The Yellow Court Scripture, Volume 4: Links to Internal Alchemy

The Huangting jing (Yellow Court Scripture), a central classic of Daoist meditation translated earlier in this series, continued to grow over the centuries, linking to internal alchemy in the Song dynasty. This book translates two sets of relevant materials: three sections from the 12th-century collection Daoshu (Pivot of Dao) by the scholar Zeng Zao (d. 1155) and a commentary to the entire Neijing in the form of poems by Liu Chuxuan (1147-1203), one of the Seven Perfected of the school of Complete Perfection. Taken together, these texts illustrate the adaptation and reinterpretation of the Huangting jing in the context of internal alchemy, showing its growth as part of advanced Daoist meditation and demonstrating its role in the context of monastic discipline. Presenting comprehensive translations of important documents and reevaluating the maturation process of internal alchemy, the book greatly contributes to the study of Daoist cultivation and Chinese intellectual history.

• Livia Kohn, Author

  Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University. The author or editor of over sixty books (including the annual Journal of Daoist Studies), she spent ten years in Kyoto doing research. She currently serves as the executive editor of Three Pines Press, runs international conferences and workshops, and guides study tours to Japan.