Original source for Taoist Yoga Alchemy & Immortality

[traveler]

I am looking for the Chinese version of Taoist Yoga, Alchemy & Immortality, by Lu Kuan Yu. Google tells me that the original text is called, The Secrets of Cultivating Essential Nature and Eternal Life. Specifically, what I am looking for is a public domain version of this text in the original language.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Traveler

[Zhongyongdaoist]

From:

Daoist Texts in Translation∗
Louis Komjathy/Kang Siqi 康思奇, Ph.D.
Center for Daoist Studies

Xingming fajue mingzhi 性命法訣明旨: Illuminating Pointers to the Methods and Instructions of
Innate Nature and Life-Destiny: ZW 872.
Translated by Lu K’uan Yü (Charles Luk). Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality. York Beach
(ME): Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1973/1970.
An alchemical text written by Zhao Bichen 趙避塵 (b. 1860). It provides an in-depth discussion
of the alchemical process, including straightforward and illustrated descriptions of qi-circulation
techniques such as the Microcosmic Orbit (xiao zhoutian 小周天).

Komjathy has the wrong final character '旨' should read '指', 'finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to' instead of 'imperial decree / purport / aim / purpose'

You can find the complete text here:

'Taoist Yoga' Chinese Text: 性命法诀明指

[traveler]

Thank you.

[ChiDragon]

Komjathy has the wrong final character '旨' should read '指', 'finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to' instead of 'imperial decree / purport / aim / purpose

Do you know the difference in meaning between the two characters....???

[traveler]

I am less than a novice but interested. Google translates 旨 as purpose and 指 as finger. Google says the symbols mean:

性 sex, nature, character 命 life, fate, order 法 law, method, act 诀 tactics, formula 明 clear, bright, understand 指 finger, refers to. Is this really The Secrets of Cultivating Essential Nature and Eternal Life?

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Thank you.

 

You're Welcome.

 

I am less than a novice but interested. Google translates 旨 as purpose and 指 as finger. Google says the symbols mean:

性 sex, nature, character 命 life, fate, order 法 law, method, act 诀 tactics, formula 明 clear, bright, understand 指 finger, refers to. Is this really The Secrets of Cultivating Essential Nature and Eternal Life?

 

Yes it is. The first section has the chapter headings, try doing the same thing with some of them and you will see that they follow the book. Chinese is not an easy language to translate, and a work like this will be even more difficult because of its technical language, even native speakers who lack a knowledge of the technical usage can get into trouble.

 

By the way each of the Chapters has 诀, secret in it and are in a form like: First Secret Method, Second Secret Method, followed by a short description of what that method is, the first one talks about 'quieting spirit' and 'Ancestral Opening (in the body)' and the second one describes a furnace and cauldron. Thus the words rendered by 'Illuminating Pointers', have been replaced by a word from each chapter heading, yielding 'Secrets', in the title translation that you are using, but 'Illuminating Pointers' is more literal, and 'scholarly' and thus Komjathy's translation. When I did a little work with it a few years ago, I got the impression that in his translation Luk sometimes changes the order of the information around within the chapters, which adds to the possibility of confusion.

 

Also just for the record, I make no claims to fluency in Chinese, but after decades of study, I do know the subject well and have a lot of familiarity with its technical language.

 

Finally, you might try mdbg.net, it is a very good online dictionary/resource, if you are not already familiar with it.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

 

 

From:

 

Daoist Texts in Translation∗

Louis Komjathy/Kang Siqi 康思奇, Ph.D.

Center for Daoist Studies

 

Xingming fajue mingzhi 性命法訣明旨: Illuminating Pointers to the Methods and Instructions of Innate Nature and Life-Destiny: ZW 872.

Translated by Lu K’uan Yü (Charles Luk). Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality. York Beach(ME): Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1973/1970.

An alchemical text written by Zhao Bichen 趙避塵 (b. 1860). It provides an in-depth discussion of the alchemical process, including straightforward and illustrated descriptions of qi-circulation techniques such as the Microcosmic Orbit (xiao zhoutian 小周天).

 

Komjathy has the wrong final character '旨' should read '指', 'finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to' instead of 'imperial decree / purport / aim / purpose'

 

You can find the complete text here:

 

'Taoist Yoga' Chinese Text: 性命法诀明指

 

 

 

 

Do you know the difference in meaning between the two characters....???

 

 

旨, zhǐ: imperial decree / purport / aim / purpose

指, zhǐ: finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to

 

Illuminating Pointers to the Methods and Instructions of Innate Nature and Life-Destiny

 

I don't claim a profound knowledge of Chinese, but either Komjathy is mistranslating 旨, or he is mistyping 指. The title 性命法诀明指 seems to be correct based on search results.

 

I was rushed when posting this, but I thought my linking of character and meaning in the form of Character01 should read Character02, Meaning02 instead of Meaning01, was clear enough. I am sorry if this caused any confusion on your part. I hope that it didn't confuse anyone else.

[ChiDragon]

FYI....
性命法诀明指 is the Chinese version.
性命法诀明旨 is the Japanese version.

Both characters are almost interchangeable but with a slight twist in meaning. The Japanese adopted the Chinese characters, most of the time, they are identical in meaning. Sometimes, they have used the characters differently in their meanings.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

FYI....

性命法诀明指 is the Chinese version.

性命法诀明旨 is the Japanese version.

 

Both characters are almost interchangeable but with a slight twist in meaning. The Japanese adopted the Chinese characters, most of the time, they are identical in meaning. Sometimes, they have used the characters differently in their meanings. (Emphasis mine, ZYD)

 

性命法诀明指 is the Chinese version: Thank you for confirming that this:

 

From:

Daoist Texts in Translation∗

Louis Komjathy/Kang Siqi 康思奇, Ph.D.

Center for Daoist Studies

 

Xingming fajue mingzhi 性命法訣明旨: Illuminating Pointers to the Methods and Instructions of Innate Nature and Life-Destiny: ZW 872.

 

Komjathy has the wrong final character '旨' should read '指', 'finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to' instead of 'imperial decree / purport / aim / purpose' (Emphasis added, ZYD)

 

is basically correct. Since according to the first Paragraph of the study from which this is taken:

 

The annotated bibliography listed below attempts to provide a comprehensive inventory of Daoist texts translated to date in Western languages. Each entry begins with the pinyin title arranged alphabetically and followed by Chinese characters, an English translation of that title, and the Daoist collection wherein that text may be found. The entry next lists the translator, article or book where the translation may be found, and the relevant publication information. This is followed by a historical annotation of that particular Daoist text. The annotated bibliography is then followed by an author index that lists the last name of the translator, the related title of the book or article, and the pinyin title of the text which has been translated. (Louis Kompthy, Daoist Texts in Translation, p. 1, Emphasis mine, ZYD)

 

Komjathy can hardly have meant the Chinese characters of the Japanese title, and, especially when the source he references:

 

Xingming fajue mingzhi 性命法訣明旨: Illuminating Pointers to the Methods and Instructions of Innate Nature and Life-Destiny: ZW 872. (Louis Kompthy, Daoist Texts in Translation, p. 39, Emphasis mine, ZYD)

 

is, according to footnote 2 on page 1, the 藏外道書 Zangwai Daoshu, is a Chinese source, about which, you can find more information here:

 

At the end of 1994, Bashu Press published The Collection of Daoist Scriptures Outside the Canon ( 藏外道書 Zangwai Daoshu ) in 36 volumes. It is known as "a comprehensive collection of new supplementary Daoist scriptures". Its chief editors are Hu Daojing, Chen Yaoting, Duan Wenjia, Lin Wanqing, etc. The scriptures are not classified into Three Grottoes ( 三洞 Sandong ), Four Complements ( 四輔 Sifu ) and twelve subsections in the traditional way adopted by The Daoist Canon ( 道藏 Daozang ). Instead, they are classified into 11 categories, namely missing ancient Daoist books, scriptures, doctrines, Nourishing Life ( 攝養 Sheyang ), precepts and Moralistic Storybooks ( 善書 Shanshu ), rituals, hagiographies, annals of temples and geographical records, literature and arts, catalogues, and other books. This book is the largest Daoist collection since the edition and publication of The Daoist Canon of the Zhengtong Era ( 正統道藏 Zhengtong Daozang ). Among the books collected, some are the only existing copies throughout the country, some are rare copies, and some have never been published. This collection has a very high reference value. ( Article on The Daoist Canon, Section title: Collections of Daoist Scriptures Outside the Canon)

 

and there is nothing in Komjathy's text to indicate that it is the Japanese title instead of the Chinese title that one would expect, it must be a typo and 'pointers' is accurate, but '旨', is a mistake and should read '指' and I was right to mention this.

 

Now as to this:

 

性命法诀明旨 is the Japanese version:

 

I am a little puzzled by this, after all, the meaning of the Kanji for:

 

指: finger; indicate; measure (ruler); play (chess); point to; put into;

 

is much closer to the Chinese than the Kanji for:

 

旨: clever; delicious; expert; purport; relish; show a liking for; will;

 

So why change the Character? It seems an odd choice for a Kanji transliteration of the title, but since you say so, it must be true. Perhaps you have a source for this, or maybe someone with a good grasp of Japanese can explain it. Like I said, I find it puzzling, and would like to get a little insight into it.

[ChiDragon]

Let's make the story short. To the best of my knowledge, here are the meanings of the compound characters as follows:
明指: Clearly indicated; explicitly described
明旨: Clear meaning; explicit meaning.

It seems to me they are used interchangeably by both Chinese and Japanese.
Chinese sites:
http://www.bing.com/search?q=%E6%80%A7%E5%91%BD%E6%B3%95%E8%AF%80%E6%98%8E%E6%97%A8&pc=conduit&ptag=A8AA8A0A18EE04845BFF&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127

Japanese sites:
http://www.bing.com/search?q=%E6%80%A7%E5%91%BD%E6%B3%95%E8%A8%A3%E6%98%8E%E6%97%A8&pc=conduit&ptag=A8AA8A0A18EE04845BFF&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

Let's make the story short. To the best of my knowledge, here are the meanings of the compound characters as follows:
明指: Clearly indicated; explicitly described.
明旨: Clear meaning; explicit meaning.

 

I ponder the difference between;

 

Clear Description.

 

and,

 

Clear Meaning.

 

Finis.

 

It is begun.

...

Edited April 28, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[NotVoid]

traveler , you may find this helpful as well, if you have not seen it already. It is an interview with Zhao Bichen's great grandson, Zhao Ming Wang (赵明旺), who says he is teaching in Zhao Bichen's tradition. Some good general background info on this tradition in this interview...

http://wenshuchan-online.weebly.com/interview-with-daoist-master-zhao-ming-wang.html

[nestentrie]

 

 

It is begun.

...

 

Yeah it had to be April didn't it?

[Neophyte]

From:

 

Daoist Texts in Translation∗

Louis Komjathy/Kang Siqi 康思奇, Ph.D.

Center for Daoist Studies

 

Xingming fajue mingzhi 性命法訣明旨: Illuminating Pointers to the Methods and Instructions of

Innate Nature and Life-Destiny: ZW 872.

Translated by Lu K’uan Yü (Charles Luk). Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality. York Beach

(ME): Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1973/1970.

An alchemical text written by Zhao Bichen 趙避塵 (b. 1860). It provides an in-depth discussion

of the alchemical process, including straightforward and illustrated descriptions of qi-circulation

techniques such as the Microcosmic Orbit (xiao zhoutian 小周天).

 

Komjathy has the wrong final character '旨' should read '指', 'finger / to point at or to / to indicate or refer to' instead of 'imperial decree / purport / aim / purpose'

 

You can find the complete text here:

 

'Taoist Yoga' Chinese Text: 性命法诀明指

 

 

Hey, thanks for this. I will also find it of value.

 

I'd like to note though, that I don't think that it's the text of the original document. I had read that Charles Luk's translation abbreviates and disincludes much of the text that he was translating. This text:

'Taoist Yoga' Chinese Text: 性命法诀明指 seems to be about the length of Luk's translation, and doesn't have the valuable information that the very original text is rumoured to have. I may be mistaken, though.

 

I was hoping to one day to find all of that missing information that is said to exist (which Luk neglected to translate), because I want to achieve the full sixteen steps of the text.