From Zhonglü Neidan to Zhang Sanfeng: Daoist Alchemy Lineage, Oral Teachings and Source-Critical Study

The formation process of inner alchemy is roughly as follows: the failure of external alchemy in the Han and Wei Dynasties → the Tang and Song Dynasties turned to "internal refining" (taking oneself as the cauldron) → the lineage of Zhong Liquan and Lu Dongbin established the order of inner alchemy → the convergence of Chen Tuan and Xiyi lineage with the "Huangting" tradition in the early Song Dynasty of the Five Dynasties → the Quanzhen and Northern Sects of the Southern Song Dynasty (Qiu Chuji, Li Daochun) → "Double Cultivation of Life and Life" and the legend of Zhang Sanfeng in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The key is that the emergence of the concept of "inner elixir" itself is the product of the failure of outer elixir: when "caulding furnace, fire, and medicine" can be borrowed from the inside of the body, the experimental subject turns from the furnace to itself. This is an important paradigm shift in ancient Chinese physiological psychology. Be cautious when identifying historical materials: there are many pseudonymous works in later generations (no less than a hundred alchemy books attributed to Zhang Sanfeng, Liu Haichan, and Lu Dongbin), and the earliest original documents are often hundreds of years later than the legendary figures. Judgment method: Look at the source of the citation, taboo words, maturity of the terminology (in the early stage, the terminology of outer elixir was used, and in the mature period, the terminology of inner elixir became independent), and the printing form that only appeared after the Song Dynasty. Modern position: Neidan literature should be read as a "historical archive of self-regulation methods" - the breathing, posture, attention, and rhythm parts are operable training heritage; while the promises of "physical ascension", "turning iron into gold" and "immortality" have been proven or not, and a clear distinction needs to be made.