![Foundations of Internal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan by [Mu, Wang]](https://images-fe.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41CeOzqOx0L._SY346_.jpg)
This is a fantastic book. I will re-read again soon. It looks a Neidan, internal Taoist alchemy, from a western-friendly perspective and translates a lot of relevant text and commentary. It is a formidable subject done well. It is formidable because the Taoist texts are deliberately obscure. At one point, in the Maoist era, it was outlawed as superstition and unfit for the workers.
The only problem I had with it was figuring out what I know about the Taoist Three Treasures of jing (essence), chi (breathe, and shen (spirit) and realizing that was what he is talking about. I had to look at the occasion phoneticized Chinese names to figure this out.
The next time I will take notes because there are a lot of words that seem to mean more or less the same, and few of them mean technically what I thought they meant.
Product Description
Originally written for Chinese readers, this renowned book provides a clear description of the Taoist practice of Internal Alchemy, or Neidan. The author outlines the stages of the alchemical practice and clarifies several relevant terms and notions, including Essence, Breath, and Spirit; the Cinnabar Fields; the "Fire Times"; and the Embryo. The book is based on the system of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), one of the main sources of Internal Alchemy, and contains about two hundred quotations from original Taoist texts.
Wang Mu (1908-92) received the Longmen ordination in his youth. He taught Internal Alchemy (Neidan) and was held in high regard by both Taoist practitioners and scholars. He served as a board member of the China Taoist Association and was for some time in charge of its research activities. He is known outside China mainly for his annotated edition of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), the text at the basis of the outline of Internal Alchemy that he provides in the present book.
Wang Mu (1908-92) received the Longmen ordination in his youth. He taught Internal Alchemy (Neidan) and was held in high regard by both Taoist practitioners and scholars. He served as a board member of the China Taoist Association and was for some time in charge of its research activities. He is known outside China mainly for his annotated edition of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), the text at the basis of the outline of Internal Alchemy that he provides in the present book.
About the Author
Wang Mu (1908-92) received the Longmen ordination in his youth. He taught Internal Alchemy (Neidan) and, in his own country, was held in high regard by both practitioners and Taoist scholars. He served as a board member of the China Taoist Association and was for some time in charge of its research activities. He is known outside China mainly for his annotated edition of the "Wuzhen pian" (Awakening to Reality), the text at the basis of the outline of Internal Alchemy that he provides in the present book.
