Description

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A fascinating guide to the mental, physical, and esoteric spiritual transformative Taoist practices designed to increase longevity and unity with the world—with commentary and interpretation on the traditional text by a contemporary academic and meditation practitioner.

Taoist alchemical practices are renowned for their mental, physical, and spiritually transformative benefits—including longevity and increased connection to the world around us. In this guide to Master Huang Yuanji’s Taoist classic, Ge Guolong presents the basics of inner alchemy and the tradition’s most essential meditation practices—along with explanations of the fundamental theories and methods one needs to actually start walking the path.

Historically, Taoist teachers borrowed complex terminology from astrology, numerology, and metallurgical alchemy to describe the process of individual transformation that occurs as a result of long-term meditation practice. Ge Guolong demystifies that classical terminology, illuminating Taoism’s straightforward and eminently practical philosophy. These vivid explanations of Huang Yuanji’s discourses—a Taoist master from the late-Ming, early-Qing Dynasty (1636–1912)—are particularly striking for their clarity, relevance to day-to-day life, and close relationship to the philosophy of such works as the Tao Te Ching and Chuang-tzu. Synthesizing numerous streams of Chinese philosophy and elucidating their lived practice, Taoist Inner Alchemy is as an excellent entry point to discover the riches of traditional Taoist thought and meditation.

About the Author

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GE GUOLONG has a PhD in philosophy from Peking University. Since 1999, he has worked as a researcher at the China Academy of Social Sciences Taoism Research Center. Professor Ge has published numerous books on Taoist inner alchemy in Chinese and has also conducted extensive research into Chan Buddhism. He is a long-time practitioner of Taoist and Buddhist meditation.

MATTIAS DALY is a professional translator with a degree in acupuncture and a master’s in Chinese Literature. He was inducted into the Longmen lineage of Complete Reality Daoism by Abbess Liu of the Three Purities Monastery in Jilin province, China in 2013. He primarily translates for the National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Chinese Taipei PEN quarterly.

Praise For…

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“What a gift! One of China’s great alchemists of the mind staying in my house. Just in time for my next eighty years.”
—Red Pine

“This crystal-clear translation tells the truth: there is no shortcut, no hocus-pocus, and nothing to gain on our journey to Tao—only true practice to uncover what we’ve always possessed.”
—Waysun Liao, author of T’ai Chi Classics
 
“Huang Yuanji’s care for students’ cultivation is simultaneously as a fierce coach as well as a wise and seasoned mentor. Ge Guolong further elucidates with relatable modern examples and an adept’s experience. Fresh and grounded in the body, both teachers query students to dissolve illusions and return to the fundamental nature of now.”
—Sally Chang, chief instructor, Evergreen Taiji Academy