Awakening to Reality

The "Regulated Verses" of the Wuzhen pian,
a Taoist Classic of Internal Alchemy

Fabrizio Pregadio

viii + 102 pp.

Golden Elixir Press, 2009

ISBN 978-0-9843082-1-7

Paperback, US$ 15.95 (list price)

PDF, US$ 9.95 (list price)

Awakening to Reality (Wuzhen pian) is one of the most important and best-known Taoist alchemical texts. Written in the eleventh century, it describes in a poetical form, and in a typically cryptic and allusive language, several facets of Neidan, or internal alchemy. This book presents the first part of the text, consisting of sixteen poems, which contain a concise but comprehensive exposition of Neidan. In addition to notes that intend to clarify the meaning of the more obscure points, the book also contains selections from a commentary dating from the late eighteenth century, which is distinguished by the use of a lucid and plain language.

Introduction (web page or PDF file)
Wuzhen pian, Poem 3 (web page)
Wuzhen pian, Poem 7 (web page)

Readers' Reviews

"A fine and delicate work of translation. The work done by the translator is very careful and can only be feasible by someone who knows the subject matter deeply. It is fortunate that Dr. Pregadio devotes so much personal energy to the question of translating core Daoist texts into English. . . . Congratulations!" (A.G. - Read the original review)

"This is a very good book, about a very old, Chinese Classic Poem, of Celestial Immortality, Qi Gong and Meditation. It is a very beautiful and wonderful poem . . . This book is perfect in its own." (H.O.M. — Read the original review)

Preface, vii

Introduction, 1

Translation, 21

Selections from Liu Yiming's Commentary, 75

Textual Notes, 89

Glossary of Chinese Characters, 95

Works Quoted, 101