The Seal of the Unity of the Three — Vol. 2 - The Golden Elixir

188 II. Commentaries, Essays, and Related Works
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to be the main text written by Wei Boyang. This section is divided
into three chapters (juan) or “books” (pian). Its postface (in some
versions, preface) is the portion of text corresponding to sections
86–88.
2. “Commentary” (“Jianzhu” 箋 注 ), in verses of five characters,
considered to have been contributed by Xu Jingxiu. This section
too is divided into three chapters or “books.” Its postface (in some
versions, preface) is the “Eulogium” (“Zanxu” 讚 序 ) found in the
redactions by Peng Xiao, Zhu Xi, and Yu Yan.
3. “The Three Categories” (“San xianglei” 三 相 類 ), attributed to
Chunyu Shutong and divided into two chapters or “books.” The
first chapter includes sections 77–81, i.e., the portion of the “Epilogue”
patterned on the “Lisao” poem; the second consists of
section 82, i.e., the “Song of the Tripod.” The postface (or
preface) of this section corresponds to sections 83–84.
In both the “Canon” and the “Commentary,” the three chapters are
respectively devoted to cosmology, Taoism, and alchemy.
The original version of the Ancient Text is arranged as shown in
the table on the next page.
Ten commentaries to the Ancient Text, written between the late
sixteenth and the late nineteenth centuries, are extant. At least four of
their authors—Wang Jiachun, Peng Haogu, Qiu Zhao’ao, and Liu
Yiming—were affiliated with the Ming and Qing lineages of Neidan. 9
In addition to the new arrangements of the standard text seen in
the previous chapter—those by Xu Wei, Li Guangdi, and Li Shixu—
the Ancient Text also inspired another genre of writing. Four of the
ten extant commentaries consist, either in whole or in part, of rearrangements
of earlier works according to the format of the Ancient
Text. In addition to those by Jiang Yibiao and by Ji Dakui, discussed
in more detail below, this is also true of the Guben zhouyi cantong qi
9
On the commentaries by Peng Haogu, Qiu Zhao’ao, and Liu Yiming see
below in the present chapter. Wang Jiachun (fl. ca. 1591, from Zhejiang) was a
Taoist priest at the Yingdao guan 應 道 觀 (Abbey of the Response to the Dao)
in Wenzhou 温 州 . He is also ascribed with commentaries to the Daode jing,
the Yinfu jing, and the Wuzhen pian.
© Fabrizio Pregadio and Golden Elixir Press 2012