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  Seal script fornèidān内丹 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 內丹 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 内丹 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | inside cinnabar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 내단 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 内丹 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 内丹 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | ないたん | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neidan, orinternal alchemy (traditional Chinese:內丹術;simplified Chinese:內丹术;pinyin:nèidān shù), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and spiritual practices thatTaoist initiates use to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death.[1] Also known asJindan (金丹 "golden elixir"), inner alchemy combines theories derived fromexternal alchemy (waidan外丹), correlative cosmology (including theFive Phases), theemblems of theYijing, andmedical theory, with techniques ofTaoist meditation,daoyin gymnastics, andsexual hygiene.[2]
Inneidan, the human body becomes a cauldron (or"ding") in which theThree Treasures ofJing ("Essence"),Qi ("Breath") andShen ("Spirit") are cultivated for the purpose of improving physical, emotional and mental health, and ultimately returning to the primordial unity of theTao, i.e., attainingTaoist Immortality. It is believed theXiuzhen Tu is such a cultivation map. In China, it is an important form of practice for most schools ofTaoism.
The Chinesecompoundnèidān combines the common wordnèi內 meaning "inside; inner; internal" withdān丹 "cinnabar; vermillion; elixir; alchemy". Theantonym ofnèi iswài外 "outside; exterior; external", andnèidān "internal elixir / alchemy" was coined from the earlier complementary termwàidān外丹 "external elixir / alchemy".
Traditional Chinese medicalalchemical texts and sources ordinarily callneidan thejīndān dào金丹道 or Way of the Golden Elixir. InModern Standard Chinese usage, the termnèidān shù內丹術 (with術 "art; skill; technique; method") refers generally to internal alchemical practices for longevity by maintaining good health, and the prevention of pain and suffering.[3]
The date for the earliest use of the termneidan is uncertain.內丹 orneidan had been mentioned in灵剑子 by Xu Xun许逊 inJin dynasty (266–420), but on the other handArthur Waley proposed that it was first recorded in the 559 vow taken byTiantai Buddhist patriarchNanyue Huisi praying to successfully make an elixir that would keep him alive until the coming ofMaitreya.[4] Many scholars agreed, includingJoseph Needham andLu Gwei-djen who translated Huisi's vow to live as an ascetic in the mountains:
I am seeking for the longevity in order to defend the Faith, not in order to enjoy worldly happiness. I pray that all the saints and sages will come to my help, so that I may get some good magic mushrooms [zhi芝], and numinous elixirs [shendan神丹], enabling me to cure all illnesses and to stop both hunger and thirst. In this way I shall be able to practice continually the way of the Sutras and to engage in the several forms of meditations. I shall hope to find a peaceful dwelling in the depths of the mountains, with enough numinous elixirs and medicine to carry out my plans. Thus, by the aids of external elixirs [waidan] I shall be able to cultivate the elixir within [neidan].[5]
Others believed thatneidan first occurred in the biographies of Deng Yuzhi鄧郁之 (fl. 483–493) and Su Yuanming蘇元明 (fl.c. 600). However, the authenticity of the relevant passages mentioned above is doubtful.[6]
The termneidan was seldom used throughout the lateTang dynasty (618–907) andFive dynasties (907–960) period, and only became widespread around the beginning of theSong dynasty (960–1279) period, whenneidan evolved into a highly complex system in both its theoretical and practical aspects.[7] Tang texts described internal alchemical practices with the wordsfúyào服藥 "take drug/medicine" andchángshēng長生 "long life, longevity; (Taoism) eternal life".[8] Liu Xiyue's劉希岳 988Taixuan langranzi jindao shi太玄朗然子進道詩 (Master Taixuan Langran's Poems on Advancing in the Tao) has the earliest datable mention of the termsneidan andwaidan.[9] Thec. 1019Yunji Qiqian Taoist anthology mentions the termneidan.[10]
Early texts that mentionneidan define it as synonymous or similar with someqi circulation techniques: Cultivation and Transmutation (xiulian修煉), Embryonic Breathing (taixi胎息), the Cyclical Elixir (huandan還丹), the Golden Elixir (jindan金丹), the Great Elixir (dadan大丹), the Interior and Exterior Medicines (nei/waiyao内外藥), the Inner and Outer Counterparts (nei/waixiang内外象), and the Yin Elixir and Yang Elixir (yindan陰丹 andyangdan陽丹).[11]
Based upon the textual evidence, Farzeen Baldrian-Hussein concludes that in early texts,neidan refers to a specific technique, and by SongEmperor Zhenzong's reign (997–1022), the term designates a group of techniques, expressed in specific alchemical language.[12]
It is sometimes transliterated using the older Wade–Giles system asNeitan in literature on western Alchemy.[13]
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Neidan is part of the Chinese alchemical meditative tradition that is said to have been separated into internal and external (Waidan) at some point during theTang dynasty. TheCantong qi (The Kinship of the Three) is the earliest known book on theoretical alchemy in China; it was written by the alchemistWei Boyang in 142 AD. This text influenced the formation of neidan, whose earliest existing texts date from the first half of the 8th century. The authors of severalneidan articles refer to their teachings as the Way of the Golden Elixir (jindan zhi dao). The majority of Chinese alchemical sources is found in theDaozang (Taoist Canon), the largest collection of Taoist texts.[14]
Neidan shares a significant portion of its notions and methods with classical Chinese medicine,fangshi and with other bodies of practices, such asmeditation and the methods for "nourishing life" (yangsheng). What distinguishes alchemy from these related traditions is its unique view of the elixir as a material or immaterial entity that represents the original state of being and the attainment of that state. Theneidan tradition of internalalchemy is practiced by working with the energies that were already present in the human body as opposed to using natural substances, medicines or elixirs, from outside of the body. TheShangqing School of Taoism played an important role in the emergence ofneidan alchemy, after using Waidan mainly as a meditative practice, and therefore turning it from an external to an internal art.
Internal alchemy focuses upon transforming the bodilysanbao "three treasures", which are the essential energies sustaining human life:
According to the 13th-centuryBook of Balance and Harmony:
When the "three treasures" are internally maintained, along with a balance of yin and yang, it is possible to achieve a healthy body andlongevity, which are the main goals of internal alchemy (Ching 1996, 395).
Jing "essence" referring to the primordial energies of the physical body. Based upon the idea that death and illness are caused by over straining and stressing of one's mind and body leads to the depletion of one'sjing, Daoist internal alchemy claims that preservingjing allows one to have a long, healthy and happy life, known classically as longevity in Chinese thought, if notimmortality.[16]
Qi orch'i is defined as the "natural energy of the universe" and manifests in everyone and everything.[17] By means of internal alchemy, Taoists strive to maintain a positive free flow ofqi through the body in paths ormeridians moving to each individual organ.[18] as Stagnation of qi is a primary or root cause of many health conditions in traditional Chinese thinking.[19]
Healing practices such asacupuncture,Tui na,cupping andherbal medicines are believed to open up theqimeridians throughout the body so that theqi can flow freely. Keepingqi in balance and flowing throughout the body promotes health; imbalance can lead to sickness.
Shen is the original spirit of the body. To have good Shen is to look vital and glowing on the surface of the skin and the gloss and spark seen in the eyes. It is the hue on the leaf of a tree. Taoists try to become conscious ofshen through contemplative practices, including meditation.[20]
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