Creating an Immortal Body in the External Void: The Alchemical Way of Wang Dongting 汪東亭 (1839–1917)

Abstract

Abstract:This paper explores the teachings of Wang Dongting 汪東亭 (1839–1917), a leading master of the Western school (xipai 西派) of internal alchemy (neidan 內丹), who developed an innovative method of alchemical cultivation that focused on creating the immortal body in the external space outside of the physical body. Wang developed a concept of two Heavens and four yin-yangs, presenting the perfect immortal and corrupted ordinary worlds as two parallel universes existing simultaneously. The two Heavens express themselves as humans' two selves, an ordinary self and its physical body given to us by our parents, and the eternal "body of law." Wang maintained that alchemists must abandon the ordinary self and exclusively cultivate the body of law, achieving immortality by separating the body of law from the physical body and "teaching" the latter to exist on its own. According to Wang's method, alchemists form a new immortal body by unifying their genuine selves with external space. To do it, practitioners first focus on breathing outside the physical body, then naturally follow breathing, then forget about it and go into deep concentration, oblivion, and even sleep. They finally awaken in an actual dream of this new immortal reality. Practitioners not only create a new immortal body outside the physical one, but also make a choice between the ordinary world of death and the immortal world of life, aiming to leave our fallen world entirely, forget about it, and never return.摘要:本文探討內丹西派大宗師汪東亭（1839–1917）的內丹思想與實際修練方法。汪東亭開發了一種全新的"身外虛空"內丹修練方法，專注於在色身外進行心息相依，煉形易身等功夫。汪氏提出兩重天地四個陰陽的概念，將仙界和凡界視為同時存在的兩個平行宇宙。兩種天地四個陰陽表現為人的兩個自我，即父母給我們的色身，以及永恆的"法身"。汪東亭認為，內丹修煉者必須捨棄色身，專修法身，將法身與肉身分離，"教"法身自身存在，從而達到長生不老的目的。根據汪氏的丹法，修煉者需要將神氣在外面合一，逐漸形成一個新的不死之身。為此，內丹修煉者首先凝神於鼻外寸勁，在外面虛空裡心息相依，然後神氣相忘，入定，甚至入睡。入定之後， 修煉者先沒有夢， 後來他們突然有夢，叫真夢。然後他們在真夢中醒來，出陽神，進入仙界。內丹修行者不僅要在外面虛空裡創造陽神，還要在有死亡的凡界和永恆的仙界之間做出選擇，力求徹底離開凡界，忘掉它，再也不回來。