About Golden Elixir Press

Golden Elixir Press publishes books on Taoism, Taoist Alchemy, and other traditional doctrines in paperback, Kindle, and PDF editions.

Paperback editions are available from Amazon and other online stores worldwide.

Kindle editions are available from Amazon stores worldwide. Kindle editions can also be read on the free Kindle app for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Taoism and Taoist Alchemy

The Taoist Tradition

The Taoist Tradition: An Introduction to Teachings, Schools, and Practices

Fabrizio Pregadio

A concise but comprehensive introduction to Taoist thought and religion, with chapters devoted to the Taoist views of Dao, cosmos, and human being; the Taoist ways of liberation; and the "nourishing life" practices, meditation, and alchemy.

Paperback Kindle
Taoist Internal Alchemy

Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts

Fabrizio Pregadio

Complete or partial translations of sixteen important works belonging to the Taoist tradition of Neidan, representative of the main branches and lineages.

Paperback
Foundations of Internal Alchemy

Foundations of Internal Alchemy: The Taoist Practice of Neidan

Wang Mu

A clear description of Internal Alchemy, based on the system of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), enriched by about two hundred quotations from original Taoist texts.

Paperback Kindle PDF
Cultivating the Tao

Cultivating the Tao: Taoism and Internal Alchemy

Liu Yiming (1734–1821) — Translated by Fabrizio Pregadio

A comprehensive overview of the main principles of Taoism and an introduction to Taoist Internal Alchemy, written by one of the most important masters of this tradition.

Paperback
The Seal of the Unity of the Three

The Seal of the Unity of the Three: A Study and Translation of the Cantong qi

Fabrizio Pregadio

A complete translation of the Cantong qi, the foundational text of Taoist Internal Alchemy, with a detailed introduction, explanations of each section, and notes on its verses.

Paperback Hardcover PDF
The Seal of the Unity of the Three, vol. 2

The Seal of the Unity of the Three, Vol. 2: Bibliographic Studies on the Cantong qi

Fabrizio Pregadio

A bibliographic catalogue of about 150 extant and lost commentaries and related works, with a survey of the textual tradition of the Cantong qi.

Paperback
Awakening to Reality

Awakening to Reality: A Taoist Classic of Internal Alchemy

Translated by Fabrizio Pregadio

The Wuzhen pian is one of the most important Taoist alchemical texts, written in the 11th century. It describes in a poetical form several facets of Neidan, or Internal Alchemy.

Paperback Kindle PDF
Commentary on the Mirror for Compounding the Medicine

Commentary on the Mirror for Compounding the Medicine

Wang Jie (14th century) — Translated by Fabrizio Pregadio

The first complete translation of the Ruyao jing and its commentary. The text describes the foundations of Internal Alchemy in 20 short poems of four verses.

Paperback
The World Upside Down

The World Upside Down: Essays on Taoist Internal Alchemy

Isabelle Robinet

Four essays on Taoist Internal Alchemy translated for the first time into English, covering the alchemical principle of inversion, the role of numbers, and the meanings of "External" and "Internal Elixir".

Paperback Kindle PDF
La tradizione taoista

La tradizione taoista

Fabrizio Pregadio

Una introduzione completa al pensiero e alla religione taoista, dalle origini alle principali scuole, con capitoli dedicati alle pratiche del "nutrire la vita", la meditazione, e l'alchimia.

Paperback Kindle
Four Hundred Words on the Golden Elixir

Four Hundred Words on the Golden Elixir: A Poetical Classic of Taoist Internal Alchemy

Attributed to Zhang Boduan (987?–1082)

A celebrated text cherished within all Neidan lineages. Twenty poems each containing four verses of five characters, here translated with the commentary by Peng Haogu (fl. 1586–99).

Kindle
The Book of the Hidden Agreement

The Book of the Hidden Agreement: A Taoist Text on the Harmony between Heaven and Humanity

Attributed to the Yellow Emperor — Commentary by Yu Yan (1258–1314)

One of the most obscure and difficult Taoist texts, especially known within Neidan for its idea of "stealing the mechanism" (daoji).

Kindle
Fifteen Essays to Establish the Teaching

Fifteen Essays to Establish the Teaching: A Founding Text of Complete Reality Taoism

Attributed to Wang Chongyang (1113–70)

One of the founding texts of the Northern Lineage (Beizong) of Neidan, the original core of Quanzhen (Complete Reality) Taoism.

Kindle

Occasional Papers

The Way of the Golden Elixir

The Way of the Golden Elixir: Introduction to Taoist Alchemy

Fabrizio Pregadio — Third edition

An outline of the history, lineages, and main doctrines and practices of Taoist alchemy over more than two thousand years. Covers both External and Internal Alchemy

Free PDF Kindle
The Book of the Nine Elixirs

The Book of the Nine Elixirs: An Early Chinese Alchemical Text

Fabrizio Pregadio

A complete translation of the Jiudan jing, the main extant text of the Great Clarity (Taiqing) tradition of External Alchemy.

PDF
The Longmen Lineage

The Longmen Lineage: Historical Notes

Fabrizio Pregadio

A short history of the Longmen lineage, to which many masters of Neidan (Taoist Internal Alchemy) are affiliated.

Free PDF

Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism and Buddhism

Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

This outstanding book represents the most complete achievement of Coomaraswamy (1877–1947), one of the main modern representatives of the Hindu tradition.

Paperback PDF
Manual of Zen Buddhism

Manual of Zen Buddhism

D.T. Suzuki

An excellent selection of Chinese and Japanese texts on Chan / Zen Buddhism, now in the public domain.

Free PDF

Sufism

Flashes of Light

Flashes of Light: A Treatise on Sufism

Jami

One of the best synthetic introductions to Sufi spirituality, written by the renowned Persian thinker and poet 'Abd al-Rahman al-Jami (1414–92 CE).

Kindle PDF
Letters from a Sufi Teacher

Letters from a Sufi Teacher

Shaikh Sharfuddin Maneri

Extracts from the Maktubat-i-Sadi ("The Hundred Letters"), the most elaborate and comprehensive work by Shaikh Sharfuddin Maneri (14th century).

Paperback Kindle PDF

Reference Works

Chinese Alchemy: An Annotated Bibliography

Chinese Alchemy: An Annotated Bibliography

Fabrizio Pregadio

About 300 titles of books and articles on Chinese alchemy, with short annotations on their contents.

Paperback Kindle PDF
Index of Zhonghua Daozang

Index of Zhonghua Daozang

Fabrizio Pregadio

An index of texts found in the Zhonghua Daozang (Taoist Canon of China, 2003), with references to the corresponding works in the Zhengtong Daozang (Taoist Canon of the Zhengtong Reign-Period, ca. 1445).

Paperback PDF
Index of Zhengtong Daozang

Index of Zhengtong Daozang

Fabrizio Pregadio

An index of texts found in the Zhengtong Daozang (Taoist Canon of the Zhengtong Reign-Period), printed ca. 1445.

Free PDF