The Book of the Hidden Agreement (Yinfu jing)

The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi),
traditionally ascribed with the authorship
of the Book of the Hidden Agreement

Despite its brevity, the Yinfu jing (Book of the Hidden Agreement) is one of the most obscure and difficult Taoist texts. Within Neidan (Internal Alchemy), this work is especially well-known for its idea of "stealing the mechanism", which Neidan adepts understand as meaning inverting of the process that leads from the precelestial to the postcelestial domains.

Read three sections of the Yinfu jing on the Golden Elixir website.

A complete translation of the text, with the commentary by Yu Yan (1258-1314), is found in a chapter or Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan texts (Golden Elixir Press, paperback), and in a Kindle ebook, entitled The Book of the Hidden Agreement: A Taoist Text on the Harmony between Heaven and Humanity.

Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts

Golden Elixir Press is pleased to announce the publication of a new book:

Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts

Translated from the Chinese, introduced, and annotated by Fabrizio Pregadio

Paperback, US$ 24.95 ● € 24.00 (incl. VAT) ● GB£ 20 ● JP¥ 5000 (list prices)

ISBN 978-0-9855475-5-4

This anthology presents complete or partial translations of sixteen major works belonging to the Taoist tradition of Neidan, or Internal Alchemy. While the selections are far from covering the whole field of Neidan — a virtually impossible task, given its width and variety — they are representative of its main lineages and branches. Texts have been selected in this perspective and are arranged chronologically, in order to provide an overview not only of Neidan, but also of the history of its discourses and practices. Four of the sixteen texts are integrally translated. Six texts and two commentaries are translated here (entirely or partially) for the first time into English. The book is concluded by several tables and by an index of the main terms.

See a preview of this book (PDF).

For more details, visit the page on this book in the Golden Elixir Press website. It contains:

• A detailed table of contents (click the "Contents" tab)

• A list of new pages in the Golden Elixir website with short selections from this book (click the "Samples" tab)

• A link to a free PDF with the Chinese texts translated in this book