Original Breath (Yuanqi)

The Original Breath (yuanqi) issued from the Dao.

Source: Xuanlan renniao shan jingtu (Book and Chart of the Man-Bird Mountain for the Contemplation of the Mystery; CT 434).

For detailed explanations, see:

① John Lagerwey, Taoist Ritual in Chinese Society and History, 161–67 (New York: Macmillan, 1987).

② Fabrizio Pregadio, "The Man-Bird Mountain: Writing and Revelation in Early China", International Journal of Divination and Prognostication 2 (2020): 29-83.

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

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

A concise but comprehensive introduction to Taoist thought and religion, treating them not as separate domains but as two inseparable aspects of a single tradition. Early texts, history, cosmos and human being, and main practices, including External and Internal Alchemy.