The Golden Elixir Blog

Zhang Boduan (987?-1082) From the Preface to the Wuzhen pian 悟真篇 (Awakening to Reality) by Zhang Boduan 張伯端 (ca. 1075 CE): "Laozi and the Buddha used the learning of Xing (inner nature) and Ming (existence, destiny) to open the gates of expedient methods ( fangbian ), and taught people to cultivate the seed in order to escape [the cycles of] birth and death. For the Buddha, the source lies in emptiness and silence. If one suddenly awakens and attains complete understanding, one directly transcends to the other shore; but as long as habits and contaminations are not exhausted, one is submitted to rebirth. For Laozi, the truth lies in refining and nourishing oneself. If one obtains what is crucial and essential, one immediately rises to the rank of a saint; but as long as one’s fundamental nature is not comprehended, one is tied to the illusory body." Chinese text: 老釋以性命學，開方便門，教人修種，以逃生死。釋氏以空寂為宗，若頓悟圓通，則直超彼岸。如有習漏未盡，則尚徇于有生。老氏以煉養為真，若得其要樞，則立躋聖位。如其未明本性，則猶滯于幻形。 With its mention of X...

44 books published in less than 4 ½ years (February 2022 - June 2026, or 52 months). Total number of pages: 17,740, equivalent to about 341 pages per month and about 11 pages per day. With few exceptions, each book contains “translations” of and “commentaries” to at least one Neidan text (or a text closely related to Neidan, Internal Alchemy). In a few cases, a large text is “translated” in a multi-volume book. This is the output of Mr. Vitaly Filbert (I assume this is his real name). His books are published by “Daoist Cultivation Press” but at least some of them use the free ISBNs provided by KDP (a company belonging to Amazon). The breakdown by year is as follows: 2022: 7 books, 1812 pages 2023: 6 books, 1346 pages 2024: 1 book, 172 pages 2025: 16 books, 5988 pages 2026: 14 books, 8422 pages (until end of June) 2025 was the most productive year, with 16 books for a total of 5,988 pages, equivalent to about 499 pages per month and about 16.5 pages per day. But that is nothing compared...

These two books bring together a collection of fifteen studies on the doctrines, practices, and history of Taoism and Taoist alchemy. Entirely based on original Taoist sources, the essays support their discussions with a large number of quotations from texts belonging to different schools and historical periods, providing access to the language and ideas of the tradition. The subjects covered in the two books include: a general introduction to Taoist alchemy the history and methods of Waidan (External Alchemy) the relationship between the Daode jing and Neidan (Internal Alchemy) the foundations of Neidan in the Book of Changes the role of meditation practices in the rise of Neidan the main Chinese alchemical text, the Cantong qi (Seal of the Unity of the Three) the teachings of Liu Yiming (1734–1821), one of the greatest Neidan masters the views of ordinary and inner time in the alchemical traditions the Neidan doctrines on human nature and its embodiment the ways of “doing” and “non-...