Komjathy Mapping The Daoist Body PDF

Mapping the Daoist Body
Part One
*
The Neijing tu in History
LOUIS KOMJATHY
Abstract
This article examines the history and content of the Neijing tu 內經圖 (Dia‑

gram of Internal Pathways), a late nineteenth‑century stele currently
housed in Baiyun guan 白雲觀 (White Cloud Monastery; Beijing). The dia‑
gram is one of the most well‑known illustrations of the Daoist body, though
its historical provenance has not been sufficiently documented to date.
The present article provides a more complete account of its context of
production and dissemination, namely, within the context of Baiyun guan,
the late imperial Longmen 龍門 (Dragon Gate) lineage of the Quanzhen 全
真 (Complete Perfection) monastic order, and elite imperial court culture. I
then turn to a systematic study of its contents and the Daoist methods ex‑
pressed in its contours. Within its topographical landscape, one finds a spe‑
cific vision of the Daoist body, a body actualized through Daoist alchemical
*
The present article is part of my ongoing research project on Daoist body
maps and Daoist views of self. I am grateful to Livia Kohn, Liu Xun, Jiang Sheng,
and the anonymous readers of the Journal of Daoist Studies for their helpful com‑
ments. I also wish to thank Kate Townsend for her many insights into Daoist
cultivation and Chinese medicine.
67
68 / Journal of Daoist Studies 1 (2008)
praxis. As such, the Neijing tu and its various rubbings were more than
likely intended as visual aids for Daoist religious training.
For readability, the article has been divided into two parts. The current
section discusses the diagram’s historical and terminological dimensions.
The second part, scheduled to be published in the next issue of the Journal of
Daoist Studies, focuses on content and includes a complete bilingual transla‑
tion with illustrations.
Throughout the history of the Daoist tradition, Daoists have been expert
and extraordinary cartographers. Whether through textual descriptions
or visual representations, Daoists have sought to map the patterns and
constituents of both internal and external worlds. They have charted the
cosmos through star diagrams, including the forms of the five planets
and the twenty‑eight lunar mansions. They have mapped the layers of
the heavens, the subtle realms of the universe, and the stellar abodes in‑
habited by the Perfected (zhenren 真人). They have diagramed the moun‑
tain peaks of this terrestrial landscape and the hidden grotto‑heavens
(dongtian 洞天) branching out like veins through the earth. They have
charted the geomantic contours and qualities of place. They have
mapped the internal spirits associated with the various orbs 1 and the
process by which one realizes the givenness of cosmological situatedness.
They have diagramed the alchemical process of self‑transformation and
the subtle physiology of human aliveness. 2 In short, Daoists have
mapped the universe in its various layers and mutual influences—a uni‑
verse which is simultaneously cosmos, world, landscape, community,
and self.
1 On the translation of zang 藏/臟 as “orb” see Porkert 1974. Although zang
has been translated in numerous ways (organ, viscera, depot, etc.), orb seems the
best choice as it includes the larger process‑oriented qi theory.
2 Examples of these various maps may be found throughout the pages of
Needham et al. 1983; Despeux 1994; 2000; Little 2000. On the importance of spe‑
cific geographical locations in the Daoist tradition see, e.g., Naquin and Yu 1992;
Verellen 1995; Hahn 1988; 2000; Qiao 2000.
Komjathy, “Mapping the Daoist Body” / 69
The Neijing tu 內經圖 (Diagram of Internal Pathways; see Figure 1)

is one such diagram. 3 The Neijing tu is a map of the Daoist internal land‑
scape and a storehouse of Daoist cultivation practices, specifically visu‑
alization and alchemical techniques. The diagram depicts the head and
torso of the Daoist body as seen from the side and in seated meditation
posture. It illustrates more commonly recognizable aspects of the human
body in combination with Daoist subtle anatomy and physiology. The
spinal column, framed on the right and connecting the lower torso with
the cranial cavity, draws one’s immediate attention. The conventional
representation of the spinal column is supplemented by specifically Dao‑
ist realities: on closer examination one notices three temples within the
3 The rubbing in my personal collection was acquired at Baiyun guan in
2002. Like other modern rubbings from the extant stone stele, it lacks the guangxu
光緒 inscription in the upper right‑hand corner (see Eichman 2000a), which is
discussed below as a key to the history of the diagram. Of late, the Neijing tu has
become a sort of logo for Daoist Studies in the West. It has appeared in numerous
publications, with varying degrees of reflective consideration. For example, it has
appeared on the cover of Thomas Cleary’s The Inner Teachings of Taoism, in Livia
Kohn’s The Taoist Experience (Kohn 1993, 177), in John Lagerwey’s Taoist Ritual in
Chinese Society and History (Lagerwey 1987, 289), and in Schipper’s Le corps taoïste
(Schipper 1982, 143) without any explanation. The most detailed studies to date
are Rousselle 1933; Sakade 1991; Wang 1991/92; and Eichman 2000a. Additional
comments may be found in Chia 1995; Cohen 1997, 152‑55; Despeux 1994, 44‑48;
2000; Li 2003; Liu n.d.; Needham et al. 1983, 114‑16; Schipper 1978, 356; Skar 2003.
Rousselle and Wang provide fairly systematic accounts, with Wang translating
much of the diagram, but from an art historical perspective. Both also provide
some information on the relationship between a rubbing of the Neijing tu and an
unidentified painting. Eichman’s comments are included in the art catalogue
Taoism and the Arts of China, and, like Needham and Despeux, are fairly general.
Needham, Despeux and Skar also provide some insights into the historical and
doctrinal relationship between various Daoist body maps, including the Neijing
tu. Here it perhaps deserves mentioning that most of the discussions of Daoist
body maps rely on and often closely follow Needham et al. 1983. Note also that
the Neijing tu (and many of the original images) was not reproduced in the Eng‑
lish translation of Schipper’s La corps taoïste, where we find the following note:
“See the image of the Inner Landscape on page 000, where the lower Cinnabar
Field (hsia tan‑t’ien) is represented by an irrigated rice field being tilled by a
young body” (Schipper 1993, 235, n. 24).
spine, corresponding to the Three Passes (sanguan 三關) through which

Daoist adepts engaging in the process of alchemical transformation en‑
deavor to circulate qi. In addition, the three elixir fields (san dantian 三丹
田) 4 —with the lower one corresponding to the ox (abdominal region), the
middle to the Cowherd (heart region), and the upper to the old man
(head region)—are clearly discernable. One also notes the head as a se‑
ries of mountain peaks and the presence of bridges and pagodas inside
the body. In addition, streams are flowing throughout the map (and
throughout the body). These various details, as well as the textual and
visual contours yet to be mentioned, reveal the Neijing tu as a detailed
mapping of the Daoist body. It reveals the internal landscape discovered
and actualized through Daoist cultivation, specifically within certain cir‑
cles of late imperial Daoism and branches of Daoist internal alchemy
(neidan 內丹 ), 5 notably the Longmen 龍門 (Dragon Gate) branch of
Quanzhen 全真 (Complete Perfection) at Baiyun guan 白雲觀 (White
Cloud Monastery; Beijing) in the late nineteenth century. Although such
historical qualifications must, perhaps, be made, in its textual content,
visual representations, and praxis‑based concerns, the Neijing tu finds
clear precedents in both Song‑Jin (tenth‑thirteenth century) lineages of
internal alchemy and late imperial internal alchemy. 6 In addition, the
diagram has retained a central place of importance within Daoist com‑
4 “Elixir fields” (dantian 丹田), discussed in more detail below, are subtle,
often “mystical,” energetic locations in the body, which frequently include a non‑
spatial dimension (e.g., mystical cranial locations). They are places in which the
body’s physical and energetic aspects, the “ingredients” for the alchemical medi‑
cine and the foundation for immortality, are stored and transformed. The essen‑
tial materials for elixir‑formation are vital essence (jing 精) associated with the
kidneys, qi 氣 associated with the lower abdomen, spirit (shen 神) associated with
the heart and “brain,” and bodily fluids (jinye 津液), which have a variety of as‑
sociations. Some internal alchemy systems also place emphasis on the ethereal
soul (hun 魂) and the corporeal soul (po 魄). For an attempt to map Daoist elixir‑
formation in terms of Chinese medical theory see Komjathy 2007, ch. 6.
5 For some insights into the history and practice of internal alchemy see
Baldrian‑Hussein1983; Needham et al. 1983; Robinet 1989b; 1995; Pregadio and
Skar 2000; Skar 2003; Komjathy 2007.
6 The exact lineage of internal alchemy documented in the Neijing tu awaits
future research. While I make some suggestions, a complete study of late impe‑
rial neidan and Longmen may clarify these and related historical issues.
munities into the twenty‑first century, a testament to the enduring power
of its mapping of the Daoist body and Daoist religious praxis. 7
In part one of this article, I discuss the historical background of the
Neijing tu as well as the layers of meaning embedded in its title. In part
two, which will appear in the next issue of the Journal of Daoist Studies, a
detailed study of the graphic and textual components of the diagram is
presented. I also draw attention to three specific Daoist cultivation
methods illustrated in the Neijing tu, namely, praxis‑oriented applica‑
tions of classical Chinese medical views of the body; visualization meth‑
ods which draw their inspiration from the Huangting jing 黃庭經 (Scrip‑
ture on the Yellow Court; DZ 331; 332) 8 and which find clear historical
precedents in early Shangqing 上清 (Highest Clarity) Daoism; and the
alchemical technique known as the Waterwheel (heche 河車) or Micro‑
cosmic Orbit (xiao zhoutian 小周天).
The primary focus of the present study is the textual and visual con‑
tent of the diagram itself, especially as one depiction of the Daoist “al‑
chemical” or “mystical body” (see Komjathy 2007) and as one map of
Daoist religious praxis as undertaken in the late imperial period. The
major contribution of this paper is, in turn, threefold. It provides the first
complete translation of the Neijing tu, including bilingual renderings of
the diagram as divided into three sections. Second, it supplies greater
specificity than any previous study concerning the actual historical con‑
text in which the original stele was commissioned and in which the
original version may have been produced. Finally, I argue for reading
the Neijing tu as a map of Daoist cultivation as understood and under‑
taken in the context of late imperial Daoism and in the Longmen branch
of Quanzhen, specifically at Baiyun guan during the late Qing dynasty
(1644‑1911). On the most basic level, the diagram is an aesthetically pow‑
7 Some claims have also been made concerning the Neijing tu as part of
“Chinese medical history.” See Fu et al. 1999; Li 2003. While purely medical ex‑
planations prove unsatisfactory in terms of the diagram’s content, the overlap‑
ping contours of “Buddhism,” “Daoism,” and “Chinese medicine” may give one
pause at the reified nature of those categories. The Neijing tu, like contemporane‑
ous sources, reveals a complex pattern of interaction, adaptation, and transfor‑
mation of “traditions” in the late imperial period.
8 Daoist texts are cited according to Komjathy 2002, with numbers for the
Ming‑dynasty Daoist Canon paralleling Schipper’s system.
erful depiction of the human body, and thus of the aspiring Daoist
adept’s own psychosomatic possibility. 9 On another level, it is the body
as actualized through meditative praxis, and thus points towards two
additional dimensions: seated meditation becomes represented as the
normative and normalizing posture for human beings; and, like earlier
mappings of Daoist cultivation, the Neijing tu was more than likely used
(and continues to be used) as a visual aid for meditation.
Historical Contours
The received Neijing tu is a stone stele housed at Baiyun guan in Beijing.
Baiyun guan is the seat of contemporary Quanzhen Daoism, the official
state‑sponsored Daoist monastic tradition in mainland China, and the
headquarters of the Chinese Daoist Association (Zhongguo daojiao xie‑
hui 中國道教協會). 10 It is also the chief monastery of the Longmen branch
of Quanzhen, traditionally said to have been established by Qiu Chuji 丘
處機 (Changchun 長春 [Perpetual Spring]; 1148‑1227), but historically
traced to Wang Changyue 王常月 (Kunyang 崑陽 [Paradisiacal Yang];
1622‑1680) (Esposito 2000, 628; see also Esposito 1993; 2001).
The received Neijing tu stele is a reproduction of a late‑nineteenth
century engraving. According to the inscription in the upper right‑hand
corner of at least some rubbings of the Neijing tu (see Eichman 2000a), the
engraving of the original stele occurred in the first third of the sixth lunar
month in 1886 (guangxu bingwu nian heyue shanghuan 光緒丙戊年荷月上
浣), that is, towards the end of the late imperial period and of the Man‑
chu Qing dynasty (1644‑1911). The guangxu 光緒 inscription only occurs
in some extant rubbings, and this historical detail, from my perspective,
provides an important clue into the history of the diagram now known
as the Neijing tu. In contrast, the extant Neijing tu stone stele of Baiyun
guan, similar reproductions distributed to various Daoist temples (e.g.,
9 In this respect, the Neijing tu is not simply an “artifact,” a trace of some
lost historical moment or a monument to disappearing tradition. It remains an
enduring presence in various Daoist communities and in the lives of specific
Daoists. Cf. Eichman 2000b: 231.
10 For information on Quanzhen Daoism see Yao 1980; Tsui 1991; Qing et al.
1996, vol. 3; Journal of Chinese Religions 29 (2001); Eskildsen 2004; Komjathy 2007.
For a study of the history of Baiyun guan see Marsone 1999.
Baxian gong, Chongyang gong, Qingyang gong), and modern rubbings

lack this inscription. This, in turn, points to an earlier engraving, regard‑
ing which its current status (extant or not), possible location, and original
material (wood, stone or bronze) remain a mystery.
The original engraving was commissioned by a Longmen monk and
court eunuch (taijian 太監) named Liu Chengyin 劉誠印 (d. 1894), whose
Daoist name was Suyun 素雲 (Pure Cloud). 11 Liu Chengyin was born in
Dongguang 東光 county, Zhili 直隸 province (present‑day Hebei), an
area known for its poverty and hence its steady supply of young boys
who were often sold by their parents to be castrated and trained as
eunuchs for the imperial household. Little else is known about Liu’s
early life and his career. As Liu Xun points out,
11 The most readily available biographical information appears in a stele
inscription written by Xiyou 禧祐, a Manchu bannerman, and entitled “Liu Su‑

yun daoxing bei” 劉素雲道行碑 (Stele on the Daoist Activities of Liu Suyun; dat.
1886). It seems that this stele was originally located in the western front of the
Nanji dian 南極殿 (Shrine of the Southern Polestar), which is now named Leizu
dian 雷祖殿 (Shrine of the Patriarch of Thunder). Wang Chiping 王持平 (pers.
comm..); author’s field observations (cf. Goossaert 2007, 224). For reproductions
see Koyanagi 1934, 158‑59; Li 2003, 714. Other important, related steles include
the “Suyun zhenren daoxing beiji” 素雲真人道行碑記 (dat. 1895), “Suyun zhen‑
ren Liu xianshi beiji” 素雲真人劉先師碑記 (dat. 1895), “Liu Suyun taming” 劉素
雲塔銘 (dat. ca. 1900), and “Baiyun guan Changchun gonghui beiji” 白雲觀長春
供會碑記 (dat. 1886). On these and contemporaneous steles see Goossaert 2007.
Most of the present biographical information on Liu Chengyin comes from the
first inscription and from Liu Xun’s study (2004a) of a series of paintings honor‑
ing Bixia yuanjun 碧霞元君 (Primordial Goddess of Cerulean Mists), which had
been commissioned by Gao Rentong 高仁峒 (1841‑1907), twentieth‑generation
abbot of Baiyun guan (see also Liu 2004b). The relevant information on Liu
Chengyin appears on pages 84‑94. Liu’s article also provides the interested
reader with a fuller appreciation of the complex interaction among the Qing im‑
perial elite, powerful Longmen clerics, and court eunuchs during the end of the
Qing dynasty, with special attention to the late‑nineteenth century Baiyun guan
environs. See also Vincent Goossaert’s The Taoists of Peking (2007), which pro‑
vides a more complete picture of the religio‑cultural context of Beijing during the
late imperial and early modern periods. On Gao Rentong see especially pages
172‑75; information of Liu Chengyin appears on pages 218‑23.
Official Qing sources generally neglect the history of eunuchs

like Liu whose profession and social class were widely stigma‑
tized. Nonetheless, circumstantial evidence found in non‑
official sources attests to Liu’s powerful influence and connec‑
tions at Qing court, and to the immense personal wealth he
garnered from these connections. (Liu 2004a, 85)
Liu Chengyin was a powerful court eunuch to Empress Dowager Cixi 慈
禧 (1835‑1908) and a generous patron of Baiyun guan. 12 He became one
Cixi’s most trusted chief eunuchs following the execution of An Dehai 安
德海 (d. 1869). More germane to the present study, Liu Chengyin re‑
ceived formal Longmen ordination under Zhang Yuanxuan 張圓璿
(Gengyun 耕雲 [Tilling Clouds]; 1828‑1887), one of the most famous
Quanzhen monastic leaders of his era. This ordination ceremony oc‑
curred in 1871 and included several hundred ordainees, one of whom
was Gao Rentong 高仁峒 (Shoushan 壽山 [Longevity Mountain]; 1841‑
1907), 13 who would become the twentieth‑generation abbot of Baiyun
guan after the death of Abbot Meng Yongcai 孟永才 (d. 1881). As a
Longmen monk at Baiyun guan, Liu Chengyin served as an altar atten‑
dant (hutan huazhu 護壇化主) (Min and Li 1994, 482); as a patron of Bai‑
yun guan and court confidante, he was a generous donor to and advo‑
cate for the monastery.
12 It seems that a major motivation for court eunuch interest in and support
of Quanzhen Daoism centered on a popular imagining of Qiu Changchun. In
circulation since at least the sixteenth century, though without historical support
in terms of Qiu’s actual life, this legend claimed that Qiu castrated himself in
order to resist sexual favors bestowed on him by Chinggis Qan (Genghis Khan;
ca. 1162‑1227; r. 1206‑1227), the Mongol ruler. Remembrance of Qiu’s legendary
self‑castration became central during festivities surrounding his birthday. Occur‑
ring from the first day of the first moon through the nineteenth day of the first
moon, these festivities culminated in the celebration of Qiu’s birthday on the
nineteenth day, which was popularly known as Yanjiu 燕九. See Liu 2004a, 88‑91.
On Qiu Changchun see Yao 1980; 1986; Zheng 1995; Zhao 1999.
13 Gao Rentong, as was traditionally the case for Daoist clerics, had a num‑
ber of names, including Yuntong 雲峒, Tongyuan 峒元, Yunxi 雲溪, and Ming‑
dong[tong] 明洞[峒]. Liu 2004a; Min and Li 1994, 825. The latter source also in‑
cludes brief entries on Liu Chengyin (482) and Zhang Yuanxuan (586).
Between 1871 and 1890, he helped the monastery raise a total of
some 44,000 taels of silver, more than half of which came from Liu him‑
self. Most of the funds went to pay for ordination ceremonies, including
the one that occurred in 1871, and the renovation and construction of
monastic buildings. Liu Chengyin was also instrumental in funding the
carving and erecting of several major stele inscriptions. Among these, he
commissioned the engraving of the Neijing tu, which was erected at Bai‑
yun guan in 1886. Later this stele was inlaid together with the Xiuzhen tu
修真圖 (Diagram for Cultivating Perfection) (see Despeux 1994; Skar
2000), another, more complex diagram on internal alchemy, on a wall in
the rear garden of the monastery compound in 1890. The engraving of
the Xiuzhen tu stele, like that of the Neijing tu, was commissioned by Liu.
As is evidenced from such patronage, Liu Chengyin was interested in
the practice and dissemination of internal alchemy practice, at least par‑
tially through the circulation of rubbings of the Neijing tu and Xiuzhen tu
(see also Goossaert 2007, 285‑93). In addition to studying and practicing
under Zhang Yuanxuan, Liu allegedly built a small self‑cultivation re‑
treat called Zizhu daoyuan 紫竹道院 (Daoist Cloister of Purple Bamboo),
located in the modern park of the same name in the western suburb of
Beijing, where he engaged in neidan training after his retirement from
court.
Outside of the internal textual dimensions, the only known avail‑
able historical information on this diagram comes from inscriptions in
the Neijing tu itself. According to Liu Chengyin’s colophon in the lower‑
left corner (see Figure 1):
This diagram has never been transmitted before. The funda‑

mental reason for this is because the Way of the Elixir is vast
and subtle, and there are obtuse people who do not have the
ability to grasp it. Consequently, it rarely has been transmitted
in the world.
I happened to observe the diagram among the books and
paintings in the study (zhai 齋) of Gao Songshan 高松山. By
chance, it was hanging on a wall. The skill used in its painting
technique is finely executed. The annotations of the joints and
articulations (jinjie 筋節), meridians and vessels (mailuo 脈絡)
are clearly distinguished, and each one contains specific cavi‑
ties (qiao 竅).
I examined [the diagram] for a long time and realized that
my comprehension was growing. I began to realize that exha‑
lation and inhalation (huxi 呼吸) as well as expelling and in‑
gesting (tu’na 吐納) of the human body are the waxing and
waning as well as the ebb and flow of the cosmos.
If you can divine and gain insight into this, you will have
progressed more than halfway on your inquiry into the great
Way of the Golden Elixir (jindan dadao 金丹大道).
In truth, I did not dare to keep this for myself alone.
Therefore, I had it engraved on a printing block [so that it
might be] widely disseminated.
Engraved with deep reverence as an inscribed record by
Liu Chengyin, the Daoist Suyun
Printing block preserved at Baiyun guan in Beijing
With regard to the Gao Songshan mentioned in the above passage, it has
most often been taken as a geographical name (Needham et al. 1983;
Despeux 1994; 2000; Eichman 2000a; Wang 1991‑92), but more than likely
refers to a personal name. With regard to the former, Gao Songshan has
been translated conventionally as “tall Pine Mountain” or as “lofty
Mount Song.” If these characters refer to a geographical location, the
mountain mentioned here remains unidentified. There are numerous
mountains called Songshan 松山 (“Pine Mountain”) and presumably
several of them or the pines on them were high. 14 Despeux suggests that
it refers to Songshan 嵩山 in Henan (1994, 44; 2000, 521), but the charac‑
ter song 嵩 (“lofty”) in the famed Songshan is different from that in the
Neijing tu. 15 Liu Xun has recently suggested that Gao Songshan is a per‑
14 See, e.g., the relevant entry in the Zhongwen da cidian 中文大辭典.

15 The famed Songshan 嵩山 does, of course, receive the designation Song‑
gao 崧高 in a poem by that name in the Shijing 詩經 (Classic of Poetry) (see Legge
1893‑95, vol. 4, 535). However, the context of the original Neijing tu engraving,
that is, among Qing‑dynasty court elite and by a court eunuch and Longmen
monk, was most likely the urban environment of Beijing. There is no evidence
that Liu Chengyin went “mountain‑hopping” or “cloud‑wandering” during
which he happened upon the diagram, or that he received some esoteric trans‑
mission in a secret mountain cave, as much as such details would prove satisfy‑
ing to Western romanticized ideas about “Daoism.” Here we are dealing with a
socio‑economic and religio‑historical context of imperial patronage and Daoist
participation, which is substantiated by the fact that the original painting was
sonal name and most likely refers to Gao Rentong. This conjecture is
based on the fact that Liu Chengyin had a close relationship with Abbot
Gao and that Gao Rentong’s Daoist name was Shoushan 壽山 (2004a, 94,
n. 51). Moreover, historical contextualization, the fact that Liu was a
Longmen monk at Baiyun guan, an associate and fellow ordinand of Gao,
and a chief eunuch in Beijing, supports such a reading. However, if this
is the case, then why does song 松 replace the character shou 壽 in Gao
Rentong’s Daoist name as engraved in the Neijing tu stele? One possibil‑
ity is that Songshan was a nickname used by some of the Longmen Dao‑
ists at Baiyun guan, although I have found no evidence to support this
conjecture. Another, complementary possibility is that the two characters,
though visually unrelated, were seen as synonymous in a Daoist cultiva‑
tional context. How would this be the case? Because pine trees (song), as
evergreens, are a traditional symbol of longevity (shou).
Based on Liu Chengyin’s testimony, the Neijing tu stele was pro‑
duced from a painting or hanging scroll: “I happened to observe this
diagram among the books and paintings in the studio of Gao Songshan.
By chance, it was hanging on a wall.” This scant piece of information is
intriguing in terms of the physical location of the painting and the possi‑
ble context of its use. Liu’s comments, implying happenstance and fortu‑
nateness, perhaps suggest that the painting was out of place or obscured
by other aspects of Daoist and elite material culture. Was it just one item
among other literati paraphernalia and thus simply part of the environ‑
ment of late imperial court culture, an aesthetic representation of the
human body? If so, how can one explain the clear embodiment of Daoist
cultivational culture in the diagram?
The content, specifically the Chinese medical and Daoist alchemical
dimensions, point in a different direction: as a visual aid for Daoist reli‑
gious praxis, both as an overall existential approach and as a distinctive
set of meditative techniques based on alchemical transformation. Under
this reading, the painting may have only been taken out and hung dur‑
ing specific practice times—it “happened” to be out because Gao Song‑
shan either had been studying the diagram, was about to begin seated
meditation, had just completed a training session, or had not put the
painting away after meditation. This possibility, in combination with the
most likely executed by a high‑level artist in the service of the Qing imperial
household (below).
specifically Daoist content of the diagram, give further pause for reflec‑

tion: Was the original Neijing tu painting specifically made for Gao Ren‑
tong, perhaps under his personal direction regarding content and
graphic depiction? Or, was it perhaps a gift from the Qing imperial
household upon his ascent to the position of abbot of Baiyun guan in
1881 (five years before the engraving of the Neijing tu)? If so, the fact that
Gao Rentong possessed such a painting tells us something noteworthy
about the relationship among the Qing ruling elite, Baiyun guan, and the
Longmen lineage in the late nineteenth century: Baiyun guan and its ab‑
bot were recognized as an integral and necessary dimension of Qing im‑
perial power (see Esposito 2000; 2001; Liu 2004a; 2004b; Goossaert 2007).
Beyond such conjectures, Liu’s brief remarks point us towards an
earlier painting that was the original version of the Neijing tu and served
as the basis for the commissioned and received Neijing tu stele. One such
painting is currently housed in the Zhongguo yishi bowu guan 中國醫史
博物館 (Museum of Chinese Medical History) in Beijing, and this paint‑
ing appears to be the original Qing‑dynasty one (see Fu et al. 1999, 200;
also Rousselle 1933; Wang 1991‑92, 143; Li 1992, 85; Despeux 1994, 44;
Liu 2004a, 94, n. 51). It is generally held that this painting was a product
of the Ruyi guan 如意館 (Ruyi Studio), the Qing imperial art academy
and part of the Qing Imperial Household Department (neiwu bu 內務部).
It too thus dates to the Qing dynasty, though the exact date and architect
of production are currently unknown. In textual and visual content, the
extant painting directly parallels the Neijing tu stele of Baiyun guan with
some minor discrepancies. 16
16 As both Joseph Needham et al. (1983) and Catherine Despeux (1994) have
pointed out, at least some of the inspiration for the Neijing tu derives from earlier
Daoist drawings and illustrations of the human body found in the Ming‑dynasty
Daoist Canon. It is beyond the scope of the present study to document all of the
earlier precedents for the Neijing tu, both in terms of textual and visual content.
From my perspective, the most significant earlier diagrams are as follows: the
late Tang (618‑907) Shangqing dongzhen jiugong zifang tu 上清洞真九宮紫房圖 (DZ
156), which includes parallel diagrams of the body and pavilions, with the latter
resembling the depiction of the first pass in the lower section of the Neijing tu; the
thirteenth‑century Huangdi bashiyi nanjing zuantu jujie 黃帝八十一難經纂圖句解
(DZ 1024), which contains diagrams entitled neijing tu 內境圖 (4a‑5b), the first of
which closely resembles the received Xiuzhen tu 修真圖; the Zazhu jiejing 雜著捷
徑, as contained in the early fourteenth‑century Xiuzhen shishu 修真十書 (DZ 263),
Certain features also stand out. First, the colors used in the painting
increase the aesthetic power and energetic quality. The green and brown
sections of the painting create a heightened contrast and visual impact
with the white, red, and blue sections, with the latter being some of the
most important locations for alchemical transformation. The painting
also substantiates the fact that the two circles in the head region are the
eyes: the left one is red, representing the sun, and the right one is white,
representing the moon. In addition, the energetic movement depicted in
the painting, and perhaps being activated in the viewer’s own body, is
even stronger than in the extant stele and related rubbings. The move‑
ment clearly begins at the base of the torso, moves up the spine, and
around the head. The connection between the Ren 任 (Conception) and
Du 督 (Governing) vessels (below) receives greater emphasis through the
two sets of five bands being multi‑colored in the painting. Finally, the
painting contains an additional visual dimension: two complete circles of
white light. The first surrounds the torso and represents the joining of
the Ren and Du vessels, with the peak of the head clearly emphasized.
The second surrounds the head. Both suggest the formation or activation
of the Daoist subtle body, including the emergence of pure white or
golden light as a sign of alchemical transformation.
which has not only diagrams and an essay entitled neijing tu 內境圖 (18.2b‑3b)
but also essays on inner observation (neiguan 內觀), the Nine Palaces (jiugong 九
宮), three fields (santian 三田), five yin‑orbs (wuzang 五臟), and so forth (18.5b‑9b);
and the Jindan dayao tu 金丹大要圖, DZ 1068, which contains a diagram of the
human body as a mountain that includes some parallel content with the Neijing
tu. In terms of “extra‑canonical” texts, there are important diagrams in the early
seventeenth‑century Xingming guizhi 性命圭旨 (ZW 314), late eighteenth‑century
Huiming jing 慧命經 (ZW 131), early twentieth‑century Xingming fajue mingzhi 性
命法訣明指 (ZW 872), and of course the received Xiuzhen tu. Most of these were
in circulation and/or accessible in the Baiyun guan environs of the late nineteenth
century. However, one clear difference stands out: the Neijing tu is solely a map‑
ping of the Daoist subtle or alchemical body, lacking flesh and a “body” as con‑
ventionally understood. It is the body within the body actualized through al‑
chemical praxis. For an attempt to trace the history of diagrams related to “culti‑
vating perfection” (xiuzhen 修真) see Skar 2000. For a chronological chart of such
maps in terms of Chinese “science” see Zhu 1995, 343.
Terminological Contours
The title of the Neijing tu has been rendered into Western languages in a
variety of ways. 17 Most commentators agree on the standard rendering
of nei 內 as “inner,” “interior,” or “internal,” though nei may also have
the connotation of “esoteric.” Similarly, tu 圖 poses relatively little diffi‑
culty, and is commonly translated as “illustration,” “chart,” “map,” or
“diagram” (see Reiter 1990; Despeux 2000; Strassberg 2002). The crux of
the translation enterprise rests on jing 經, most frequently encountered in
the sense of “scripture,” “classic,” or “text.” The character is composed of
the “silk” (si 絲) radical and the phonetic jing 巠. Taken in this way, vari‑
ous meanings branch out: “text/classic,” “to pass through,” “to regulate,”
“to arrange,” “the warp (of a fabric),” and “meridians” or “arteries.”
Equally plausible, and implied by some of these connotations, is that the
jing phonetic element is also a meaning‑carrier. Etymologically speaking,
it refers to streams running underground or flowing water. Thus, one
could translate the jing 經 of the Neijing tu as “watercourse;” the Neijing
tu might then be understood as the “Diagram of Internal Watercourses.”
While my own preferred translation is “Diagram of Internal Path‑
ways,” a variety of meanings are intended. On one level, it is a diagram
of the “inner currents” or “inner meridians.” Here one may recall the
following passage from chapter one of the Huangdi neijing lingshu 黃帝內
經靈樞 (Yellow Thearch’s Inner Classic: Numinous Pivot; DZ 1020):
Generally speaking, the twenty‑seven [locations through which] qi
ascends and descends are as follows: where it [qi] emerges is
called wells (jing 井); where it flows is called brooks (ying 滎);
where it rushes forth is called rapids (shu 腧); where it proceeds is
called streams (jing 經); where it disappears is called confluences
(he 合). (DZ 1020, 1.3b; see also Nanjing 難經 ch. 68; Unschuld 1986,
577)
17 The title of the Neijing tu has received the following translations: “Die
Tafel des Inneren Gewebes” (Rousselle 1933, 207); “Diagram of the Internal Tex‑
ture of Man” (Needham et al. 1983, 114); “Diagram of the Internal Circulation of
Man” (Wang 1991/92, 141); “Carte de la vision intérieure du corps” (Despeux
1994, 47); and “Illustration of Inner Circulation” (Eichman 2000a, 350).
The precise medical meaning of this passage remains open to a variety of
interpretations, but jing is clearly present in the sense of “stream” and
forms part of the technical description of the width and depth of the
body’s qi‑flow. In contemporary Chinese medical usage, these jing‑
stream areas are the places where the qi of the meridians is bigger, wider,
and deeper. In these places, the flow of qi resembles a large current. They
are commonly used in contemporary acupuncture as treatment points. 18
While the Neijing tu obviously is not a map of the jing‑stream locations, it
nonetheless carries the sense of such technical medical terminology. It is
a diagram of the meridians, the energetic pathways, of the human body.
These views are confirmed by Liu Chengyin’s own comments in the
colophon: “The skill used in its painting technique is finely executed. The
annotations of the joints and articulations, meridians and vessels are
clearly distinguished, and each one contains specific cavities.” In addi‑
tion to “Diagram of Internal Watercourses,” one could thus translate the
title as the “Diagram of Internal Meridians.”
The above comments suggest that multiple layers of meaning have
been inscribed and encrypted in the Neijing tu. In addition to the various
connotations of jing 經 as ““stream” or “meridian,” I also would argue
that two additional characters are implied by and embedded in the title.
This argument is based on the actual contents of the Neijing tu, the inter‑
textuality implied in its images and passages, and earlier historical
precedents found in related Daoist body maps. The two characters to
which I am referring are homonyms/cognates of jing 經‑pathway. They
are jing 境‑landscape and jing 景‑luminosities. With this implication, the
Neijing tu is an illustration not only of the meridians of qi running
through the body, but also of the Daoist body as terrestrial and cosmo‑
18 For a discussion of these points in the context of Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) see, e.g., Maciocia 1989, 335‑53; Ellis et al. 1989; Deadman et al.
2001. In the present article, I use the phrase “Traditional Chinese Medicine” to
refer to the medical system developed in Communist China during the second
half of the twentieth century, specifically under the influence of allopathic medi‑
cine and a Western scientific and materialistic paradigm. “Classical Chinese
medicine” refers to the worldview and practices documented in the early classics.
For the most comprehensive English‑language sources on the history of Chinese
medicine see Lu 1980; Unschuld 1985; Eck 1996, 37‑195; Needham et al. 2000; also
Sivin 1987. Academic studies of Chinese medicine during the Qing dynasty are
only beginning to be undertaken. See Unschuld 1998.
logical landscape and as the dwelling‑place of inner luminosities or ef‑
fulgences. From a Daoist perspective, the human body corresponds to,
embodies, various “external” presences—mountains, altars, colors, rivers,
constellations, temples, spirits, forests, and so forth. The Neijing tu maps
the landscape which is the human self; in this sense, jing‑pathway also
alludes to the character jing 境 meaning “region” or “landscape.” The
Neijing tu may be understood as the “Internal Landscape Map.” This ar‑
gument is supported by the fact that the titles of earlier diagrams that
also illustrate the internal regions of the body contain the phrase neijing
tu 內境圖 (see Zazhu jiejing 雜著捷徑, DZ 263, 18.2b‑3b; Nanjing zuantu
jujie 難經纂圖句解, DZ 1024, 5a‑6b; Needham et al. 1983, 109‑10; Despeux
1994; Skar 2003).
Along with mapping the watercourses or meridians of the human
body (jing 經‑streams), and the landscape which is the human body (jing
境 ‑landscape), the Neijing tu also alludes to the jing 景 ‑luminosities
which reside in various areas of the body. The Neijing tu maps various
dimensions of the Huangting jing 黃庭經 (Scripture on the Yellow Court),
which survives in a neijing 內景 (DZ 331) and waijing 外景 version (DZ
332) (see Schipper 1975; Robinet 1984; Huang 1990; Kroll 1996). 19 Al‑
though in the titles of the Huangting jing these designations can and per‑
haps should be read as “esoteric” or “inner view” and “exoteric” or
“outer view” respectively, in Shangqing Daoism and as a Daoist techni‑
19 The technical terminology of the Huangting jing, especially its various
esoteric names for the Daoist subtle body (e.g., mingmen 命門, yuchi 玉池, sanguan
三關, santian 三田, jianggong 絳宮, etc.) was utilized by internal alchemy lineages
from the late Tang onwards (see Robinet 1989b; Pregadio and Skar 2000; Kom‑
jathy 2007). The Yellow Court (huangting 黃庭 ) of the title and mentioned
throughout the scripture is most often read as referring to the spleen region. See,
e.g., the eighth‑century Huangting waijing jing zhu 黃庭外景經注, DZ 263, 58.1b‑2a.
However, it may also refer to the lower elixir field, associated with the abdomi‑
nal region. In this respect, it corresponds to the location of the Ocean of Qi (qihai
氣海) in some neidan lineages. See, e.g., the tenth‑century Chuandao ji 傳道集, DZ
263, 15.14b; and the seventeenth‑century Xingming guizhi 性命圭旨, ZW 314,
9.518. Various attempts were also made in the Tang dynasty (618‑907) to create
visual representations based on the Huangting jing. See, e.g., Huangting neijing
jing zhu 黃庭內景經註, DZ 402; also DZ 1032, 11.1a‑12.27b; DZ 263, 55‑60; and
Huangting neijing tu 黃庭內景圖, DZ 432; also DZ 263, 54.
cal term jing 景 also alludes to the “luminosities” or “effulgences” in the
body (see Homann 1971; Robinet 1989a; 1993). These are the inner body
gods or radiant spirits which reside in different corporeal locations, spe‑
cifically in the five yin‑orbs, and which have associations in the Five
Phase (wuxing 五行) system of correlative cosmology, specifically animal,
direction and color associations (see below). In the central region of the
Neijing tu, these body gods are identified according to the esoteric names
of the orb spirits as found in the Huangting jing. In this sense, the Neijing
tu may be understood as the “Diagram of Inner Luminosities,” adding
yet another possible layer to already multiple meanings.
Topographical Reflections
The history of the received Neijing tu, a stone stele housed in the
Quanzhen monastery of Baiyun guan, is as complex as its mapping of
the Daoist body. Historical evidence, both internal and external to the
diagram itself, suggests that the received stele (and its various rubbings)
was based on an earlier stele, which was in turn produced from a still‑
earlier color painting. That painting may be considered the “source‑text”
and is possibly still extant in the Museum of Chinese Medical History of
Beijing. The original painting of the Neijing tu was most likely produced
within the Ruyi Studio, the Qing imperial art academy. It may have been
made for or given to Gao Rentong (1841‑1907), the twentieth‑generation
abbot of Baiyun guan, upon his ascension to abbotship in 1881. This
painting was subsequently seen by Liu Chengyin (d. 1894), a Longmen
monk and chief eunuch to Empress Dowager Cixi. As a major supporter
of Longmen and Baiyun guan, and as a fellow ordinand and close friend
of Abbot Gao, Liu Chengyin was instrumental in maintaining connec‑
tions among the Longmen lineage, Baiyun guan and the Qing imperial
house. He also commissioned the engraving the Neijing tu stele. This oc‑
curred in 1886, and the stele was later inlaid in the monastic compound
of Baiyun guan with another Liu‑commissioned stele depicting the Dao‑
ist body, namely, the Xiuzhen tu (Diagram on Cultivating Perfection).
These various details not only provide a window into late imperial
Chinese religion and society; they also suggest a Daoist cultivational con‑
text in which seated meditation and alchemical praxis occupied a central
position. The received Neijing tu is a map of the Daoist body, the Daoist
internal landscape utilized and actualized in Daoist practice. As such, it
is the Map of Internal Pathways, charting the contours of the Daoist body
as envisioned within the context of late imperial Daoism, especially
within the Longmen and Wu‑Liu neidan lineages and within the Baiyun
guan environs. The terminological layers of its title, considered in con‑
cert with its contents, are multifaceted: it maps the body as alchemical
crucible, as landscape, as cosmos, as soteriological locus.20 It maps the
many dimensions of Daoist conceptions of self, including, naturalistic,
cosmological, theistic and alchemical visions. These incorporate earlier
Daoist views, practice modalities, and parallel diagrams as well as di‑
mensions of Chinese medicine and Buddhism. Within its contours, one
finds mountain paths to be traversed, summits to be ascended, fields to
be tilled, numinous presences to be awakened, and mystical corporeal
spaces to be entered. In this way, the Neijing tu is one representation of
the Daoist body, a body actualized through Daoist alchemical praxis.
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MAPPING THE DAOIST BODY
PART TWO
THE TEXT OF THE NEIJING TU
LOUIS KOMJATHY
Abstract
Part One of the present article, published in JDS 1 (2008), presented the historical
and terminological contours of the Neijing tu 內經圖 (Diagram of Internal Path‑
ways). As a late nineteenth‑century stele commissioned by the Longmen monk
and court eunuch Liu Chengyin 劉誠印 (Suyun 素雲, Pure Cloud; d. 1894), it is
currently housed in the Baiyun guan 白雲觀 (White Cloud Monastery; Beijing).
This installment focuses on the content of the diagram as well as the Daoist culti‑
vation methods embedded in its contours.
I first provide a thorough analysis of the textual and visual dimensions of
the Neijing tu, including a complete translation with the diagram divided into
three sections. The article also clarifies some influences on this Daoist body map
and its corresponding internal alchemy system, specifically indicating a possible
connection with the emerging Wu‑Liu 伍柳 sub‑lineage of Longmen.
This analysis is followed by a reconstruction of Daoist alchemical practice
as expressed in the Neijing tu. I emphasize three methods: praxis‑oriented appli‑
cations of classical Chinese medical views of the body; visualizations which draw
their inspiration from the Huangting jing and find clear historical precedents in
Shangqing Daoism; and the alchemical technique known as the Waterwheel or
Microcosmic Orbit. The three techniques form an interconnected system, wherein
the adept’s overall psychosomatic health is maintained and strengthened, his
body is osmicized, and he awakens the mystical body, the body‑beyond‑the‑
body or yang‑spirit, i.e., the culmination of alchemical transformation and the
precondition for post‑mortem transcendence.
64
Textual and Visual Contours

The major textual components of the Neijing tu are two poems written in
regulated verse (lüshi 律詩), or eight seven‑character lines. They are lo‑
cated above and below the strand of trees on the left‑hand side of the
diagram. Since various lines from these poems are distributed through‑
out the diagram, attention to them is a prerequisite for further explora‑
tion. The most significant convergence between the lines of the poems
with the visual content occurs in the following locations: the abdominal
region, where the ox is plowing the lower elixir field (poem 2, line 1,
abbr. 2.1); the heart region, where the Cowherd is stringing together
coins to form the Northern Dipper (2.2); and the head region, where
Laozi sits in meditation above the Buddhist monk with upstretched and
supporting arms (2.5‑6).
Other more general descriptions are also found, including refer‑
ences to the body as fields (tian 田) in the abdominal, heart and head re‑
gions (1.1, 2.1); the white pearl above the head as the grain of millet that
contains the world (2.3); and the head region or the Ren and Du vessels
as the location where the mystery beyond mystery is realized (2.7‑8). Fi‑
nally, there are a number of streams flowing into and through the head,
which parallel the reference to the spring in the Upper Valley (1.6). Cer‑
tain sections of Neijing tu thus seem to have been executed as specific
illustrations of these lines.
The poems themselves are found in the fifteenth‑century Lüzu zhi 呂
祖志 (Records of Patriarch Lü; DZ 1484). 1 They are attributed to Lü
Dongbin 呂洞賓 (Chunyang 純陽 [Purified Yang]; b. 798 C.E.?), the semi‑
legendary patriarch of various internal alchemy (neidan 內丹) lineages.
Numerous neidan texts have been attributed to Lü Dongbin and his sup‑
posed teacher Zhongli Quan 鍾離權, which form the so‑called Zhong‑Lü
鍾呂 textual tradition (see Baldrian‑Hussein 1984, especially 23‑31; Boltz
1987, 139‑43). Lü Dongbin is also recognized as a patriarch of both
Quanzhen and the so‑called Nanzong 南宗 (Southern School). The inclu‑
sion of these poems in the Neijing tu points to its internal alchemy con‑
1 Numbers for works appearing in Daoist textual collections follow Kom‑
jathy 2002, with those for the Ming‑dynasty Daoist Canon (DZ) paralleling
Schipper and Verellen 2004. Other abbreviations include JH (Daozang jinghua),
JHL (Daozang jinghua lu), JY (Daozang jiyao), and ZW (Zangwai daoshu).
text, though the exact lineage of late imperial neidan is currently unclear
and awaits further research. Does the Neijing tu embody a distinctive
synthesis, which in some respect represents a new neidan lineage? Or did
it emerge as one expression of a specific lineage of internal alchemy? As
discussed in the previous installment of the present article and below,
there are some clear and intriguing parallels with the emerging Wu‑Liu
伍柳 sub‑lineage of Longmen and with the sub‑sect of the Wu‑Liu line‑
age called the Qianfeng 千峰 lineage,2 which was established in early
twentieth century by Zhao Bichen 趙避塵 (Shunyi 順一 [Attuned Unity];
1860‑1942) and which came to occupy a central place in modern Daoism.
In terms of the Neijing tu, the former, as an identifiable lineage, is
roughly contemporaneous, while the latter is slightly later.
The upper poem reads:
I am properly and attentively cultivating my own field—
Inside there are numinous sprouts that live for ten thousand years.
The flowers resemble yellow gold, their color not uncommon;
The seeds are like jade grain, their fruits perfectly round.
Cultivation completely depends on the earth of the Central Palace;
Irrigation necessarily relies on the spring in the Upper Valley.
The practice is completed suddenly and I attain the great Dao—
I wander carefree over land and water as an immortal of Penglai.
(See also DZ 1484, 4.16a)
The emphasis here is on self‑cultivation and alchemical transforma‑
tion. The central metaphor is agricultural—just as the horticulturalist
must attentively tend his or her garden, so the Daoist adept must focus
on specific elixir fields (dantian 丹田) throughout the body. In the Neijing
tu, these fields are identified by name: the middle elixir field just below
the heart is “Gen‑mountain earth” (gentu 根土), 3 while the lower elixir
2 This sub‑lineage derives its name from the Mount Qianfeng (Hebei), and
Zhao Bichen was directed to found it by his teacher Liaokong 了空 (Realized
Emptiness; fl. 1895), who was a Chan monk. Interestingly, Liaokong claimed to
have received direct instruction under Liu Huayang in 1799. See Xingming fajue
mingzhi, ZW 872; Weisheng sanzi fajue jing; ZW 873; Lu 1970; Despeux 1979.
3 The phrase “Gen‑mountain” appears in the Neijing tu near the Cowherd
and refers to the trigram designating “mountain” as well as to hexagram 52,
field near the level of the navel is called the “correct [standard] elixir
field” (zheng dantian 正丹田). 4 Like tilling, planting, and harvesting crops,
the process of internal alchemy involves a cultivation cycle; one must
prepare the ground and develop the appropriate physiological and cos‑
mological aspects, for which the Neijing tu serves as a map of the Daoist
internal landscape and as a visual aid for alchemical transformation. In
the above poem, the fruits of Daoist cultivation are “flowers the color of
yellow gold” and “seeds like jade grain,” both poetic descriptions of spe‑
cific alchemical experiences. Planted as a seed in the lower elixir field,
and nourished through consistent attentiveness (yi 意) and dedication
(zhi 志), qi accumulates and expands. With yellow being associated with
the Earth phase in Chinese correlative cosmology (see, e.g., Unschuld
1985; Major 1993), and as one of the esoteric names of the lower elixir
field is the Yellow Court (huangting 黃庭), the poem suggests that the
perfect qi (zhenqi 真氣), the qi activated and circulated in internal al‑
chemy practice, becomes a stronger presence in the body. The body be‑
comes rarified.
“Gen‑mountain” . In Daoist internal alchemy, the trigrams represent various
psycho‑physiological aspects of the human being and stages in self‑
transformation. The “Gen‑mountain” trigram may, in turn, express the state of
stillness as well as practices that help nourish such a condition. In the present
case, the reference to the heart region as the “field of Gen‑mountain earth” sug‑
gests that excess emotional and intellectual activity has become stilled. An exam‑
ple of this type of Daoist exegesis on the Yijing 易經 may be found in Liu Yi‑
ming’s 劉一明 (Wuyuan 悟元 [Awakening to the Origin]; 1734‑1821) Zhouyi
chanzhen 周易闡真 (True Explanation of the Yijing), collected in his Daoshu shier
zhong 道書十二種 (Twelve Daoist Books). The Zhouyi chanzhen appears in ZW 245
and has been translated in Cleary 1986. In terms of the present discussion, see
especially Cleary 1986, 103‑5, 194‑97, and 207‑9.
4 It should be noted that the locations of the upper, middle, and lower elixir
fields change depending on the system of alchemy being employed. As in the
Neijing tu, the most frequent locations are in the head, solar plexus/heart region,
and the lower abdomen. See, for example, the eleventh‑century Yunji qiqian, DZ
1032, 59.2a; also Li 1991, 70, 80, 139; Min and Li 1994, 70, 110, 125, 272; Hu 1995,
482, 745, 1141, 1449, 1675, 1681. In some contemporary forms of neidan, the three
elixir fields are the head, lower abdomen and perineum, with the latter referred
to as Huiyin 會陰 and associated with vital essence. Author’s field observations.
This is one manifestation of the golden elixir (jindan 金丹) men‑
tioned in the poem and in Liu Chengyin’s colophon. “The earth of the
Central Palace” most likely refers to the Scarlet Palace (jianggong 絳宮),
the area just below the heart. This interpretation receives substantiation
by the placement of the poem in the Neijing tu in line with the Cowherd
(the heart region). Following the mapping of Daoist cultivation in the
Neijing tu, the Daoist practitioner must still the emotions and nourish
spirit, both associated with the Fire phase and thus with the heart. In
addition, the poem emphasizes the practice of swallowing the Jade Dew
(yuye 玉液; saliva), a central component of forming the elixir of immortal‑
ity (see Komjathy 2007, ch. 6). At the end of the poem, we also find an
allusion to chapter one of the Zhuangzi 莊子 (Book of Master Zhuang; DZ
670), entitled “Xiaoyao you” 逍遙遊 (Carefree Wandering); the Daoist
adept, like the great Peng bird, wanders effortlessly through the troubles
of the world and maintains a more all‑encompassing perspective. Ac‑
cording to the author of the poem, dedication to such cultivation tech‑
niques will lead to attunement with the Dao and immortality, symbol‑
ized as entrance into the eastern paradise of Penglai Island.
The second poem again orients one towards the importance of cul‑
tivation. Through alchemical transformation, the Daoist adept comes to
encompass and be encompassed by the entire universe. The mutual
resonance between the human body and the cosmos, and the embodi‑
ment of the cosmos within and as the human body, becomes realized
(see Schipper 1978; 1993; Kohn 1991a).
The iron ox plows the field where golden coins are sown;
Engraving the stone, the young lad holds a string of cash.
A single grain of millet contains the entire world;
Mountains and streams are decocted in a half‑sheng cauldron.
The eyebrows of white‑headed Laozi hang down to the earth,
And the blue‑eyed foreign monk holds up the heavens.
Orient yourself towards the mysterious and it is realized—
Outside of this mystery there is no other mystery.
(see also DZ 1484, 5.11a)
The first line emphasizes the practice of tending to the body’s fields.
While this involves effort and prolonged practice, symbolized by the ox
(cf. Needham et al. 1983, 100; Wang 1991‑92, 151; Eichman 2000a, 351),
the outcome will be golden coins. Based on the illustrations of the Neijing
tu and the placement of the poem, the primary body location being em‑
phasized is that of the lower elixir field. Again taking into account the
above‑mentioned associations of yellow and gold with the Earth phase
and with the lower elixir field, the sowing and gathering of “golden
coins” indicates an increased level of energetic presence in the lower ab‑
dominal region, the primary storehouse of qi in the body. Like the previ‑
ous encounter with “flowers of yellow gold,” and like the discovery of
gold in general, this fruit is a rare and precious occurrence in the world.
“A grain of millet contains the world” alludes to the famous “Yel‑
low Millet Dream” (huangliang meng 黃粱夢) of Lü Dongbin. According
to one hagiography, found in the Yuan‑dynasty (1260‑1368) Zengxiang
liexian zhuan 增象列仙傳 (Illustrated Biographies of Arrayed Immortals;
see Kohn 1993, 126‑32; cf. Chunyang shenhua ji, DZ 305, 1.3a‑5a), until the
age of sixty‑four Lü Dongbin, although practicing Daoist cultivation, still
harbored political aspirations. Having failed to pass the imperial exami‑
nation twice, one day Lü encounters Zhongli Quan, an accomplished
Daoist adept. Zhongli Quan in turn invites Lü to an inn for a meal, dur‑
ing the preparation of which Lü falls asleep. He then dreams of an entire
official career, beginning with success and fame and ending with failure,
humiliation, and despondency. When he awakens from this dream, the
millet is still being cooked. In even less time than it takes to cook millet,
Lü experiences one possible life and the dissipation involved in seeking
fame and reputation. He in turn becomes the disciple of Zhongli Quan
(who knew of the dream before Lü told him), and eventually commits
himself solely to Daoist cultivation, thus coming to represent the aspir‑
ing Daoist practitioner in general.
Through such dedication, “mountains and streams are decocted in a
half‑sheng cauldron.” One engages in the actualization and refinement of
internal presences and comes to reside in a larger matrix of being. The
entire universe is the context for one’s cultivation and one’s very exis‑
tence becomes cosmicized. As illustrated in the contours of the Neijing tu,
the adept engaging in alchemical praxis discovers that the body contains
streams, mountains, fields, forests, temples and constellations. One’s
body is the cosmos, and the cosmos is one’s body. Although such con‑
ventional distinctions like “cosmos” and “self,” or “internal” and “exter‑
nal,” are potentially necessary at the beginning of alchemical praxis, the
final outcome of alchemical transformation, rarification and perhaps self‑
divinization, results in the activation of the Daoist mystical body (see
Komjathy 2007), a body which is transpersonal and infused with the
Dao’s numinosity. This involves “orienting yourself towards the myste‑
rious.” The final lines of the poem, with the frequent repetition of “mys‑
terious” (xuan 玄), invoke chapter one of the Daode jing 道德經 (Scripture
on the Dao and Inner Power): “Mysterious and again more mysterious—
the gateway to all wonders.” The Daoist adept merges with the twofold
mystery which is the Dao. He or she literally shifts ontological conditions,
abiding in a state of mystical pervasion with the Dao as a mystery be‑
yond mystery, as a mystery simultaneously present and absent in its
own mysteriousness. It is this presence‑absence that also circulates
through the adept’s own body as numinous currents. Here one encoun‑
ters perhaps one of the most significant Daoist challenges to conven‑
tional understandings of human being: one’s physiology literally is sa‑
cred. One embodies the Dao, and one may experience the Dao
through/in/as one’s own psychosomatic and energetic being. The bifur‑
cation of “transcendent divine” and “mundane material processes”
breaks down in this Daoist vision of self.
Beyond the two poems which provide a general description of the
alchemical endeavor, the diagram as a whole can be seen to depict the
Daoist alchemical practice of reversal in combination with the Micro‑
cosmic Orbit method. Here I concentrate on the textual and visual as‑
pects of the Neijing tu, while in the subsequent section I provide a more
systematic explanation of the practices in the context of Daoist internal
alchemy praxis. The aspiring adept must seal himself or herself off from
various sources of dissipation, including sensory and emotional distrac‑
tions. He or she must turn inward through meditative praxis to realize a
return to psychosomatic and cosmological integration. For male adepts
in particular, they must prevent dissipation of their core vitality, vital
essence (jing 精), which occurs through sexual activity and resulting
seminal emission. One of the foundations of the alchemical process is the
retention, circulation and transformation of the body fluids (see Kom‑
jathy 2007). In the Neijing tu, this is depicted as movement of vital es‑
sence, the water of the body, being reversed and transferred upward.
Beginning at the first pass, one notices a boy and a girl working a tread‑
mill, representing yang and yin respectively (see Fig. 2).
The caption next to them reads “the mysterious yin‑yang tread‑
mill.” The longer textual component explains,
Repeatedly, constantly, [the treadmill] is peddled in cycles;
When the mechanism revolves, the water flows eastward.
The water, ten‑thousand fathoms deep, is seen straight to its bottom;
A sweet spring bubbles up, rising to the summit of Southern
Mountain.
By using the intent and sealing the lower gate, the perineum, the
adept reverses the flow of vital essence. Instead of moving outward in
the form of seminal emission for male adepts and menstrual blood for
female adepts, both primary forms of dissipation, the vital essence be‑
comes conserved, stored, circulated and transformed. Reference to the
eastward flow of the vital essence (jing 精) also makes sense when read
in relation to Weilü 尾閭 (Tailbone Gate; the coccyx) as the first pass. 5
According to the Zhuangzi,
Considering the waters of the world, none is greater than the

ocean. Ten thousand streams flow into it—there has never
been a time when they ceased, but the ocean is never full. The
water leaks out at Weilü—there has never been a time when it
stopped, but the ocean is never empty. (17/42/6‑8; cf. Watson
1968, 176).
The occurrence of Weilü in the Neijing tu also adds an additional
“mythological” component to its mapping of the Daoist body and the
Daoist internal landscape. Just as the waters of the ocean are turned into
vapor at the Weilü rock, so too the body has a corresponding place in the
coccyx, identified as the first point on the Governing vessel (GV‑1) in
contemporary Chinese medicine (see Ellis et al. 1989; Deadman et al.
2001). The lower section of the Neijing tu informs the viewer that “the
Kan‑water flows in reverse”, that is, the vital essence, associated with the
5 The Three Passes (sanguan 三關) are usually identified as Tailbone Gate
(weilü 尾閭; the coccyx), Narrow Ridge (jiaji 夾脊; mid‑spine), and Jade Pillow
(yuzhen 玉枕; occiput). See, for example, the thirteenth‑century Jindan dacheng ji
金丹大成集, Xiuzhen shishu, DZ 263, 10.6b; the thirteenth‑century Dadan zhizhi 大
丹直指, DZ 244, 1.4a, 1.5a, 1.12a; and the seventeenth‑century Xingming guizhi,
ZW 314, 9.518.
trigram Kan‑water and the kidneys, 6 is redirected upwards. In con‑
trast to the “normal” flow of essence outward as a source of dissipation,
the Daoist adept, using his or her intent, guides vital essence and qi
through Weilü and initiates the “reversion” (fan 反; huan 還) of vital es‑
sence to repair the marrow and brain (see below).
With regard to the ascent of the bubbling spring to Southern Moun‑
tain, Wang suggests that Southern Mountain “should be the mountain
range of the same name in the south of Xinjiang, which is regarded as a
major branch of Mount Kunlun” (Wang 1991‑92, 150). As the head is fre‑
quently referred to as Mount Kunlun 崑崙 in Daoist cultivation, 7 South‑
ern Mountain suggests the movement of the vital essence and qi from the
lower regions of the body (north) into the upper regions (south), specifi‑
cally into the head area. Mount Kunlun in the west, in addition to Peng‑
lai Island in the east, is a terrestrial paradise and home to various immor‑
tals (xian 仙). In chapter eleven of the Shanhai jing 山海經 (Classic of
Mountains and Seas), a major source of Chinese mythology which con‑
tains material from the third century B.C.E. to the second century C.E.,
Mount Kunlun is described as an epicenter of the universe, where the
heavens and the earth are perfectly harmonized (see Birrell 1999a, 139‑41;
1999b, 183‑85). This aspect of the map hints at the Daoist goal of attain‑
ing immortality, realizing complete cosmological alignment, mystical
6 In Daoist neidan praxis, the eight trigrams (bagua 八卦), commonly associ‑
ated with the Yijing 易經 (Classic of Change), have various correspondences. The
trigrams are as follows: (1) Qian‑heaven (qian 乾) , (2) Kun‑earth (kun 坤) ,
(3) Li‑fire (li 離) , (4) Kan‑water (kan 坎) , (5) Dui‑lake (dui 兌) , (6)
Zhen‑thunder (zhen 震) , (7) Sun‑wind (sun 簨) , and Gen‑mountain (gen 艮)
. See the tenth‑century Chuandao ji 傳道集, DZ 263, 14.11b; and thirteenth‑
century Jindan dacheng ji 金丹大成集, DZ 263, 10.12b.
7 One of the earliest usages of Kunlun as a reference to the head, and thus to
the interiorization of paradise and immortality, appears in the third‑century
Huangting waijing jing 黃庭外景經, DZ 332, 1.1b, also 2.1b. See also the eighth‑
century Huangting waijing jing zhu 黃庭外景經注, DZ 263, 58.7a; Jindan dayao tu,
DZ 1068, 3a; Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.318. For some classical references to
Kunlun in Daoism see Li 1991, 339; Min and Li 1994, 637; Hu 1995, 1164, 1176,
1381, 1644.
pervasion and/or self‑divinization. 8 In addition, the reference to the

“spring bubbling up” (quanyong 泉湧) may be an inversion of Yongquan
湧泉 (Bubbling Spring), located in the center of the sole of foot and iden‑
tified as the first point on the kidney meridian in contemporary Chinese
medicine. 9 This reading adds additional support for the connection of
Kan‑water with vital essence, as the kidneys house vital essence.
Above “the mysterious yin‑yang treadmill,” there are two furnaces
with flames flaring up, four Taiji diagrams, and a ploughboy tending his
ox (see Fig. 2). Based on their location in the diagram, the furnaces sym‑
bolize the elixir fields where vital essence and qi are stored, transformed
and circulated. 10 According to the contours of the Neijing tu, the aspiring
Daoist adept must focus his or her intent on various locations in the
body, especially on Weilü (Tailbone Gate; the coccyx), Qihai 氣海 (Ocean
of Qi; the abdomen), and Mingmen 命門 (Gate of Life; between the kid‑
neys) to increase the fire and circulate qi. As noted, agricultural meta‑
phors abound, and the ploughboy and ox suggest focused attention on
the process of alchemical transformation, especially on the conservation,
transformation and circulation of vital essence and qi.
8 The meaning of xian 仙 (“immortal” or “transcendent”) varies according

to the specific Daoist sub‑tradition and historical moment. In the Neijing tu, im‑
mortality would seem to refer to long life and alchemical transformation. It also
seems to be taken as parallel to “enlightenment” or “realization” in Chan Bud‑
dhism. In the case of the Daoist tradition, whether or not becoming a xianren 仙人
or zhenren 真人 means personal continuation after death is an open question, and
one that requires critical reflection and more in‑depth historical research.
9 Within Daoism, a clear depiction of Yongquan as located in the center of
the soles of the feet appears in the Xiuzhen tu. See Despeux 1994; 2000.
10 In neidan lineages, a distinction is often made between the “stove” or “fur‑
nace” (lu 爐) and “cauldron” or “tripod” (ding 鼎). E.g., the fourteenth‑century
Yuqing danjue 玉清丹訣, DZ 240, 2.16a; cf. Xiuzhen shishu, DZ 263, 10.2b.
The four Taiji diagrams may be interpreted in a variety of ways. 11
Under one reading, and the one that I would suggest is primary, the dia‑
grams symbolize the harmonization of the Five Phases through atten‑
tiveness on lower elixir field, the central storage location for qi. In this
case, the four diagrams would represent all of the phases (Wood [east,
azure, liver, ethereal soul], Fire [south, red, heart, spirit], Metal [west,
white, lungs, corporeal soul], and Water [north, black, kidneys, vital es‑
sence or will]) except that of the Earth, which often occupies the center,
or stillness, in Daoist cultivation. Stillness, sometimes spoken of as Per‑
fect Earth (zhentu 真土), unites all of the other phases. 12 An alternative
reading, proposed by Schipper, suggests that these Taiji diagrams repre‑
sent the qi phases of the elixir field (Schipper 1978, 356). 13 There is no
reason to believe that such interpretations are mutually exclusive; these
layers of meaning, along with others unmentioned here, may all be em‑
bedded in this section of the Neijing tu. The most important thing to note
is the centrality of the lower elixir field in the Neijing tu, in its mapping of
the Daoist body, and in its system of alchemical transformation.
Moving up the spine still further, one arrives at the flames between
the vertebrae below of the second pass. This is Mingmen 命門 (Gate of
Life), which is again connected with vital essence and its transformation
into qi. 14 Charted according to function in contemporary Chinese medi‑
11 The history of the standard, modern Taiji symbol, and the ones depicted
in the Neijing tu (i.e., a circle divided into interconnected white [yang] and black
[yin] aspects that contain a dot [seed] of the alternate colors [yin‑yang aspects]),
is currently unclear. For some insights see the relevant entry on the “Critical
Terms” page of the Center for Daoist Studies website (www.daoistcenter.org). Its
historical usage in Chinese culture and among Daoists is complex.
12 There are a variety of extant diagrams called Zhentu tu 真土圖 (Diagram
of Perfect Earth), wherein “perfect earth” is associated with the Yellow Court and
intent, or thinking (yi 意). See, e.g., Zazhu zhixuan pian 雜著指玄篇, DZ 263, 1.5a;
Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.523. The latter diagram emphasizes stilling the heart
center.
13 Unfortunately, Schipper does not provide a detailed explanation of these
“qi phases of the dantian.” Such technical information might add a deeper under‑
standing of Daoist cultivation.
14 The term appears as early as the third‑century Huangting jing. See DZ 331,
11b; DZ 332, 1.1a. According to the eighth‑century Huangting neijing jing zhu,
“The Gate of Life is the lower elixir field” (DZ 402, 3.19b). However, both the
cine, where it is identified as the fourth point on the Governing Vessel
(see Ellis et al. 1989; Deadman et al. 2001), Mingmen as an energetic loca‑
tion in the body has the ability to regulate the Governing vessel, to tonify
the kidneys, tp nourish the spine and marrow, and to strengthen the five
yin‑orbs (wuzang 五藏). Ascending still higher, there are two captions:
“cavity of the two kidney storehouses” and “mountains and streams are
decocted in a half‑sheng cauldron” (see Figs. 3, 4).
Comparing the Neijing tu stele with the Qing‑dynasty colored paint‑
ing (see Fu et al. 1999, 200), the first caption, which reads “cavity of the
left and right kidney storehouses” in the painting, should have been en‑
graved at the level of the Weaving Maiden (the kidney region). It obvi‑
ously refers to the kidneys and their corresponding location in the lower
section of the map. Here is one direct convergence between this mapping
of Daoist alchemical transformation and classical Chinese medical views:
the kidneys are the storehouse of vital essence and thus the foundation
of one’s core vitality (see Huangdi neijing suwen 黃帝內經素問, chs. 3, 8, 9,
10, 23; Ross 1985; Maciocia 1989, 67‑110; Unschuld 2003, 124‑44; also
Needham et al. 1983, 22; Wang 1991‑92, 150; below). Thus one can make
the argument that the centrality of Mingmen and the kidneys in this sec‑
tion of the Neijing tu and in its corresponding system of self‑cultivation
strengthens the adept’s physical constitution and prepares the way for
more advanced training, specifically rarification through alchemical
transformation.
Ascending the mountain path still further, there are two additional
phrases in line with the third temple or hut in the spine: “upper pass of
jade perfection” and “cavity of the numinous peak.” These lines refer to
the upper pass known as Yuzhen 玉枕 (Jade Pillow). Passing through
these various locations, the vital essence and qi eventually enter the head.
Attention is drawn to the Three Passes as they are areas through which it
is difficult for the qi to pass and thus the intent is often used to help open
them.
Xiuzhen tu and Xingming guizhi (ZW 314, 9.518) clearly place Mingmen in the
kidney region along the spine.
Passing through the final pass, one arrives at the mountain peaks that,

from a Daoist perspective, are the various energetic locations in the head
(see Fig. 4). While the upper section of Neijing tu contains a variety of
textual components that can easily lead to confusion, an attempt to nego‑
tiate them offers significant contributions. First and foremost, one notices
the graphic component depicting the Nine Peaks (jiufeng 九峰), some of
which are in the center of the head. Sometimes synonymous with the
Nine Palaces (jiugong 九宮), these peaks are associated with traditional
Daoist subtle anatomy and physiology and are utilized in Daoist medita‑
tion methods. 15
The second most elevated peak, corresponding to Baihui 百會
(Hundred Meetings; GV‑20), the crown‑point in contemporary Chinese
medicine, is identified as the “Niwan Palace” (niwan gong 泥丸宮), 16 a
term that transliterates nirvana and literally means “mudball.” The point
is also known as “prefecture of rising yang” (shengyang fu 昇陽府),
shown in the diagram as a pearl or ball of light and related to the line “a
grain of millet contains the world” from the Lü Dongbin poem. All of
this, in combination with the phrase “to prolong longevity and [attain]
immortality and Buddhahood,” suggests the final goal of Daoist internal
alchemy—the creation of an immortal embryo (taixian 胎仙), also known
as the “yang‑spirit” (yangshen 陽神) or “body‑beyond‑the‑body” (shenwai
shen 身外身) (see Komjathy 2007). It may also be understood as nothing
more than recovering the seed of original yang (yuanyang 元陽) that was
within the practitioner all along. The fact that the diagram equates im‑
mortality and Buddhahood may add support for the suggestion that it
15 See the Yuandan shangjing 元丹上經, DZ 1345, 2b‑8a; also Zazhu jiejing, DZ
263, 18.6ab. The fourteenth‑century Jindan dayao tu 上陽子金丹大要圖 contains an
earlier Daoist map of the body as a mountain that includes some of the names of
the Nine Palaces. See DZ 1068, 3a; also Needham et al. 1983, 105; Despeux 1994,
41; Komjathy 2007, chs. 4 and 6.
16 In the Neijing tu, niwan is located above the head, and seemingly refers to
Baihui as the location where the yang‑spirit exits the adept’s body. However,
Niwan is often associated with the upper elixir field. See, for example, the Jindan
dacheng ji, DZ 263, 10.3b. For some depictions of the exit of the yang‑spirit from
the crown‑point see Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.585, 9.590; Huiming jing, ZW 131,
5.881; Xingming fajue mingzhi, ZW 872, 26.114, 26.119, 26.120.
derives from the Wu‑Liu 伍柳 sub‑lineage of Longmen (below), as that
community has a text titled Xianfo hezong 仙佛合宗 (Common Lineage of
Immortals and Buddhas; ZW 843).
Here one also notices the “numinous platform of thickly‑meshed
net,” a phrase which also occurs in the fourteenth‑century Jindao dayao tu
金丹大要圖 (Diagram of Great Essentials of the Golden Elixir; DZ 1068), a
diagram depicting the Daoist body as a mountain and a clear precursor
to the received Neijing tu. Eichman suggests that this phrase (and its cor‑
responding graphic depiction) “implies the ultimate goal of alchemy, an
audience with representatives of the celestial hierarchy” (2000a, 350).
Like his or her terrestrial bureaucratic counterpart in relation to the ter‑
restrial emperor, the Daoist practitioner seeks an audience with the high‑
est realms of spirit beings, the gods and Perfected (zhenren 真人). This
section of the diagram, then, invokes higher levels of alchemical refine‑
ment, ending (or beginning) in an energetic merging with the Dao. “If
you orient yourself towards the mysterious, the mysterious may be real‑
ized” (see also Wang 1991‑92, 145‑46).
In the upper section of the diagram there is an old man sitting in
meditation (see Fig. 4). He wears a robe with the stylized character for
longevity (shou 壽), and above him there is the following inscription:
“The eyebrows of white‑headed Laozi hang down to the earth.” Below
him is a figure with up‑raised arms and the corresponding inscription:
“The blue‑eyed foreign monk holds up the heavens.” Both of these lines
come from the Lü Dongbin poems. The most straightforward interpreta‑
tion of the two figures identifies them as Laozi and Bodhidharma, re‑
spectively (see Rousselle 1933; Needham et al. 1983, 116). However,
Wang, in a fairly convincing art historical discussion, argues that the
iconography of the old man figure suggests the Immortal Old Man of the
Southern Pole‑star, the eighth spirit of the brain (Wang 1991‑92, 146).
This interpretation may partially derive from the figure’s placement at
the energetic location corresponding to higher levels of consciousness,
either Mingtang 明堂 (Hall of Light) and/or Zuqiao 祖竅 (Ancestral Cav‑
ity). 17 Wang also challenges the identification of the blue‑eyed monk as
Bodhidharma, arguing instead that he should be understood as a combi‑
As mentioned, in certain forms of Daoist meditation, Mingtang is in‑
17
cluded as one of the Nine Palaces and identified as a mystical cranial location.
References to Zuqiao as another mystical cranial location at the center of the head
appears in the Xingming guizhi (ZW 314) and throughout the pages of the Xing‑
ming fajue mingzhi (ZW 872).
nation of the Laughing Buddha and the element mercury and/or as Mai‑
treya, the future Buddha (Wang 1991‑92, 149).
While convincing from an art historical perspective and accounting
for certain iconographic features, this reading fails to provide an ade‑
quate explanation of the two figures in terms of the larger Daoist tradi‑
tion in general and neidan lineages associated with Lü Dongbin and late
imperial Daoism in particular. Why would the person or community
who originally envisioned, commissioned and produced such a mapping
of the Daoist body include the Laughing Buddha and/or Maitreya?
If one follows a relatively straightforward reading that recognizes
the potential connection between the textual and visual contours of the
Neijing tu, then these figures are Laozi and Bodhidharma. In the poems
attributed to Lü Dongbin, Laozi is mentioned by name and “the blue‑
eyed foreign monk” (biyan huseng 碧眼胡僧) is a standard name for Bo‑
dhidharma (a.k.a. Damo 達摩; see Xingyun 1989, 5848; also Ding 1939).
In addition, with regard to late medieval neidan lineages, one finds these
two figures as symbolic referents for alchemical ingredients: the old man
symbolizes lead (qian 鉛), while the monk represents mercury (hong 汞)
(see also Wang 1991‑92, 147; Eichman 2000a, 351). They are referred to as
such in the “Danfang baojian zhi tu” 丹房寶鑒之圖 (Diagram of the Pre‑
cious Mirror of the Elixir Chamber), which is contained in Xiuzhen shishu
修真十書 (Ten Works on Cultivating Perfection; DZ 263, 26.5b‑6a), an
anthology of the early fourteenth century. Here mercury (Bodhidharma)
is said to correspond to the jade ye‑fluids (yuye 玉液), spirit water (shen‑
shui 神水), the Maiden (chanü 奼女), white snow (baixue 白雪), and the
azure dragon (qinglong 青龍), among other things; lead (Laozi) is said to
correspond to the gold ye‑fluids (jinye 金液), Jade Pond (yuchi 玉池), the
Child (ying’er 嬰兒), yellow sprouts (huangya 黃芽), and the white tiger
(baihu 白虎), among other things. In other neidan discussions of these al‑
chemical symbols/ingredients, lead may refer to vital essence (jing 精) or
original spirit (yuanshen 元神), while mercury may refer to spirit (shen 神)
or original qi (yuanqi 元氣). 18
Based on these correspondences, a number of readings are possible.
First, and most basic, the adept accumulates and gathers saliva, the ye‑
18 Cf. Ershisi jue 二十四訣, DZ 1158, 1b and Danyang yulu 丹陽語錄, DZ 1057,
15b. See also Chuandao ji, DZ 263, 15.11a‑15a.
fluids associated with Bodhidharma, in the mouth, the Jade Pond associ‑
ated with Laozi. These fluids are then swallowed down to purify the
heart and eventually commingle with original qi in the lower elixir field.
In this respect, one may again reflect upon the symbolic meaning of Bo‑
dhidharma and Laozi as one’s own physiology. Another possible read‑
ing is that original qi, associated with mercury and the figure of Bodhid‑
harma, and original spirit, associated with lead and the figure of Laozi,
become commingled in the adept’s upper elixir field.
Reading the upper figure in the Neijing tu as Laozi also makes sense
because Laozi is frequently recognized as the “founder” of the Daoist
tradition and as the high god Laojun 老君 (Lord Lao). 19 In the lives of
specific Daoists and Daoist communities, he also came to symbolize the
culmination of Daoist cultivation. He himself, after all, transformed into
the universe:
Laozi transformed his form. His left eye became the sun, and

his right eye became the moon. His head became Mount
Kunlun. His beard became the planets and constellations. His
bones became dragons; his flesh, wild animals; and his intes‑
tines, snakes. His belly became the ocean; his fingers, the five
sacred mountains; and his hair, grasses and trees. His heart be‑
came the Flowery Canopy. Finally, his two kidneys were
united and became the true father and mother. (Xiaodao lun 笑
道論, T. 3102, 52.144b13‑15; cf. Yunji qiqian 雲笈七籤, DZ 1032,
10.7b‑8a; see Maspero 1981, 340; Schipper 1993, 114; also Kohn
1995, 54‑55)20
Laozi is the supremely long‑lived, for he is the cosmos and the cos‑
mos is he. The Neijing tu suggests that Laozi represents the Daoist
adept’s own possibility—each person’s eyes, the two circles in the dia‑
gram, are the sun and the moon, and each practitioner’s consciousness
contains the numinous presence which “Laozi” embodied, at least from
19 For a revisionist historical analysis of the construction of Laozi as a “his‑
torical” personage see Graham 1998 (1986). For studies of the some of the ways in
which he has been represented in the Daoist tradition see Seidel 1969; Kohn 1999.
20 Here Laozi takes the place of the primordial being Pan Gu 盤古(see Birrell
1999; Kohn 1993, 168‑69; 1995).
certain emic perspectives. According to the diagram, the “essence” of the
Dao and the Daoist tradition is literally contained in one’s own brain.
The human being, from this Daoist perspective, is a cosmological being:
one’s very own body contains mountains, temples, constellations and the
locus for immortality and perfection. In some forms of Daoist religious
praxis, specifically visualization (cunxiang 存想) and inner observation
(neiguan 內觀) forms of meditation during the early and late medieval
periods, the Daoist adept turns the light of the sun and moon (the eyes)
inward, thus illuminating the internal landscape which is his or her own
body (see Kohn 1989; Robinet 1989a; also below). One can also argue that,
if the Neijing tu originates in a Longmen context, the significance of Laozi
finds substantiation in the fact that he is identified as one of the so‑called
Five Patriarchs (wuzu 五祖) of early Quanzhen and as one of the Three
Purities (sanqing 三清) in later Quanzhen. This, at the very least, may
help to explain the enduring power of the Neijing tu as a mapping of
Daoist existential and ontological possibility.
The significance of Bodhidharma is a bit more difficult to determine.
One interpretation is that Bodhidharma, paralleling Laozi’s place in
many sectors of the Daoist tradition, represents the origin and essence of
Chan (Zen) Buddhism. That is, the Chan tradition, considered as a whole,
identifies him as the “founder” (Dumoulin 1988, 85‑94). 21 In addition to
the above‑mentioned alchemical symbolism, the inclusion of Bodhid‑
harma may have been a way of gaining cultural capital, suggesting that
neidan practice and Chan meditation led to the same goal. If this reading
is convincing, the Neijing tu may also be suggesting the importance of
cross‑tradition cultivation practice. Here one thinks of Bodhidharma’s
mythic nine years of meditation, or “wall‑gazing” (biguan 壁觀), as a
symbol of intensive and dedicated religious praxis. 22 Chan‑inspired emp‑
21 Critical and revisionist historiography on the Chan tradition in general
and Bodhidharma in particular, paralleling such research on Daoism and Laozi,
questions the historicity of Bodhidharma. See Broughton 1999; also Faure 1993.
22 In this respect, one’s interest is peaked by the presence of the four dia‑
grams on “Chan 禪” practice (walking, standing, sitting, and lying down) that
are included in the Xingming guizhi, DZ 314, 9.554‑555. In the chart on meditation
practice, one is urged to engage in prolonged periods of seated meditation. In
addition, Liaokong 了空 (fl. 1895), one of the teachers of Zhao Bichen (founder of
the Qianfeng lineage), was a Chan monk who practiced neidan. Zhao Bichen is, in
tiness meditation becomes represented as the foundation for alchemical

transformation, which also takes place in a seated meditation posture as
represented in the Neijing tu. At the same time, there may be a polemical
dimension—the Buddhist is placed beneath and in support of the Daoist.
It is also plausible to interpret the “blue‑eyed foreign monk holding up
the heavens” as an illustration of the Zygomatic arch (cheekbones), and
“Laozi’s eyebrows hanging down to earth” as the gaze becoming aware
of internal aspects of Daoist subtle physiology. 23 Again, all of these layers
may be occurring simultaneously in the diagram’s mapping of the Daoist
body and Daoist religious praxis.
Just to the left of the blue‑eyed foreign monk, there are two addi‑
tional textual components, which read as follows:
Fazang says: “Violet eyes clarify the four great oceans; the
white light pervades Mount Sumeru.”
Cishi says: “Between the eyebrows white light con‑
stantly emanates; this can liberate all sentient beings from the
suffering of ceaseless reincarnation.”
Here Fazang 法藏 most likely refers to the historical Fazang (643‑
712), the third patriarch of Huayan Buddhism who systematized its
24
teaching, but preliminary research indicates that none of these lines are

contained in Fazang’s extant works. The figure could also be, as Wang
turn, identified as an eleventh‑generation member of the Wu‑Liu sub‑lineage of
Longmen. See Xi 2004, especially 1‑16. Taken together, this means that there were
Daoist monks practicing “Chan” meditation, and Chan monks practicing “Dao‑
ist” internal alchemy in the Baiyun guan environs and nearby Buddhist sacred
sites at a time roughly contemporaneous with the commissioning and engraving
of the Neijing tu. The central importance of Bodhidharma and Chan again adds
support for a Wu‑Liu connection, as Liu Huayang, the co‑founder, was a Chan
monk. For additional insights on Daoism and the overall religio‑cultural context
of Beijing during the late imperial and early modern periods see Goossaert 2007.
23 In terms of Western physiology, the figures also could be interpreted as
the sphenoid bone and the pituitary gland, housed in the sella turcica portion of
the sphenoid bone.
24 With regard to “Fazang,” Rousselle (1933, 213) suggests that Fazang re‑
fers to Dharmagupta, but Wang points out that Dharmagupta’s Chinese name
was Fami (Wang 1991‑92, 148).
suggests, an allusion to the name of Amitābha before his attainment of
Buddhahood (1991‑92, 149). Cishi 慈氏 (“the merciful one”) is the name
of Maitreya, the future Buddha. It is this portion of the Neijing tu that I
believe provides some of the clearest internal evident for a Wu‑Liu 伍柳
connection. The Wu‑Liu branch of internal alchemy, generally identified
as a sub‑lineage of Longmen, traces itself to Wu Shouyang 伍守陽
(Chongxu 沖虛[Infused Emptiness]; 1574‑1644) and Liu Huayang 柳華陽
(Chuanlu 傳盧 [Transmitted Containment]; 1735‑1799). Wu Shouyang
identified himself as an eighth‑generation Longmen adherent, and he
may have studied directly under Wang Changyue 王常月(Kunyang 崑陽
[Paradisiacal Yang]; 1622‑1680), the key figure in the late imperial sys‑
tematization of Longmen.25 Liu Huayang, a Chan monk who converted
from Confucianism, identified himself as the spiritual successor of Wu,
possibly having received mystical instruction from him in 1780.26 The
name Wu‑Liu was first used in 1897 in the Wu‑Liu xianzong 伍柳仙宗
(Immortal Lineage of Wu and Liu),27 a compilation that was edited by
Deng Huiji 鄧徽績 (fl. 1897). That collection is thus roughly contempora‑
neous with the Neijing tu. Perhaps most relevant for present purposes,
Liu Huayang continually cites the Huayan jing 華嚴經 (Skt.: Avatamsaka
Sūtra; Flower Garland Sutra) throughout his writings. For example, in
the Huiming jing 慧命經(Scripture on Wisdom and Life‑destiny), Liu ex‑
plains that the eight diagrams illustrate the combined teachings of Daoist
internal alchemy and the Huayan jing (ZW 131, 5.878, 5.881). So, within
the emerging, late imperial Wu‑Liu sub‑lineage of Longmen, Fazang was
a patriarch, and the Neijing tu in turn evidences some connection with
that neidan system.
The content of the Fazang and Cishi couplets is intrinsically Bud‑
dhist, showing the degree to which “Buddhist” worldview was an inte‑
25 For information on Wu Shouyang’s life see his Tianxian zhengli zhilun
zengzhu 天仙正理直論增注 (JHL 77; ZW 127) and Min Yide’s Wu Chongxu lüshi
zhuan 伍沖虛律師傳 (JHL 7).
26 For information on Liu Huayang’s life, see Huiming jing preface (ZW 131).
27 The collection includes Wu’s Tianxian zhengli 天仙正理 (ZW 843) and
Xianfo hezong 仙佛合宗 (ZW 843) as well as Liu’s Huiming jing 慧命經 (ZW 131)

and Jinxian zhenglun 金仙證論 (ZW 132). A popular translation of the latter two
works appears in Wong 1998.
gral aspect of Daoist cultivation models in the late imperial period. 28 The
textual and visual contours of the Neijing tu represent a commingling of
the worldviews and goals of Buddhism and Daoism, perhaps most
clearly expressed in the final goal of “prolonging longevity and [attain‑
ing] immortality and Buddhahood” at the highest point of the diagram.
Both quotations speak of expansions of consciousness, extraordinary
abilities, and liberation from suffering. That is, one encounters further
attempts to inspire the observer to cultivate more perfected ontological
conditions.
In addition to the main course of qi circulation along the spine, the
diagram depicts smaller circulation routes. Some streams flow down
from the upper mountains, while others move from the center of the
head to the Descending Bridge (jiangqiao 降橋). The former relates to the
Jade Nectar (yujiang 玉漿), Sweet Dew (ganlu 甘露) and Spirit Water
(shenshui 神水) (see also Needham et al. 1983, 114; Eichman 2000a, 350).
In the process of alchemical refinement, the perfect qi (zhenqi 真氣) rises
up the Governing Vessel through the Three Gates, where it combines
with the Spirit Water, a symbolic name for the saliva, to descend back to
the central regions of the body (Needham et al. 1983, 77‑78). Daoist culti‑
vation methods increase the production of saliva, which is, in turn, swal‑
lowed and made to descend towards the lower elixir field. This involves
dropping the tongue, represented in the Neijing tu as the Descending
Bridge, from its normal position of touching the upper palate and drink‑
ing the Jade Dew. The saliva then passes through the “Twelve‑Storied
Tower” and the “Palace of the Sweet Spring and Cold Peak,” both names
for the trachea. 29 The Jade Dew descends through the Scarlet Palace (ji‑
anggong 絳宮) to cleanse the heart, before it splashes and expands in the
Ocean of Qi (qihai 氣海).
Then, of course, there are the Cowherd (niulang 牛郎) and the Weav‑
ing Maiden (zhinü 織女) (see Fig. 3). The Cowherd, corresponding to the
Western star of Altair in the Aquila constellation, is shown standing in
the heart region holding the Northern Dipper (Ursa Major). Next to him
28 There is a similar tendency in such Daoist texts as the Xingming guizhi
(ZW 314), Huiming jing (ZW 131), and Xingming fajue mingzhi (ZW 872).
29 See the Huangting jing, DZ 332, 1.1b; eighth‑century Huangting waijing jing
zhu, DZ 263, 58.7a; and thirteenth‑century Jindan dacheng ji, DZ 263, 10.4b.
is the following line from the lower Lü Dongbin poem: “Engraving the

stone, the young lad holds a string of cash.” The Weaving Maiden, corre‑
sponding to the Western star of Vega in the Lyra constellation, sits near
the strand of trees working her loom. The textual component near her
reads, “The Weaving Maiden transports and transfers.” According to
early Chinese mythology, the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden are lovers
fated to meet only once a year. They are separated by the Sky River
(Milky Way), over which a magpie bridge is believed to form on their
annual meeting day (see Birrell 1999b, 165‑67; Schafer 1977; Sun and
Kistemaker 1997). 30 The figures suggest the meeting of two things that
should be united, but which ordinarily remain separated. Based on their
locations in the Neijing tu, and on one alchemically‑symbolic level, the
Cowherd represents the trigram Li‑fire , and is thus associated with
the heart orb and with spirit. The Weaving Maiden represents the tri‑
gram Kan‑water , and is thus associated with the kidney orb and with
vital essence. Like the magpie bridge, the Daoist practitioner must strive
to unite these two physiological and energetic aspects. This is frequently
referred to as the dual cultivation of innate nature (xing 性), associated
with spirit and consciousness, and life‑destiny (ming 命), associated with
vital essence and physical vitality (see, e.g., Xingming guizhi, ZW 314;
Xingming fajue mingzhi, ZW 872). 31 In the context of Daoist neidan praxis,
the Kan‑water and Li‑fire trigrams are frequently related to
“Later Heaven” (houtian 後天) conditions, while Kun‑earth and Qian‑
heaven trigrams are related to “Prior Heaven” (xiantian 先天) condi‑
tions. The aspiring Daoist adept is urged to complete the process of in‑
version (diandao 顛倒): replacing the yang‑line — in Kan with a yin‑line ‑
‑ to create the pure or perfect yin condition of Kun, and replacing the
30 I leave open the possibility that there is an actual astronomical aspect to
this section of the Neijing tu, wherein the adept connects with and ingests the
astral qi of these stars. Whether or not this is the case, the diagram again reveals
the practitioner of alchemical transformation as a cosmicized being.
31 Note that the Xingming fajue mingzhi, a text from a late imperial neidan
context similar to the received Neijing tu, seems to contain a direct reference to

the diagram. See ZW 872, 26.67. However, under the interpretation of the Chan
Buddhist Liaokong, the two figures take on a Buddhist hue, becoming associated
with an inconstant mind and desire. Liaokong reverses the symbolism, believing
that the Cowherd relates to qi and the Weaving Maiden to the heart.
yin‑line ‑ ‑ in Li with a yang‑line — to create the pure or perfect yang
condition of Qian (cf. Xiuzhen tu). 32
Like most esoteric alchemical symbolism, this process may be and
has been interpreted in a variety of ways. First, based on the association
of the kidneys with vital essence and the heart with intent, the process of
inversion here involves directing intent toward the Mingmen area. This
initiates an upward movement of vital essence (the yang line), which
includes the generation, transformation and circulation of bodily fluids.
Some of these fluids then descend into and through the heart region (the
yin line), cleansing and purifying consciousness, before finally being ab‑
sorbed into the lower elixir field, the Ocean of Qi. This, in turn, creates
Qian‑heaven, associated with the upper elixir field and original spirit,
and Kun‑earth, associated with the lower elixir field and original qi. Such
an interpretation also adds an additional layer of meaning and practice:
the Later Heaven condition of heart, characterized by emotional and in‑
tellectual turbidity, is Li‑fire, while the Later Heaven condition of the
kidneys, characterized by depletion of vital essence, is Kan‑water. The
Daoist adept transforms these ontological conditions into their original
and perfected correlates: by conserving and transforming vital essence,
original qi becomes abundant in the lower elixir field; by stilling and pu‑
rifying the mind, original spirit becomes concentrated in the upper elixir
field.
Finally, as Schipper observes, “the infant born out of the union of
the weaver and the cowherd strings pieces of cash together that form the
constellation of the Dipper—the star of fate, thus creating a new life for
the body” (Schipper 1978, 356). The image of the Cowherd and Weaving
Maiden thus reminds the viewer that prolonged Daoist cultivation leads
to a transformed mode of being, to a different ontological condition, con‑
firming yet again that “my fate is within me, not with the heavens” (wo
ming zai wo, bu zai tian 我命在我、不在天) (Baopuzi neipian 抱朴子內篇,
DZ 1185, 16.7a; Xisheng jing 西昇經, DZ 666, 3.6a) (see Schipper 1978, 365;
see also Kohn 1991b, 250). The Northern Dipper (beidou 北斗) is often
identified in the Daoist tradition as the primary determinant and influ‑
ence on one’s “fate” or “life‑destiny” (ming 命) (see Min and Li 1994, 369).
See, for example, the eleventh‑century Yuqing neilian dan jue 玉清內煉丹訣,
32
DZ 240, 1.10b; Li 1991, 310.
In the Neijing tu, this constellation is no longer located in the external
cosmos. It has become formed and issues from the Daoist adept’s own
heart‑mind. Through dedication to cultivation and alchemical transfor‑
mation, the practitioner initiates a shift in ontological condition: from
ordinary being, separated from the Dao and destined to dissipate, to Per‑
fected, merged with the Dao and transcending the vicissitudes of mun‑
dane identity. One creates and inhabits a different cosmos, or at least the
cosmos as completely integrated in, as and through one’s own being.
Cultivational and Alchemical Contours

From the above analysis of the textual and visual contours of the Neijing
tu, we have seen that the Neijing tu represents a sophisticated and multi‑
layered mapping of the Daoist body and Daoist religious praxis, specifi‑
cally alchemical transformation as undertaken in the late imperial period
and more than likely in the emerging Wu‑Liu neidan sub‑lineage of
Longmen active in and around the environs of Baiyun guan during the
late Qing dynasty (1644‑1911). As charted in the present study, the Nei‑
jing tu provides illustrations for a wide variety of Daoist cultivation
methods. Three in particular stand out: praxis‑oriented applications of
classical Chinese medical views of the body; visualization methods
which draw their inspiration from the Huangting jing 黃庭經 (Scripture
on the Yellow Court; DZ 331; 332) and which find clear historical prece‑
dents in early Shangqing 上清 (Highest Clarity) Daoism; and the al‑
chemical technique known as the Waterwheel (heche 河車) or Microcos‑
mic Orbit (xiao zhoutian 小周天). These three techniques form an inter‑
connected system, wherein the adept’s overall psychosomatic health is
maintained and strengthened, wherein the adept’s body becomes cosmi‑
cized, and wherein the adept awakens the mystical body, the body‑
beyond‑the‑body (shenwai shen 身外身) or yang‑spirit (yangshen 陽神),
that is the culmination of alchemical transformation and the precondi‑
tion for post‑mortem transcendence. Each of the techniques thus com‑
plements and supplements the others.
The Neijing tu contains multiple layers of meaning, including vari‑
ous earlier Daoist visions of the body. Generally speaking, the founda‑
tional Daoist understanding of the human body in self‑cultivation line‑
ages parallels that of classical Chinese medicine. 33 The basic system in‑
corporates yin‑yang and Five Phase (wuxing 五行) cosmologies, with the
Five Phases consisting of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These ba‑
sic cosmologies, reconciled into a consistent worldview by Zou Yan 鄒衍
(ca. 305‑240 BCE), underlie some of the earliest of the received medical
classics, the Huangdi neijing 黃帝内經 (Yellow Thearch’s Inner Classics)
(see Unschuld 1985; 2003). In these texts, the Five Phase system involves
specific correspondences, some of which include direction, season, color,
taste, grain, constellation, yin‑orb (zang 藏/臟), emotion, sense organ, and
sound (see, e.g., Suwen, ch. 5; Unschuld 2003, 99‑124). In addition to a
medical application of the now combined yin‑yang and Five Phase cos‑
mology, these medical texts provide foundational information on qi the‑
ory, theories of disease, and the meridian system.
The Neijing tu, in turn, draws attention to the classical Chinese
medical view at the foundation of specific forms of Daoist cultivation,
including various lineages of internal alchemy (see Robinet 1989b; 1995;
Pregadio and Skar 2000; Komjathy 2007). 34 One obvious textual strata in
the diagram that echoes the Huangdi neijing texts is the importance of the
Du 督 (Governing) and Ren 任 (Conception) vessels, two of the Eight
Extraordinary Vessels (qijing bamai 奇經八脈), which are mentioned by
name in the upper section of the Neijing tu (see Fig. 4). Here is the Neijing
tu as the “Diagram of Internal Pathways.” Generally speaking, the Gov‑
erning Vessel is the central meridian on the back of the body, while the
33 Livia Kohn identifies three major Daoist views of the body, correspond‑
ing to three distinct methods and intellectual traditions within Daoism: (1) the
body as an administrative system, rooted in the worldview of the Daode jing, and
realized in quietistic and medically‑oriented meditation; (2) the body as the resi‑
dence of spirits or gods and associated with Shangqing visualization practices;
and (3) the body as immortal universe, a vision developed under the influence of
Buddhist insight meditation (Chn.: guan 觀; Skt.: vipaśyanā) (Kohn 1991a, 230).
For additional insights on Daoist views of the body see Schipper 1978; 1993; Lévi
1989; Andersen 1995; Saso 1997; Komjathy 2007; for Chinese views in general see
also Ames 1993; Kuriyama 1999. For relevant translations see Kohn 1993, 161‑88.
34 The study of the cross‑pollination between Daoism and Chinese medicine
is only just beginning, but see Unschuld 1985; Strickmann 2002. For some of the
better theoretical discussions of Chinese medicine see Porkert 1974; Liu 1988;
Maciocia 1989.
Conception Vessel is the central meridian on the front. 35 The former basi‑
cally begins at the coccyx, the Weilü point or first of the Three Passes
mentioned above, moves from the base of the spine up the middle of the
back, around the crown‑point, to the upper lip. The latter basically be‑
gins at the perineum, moves up the centerline of the front of the body, to
the lower lip. 36 These vessels are most clearly depicted in the Neijing tu as
the two pairs of five bands near the front of the head—the Governing
Vessel contains the qi of the five yang‑orbs (gall bladder, small intestine,
stomach, large intestine, bladder), while the Conception Vessel contains
the qi associated with the five yin‑orbs (liver, heart, spleen, lung, kid‑
ney). 37
One also notices the presence of the five yin‑orbs, combined with
the gall bladder, in the textual material at the center of the Neijing tu.
While only the traditional iconography of the liver is illustrated—the
strand of trees corresponding to the Wood phase (see Fig. 3)—the most
basic layer of meaning here refers to the health of each orb and thus the
health of the entire organism, 38 with health being the smooth flow of qi
throughout the body. Thus, we find the following passage in the Suwen
where Qi Bo 岐伯 answers the Yellow Thearch’s inquiries about the orbs:
35 Eichman (2000a, 351) confuses the Governing Vessel with the Thrusting

Vessel. The Trusting Vessel, not the Governing Vessel, is the only meridian that
traverses the center of the body from top to bottom. In Daoist cultivation, diverg‑
ing here from Chinese medicine, this vessel ascends and descends through the
core of the body from Huiyin (Meeting of Yin; CV‑1), the perineum, to Baihui
(Hundred Meetings; GV‑20), the crown‑point. See, e.g., Xingming fajue mingzhi,
ZW 872, 26.94. Passages from the Huangdi neijing on the Thrusting Vessel may be
found in Suwen chapter 60 and Lingshu chapters 33, 38 and 62, and 65. For a clas‑
sical discussion of the system of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels see Nanjing
chapters 27 and 28. Modern overviews of the system may be found in Larre 1997
as well as in Matsumoto and Birch 1986.
36 For some classical references to the Governing Vessel and Conception
Vessel see Suwen chapters 41 and 60 and Lingshu chapters 10 and 65.

37 Although still developing, future research on Chinese views of embryo‑
genesis may provide additional insights into the Daoist neidan emphasis on the

Eight Extraordinary Vessels. If the Thrusting, Governing, and Conception vessels
are the first meridians to develop, the Daoist adept would thus be accessing a
more primordial moment in the differentiation of self.
38 Recall the four Taiji diagrams mentioned above. See Figure 2.
Qi Bo replied, “The heart is the root of life and transformations
of spirit (shen 神)…The lungs are the root of qi and the resi‑
dence of the corporeal soul (po 魄)…The kidneys are the root of
quiescence and storing and the residence of vital essence…The
liver is the root of extremes and the residence of the ethereal
soul (hun 魂)…The spleen and stomach, along with the large
intestine, small intestine, Triple Warmer, and the bladder, are
the root of storage and the residence of nutritive [qi] (yingqi 營
氣). (DZ 1018, 9.15b‑18b; cf. 18.8a‑9b) 39
As expressed in the presence of the five yin‑orbs in the Neijing tu, the
Daoist adept must understand the specific functions of each orb and the
various relationships among them. 40 The health of each orb and the har‑
monization of their respective functions is a necessary precondition for
further alchemical work. If one takes the guidelines of the Suwen seri‑
ously, this involves a system wherein dietetics, seasonal attunement and
cosmology are interwoven: one eats different types of foods and differ‑
ent flavors depending on one’s constitutional tendencies, stage of life
and the dominant seasonal influence (see, e.g., Suwen, chs. 1 and 2). It is
difficult to know if this aspect of Chinese medicine and of Daoist cultiva‑
tion is embedded in the Neijing tu, but the diagram clearly orients the
adept towards the importance of the Five Phase system in general and
the five yin‑orbs in particular. One may say that this textual strata and
level of training, rooted in a classical Chinese medical view, underlies the
more obvious allusion to the Huangting jing, namely, the esoteric names
of the orbs occurring in this section of the Neijing tu.
Before moving from this discussion of praxis‑based applications of
classical Chinese medicine to the potential visualization practices ex‑
pressed in the diagram, a few additional points deserve reflection. In the
previous section on textual and visual contours, I have emphasized that
39 In Chinese medicine, the Triple Warmer (sanjiao 三焦) is one of the six
yang‑orbs (liufu 六腑). It is paired with the pericardium (xinbao 心包), which was
added to the five yin‑orbs (wuzang 五臟) in order to create parallelism. For an
attempt to chart its significance in Daoist alchemy in general and Quanzhen in
particular see Komjathy 2007, ch. 4.
40 For some contemporary discussions see Maciocia 1989 and Ross 1994.
the Neijing tu draws the attention of the viewer, and of the aspiring adept

utilizing it as an aid to his or her training, to specific locations in the
body. One must, of course, know the importance of such locations in
Daoist alchemical practice to identify them in a diagram that lacks flesh,
in a diagram of the subtle body and inner realms. The associations of
these points in Daoist alchemical praxis has already been partially dis‑
cussed above and receives clarification below, but it is also possible to
chart them according their medical function in contemporary Chinese
medicine. While potentially anachronistic in terms of the context in
which the diagram originated, these comments are meant to show that
there are clear psychosomatic effects and therapeutic benefits. Some of
the relevant corporeal regions are as follows: perineum (yin‑yang tread‑
mill; Huiyin 會陰 [Meeting of Yin]; CV‑1), coccyx (lower temple/pass;
Weilü [Tailbone Gate]; GV‑1), lower back (flames in the spine; Mingmen
命門 [Gate of Life]; GV‑4), mid‑spine (middle temple/pass; Jiaji 夾脊 [lit.,
“Beside‑the‑Spine”; Narrow Ridge]; GV‑6), occiput (upper temple/pass;
Yuzhen 玉真 [Jade Pillow]; BL‑9 and/or Naohu 腦戶 [Brain Door]; GV‑17),
crown‑point (second highest peak; Baihui 百會[Hundred Meetings]; GV‑
20), upper lip (end of upper bands; Yinjiao 陰交[Gum Intersection]; GV‑
28), and lower lip (end of lower bands; Chengjiang 承槳 [Fluid Recepta‑
cle]; CV‑24) (see also Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.518; Xingming fajue
mingzhi, ZW 872, 26.17). 41 As this list indicates, all of these points are on
the Governing Vessel (GV) and Conception Vessel (CV), which are con‑
sidered “extra” meridians in contemporary Chinese medicine, meaning
that they are not part of the standard twelve meridians associated with
the yin‑orbs and yang‑orbs. One understanding of the so‑called Eight
Extraordinary Vessels is that they store “overflow” qi and are empty or
inactive in most people (see Larre 1997; Matsumoto and Birch 1986).
In addition to being “reservoirs” of qi, they are related to vital es‑
sence, one’s core vitality, and “protective qi” (weiqi 衛氣), the qi that pro‑
tects one from exterior pathogenic influences. The activation of these me‑
ridians in Daoist alchemical praxis thus stabilizes one’s overall health
and increases one’s resiliency to disease. These forms of Daoist cultiva‑
tion also increase the levels of qi in the body, which fill the Eight Ex‑
41 For more on the function of these various points in contemporary Chinese
medicine see Ellis et al. 1989; Deadman et al. 2001.
traordinary Vessels. The ordinary person has twelve active meridians

and eight latent meridians; the Daoist alchemist has twenty active me‑
ridians, including those associated with “psychic” abilities. In addition,
although it is beyond the scope of the present study to provide a com‑
plete explanation, the above “acupoints” or energetic locations in the
body have specific functional/therapeutic associations in contemporary
Chinese medicine. Taken together, they connect the Governing, Concep‑
tion and Thrusting vessels; harmonize the entire orb‑meridian system;
strengthen the kidneys and vital essence; nourish the marrow, spine and
brain; strengthen the digestive system; and calm the heart and spirit. In
short, by activating and concentrating on these locations, Daoist adepts
strengthen their overall psychosomatic wellness and awaken latent ener‑
getic layers of their being.
As expressed in the Neijing tu, Daoist religious praxis also involves
visualization methods which draw their inspiration from the Huangting
jing 黃庭經 (Scripture on the Yellow Court; DZ 331; 332) and which find
clear historical precedents in early Shangqing 上清 (Highest Clarity)
Daoism, specifically visualizing the five yin‑orbs in terms of wuxing color
and light associations. 42 As mentioned, an additional layer of the Neijing
tu’s title is the “Diagram of Inner Luminosities”; that is, the diagram may
be read/employed as an aid for visualizing/activating/lodging the inner
body gods (see Kroll 1996). In the textual component near the heart re‑
gion (see Fig. 3), the various orbs are identified according to the esoteric
names of their specific spirits as found in the Huangting neijing jing (DZ
331, 3a). This section of the Neijing tu reads as follows:
The spirit of the heart is [called] Elixir Origin, given name
Guarding the Numen.
The spirit of the lungs is [called] Brilliant Splendor, given name
42 Robinet (1993) provides information on the place of the Huangting jing in
Shangqing Daoism (see also Robinet 1984; 2000). Schipper 1975 provides a critical
edition with an index, while Homann 1971 gives a preliminary analysis of the
Neijing jing. Partial translations appear in Kohn 1993; Kroll 1996. A complete
translation appears in Huang 1990. Michael Saso (1995) has also published a
“translation,” but the reader is forewarned that many of the translated passages
bear little resemblance to the original text. For insights on earlier Shangqing
visualization practices see especially Robinet 1989a; 1993, ch. 2.
Emptiness Complete.
The spirit of the liver is [called] Dragon Mist, given name
Containing Illumination.
The spirit of the kidneys is [called] Mysterious Obscurity,
given name Nourishing the Child.
The spirit of the spleen is [called] Continuously Existing, given
name Ethereal Soul Pavilion.
The spirit of the gall bladder is [called] Dragon Glory, given
name Majestic Illumination. 43
Comparing the two passages, the Neijing tu has a number of discrepan‑

cies with the standard, classical list. In addition to the use of zi 自 (“per‑
sonal [name]”) instead of zi 字 (“style name”), the diagram’s text inverts
the first name for the lungs: the Huangting jing reading haohua 皓華
(“Splendid Brilliance”), and the Neijing tu reading huahao 華皓 (“Brilliant
Splendor”). More significantly, the Neijing tu substitutes neng 能 (“able
to”) for long 龍 (“dragon”) in the names of the liver and gall bladder, and
the first name for the liver spirit is incorrect. In the diagram, it reads nen‑
gyao 能曜 (“Capable Glory”) instead of longyan 龍煙 (“Dragon Mist”),
thus reproducing the name for the spirit of the gall bladder from the
Huangting jing.
The associations of the orbs with light and spiritual presences paral‑
lel those documented in the Huangting jing texts, and the section of the
Huangting neijing jing in which the above esoteric names appear con‑
cludes as follows: “The spirits of the six yang‑orbs and five yin‑orbs are
the vital essences of the body....By visualizing (cun 存) them day and
night, 44 you will naturally attain longevity” (DZ 331, 3b; see also Huang‑
ting neijing fuzang liufu buxie tu, DZ 432).
43 I have put the orbs in their order of occurrence in the Huangting neijing
jing even though the diagram’s text does not follow a recognizable pattern. I
have also corrected the names in my translation in Figure 3. I leave open the
question of whether or not the efficacy of the technique is affected by utilizing
incorrect names.
44 Or “by preserving them day and night.” In the context of Shangqing prac‑
tices, cun 存 is usually translated “to visualize.” However, I leave open the possi‑
bility that cun should be taken in its more standard sense of “to preserve.” That is,
the Huangting jing may be more about stabilizing an abode for the various orb
Reading Daoist religious praxis solely in terms of the diagram, the

most that one can reasonably say is the adept must know the esoteric
names of the orbs and their related spirits, and he or she must practice an
inner observation (neiguan 內觀) and/or visualization (cunxiang 存想)
technique in which colors and numinous presences are central. Here one
must know the following wuxing correspondences: Wood ‑ liver (gall
bladder) ‑ azure ‑ dragon ‑ east; Fire ‑ heart ‑ red ‑ vermilion bird ‑ south;
Earth ‑ spleen ‑ yellow ‑ — ‑ center; Metal ‑ lungs ‑ white ‑ tiger ‑ west;
and Water ‑ kidneys ‑ black ‑ north ‑ Mysterious Warrior (snake‑turtle).
Based on the above passage and the corresponding correlative cosmo‑
logical associations, the Daoist adept brings his or her awareness to the
heart, recalls the esoteric names danyuan and shouling, and visualizes the
heart as an orb of red light. Next, the adept brings his awareness to the
lungs, recalls the esoteric names haohua and xucheng, and visualizes the
lungs as an orb of white light. This is followed by the same process for
the liver, kidneys, and spleen. Finally, the adept brings his awareness to
the gall bladder, recalls the esoteric names longyao and weiming, and
visualizes the gall bladder as an orb of azure light. 45 This proposed re‑
construction of the visualization technique is substantiated by the fol‑
lowing additional passage from the Huangting jing:
[The youth (tongzi 童子) of the lungs wears] white brocade
robes with sashes of yellow clouds…[The youth of the heart
wears] flowing cinnabar brocade robes with a jade shawl, gold
bells and vermilion sashes…[The youth of the liver wears] az‑
ure brocade robes with a skirt of jade bells…[The youth of the
kidneys wears] black brocade, cloud robes with dancing
dragon banners…[The youth of the spleen wears] yellow bro‑
cade, jade robes with a tiger‑emblem sash…[The youth of the
spirits, about becoming aware of and observing these, than about imagining
something to be the case.
45 The gall bladder is the yang‑orb paired with the liver, and thus associated
with the Wood phase. In the context of the Huangting jing, it is unclear why the
gall bladder is singled out. Here I would also mention that dan 丹 in the name of
the heart and xuan 玄 in the kidneys suggest a cinnabar‑red color in the former
and deep blue color in the latter.
gall bladder wears] nine‑colored brocade robes with a green

flower skirt and a gold belt (DZ 331, 3b‑6a). 46
That is, the wuxing color associations are mentioned in the section of
the Huangting jing that directly follows the passage listing the esoteric
names of the orb spirits. If the middle section of the Neijing tu is an en‑
crypted and abridged reminder for the Daoist adept utilizing the Huang‑
ting jing as a visualization manual, then the technique being employed is
even more complex than my outline suggests. The wuxing colors are
primary, but there are also secondary colors as well as “anthropomor‑
phic” images for the orb spirits. 47 The adept encounters and becomes
inhabited by body gods with very specific visual appearances, including
robes with corresponding colors and symbols. 48
The praxis‑oriented applications of classical Chinese medical views
of the body and the visualization of the five yin‑orbs based on their eso‑
teric names in the Huangting jing and corresponding wuxing associations
are integrated into a comprehensive and interconnected system of Daoist
cultivation and alchemical transformation in the Neijing tu. In this re‑
spect, the diagram also clearly illustrates the neidan technique known as
the Waterwheel (heche 河車) or Microcosmic Orbit practice (xiao zhoutian
小周天; lit., “Smaller Celestial Cycle”). 49 Generally speaking, this practice
46 This is a tentative translation, as the various references to jade and clouds
may be to “patterns” in the clothes, “colors” of the clothes, or actual jade and
clouds. I have attempted to stay as close to the original as possible.
47 In terms of continuities in Daoism in general and neidan lineages in par‑
ticular, it is noteworthy that these esoteric names of the orb spirits appear in, for
example, the Xiuzhen taiji hunyuan zhixuan tu 修真太極混元指玄圖, DZ 150, 7a
(see Baryosher‑Chemouny 1996) and the Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.529.
48 Beyond this narrow and relatively conservative reading of the diagram,
one finds similar visualization methods in texts which slightly predate or which
are contemporaneous with the Neijing tu. See, e.g., the seventeenth‑century
Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.516, 9.519; Xingming fajue mingzhi, ZW 872, 26.101,
26.119. Cf. Jindan dacheng ji, DZ 263, 10.7a; Dadan zhizhi, DZ 244, 1.4b, 2.1a, passim.
49 Wang (1991‑92, 152), following Needham et al. (1983, 72‑80; 114‑16), iden‑
tifies the Smaller Celestial Cycle (xiao zhoutian 小周天) with the circulation of the
perfect qi between the heart (the Cowherd) and the kidneys (Needham’s “reins;”
the Weaving Maiden), while the Larger Celestial Cycle (da zhoutian 大周天) in‑
volves the spinal column. In contrast, in more contemporary practices the Micro‑
involves circulating qi up the Governing Vessel and down the Concep‑

tion Vessel in a continuous cycle. 50 The centrality of this alchemical tech‑
nique in the Neijing tu is substantiated by various diagrammatic contours:
the Three Passes, including the importance of the perineum area (yin‑
yang treadmill); the two sets of five‑bands, identified in the map as the
Du (Governing) and Ren (Conception) vessels; the heart‑region, through
which the Sweet Dew and qi descend; and the lower elixir field, where
the perfect qi becomes stored. In addition, the colored dimensions of the
painting increase one’s awareness of this aesthetic‑practical depiction
and the corresponding energetic movement through the body.
As expressed in the Neijing tu and other late imperial Daoist
sources, 51 the Microcosmic Orbit practice was a central component of late
imperial Daoist neidan praxis. In one version of this cultivation method,
the Daoist practitioner uses the intent (yi 意) to combine vital essence
with qi and circulate it up the Governing Vessel and down the Concep‑
cosmic Orbit focuses specifically on the Governing and Conception vessels, while
the Macrocosmic Orbit involves circulating qi through all of the Eight Extraordi‑
nary Vessels. See, e.g., Xingming fajue mingzhi, ZW 872.
50 The history of the so‑called Microcosmic Orbit technique is currently
known. There are clear historical precedents in Song‑Jin neidan lineages, where
the practice is usually referred to as the Waterwheel (heche 河車) and sometimes
as the Celestial Cycle (zhoutian 周天). However, as far as my reading goes, most
of those methods involve circulating vital essence and qi up the spine, thus cor‑
responding to the practice of “reverting vital essence to restore the brain” (huan‑
jing bunao 還精補腦). That is, they do not utilize the Conception and Governing
vessels. See, e.g., the tenth‑century Chuandao ji which has a chapter entitled “He‑
che” (DZ 263, 15.19b‑23b). Some related diagrams may be found in the Dadan
zhizhi, DZ 244; Huangdi bashiyi nanjing zuantu jujie, DZ 1024, 4a. See also the
Xiuzhen tu and the thirteenth‑century diagram entitled the “Yixue lei” 醫學類
(Section on Medical Learning), which is preserved in the fifteenth‑century Shilin
guangji 事林光記 (Needham et al. 1983, 112).
51 See, e.g., Xingming guizhi, ZW 314, 9.518‑19; Huiming jing, ZW 131, 5.879‑
890; Xingming fajue mingzhi, ZW 872, 26.28, 26.94. On these texts see Wilhelm
1962; Lu 1973; Despeux 1979; Needham et al. 1983, Wong 1998; Darga 1999. A
more thorough comparison between the Neijing tu and contemporaneous texts
might clarify its relationship to such late imperial lineages as Longmen and Wu‑
Liu. It is also noteworthy that these texts are widely circulated among contempo‑
rary Quanzhen monastics. Author’s field observations.
tion Vessel in a continual cycle. The Neijing tu draws attention to this
particular cultivation method through the presence of not only the
above‑mentioned vessels but also the three temples or huts along the
spinal column. These are the Three Passes (sanguan 三關) through which
it is difficult for the qi to pass. The passes, from lower to middle to upper,
are as follows: Weilü 尾閭 (Tailbone Gate; coccyx), Jiaji 夾脊 (Narrow
Ridge; literally, “beside‑the‑spine”; mid‑spine), and Yuzhen 玉枕 (Jade
Pillow; occiput). In the Microcosmic Orbit practice, particular attention is
given to these three locations in order to open the vessels and ensure the
efficacious movement of vital essence and qi through the body. In one
version of the practice, the adept uses the intent to consecutively open
Huiyin (perineum), Weilü (coccyx), Mingmen (between kidneys), Jiaji
(mid‑spine), Yuzhen (occiput), Baihui (crown‑point), Shenguan 神關
(Spirit Pass; third‑eye), and Yinjiao 陰交 (Gum Intersection; cleft of upper
lip).
Next one uses the tongue to gather saliva and swallow it down
through the Twelve‑storied Tower and Scarlet Palace, before it joins with
the perfect qi in the lower elixir field. Each of these positions in turn cor‑
responds to one of the twelve branches (dizhi 地支), with the perineum
being zi 子 (north; midnight; winter solstice) and the crown‑point being
wu 午 (south; noon; summer solstice) (see Xingming fajue mingzhi, ZW
872, 26.17, 26.94). Recalling the two sets of five bands in the Neijing tu,
the Microcosmic Orbit practice leads to the activation and maintenance
of the other meridians and their related orbs. That is, circulating qi
through the Governing and Conception vessels harmonizes the entire
subtle body. The activation of and/or encounter with this subtle body is
thus a central dimension of Daoist neidan praxis as documented in the
Neijing tu and as expressed in late imperial Daoism. In addition, if the
Daoist adept is also incorporating the above‑mentioned wuxing corre‑
spondences and visualization techniques, as the Neijing tu seems to indi‑
cate, then his or her practice literally embodies a transformed condition,
a transforming process. Astral effulgences and various subtle realities are
introduced into, merged with, and circulated through his or her very
being.
Reorientations
In the previous installment of the present article, which covered the his‑
torical and terminological contours of the Neijing tu, I emphasized its
origins in the Longmen monastic community of Baiyun guan during the
late Qing dynasty (1644‑1911). These historical details have now been
clarified based on internal textual evidence. The intermingling of Chan
Buddhist and Daoist neidan concerns, specifically the reference to Fazang,
indicates a potential connection with the emerging Wu‑Liu sub‑lineage
of Longmen. In addition, analysis of influential late‑imperial Daoist texts,
including works that were roughly contemporaneous with the Neijing tu
and that also circulated within the Longmen monastic community, indi‑
cates strong parallels. Of particular note in this respect is the strong em‑
phasis that Liu Huayang, one of the nominal founders of the Wu‑Liu
lineage, places on the Huayan jing and the Microcosmic Orbit practice in
his Huiming jing.
From the discussion of the textual and visual contours, as well as
the cultivational and alchemical contours, it has become clear that the
Neijing tu represents a detailed and multilayered mapping of the Daoist
body and Daoist religious praxis. On the one hand, it parallels various
earlier neidan lineages and related diagrams of Daoist bodies. On the
other hand, the Neijing tu seems to be a unique synthesis. It expresses a
vision of the Daoist body as actualized through alchemical praxis and
transformation. At the core of this vision is an emphasis on self‑
cultivation: the body contains fields to be tended, seeds to be sown, and
grain to be gathered. That grain contains the universe, a universe which
is simultaneously cosmos, world, landscape, community, self. It is a uni‑
verse actualized through neidan praxis, which according to the Neijing tu
involves the conservation and transformation of vital essence, produc‑
tion and ingestion of saliva, visualization of the inner orbs, and activa‑
tion of the Daoist “alchemical” or “mystical body” (see Komjathy 2007).
This is the yang‑spirit or the body‑beyond‑the‑body that is the precondi‑
tion for post‑mortem survival. It is a “mystical body” because one’s body
becomes cosmicized, rarified and possibly divinized. One’s very physi‑
ology becomes experienced as the numinous presence of the Dao made
manifest and embodied. It is also “mystical” because there are non‑spatial
and subtle dimensions that require actualization. Based on the Neijing tu,
it is unclear if the ultimate goal of religious praxis expressed in its con‑
tours is unification with and absorption into the Dao, enlightenment
conceived of as the emergence of divine radiance, or the formation of a
yang‑spirit that will transcend the death of the physical body. Placed in
the context of similar systems of internal alchemy, especially those of the
late imperial period, it is perhaps the latter: a yang‑spirit which exits
through the crown‑point upon the death of the physical body, expressed
as the pearl of white light above the head in the Neijing tu.
To conclude, one may recall the wonder expressed by Liu Chengyin
when he first encountered this diagram in the studio of Gao Songshan.
I examined [the diagram] for a long time and realized that my
comprehension was growing. I began to realize that exhalation
and inhalation as well as expelling and ingesting of the human
body are the waxing and waning as well as the ebb and flow of
the cosmos. If you can divine and gain insight into this, you
will have progressed more than halfway on your inquiry into
the great Way of the Golden Elixir.
According to Liu, Daoists viewing this map see their own possibility for
psychosomatic transformation reflected in its lines and images, in its
mapping of the Daoist body and Daoist religious practice. Simultane‑
ously, the map is not the territory (see Smith 1993). The purpose of a map
is to familiarize the traveler with the landscape, and the map is merely a
preliminary stage in developing a deeper awareness of and relationship
with a particular region, to develop the appropriate orientation. Until
one becomes so familiar with, so oriented towards, the landscape that
one may burn the map as kindling for a mountain fire, the map has
failed to serve its purpose. As a map of the Daoist body, the Neijing tu
urges aspiring Daoist adepts to dedicate themselves to alchemical trans‑
formation, to religious praxis that will result in the emergence of numi‑
nous presences and a subtle body. This is the Daoist body not as map but
as actuality.
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Mapping the Daoist Body

This article examines the history and content of the Neijing tu 內經圖 (Dia‑

The Neijing tu 內經圖 (Diagram of Internal Pathways; see Figure 1)

spine, corresponding to the Three Passes (sanguan 三關) through which

Baxian gong, Chongyang gong, Qingyang gong), and modern rubbings

inscription written by Xiyou 禧祐, a Manchu bannerman, and entitled “Liu Su‑

Official Qing sources generally neglect the history of eunuchs

This diagram has never been transmitted before. The funda‑

14 See, e.g., the relevant entry in the Zhongwen da cidian 中文大辭典.

specifically Daoist content of the diagram, give further pause for reflec‑

Homann, Rolf. 1971. Die wichtigsten Körpergottheiten im Huang‑t’ing‑ching. Göp‑

_____. 2007. Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self‑transformation in Early

_____. 2003. Xinbian Beijing Baiyun guan zhi 新編北京白雲觀志. Beijing: Zongjiao

_____. 2004b (2006). “Immortals and Patriarchs: The Daoist World of a Manchu

Lu, Gwei‑djen. 1980. Celestial Lancets: A History and Rationale of Acupuncture and

Rawson, Philip, and Laszlo Legeza. 1973. Tao: The Eastern Philosophy of Time and

_____. 1989a. “Visualization and Ecstatic Flight in Shangqing Taoism.” In Taoist

Skar, Lowell. 2000. “Charting a New Itinerary of Perfection in Medieval China:

Verellen, Franciscus. 1995. “The Beyond Within: Grotto‑Heavens (Dongtian) in

Yamada Keiji. 1979. “The Formation of the Huang‑ti nei‑ching.” Acta Asiatica 36:

Yoshioka, Yoshitoyo. 1979. “Taoist Monastic Life.” In Facets of Taoism: Essays in

Zheng Suchun 鄭素春. 1995. “L’école taoïste Quanzhen sous la dynastie Yuan.”

THE TEXT OF THE NEIJING TU

Textual and Visual Contours

Considering the waters of the world, none is greater than the

pervasion and/or self‑divinization. 8 In addition, the reference to the

8 The meaning of xian 仙 (“immortal” or “transcendent”) varies according

Passing through the final pass, one arrives at the mountain peaks that,

15 See the Yuandan shangjing 元丹上經, DZ 1345, 2b‑8a; also Zazhu jiejing, DZ

18 Cf. Ershisi jue 二十四訣, DZ 1158, 1b and Danyang yulu 丹陽語錄, DZ 1057,

Laozi transformed his form. His left eye became the sun, and

tiness meditation becomes represented as the foundation for alchemical

teaching, but preliminary research indicates that none of these lines are

Xianfo hezong 仙佛合宗 (ZW 843) as well as Liu’s Huiming jing 慧命經 (ZW 131)

is the following line from the lower Lü Dongbin poem: “Engraving the

context similar to the received Neijing tu, seems to contain a direct reference to

Cultivational and Alchemical Contours

35 Eichman (2000a, 351) confuses the Governing Vessel with the Thrusting

Vessel see Suwen chapters 41 and 60 and Lingshu chapters 10 and 65.

genesis may provide additional insights into the Daoist neidan emphasis on the

the Neijing tu draws the attention of the viewer, and of the aspiring adept

traordinary Vessels. The ordinary person has twelve active meridians

Comparing the two passages, the Neijing tu has a number of discrepan‑

Reading Daoist religious praxis solely in terms of the diagram, the

gall bladder wears] nine‑colored brocade robes with a green

involves circulating qi up the Governing Vessel and down the Concep‑

Baldrian‑Hussein, Farzeen. 1983. Procédés secrets du joyau magique—traité

Homann, Rolf. 1971. Die wichtigsten Körpergottheiten im Huang‑t’ing‑ching. Göp‑

_____. 1993. The Taoist Experience. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Komjathy, Louis. 2002. Title Index to Daoist Collections. Cambridge, Mass.: Three

_____. 2003. “Daoist Texts in Translation.” www.daoistcenter.org/advanced.html.

_____. 2003. Xinbian Beijing Baiyun guan zhi 新編北京白雲觀志. Beijing: Zongjiao

Matsumoto, Kiiko and Stephen Birch. 1986. Extraordinary Vessels. Brookline,

Naquin, Susan, and Chun‑fang Yü, eds. 1992. Pilgrims and Sacred Sites in China.

Qing Xitai 卿希泰, ed. 1996 (1988‑1995). Zhongguo daojiao shi 中國道教史. 4 vols.

_____. 1989a. “Visualization and Ecstatic Flight in Shangqing Taoism.” In Taoist

Schafer, Edward H. 1977. Pacing the Void: T’ang Approaches to the Stars. Berkeley:

Schipper, Kristofer, and Franciscus Verellen. 2004. The Taoist Canon: A Historical

Seidel, Anna. 1969. La divinisation de Lao tseu dans le taoïsme des Han. Paris: École