Daoism Meditation and the Wonders of Serenity

<p><b>An overview of Daoist texts on passive meditation from the Latter Han through Tang periods.</b></p><p>Stephen Eskildsen offers an overview of Daoist religious texts from the Latter Han (25-220) through Tang (618-907) periods exploring passive meditation methods and their anticipated effects. These methods entailed observing the processes that unfold spontaneously within mind and body rather than actively manipulating them by means common in medieval Daoist religion such as visualization invocations and the swallowing of breath or saliva. Through the resulting deep serenity it was claimed one could attain profound insights experience visions feel surges of vital force overcome thirst and hunger be cured of ailments ascend the heavens and gain eternal life.</p><p>While the texts discussed follow the legacy of Warring States period Daoism such as the <i>Laozi</i> to a significant degree they also draw upon medieval immortality methods and Buddhism. An understanding of the passive meditation literature provides important insights into the subsequent development of Neidan or Internal Alchemy meditation that emerged from the Song period onward.</p>