Posts by Purple Cloud Institute
An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels: The Brain
An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels: The Brain The following is an excerpt on the brain is from Will Ceurvels’ ‘An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels’ by Purple Cloud Press. It elucidates aspects of the brain spanning across Chinese medicine and Daoism. The following passage is from III. The Brain as a Vast Intra-cranial, Extra-channel…
Read MoreExerpt from the Inscription on Protecting Life by Sun Simiao
Exerpt from the Inscription on Protecting Life 保生銘 attributed to Sun Simiao, translated by Louis Komjathy, in “Primer for Translating Daoist Literature” The present selection is the complete text of the Baosheng ming 保生銘 (Inscription on Protecting Life; DZ 835; ZH 957) (BSM), which is attributed to the famous Daoist physician and alchemist Sūn…
Read MoreLegends of White Horse Mountain, chapter 19, ‘Golden Saddle Fortress’ (excerpt)
Legends of White Horse Mountain, chapter 19, ‘Golden Saddle Fortress’ (excerpt) Rachel Woo and Johan Hausen 白天，他们在山上敲诈四方香客的钱财，夜晚，他们欺男霸女，杀害无辜。一时间，白马山的五仙庙路断人稀，很快断了香火。 During the daytime, they extorted money on the mountain from the worshippers from the four directions, while at night they oppressed the people, killing and harming the innocent. In a short period, the path to the Five…
Read MoreCase Study for Cough, Panting and Chest Oppression from The Jingfang Case Studies and Medical Treatises of Dr. Lou Shao-kun
Case Study from The Jingfang Case Studies and Medical Treatises of Dr. Lou Shao-kun by Lou Shenshan The following case study comes from The Jingfang Case Studies and Medical Treatises of Dr. Lou Shao-kun by Lou Shenshan, translated by Will Ceurvels, scheduled to be released by Purple Cloud Institute in the next weeks. In this…
Read MoreThe Legacy of Chinese Shamanism: The Wu and Their Successors
The Legacy of Chinese Shamanism: The Wu and Their Successors Shamanka from ‘Leaving Sorrow’ chapter of The Songs of Chu As my project on shamanism, fuelled by a plethora of ahistorical misinformation, draws to a close, only two artices are left to be finalized: On their spirit journeys across vast spaces, through the clouds and…
Read MoreThe Jingfang Case Studies and Medical Treatises of Dr. Lou Shao-kun
The Jingfang Case Studies and Medical Treatises of Dr. Lou Shao-kun The following case study comes from The Jingfang Case Studies and Medical Treatises of Dr. Lou Shao-kun by Lou Shenshan, translated by Will Ceurvels, scheduled to be released by Purple Cloud Institute in the next couple months. In this volume, Dr. Lou Shao-kun, a…
Read MoreThe Wu as Physicians? The Making of Chinese Medicine, Part 1: The Shang Dynasty
The Wu as Physicians? The Making of Chinese Medicine, Part 1: The Shang Dynasty by Johan Hausen In Mister Lü’s Spring and Autumn [Annals], a text on cosmology from the late Warring States period, we find the statement in the chapter ‘Wu Gong’: 巫彭作醫，巫鹹作筮。 Wu Peng acted as a physician, while Wu Xian was a…
Read MoreScreen Wall 影壁
Screen Wall 影壁 Also called ‘mirroring/reflecting wall’ (zhaobi照壁), more accurately called ‘shadow wall’. I.e. a defensive barrier to counter poor fengshui conditions, usually erected in front of gateways or doors to shield an entrance in traditional Chinese architecture. There are three types of shadow walls, (1) yi-shaped shadow wall (shaped like the Chinese character for…
Read MoreThe Tablet Records on the Renovations of White Cloud Monastery
重脩白雲觀碑記 The Tablet Records on the Renovations of White Cloud Monastery From the introductory material of the Dragon Gate’s Core Methods 龍門心法 Vol.1 (Purple Cloud Press forthcoming)： The Tablet Records on the Renovations of White Cloud Monastery (Chongxiu Baiyunguan Beiji 重脩白雲觀碑記) is originally attributed to Wang Changyue in 1706 and re-carved in 1886, and one…
Read MoreMedical Bamboo Slips
Medical Bamboo Slips Medical bamboo slips (yaoqian 药籤) can be seen in temples all throughout Asia. After checking whether the day is auspicious or not, of the slips is picked at random and the number is recorded. This number can be used to either check one’s fortune in a nearby book, or will be used…
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