Chinese alchemy

Chinese alchemy occurs in the context of Daoism. In Chinese sources alchemy is often called zhi dao Jindan (金 丹 之 道), "Way of the Golden Elixir ". The term refers to the elixir elixir or elixir of immortality. Chinese alchemy is divided into modern research in Waidan and Neidan.

Waidan (外 丹Chinese, Pinyin wàidān, outer vermilion, outer elixir ' ) refers to the Chinese alchemy in its external form, as opposed to Neidan (内 丹Chinese, Pinyin Neidan, inner cinnabar, inner elixir '), the inner alchemy. However, the two concepts developed in Neidan itself, the so called first certain stages of the practice of alchemy.

Waidan

The focus of the Waidan is the production of an elixir of immortality from minerals, metals or plants. Waidan includes a wide set of different doctrines and practices.

Waidan has its origins in the Han period and flourished in the Tang period. Then Waidan went down gradually and ceased to exist from the Ming period.

In Daozang about a hundred texts on the outer alchemy have survived. In these writings, the early Waidan refers to gods, demons, ceremonies and rituals concerning the gods, while the later Waidan from the time of the Six Dynasties, was referring to cosmological origins and functions that were intended to reach the original state of being. The later form of Waidan contributed significantly to the development of Neidan.

In this regard, there are two main lines of Waidan, the earlier and the later Taiqing Cantongqi tradition. Taiqing has evolved from the third century in the region of Jiangnan, so that from this region local exorcism and ritual practices have been incorporated. At the time of the creation of Shangqing also Zhouyi Cantongqi was used in Jiangnan, which then for the Six Dynasties period greatly spread and circulated as the main font of Waidan and Neidan from the Tang period. The early Taiqing tradition draws its teachings and practices mainly on rituals, while the Cantongqi is created cosmologically. In order to describe the ratio of the Dao to the cosmos, it uses cosmological, astronomical and alchemical symbols.

Neidan

Neidan (内 丹Chinese, Pinyin Neidan, inner cinnabar ') is a Daoist school of Inner Alchemy, which originated during the Song and Yuan Dynasty in China. In contrast to the outer Alchemy (外 丹, Waidan ) does not seek the inner alchemy to the manufacture of a substance in the laboratory, but there is a enlightenment technique that belongs to the Taoist mysticism. Neidan is a method of order of the inner and outer existence and includes techniques of existential and intellectual integration.

A characteristic of the Neidan is that speculative elements were taken from Buddhism, for example Gong'ans ( Koan ) and speculation about emptiness (wu ) and existence ( You), the Yijing plays a big role, whose symbols as stylized and abstract shapes fundamental truths are regarded, and by reference to Confucianism and Confucian literature. It represents an attempt to make a synthesis of the three teachings ( Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism).

The Neidan texts have different characteristics:

• They provide techniques of mental and physical training dar.
• They relate different Daoist currents as a breathing exercises, visualizations from the Shangqing or alchemical techniques.
• Use the trigrams and hexagrams of the systematic Yijing.
• They refer to chemical techniques that have a metaphorical and symbolic meaning in them.

The first texts that can be assigned to the flow of Neidan sure you go back to the 8th and 9th centuries. Many texts refer to the writings of Wei Boyangs, a legendary immortals, said to have lived in the 2nd century and is said to have the Cantong qi and Guwen Longhu, texts, which can not be securely dated written. From the 12th century schools of Neidan which a Quanzhen (全真道), the School of the full truth, which was founded by Wang Zhe and persists to this day in China. This school had in the 12th and 13th century also influence the Chinese imperial court and was very popular until it was supplanted by Buddhism in its influence in the film Made.

The inner alchemy 's goal is the birth of a new man, the cosmic or sacred embryo ( Shengtai ) to lead, and to raise the spirit of the world. A central idea of the Neidan represents the Yuanjing represents the "original essence". Her symbols and techniques are highly complex and represent a spiritual reorganization of the individual, of being represented simplistically so that the adept proceeds from the primordial chaos, coordinates and limitations creates these vibrated and dynamics, put them together and interlocked braids to them in uniting center and to merge, so that instances are generated, which are more pure. These operations are repeated until the adept has reached the pure emptiness, which is the Dao. Of the techniques of Qigong is Neidan differs in that it focuses on mental techniques and physical exercises, such as Qigong, which are also practiced in today's monasteries, only preparatory stages.

The school emphasizes the Quanzhen that the goal is not the physical immortality, as in the earlier schools of Daoism ( such as the sky or the master Shangqing ), but that it is purely inward processes that set the spirit of the world. The Quanzhen school represented the first school of Taoism, who built monasteries along the lines of Chan Buddhism and introduced strict rules of celibacy, abstinence from alcohol, meat, desires, anger and riches.

In Taiwan, there are still some of the Quanzhen monasteries and convents in the PRC are now rebuilt and inhabited.

A famous representative of the school of inner alchemy was Zhang Boduan, the most famous representative was Sun Bu'er.