The Way of Complete Perfection

Louis Komjathy

Description

Originating about 1163 CE, Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism is one of the most important Daoist movements in Chinese history. It remains the dominant form of monastic Daoism in the modern world, especially in its Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage. This landmark anthology provides complete or partial translations of twenty-one Quanzhen texts. Most have never been translated or even discussed in scholarly literature. Louis Komjathy gives particular attention to work completed by the Quanzhen movement's founder, Wang Chongyang (1113–1170 CE), and his first generation disciples. Translations include representative works from every major genre of Quanzhen literature, from poetry and discourse records to didactic texts, commentaries, and hagiographies. Three monastic manuals from the late medieval and late imperial periods of Quanzhen history are also included. An introduction to Quanzhen Daoism begins the work, and each chapter provides discussions of the history and topics relevant to each translation.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Orientations

1. Poetic Insights

2. Direct Instruction

3. Daily Practice

4. Alchemical Transformation

5. Scripture Study

6. Hagiographical Ideals

7. Monastic Life

Appendix 1. Quanzhen Technical Glossary
Appendix 2. Quanzhen Texts Translated in The Way of Complete Perfection

Chinese Character Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• East Asian religions
• Taoism
• History of Asia
• China

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 05 juin 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438446530
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

The Way of Complete Perfection
A Quanzhen Daoist Anthology
Selected, translated, and with an introduction by
Louis Komjathy

Cover: The cover image, which contains the caption “The Three Treasures join in the Central Palace to complete the elixir,” comes from the Quanzhen qunxian ji 全真群仙集 (Anthology of Immortals of Complete Perfection), a Ming-dynasty illustrated manuscript housed in the Zhongguo guojia tushuguan 中國國家圖書館 (National Library of China) in Beijing. It is used with permission from the National Library of China.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2013 State University of New York
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For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The way of complete perfection : a Quanzhen Daoist anthology / selected, translated, and with an introduction by Louis Komjathy.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-4651-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Quan zhen jiao. I. Komjathy, Louis, 1971–
BL1943.C55W39 2013
299.5'1482—dc23
2012023545
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For
Chen Yuming 陳宇明, child of Huashan,
and
dedicated Quanzhen Daoists throughout the world

學書之道，不可尋文而亂目。當宜探意以合心。捨
書探意採理。捨理採趣。採得趣，則可以牧之入心。
The way to study texts is not to strive after literary merit, and thereby confuse your eyes. Instead, you must extract the meaning as it harmonizes with the heart-mind. Abandon texts after you have extracted their meaning and grasped their principle. Abandon principle after you have realized the fundamental ground. After you realize the fundamental ground, attend to it until it completely enters the heart-mind.
—Wang Chongyang 王重陽
道家留丹經子書, 千經萬論, 可一言以蔽之曰清淨。
As transmitted within the Daoist tradition, the alchemical classics and texts of various masters, the thousand scriptures and ten thousand treatises may all be covered with a single phrase: “clarity and purity.”
—Ma Danyang 馬丹陽
Illustrations

Figures
1.   Approximation of an Early Quanzhen Hermitage
2.   Modern Temple Layout of White Cloud Temple (Beijing)
3.   Traditional Chinese Page from the Received Text of the Quanzhen ji
4.   Diagram of Coupling the Dragon and Tiger and Inverting the Five Phases
5.   Diagram of the Firing Times of the Celestial Cycle and Inverting the Five Phases
6.   Diagram of the Reversion of the Three Fields and Flying the Gold Essence behind the Elbows
7.   Diagram of the Reversion of the Three Fields and the Reverted Elixir of the Gold Ye -fluids
8.   Diagram of the Five Qi Meeting the Origin and Refining Form into Greater Yang
9.   Diagram of the Union of Spirit and Water and the Consummation of the Three Fields
10.   Diagram of Refining Spirit to Merge with the Dao and Advancing Fire through Inner Observation
11.   Diagram of Transcending the Mundane to Enter the Sacred and Casting Off the Husk to Become an Immortal
12.   Diagram of Coupling the Dragon and Tiger and Inverting the Five Phases
13.   Diagram of the Firing Times of the Celestial Cycle and Inverting the Five Phases
14.   Diagram of the Reversion of the Three Fields and Flying the Gold Essence behind the Elbows
15.   Diagram of the Reversion of the Three Fields and the Reverted Elixir of the Gold Ye -fluids
16.   Diagram of the Five Qi Meeting the Origin and Refining Form into Greater Yang
17.   Diagram of the Union of Spirit and Qi and the Consummation of the Three Fields
18.   Diagram of the Five Qi Meeting the Origin and Refining Spirit to Enter the Summit
19.   Diagram of Initiating Fire through Inner Observation and Refining Spirit to Merge with the Dao
20.   Diagram of Casting Off the Husk to Ascend to Immortality and Transcending the Mundane to Enter the Sacred
21.   Diagram of Prior Heaven
22.   Diagram of Later Heaven
23.   Diagram of the Three Treasures
24.   Diagram of the Dipper
25.   Diagrams of the Li-fire and Kan-water Trigrams
26.   Diagrams of the Kun-earth and Qian-heaven Hexagrams
27.   Traditional Chinese Page from the Received Text of the Qingjing jing
28.   Hao Guangning
29.   Liu Changsheng
30.   Ma Danyang
31.   Qiu Changchun
32.   Sun Buer
33.   Tan Changzhen
34.   Wang Chongyang
35.   Wang Yuyang
36.   Approximation of a Late Medieval Quanzhen Clepsydra-hall
37.   Chart of Perfected Ninefold Yang
38.   The Three Robes
39.   Pure Kerchief
40.   Cap of the Numinous Chart of the Five Peaks
41.   Twelve-pleated Skirt
42.   Straw Sandals
43.   Eight Trigram Bowl
44.   Pure Bottle
45.   Seven-notched Staff

Tables
1.   Fifteen Discourses of the Chongyang lijiao shiwu lun
2.   Nine Stages of Quanzhen Alchemical Practice according to the Dadan zhizhi
3.   Hagiographies of the Early Quanzhen Community
4.   Section Divisions of the Quanzhen qinggui
5.   Section Divisions of the Quanzhen zuobo jiefa
6.   Cosmological Cycles Utilized in the Quanzhen zuobo jiefa
7.   Longmen Ordination Ranks as Systematized by Wang Changyue
8.   Section Divisions of the Chuzhen jie
Preface
The present book is an anthology of primary Quanzhen (Ch'üan-chen; Complete Perfection) Daoist texts, which were originally written in classical Chinese and are here rendered into English translations. It is the first such anthology, and one of only a few sourcebooks of Daoist literature available in the Western world. To date, only three early Quanzhen texts have been translated, one of which appeared in my Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism (Brill, 2007). The present volume aims to fill this lacuna in academic research on Daoism. It includes complete and partial translations of twenty-one Quanzhen Daoist texts, the majority of which have never been translated or even studied in relevant scholarly literature. In addition to providing a general introduction to Quanzhen, the anthology follows a standardized format, with each chapter consisting of historical and topical discussions of the texts and corresponding translations with scholarly annotations.
Quanzhen is one of the most important Daoist movements in Chinese history. Associated with Wang Chongyang (1113–1170) and his first-generation disciples, Quanzhen began as a small ascetic and eremitic community in eastern Shandong and eventually became a monastic order with national distribution. It became the dominant form of monastic Daoism in mainland China and continues to occupy a central position in contemporary Chinese society and throughout the modern world, especially in its Longmen (Lung-men; Dragon Gate) lineage. The present anthology provides a glimpse into the religious world of Quanzhen, especially as documented in the literature written by the first-generation adherents.
The Way of Complete Perfection serves as a companion volume to my Cultivating Perfection , which is one of only three Western-language studies of Quanzhen. The present anthology provides access to Daoist literature through reliable, annotated English translations. It may serve as a sourcebook of Daoist literature in general and as a primer of Quanzhen Daoism in particular. Scholars and students of Chinese religion, Daoism, and religious studies as well as individuals interested in Daoism will find The Way of Complete Perfection to be a unique opportunity to access Daoist literature in reliable English translation. Readers will find Quanzhen writings to be a profound expression of the Daoist religious tradition.
Acknowledgments
Every book has a story. Every book