Early Quanzhen Research Articles

A New Study on Fushi of Early Quanzhen Daoism

Fushi (服食), a method for treating diseases and nourishing life to achieve longevity, is highly valued and widely used in traditional Taoism. Regarding whether Quanzhen Taoism, a new form of Taoism founded in the Jin Dynasty (1115–1234), practices Fushi, contradictory opinions have been recorded in Collected records written on Qingyan Mountain (Qingyan conglu 青巖叢錄) from the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) and The History of the Taoist School founded by (Qiu) Changchun (Changchun daojiao yuanliu 長春道教源流) from the late Qing Dynasty (1636–1912). Today’s scholars generally believe that Quanzhen Taoism emphasizes the cultivation of heart and mind and thus has nothing to do with Fushi. This article, centered around early Quanzhen Taoism representatives Wang Chongyang 王重陽 (1112–1170) and the “Seven True Ones (Qizhen 七真)”, combines their writings, quotations, biographies, and other materials and discovers that while Wang Chongyang and others heavily criticized the traditional method of Fushi, they also carried out extensive Fushi activities and accumulated rich practical experience in areas such as taking medicine (fuyao 服藥), breathing exercises (fuqi 服氣), fasting (bigu 辟穀), dieting (yinshi 飲食), and using talismans (fufu 服符). Early Quanzhen Taoism both denied and utilized Fushi leading to a contradiction between words and deeds. The reasons for this contradiction can be attributed to two aspects: the internal alchemy thinking of the early Quanzhen Taoism that prioritized Tao over technique (shu 術), and dual cultivation of inner nature (xing 性) and life (ming 命) and prioritizing the former over the latter.

早期全真道三教融通的多元景觀 -以王重陽ㆍ馬鈺和丘處機為中心(전진도(全真道)의 초기 삼교융통(三教融通)의 다원적 양상 -왕중양(王重陽)ㆍ마옥(馬鈺) 및 구처기(丘處機)를 중심으로)

早期全真道三教融通的多元景觀 -以王重陽ㆍ馬鈺和丘處機為中心(전진도(全真道)의 초기 삼교융통(三教融通)의 다원적 양상 -왕중양(王重陽)ㆍ마옥(馬鈺) 및 구처기(丘處機)를 중심으로)

Taming the Wild Horse: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Daoist Horse Training Pictures by Louis Komjathy

Reviewed by: Taming the Wild Horse: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Daoist Horse Training Pictures by Louis Komjathy Jennifer Bussio Louis Komjathy, Taming the Wild Horse: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Daoist Horse Training Pictures. New York: Columbia University Press, 2017. xxii, 242 pp. US$65 (HB). ISBN 978-0-231-18126-6 Louis Komjathy’s latest book, Taming the Wild Horse: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Daoist Horse Training Pictures, focuses on a set of illustrated poems from the Three Essentials for Cultivating Perfection According to the Highest Vehicle (Shangsheng xiuzhen sanyao 上乘修真三要, DZ 267), a canonical text from the thirteenth century. Komjathy argues the value of the Daoist Horse Training Pictures is that they form a “map of contemplative practice and contemplative experience” still relevant today (p. ix) and that to study them should itself be taken as a form of contemplative practice (p. x). These two points are critical for understanding how Komjathy views the subject material, as both a guide to mastering a specific style of Daoist meditation and as an act of meditation itself. This emphasis on praxis also identifies who is the book’s primary audience, namely, fellow practitioners and those interested in contemporary Daoist contemplative practices. Taming the Wild Horse is divided into three sections: introduction, translation of the poems with primary commentary, and Komjathy’s own exegesis. The introduction provides historical and religious context for the Daoist Horse Training Pictures. [End Page 82] The attributed author of the illustrated poems and commentary is a Yuanming laoren 圓明老人, whom Komjathy convincingly identifies as Gao Daokuan (高道 寬, 1195–1277), an early Quanzhen 全眞 monastic. The first chapter also briefly covers Quanzhen monastic teachings, the pictures’ connection to the famous ox-herding pictures of Chan Buddhism, and an overview of Daoist meditative practices. Undoubtedly because the background provided in the book is so limited, Komjathy frequently must enjoin the reader to see other works, usually his own, for further information. The second chapter connects wildness and domestication with the Daoist ideal of self-cultivation, considers “the question of the animal itself” (discriminating between “the animal as other-construct, symbolic animals, and actual animals” in the process), studies horses as a symbol in both Chinese tradition and Daoism, and offers “an examination of actual horses in the sociohistorical context of Daokuan’s life” (p. 29). This overly broad collection of topics is likely the result of Komjathy attempting to cover four interpretive approaches to the Daoist Horse Training Pictures in a single chapter. Splitting this chapter into two so that historical and cultural studies approaches were one chapter and animal and contemplative studies approaches were another would have greatly benefited the book. As it is, Komjathy raises some important points, particularly in connecting wildness and domestication of animals with self-cultivation and a return to the Dao, but they are just starting to be developed when the reader is rushed off to the next topic. The question of the animal is a fascinating discussion, but the space devoted to animal and contemplative studies approaches means that the historical and cultural contexts are barely developed. For example, I was left wishing the influence of the reigning dynasties from the steppe on Daokuan’s choice of subject had been more thoroughly addressed, given that Daokuan was active in North China during the Jin-Yuan period. The true value of Taming the Wild Horse lies in its second and third sections. Komjathy’s translation of the text and its commentary is both elegant and readable. He has wisely placed each of the Daoist Horse Training pictures on a full page with its accompanying poem on the opposite, allowing the reader to contemplate the image and words together. The original Chinese is helpfully included as well, so that the reader can consult it, if desired. The one problem, which mars the otherwise excellent translation, is Komjathy’s curious insistence on translating mutong (牧童) as “shepherd.” Mutong is the term used in the poems to describe the individual who tames the horse and is used generally for a person who herds large livestock. As such, it is extremely discordant to see this person called a shepherd. It should...

Sun Buer: Early Quanzhen Matriarch and the Beginnings of Female Alchemy

This article is the first detailed historical study of the life, teachings, and practices of Sun Buer (1119–83), the only female member of the so-called Seven Perfected of Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism. Drawing upon the earliest hagiographical accounts, this study provides an accurate picture of the historical Sun, with particular attention to her personal life and social location in the early Quanzhen movement. It includes complete annotated translations of the only extant writings reasonably attributed to Sun Buer.

Wang Chongyang (1113-1170) et la foundation du Quanzhen. Ascètes taoïstes et alchimie intérieure by Pierre Marsone (review)

Reviewed by: Wang Chongyang (1113-1170) et la foundation du Quanzhen. Ascètes taoïstes et alchimie intérieure by Pierre Marsone Stephen Eskildsen Pierre Marsone . Wang Chongyang (1113-1170) et la foundation du Quanzhen. Ascètes taoïstes et alchimie intérieure. Paris: Collège de France, Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises, 2010. Pp. 473. € 35.00. ISBN 978-2857570691 Pierre Marsone's Wang Chongyang (1113-1170) et la foundation du Quanzhen. Ascètes taoïstes et alchimie intérieure is a revised version of the doctoral dissertation that he submitted to the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris) in 2001. Although nine years thus elapsed between the thesis submission and the ultimate publication, it was worth the wait. This is a substantial, meticulous piece of work that nicely enhances our knowledge and understanding of the history of Taoism in the twelfth century. Marsone's study of the early Quanzhen 全真 Taoist movement was, by largely unintended coincidence, carried out more or less simultaneously with studies on roughly the same topic by several other western scholars (Vincent Goossaert,1 Louis Komjathy, and myself). Previously, there had existed the very fine dissertation by Yao Tao-chung 姚道中 on the Quanzhen movement2 but no published, book-length Western-language monograph on the topic. [End Page 463] There are now three such published monographs,3 and students need no longer complain of a scarcity of Western-language secondary source materials on the topic of early Quanzhen Taoism. That being the case, one does need to question whether Marsone's monograph offers anything significant that is not to be already found in the other recently published monographs. In my view, it does; most importantly, it surpasses the other studies in the degree of care and detail by which it sorts out, discusses and analyzes the primary sources (religious and secular) pertinent to the discussion of the lives and activities of Wang Chongyang 王重陽 and his main disciples and the historical background and circumstances thereof. As result, he provides us with an account of the movement's early history that is unsurpassed in its thoroughness and accuracy. The book's first chapter (among a total of four) discusses the life and written works of Quanzhen founder Wang Chongyang, as well as the posthumous development of his cult and of temples located at sites intimately connected to his life events. The chapter starts out most appropriately with an overview—in sequence of date of authorship—of ten different Taoist hagiographical sources that speak at length about Wang Chongyang's life and/or legacy. Marsone then proceeds to carefully and methodically discuss Wang Chongyang's life events by examining side-by-side the testimonies of each of the hagiographies and analyzing them in light of evidence available in secular historical sources and re-evaluating the merits of observations that have been previously made by Chinese and Japaneses scholars (such as Chen Minggui 陳銘珪, Chen Yuan 陳銘珪, Yao Congwu 姚從吾, Sun Kekuan 孫克寬, Kubo Noritada 窪德忠, and Hachiya Kunio 蜂屋邦夫). In over-viewing the various works (extant and non-extant) that have been attributed to Wang Chongyang, Marsone distinguishes between "authentic" and "apocryphal" texts. The texts that he accepts without reservation as authentic are the three poetry collections Chongyang quanzhen ji 重陽全真集, Chongyang jiaohua ji 重陽教化集, and Chongyang fenli shihua ji 重陽分梨十化集. For each text—particularly those in the "authentic" categoryhe provides a helpful overview of the contents and subject matter; for each of the "apocryphal" works he provides reasonable explanations for his reservations on their authenticity. The book's second chapter discusses the lives and written works of Wang [End Page 464] Chongyang's main disciples (the so-called "Seven Authentics" [七真]: Ma Danyang 馬丹陽, Tan Changzhen 譚長真, Liu Changsheng 劉長生, Qiu Changchun 丘長春,, Wang Yuyang 王玉陽, Hao Guangning 郝廣寧, and Sun Qingjing 孫清靜), particularly in terms of how and to what extent each of them contributed to the formation and emergence of Quanzhen Taoism. Employing the same meticulous approach to the primary sources that he does in the case of Wang Chongyang, Marsone sheds light on some the more distinct features of the personalities and doctrinal emphases of each of the "Seven Authentics." On the whole he paints an illuminating picture of how the major disciples in different ways and in different regions laid...

Wang Chongyang (1113–1170) et la fondation du Quanzhen: ascètes taoïstes et alchimie intérieure by Pierre Marsone (review)

Book Reviews 123 feasibility of such establishment, this is an issue that deserves a more expanded treatment: there could be compelling reasons why the current government cannot contemplate the establishment of any religion. It is hard to see the state establishing popular religions and Confucianism, with their emphasis on ancestor worship, let alone Christianity with its strong stance on birth control and abortion, because its policy on population control clashes with the fundamental tenets of these traditions. Perhaps future governments may change their views on the matter as population is ageing, but for the moment this appears unlikely. A review of these debates would be welcome. Undergraduates in the fields of comparative politics and contemporary history will nevertheless gain from reading this study because it describes well the policies of secularization and their aftermath. Students in the sociology of religion may find that the discussion of religious life in Russia and China itself is a bit too sketchy and they may be looking for more. However, I would recommend this book in a comparative politics or contemporary history undergraduate class, because it stands out as rigorous in its research design while remaining accessible. ANDRÉ LALIBERTÉ, University of Ottawa Wang Chongyang (1113–1170) et la fondation du Quanzhen: ascètes taoïstes et alchimie intérieure PIERRE MARSONE. Mémoires de l’Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises, vol. XL. Paris: Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises (Collège de France), 2010. 465 pages. ISBN 978-2-85757-069-4. €30.00 paper. Pierre Marsone’s (École Pratique des Hautes Études) new monograph on early Quanzhen 全 真 (Complete Perfection) Daoism is a welcome contribution to the field of Daoist Studies and the academic study of Chinese religion. Wang Chongyang (1113–1170) et la fondation du Quanzhen is a revised doctoral thesis undertaken in the Section des Sciences Religieuses of the École Pratique des Hautes Études under the direction of Kristofer Schipper. The book provides an excellent and highly informative account of the life of Wang Zhe 王 嚞 (Chongyang 重陽 [Redoubled Yang]; 1113–1170), the movement’s founder, and of the formative moments of the Quanzhen religious community, namely, during the Song 宋-Jin 金 period. Marsone gives particular attention to the life of the so-called Seven Perfected (qizhen 124 Journal of Chinese Religions 七真), Wang’s seven senior Shandong disciples, and to the defining characteristics of the early Quanzhen community. As such this study draws inspiration from, and in certain senses is modeled on, Hachiya Kunio’s 蜂 屋邦 夫 works (see pp. 19, 115). 1 It is especially noteworthy that Marsone has written his study in French (in contrast to other French scholars now writing primarily in English), as it is the first comprehensive “non-English” Western European language academic study of Quanzhen, and it will be particularly helpful for a French audience. Although the work neglects important and relevant secondary scholarship on Quanzhen,2 it nonetheless masterfully covers early Quanzhen Daoism, primarily by relying on primary Quanzhen source materials and secondary scholarship in Japanese and Chinese. The book consists of an introduction, four primary chapters in two parts of two chapters each, conclusion, appendices, bibliography, and index. The first part, on Quanzhen history and hagiography, includes two chapters. The first chapter (pp. 19–113) examines the life, legend, and legacy of Wang Chongyang. Marsone discusses biographical and hagiographical sources related to Wang, the biographical contours of Wang’s life, the eventual veneration and divinization of Wang, and writings associated with Wang. The second chapter (pp. 115–94) focuses on Wang’s seven principal Shandong disciples and the formation of Quanzhen as a religious movement. Here Marsone includes separate sections on Ma Danyang 馬丹陽 (1123– 1184), Tan Changzhen 譚長真 (1123–1185), Liu Changsheng 劉長生 (1147–1203), Qiu Changchun 丘長春 (1148–1227), Wang Yuyang 王玉陽 (1142–1217), Hao Guangning 郝廣 寧(1140–1213), and Sun Buer 孫不二 (1119–1183). The second part, on the doctrines of Quanzhen, also consists of two chapters. Chapter 3 (pp. 197–285) focuses on preaching, religious life, and lineage. Here Marsone includes information on key Quanzhen themes, renunciation and Quanzhen religious life, the theology of Wang Chongyang, characteristics of Quanzhen as a religious movement and its associated lineage, as well as key Quanzhen teachings in their historical context. Chapter 4 (pp. 287–368) examines...

Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self‐Transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism – By Louis Komjathy

Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self‐Transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism – By Louis Komjathy

Review of Louis Komjathy, Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism

Review of Louis Komjathy, Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism

The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters. By Stephen Eskildsen. pp. vii, 274. Albany, State University of New York Press, 2004.

The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters. By Stephen Eskildsen. pp. vii, 274. Albany, State University of New York Press, 2004.

Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism by Louis Komjathy (review)

Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism by Louis Komjathy (review)

Stephen Eskildsen, The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters

Stephen Eskildsen, The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters

General Zhang Buries the Bones: Early Qing Reconstruction and Quanzhen Daoist Collaboration in Mid-Seventeenth Century Nanyang

General Zhang Buries the Bones: Early Qing Reconstruction and Quanzhen Daoist Collaboration in Mid-Seventeenth Century Nanyang

The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters (review)

The Teachings and Practices of the Early Quanzhen Taoist Masters (review)

The teachings and practices of the early Quanzhen Taoist masters

The teachings and practices of the early Quanzhen Taoist masters

Seeking Signs of Proof: Visions and Other Trance Phenomena in Early Quanzhen Taoism

(2001). Seeking Signs of Proof: Visions and Other Trance Phenomena in Early Quanzhen Taoism. Journal of Chinese Religions: Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 139-160.

Combined Bibliography on Early Quanzhen Taoism

Combined Bibliography on Early Quanzhen Taoism