Page 99 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

OV E RVIEW 59

The macrocosm-microcosm theory is also one of the main modes of expres-
sion in *waidan and *neidan (see fig. IQ). Based on the emblems of correlative
cosmology, the elixir represents all the temporal and spatial features of the
cosmos. As stated in the *Zhouyi can tong qi (Token for the Agreement of the
Three According to the Book of Changes), for instance, the 384 scruples (zhu t-~)
that compose one symbolic pound of elixir correspond to the number of lines in
the sixty-four hexagrams of the *Yijing. Thus the elixir incorporates the cosmos
and all its actual and potential changes. In both waidan and neidan, macrocosmic
time sequences are reproduced in the system of fire phasing (*huohou), while
in waidan the spatial arrangement of instruments on the alchemical altar is
also established according to cosmological principles (Sivin 1980, 279- 92).

Fabrizio PREGADIO
W Fung Yu-Ian 1952-53, 2: 7-132; Girardot 1983; Granet 1934, 342-88; Kominami
Ichir6 1989; Lagerwey 1987C, 3-48; Needham 1956, 294-303; Schipper and Wang
1986; Sivin 1980, 221-92; Stein R. A. 1990

* COSMOGO Y; COSMOLOGY; IN NER DEITIES; NUMEROLOGY; TAOIST VIEWS
OF THE H UMAN BODY

Numerology

In classical Chinese thought, numbers ha,[e a meaning germane to natural
order. As natural order is a manifestation of the Dao, numbers play a primary
role in cosmogony and cosmology They are said to have appeared along with
images (*xiang), before forms (*xing) and names. Heaven, Earth, and the "ten
thousand things" (wanwu -.!ltl1) are born, move, and act through numbers
that represent the movement and quie cence (* dong and jing) of Yin and Yang,
i.e., their rhythm and the laws governing their transformations. Numbers ap-
plied to cosmogonic and cosmological cycles, or to alchemical cycles, measure
periods of evolution, maturing, and decline, and their exhaustion marks the
end of the world. Some numbers are also significant marking points: they
ascribe qualities, provide meaning, and serve as tools to correlate different
domains-e.g., cosmos and body, Earth and Heaven, temporal and spatial
distribution-and make them commensurable. For instance, there are three parts
in the human body (head, chest, and abdomen) and three heavenly bodies
(sun, moon, and stars), just as there are three levels in the world (Heaven,
Earth, and the space between them); there are five viscera (*wuzang) in the
body and five openings in the human face, as there are five Agents (*wuxing),
five planets, and so forth.