Page 295 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

THE ENCYC LOP E DIA O F TAO ISM A-L

Chen Shaowei

fl. 712/ 741; zi: Ziming r IY'I ; haD: Hengyue zhenren ~$J!tA
(Real Man of the Heng Peak)

Chen Shaowei, who was active on Mount Heng (*Hengshan ~ ill, Hunan)
in the early eighth century, claimed descent from the spiritual legacy of *Xu
Xun. He is known for two *waidan texts, the Xiufo lingsha miaojue {~1fi:iiW'
.w»1fk: (Wondrous Instructions on Fixing Cinnabar; CT 890) and theJiuhuan
jindan miaojue :tLlli~ftj!'»tfR (Wondrous Instructions on the Golden Elixir
of the Nine Reversions; CT 891). The two texts originally formed a single
treatise that contained instructions on the Dadong lian zhenbao jing WiJi*J!t
j'ffl ~~ (Scripture of the Great Cavern on Refining the Real Treasure), a title that
is also attributed to Chen Shaowei in two Song bibliographies (van der Loon
1984,78). The use of place names and the expression tianyuan :;Rn (CT 890,
preface, la), which probably refers to the whole extent of the Xiantian (712-13)
and the Kaiyuan (713- 41) reign periods, suggest the work was composed in
the first decades of the eighth century The inclusion of both texts in reverse
order in the *Yunji qiqian (j. 69 and 68.9a- 2sa) shows that the original treatise
had already circulated in two parts by the eleventh century.
Chen Shaowei's works contain the most elaborate description of an alchemi-
cal method based on cinnabar in the extant waidan corpus. The first text is
introduced with a lengthy account of the formation, varieties, and symbolism
of cinnabar, followed by a method for its refinement in seven cycles. Each
cycle consists of the treatment of the product of the previous stage, and con-
cludes with the production of "gold" (jin ~) that can be ingested or used as
the main ingredient in the next cycle. In the second text, the final product of
the previous seven cycles, now defined as "mercury" (hong 7K), serves as the
main ingredient for the preparation of a *huandan (Reverted Elixir).
A shorter version of the first text, submitted to the throne by Zhang Guo "* 5F!:
(see *Zhang Guolao) in 734, is found in the Dashen dansha zhenyao jue"*:f$:Pt 1iY J!t ~
1fk: (Authentic Essential Instructions on the Great Divine Cinnabar; CT 896).

Fabrizio PREGADIO
W Meng Naichang 1993a, 71-74; Needham 1976, 141-43; Sivin 1980, 237-40 and
270-74
* waidan