Zhang Boduan

Zhang Boduan

Zhang Boduan Chinese  張伯 端  /  张伯 端 , Pinyin Zhāng Bóduān , W.-G. Chang Po-tuan (* 987 , † 1082 ) was a Chinese scholar who lived in the 11th century and founded the southern direction of the Daoist school of inner alchemy .

He came from a family of Confucian scholars and studied astronomy , mathematics , medicine and alchemy as well as the teachings of Chan Buddhism .

His work Wuzhen pian (“On the Understanding of Reality”) is considered the standard work of inner alchemy , as it is the only work that explains the entire alchemical process. It has been widely commented and quoted in the history of inner alchemy. Another work, "The Secret of the Golden Elixir", is a summary of the practice of Daoist inner alchemy.

literature

• Chang Po Tuan: The Secret of the Golden Elixir. The "inner teaching" of Taoism of the merging of Yin and Yang. With commentary and explanations by the Taostic adept Liu I-ming. Translated and edited by Thomas Cleary. OW Barth, Bern et al. 1990, ISBN 3-502-65101-9 .

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Zhang is the family name here, Boduan is the first name.