Archive for February 2021
Making Chinese Medicine Series 03: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Making Chinese Medicine Series 03 小茴香 Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) [excerpt from The Compendium of Materia Medica本草纲目 by Li Shizhen李時珍] The following post was sparked by the wide-spread presence of wild fennel growing in my garden with thick stalks to a height of up to 2.5 metres. It has been utilized by me as flavouring for…
Read MoreThe 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao: Barrier 1
The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao: Barrier 1 This is the 1st of 49 Barriers from ‘The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao” (available here: https://purplecloudinstitute.com/our-books/) to be posted online in their entirety. The book also features extensive endnotes as well as hundreds of pages of commentary by Daoist renunciate Li Shifu (abbot of Five…
Read MoreThe Duke of Zhou’s Interpretation of Dreams [excerpt1]
周公解夢 The Duke of Zhou’s Interpretation of Dreams The following is an excerpt of the forthcoming translation of the ‘Duke of Zhou’s Interpretation of Dreams’ by Nikita Bushin, published by Purple Cloud Press by June this year. This book is a famous reference for dream interpretations in China to date. It is based on the…
Read MorePurple Cloud Podcast #23 Mattias Daly and Dr Ilia Mozias: The Literati Path to Immortality
In this episode Mattias Daly speaks with Dr. Ilia Mozias of the University of Tel Aviv about his book The Literati Path to Immortality: The Alchemical Teachings of Lu Xixing. Lu Xixing (1520-1606) of the Ming dynasty was posthumously credited with founding the “Eastern School” of internal alchemy, but he was neither a monk nor…
Read MoreDaoism Series 37: Master Red Pine
Daoism Series 37: 赤松子 Master Red Pine Chisong Zi [赤松子], or Master Red Pine, appears in a short chapter in Hong Yingming [洪应明], The Supernatural Traces of Immortals and Buddhas [xian fo qi zong 仙佛奇踪], which is reproduced here in full: 赤松子，神农雨师。炼神服气，能入水不濡，入火不焚。至昆仑山常止西王母石室中。随风雨上下。炎帝少女追之，亦得仙，俱去。高辛时为雨师，间游人间。 Master Red Pine was the Spirit Farmer’s [i.e Shennong] master of the rains.…
Read MoreDaoism Series 36: The Dragon Gate’s Core Methods
Daoism Series 36: 龍門心法 The Dragon Gate’s Core Methods The following excerpt is from Preface of The Dragon Gate’s Core Methods (Purple Cloud Press forthcoming) by Wang Changyue (?-1680), a very influential Daoist during the Qing Dynasty and a pivotal figure in the institutionalization and dissemination of the Complete Realization School of Daoism and the…
Read MoreSages and Saints XVII: Bai Yuchan
Sages and Saints XVII: 白玉蟾 Bai Yuchan Bai Yuchan (1194–1229?) was a well-known Daoist and alchemist. The following biography originates from The Supernatural Traces of Immortals and Buddhas 仙佛奇踪 from the Ming Dynasty: 葛長庚，宋瓊州人。母以白玉蟾名之，應夢也。年十二應童子科。後隱居於武夷山，號『東瓊子』。事陳翠虛九年，始得其道。蓬頭跣足，一衲弊甚。喜飲酒，未見其醉。博洽儒書，出言成章。嘗自讚云：「千古蓬頭跣足，一生服氣食霞。笑指五夷山下，白雲深處吾家。雷印常佩肘間，祈祉則有異應。」時言休咎，驚省聾俗。嘗在京都游西湖，至暮，墮水，舟人驚尋不見。達旦則玉蟾在水上，猶醺然也。一日，有持刀追脅者，玉蟾叱其人，刀向墮而走。玉蟾招之曰：「汝來，勿驚。」以刀還之。時稱玉蟾入水不濡，逢兵不害。宋嘉定中，詔征赴闕，對玉稱旨，命館太一宮。一日，不知所往。後每往來名山，神異莫測。 [Bai Yu’s common name was] Ge Changgeng, and he was a resident of Qiongzhou [i.e. Hainan Island] in the Song Dynasty.…
Read MoreSages and Saints Part XVI: Guangcheng Zi
Sages and Saints Part XVI: 广成子 Guangcheng Zi Life accounts of Guangcheng Zi, a famous Daoist sage, are to be found in the Strange Traces of Immortals and Buddhas 仙佛奇蹤 and Biographies of Spirit Immortals 神仙传, the latter’s translation is provided below: 广成子者，古之仙人也。居崆峒山石室之中。黄帝闻而造焉，曰：“敢问至道之要。”广成子曰：“尔治天下，云不待簇而飞，草木不待黄而落，奚足以语至道哉？”黄帝退而闲居三月，复往见之。广成子方北首而卧，黄帝膝行而前，再拜，请问治身之道。广成子蹶然而起曰：“至哉！子之问也，至道之精，窈窈冥冥，至道之极，昏昏默默，无视无听，抱神以静，形将自正；必静必清，无劳尔形，无摇而精，乃可长生。慎内闭外，多知为败。我守其一，以处其和。故千二百岁而形未尝衰。得吾道者，上为皇；入吾道者，下为王。吾将去汝，适无何之乡，入无穷之门，游无极之野，与日月齐光，与天地为常，人其尽死，而我独存焉。” In regards to Guangcheng Zi, he was an ancient immortal. He lived…
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