Internal Alchemy: Self, Society, and the Quest for Immortality

Internal alchemy has been the dominant system of Daoist spiritual practice since the Song dynasty. Its practitioners transform body energies into subtle levels of spirit and pure cosmic being, hoping to find illumination by returning to the fundamental order of the cosmos and in the process reconcile physiological training with intellectual speculation. Bringing together the best work of leading scholars in the field, this book provides a thorough and easily accessible introduction to this important tradition. It describes the cultivation methods at the root of internal alchemy, presents its historical development and key concepts, and explores comparative dimensions, such as Kundalini Yoga and Hermeticism.