Purple Cloud Podcast #19 Allen Tsaur: Zhang Jingyue and the Gate of Life

In this episode we talk to Allen Tsaur about his recent translation for Purple Cloud Press, the Complete Compendium of Zhāng Jingyue. This translation covers the first three volumes of the great Míng dynasty master Zhang Jingyue’s monumental work and provides his core doctrines and teachings, including the eight principles pattern identification, the ten diagnostic…

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Alchemical Classics V: Chapter 19,The Heavenly Mechanism’s of Picking the Medicine Oral Transmissions

Alchemical Classics V: 大成捷要 [柳華陽] The Essentials of the Shortcut to the Great Achievement by Liu Hua Yang Liu Hua Yang [柳华阳] together with Wu Shou Yang [伍守阳] make up the so-called Wu-Liu School with its main focus on Internal Alchemy [nei dan 內丹]. The former is also the author of the Scripture of Wisdom…

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Daoism Series 28: The Spirit of Recognition

Daoism Series 28: 识神 The Spirit of Recognition The spirit of recognition or the spirit of knowledge [shi shen识神] is also known by the name of the thought-spirit [si lü shen思虑神]. It has been explained in previous classes by Li Shi Fu as a concept of internal alchemy and internal Daoist practices that aim to…

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Chinese Medicine Series 05: 84. ‘Dreams Caused by the Counterflow Reversal of Yin and Yang’  by Zhang Jing Yue

Chinese Medicine Series 05: 八十四、陰陽之逆厥而為夢 84. ‘Dreams Caused by the Counterflow Reversal of Yin and Yang’ by Zhang Jing Yue   For a further insight into the way in which dreams were interpreted in imperial China, one chapter from The Classic of Categories by Zhang Jing Yue are included in this section: chapter 84, ‘Dreams…

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Daoism Series 27: The Eight Commentaries on Respecting Life

Daoism Series 27: 遵生八笺 The Eight Commentaries on Respecting Life The following excerpt stems from The Eight Commentaries on Respecting Life [zun sheng ba jian遵生八笺], 1591, by Gao Lian [高濂], ‘Commentary on Prolonging one’s Years and Eliminating Diseases Part 1’ [yan nian que bing jian shang juan延年却病笺上卷]. This Ming Dynasty discourse focuses on longevity ideas…

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Chinese Medicine Series 04: The Complete Compendium of [Zhang] Jingyue [pt3]

Chinese Medicine Series 04: 景岳全书 The Complete Compendium of [Zhang] Jingyue [pt3] The following is the complete chapter 34, ‘Safeguarding the Heavens’ from The Complete Compendium of [Zhang] Jingyue Vol.1-3, ‘Eight Principles, Ten Questions and Mingmen Theory’ translated by Allen Tsaur. This first instalment of this monumental work will be published by Purple Cloud Press…

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