zn su mmμαλ
<ùM%m
#jï^zm mmmmmmis -t^zm<ù^mm A^zm $*â
Mm^rn
nmmn
^s inwmiïA^zm gkmmw +®zm*üäwme&bi
Afterthreedaysof cutting offgrains,you willcometo a minorcrisis,and after14
daysyou will come to anotherminorcrisis.Your head will feeldizzy. [However],
youmustnotbe suspiciousor fearful.After10 daysof abstaining fromgrain,your
complexionwill be feebleand yellow,because thestrength of youressenceand qi
will initiallybe weak. After20 days yourmovements will be dazed and clumsy,
yourlimbsandjointswill becomeswollen,yourlargebowel movements will be-
come slightlydifficult, and yoururinewill become reddishyellow,and nothing
more.At timesyou will havediarrheathatis suddenat firstand stronglateron (?).
After30 days,yourbodywillbe emaciatedand gaunt,and yourmovingaboutwill
be heavyand difficult. After40 days yourpale complexionwill turnruddy,and
yourmindwill be at ease. After50 days yourfiveviscerawill be harmonious as
youressenceand qi nourishyou within.After60 daysyourskinand bodywill be
as [good] as before[thefast],and yourfunctions will be harmonious and relaxed.
After70 days,yourheartwill come to disdainnoiseand clamor,and youraspira-
tionwill be to flyup high.After80 days you will be calm and serene,withclear
insighton the techniquesand methods.After90 days your[complexion]will be
gloriousand lustrous,and yourvoice will be loud and clear. After100 days your
essenceand qi will have fullyarrived,and theirefficacywill flourishincreasingly
daybyday.56
The practice of purgingthe body of pathogensthroughrigorousdietarydiscipline
has also been carried on into moderntimes. This at least is suggestedby the fact
that the Dacheng jieyao incorporatespassages cognate to those quoted above
from"Jindanzhengyan" which pertainto the purgationby fastingand the physi-
cal/mentalrigors it brings about.57One also finds the following discourse that
pertainsto fasting,why it is necessaryand what effectsit bringsabout:
HeavenlySecretson the Eliminationof Grainsand the Wisdom[broughtabout]

Trance
through
56
Xiandaojing,13a-b.
57 These
passagesare foundin Dachengjieyao, pp. 84-85, withina discourseentitled"Heavenly
SecretsforStealingtheProperqi of Heavenand Earth"(Dao tiandizhengqitianjiî&î&IEA,
^fll), whichis ascribedto Shangyangzi_h1§T - thisalmostcertainly refersto ChenZhixuΚ
SÄ, one of themostprolificneidanauthorsof theearly14thcentury.
Yuanduzi58said, "While transforming

intopureyang, whymustthe mindbe in
bondageto the flavors
of theworld?If thuseatingis noteliminated,
theyangwill
be impure,andyouwill suffertheattacksandharassments fromyindevils.
mw-##£
ww-#Pi*wrnkmrn^
^ssmt* mmmm
isw&Bl
Truly,if a singlefractionof food is present,a singlefractionof yin will come
forth.If you wanttheyinto be eliminated and theyangto be pure,you mustput
an end to all worldlyflavors.If you cut offyourdustyconnections, you will be
able to suddenlysufficiently
give rise to wisdom and
(hui),59 thuscut offgrains
and notthinkof food.
If you are able to quicklystopeating,theattainment and emergenceof trancewill

also be rapid. If you are slow to put an end to eating,thenthe attainment and
emergenceof trancewill also be retarded.If yourthoughts are not stopped,and
yourmindfeelsand thinksof manythings,thefireand theElixirwill getcold; the
PrimalSpiritwill be unableto guardtheqi, whichin turnwill transform intothe
breathof respiration, or turnintothesemenof copulation.If humanthoughts are
noteliminated, desireswill notbe eliminated,and to theend you will be unableto
stopeating.It willbe difficult to thegreattrance,and thereare thosewho
to return
put to waste all priorattainmentbecause of this.
SimplywaituntiltheGoldenFluid has all descended,and thestarsof thecup of

the Dipper stoptheirorbit.To thisyou shouldadd theexerciseof cleansingthe
bellyand eliminatingdreams.Once you have eliminatedworldlyflavorsforgood,
and pulse will bothbe cutoff,and thus
and no longerfallasleep,yourrespiration
yourembryowillbe completeandyourSpirit60 willbe complete.
àîPtîJR?Ε«ΐΨ ffi^MWfl *rT
ffiltS TníIÍIA »ftffiM2IWIr*n
$fflÄ« «M^ffl Ü75E:£
The Primal qi of Great Harmony fills you up within,and you do not give rise to
hunger. The Five Aggregates are all [recognized] as empty,and the Six Penetra-
tions (tong; abhijnã [in Sanskrit])61are suddenlyall sufficient.As the lightof wis-
58 This refersto Zhao

YouqinÄÄtfc (fl. 1329), Quanzhenmasterand reveredteacherof thepro-
lificneidanauthorChenZhixu.
59 This refersin Buddhistliterature wisdomof enlightenment
to themystical,intuitive (prajnã [in
Sanskrit];also transcribedin Chineseas panruo A&î?), whichis something entirelydifferent
fromtheknowledgeacquiredthrough or ordinary
study,logicalspeculation sensoryexperience.
60 Here thetextis to a immortal - formed and nurtured thein-
referring singular, entity through
ternalalchemicalprocess- thatcan survivethedeathof thebody.Thustheword"spirit"is ca-
pitalized.
61 This
term,of Buddhistorigin,refersto thespecialpsychicand physicalpowersthatadvanced
practitionersof meditationreputedly (liutong/'il) alludedto in
acquire.The Six Penetrations
Buddhistliteraturesinceancienttimesinclude1) theabilityto go anywhereinstantaneously, 2)
dombeginstoopenup,youshouldbegintohaveknowledgeofthings
beforehand;
however,you must
not use
carelessly this If
wisdom. youhavewisdombutdo not
useit,thewisdom
willbe produced
evenmore.
If whilehidingyourbrilliance youwrongly use yourwisdom,yourtrancewill

beckonexternal demons.In thesamemanner thatcloudsconcealthesun,your
lightof wisdom will disappear, you will have no andyourPenetra-
clairvoyance,
tionwillno longer penetrate.It is what can be known, and therefore
itmustbe re-
stricted!62
Thus,firstof all, fastingis recommended becauseeatingcausesyin forcesto per-
sist in thebody,whichwill bringforthdemonichallucinations. Also, themore
quicklypractitioners are able to do away witheating,themorequicklytheyare
able to enterintotrancestatesof higherconsciousness.In thesestatesof higher
consciousnesstheyattainenlightenment and psychicpowers(clairvoyancein par-
ticular),which,however,theyshouldtakecare notto flauntor use unnecessarily.
Wheneatingand drinking are putto an end and thegreattranceis entered,prac-
titioners also no longersleep. (The phrase,"If yourthoughts are notstopped...
thePrimalSpiritwill be unableto guardtheqi, whichin turnwill transform into
thebreathof respiration, or turnintothesemenof copulation, " that
implies prac-
titioners up to thispointare struggling to refrainfromsleepingand ejaculation
[voluntary and involuntary], and are sublimating theirqi fromgrosserto finer
modesin theprocess.)Most amazingly,perhaps,theirbreathing and pulse come
to a halt.
The suspensionof respiration and pulse, in fact,is also mentioned in "Jindan
" as the most
zhengyan, perhaps wondrous and blessedphenomenon, which signi-
fiestheattainment of immortality itself:
ffiÄHMiifÖ
£#IR#ttWM m^ïtm mMfe «¥η&^ίίΕΠ
# fl)ig^£
Unexpectedly, thehundredpassagesflownicely,themyriadspiritsassemble,and
thefiveqi blendtogether and returnto theprimalocean. Naturally,both[breath
and pulse] becomestabilized.Exhalationand inhalationno longergo throughthe
mouthand nose. No pulsewillbe presentin thebloodvesselsof cunandguan [sec-
tionsof thewristsand arms].This is trulythegreattrance.If you can remainab-
sorbedlike this for an entireday (100 ke), and therebycompletethe exercise,
herebyyoubecomea divineimmortal of the[Heaven]of theGreatNet.63
Amazingly,we are told, it is possible to suspend breathingand pulse foran entire
day - once this is accomplished, one is a "divine immortal."It appears, however,
abilityto see intothepastand future, 3) abilityto hearsoundsfromgreatdistances,4) abilityto

readminds,5) recollection of one's past lives, and 6) theabilityto eliminateignorance,along
withall cravingforexistenceand sensualpleasure.
62
Dachengjieyao,p. 82.
63 Zhuzhenneidan
jiyao, 2/12b.
thatduringtheensuingfiveor six centuries,some neidanpractitioners came to

consideritpossibleto remainin sucha stateforconsiderably longerthanjust one
day; at the same time, however, they were clearlyaware of theextremedanger
involvedin attempting this.On thismatter,Dachengjieyao providesample in-
formation. Muchof thisinformation it provideswithina discourseentitled
"Heav-
enlySecrets on the Authentic Signsof theGreat Medicine Reaching the Summit,"
whichis ascribedto thelegendary neidanmaster-immortal ZhongliQuan Α^Ιβ
(Patriarch Master IE
Zhengyang Pi). The discourse beginswitha description of
how,duringa certainadvancedstageof meditation, can sendthesa-
practitioners
lubriousyangqi (the "GreatMedicine")up through thespineand intothebrain.
At thispointpractitioners feelnumbnessall overthebody,alongwithsometem-
porarytingling and itchingsensationson theface("as thoughantsand spidersare
crawlingover it"). Theyfeeleuphoricand lightin thebody. Also, largequanti-
tiesof saliva well up in themouth,whichtheydo theirbestto swallow.The text
thenstatesas follows:
MummΛΐίΐί*ít%m #**π*£<«γα
ift^pp^ttiH g$m£iRf?%
At thistimethemouthis closedand is too lazy to open. The bodyis sunkenand is
too lazy to move. You enterintoprimordialchaos, and transform intonon-action.
You knownotwhereyourbodyis. Naturallyyourbreathing stopsand yourpulse
stops.Real qi fillsyouup, andyouno longerthinkof eating.
=m®m mmm frmmk
®-n bjk*£wm*mbpub«* λα
Duringthe firstmonth,if the breathingand pulse do not stop, this is because
grainshave notbeen cut off.You can thendecreaseyoureating.In threemonths
you naturallycome to avoid grains.Afterfourmonthsyou will forevercut off
cookedfoods,and youwilltrulynotbe eating.Thusit is said, 'You will no longer
thinkof eating,once theqi is abundant'.
ffiitSirHêW£?EW/L**£
Bfft^fêJWffl^Sfc
Mitfc^MffîfêftJtëîB
If whenyou get to this,and yetgrainsare notcut off,thenit will be difficult to

eliminatetheyinqi. If theyinqi is noteliminated, you will be and
obstructed im-
pure,and you will stillthinkof food.You will stillbe an ordinary personwhoun-
dergoes lifeand death. You thus have no trance-strength,and it be said that
cannot
theqi is abundant.
î&^MjJfc
SMSRSï&ftg$5Jtt«*®ll *CJ£*S1r ïïffltmΒ
<fcfc£j*
n^^m «
&^ήτ-μζ* íitnmmzm
*ίϋλ^*^ί± K*w-H#7t
Soon, once you reacha stateof sereneillumination and rigorouseffort,you will
naturallyget to wherethe is
spirit fulland no
you longer thinkof sleepingand the
qi is sufficient
to where no
you longer thinkof eating. When the exercisereaches
thispoint,themindhas no birthand extinction. It is alwayssereneand alwayslu-
minous.Breathneitherexitsnorenters;neithercomes norgoes. All thatyou are
awareof is a bundleof auspiciouslight,amidstneitherbeingnornon-being.This
is similarto thestateof theembryo,as it solidifiesin thebellyof itsmother.Even

if therewere noises of blaringhornsand boomingdrums,you would not notice
them.64
Thus, practitioners are to entera stateof utterself-oblivion in whichvoluntary
physical movement seems to become or
impossible, at least verydifficult.Also,
the sense facultiesbecomecompletely disengagedand obliviousof any external
sensorystimuli,whilethemindremainssereneand fullof thepurelightof wis-
dom.65The involuntary bodilyprocessessuchas breathing, circulationand diges-
tion/metabolism seem to go intosuspensionas well. The lack of consciousneed
forfood,drinkand sleep go handin handwiththisstateof suspension.Inability
to weanoneselffromdependenceon fooddrinkand sleephindersone's abilityto
enterintothe stateof self-oblivion and physicalsuspension;however,once one
has enteredthisstate,the struggleto refrainfromeating,drinking and sleeping
ceases to be a struggle.
The stateis comparedto thestateofthefetusin thewomb;
it is deemedtantamount to theoriginal,purest,mostyouthful state,and perhapsa
rebirth of sortsthatresultswhenthemundanementaland physicalfunctions are
temporarily "dead."
The conceivableproblem,however,is thatthistranceresembling temporary
deathmightbringaboutactual,irreversible physicaldeath unless certainprecau-
tionsare taken:
ιξ^β m&mm
útmŒ3?ffi#aHt %*mmsot«^«?*^ μλ^μ
At thistimeyouwillneeda companion to guardandattend you.Afterthreeto
sevendays(or,perhaps, 21 [3x7] days?)[yourattendant] shouldcall andwake
you[from yourtrance].If he doesnotcall andwakeyou,it is to be fearedthat
yourPrimalSpiritwilldepartitsdwelling duringthetrance,
andfallintotransmi-
gration.He shouldpressuponyouryinqiaoaperture (yinqiaoxue;a pressure point
in theperineum,locatedbetween thegenitalsandanus).Theyinqiaoaperture is
theapertureofqi. Or,he shouldlightly slapyouon yourbackwhilecallingyour
name,whereupon youwillcometolifeagain.66
Thus, we are told thatpractitioners,at thisadvancedstageof practice,need to
have an attendant
present to waken them outof theirtrance,sinceit is fearedthat
the PrimalSpiritwill "fall intotransmigration" and neverreturnto thebody -
meaning,of course,actualdeath.Thismuch,at least,can be understood fromthe
above passage,althoughthisauthoris leftwithsomeuncertainty as to therecom-
mended"safe" durationof thegreattrance.Whateverthecase, hereit is claimed
thatthegreattrancecan be safelysustainedforquitea bit longerthanthesingle
day mentionedin "Jindanzhengyan,"althoughgreatcare mustbe takennot to
64
Dacheng jieyao, pp. 59-60.
65 Here one is somewhatreminded
of thestateof uniondescribedin theautobiography of the 16th
centuryRomanCatholicvirtuosomystic,St. Teresa of Avila. See The Lifeof Saint Teresa of
AvilabyHerselfJ.M. Cohen,trans.(London1957), pp. 122-127.
66
exceed the safe duration. (It is of some interest,perhaps, to note here that the
Zhonghuangjing [in the commentaryportiondating to ca. 700] states that once
one has advanced to the stage where one practices the methodof breath-holding
and visualizationknownas "Womb Breathing,"one needs to have an attendanton
dutyto keep guard and to help keep trackof the durationof the breath-holding.)67
Within a discourse entitled"Returningto the Root and RestoringLife" (as-
cribed to a certain "Zhiyizi" ί£- -^f68) the Dacheng jieyao provides some more
commentsregardingthe tranceof suspendedbreathingand pulse:
^mxmm^m *mw&'M»-bmnmto
%!ämmfezm nmëM
*«4:B ^*Μ>Αίί ëttAte««tâl^ mmïtZ fê
?EHRΨΙΙΞΞΒ
til
you reachtheclimaxof quiettrance,you will be completely
If in sitting unaware
of humanaffairs,you will have no breathing,and thesix typesof blood vessels69
will all come to a halt.Duringa smalltranceof one day, you will be murkyand
unaware,and it will seem as thoughyourqi is exhaustedand yourbodyis dead.
[However],even ifyou are in a mediumtranceof threedays,or a greattranceof
sevendays,one neednothave misgivings thatthisis seatedtransformation(physi-
cal death).This is thetimewhenspiritand qi have returnedto therootin orderto
restorelife.It is thebeginningof theforming of theembryoand thenurturing of
theorigin.
ÈAft&3Ι#λΐ*ίΕm&ftX-MΕ^*Ψ*£
Trulyyou will requirea companionto guardyou. Nothingwhatsoever can be al-
and move the RadiantSpirit(yangshen)in trance.The practi-
lowed to frighten
tionermustnotmove foranyreason,thereby wronglycomingout of trance.You
and quicklypulltheSpiritintothegreattrance.
mustcontinueto stopthebreathing,
Singleqi arrivefromoutof emptynothingness.
You willthensee thePrimordial
swa ^mm&sm^ft
îs ÀW£?E
The ancientshave said, "People have birthsand deathsbecausetheyhave respira-
theywouldhaveno birthsnordeaths."70
tion.If theyhad no respiration,
Here, the suspensionof breathingand pulse for one day (such as what is extolled
in "Jindanzhengyan") is described as a "small trance," whereas the "medium
trance" and "great trance" last for the durationof threedays and seven days, re-
spectively.(This in turncan probablybe takenas a hintthatthe previous passage
67
Zhonghuang jing, 2/la-2b.See Eskildsen1998,pp. 48-49.
68 The is thatthisrefersto Xu Xinliangüîn &
of thisfigureis unclear.One possibility
identity
but
(datesuncertain, perhapsquitemodern), who went by thesobriquetof Zhiyizi,and wrotea
alchemicalpoemsentitled
shortcollectionof internal Jinhuodanjue. This workis includedin a
volumeentitled Jindan,publishedin 1989 (Beijing:Zhongguofunüchubanshe).
69 In Chinesemedicine,theblood vesselsin the
body- by whichthephysicianconductshis diag-
nosisby feelingthepulse- are groupedintosix categoriesbasedon characteristics
suchas their
width,length,heightandhowtheyfeeland respondto thetouchof thephysician.
70
Dachengjieyao, p. 74
quotedfromthe"HeavenlySecretson theAuthentic Signsof theGreatMedicine

ReachingtheSummit"meantto say thattheadeptshouldremainin thetrancefor
threeto seven days.) Also, we are told thatit will appearto any observersas
thoughtheadeptis dead. Whatis in facttakingplace, however,is therestoration
of lifethrough a new conception attainedthrough theunionof spirit(shen#) and
qi. While in our conventional understanding we fear theabsenceof respiration as
meaningtheloss of life,herewe are toldthatrespiration is something undesirable,
in thatit causes one to be bound to samsara. The understanding conveyed,it
wouldappear,is thatby suspending one's breathing - and pulse - one entersinto
a new,eternallifethatis freefrombondageto samsara.We are also toldthatthe
adeptrequiresan attendant at thistime,althoughheretheattendant's primary role
is said to be to guardtheadeptfromanydisruptions thatmightinterrupt and un-
derminethewondrousphenomena unfoldingwithin.
The notionthatadvancedneidanmeditations - if carriedout carelesslyand
over-zealously - can lead inadvertently to deathand transmigration, is in factfre-
quentlyconveyedin variousneidantexts(some quite famousand authoritative;
suchas theZhong-Lüchuandaoji MSÄÜÄ [ca. llth century]), whichdiscuss
thecultivation of trancesin whichone sendsthe Spiritout of thebody through
thetop of thehead. The typicalwarningin such discussionsis thatin theearly
phasesof thisexercise,one mustnotlet theSpirit- whichinitially possessesthe
size and countenance -
of a newborninfant wanderfarfromthebody. If it wan-
derstoo farit is liable to get lost. Whenthishappens,it ends up as a mereyin
Spirit(yinshenPÉ#) or GhostImmortal(guixianj&ÍUJ),whichcan at best wan-
derfeeblyand aimlessly,or perhaps"entera womb"(toutaiSJjp) or "changethe
dwelling"(yishefëÊ).71 However,once practitioners have gainedmoreexperi-
ence at theseout-of-body excursions, theyare said to become able to sendouttheir
Spirit(which has to
grown adult-size, and has become pureyangin constitution)
to locationsthousands of milesaway.
The Dachengjieyao, similarly,gives indicationthatadeptscan progressto
even longertrancesof physicalsuspension,as theygain moreexperience.In the
discourse"Returning to theRoot and RestoringLife" it goes on to stateas fol-
lows:
Ifyouhavenorespirationyouwillenterintotrance.
Fromthehalting ofbreathing,
theembryo willbecomeas peaceful
as a mountain.
Practice
itfora longtime[and
enterinto]thesmalltranceof 100days,theintermediate
tranceof200 days,and
thegreattranceof 300 days.The myriad will
phenomena rideon thevoidand
71 See
Zhong-Lüchuandaoji in Xiuzhenshishuf#K+# (DZ 263/TT 124)14/3a-b;and Bichuan
Zhengyang zhenrenlingbaobifai#ÄJEHKA8Ä*& (DZ 1191/TT874), 3/lla-b. To "en-
tera womb"meansto attainreincarnation intoa wombof one's choice. "Changethedwelling"
meansto takeoverthebodyof anotherperson.See also Eskildsen,"Emergency DeathMedita-
tionsforInternalAlchemists,"TP 92 (2006), pp. 373-409.
produce corresponding transformations;day and night concentrate your Spirit

amidstthem. The divine elixir will ride on the void and be formed.
If you are unable to enterinto tranceand returnto void non-being,thereis no way

thatyou could ever formthe elixir.72
Thus, thediscoursehas gone on to becomemuchmoreaudaciousin its claims
regardingthesafedurationof thetrance.Whereasin thepreviouspassage it de-
scribes"small,""medium"and "great"trancesthatlastrespectively one,threeand
sevendays, in thispassage the threetrancesrespectivelylast for 100, 200 and
300 days!
The same audaciousclaim is made as followsin yetanotherdiscoursein the
Dachengjieyao, entitled"The Burrowing of Respiration:
theGreatRevolvingof
Heaven"(attributedto a certainRealized Man Zuoxuan2τΊΓ73):
When you firstundergo the fire-phasesof the Great Revolutions of Heaven, the
Spirit will halt and the breathwill stop, and the body and mind will enter trance.
Do not burrowit formore than80 or 90 breaths.
Make one revolution in half of a quarter hour, gradually entering into a great
trance. Burrow it for 180 or 190 breaths.
Make one revolutionin a quarterhour, hidingit forup to 1350 breaths.
Make one revolutionin one hour, storing13,500 breaths.
η%ζη*λ^-ημτϊ mm&M
wmium
sauii» -mw%k
uw^mm
Make one revolutionfor one day, and therebyenterinto the great trance. Or make
a revolutionof ten days, one month, 100 days or ten months. Your Primal Spirit
(yuansheri) and Primal qi (yuanqi), followingthe qi of respiration,will transform
into a single ball of holy light. Withoutday, withoutnight,theyilluminateuniver-
sally with constant brightness. The sun-hun and moon-po will temporarilyhalt
theirorbits,and it will seem as thoughlife is about to be exhausted.
However, after it is exhausted, it revives, and therebymanifeststhe power of

transformation.74
72
73 This
probablyrefersto a somewhatobscurebutveryloftydivinefigurewhosenamefiguresin
a numberof important medievalTaoist texts(e.g., Taishangdongxuanlingbaozhihuidingzhi
X Jiíl^íSA® ASáilíSM,
tongweijing laojunshuochangqingjing
Taishang miaojingX
J:4íSÍftí£íSt§ ϊί>%&)as a recipientor transmitterof sacred revelation.See Schipperand
Verellen(eds.), The Taoist Canon: A HistoricalCompanionto theDaozang, vol. 1, pp. 227
and 562.
Whenentranced adeptssuspendtheirbreathing, theirconditionis like thatof an

insectthathas burrowedintothegroundto remainconcealed(zhezangSÜc) and
completely inactiveforthewinter,yetpoised to eventually emergere-animated.
We are toldthatadeptsare to graduallyincreasethedurationof the"burrowing,"
whichhereis also describedin termsof thenumberor "breaths"- whichseems
to referto theamountof timeit wouldnormallytaketo makethesaid numberof
inhalations iftheadeptswerebreathing
and exhalations in thenormalmanner.The
maximum trancelastsfortenmonths,whichis 300 days(same as whatis claimed
in thepreviouspassage);it is perhapsalso pertinent to notethattenmonthsis what
was consideredthe normaltermof pregnancyin traditional China - as is very
frequently pointedoutin neidantexts.Whileadeptsin thisconditionmayseemto
be dead or close to death,eternallifeis in gestationwithinthem,and theyare in
facton thevergeof a great"resurrection." Whilethepassage describeshow the
adept is to graduallyregulate theduration of thetrance,one wonderswhethera
deeply entranced adept would have sufficientcontrolof the facultiesto regulate
this. It would appear thatthe attendant, mentionedin otherdiscoursesin the
Dachengjieyao, plays a vitalrole here, althoughsuch is not specificallystated.
The discoursecontinues,
imm% α%μ&ζ
n^m^zmitîi^zjE^mnm^m nmmm
ft-*'h<ùiË^ #««* #jÊJi*l·
fêifríEitk JfrùAJË
Mtirfr&fc Htt fô
Whyis therethesignthatis therevivalafter death?Thishastodo withtheproper

midnight hourat whichlifeis established. Whenlead andmercury are melded,
andthemyriad thoughts aresilenced,youenterintothecavityofprimordial chaos.
Ifyoudo notcarefully guardit,theSpiritwilldepart fromthecavityandtheelixir
willescapeoutofthecauldron. Thecontinuationoflifelieshere,[but]injury of
lifelies here[as well].Kill themindandenterintotrance,andconcentrate the
Spiritwithin thecavity;thisis theorallessonofcrucialimportance.75
Thus theimportance of extremecare and vigilanceis emphasizedagain here,so
as to avoidnotjust failurein theexercise,butinjuryto lifeitself- actualdeathis
whatis mostlikelyimpliedhere.
In claimingthatneidanadeptscan suspendbreathing (and pulse) forhundreds
of daysat a time,theDachengjieyao is in factaffirming a claimmade in Taoist
hagiography in thefourth century. In theShenxianzhuanWiÚ'W9attributed to the
great alchemical authorGe Hong 3S$k (283-264), one can find the of
story Yuzi
ΞΕί (MasterJade;his realnamewas ZhangZhenMM) whocouldholdhisbreath
and lie motionlessforup to 100 days.76Similarfeatshave been attributed to
HinduYogis, and affirmed by modern eye-witnesses,and subjectedto thescrutiny
ofmodernscience.77
74
Dachengjieyao, pp. 74-75.
75
Dachengjieyao, p. 75.
76 Shenxian
zhuan,8/33a,in Ding Fubao (ed.), Daozang iinshualu. See Eskildsen1998,p. 23.
77 See
JosephNeedham,Scienceand Civilization in China,vol. V:5 (Cambridge1983), pp. 270-
Conclusion
Textsof variousperiodsindicatethatTaoistmeditation can sometimes cause great
physicaland mentalstress,as well as deludedmentalstates(accompaniedoften
by hallucinations), manicbehavior,uncontrolled bodilymovements and incoher-
entspeech.Furthermore, sincebreathing andpulseare sometimes suspended in the
mostadvancedstages,deathitselfcan resultifpropercare is nottaken.
In somecases, suchas thosealludedto in Qingxiazhenrenneiyongbiwen(see
pp. 7-8), physicalor mentalillnessis said to occurbecausethemethodsare falla-
cious or are practicedineptly.However,mostof thedata examinedabove per-
tainsto troublesandperilsthatare said to confront capable,conscientious adepts,
whosemethodsare in no waymisguided.
Whilemuchsimilarity is to be foundin thesortsoftroubles andperilsdescribed
in our severaltextsof varyingprovenance,are thepsychological and physiologi-
cal phenomena being described actually identical or roughly the same? How simi-
lar are the regimensand techniquesbeingemployedto inducetheparallelphe-
nomena?
One thingcommonto theregimens oftheXiandaojing,Zhonghuang jing, "Jin-
danzhengyan"andDachengjieyao is that 100 days is the designated lengthofthe
regimen, or at leastconstitutes a junctureat whichsignificant resultsshouldbe had.
Our textsaffirm thatoverthecourseof about100 daysof practicing theirrespec-
the
tive regimens/techniques,body undergoes a transformation into a stronger,
moreself-sufficient bodythatis freeof disease,impervious to hunger,thirstand
fatigue, or is able to hold or suspendrespiration and/or pulse forextendedperi-
ods. If we are to trustoursources, it would appear that roughly100 daysis whatit
takesto unlocksomesignificant degreeof latentpowerand durability beyondwhat
might be considered ordinary.
However,how similarare themethodsused to hopefully bringaboutsuch a
transformation? In particular,to whatdegreeis one's approachsupposedto be
activeand forced,as opposedto passive and spontaneous? The methodsof the
Zhonghuang jing seem to stand at the active/forced end of the spectrum, whilethe
- -
othertexts at leaston thesurface seemto inclinetowardpassivity and spontane-
ity. In the Zhonghuang jing the adept is told to stop eatingimmediately all to-
gether, and to resort to the gulping of air as a means of staving hungerand
off
gainingnourishment. After100 days of thisprocesshave radicallytransformed
and strengthened thebody,one engagesin theholdingof breath,carriedout for
increasingly longerdurations whilevisualizinga specificbodilyorgan.
Accordingto our varioussources,thephysicalstressand discomfort, as well
as thementalgloomand anxiety,are thingsthatshouldnaturally pass if one per-
severes.However,thedelusionand erraticbehavior- at least accordingto the
neidantextsof theYuan onward- are regardedas muchmoreseriousmatters;
273. Here,withina discussioncomparing alchemywithHindu

variousaspectsof Taoistinternal
yoga, Needham summarizes some of the findingsof modern studies
scholarly thathave subjec-
tedHinduyogisto scrutinyby means of scientific
experiment.
theseproblemscan becomepermanent, and mustbe guardedagainstwithgreatest

care.
One wonders,of course,whetherthephysicaldisordersdescribedare notac-
tuallymuchmoreseriousand dangerousthanthetextswill admit.They are ap-
parently broughton largelyby the factthatadeptsare avoidingfood,drinkand
sleep to a degreethatis unhealthy and excessive.It is in factdifficult
to believe
thatanybodycouldcarryoutsucha degreeof self-deprivation, muchless suspend
breathing and circulation foranyextendedperiodwithout direconsequences.
Nonetheless,whilethemostaudaciousclaimsof our textsare difficult to ac-
cept, our data strongly suggests thatwith thepropertechnique and withgreatfor-
titude,it is possibleto push theboundariesof the body's capacityto withstand
deprivation. This authorlackstheexpertiseto providea properscientific explana-
tionas to how thisis possible.However,one explanation(confirmed by modern
science,in the case of Hinduyogis)78 thatdoes come to mindis thatthe trance
statesperhapssignificantly slow down the metabolism- especiallyif and when
practitioners manageto suspendbreathing and circulation.PerhapsI grosslyun-
derestimate whatis possiblethroughwill power or sheeradrenalineunderex-
treme,tryingcircumstances. Of course, these issues can only be properlyre-
solvedin studiesemploying a larger,cross-cultural
bodyofdata,andwhichreceive
due inputfromthe relevantdisciplinesof modernscience. The data presented
herecan hopefully contribute to sucha study,and perhapsmaysomeday be sup-
plementedby data obtained from the testimony of contemporary Taoist internal
alchemists, as well as fromexperimental scientific
observation oftheirpractices.
Bibliography
Sourcesin Chinese
BichuanZhengyang zhenren lingbaobifaIKÄiEI^ÄAltSf^ffi. DZ 1191.TT 874.
Ca. llthc.
Bixuziqinzhuan zhizhillJÉí$g|tíÍLÍg. DZ 241. TT 114.Ca. 1265-1274.
Dachengjieyao AÖcfilic. Taiyuan:Shanxirenmin chubanshe,1988.Bearsan anony-
mouspreface dated1928.
DingFubaoTfefS (ed.), Daozangjinghualu jlüffii^ϋ· Hangzhou:Zhejiangguji
chubanshe, 1989.
Ge HongBÄ (283-364).BaopuzineipianífiíHPp^. DZ 1185.TT 868-870.
(attributedauthor).ShenxianzhuanWfllift.In DingFubao(ed.),Daozangjinghua
lu.
Huangdiyinfujing M^fãfàOÊ. DZ 31. TT 27. Ca. 8thc.
"Jindan zhengyan" jè^JgllÉ. In Xuanquanzi(comp.),Zhuzhen neidanjiyao,2/9a-13a.
Ca. 13thc.
78
SeeNeedham,p. 271.
"Lun baguanjie"BwAIUfÊí.In Xuanquanzi(comp.), Zhuzhenneidanjiyao, 3/10b-12a.

Ca. 13thc.
"Lun liutongjue" iE/'äii&. In Xuanquanzi(comp.), Zhuzhenneidanjiyao, 3/12a-14a.
Ca. 13thc.
"Qingxiazhenrenneiyongbiwen"WfiAAl^fflSÈÍC. In Xuanquanzi(comp.), Zhuzhen
neidanjiyao, 3/la-10b.Ca. 1265-1274.
Shangqinghuangtingneijingjing_b/fWM^MM.- Withcommentary by Bai LizhongÉ3
M!& (sobriquetLiangqiuzi^Jxï1 ; fl. 722-729). In ZhangJunfang(comp.), Yunji
qiqian 11-12.
Sima ChengzhenWLI^PCJIÉ (647-735). Fuqijingyilunflß^fflÜH. DZ 830. TT 571.
Taiqingzhonghuang zhenjingjçfë ΨίίίΑ&Μ.DZ 817. TT 586. Ca. 700 (portionscould
dateto ca. 300).
In Zhang Junfang (comp.), Yunjiqiqian 13. Ca. 700 (portionscould date to ca.
300).
TaixijingweilunfàÊMffîLÎm.DZ 829. TT 571. Ca. 8thor 9thc.
XiandaojingHÎIf. DZ 862. TT 578. Six Dynasties(220-618) or Tang (618-907).
XiuzhenshishuffÄ+·- DZ 263. TT 124. Compiledca. 1340.
XuanquanziSî (fl. ca. 1300) (comp.), Zhenxianzhizhiyulu Mi'hïÊtmïïn$k.DZ
1256. TT 998.
(comp.),Zhuzhenneidanjiyao. liÄFWÄÜ. DZ 1258· TT 999·
ZhangJunfang äRSM (fl. 1008-1025) (comp.), Yunjiqiqian 8^t^. DZ 1032. TT
677-702.
Zhong-Litchuandaoji MSfllJESI· In Xiuzhenshishu14/3a-b.
Sourcesin WesternLanguages
Dumoulin,Heinrich.Zen Buddhism:A History.Vol. 2. Japan. New York: Macmillan,
1990.
Eskildsen,Stephen.Asceticismin EarlyTaoistReligion.Albany:StateUniversityof New
YorkPress,1998.
"EmergencyDeath MeditationsforInternalAlchemists."TP 92 (2006), pp. 373-
409.
"Severe Asceticismin EarlyDaoist Religion."Ph.D. Diss., Universityof British
Columbia,1994.
The Teachingsand Practicesof theEarly QuanzhenTaoistMasters.Albany:State
Universityof New YorkPress,2004.
Goossaert,Vincent."La creationdu taoïsmemoderne:L'ordreQuanzhen."Ph.D. Diss.,
Ecole Pratiquedes HautesEtudes,Sectiondes SciencesReligieuses,1997.
terHaar, BarendJ. The WhiteLotusTeachingsin ChineseReligiousHistory.Leiden:E.J.
Brill,1992.
Needham,Joseph.Scienceand Civilization in China. Vol. V:5. Chemistryand Chemical
Technology. Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity Press,1983.
Overmyer, Daniel L. Folk BuddhistReligion:DissentingSectsin Late TraditionalChina.

Cambridge,Mass.: HarvardU. Press, 1976.
Precious Volumes:An Introduction to ChineseSectarianScripturesfromthe Six-
teenthand Seventeenth Centuries.Cambridge,Mass.: HarvardU. Press, 1999.
Schimmel,Annemarie.MysticalDimensionsofIslam. Chapel Hill: U. of NorthCarolina
Press, 1975.
Schipper,Kristofer and FranciscusVerellen(eds.). The TaoistCanon:A HistoricalCom-
panionto theDaozang. Chicago:University of ChicagoPress,2004.
Teresa, Saintof Avila. The Life of Saint Teresa by Herself.Translatedby J.M. Cohen.
London:Penguin,1957.
Zhuangzi:Basic Writings. Translatedby BurtonWatson.New York: ColumbiaU. Press,
2003.

Some Troubles and Perils of Taoist Meditation

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Some Troubles and Perils of Taoist Meditation

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Maney Publishing

SOME TROUBLES AND PERILS OF TAOIST MEDITATION

SOME TROUBLES AND PERILS OF TAOIST MEDITATION

sometraumatic, someauspicious,and somehazardous- thatneidanÇ^f' (inter-

(DZ 817/TT586; maintextca. 4thc. [?]; commentary ca. 700),8as wellfromone

Mania, Delusion,and the Threatof Insanity

(3) "Juegushiqi fa" feHkfè^Lfè (MethodforCuttingOffGrainsand EatingQi' 12a-14a),

First,whenundergoing thegreatexercise,you shoulddiligently guardit for 100

as "kan iX and //$£ [trigramsfromthe Book of Changes] copulating"),15the five

theThreeCorpses(sanshiELF or HJü). This manic,deludedstateposes a seri-

themedicine"and "transport in detail,and yetlaterpeople stillhave

22 These mattersare discussedin the

signs. [However],if you attainthis,do notimmediatelythinkthatthisis theulti-

Therewill stillbe demonichindrances. Whenyouentertheroomto sitand forget,

The Xiandaojing, a muchearliertext(Six Dynastiesor Tang), similarlyde-

Someoneasked,"WhenI see theapparition

%ψβ é;*# £*£ M'jjt/g

Someoneasked,"Whatiftheshakingof thehandsand feetand thesenselessutter-

side withinan houror two at most;all theadeptneedsto do is to calmlypersist

A DetailedDescription of theDangersof DevilishHallucinations

Everytimeyou reachtheclimaxof thetrance(ding),35[theyin spirits]transform

You maysee a white[-haired]

If you acknowledge[anyof thehallucinations]

PhysicalAgonies,Suspensionof Breathingand Pulse,

Eight,eventhoughthehundred passageshaveopenedup, iftheqi of thefivegrains

Fromyourintestines and stomachyou will excretefoulthingsthatare unusually

weak and yourmindvacuous.The ThreeCorpseswill all arise and thesix deple-

Whenresidingin yourquietroomit is crucialto avoidbad odorsand filth,as well

Suddenlyyou are afflictedwithillness. Wicked qi attacksthe heart,the Three

cends.Bloodaccumulates betweentheheartandlungs.Suddenly youwillvomita

fêm -i$s» n^mm-#^mmztosig«*

that practitionersshould persevere in the austere regimen, partakingin nothing

You give riseto a rawdisease(??). Your bodyfeelsas thoughfieryqi is steaming

Everyyearyou eat thefivegrains,and you alwaystastefragrant flavorsin your

An influential precedent to thistheoryand methodof purgation and revitaliza-

tionersof thetimetookto hearttheZhonghuang jing's notionofpurging theThree

ordinary food;thus,in itsbasic principles,themethodis rathersimilarto thatof

zm m'mm^wmm±m^mήε*αμβ rnrnymmmäfä ^zm

HeavenlySecretson the Eliminationof Grainsand the Wisdom[broughtabout]

Yuanduzi58said, "While transforming

If you are able to quicklystopeating,theattainment and emergenceof trancewill

SimplywaituntiltheGoldenFluid has all descended,and thestarsof thecup of

58 This refersto Zhao

If whilehidingyourbrilliance youwrongly use yourwisdom,yourtrancewill

abilityto see intothepastand future, 3) abilityto hearsoundsfromgreatdistances,4) abilityto

thatduringtheensuingfiveor six centuries,some neidanpractitioners came to

If whenyou get to this,and yetgrainsare notcut off,thenit will be difficult to

is similarto thestateof theembryo,as it solidifiesin thebellyof itsmother.Even

quotedfromthe"HeavenlySecretson theAuthentic Signsof theGreatMedicine

produce corresponding transformations;day and night concentrate your Spirit

If you are unable to enterinto tranceand returnto void non-being,thereis no way

Make one revolutionin a quarterhour, hidingit forup to 1350 breaths.

Make one revolutionin one hour, storing13,500 breaths.

However, after it is exhausted, it revives, and therebymanifeststhe power of

Whenentranced adeptssuspendtheirbreathing, theirconditionis like thatof an

Whyis therethesignthatis therevivalafter death?Thishastodo withtheproper

273. Here,withina discussioncomparing alchemywithHindu

theseproblemscan becomepermanent, and mustbe guardedagainstwithgreatest

"Lun baguanjie"BwAIUfÊí.In Xuanquanzi(comp.), Zhuzhenneidanjiyao, 3/10b-12a.

Overmyer, Daniel L. Folk BuddhistReligion:DissentingSectsin Late TraditionalChina.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi

%ψβ é;# ££ M'jjt/g