The Seal of the Unity of the Three: Vol. 2 — Bibliographic Studies on the Cantong qi: Commentaries, Essays, and Related Works

The Cantong qi is the main text of Taoist Internal Alchemy (Neidan). In addition to Taoist masters and adepts, it has also attracted the attention of philosophers, cosmologists, poets, literati, calligraphers, philologists, and bibliophiles. No less than 38 commentaries written through the end of the 19th century are extant, and dozens of texts found in the Taoist Canon and elsewhere are related to it. The present book is the most complete guide available in any language to this vast literature.

The book is divided into two main parts. Part 1 contains a catalogue of extant and lost commentaries, essays, and related texts, listing altogether about 150 works with details on their authors, editions, and reprints. Part 2 contains a survey of the textual tradition of the Cantong qi, focused on the composition and contents of about 40 major texts. A final index of authors, editors, titles, and editions facilitates the use of the book.

This book is a companion to the complete translation of the Cantong qi published by same author, entitled The Seal of the Unity of the Three: A Translation and Study of the Cantong qi, the Source of the Taoist Way of the Golden Elixir (Golden Elixir Press, 2011).

Contents

Preface, vii

INTRODUCTION
     Main Works on the Cantong qi: A Short Survey, 1

PART I: BIBLIOGRAPHIC CATALOGUE
     Introduction, 15
     1. Commentaries, 21
     2. Essays and Related Works, 77
     3. Lost Works, 91
     4. Works Attributed to Wei Boyang, 103

PART II: COMMENTARIES, ESSAYS, AND RELATED WORKS
     Introduction, 109
     1. Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties, 111
     2. Song and Yuan Dynasties, 131
     3. Ming and Qing Dynasties, 159
     4. The Ancient Text and Its Commentaries, 185

APPENDIXES
     1. The Three Books of the Cantong qi, 201
     2. Main Indicators of Textual Filiation, 211
     3. Chinese Text, 217

Index of Names, Titles, and Editions, 233
Works Quoted, 251