Great clarity : Daoism and alchemy in early medieval China

387 Pages·2005·2.43 MB·English

by  Pregadio

Great Clarity:
Daoism and Alchemy
in Early Medieval China
Fabrizio Pregadio
Stanford University Press
Great Clarity

Asian Religions & Cultures
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Fabrizio Pregadio
Great Clarity
Daoism and Alchemy
in Early Medieval China
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
© 2005 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system without the prior written pemission of Stanford University Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, archival-quality paper
The information within this book is provided for academic and research purposes only. The
Publisher accepts no responsibility for the way in which the information in this book is used
and will not be held responsible for any damages arising from the use of any information
featured in this book.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pregadio, Fabrizio.
Great clarity : Daoism and alchemy in early medieval China / Fabrizio Pregadio.
p. cm. — (Asian religions and cultures)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-8047-5177-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Daoism—China—History. 2. Alchemy—China—History. 3. China—Religion.
I. Title. II. Series: Asian religions & cultures.
bl1920.p74 2005
299.5(cid:2)14(cid:2)0931—dc22
2005002981
Typeset by G&S Book Services in 10/14.5 Sabon
Original Printing 2005
Last figure below indicates year of this printing:
14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
To my parents

contents
List of Figures and Tables xi
Conventions xiii
Preface xv
Introduction 1
part one: the heaven of great clarity
and its revelations
1. The Early History of Chinese Alchemy
and the Way of the Great Clarity 23
2. The Heaven of Great Clarity 35
3. The Great Clarity Corpus 52
part two: the elixirs of the great clarity
4. The Crucible and the Elixir 67
5. The Ritual Sequence 79
6. The Medicines of Great Clarity 100
ix