Great Clarity: Daoism and Alchemy in Early Medieval China

«The interaction between these different trends of doctrine and practice allowed alchemy to develop in close association with them.» — según Pregadio, fue el trato entre corrientes doctrinales y prácticas distintas lo que permitió que la alquimia se desarrollara pegada a ellas

«In turn, the close association of the Great Clarity with Daoism is the primary reason for its decline after the Daoist revelations that occurred in the second half of the fourth century, and for the development of new forms of alchemy in later times.» — y esa misma cercanía con el taoísmo es, dice, la razón primera del declive de la Gran Claridad tras las revelaciones de la segunda mitad del siglo IV, y del surgimiento de formas nuevas de alquimia

«The sources at the basis of this book, thus, contain a further element of interest, as they provide an image of alchemy remarkably different from the one witnessed by the later, and presently better known, Chinese alchemical texts.» — de ahí, señala, el interés añadido de sus fuentes: dan una imagen de la alquimia distinta de la de los textos chinos hoy mejor conocidos

«The book has slowly evolved from my doctoral dissertation, completed in 1990. In the ensuing years, further study of alchemical and Daoist sources has refashioned my understanding of the different subtraditions of Chinese alchemy and of their historical and doctrinal development. This has resulted in an entirely different manuscript, at least two-thirds of whose contents are new.» — Pregadio data el origen del libro en su tesis doctoral de 1990 y acota cuánto queda de ella: al menos dos tercios del contenido son nuevos

«After an introduction devoted to the historical origins of the Great Clarity tradition and its main features, the book is divided into five parts. Part One is concerned with the relation of the Great Clarity to the earlier history of alchemy in China, the place of the heaven of Great Clarity in Daoist cosmography, and the scriptures that were revealed from that heaven.» — el reparto que el autor declara para la parte uno: la relación de la Gran Claridad con la historia anterior de la alquimia en China, el lugar de su cielo en la cosmografía taoísta y las escrituras reveladas desde él

«Part Two presents the doctrinal foundations of the alchemical process, its ritual features, and the methods of compounding the elixirs. Part Three is concerned with the place of the alchemy of the Great Clarity among the medieval traditions of southeastern China, both before and after the creation of the Highest Clarity (Shangqing) and Numinous Treasure (Lingbao) corpora of Daoist texts.» — y para las partes dos y tres: fundamentos doctrinales, rasgos rituales y métodos de composición de los elixires; y el sitio de la alquimia Taiqing entre las tradiciones medievales del sureste de China, antes y después de los corpus Shangqing y Lingbao

«Part Four contains annotated translations of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, the Scripture of the Golden Liquor, and the Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles;» — la parte cuatro no es exposición: son traducciones anotadas del Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, del Scripture of the Golden Liquor y del Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles

«Part Five, finally, looks at the Great Clarity tradition in the light of the later development of alchemy in China, examining the reasons for its decline, the emergence of new traditions centered on the doctrines of the elixirs, and the parallel early development of “inner alchemy” (neidan).» — y la parte cinco mira la tradición desde el desarrollo posterior: las razones del declive, las tradiciones nuevas centradas en las doctrinas de los elixires y el desarrollo paralelo del neidan o alquimia interior

«While I am indebted to all of them, responsibility for any mistakes in this book is entirely mine.» — la reserva con que Pregadio cierra sus agradecimientos: la responsabilidad de cualquier error es suya

«Any attempt to reconstruct features of a lost tradition involves an amount of hesitation and is exposed to errors. I have been aware of this throughout my work, and am even more aware of it now that the book has finally reached its final shape.» — Pregadio enuncia el límite de su propio trabajo: reconstruir los rasgos de una tradición perdida supone titubeo y queda expuesto a error, y dice ser más consciente de ello al terminar que al empezar

«The abbreviation CT precedes the number assigned to the text in the catalogue edited by Kristofer Schipper, Concordance du Tao-tsang: Titres des ouvrages (Paris: École Française d’Extrême-Orient, 1975).» — en las Convenciones, Pregadio declara de dónde sale la sigla CT con que numera los textos del Canon taoísta: el catálogo que editó Kristofer Schipper

«Standard Chinese names of substances are rendered with their common English equivalents. Synonyms and secret names are translated literally.» — la convención de traducción que el autor se fija para las sustancias: los nombres chinos corrientes van por su equivalente inglés y los sinónimos y los nombres secretos, traducidos a la letra

«Units of weight, volume, and length are rendered with conventional English terms as shown in the table below. The table also shows the average and rounded-off equivalences in the Western metric system that apply between the Han and the early Tang, the period covered by this book.» — y la de las medidas, con la advertencia de que las equivalencias métricas son promedios redondeados válidos para el tramo que va de los Han al Tang temprano

«Whereas in most later texts the system of correlative cosmology, with its abstract notions and images, plays a major role in formulating the import of» — la tesis de método de Pregadio, cortada aquí por el cambio de plana: donde los textos posteriores formulan el sentido del proceso con las nociones y las imágenes abstractas de la cosmología correlativa, los textos de la Gran Claridad, sigue en la plana 17, *ascribe an analogous function to ritual*

«with Stephen Bokenkamp’s translation of the Scripture of the Elixir Flower of Langgan, published in his Early Daoist Scriptures (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1997), these translations make the gist of the early Chinese alchemical corpus available in English and more easily accessible to further study.» — Pregadio sitúa sus tres traducciones junto a la que Stephen Bokenkamp hizo del Scripture of the Elixir Flower of Langgan y dice qué resulta de las cuatro juntas: lo esencial del corpus alquímico chino temprano disponible en inglés. El paréntesis con el pie editorial de la edición de Bokenkamp queda fuera del tramo

«If this book reflects even a small fragment of the Great Clarity, however, it has fulfilled its purpose.» — el criterio con que Pregadio mide su propio libro: le basta reflejar un fragmento pequeño de la Gran Claridad para darlo por cumplido

«The later texts ascribe a major role to the system of correlative cosmology; using a large set of abstract emblems, they provide adepts with an abstract model of the cosmos designed to illustrate its underlying principles.» — Pregadio describe el procedimiento de los textos waidan tardíos: un juego amplio de emblemas abstractos con que dan al adepto un modelo del cosmos

«These texts document traditions that were established between the late fifth and the early sixth centuries, culminated between the seventh and the tenth centuries, and underwent a slow but steady decline afterward, when neidan, or “inner alchemy,” replaced them.» — y su curva histórica según él: establecidas entre finales del siglo V y principios del VI, culminadas entre el VII y el X, en declive lento después, hasta que el neidan las sustituyó

«The extant waidan corpus consists of about one hundred texts, many of which claim to record doctrines and practices of the high antiquity. Dating issues have long been one of the main hindrances in the study of this literature, as most texts are either anonymous and undated, or bear attributions and dates that are meaningful within the tradition but are historically unreliable.» — el estado de la cuestión que Pregadio levanta: un centenar de textos waidan en el Canon taoísta, la mayoría anónimos y sin fecha o con atribuciones que valen dentro de la tradición y no como historia

«At present, no more than one-fifth of the surviving waidan texts can be dated with an acceptable degree of reliability and accuracy; for many of the others, even the dynasty during which they were written is not assuredly known.» — la cifra con que acota lo datable: no más de un quinto de los textos waidan conservados admite fecha con fiabilidad aceptable, y de muchos otros ni la dinastía se sabe con seguridad

«Research on the history of Chinese alchemy, therefore, must be based on the preliminary identification of cognate groups of sources that display common features and may broadly be assigned the same date.» — de ahí el método que propone: identificar primero grupos de fuentes emparentadas por rasgos comunes a las que quepa asignar una misma fecha aproximada

«For the early stages of the tradition, no other work helps in this task as much as the Inner Chapters of the Book of the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature (Baopu zi neipian), completed by Ge Hong (283–343) around 317 and revised around 330.» — la fuente que Pregadio da por decisiva para las etapas tempranas: los Capítulos Interiores del Baopu zi neipian, que data en Ge Hong hacia 317 y revisados hacia 330

«According to Ge Hong, the ritual background of all those methods was similar, but the respective texts belonged to separate lineages.» — según Ge Hong, dice Pregadio, el trasfondo ritual de todos esos métodos era parecido pero los textos respectivos venían de linajes separados

«While the sources quoted in the chapter on metals are otherwise unknown, the other chapter highlights three scriptures that had been in the Ge family’s possession for about one century, and that Ge Hong deemed to be central to the tradition into which he had been initiated.» — el otro capítulo destaca tres escrituras que llevaban un siglo en poder de la familia Ge y que Ge Hong tenía por centrales en la tradición en que fue iniciado

«A long time ago, while Zuo Yuanfang (i.e., Zuo Ci) was devoting himself to meditation practices on Mount Tianzhu (Tianzhu shan, in present-day Anhui), a divine being transmitted to him the scriptures of the immortals on the Golden Elixirs. It was the time of the disorders at the end of the Han dynasty, and as Zuo had no opportunity to compound those elixirs, he escaped to the east of the [Changjiang] River with the intent of settling on a famous mountain to devote himself to that Way.» — la primera mitad del pasaje del Baopu zi que Pregadio traduce y cita en bloque: un ser divino transmite a Zuo Ci, en el monte Tianzhu, las escrituras de los inmortales sobre los Elixires de Oro, y los desórdenes del fin de los Han le impiden componerlos

«The three texts, adds Ge Hong, were unknown to most contemporary practitioners (daoshi) in Jiangnan or elsewhere.» — según Ge Hong, añade Pregadio, los tres textos eran desconocidos para la mayoría de los practicantes de su tiempo, en Jiangnan y fuera de él

«The Scripture of Great Clarity (Taiqing jing), the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs (Jiudan jing), and the Scripture of the Golden Liquor (Jinye jing) form the nucleus of the Taiqing doctrinal and textual legacy.» — Pregadio fija el núcleo del legado Taiqing en tres escrituras: el Taiqing jing, el Jiudan jing y el Jinye jing

«Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of these texts in the Inner Chapters enable us to identify and authenticate their present versions in the Daoist Canon.» — y el procedimiento por el que las identifica: las citas, paráfrasis y resúmenes de los Capítulos Interiores permiten autenticar las versiones que hoy trae el Canon taoísta

«Based on Ge Hong’s account, the three scriptures originated in the area of Mount Tianzhu at the end of the second century. The alleged first recipient, Zuo Ci, gave them to Ge Xuan (164–244), then they were transmitted to Zheng Yin (?–ca. 302), and finally they reached Ge Xuan’s grandnephew, Ge Hong. As we shall see, different hagiographic lines of transmission were devised about one century later, when waidan was partially incorporated into the corpus of one of the main Daoist schools of the Six Dynasties; the Inner Chapters, however, is the main source to provide us with historical details.» — la cadena de transmisión que Pregadio saca del relato de Ge Hong, con sus fechas: Zuo Ci a Ge Xuan, de este a Zheng Yin y de este a Ge Hong; un siglo después, dice, se inventaron otras líneas hagiográficas

«Other sources concerning the “master of the methods” Zuo Ci do not offer significant historical details on the origins of the Taiqing tradition, for Zuo is as shadowy a figure as most other early fangshi.» — la negativa que Pregadio consigna: las otras fuentes sobre Zuo Ci no dan detalles históricos sobre el origen de la tradición, porque es figura tan borrosa como los demás fangshi tempranos

«Pseudo-historical and hagiographic records depict him not only as an alchemist but also as proficient in the divinatory arts, competent in summoning gods and controlling demons, and gifted in undergoing metamorphosis.» — lo que esas fuentes sí le atribuyen: artes adivinatorias, convocatoria de dioses, dominio de demonios y metamorfosis, además de la alquimia

«Zuo Ci, whose cognomen was Yuanfang, came from Lujiang. He had a deep knowledge of the Five Classics and was versed in astrology (xingqi). As he realized that the prosperity of the Han dynasty was declining, and that disorder would soon rise in the empire, . . . he devoted himself to the study of the Dao. He became an expert in divination according to the method of the Six Decades (liujia), and could command gods and demons; while sitting in meditation, he could summon the Traveling Cuisine (xingchu). While he was devoting himself to meditation practices on Mount Tianzhu, he found the scriptures on the Nine Elixirs and the Golden Liquor in a cave.» — el retrato de Zuo Ci que Pregadio traduce de las Shenxian zhuan: conocedor de los Cinco Clásicos y de la astrología, adivino por el método de los Seis Decenios, capaz de mandar a dioses y demonios y de convocar la Cocina Viajera, encuentra en una cueva del monte Tianzhu las escrituras de los Nueve Elixires y del Licor de Oro

«Ge Hong’s granduncle, Ge Xuan, is another elusive figure despite the major posthumous role that he plays in the history of Six Dynasties Daoism as the putative first recipient of the Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) scriptures. His depiction, found in different sources, as a practitioner of several disciplines associated with the milieu of the “masters of the methods”—who are represented, in Ge Hong’s account, by Zuo Ci—suggests that the three Taiqing scriptures may indeed have become part of the treasures of the Ge family through him.» — sobre Ge Xuan, Pregadio consigna a la vez su papel póstumo como primer receptor de las escrituras Lingbao y lo poco que se sabe de él, y propone en condicional que por él entraran las tres escrituras Taiqing en la familia Ge

«All we know about the beginnings of Taiqing tradition, therefore, is that it originated in present-day eastern Anhui around 200 ce, and was soon transmitted to the nearby region across the Changjiang River.» — el saldo que Pregadio declara: la tradición nació en el este del actual Anhui hacia el 200 y pasó pronto a la región vecina al otro lado del Changjiang

«My granduncle, the Immortal Lord (Xiangong, i.e., Ge Xuan), received from him those texts, namely the Scripture of the Elixirs of Great Clarity in three scrolls, the Scripture of the Elixirs of the Nine Tripods in one scroll, and the Scripture of the Elixir of the Golden Liquor also in one scroll.» — la segunda mitad del mismo pasaje del Baopu zi: Ge Xuan recibe de Zuo Ci los tres textos, y Ge Hong los enumera con sus rollos —el Scripture of the Elixirs of Great Clarity en tres, el de los Nueve Trípodes en uno y el del Licor de Oro en uno—

«My master, Zheng [Yin], was a disciple of my granduncle, and in turn received those texts from him. But his family was poor, and he lacked the means to buy the ingredients. I served him for a long time as a disciple. Then I built an altar (tan) on the Maji mountains (in present-day Jiangxi) and, after swearing a covenant, I received those texts with oral instructions that cannot be written down. (Baopu zi, 4.71)» — y el cierre del pasaje, donde Ge Hong cuenta que Zheng Yin era pobre y no podía comprar los ingredientes, y que él mismo levantó un altar en las montañas Maji y recibió los textos tras jurar un pacto, con instrucciones orales que no pueden escribirse

«Ge Hong states that the Taiqing scriptures “did not exist east of the [Changjiang] River” (i.e., the Yangzi River) before Zuo Ci took them there at the end of the Han period.» — la frase de Ge Hong que Pregadio convierte en problema: las escrituras Taiqing no existían al este del Changjiang antes de que Zuo Ci las llevara allá al final de los Han

«This statement raises the question of where the scriptures, and the tradition that they represent, originated.» — y la pregunta que Pregadio le saca: de dónde salieron las escrituras y la tradición que representan

«Among several mountains that have been called Tianzhu (Pillar of Heaven) in different times and in different regions of China, one is part of the Taishan range in the Shandong peninsula in the northeast, and some scholars have identified this as the site in which the Taiqing revelations occurred.» — la primera de las dos identificaciones que Pregadio pone en juego para el monte Tianzhu: la que algunos estudiosos sitúan en la cordillera del Taishan, en la península de Shandong

«In Ge Hong’s time, however, Tianzhu was also an alternative name of Mount Qian (Qianshan), which Emperor Wu of the Han had designated as the southernmost of the five sacred peaks (wuyue) in 106 bce. Given the proximity of this mountain to Zuo Ci’s reputed birthplace in Lujiang (present-day Anhui), it is very likely that Mount Qian is the mountain referred to as Tianzhu in the passage quoted above.» — y la que él propone, con su grado marcado como muy probable: el monte Qian, que el emperador Wu de los Han designó pico sacro del sur en el 106 a. e. c., por su cercanía al lugar de nacimiento que la tradición da a Zuo Ci

«As for Zheng Yin, while there is no reason to doubt that he took part in the early transmission of the Taiqing scriptures, his role is not entirely clear. Although Ge Hong calls him a “disciple” (dizi) of Ge Xuan, presumably he did not literally receive the Taiqing texts from Ge Xuan only to pass them down to Ge Hong, since those texts were already in the possession of the Ge family.» — sobre Zheng Yin, Pregadio consigna a la vez que no hay motivo para dudar de su parte en la transmisión temprana y que su papel no está claro: Ge Hong lo llama discípulo de Ge Xuan, pero los textos ya eran de los Ge

«More likely, Zheng Yin was the master who provided Ge Hong with the required “oral instructions” (koujue) on the Taiqing and other texts, and who formally transmitted the three alchemical scriptures mentioned above to his disciple—then aged about eighteen—around the year 300, as Ge Hong relates in the passage quoted above.» — y la lectura que marca como más probable: Zheng Yin fue quien le dio las instrucciones orales y quien le transmitió formalmente las tres escrituras hacia el año 300, cuando Ge Hong tenía unos dieciocho años

«the three main scriptures took form, or at least were initially transmitted, within the milieu of the fangshi, the “masters of the methods.” If this indication is correct, waidan participated in the progressive eastward transmission of elements of early religious culture from the Chu region to the coastal areas that culminated, in the fourth century, with the revelation of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) scriptures.» — Pregadio sitúa el nacimiento o la primera transmisión de las tres escrituras en el medio de los fangshi y, con la reserva de un condicional, las inscribe en el desplazamiento de la cultura religiosa temprana de la región de Chu hacia la costa

«The Taiqing texts present alchemy as superior to other practices such as circulating breath (xingqi), ingesting herbal drugs, and abstaining from cereals; they state that while these practices afford only the extension of one’s life span, the alchemical teachings make it possible to rise to a higher spiritual rank.» — lo que los propios textos Taiqing sostienen, según Pregadio: la circulación del aliento, las drogas vegetales y la abstención de cereales alargan la vida, y solo la enseñanza alquímica permite subir de rango espiritual

«The Inner Chapters of Ge Hong and other sources, as we shall see, reiterate this claim, adding that meditation is, with alchemy, the only practice that gives access to transcendence and immortality.» — y el añadido de Ge Hong: junto con la alquimia, solo la meditación da acceso a la trascendencia y a la inmortalidad

«Despite this claim, the Taiqing tradition represents, both doctrinally and historically, an intermediate stage between the earlier and the later religious legacies of Jiangnan.» — la posición que Pregadio le asigna pese a esa pretensión: una etapa intermedia, doctrinal e histórica, entre los legados religiosos anteriores y posteriores de Jiangnan

«Presenting itself as the result of a revelation issued from a heaven higher than the Great Clarity, as its name also implies, Shangqing brought forth a new hierarchical arrangement of the southeastern religious practices and their historical or legendary representatives. Emphasizing inner meditation and visualization, it placed other techniques, including alchemy, at a lower level in its ranking of doctrines and methods.» — según Pregadio, Shangqing se presentó como revelación de un cielo más alto que la Gran Claridad y reordenó las prácticas del sureste: con la meditación interior y la visualización arriba, y la alquimia rebajada de nivel

«At the same time, though, Shangqing also integrated several features of the earlier southern traditions into its own doctrines and practices, and incorporated some of their texts into its own revealed literature.» — y a la vez integró rasgos de las tradiciones sureñas anteriores e incorporó algunos de sus textos a su propia literatura revelada

«The analogies between the two waidan texts received in the Shangqing corpus (more precisely, in the case of the Elixir Flower of Langgan, of the waidan portion of this text) with the three main Taiqing scriptures mentioned by Ge Hong suggest that they originally were part of a single legacy.» — de esas analogías Pregadio infiere, sin afirmarlo como cierto, que los dos textos waidan recogidos por Shangqing y las tres escrituras Taiqing de Ge Hong venían de un mismo legado

«Besides them, the survey of the Taiqing tradition presented in this book also includes commentaries, anthologies, and other writings closely related to the original scriptures that testify to the expansion of the Taiqing corpus through the mid-eighth century, when this legacy declined, leaving its place to other bodies of alchemical doctrine and practice.» — el corpus que el libro abarca además de esas escrituras: comentarios, antologías y escritos afines que documentan la expansión del corpus Taiqing hasta mediados del siglo VIII, cuando el legado declinó

«With few exceptions, the Taiqing texts follow a regular pattern in presenting their alchemical recipes. Using a terse language and a consistent terminology, they first give details on the technical features of each method, focusing on the preliminary treatment of the ingredients, the preparation of the crucible, the heating process, and the collection of the elixir. At the end of the method, they describe the benefits gained from its performance.» — el patrón que Pregadio describe en las recetas Taiqing: lengua escueta, terminología constante, los detalles técnicos primero —ingredientes, crisol, calentamiento, recolección— y los beneficios al final

«The Taiqing alchemical medicines were valued for two reasons. First, they granted transcendence and immortality; second, they made it possible—even with no need of ingesting them—to summon benevolent gods and expel demons and other causes of various disturbances, including illness and death.» — las dos razones por las que, según él, se apreciaban esas medicinas: daban trascendencia e inmortalidad, y permitían —incluso sin ingerirlas— convocar dioses benévolos y expulsar demonios y otras causas de trastorno, la enfermedad y la muerte entre ellas

«On the other hand, the Taiqing texts devote little or no space to doctrinal statements and to illustrations of the principles on which they are based. In particular, although they occasionally contain methods designed to reproduce basic cosmological patterns such as Yin-Yang and the Five Agents (wuxing), they do not rely on the system of correlative cosmology to formulate the import of the alchemical work. Various other cosmological emblems, notably the trigrams and hexagrams of the Book of Changes (Yijing), that in later sources contribute to fashion the alchemical discourse in both its doctrinal and practical aspects are entirely neglected here.» — y el silencio doctrinal que les reconoce: apenas enuncian principios, no se apoyan en la cosmología correlativa para formular el sentido de la obra, y dejan de lado los trigramas y hexagramas del Yijing que en las fuentes posteriores arman el discurso alquímico

«The emphasis accorded to the performance of methods places the Taiqing scriptures among the waidan sources which, in the words of Nathan Sivin, “consist only of instructions for laboratory operations, with no attempt to provide a theoretical rationale.» — Pregadio cita a Nathan Sivin para colocar las escrituras Taiqing entre las fuentes waidan que, en palabras de Sivin, solo traen instrucciones de laboratorio sin intento de razón teórica

«But while the Taiqing texts are primarily concerned with operational details, one should not conclude that the absence of cosmological theories reflects a “technological” tendency. Despite their apparent silence, as we shall see, the Taiqing texts contain clear allusions to their doctrinal foundations. Correlative cosmology, moreover, entered waidan only from the early Tang period onward. Until then, ritual— an hitherto largely neglected component of Chinese alchemy, especially in its earlier stages—was the explicit counterpart of the techniques, and served the function of framing doctrines and techniques into a practice.» — y ahí pone su objeción: de esa ausencia de teoría cosmológica no se sigue una tendencia tecnológica, porque los textos aluden a sus fundamentos doctrinales, la cosmología correlativa no entra en el waidan hasta el Tang temprano, y hasta entonces el rito fue la contraparte declarada de las técnicas

«In the later Chinese alchemical tradition, the emblems of correlative cosmology play two main roles closely related to each other. First, they represent the ontological states that intervene between the Dao and the cosmos, or between unity, duality, and the various other stages of propagation of Original Pneuma (yuanqi) into the multiplicity of the “ten thousand things.” Several patterns of cosmological emblems are used in order to show how space, time, multiplicity, and change are related to the spacelessness, timelessness, non-duality, and constancy of the Dao.» — el primero de los dos papeles que Pregadio atribuye a los emblemas correlativos en la alquimia china posterior: representar los estados ontológicos entre el Dao y el cosmos, y mostrar cómo espacio, tiempo, multiplicidad y cambio se relacionan con lo sin espacio, sin tiempo, no dual y constante del Dao

«In their second role, the emblems of correlative cosmology serve to formulate the relation of the alchemical practice to the doctrinal principles. For instance, the trigrams of the Book of Changes illustrate how the alchemical process consists of extracting the pre-cosmic Real Yin (zhenyin) and Real Yang (zhenyang) from Yang and Yin as they appear in the cosmos, respectively, and in joining them to produce the elixir, which represents their original oneness.» — y el segundo: formular la relación de la práctica con los principios, como cuando los trigramas del Yijing muestran que la obra consiste en extraer el Yin y el Yang reales, precósmicos, del Yin y el Yang del cosmos y unirlos en el elixir

«The Taiqing texts, instead, do not avail themselves of correlative cosmology either to express doctrinal points or to explicate the meaning of their techniques. Their doctrinal foundations are hinted at by the emphasis they give to certain aspects of the alchemical process, however—in particular, by the endless statements on the necessity of hermetically luting the crucible, by the painstaking instructions concerning the mud to be used for this purpose, and by the technical terminology used in these descriptions. These details show that, despite the difference in formulations, the Taiqing notion of “elixir” is the same as the one underlying the later sources.» — el contraste que Pregadio sostiene: los textos Taiqing no usan la cosmología correlativa ni para la doctrina ni para explicar sus técnicas, y aun así, por lo que subrayan —el lutado hermético del crisol, el barro, la terminología—, su noción de elixir es la misma que la de las fuentes posteriores

«As we shall see in more detail in Chapter 4, the crucible is the main tool of the Taiqing alchemist from a symbolic, ritual, and technical point of view. The Taiqing texts instruct their adepts to lute the vessel with several layers of mud before it is placed in the furnace.» — para Pregadio el crisol es el instrumento central del alquimista Taiqing en lo simbólico, lo ritual y lo técnico, y los textos mandan lutarlo con varias capas de barro antes de meterlo al horno

«These instructions recur, in similar forms, in all Taiqing works; they are sometimes reiterated within a single text, to the point of taking up altogether more than half of the Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles.» — la medida de esa insistencia: las instrucciones se repiten en todas las obras Taiqing y dentro de un mismo texto, hasta ocupar más de la mitad del Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles

«The first is called Mysterious and Yellow (xuanhuang), a name that is emblematic of Heaven (the “mysterious”) and Earth (the “yellow”), or Yin and Yang. It is made of lead and mercury, and sometimes is also placed inside the crucible above and below the main ingredients. Through the Mysterious and Yellow, the crucible and the elixir incorporate the essences of Yin and Yang joined together.» — el primer barro: el Misterioso y Amarillo, nombre que Pregadio lee como emblema del Cielo y la Tierra, o del Yin y el Yang; hecho de plomo y mercurio, hace que el crisol y el elixir incorporen las esencias de ambos unidas

«The best-known instance of integration of earlier methods concerns the meditation and visualization techniques described in the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting jing), a third-century work that represents the human being as» — el caso que Pregadio da por más conocido, con la frase cortada por el cambio de plana: las técnicas de meditación y visualización del Huangting jing, obra del siglo III que representa al ser humano, sigue en la plana 26, *home to a multitude of divinities*

«An analogous process occurred with two alchemical works, the Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles (Jiuzhuan huandan jing) and the Scripture of the Elixir Flower of Langgan (Langgan huadan jing). Although both texts appear to have been unknown to Ge Hong, and no definite detail is available on their provenance, many of their technical, ritual, linguistic, and stylistic peculiarities are shared with the texts of the Taiqing tradition.» — el mismo proceso, dice, con dos obras alquímicas —el Jiuzhuan huandan jing y el Langgan huadan jing—: parecen desconocidas para Ge Hong y no hay dato firme sobre su procedencia, pero comparten con los textos Taiqing rasgos técnicos, rituales, lingüísticos y de estilo

«The ease with which one can isolate within them the portions exclusively concerned with waidan from those containing typically Shangqing features—especially mentions of Shangqing deities and descriptions of Shangqing meditation practices—suggests that their present form results from a process of transmission and adaptation that is common in the history of Daoism: earlier writings were modified or expanded as they were incorporated into the Shangqing corpus, leaving their original core untouched.» — y de la facilidad con que se separa en ellas lo waidan de lo propiamente Shangqing infiere una transmisión corriente en el taoísmo: el escrito anterior se modifica o se amplía al entrar en el corpus nuevo y su núcleo queda intacto

«One (liuyi ni). It is typically made of seven ingredients, but is said to have this name even when it is obtained from a different number of substances. The function played by this mud is even more important than that played by the Mysterious and Yellow. Symbolically, the Mud of Six-and-One closes the seven openings in the “body” of original Chaos that, in an account that will be examined later in this book, are said to be caused by the emergence of Yin and Yang and, thus, to result in the emergence of the cosmos.» — el segundo barro, el Barro del Seis-y-Uno, cuyo nombre arranca partido por el cambio de plana: conserva el nombre aunque no lleve siete ingredientes, y Pregadio le da una función aún mayor que al Misterioso y Amarillo, la de cerrar simbólicamente las siete aberturas abiertas en el cuerpo del Caos original por la emergencia del Yin y el Yang

«The Mysterious and Yellow and the Mud of the Six-and-One, therefore, re-create within the crucible the state in which Yin and Yang are still joined to each other, and in which differentiation and multiplicity have not yet emerged. In that medium, under the action of fire, the ingredients of the elixir are transmuted, or “reverted” (huan), into their “essence” (jing), which coagulates itself under the upper part of the crucible.» — lo que hacen juntos, según Pregadio: recrear dentro del crisol el estado en que Yin y Yang siguen unidos y no ha emergido la multiplicidad, para que ahí el fuego revierta los ingredientes a su esencia, que coagula bajo la parte alta del crisol

«One of the Taiqing texts calls this essence the “precious treasure” (chongbao) of the ingredients. The commentary to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs describes it as being equivalent to the “essence” (jing) that the Dao spontaneously issues to give origin to existence.» — y los dos nombres que la tradición le da a esa esencia: un texto Taiqing la llama tesoro precioso de los ingredientes y el comentario al Jiudan jing la equipara a la esencia que el Dao emite espontáneamente para dar origen a lo que existe

«Consideration of two points helps us to find initial orientation in approaching these issues. First, the decisive element that enabled Taiqing alchemy to develop in the Jiangnan region was the belief that compounding» — el primero de los dos puntos con que Pregadio explica el arraigo de la alquimia Taiqing en Jiangnan, cortado aquí por el límite de chunk del troceo: la creencia sobre lo que da componer las medicinas

«and ingesting the alchemical medicines—or merely using them as ritual objects and apotropaic talismans—provide the same benefits attributed to other methods: the elixirs afford the power of summoning gods, expelling demons, healing illnesses, and prolonging life.» — la continuación de ese punto ya en el chunk siguiente: componer e ingerir las medicinas, o solo usarlas como objetos rituales y talismanes apotropaicos, daba lo mismo que los otros métodos —convocar dioses, expulsar demonios, curar y prolongar la vida—

«Second, at the same time but apparently in contradiction to the previous feature, the Taiqing texts define their own doctrines and practices as superior to any other teaching or method.» — y el segundo punto, que él mismo presenta como contradictorio con el anterior: los textos Taiqing declaran su doctrina y su práctica superiores a cualquier otra enseñanza

«The only method of self-cultivation as exalted as alchemy was meditation, for visualizing the inner gods provided the same benefits as compounding the elixirs.» — la única excepción que Pregadio le reconoce: la meditación, porque visualizar a los dioses interiores daba lo mismo que componer los elixires

«As I show in Chapter 5, compounding an elixir is part of a larger process that consists of several stages, each of which is marked by the performance of rites and ceremonies. It is this process, and not merely heating the ingredients in the crucible, that constitutes the alchemical practice.» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre qué es la práctica alquímica: no calentar los ingredientes en el crisol, sino el proceso entero, hecho de etapas marcadas cada una por ritos y ceremonias

«Receiving the scriptures and the oral instructions, building the laboratory, kindling the fire, and ingesting the elixirs all require offering pledges to one’s master and to the gods, observing rules on seclusion and purification, performing ceremonies to establish and protect the ritual area, and making invocations to the highest deities.» — el inventario de lo que ese proceso exige: prendas al maestro y a los dioses, reglas de reclusión y purificación, ceremonias para fijar y proteger el área ritual e invocaciones a las deidades más altas

«If the ingredients are utterly pure, and if you duly perform the purification practices, observe the precepts, and cultivate yourself dwelling in deep retirement and attaining to a state of clarity and tranquility, this divine and wondrous method will never fail. (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 5a)» — el pasaje del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue que Pregadio traduce para mostrar que los actos rituales no son apéndices: con ingredientes puros, purificaciones cumplidas, preceptos observados y retiro en claridad y quietud, el método divino no falla

«The performance of rites was actually part of alchemy’s secrecy: ordinary people, says Ge Hong, are not allowed to hear anything about the elixirs precisely because their compounding involves making ceremonies in honor of the highest deities.» — según Ge Hong, en la lectura de Pregadio, el secreto de la alquimia es el propio rito: a la gente común no se le deja oír nada de los elixires justamente porque componerlos supone ceremonias en honor de las deidades más altas

«If the goddess gives a sign of consent—a clear sky and the absence of wind— the master may pass on the text and the oral instructions. Then the adept retires to a mountain or a secluded place with one or more attendants. He performs the purification practices (zhai) with his helpers, making ablutions and observing the precepts. After he demarcates the space of his work, purifies it from noxious influences, and protects it with talismans (fu) and seals (yin), he builds a laboratory (the Chamber of the Elixirs, danshi) at the center of the consecrated area. Only he and his attendants may enter the alchemical sanctum.» — y la señal por la que la diosa consiente —cielo despejado y ausencia de viento—, tras la cual el adepto se retira a un monte con ayudantes, hace ablaciones, delimita y purifica el espacio, lo protege con talismanes y sellos y levanta en el centro la Cámara de los Elixires

«Then, using traditional systems of calendrical computation, the adept chooses a suitable time to begin the compounding. When the purification practices are accomplished, and when all spatial and temporal conditions are fulfilled, the fire may be started. In the Nine Elixirs, this stage also is marked by a request for assistance addressed to the gods. The adept offers food and drink to them, asking that they watch over the practice and ensure its success.» — la parte calendárica y la petición a los dioses: el adepto elige el tiempo propicio, y cuando se cumplen las condiciones espaciales y temporales enciende el fuego y les ofrece comida y bebida para que velen por la obra

«At the end, according to a passage of the Scripture of Great Clarity quoted by Ge Hong, he performs another rite offering different quantities of the elixir to several deities. Finally, he ingests the elixir at dawn, after paying homage again to the gods.» — y el cierre, según un pasaje del Taiqing jing citado por Ge Hong: otro rito en que se ofrecen cantidades distintas del elixir a varias deidades, y la ingestión al alba tras rendir homenaje de nuevo

«Having ingested the medicine that he has prepared, the adept “becomes a divine immortal and transcends the generations [of mortals],” “rises into the Void,” “roams in the Great Clarity, and in one instant tours the eight poles,” “ascends riding the clouds, and rises to heaven.”» — las fórmulas con que los textos Taiqing, en la traducción de Pregadio, dicen lo que le pasa al que ingiere: se vuelve inmortal divino y trasciende las generaciones, se eleva al Vacío, vaga por la Gran Claridad y recorre en un instante los ocho polos

«This attainment is often stated simply by saying that ingesting a certain amount of an elixir turns an adept into an immortal. In the Nine Elixirs, for instance, “by swallowing one pill a day for one hundred days you will become a divine immortal,” and “ingesting one pill a day after your meal, you will become an immortal in ten days.” 30 In the Flower of Langgan, “one ounce forms a dose to become an immortal.”» — y las versiones escuetas de lo mismo, con sus dosis: una píldora al día durante cien días en el Jiudan jing, una después de la comida durante diez, y una onza por dosis en el Flower of Langgan

«If you take one ounce each of Gold Water (jinshui, i.e., the Golden Liquor) and Mercury Water (hongshui), and drink them facing the sun, you immediately will become a Golden Man (jinren). Your body will be radiant and will grow feathers and wings. On high you will put in motion the Original Essence (yuanjing) on behalf of [the god of] the Central Yellow (Zhonghuang) and of the Great One (Taiyi). If you drink half an ounce each of Gold Water [and Mercury Water], you will live a long life without end.32 (Shenxian jinzhuo jing, 1.7a–b)» — el pasaje del Shenxian jinzhuo jing que Pregadio traduce: bebidos frente al sol, el Agua de Oro y el Agua de Mercurio vuelven al adepto Hombre de Oro, con cuerpo radiante y alas, y le hacen mover la Esencia Original por cuenta del Amarillo Central y del Gran Uno

«Another elaborate account is found in the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles. Here the accomplishment of the alchemical work is preliminary to the adept’s attainment of transcendence. Having ingested the elixir that he has compounded, the adept rises to heaven, and only then is he presented with the authentic alchemical medicine, namely the Golden Elixir (jindan):» — y el orden que Pregadio señala en el Jiuzhuan huandan jing: la obra alquímica es preliminar, y solo después de subir al cielo se le entrega al adepto la medicina auténtica, el Elixir de Oro

«Whether attaining transcendence is imagined as becoming a “divine immortal” or as entering the ranks of the gods, all Taiqing texts include it among the benefits of the elixir. The promise of immortality played an important role in enhancing the prestige of alchemy among the other traditions of Jiangnan.» — el saldo que Pregadio saca de esas variantes: todos los textos Taiqing cuentan la trascendencia entre los beneficios del elixir, y esa promesa de inmortalidad realzó el prestigio de la alquimia frente a las demás tradiciones de Jiangnan

«Being quoted as coming from the central Taiqing scripture, however, these words distinctly conflict with the multitude of major and minor ritual acts that all Taiqing texts enjoin adepts to perform.» — y la tensión que Pregadio consigna sin resolver: viniendo de la escritura central del Taiqing, esas palabras chocan con la multitud de actos rituales que todos los textos Taiqing mandan hacer

«On the one hand, making and ingesting an elixir allow one to approach the gods, communicate with them, and even be admitted into their ranks. Achieving this goal requires an adept to perform the methods in conditions of ritual purity and with the deities’ consent and protection. The stages of the alchemical process that precede and follow the heating of the ingredients in the crucible are all performed for this purpose.» — el primero de los dos niveles en que, según Pregadio, se entiende el proceso: hacer e ingerir el elixir acerca a los dioses y hasta admite entre ellos, y para eso hacen falta pureza ritual y consentimiento y protección de las deidades

«On the other hand, the alchemical process reveals the original state of the cosmos, and the purified matter of the elixir is the visible token of the “essence” issued from the Dao, from which the entire existence evolves. The sentence quoted by Ge Hong from the Scripture of Great Clarity shows that this was the aspect of their work that the Taiqing adepts deemed to be most important.» — y el segundo: el proceso revela el estado original del cosmos y la materia purificada del elixir es la prenda visible de la esencia salida del Dao; la frase citada por Ge Hong muestra, dice, que ese era el aspecto que los adeptos Taiqing tenían por más importante

«In a tradition like the one we study here, nonetheless, ritual is needed to frame doctrines and techniques into a practice. Without the mediation of ritual, the methods would be experiments, and the doctrines would not offer a way of approach to themselves, a praxis that allows to attain to them.» — la función que Pregadio le asigna al rito: sin su mediación los métodos serían experimentos y las doctrinas no ofrecerían una vía de acceso a sí mismas

«As the patterns of emblems of correlative cosmology do in the later tradition of waidan, so does ritual in the Taiqing tradition dictate the times of the alchemical work and regulate its progression. From the transmission of the methods to the ingestion of the elixir, all the major stages of the practice are marked by the performance of rites addressed to the deities who revealed the alchemical scriptures, those who should protect and favor the compounding of the elixir, and those who are offered the elixir when it is achieved.» — y la equivalencia que propone: el rito hace en la tradición Taiqing lo que los emblemas correlativos en el waidan posterior, dictar los tiempos de la obra y regular su avance, con ritos en cada etapa mayor

«In particular, both gods mentioned in the passage quoted above from the Scripture of the Golden Liquor, namely the Great One and the god of the Central Yellow, are part of the pantheon of the Central Scripture of Laozi (Laozi zhongjing), one of the main texts on meditation practices that circulated at the same time and in the same area as the Taiqing scriptures.» — el ejemplo con que lo apoya: el Gran Uno y el dios del Amarillo Central, invocados en el Jinye jing, están en el panteón del Laozi zhongjing, texto de meditación que circuló al mismo tiempo y en la misma zona

«The close relation between alchemy and local traditions, however, extends beyond the sphere of ritual. As will be shown in Chapter 7, the Taiqing texts fully partake in the belief that other local legacies have in the beneficial action of the divine beings, and share their consideration for the noxious influences that demonic and other malevolent forces play in human life.» — Pregadio extiende ese parentesco más allá del rito: los textos Taiqing comparten con los otros legados locales la creencia en la acción benéfica de los seres divinos y la cuenta que llevan de las fuerzas malignas

«becomes a divine immortal and transcends the generations [of mortals]. He will be coeternal with Heaven and Earth, and as luminous as the sun and the moon. . . . He will rise into the Void with his whole family, and will fly even though he has no wings. Mounting the clouds and steering a chariot pulled by dragons, he will roam in the Great Clarity and in one instant will tour the eight poles. (Jiudan jingjue, 1.1a; see also Baopu zi, 4.74)» — el pasaje del Jiudan jingjue que Pregadio traduce y cuya fecha temprana da por autenticada por una cita de Ge Hong: coeterno con el Cielo y la Tierra, luminoso como el sol y la luna, el adepto se eleva al Vacío con toda su familia y recorre los ocho polos en un carro tirado por dragones

«This passage is almost entirely made of phrases and images shared with— and probably culled from—different poems of the Elegies of Chu (Chuci), one of the main documents of the early southern traditions:» — y la filiación que le propone, con su grado marcado: el pasaje está hecho casi entero de frases e imágenes compartidas con los Chuci, y probablemente espigadas de ellos

«the elixirs granted all the advantages offered by other practices, but also promised something beyond their reach. The heaven of Great Clarity represented, for the followers of the Taiqing teachings, the highest celestial domain, and the elixirs were the keys to obtain access to it; other practices (those which Ge Hong qualifies as “minor arts,” xiaoshu), were largely or even entirely irrelevant, because the elixirs also dispensed their benefits.» — el estatus doble desplegado: los elixires daban todo lo que daban las demás prácticas y además prometían lo que ellas no alcanzaban, de modo que el cielo de la Gran Claridad era el dominio más alto y los elixires su llave, mientras las que Ge Hong llama artes menores quedaban de sobra

«The transmission ceremony of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs reproduces the rite celebrated at the beginning of human history by the Yellow Emperor, when he transmitted the text to the Mysterious Master (Xuanzi). After the disciple makes an oath, the master receives tokens from him,» — la ceremonia de transmisión del Jiudan jing tal como Pregadio la describe: repite el rito que el Emperador Amarillo celebró al principio de la historia humana al transmitir el texto al Maestro Misterioso, con juramento del discípulo y prendas al maestro

«tality but also receives an appointment in the celestial bureaucracy, becoming an assistant to the highest deities:» — lo que según Pregadio añade el Jinye jing recibido, en la frase que arranca partida por el cambio de plana: el adepto no solo gana la inmortalidad, también recibe un nombramiento en la burocracia celeste como asistente de las deidades más altas

«Two ounces forms one dose. Ingest it at dawn with pure water, facing the sun. You will be able to dissolve your form becoming invisible and to fly soaring to the Great Void. An envoy of the Great Ultimate (taiji) will welcome you with the Golden Elixir and the Winged-Wheel [Chariot].» — la primera mitad del pasaje del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue en la traducción de Pregadio: dos onzas al alba, frente al sol, para disolver la forma, volverse invisible, volar al Gran Vacío y ser recibido por un enviado del Gran Último con el Elixir de Oro y el carro de la Rueda Alada

«In his summary of the Taiqing texts, Ge Hong quotes a passage from the Scripture of Great Clarity not found in any extant source of the Taiqing corpus, which asserts that “the Way of long life does not consist in making» — la frase que Ge Hong cita del Taiqing jing y que, dice Pregadio, no aparece en ninguna fuente conservada del corpus; el cambio de plana la corta en la palabra siguiente, *emonies or carrying out services to gods and demons*

«For virtually all ritual forms documented in its texts, the Taiqing legacy draws from the local religious traditions of Jiangnan.» — la procedencia que Pregadio adjudica a esas formas rituales: casi todas vienen de las tradiciones religiosas locales de Jiangnan

«Before kindling the fire, the adept invokes the Great Lord of the Dao (Da Daojun), Lord Lao (Laojun), and the Lord of the Great Harmony (Taihe jun); these three gods also appear as a single group of deities in the Central Scripture of Laozi.» — el segundo ejemplo: los tres dioses invocados antes de encender el fuego —el Gran Señor del Dao, el Señor Lao y el Señor de la Gran Armonía— aparecen juntos como grupo en el Laozi zhongjing, y dos de ellos también en el Huangting jing

«You will multiply your form and transform your shadow, making them into thousands of white cranes. You will rise to the heaven of Great Tenuity (Taiwei) and will receive the rank of a Perfected Immortal (zhenxian). Your longevity will equal that of the Three Luminaries (sanguang); you will revert to youth and move away from old age. Your complexion will shine like jade, and in one instant you will obtain a radiant spiritual force (yaoling). Such indeed is the power of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles.33 (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 3b)» — y la segunda: multiplicar la forma en miles de grullas blancas, subir al cielo de la Gran Tenuidad, recibir el rango de Inmortal Perfecto y revertir a la juventud, con el rostro brillando como el jade. El mismo pasaje vuelve a imprimirse en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro; se ancla aquí en la primera aparición

«the ritual of transmission requires the offering of gifts and performance of actions that are also mentioned in contemporary and later texts from the same region. The talismans used to protect the furnace and the crucible are identical or analogous to those reproduced in texts attached to the southern Daoist traditions. The deities addressed in the invocations are also mentioned in contemporary sources that were transmitted in the same area.» — los ejemplos con que Pregadio apoya esa procedencia local: dones y actos de la transmisión, talismanes del horno y del crisol, y deidades de las invocaciones atestiguados en textos contemporáneos de la misma región

«As shown by these borrowings, the Taiqing tradition draws from the same legacy that, about one and a half centuries later, will also provide inspiration to the Shangqing tradition of Daoism.» — de esos préstamos Pregadio saca un parentesco: la tradición Taiqing bebe del mismo legado que, siglo y medio después, inspirará al Shangqing

«Alchemy, as a rule, does not reject in a radical way traditions, methods, and notions that differ from its own; actually the theological, ritual, technical, and lexical forms borrowed from other traditions provide the elements on which alchemy builds a large part of its discourse and its practice, as the Taiqing texts also show.» — una tesis general de Pregadio sobre la alquimia: por regla no rechaza de raíz las tradiciones ajenas, y lo teológico, ritual, técnico y léxico que toma de ellas es lo que le da buena parte de su discurso y de su práctica

«At the same time, however, its own unique way of seeing allows alchemy to graft portions of those traditions, with little or no concern for their original background, into its own body of rites and techniques.» — y el otro lado de la misma tesis: su manera propia de ver le permite injertar trozos de esas tradiciones con poco o ningún cuidado por el trasfondo del que salen

«Examining this point throws some light on discordant (but, as we shall see, not necessarily incompatible) statements in scholarly literature about alchemy as a doctrine addressed to the social elite or as a technique performed by specialists, often referred to under the general label of fangshi, or “masters of the methods.”» — el desacuerdo que Pregadio consigna en la literatura académica sin arbitrarlo, y con su reserva declarada: si la alquimia fue doctrina dirigida a la élite social o técnica ejecutada por especialistas, cosas que llama discordantes pero no necesariamente incompatibles

«The issue is complex, for the identity of the fangshi—a heterogeneous group of practitioners of techniques ranging from divination to healing— and their relation to the higher social strata, including the milieu of the literati both within and outside the imperial court, are not yet entirely clear. It seems sure, though, that while a certain amount of transmission occurred in both directions between the fangshi and the literati, their tasks within a partially shared intellectual domain were distinct.» — su lectura del asunto, con el grado marcado: los fangshi son un grupo heterogéneo cuya identidad y relación con las capas altas no está clara, aunque le parece seguro que sus tareas y las de los letrados eran distintas dentro de un dominio en parte compartido

«Albeit limited, the available evidence shows that a “host” (zhuren, i.e., the person whom we usually call the “alchemist”) who intended to compound an elixir hired helpers, who are mentioned in one of the received texts as “the person who grinds the ingredients” (daoyao ren) and “the person who watches the fire” (shihuo ren).» — el dato que Pregadio levanta de los textos recibidos: el anfitrión, a quien solemos llamar el alquimista, contrataba ayudantes —el que muele los ingredientes y el que vigila el fuego—

«These allusions to the helpers’ tasks suggest that they were the ones who knew the needed techniques—in other words, that they were the ones who actually made the elixir. The “host” was the one on whose initiative and for whose benefit the whole alchemical process was performed; he funded the whole undertaking and knew the significance and purpose of the process through the written and oral instructions received from his master.» — y lo que infiere de ahí, con su verbo en condicional: los ayudantes eran los que sabían la técnica y hacían de hecho el elixir, mientras el anfitrión ponía la iniciativa, el dinero y el sentido recibido de su maestro

«To compound the elixir, however, he relied on someone who held the needed technical skills: grinding the ingredients “ten thousand times,” spreading mud on the crucible, feeding the fire with charcoal or horse manure day and night—sometimes doing all this for months, as the heating process of some Taiqing elixirs required up to one hundred days. Both the host and the helpers, as is stated in several Taiqing texts, had to undergo ritual purifications and to share the same pure intent of achieving the elixir.» — el reparto de trabajo que describe: moler diez mil veces, embarrar el crisol, alimentar el fuego con carbón o estiércol de caballo día y noche durante meses, hasta los cien días que pedían algunos elixires Taiqing, con purificaciones rituales para el anfitrión y para los ayudantes

«Although there are no definite indications in this concern, the two figures outlined above may sometimes have merged into a single figure of an adept who was both a “master” and a “technician.” This indeed seems to have occurred in later times in the broader context of Daoism, when the term daoshi, which often occurs in the Inner Chapters and other early texts in the sense of “practitioner” and “master of the methods” (i.e., as a virtual synonym of fangshi), shifted its meaning to “master of the Dao,” or of “the Way,” where “way” (dao) also means “way of doing something,” that is, “method.”» — la conjetura que Pregadio marca como tal, sin indicaciones firmes: las dos figuras pudieron fundirse en un adepto a la vez maestro y técnico, como cuando daoshi pasó de practicante y maestro de los métodos a maestro del Dao

«In our present context, we should note that although the term fangshi does not appear in the early Taiqing sources, the tasks of the helpers were comparable in principle to those of the fangshi, especially in their role as “possessors of techniques” or, in Anna Seidel’s felicitous wording, as the people who had the “know-how.”» — la negativa que consigna y lo que aun así sostiene: fangshi no aparece en las fuentes Taiqing tempranas, pero las tareas de los ayudantes eran comparables en principio a las suyas, en la fórmula de Anna Seidel, como gente que tenía el saber hacer

«One can, moreover, suppose that the host’s helpers based themselves not only on specific alchemical techniques, but also on practical knowledge accumulated in related fields, especially pharmacology. If this is true, the helpers’ contribution to the compounding of the elixirs provides a further example of the integration and use of earlier practices into alchemy.» — y una suposición más, dada por tal: que los ayudantes se apoyaran también en saber práctico de campos vecinos, sobre todo la farmacología

«Within this system, which formally defined the identity of Six Dynasties and later Daoism, the heaven of Great Clarity, with the associated scriptures, doctrines, and methods, was ranked below those related to the Shangqing and the Lingbao corpora, bringing about a decline in the prestige of waidan. In this new arrangement, which we shall examine with several related incidents and events in Chapters 2 and 8, lies one of the keys to understand the relation of the Daoist traditions of the Six Dynasties to alchemy.» — y su efecto: el cielo de la Gran Claridad, con sus escrituras, doctrinas y métodos, quedó por debajo de los de Shangqing y Lingbao, y con ello cayó el prestigio del waidan

«One of the main points at issue in this striving for integration, which at the same time was a striving to settle issues of doctrinal prominence, was how to deal with the doctrinal and textual legacies that existed in Jiangnan before the rise of the new schools; these legacies included the Taiqing tradition. Besides this, a different but related problem facing the creators of the medieval religious taxonomy was how to account for the Way of the Celestial Masters, whose cults had not originated in Jiangnan but had come to claim a major place among the religious practices of that region.» — los dos problemas que, según Pregadio, enfrentaban los creadores de esa taxonomía medieval: qué hacer con los legados anteriores de Jiangnan, el Taiqing entre ellos, y cómo dar cuenta de la Vía de los Maestros Celestes, que no había nacido allí y reclamaba sitio

«While the two higher tiers in the schema of the Three Caverns were assigned to Shangqing and Lingbao, there is evidence—shown elsewhere in this book—that both the earlier and the non-native corpora of teachings, practices, and texts (including those of the Way of the Celestial Masters and the Great Clarity) were at first consolidated in the third tier. This lower tier was formally associated with the Sanhuang (Three Sovereigns) and with one of the main scriptures of the pre-Shangqing and pre-Lingbao traditions of Jiangnan, the Sanhuang wen, or Script of the Three Sovereigns.» — la evidencia que Pregadio dice tener y lo que muestra: los corpus anteriores y los no nativos —Maestros Celestes y Gran Claridad— se consolidaron primero en el tercer estrato, asociado formalmente al Sanhuang wen

«This detail not only explains why medieval alchemy, despite the lack of textual connections of its sources to the Script of the Three Sovereigns, is often related to the Sanhuang corpus; it also helps us to understand why the Way of the Celestial Masters is often associated with the heaven of Great Clarity, and why Zhang Daoling, the originator of the Way of the Celestial Masters, is credited with alchemical knowledge by medieval and later sources.» — y lo que ese detalle le permite explicar: por qué se relaciona la alquimia medieval con el corpus Sanhuang sin conexión textual, por qué se asocia a los Maestros Celestes con el cielo de la Gran Claridad y por qué se le atribuye a Zhang Daoling saber alquímico

«An attempt to solve this confusing issue in the formal schema of the Three Caverns was made around 500 ce with the addition of four “supplements” (fu) to the earlier classification, two of which were devoted to alchemy and the Celestial Masters, respectively. The lower ranking of the Heaven of Great Clarity, though, was now an established fact that no school or movement would question—with the only exception, as we shall see, of the Celestial Masters themselves.» — el intento de arreglo que data hacia el 500 —cuatro suplementos a la clasificación, dos de ellos para la alquimia y para los Maestros Celestes— y el hecho que da por asentado: el rango bajo de la Gran Claridad, que nadie discutiría salvo los propios Maestros Celestes

«The final chapter of this book looks at the process that marked the rise and growth of these new forms of alchemy, and the concurrent decline and final disappearance of the Taiqing tradition.» — y lo que anuncia para el capítulo final: el ascenso de esas formas nuevas y la desaparición de la tradición Taiqing

«The status of the heaven of Great Clarity, and of alchemy itself, within the traditions of Jiangnan underwent significant changes after revelations of new bodies of doctrines, texts, and practices occurred in the second half of the fourth century, promoted and supported by families (including Ge Hong’s descendants and kin) belonging to the same milieu to which waidan had earlier addressed itself.» — la bisagra histórica que Pregadio fija: las revelaciones de la segunda mitad del siglo IV, promovidas por familias del mismo medio al que se había dirigido el waidan, descendientes y parientes de Ge Hong entre ellas

«The compilation of the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) and Lingbao (Numinous Treasure) corpora—between 364 and 370, and around 395 to 405, respectively—resulted in a new arrangement of the southeastern religious customs and their historical or legendary representatives. The new hierarchy was codified during the fifth century in the system of the Three Caverns (sandong), the earliest traces of which are found in the Shangqing scriptures.» — y sus fechas: los corpus Shangqing y Lingbao compilados entre 364 y 370 y hacia 395-405, con la jerarquía nueva codificada en el siglo V en el sistema de las Tres Cavernas

«In parallel to the events summarized above, and probably also in reaction to them, new forms of doctrines and practices developed from around 500 ce that relinquished virtually any form of support by ritual and relied, instead, on correlative cosmology. The text that reflected and supported these developments within the alchemical tradition, the Token for the Agreement» — el desenlace que Pregadio traza, con el grado en el probablemente y con el título del texto cortado por el cambio de plana: hacia el 500 aparecen doctrinas y prácticas que renuncian a casi toda forma de apoyo ritual y se apoyan en la cosmología correlativa, y el texto que las refleja es el Token for the Agreement, sigue en la plana 39, *of the Three According to the Book of Changes (Zhouyi cantong qi)*

«of the Three According to the Book of Changes (Zhouyi cantong qi), not only became the main scriptural source of new forms of waidan, but also paved the way for the emergence of neidan as we know it today.» — la continuación en la plana siguiente: el Zhouyi cantong qi pasa a ser la fuente escritural principal de las formas nuevas de waidan y abre el camino al neidan tal como hoy se lo conoce

«The origins of alchemy is a fascinating subject that has engaged the attention of several generations of scholars. In a survey of sources and studies of the Western tradition, Robert Halleux has pointed out the wide diversity of opinions that exist in this respect. As he shows, the debate among scholars has concerned not only the dating of the sources, but especially what constitutes alchemy, how it differs from metallurgy and proto-chemistry, and whether the earliest extant sources provide definite evidence on their origins and background.» — Pregadio abre el capítulo primero remitiendo al balance de Robert Halleux sobre la tradición occidental, donde el desacuerdo académico no es solo de fechas sino de qué cosa es la alquimia, en qué se distingue de la metalurgia y de la protoquímica y si las fuentes más antiguas dicen algo firme sobre su origen

«Due to the remarkable variety of views concerning these issues, there is no agreement on when and where the arts of the elixirs first took shape, and on what role was played in this context by the speculative and ritual features that have characterized alchemy wherever it has developed.» — y consigna el desacuerdo sin arbitrarlo: no hay acuerdo sobre cuándo ni dónde tomaron forma las artes de los elixires, ni sobre el papel que tuvieron ahí los rasgos especulativos y rituales

«The characterization of the arts of the elixirs suggested by Halleux— “an aggregate of practices and speculations related to the transmutation of metals”—is straightforward but points to the complexity of the questions that require attention.» — la definición de Halleux que Pregadio adopta como punto de partida —un agregado de prácticas y especulaciones relativas a la transmutación de los metales— y el límite que le pone en la misma frase: es clara y apunta a preguntas complejas

«to give one example that pertains to the latter form of alchemy, one of its greatest representatives, Chen Zhixu (1289–after 1335), emphatically rejects the understanding of alchemy as consisting only of its practices when he writes: “It has been said that the way of cultivation and refinement consists of the techniques (shu) of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. No more of this nonsense! This is the Great Way of the Golden Elixir, and it cannot be called a technique.”» — el ejemplo con que lo apoya: Chen Zhixu, a quien fecha en 1289 y después de 1335, rechaza entender la alquimia como sus solas prácticas y llama a eso, en la traducción de Pregadio, la Gran Vía del Elixir de Oro y no una técnica

«On the other hand, the doctrinal principles at the basis of the compounding of the elixirs are shared by alchemy with other traditions and disciplines, and the compounding of the elixirs is not the only means of access to them. In Chinese alchemy, this is clearly visible in the fact that the alchemical process, either waidan or neidan, is rooted in doctrinal notions that originate elsewhere—specifically, within Daoism—and of which alchemy represents one of the applications.» — el segundo lado: los principios doctrinales de la composición de los elixires los comparte la alquimia con otras tradiciones, y en China el proceso —waidan o neidan— se arraiga en nociones que nacen en otra parte, en el taoísmo, de las que la alquimia es una aplicación

«Alchemy, in other words, cannot be defined either by its techniques or by its doctrinal foundations alone but rather, using the formulation suggested by Halleux, by the unique relationship it establishes between “practices and speculations,” or between techniques and doctrines. This relationship can take several forms, including some in which the compounding of the elixir is meant in an entirely metaphoric way.» — la definición que Pregadio propone para sí: la alquimia no se define ni por sus técnicas ni por sus fundamentos doctrinales por separado, sino por la relación singular que traza entre prácticas y especulaciones, relación que admite formas varias, incluida la enteramente metafórica

«We should be ready, finally, to accept the possibility that although alchemy is always characterized by a practice based on doctrinal principles, the earliest extant sources focus only on the former aspect and provide no more than a few hints on the second aspect, which was the subject of oral transmission.» — la posibilidad que pide dejar abierta: que las fuentes más antiguas conservadas atiendan solo a la práctica y apenas apunten al fundamento doctrinal, por haber sido este materia de transmisión oral

«While the scarcity and ambiguity of the available data suggest caution, the attempt to fix dates, identify beginners, and distinguish evolutionary stages has often resulted in the blurring of distinctions between the compounding of the elixirs and other ideas or techniques.» — la objeción de método de Pregadio al empeño de fijar fechas, identificar fundadores y distinguir etapas: ha acabado borrando la distinción entre componer elixires y otras ideas o técnicas

«Although some scholars in the past have speculated on his role in the origins of waidan, Zou Yan’s biography does not contain any allusion to alchemy, and no text on the elixirs has ever been attributed to him.» — la negativa que Pregadio ficha sobre Zou Yan, a quien la tradición tiene por fundador de la escuela del Yin y el Yang: su biografía no alude a la alquimia y nunca se le atribuyó un texto sobre los elixires

«The short comments that follow the catalogue of Yin and Yang writings in the History of the Former Han Dynasty (Hanshu; ca. 90 ce) state that those texts dealt with astrological and calendrical predictions. Consistently with this indication, the received fragments of works attributed to Zou are mainly concerned with an early variety of the system of the Five Agents (wuxing) and its application to the theory of dynastic succession, known as the “Cycle of the Five Virtues” (wude zhi yun) or the “Master Cycle of Yin and Yang” (yinyang zhuyun).» — y lo que sí dicen las fuentes: que esos escritos trataban de predicciones astrológicas y calendáricas, y que los fragmentos conservados de Zou versan sobre una variedad temprana de los Cinco Agentes y su aplicación a la sucesión dinástica

«Some modern scholars have seen in the term “dissolution and transformation” (or “decomposition and transformation”) an allusion to alchemical methods. Even if this indication is correct, Sima Qian neither states nor implies that Zou Yan was an alchemist; his words make clear that, in his opinion, the fangshi had misinterpreted Zou Yan’s teaching. The term “dissolution and transformation,” however, is not attested in relation to the arts of the elixirs.» — la lectura ajena que Pregadio consigna y el límite que le pone: aunque la disolución y transformación aludiera a métodos alquímicos, Sima Qian ni dice ni da a entender que Zou Yan fuera alquimista, y el término no está atestiguado en relación con las artes de los elixires

«Fu Qian’s gloss thus supports the conclusion that the passage of the Records of the Historian quoted above has no relation to waidan.» — y la conclusión que saca, atribuida a esa glosa: el pasaje del Shiji no tiene relación con el waidan

«While this passage shows that Zou Yan, in the hundred and fifty years or so after his death, had been ascribed with methods for obtaining longevity— possibly by the same fangshi who, according to Sima Qian, had misunderstood his teaching—the key expression for his supposed relation to alchemy is the phrase rendered as “a method of repeated (transmutation)” by Needham, and as “a repeated method (of transmutation)” by Homer Dubs three decades earlier.» — lo que Pregadio concede y dónde pone el punto en disputa: al cabo de siglo y medio se le atribuían a Zou Yan métodos de longevidad, y la frase decisiva es la que Needham vierte como método de transmutación repetida y Homer Dubs, treinta años antes, como método repetido de transmutación

«Needham suggests that this expression “is extremely significant because of the later obsession of the Taoist alchemists for repeatedly separating and combining mercury and sulphur in cyclical transformations.” 11 However, the phrase chongdao does not occur in the alchemical literature, where the canonical terms for processes of cyclical refining are zhuan (“cycling”), huan (“reverting”), or fan (“returning”).» — la propuesta de Needham y la objeción de Pregadio: chongdao no aparece en la literatura alquímica, donde los términos canónicos del refinado cíclico son zhuan, huan y fan

«If the phrase of the History of the Former Han Dynasty is read zhongdao instead of chongdao (both readings are possible), the relevant portion of the sentence can more accurately be translated as “important methods by Zou Yan for prolonging life,” again with no hint to his involvement in alchemy.» — y la lectura alternativa que ofrece, marcada como igualmente posible: leído zhongdao, el pasaje dice métodos importantes de Zou Yan para prolongar la vida, sin alusión a la alquimia

«Besides the above, there has been another—and possibly more consequential—reason for ascribing Zou Yan with an active role in relation to alchemy, namely his traditional image as the creator of the system of correlative cosmology. Whether this image has any historical foundation or reflects even partially the truth is not the main issue, and does not need to be discussed here. The main fact is that, for approximately eight centuries after Zou Yan, no Chinese alchemical text is based on that system.» — la tercera razón que Pregadio identifica para adscribir a Zou Yan un papel alquímico, la de creador de la cosmología correlativa, y el hecho con que la acota sin entrar a discutir esa imagen: durante unos ocho siglos después de él ningún texto alquímico chino se apoya en ese sistema

«Another example of questionable evidence provided by early sources is the edict issued in 144 bce by Han Jingdi (r. 156 –141) forbidding the counterfeiting of gold. Some scholars in the past have seen in this document one of the first clear allusions to alchemy in any civilization.» — el segundo caso que examina: el edicto de Han Jingdi del 144 a. e. c. contra la falsificación de oro, que algunos estudiosos tomaron por una de las primeras alusiones claras a la alquimia en cualquier civilización

«The edict does not refer to the practice of alchemy and does not mention the compounding of elixirs. According to Ying Shao’s (ca. 140–ca. 206) commentary, Jingdi merely intended to abrogate a decree of the previous emperor, who, in 175 bce, had allowed people to cast coins without authorization.» — la negativa que ficha y el motivo alternativo que da, con el comentario de Ying Shao: el edicto no menciona la alquimia ni la composición de elixires, y Jingdi solo quiso derogar un decreto anterior del 175 a. e. c.

«The interpretation of the edict as relevant to alchemy results from the blurring of distinctions between waidan and metallurgy. Chemical artisans and alchemists certainly were acquainted with each others’ methods, and it is virtually certain that alchemy, in China as elsewhere, has one of its roots in the technical knowledge of the metallurgists.» — de dónde viene la confusión, según Pregadio, y qué concede a la vez: se borra la distinción entre waidan y metalurgia, aunque artesanos químicos y alquimistas se conocían los métodos y es casi seguro que la alquimia tiene una de sus raíces en el saber técnico de los metalúrgicos

«But interpreting Jingdi’s edict as directed against alchemy involves neglecting to take into account the alchemists’ quest of transcendence or their attempt to communicate with divine beings—in other words, the doctrinal and ritual components of alchemy. As suggested above, it is only the explicit combination of metallurgical or proto-chemical techniques with these components that defines alchemy. If the doctrinal and ritual background is ignored, the work of transmuting minerals and metals loses its soteriological features, and alchemy becomes proto-chemistry.» — y el criterio con que cierra: leer el edicto contra la alquimia deja fuera la búsqueda de trascendencia y el trato con los seres divinos, y sin ese trasfondo doctrinal y ritual transmutar minerales y metales pierde su carácter soteriológico y queda en protoquímica

«Not much is left to write a history of pre-Han and Han alchemy if the two pieces of evidence—if one may call them such—discussed above are dismissed. Despite their importance in other respects, the anecdotal and hagiographic accounts found in literary or Daoist sources are of little or no historical import: not only is there regularly a remarkable gap between the date of these sources and the time of the events they purport to record, but their accounts often concern the search for longevity or immortality or the belief in a medicine of long life instead of alchemy proper.» — el saldo del capítulo: descartadas esas dos piezas, queda poco para escribir una historia de la alquimia pre-Han y Han, porque los relatos anecdóticos y hagiográficos tienen poco valor histórico y suelen tratar de la longevidad o de una medicina de larga vida, no de alquimia propiamente dicha

«On the one hand, the techniques for refining and transmuting minerals and metals do not constitute alchemy per se, as they do not necessarily imply the existence of a doctrinal and soteriological background. More precisely, this background exists in the first place, but for a» — el primer lado del argumento, cortado por el cambio de plana: las técnicas de refinar y transmutar minerales y metales no son alquimia por sí mismas porque no implican trasfondo doctrinal y soteriológico; ese trasfondo existe primero, y sigue en la plana 43, *variety of reasons the techniques may come to be transmitted separately from it*

«The limited amount of evidence is not the only impediment to research in this area, for the available documents share the ambiguity of the Western sources and the resulting variety of possible interpretations.» — el estado de la evidencia temprana según Pregadio: escasa, y además ambigua como la occidental, con la misma variedad de interpretaciones posibles

«Sources ranging from historical and archaeological documents to mythological and hagiographic accounts yield some information on the quest for immortality and the knowledge of proto-chemical techniques in pre-imperial and early imperial times. At a closer inspection, however, very few of them are found to be directly relevant to alchemy proper; most consist of legendary accounts such as those on medicines of immortality that spontaneously grow in remote places, or refer to artisanal techniques for refining metals and minerals.» — y lo que se saca de ella: de los documentos que van de lo histórico y arqueológico a lo mitológico y hagiográfico, muy pocos tocan la alquimia propiamente dicha, y la mayoría son relatos legendarios o técnicas artesanales

«Some of these legends and tales are likely to descend, in the first place, from the same background that also gave rise to alchemy; no early document, however, makes the link explicit.» — las dos reservas que declara: es probable que esas leyendas vengan del mismo trasfondo que dio origen a la alquimia, y ningún documento temprano hace explícito el vínculo

«From the time of Kings Wei (Weiwang, r. 334–320 bce) and Xuan (Xuanwang, r. 319–301 bce) of Qi, the followers of Master Zou discussed and» — el arranque del pasaje del Shiji de Sima Qian que Pregadio traduce, cortado por el cambio de plana: desde los reyes Wei y Xuan de Qi, los seguidores del Maestro Zou discutían y, sigue en la plana 45, *wrote about the cycle of the Five Virtues*

«Fu Qian, the second-century commentator of the Records of the Historian, states that it refers to shijie, or “release from the corpse,” one of the Daoist practices for leaving the world as an immortal.» — la glosa de Fu Qian que Pregadio prefiere: el término remite al shijie, la liberación del cadáver, una de las prácticas taoístas para dejar el mundo como inmortal

«This gloss deserves attention, for the mention of “dissolution and transformation” together with “release from the form” (xingjie), and with “services offered to gods and demons,” suggests that this term refers to thaumaturgic methods for decomposing and transforming one’s form (xing). Methods for achieving “release from the form” by breaking it up and multiplying it, or by dissolving it and hiding it, are known from several sources as part of the extremely wide and varied notion of “metamorphosis” (bianhua), of which “release from the corpse” is an instance.» — y lo que esa glosa le permite sostener: el término apunta a métodos taumatúrgicos para descomponer y transformar la propia forma, dentro de la noción ancha de metamorfosis, de la que la liberación del cadáver es un caso

«[Liu An, the Prince of] Huainan, had in his pillow (for safe-keeping) certain writings entitled Arts from the Garden of Secrets of the Great Treasure (Hongbao yuanbi shu). These writings told about the holy immortals and» — el pasaje del Hanshu en la traducción de Joseph Needham, que Pregadio reproduce como tal y que el cambio de plana corta: en la almohada del príncipe de Huainan había escritos titulados Artes del Jardín de los Secretos del Gran Tesoro, que hablaban de los inmortales santos y, sigue en la plana 46, *their arts of conjuring spirits (shi guiwu) and making gold*

«It has also been suggested that “after 144 [bce], alchemy could only be practiced openly under imperial or royal patronage,” and that the edict had a lasting effect on the arts of the elixirs, as shown by the Huainan zi (Book of the Master of Huai-nan; ca. 139 bce), a work that “does not contain any explicit alchemy, which fact is understandable since this pursuit had become illegal.”» — las conclusiones que esa lectura arrastra, citadas de sus autores: que desde el 144 a. e. c. la alquimia solo pudo practicarse abiertamente bajo patrocinio imperial o real, y que por eso el Huainan zi no trae alquimia explícita, por haberse vuelto ilegal

«The passage of the History of the Former Han Dynasty on the anti-coining edict is terse but unambiguous: [In 144 bce, Emperor Jing] established a statute fixing public execution for [privately] coining cash or counterfeiting gold.13 (Hanshu, 5.148)» — el texto del edicto tal como Pregadio lo traduce del Hanshu, que él llama escueto pero inequívoco: en el 144 a. e. c. el emperador Jing fijó por estatuto la ejecución pública para quien acuñara moneda por su cuenta o falsificara oro

«When the Prince of Qin became emperor, people from Qi submitted [that theory] to the throne, and the First Emperor adopted it. However, Song Wuji, Zhengbo Qiao, Chong Shang, and most recently Xianmen Gao, all of whom came from the state of Yan, practiced methods of immortality (xiandao) and for the release from the form through dissolution and transformation (xingjie xiaohua) by means of services offered to spirits and divinities.» — la continuación del pasaje del Shiji: adoptada la teoría por el Primer Emperador, Song Wuji, Zhengbo Qiao, Chong Shang y Xianmen Gao, todos del estado de Yan, practicaban métodos de inmortalidad y de liberación de la forma por disolución y transformación mediante servicios a espíritus y divinidades

«While Zou Yan had been famous among feudal lords for [his theory of] the Master Cycle of Yin and Yang, the fangshi from the coasts of Yan and Qi transmitted his arts without understanding them. Since that time, those who perform flattering and deceptive practices have been countless. (Shiji, 28.1368–69)» — y el cierre del pasaje, que es donde Pregadio apoya su lectura: los fangshi de las costas de Yan y Qi transmitieron las artes de Zou Yan sin entenderlas, y desde entonces los que hacen prácticas aduladoras y engañosas son incontables

«transmissions and founding myths of the early guilds of metallurgical artisans may have influenced the rise of the arts of the elixirs.» — lo que Pregadio declara no saber, en la frase que arranca al otro lado del cambio de plana: cómo influyeron en el nacimiento de las artes de los elixires las transmisiones secretas y los mitos fundacionales de los primeros gremios de artesanos metalúrgicos

«this view, the silence of the historical sources from the beginning of the first century to the second or third century also would be “explained by the Han» — el remate de la lectura ajena que Pregadio consigna, con la frase partida a los dos lados por el cambio de plana y cortada al final por el límite de chunk del troceo: el silencio de las fuentes desde principios del siglo I hasta el II o III quedaría explicado por la ley Han, y sigue *law against this practice*

«As shown by the passage of the Records of the Historian quoted above, among those who shared the belief in a medicine of immortality growing in remote lands were the fangshi, or “masters of the methods,” specialists in cosmological and esoteric arts whom several rulers employed from the fourth century bce on, and whose presence at court became prominent during the reigns of Qin Shi Huangdi» — quiénes eran los fangshi según Pregadio, con el nombre cortado por el final del renglón: especialistas en artes cosmológicas y esotéricas empleados por varios soberanos desde el siglo IV a. e. c., con presencia destacada en la corte bajo Qin Shi Huangdi y Han Wudi

«The main areas of expertise of the fangshi were numerology, astronomy, astrology, calendrical computation, divination, and the interpretation of portents; others among them specialized in magic, exorcism, healing, diets, and sexual practices.» — sus campos: numerología, astronomía, astrología, cómputo calendárico, adivinación e interpretación de portentos, y en algunos magia, exorcismo, curación, dietas y prácticas sexuales

«The function of this sizable and by no means homogeneous group of practitioners in the early history of alchemy is unclear for at least two reasons. First, we know virtually nothing about the forms of transmission among the fangshi.» — la primera de las dos razones por las que Pregadio declara poco clara su función en la historia temprana de la alquimia: no se sabe casi nada de sus formas de transmisión

«Second, their role in relation to the transmission of alchemy is unclear owing to the different biases of the relevant sources. On the one hand, the historical records suggest that few fangshi were skilled in waidan; in fact, only one reference to the medicines of immortality—not to making elixirs—is found among the thirty-five biographies of fangshi in the History of the Later Han Dynasty (Hou Hanshu).» — y la segunda, con el dato que la apoya: los sesgos de las fuentes; los registros históricos sugieren que pocos fangshi sabían waidan, y en las treinta y cinco biografías de fangshi del Hou Hanshu hay una sola mención de las medicinas de inmortalidad

«Li Shaojun told the Emperor: “By making offerings to the stove, one can summon the supernatural beings (wu). If one summons them, cinnabar can be transmuted into gold. When gold has been produced and made into vessels for eating and drinking, one can prolong one’s life. If one’s life is prolonged, one will be able to meet the immortals of the Penglai island in the midst of the sea. When one has seen them and has performed the feng and shan ceremonies, one will never die.» — el pasaje del Shiji que Pregadio traduce: ofrendas a la estufa para convocar a los seres sobrenaturales, cinabrio vuelto oro, vasijas de ese oro que alargan la vida, encuentro con los inmortales de Penglai y, tras las ceremonias feng y shan, no morir nunca

«Your subject formerly, when sailing on the sea, encountered Master Anqi (Anqi sheng), who feeds on jujube-dates as large as melons. Master Anqi is an immortal who roams about Penglai; when it pleases him to appear to humans, he does so, otherwise he remains invisible.”» — y el aval que Li Shaojun se da a sí mismo en ese mismo discurso: haber encontrado en el mar al Maestro Anqi, que come dátiles del tamaño de melones y aparece a los hombres cuando le place

«Thereupon the Emperor for the first time personally made offerings to the stove. He sent some fangshi to the sea to search for Penglai and for those like Master Anqi, and also occupied himself with the transmutation of cinnabar and other substances into gold.20 (Shiji, 28.1385)» — lo que el Shiji dice que hizo el emperador: ofrendar por primera vez él mismo a la estufa, mandar fangshi al mar en busca de Penglai y ocuparse de transmutar cinabrio y otras sustancias en oro

«Let us first remark here that Li’s method did not involve ingesting the elixir, and that his alchemical gold did not grant immortality, but only longevity: the emperor would become an immortal after performing the feng and shan ceremonies.» — la distinción que Pregadio subraya: el método de Li no incluía ingerir el elixir y su oro alquímico no daba inmortalidad sino longevidad; la inmortalidad venía después, con las ceremonias feng y shan

«The earliest evidence on ingesting elixirs in order to “last as long as Heaven and Earth” dates from several decades after Li; it is found in the Treatise on Salt and Iron (Yantie lun), a work based on court debates held in 81 bce but compiled about two decades later.» — y la fecha que le pone a la ingestión: la primera evidencia de ingerir elixires para durar tanto como el Cielo y la Tierra es de décadas después de Li, en el Yantie lun, basado en debates cortesanos del 81 a. e. c.

«At that time, the masters (shi) of Yan and Qi set aside their hoes and digging sticks and competed to make themselves heard on the subject of immortals and magicians. Consequently the fangshi who headed for [the Qin capital] Xianyang numbered in the thousands. They asserted that the immortals had eaten of gold and drunk of pearl; after this had been done, their lives would last as long as Heaven and Earth.21 (Yantie lun, 29.35)» — el pasaje del Yantie lun que Pregadio traduce, y que él presenta como reproche confuciano al patrocinio de los fangshi por Qin Shi Huangdi: millares de ellos hacia la capital, diciendo que los inmortales habían comido oro y bebido perla y por eso duraban tanto como el Cielo y la Tierra

«Around the time the Yantie lun was being written, the first details about alchemical texts emerge in connection with Liu Xiang’s (79–8 bce) notorious attempt at making alchemical gold, which ended in failure.» — el otro episodio temprano: el intento de Liu Xiang de hacer oro alquímico, que Pregadio consigna como fracasado

«The extant fragments of this work include a few passages that may be related to waidan, but no clue is available about their context; an isolated sentence stating that “cinnabar can be turned into mercury,” in particular, may come from a discussion of pharmacology instead of alchemy, as the refining of mercury from cinnabar is also mentioned in the earliest Chinese pharmacopoeia.» — y la cautela con que lee sus fragmentos: algunos pasajes podrían tocar el waidan, pero no hay pista de su contexto, y la frase sobre el cinabrio vuelto mercurio puede venir de la farmacología, porque refinar mercurio del cinabrio también está en la farmacopea china más antigua

«Bibliographic sources, nonetheless, claim that the Garden of Secrets and other texts compiled under the patronage of Prince Liu An of Huainan (180–122 bce) did contain sections devoted to alchemy.» — lo que dicen en cambio las fuentes bibliográficas, atribuido a ellas: que el Jardín de los Secretos y otros textos compilados bajo el patrocinio del príncipe Liu An de Huainan sí traían secciones de alquimia

«A hardly negligible feature of the sources examined above is that none of them gives directions on the compounding of any elixir. The earliest document that appears to be historically reliable—the passage of the Records of the Historian on Han Wudi and Li Shaojun—is nevertheless surprisingly dense, relating as it does waidan to mythology, hagiography, ritual, and even state ceremonies.» — el rasgo que Pregadio destaca de todas esas fuentes: ninguna da instrucciones para componer un elixir, y el documento más fiable —el del Shiji sobre Han Wudi y Li Shaojun— es sin embargo denso, porque liga el waidan con la mitología, la hagiografía, el rito y hasta las ceremonias de Estado

«It is unclear whether Li Shaojun’s elaborate method results from a long but undocumented tradition before him or simply reflects his attempt at picking as many features as possible that would capture the emperor’s interest and mixing them into an “alchemical recipe.”» — la disyuntiva que deja abierta sin decidirla: si el método de Li viene de una tradición larga y no documentada o si solo junta cuanto pudiera interesar al emperador en una receta alquímica

«Similarly of interest is the statement, made in one of the passages quoted above, that the Arts from the Garden of Secrets described alchemical methods in conjunction not only with longevity techniques, but also with rites for “conjuring spirits.”» — y el apoyo que le encuentra: las Artes del Jardín de los Secretos describían métodos alquímicos junto a técnicas de longevidad y a ritos para conjurar espíritus

«The seventh-century commentary to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs (one of the main Taiqing texts) refers to Li’s method, saying that the gold of vessels used for eating and drinking affords longevity as it slowly saturates one’s stomach, permeating the system of transmutation of food into nutritional essences.» — el eco tardío de Li Shaojun que Pregadio recoge: el comentario del siglo VII al Jiudan jing explica que el oro de las vasijas alarga la vida al saturar despacio el estómago y permear la transmutación del alimento en esencias nutricias

«The commentary, however, does not hold Li in high esteem; it actually blames him because his method, instead of being based on the “correct instructions for making the Elixir-Gold” (danjin zhengjue), gave importance to offerings to the stove (sizao) and to incorrect practices (zuodao, a term that usually denotes magic).» — y el reproche que ese comentario le hace: no partir de las instrucciones correctas para hacer el Elixir-Oro y dar importancia en cambio a las ofrendas a la estufa y a prácticas incorrectas, término que suele denotar magia

«The point of this criticism of Li Shaojun, thus, is not that he advocated the performance of rites, but that his method did not address the highest deities.» — la lectura que Pregadio hace de ese reproche: no se le critica por defender el rito, sino porque su método no se dirigía a las deidades más altas

«If you cast plates and bowls with the Elixir-Gold (danjin), and take food and drinks from them, you will live a long life free from death, and will be coeternal with Heaven and Earth. By collecting [the essences of] the sun and the moon with these plates, you obtain a Nectar of Divine Radiance (shenguang li). Men and women should take their food from different vessels, and they will immediately rise to heaven.27 (Shenxian jinzhuo jing, 1.6b–7a)» — el pasaje del Shenxian jinzhuo jing en la traducción de Pregadio: platos y cuencos de Elixir-Oro dan vida larga sin muerte, recogen las esencias del sol y de la luna en un Néctar de Radiancia Divina, y hombres y mujeres han de comer en vasijas distintas

«A third element of continuity between waidan in the early Han period and in later times is contained in the account concerning Liu Xiang. The text that Liu reportedly used for his alchemical experiments, the Arts from the Garden of Secrets, is traditionally attributed to the Eight Masters (Bagong). This core group of advisers at the court of Liu An is also credited with an extant work giving methods for making aqueous solutions of minerals. The received version of this work bears the title Methods of the Thirty-six Aqueous Solutions (Sanshiliu shuifa), but references in early sources, including those of the Taiqing tradition, show that initially it enjoyed the status of a “scripture” (jing).» — el tercer hilo de continuidad: el texto que Liu Xiang habría usado se atribuye a los Ocho Maestros, a quienes también se acredita el Sanshiliu shuifa, que según las fuentes tempranas gozó al principio de rango de escritura

«Nothing counters the traditional claim that parts of this text date from the Han period. The simple techniques that it describes, of which the following one for the solution of cinnabar is an example, were used as intermediate stages during the compounding of elixirs:» — y el grado con que Pregadio acepta su fecha: nada contradice la afirmación tradicional de que partes del texto son de época Han, y sus técnicas simples se usaban como etapas intermedias de la composición

«Place one pound of cinnabar (dansha) in a cylinder of fresh bamboo, and add two ounces of chalcanthite (shidan) and four ounces of saltpeter (xiaoshi). Seal the openings of the bamboo tube with lacquer, and leave the tube in an acetic bath. The solution is ready in thirty days. (Sanshiliu shuifa, 2b)» — la receta de solución acuosa de cinabrio que Pregadio traduce del Sanshiliu shuifa: cinabrio, calcantita y salitre en un cilindro de bambú fresco, sellado con laca y dejado treinta días en baño acético

«Alchemy was practiced within the imperial court from the mid-second century bce and, in that milieu, was placed under the Yellow Emperor’s patronage. Its practice involved ceremonies to the stove performed in order to summon supernatural beings, and the elixirs were either ingested or used to cast tools for eating and drinking.» — el resumen de evidencia con que Pregadio cierra el capítulo: alquimia en la corte imperial desde mediados del siglo II a. e. c., bajo patrocinio del Emperador Amarillo, con ceremonias a la estufa para convocar seres sobrenaturales y elixires ingeridos o fundidos en utensilios

«After the fragmentary documentation surveyed in this chapter, the history of Chinese alchemy confronts us with the Taiqing scriptures. The shift is a major one, for these scriptures claim to derive their teachings and methods from divine beings, describe actual methods, give details on ritual practices, and frequently refer to each other. In other words, the proper history of Chinese alchemy begins with these texts.» — y la tesis con que lo remata: el salto a las escrituras Taiqing es mayor, porque declaran recibir su enseñanza de seres divinos, describen métodos, detallan prácticas rituales y se citan entre sí, de modo que la historia propiamente dicha de la alquimia china empieza con esos textos

«On the other hand, hagiographic traditions of a later date associate some well-known fangshi to the transmission of alchemical methods. Four or five centuries after the above-mentioned Xianmen Gao’s supposed existence on earth, for instance, Ge Hong’s Inner Chapters mentions his name in conjunction with an alchemical compound.» — el otro lado del sesgo: las hagiografías posteriores sí ligan a fangshi conocidos con métodos alquímicos, y los Capítulos Interiores de Ge Hong nombran a Xianmen Gao junto a un compuesto alquímico cuatro o cinco siglos después de su supuesta existencia en la tierra

«An additional two centuries later, another source states that he had ingested the Flower of Langgan (langgan hua), one of the elixirs related to the Taiqing tradition.» — y dos siglos más tarde otra fuente le hace ingerir la Flor de Langgan, uno de los elixires de la tradición Taiqing

«Apparently the only fangshi whose role in the early history of waidan is acknowledged by both historical and alchemical sources is Li Shaojun. Around 133 bce, Li suggested to Emperor Wu that he perform a complex practice. The method began with a ceremony to the stove (zao) intended to ask some deities (or spirits, wu) to assist the emperor in making an elixir. In their presence, cinnabar would transmute itself into a gold fit to cast vessels for eating and drinking.» — el único fangshi que, según Pregadio, reconocen a la vez las fuentes históricas y las alquímicas: Li Shaojun, que hacia el 133 a. e. c. propuso al emperador Wu un método que empieza por una ceremonia a la estufa para pedir a los dioses que asistan a la obra y sigue con el cinabrio transmutado en oro para vasijas

«First of all, Li Shaojun’s method shows that the performance of rites is part of the alchemical practices since their earliest recorded mention.» — el primer hilo de continuidad que Pregadio traza: desde la primera mención registrada el rito es parte de las prácticas alquímicas

«know precisely which divinities were involved in the process—possibly the Stove God (zaoshen) was among them 25—but summoning gods and other supernatural beings while making elixirs is far from being an isolated instance: the same feature, as we shall see, lies at the core of the Taiqing tradition.» — y lo que declara no saber, en la frase partida por el cambio de plana: qué divinidades intervenían exactamente, quizá el dios de la Estufa; lo que sí sostiene es que convocar dioses mientras se hacen elixires está en el centro de la tradición Taiqing

«The Nine Elixirs also refers to the malleability of alchemical gold, showing that casting tools was one of its uses: Be careful not to use excessive amounts [of the ingredients], or the gold will be hard; but if there is not enough, the gold will be soft. Neither would be malleable.» — el pasaje del Jiudan jingjue con que Pregadio muestra que el oro alquímico se fundía en herramientas: el exceso de ingredientes lo endurece y la falta lo ablanda, y ninguno de los dos resulta maleable. El mismo párrafo vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«The implication is a point frequently overlooked in the study of Chinese alchemy, namely that ingesting an elixir is not the only purpose of compounding it. As we shall see, besides their use in casting vessels, the elixirs have other ritual functions that do not require their ingestion: for example, one can keep off demons and other dangers and obtain the protection of the gods by smearing them on one’s eyes, rubbing them on house doors and city walls, or keeping them in one’s hand or at one’s belt.» — el punto que Pregadio dice pasado por alto en el estudio de la alquimia china: ingerir el elixir no es el único fin de componerlo, porque también sirve para fundir vasijas y para funciones rituales sin ingestión —untárselo en los ojos, frotarlo en puertas y murallas, llevarlo en la mano o al cinto—

«The Taiqing scriptures provide no indications about the historical origins of their tradition. Like most other waidan sources, they are not concerned with this question, and state that their methods derive from revelations granted by deities, immortals, and other divine or semi-divine beings.» — el silencio de las propias escrituras que Pregadio consigna: no dicen nada del origen histórico de su tradición y declaran que sus métodos vienen de revelaciones de deidades, inmortales y otros seres divinos o semidivinos

«This silence is significant. The alchemical doctrines and practices are deemed not to have their origin in the human world; instead, they enter the world through a divine revelation, or through the transcription of scriptures originally kept in heaven.» — y la lectura que hace de ese silencio: las doctrinas y prácticas alquímicas no tienen origen en el mundo humano, sino que entran en él por revelación divina o por la transcripción de escrituras guardadas en el cielo

«Before the term taiqing, or Great Clarity, came to designate one of the several heavens distinguished in Daoist cosmography, it denoted an inner» — la tesis del capítulo segundo, cortada por el cambio de plana: antes de nombrar uno de los cielos de la cosmografía taoísta, taiqing designaba, sigue en la plana 55, *spiritual state*

«The accomplished man (zhiren) turns his essence and spirit back to what has no beginning, and pleasantly rests in the territory of what has no existence. Like water running into the formless, he overflows into the Great Clarity.1 (Zhuangzi, 89/32/20–22)» — el pasaje del Zhuangzi que Pregadio traduce como la ocurrencia más temprana del término en ese sentido: el hombre acabado devuelve esencia y espíritu a lo que no tiene principio y, como agua que corre a lo informe, se desborda en la Gran Claridad

«In one of its dialogues among fictional characters that personify impersonal principles or states of being, this work reports a conversation between a master called Without Beginning (Wushi) and his disciple called Great Clarity (Taiqing). In his search for the Dao, Great Clarity first receives contradictory answers from two other personages, namely No-Limit (Wuqiong) and Non-Action (Wuwei). Then he seeks the advice of Without Beginning, who teaches him how to achieve authentic knowledge:» — y el otro lugar del Zhuangzi que trae: un diálogo entre personajes que personifican principios, donde Gran Claridad busca el Dao y recibe respuestas contradictorias de Sin Límite y de No Acción antes de acudir a Sin Comienzo

«Not knowing is deep, and knowing is shallow; not knowing is inward, and knowing is outward.” At these words, Great Clarity sighed within himself and said: “Then not knowing means to know, and knowing means not to know! But who knows the knowledge of unknowing?”» — el nudo de ese diálogo en la traducción de Pregadio: no saber es hondo y saber es superficial, no saber es hacia dentro y saber hacia fuera, de donde Gran Claridad concluye que no saber es saber y pregunta quién conoce el conocimiento del no conocer

«The Dao cannot be heard: if you hear it, it is not that. The Dao cannot be seen: if you see it, it is not that. The Dao cannot be spoken: if you speak it, it is not that. Know the Formless that gives form to the forms! The Dao cannot be given any name.”» — y la respuesta de Sin Comienzo: el Dao no se puede oír, ni ver, ni decir, y hay que conocer lo Informe que da forma a las formas, porque al Dao no se le puede dar nombre

«has forgotten his five viscera (wuzang) and has abandoned his bodily form (xinghai). He knows without apprehending, sees without looking, accomplishes without doing, and discerns without applying himself. He spontaneously responds to the outer stimuli (gan er ying) and acts only if he cannot do without it. He moves without wanting it, like beams of light and particles of brilliance. As his rule he follows the Dao and attains to it. He embraces his foundation in the Great Clarity (bao qi taiqing zhi ben) and nothing can enthrall him or trouble him. Vast and deep, he maintains himself empty; pure and serene, he is without thoughts and worries.» — el retrato del hombre santo que Pregadio traduce del Huainan zi: ha olvidado sus cinco vísceras y abandonado su forma corporal, conoce sin aprehender, ve sin mirar, responde espontáneamente al estímulo y abraza su fundamento en la Gran Claridad

«He takes life and death as a single transformation, and the ten thousand things as a single extension (fang). He communicates through his essence with his foundation in the Great Clarity (tong jing yu taiqing zhi ben) and roams in the indistinct space. He does not stir his essence and does not budge his spirit. Keeping up his tally with the simplicity of the Great Inchoate (dahun), he establishes himself at the center of Culminant Clarity (zhijing).6 (Huainan zi, 7.7b–8a)» — y el cierre de ese retrato: vida y muerte como una sola transformación, comunicación con el fundamento de la Gran Claridad por la esencia, y asiento en el centro de la Claridad Culminante

«At the commencement of Great Clarity, in harmony and conformity people were silent and boundless, and in the perfection of their constitution (zhizhen) they were pure and simple. Being at leisure and quiet they had no haste, drifting along with things they had no purpose. Within themselves they joined with the Dao, and outside they adjusted to righteousness. Their movements were achieved with elegance, and in acting fast they were of ad» — el otro uso del término en el Huainan zi, con la palabra final partida por el cambio de plana: proyectado al pasado indefinido, el comienzo de la Gran Claridad es la vida de los hombres primordiales, silenciosos, puros y simples, unidos por dentro al Dao

«If a man achieves correct quiescence (zhengjing), his skin will be healthy and fresh, his ears and eyes will perceive clearly, his sinews will stretch, and his bones will be strong. Then he will be able to carry the great circle [of Heaven] and tread over the great square [of Earth], to mirror the Great Clarity (daqing) and see through to the Great Light (daming). Attentive and mindful without error, he daily renews his virtue; utterly knowing all under Heaven, he reaches to the four poles. To distribute this plenitude in a careful way is called inner virtue (neide). To be like this and never go back is to have an overabundance of life.7 (Guanzi, 16.271)» — el pasaje del capítulo Neiye del Guanzi que Pregadio traduce y fecha hacia 350 o 300 a. e. c.: la quietud correcta hace al hombre capaz de espejar la Gran Claridad y de ver a través hasta la Gran Luz

«As shown by some of the passages quoted above, the inner state of Great Clarity corresponds externally to a pure space where the saintly man wanders unrestrained. Ge Hong’s Inner Chapters also mentions the Great Clarity as a heaven in which one roams freely after achieving transcendence:» — el puente que Pregadio tiende entre los dos sentidos: al estado interior de Gran Claridad le corresponde por fuera un espacio puro donde el santo vaga sin trabas, y los Capítulos Interiores de Ge Hong la nombran ya como cielo

«Surely you would rise to the Void and tread upon the Light, use the clouds as your floor and the rainbow as your roof. You would taste the Drifting Flow (hangxie) of the Dawn Aurora (zhaoxia) and inhale the pure essences of the Mysterious and Yellow (xuanhuang). Your drinks would be nectar of jade and juice of gold; your foods, azure mushrooms and vermilion blossoms; your dwellings, halls of precious stones and rooms of valuable gems; your journeys, freely roaming in the Great Clarity.8 (Baopu zi, 3.52)» — el pasaje del Baopu zi en la traducción de Pregadio: nubes por suelo y arcoíris por techo, néctar de jade y jugo de oro por bebida, hongos azules y flores bermejas por comida, y por viajes el vagar libre en la Gran Claridad

«They chew and inhale their Precious Flower (baohua), and bathe their spirit in the Great Clarity (taiqing); outside they radiate the Five Lights (wuyao), inside they guard the Nine Essences (jiujing). (Baopu zi, 5.111)» — los cuatro versos del Baopu zi donde la Gran Claridad es interior: mascan e inhalan su Flor Preciosa y bañan su espíritu en la Gran Claridad, radiando por fuera las Cinco Luces y guardando por dentro las Nueve Esencias

«The deities of the heaven of Great Clarity generated and handed down the alchemical scriptures to each other before they were written in a form comprehensible to mankind. The versions of those scriptures transmitted to the world are inferior and partial counterparts of those divine prototypes.» — la doctrina de la copia que Pregadio expone: las deidades del cielo de la Gran Claridad se pasaron las escrituras unas a otras antes de que se escribieran para los hombres, y las versiones transmitidas al mundo son contrapartes inferiores y parciales de esos prototipos divinos

«The Scripture of the Contemplation of the Heaven of Great Clarity (Taiqing guantian jing) is in nine sections (pian). However, it is said that the first set of three sections cannot be transmitted for teaching. The central set of three sections is permanently submerged beneath the Three Sources (sanquan), because no one in our generation is worthy enough to receive their transmission. The last set of three sections is the scripture on the elixirs proper, in three scrolls: top, middle, and bottom (shang, zhong, xia). (Baopu zi, 4.76)» — el pasaje de Ge Hong que lo muestra: de las nueve secciones del Taiqing guantian jing, las tres primeras no pueden transmitirse, las tres centrales están sumergidas bajo las Tres Fuentes porque nadie es digno de recibirlas, y solo las tres últimas son la escritura de los elixires

«One of the early texts containing a method for making the Golden Liquor, received as the Scripture of the Divine Elixir of the Golden Liquor of Great Clarity (Taiqing jinye shendan jing), was originally written in the unintelligible graphs formed by the spontaneous condensation of pneuma (qi) in primordial times. It became comprehensible to human beings only when the immortal Yin Changsheng transcribed it into a suitable form, namely “into Chinese characters” (hanzi).» — otro caso de la misma doctrina: el Taiqing jinye shendan jing estaba escrito en los grafos ininteligibles formados por la condensación espontánea del pneuma en tiempos primordiales, y solo se volvió comprensible cuando el inmortal Yin Changsheng lo transcribió a caracteres chinos

«The Yellow Emperor received the Culminant Way of the Reverted Elixirs (huandan zhidao) from the Mysterious Woman, who is a celestial woman. The Yellow Emperor compounded and ingested them, and thereby rose to heaven as an immortal. . . . The Yellow Emperor transmitted this Way to the Mysterious Master. . . . (Jiudan jingjue, 1.1a)» — el pasaje del Jiudan jingjue sobre la primera transmisión: el Emperador Amarillo recibe de la Mujer Misteriosa la Vía Culminante de los Elixires Revertidos, los compone, los ingiere, sube al cielo como inmortal y transmite la Vía al Maestro Misterioso

«The transmission from the Mysterious Woman to the Yellow Emperor marks the moment when the Nine Elixirs leaves the heavens and enters the human world, while the transmission from the Yellow Emperor to the Mysterious Master is the first instance of its transmission on earth. The ceremony celebrated at that time, described in the Nine Elixirs, is the model of the rite of transmission performed between master and disciple after the text became accessible to human beings.» — lo que Pregadio lee en esa doble transmisión: la primera marca la salida del texto de los cielos y la segunda es el primer caso de transmisión en la tierra, cuya ceremonia sirve de modelo al rito entre maestro y discípulo

«The revelation of the Nine Elixirs is due therefore to two divine couples, each of which consists of a female and a male figure: the Primordial Princess and Laozi on the one hand (transmission in heaven), and the Mysterious Woman and the Yellow Emperor on the other (transmission on» — las dos parejas divinas que Pregadio distingue, con la frase cortada por el cambio de plana: la Princesa Primordial y Laozi para la transmisión en el cielo, y la Mujer Misteriosa y el Emperador Amarillo para la transmisión en la tierra

«Not only is he a link in the descent of the text from heaven to earth, but the compounding of an alchemical medicine is often mentioned, especially in non-alchemical sources, as the culmination of his quest for teachings that enabled him to establish a perfect system of government.» — y lo que sí le reconoce: componer la medicina alquímica aparece a menudo, sobre todo en fuentes no alquímicas, como culminación de su búsqueda de las enseñanzas con que fundar un gobierno perfecto

«The reference to the tripod, an emblem of the divine origins of political power in ancient China, is likely to have played a role in the choice of the Nine Elixirs as textual support for providing alchemical instructions to Emperor Gaozong (r. 649–83), the first recipient of the commentary to the Scripture of the Divine Elixirs of the Nine Tripods.» — la conjetura que Pregadio marca como probable: la referencia al trípode, emblema del origen divino del poder político, pesó en que se eligiera el Jiudan jing como soporte de las instrucciones alquímicas para el emperador Gaozong

«Their words were few and complied with their principles, their actions were pleased and followed their feelings (qing). Their hearts were content and without artifice, their doings were pure and unadorned. Therefore they had not to choose [proper] days and times [to act], and did not need to divine through trigrams and omens. They made no schemes at the beginning and no discussions at the end. In tranquility they halted, and under stimulation they moved.» — la continuación del pasaje del Huainan zi en la plana siguiente: pocas palabras conformes a sus principios, sin escoger días ni adivinar por trigramas y presagios, sin planes al principio ni discusiones al final

«Ge Hong even goes so far as to suggest a precise location for the heaven of Great Clarity, situating it forty miles above the earth.» — la ubicación precisa que Ge Hong le da al cielo de la Gran Claridad, según Pregadio: cuarenta millas sobre la tierra

«Yet, in one of the passages he quotes from texts that describe meditation practices, he also mentions the Great Clarity as an inner heaven.» — y la tensión que Pregadio consigna en el mismo autor: en un pasaje que cita de textos de meditación, Ge Hong la menciona como cielo interior

«As in later Daoist traditions, therefore, the main role in the revelation of the Nine Elixirs and the other Taiqing scriptures is played by female deities.» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre el reparto de papeles: como en las tradiciones taoístas posteriores, el papel principal en la revelación del Jiudan jing y de las demás escrituras Taiqing lo tienen deidades femeninas

«Although the Yellow Emperor is mentioned in the title of the Nine Elixirs, he is only an agent in the transmission of the text from heaven to the human world. The Nine Elixirs shares this feature with several other works. The Yellow Emperor reigns at the beginning of human history and is associated with the origins of several traditions and techniques, but he is not a master; several sources represent him as a disciple of various divine or semi-divine beings, including the Mysterious Woman, the Pure Woman (Sunü), Guang» — y lo que le niega, con el nombre cortado por el final del renglón: el Emperador Amarillo es solo agente de la transmisión del texto del cielo al mundo, no maestro, y varias fuentes lo pintan como discípulo de seres divinos o semidivinos

«In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor ascended Mount Wangwu (Wangwu shan, in present-day Henan) and received scriptures on the elixirs; he climbed Mount Kongtong (Kongtong shan, Gansu) and questioned Guangcheng zi; to search for the Dao and the doctrines of Nourishing Life (yangsheng) he listened to the teachings of the Mysterious Woman and the Pure Woman; and to scrutinize the divine and the supernatural he wrote down the words of the Baize.» — el viaje iniciático del Emperador Amarillo tal como lo traduce Pregadio del Jiudan jingjue: escrituras de los elixires en el monte Wangwu, Guangcheng zi en el Kongtong, las enseñanzas de la Mujer Misteriosa y de la Mujer Pura sobre el Nutrir la Vida, y las palabras del Baize puestas por escrito

«Thus he obtained a thorough knowledge of the Dao and the real, and a deep discernment of the mysterious and the secret. Then he sublimated and fixed the Elixir in Nine Cycles (jiuzhuan) at the foot of Mount Jing (Jingshan, Henan), and transmuted the Liquid Pearl (liuzhu) on the Lake of the Tripod (Dinghu, also in Henan).19 (Jiudan jingjue, 5.2a)» — y el remate de ese viaje: conocimiento cabal del Dao y de lo real, y luego el Elixir en Nueve Ciclos sublimado y fijado al pie del monte Jing y la Perla Líquida transmutada en el Lago del Trípode

«The Yellow Emperor extracted copper from Mount Shou (Shoushan, Henan) and cast a tripod at the foot of Mount Jing (Jingshan, Henan). When the tripod was ready, a dragon with a long beard appeared and welcomed the Yellow Emperor. The Emperor mounted on the dragon, followed by more than seventy ministers and concubines.» — el mito del trípode en la versión del Lunheng de Wang Chong que Pregadio traduce: fundido el trípode al pie del monte Jing con cobre del monte Shou, un dragón de barba larga viene a recoger al Emperador Amarillo, que monta con más de setenta ministros y concubinas

«The dragon rose up and left. The remaining officers could not mount on the dragon; they held on to its beard, pulling it and causing the Yellow Emperor’s bow to fall down. They looked on high; when the Yellow Emperor had risen to heaven, they collected his bow and the dragon’s beard, and wailed. Therefore the later generations called that place Dinghu (Lake of the Tripod) and his bow wuhao (“bow of wailing”).20 (Lunheng, 7.305)» — y su desenlace: los oficiales que no alcanzan a montar se agarran a la barba del dragón y hacen caer el arco del emperador, y de ahí los nombres del Lago del Trípode y del arco del lamento

«Nine tripods, according to another early legend, were inscribed by the mythical Emperor Yu with the images of demons and spirits in order to obtain control of them;» — la otra leyenda con que Pregadio enlaza el título: los nueve trípodes que el mítico emperador Yu hizo grabar con imágenes de demonios y espíritus para dominarlos

«and their essence was equal to Yin and Yang. Joined in oneness with the four seasons, their own light was reflected by the sun and the moon. They were one with the generation and transformation of things (zaohua zhe). (Huainan zi, 8.1a–b)» — y el cierre del pasaje, ya al otro lado del límite de chunk que parte la frase sobre el cuerpo comunicado con el Cielo y la Tierra: la esencia igual al Yin y al Yang, unidos a las cuatro estaciones, con su luz reflejada por el sol y la luna y hechos uno con la generación y transformación de las cosas

«Not only the Taiqing texts, but other sources also show that the heaven of Great Clarity was the most exalted celestial domain—an external counterpart to the inner spiritual state described in the Zhuangzi and the other works quoted above in the present chapter—before the Daoist cosmographic model was reshaped by the revelations of the late fourth century.» — la tesis del capítulo: antes de que las revelaciones de fines del siglo IV rehicieran la cosmografía taoísta, el cielo de la Gran Claridad era el dominio celeste más alto, contraparte externa del estado espiritual interior del Zhuangzi

«The Supreme Great One is the Father of the Dao and exists before Heaven and Earth. He resides above the Nine Heavens (jiutian), within the Great Clarity, outside the Eight Obscurities, inside the Subtle Tenuity. (Laozi zhongjing, sec. 1)» — el pasaje del Laozi zhongjing que Pregadio traduce: el Supremo Gran Uno, Padre del Dao, anterior al Cielo y a la Tierra, reside sobre los Nueve Cielos, dentro de la Gran Claridad

«The Lord of the Dao is the One. . . . He resides above the Nine Heavens at an altitude of ten thousand zhang, within the Palace of the Purple Chamber in the Great Abyss (taiyuan zifang gong). . . . Above him is the five-colored glow of the cloud pneuma of Great Clarity. Under a nine-layered flowery canopy, Laozi and Great Harmony attend upon him on his left and his right. (Laozi zhongjing, sec. 5)» — y el segundo pasaje: el Señor del Dao reside sobre los Nueve Cielos a diez mil zhang, en el Palacio de la Cámara Púrpura, con el resplandor de cinco colores del pneuma nuboso de la Gran Claridad encima y Laozi y Gran Armonía a sus lados

«These references show that the Great Clarity is not only the heaven from which the alchemical revelations have descended; it is the highest celestial realm, where the highest gods reside and to which not only the elixirs but also meditation practices grant access.» — lo que Pregadio saca de esas referencias: la Gran Claridad no es solo el cielo del que bajaron las revelaciones alquímicas, sino el reino celeste más alto, donde residen los dioses supremos y al que dan acceso también las prácticas de meditación

«With a remarkable shift from the earlier descriptions, the word qing, or “clarity,” takes on a new meaning in these texts, denoting not only a celestial domain (jing) but also the corresponding ruling deity, known as Celestial Worthy (tianzun). In this arrangement, the earlier gods find no more place, and the Great Clarity itself is placed at the lower end, below the heavens of the Jade Clarity (Yuqing) and the Highest Clarity (Shangqing).» — el cambio que Pregadio fecha en las fuentes de las Seis Dinastías tardías: qing pasa a designar no solo un dominio celeste sino la deidad que lo rige, los dioses anteriores quedan sin sitio y la Gran Claridad baja al último lugar de las Tres Claridades

«The Three Clarities, moreover, occupy an intermediate place in an even larger cosmographic model. Above them lies the supreme celestial sphere, namely the Great Canopy heaven (Daluo tian); below them are the Four Brahma¯ heavens (si fantian) and farther below the Three Realms (sanjie), that is, the realms of formlessness (wuse jie, containing four heavens), form (sejie, containing eighteen heavens), and desire (yujie, containing six heavens).» — y el encaje mayor en que quedan: por encima el cielo del Gran Dosel, por debajo los cuatro cielos Brahma y más abajo los Tres Reinos, el de la ausencia de forma con cuatro cielos, el de la forma con dieciocho y el del deseo con seis

«Not much earlier, a smaller-scale, but nonetheless comprehensive, essay of systematization had been made by Tao Hongjing (456 – 536), the ninth patriarch of the Shangqing lineage.» — el otro ensayo de sistematización que Pregadio trae: el de Tao Hongjing, a quien fecha entre 456 y 536 y llama noveno patriarca del linaje Shangqing

«The seven domains of Tao Hongjing actually decrease to four if one considers that all, except for the first one, are arranged in pairs: the Highest Clarity and Great Ultimate are both located in the north, while the Great Clarity and the Nine Palaces are in the east and the west, respectively, above Kunlun, the mountain at the center of the cosmos.» — la lectura que Pregadio hace de esa lista: los siete dominios se reducen a cuatro porque, salvo el primero, van en parejas, con la Gran Claridad y los Nueve Palacios al este y al oeste sobre el Kunlun

«Hidden under Tao Hongjing’s description, therefore, is a reiteration of the three-tier Daoist cosmography that we have outlined above, with the addition of a fourth» — y lo que concluye, con el tramo cortado antes del compuesto que el corte de renglón partiría: bajo la descripción de Tao late la misma cosmografía de tres pisos, con el añadido de un cuarto componente que la plana 65 imprime *double-layered*, hecho de las Cavernas-Cielo bajo las montañas sagradas y del monte Fengdu, sede del reino de los muertos

«In the same work, as well as twice in his Concealed Instructions for the Ascent to Perfection (Dengzhen yinjue), moreover, Tao identifies the Great Clarity as a “lineage” (jia), acknowledging its status not only as a heaven, but also as a body of doctrines and methods that were transmitted among its adepts.» — el dato que Pregadio subraya de Tao Hongjing: identifica la Gran Claridad como un linaje, con lo que le reconoce condición no solo de cielo sino de cuerpo de doctrinas y métodos transmitidos entre adeptos

«The list of Tao Hongjing’s seven domains also shows that, in his system, the Great Clarity is the only heaven governed by two gods, both of whom are aspects of Laojun, or Lord Lao, the divine aspect of Laozi whose role in the revelations of the Taiqing scriptures has been noted above.» — y otro: en el sistema de Tao la Gran Claridad es el único cielo gobernado por dos dioses, ambos aspectos del Señor Lao

«In the classical scheme of the Three Clarities, Lord Lao performs the same office of supreme deity of the Great Clarity under the name of Daode tianzun, the Celestial Worthy of the Way and Its Virtue, an appellation derived from the title of the text that is attributed to him, the Scripture of the Way and Its Virtue (Daode jing). He reappears in the Great Ultimate, the heaven above the Great Clarity, as Li Hong, Lord Lao’s name as the forthcoming messiah or Saint of the Later Times (housheng).» — la continuidad que Pregadio traza para esa figura: en el esquema clásico el Señor Lao ocupa el mismo oficio bajo el nombre de Daode tianzun, tomado del título del Daode jing, y reaparece en el Gran Último como Li Hong, su nombre de mesías venidero

«The authors of this encyclopedia, completed on imperial order in 588 ce, aimed to describe in one hundred chapters—about one-third of which have been lost—Daoist teachings on cosmogony, cosmography, cosmic cycles, deities, sacred writings, the human being, morals, communal and individual practices, and stages of spiritual realization. These subjects are illustrated through quotations from more than one hundred texts, most of which are extant in the current Daoist Canon.» — la enciclopedia en que Pregadio se apoya, con su fecha y su medida: el Wushang biyao, terminado por orden imperial en 588, cien capítulos de los que se ha perdido cerca de un tercio, con citas de más de cien textos

«In one of these passages, the Great Clarity appears as one of seven “palaces” (gong) located not below, but within the Three Realms themselves. Above the Great Clarity are the palaces of the Highest Clarity and the Great Ultimate, and below are those of the officers of Heaven, Earth, the Caverns, and Water.» — la posición que le da a la Gran Claridad uno de esos pasajes: uno de siete palacios situados no debajo sino dentro de los Tres Reinos, con la Claridad Suprema y el Gran Último encima y los oficiales del Cielo, la Tierra, las Cavernas y el Agua debajo

«The names of these and other palaces are said to be nothing but appellations (hao) of the deities who rule them. Those associated with the Three Clarities, in particular, are designations taken by the respective deities in the first year of each of the three major pre-cosmic eras, known as Dragon Magnificence (Longhan), Scarlet Light (Chiming), and Highest Sovereign (Shanghuang).» — lo que esos nombres son según la enciclopedia: apelativos de las deidades que rigen los palacios, tomados por ellas en el primer año de cada una de las tres grandes eras precósmicas

«Among those who are directly related to Taiqing scriptures or methods, several have received the Elixir of Great Clarity, including Ma Mingsheng, Yin Changsheng, and Ge Hong himself.» — quiénes recibieron el Elixir de la Gran Claridad según esa lista: Ma Mingsheng, Yin Changsheng y el propio Ge Hong

«In the even more varied list of those deemed to have been related to alchemy, but not specifically to the Taiqing scriptures or methods, we find the Eight Masters (Bagong) of Liu An, some famous fangshi (masters of the methods), as well as Zhang Daoling, the beginner of the Way of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi dao), whose relation to the heaven of Great Clarity we shall examine later.» — y quiénes aparecen ligados a la alquimia sin serlo a las escrituras Taiqing: los Ocho Maestros de Liu An, algunos fangshi célebres y Zhang Daoling, iniciador de la Vía de los Maestros Celestes

«This is the case of Li Boyang (one of the names of Laozi), who is called “the Laojun of the Great Clarity” in the Secret Essentials; of Yin Xi, the Guardian of the Pass, who was the first to receive Laozi’s teachings; of Zuo Ci, the first recipient of the Taiqing scriptures; 41 of Juanzi and his disciple Su Lin, both of whom are important saints of the Shangqing school but are also endowed with alchemical knowledge; 42 and of Chunyu Taixuan, better known as Chunyu Shutong, who is said to have received the Token for the Agreement of the Three (Zhouyi cantong qi) from Wei Boyang.» — los que, alcanzado el grado del Gran Último, siguen morando en la Gran Claridad: Li Boyang, Yin Xi el Guardián del Paso, Zuo Ci, Juanzi y su discípulo Su Lin, y Chunyu Taixuan, de quien se dice que recibió el Zhouyi cantong qi de Wei Boyang

«Another eminent and well-known “perfected immortal” related to the Great Ultimate is Zhuangzi, who rose to that heaven after compounding an elixir, and now dwells there with his master.» — y el caso que Pregadio destaca aparte: Zhuangzi, que según esa fuente subió al Gran Último tras componer un elixir y mora allí con su maestro

«The Secret Essentials also contains lists of drugs (yao) arranged into six degrees according to the rank granted by their ingestion: the drugs of the Jade Clarity, of the Highest Clarity, of the Great Ultimate, of the Great Clarity, and of the Immortals of Heaven and of Earth.» — la escala de drogas de la enciclopedia: seis grados según el rango que otorga ingerirlas, de la Claridad de Jade a los Inmortales del Cielo y de la Tierra

«These drugs grant varying degrees of transcendence, from a longevity of three or four hundred years to permanence beyond the duration of Heaven itself. Their rise in the hierarchy is parallel to changes in their features: plant products are especially mentioned among the drugs of the Immortals of Earth, while the nomenclature of the elixirs has no literal connotations from the drugs associated with the Great Ultimate upward, and no formula at all exists for those related to the two highest heavens.» — y cómo cambian al subir en la jerarquía: los productos vegetales quedan abajo, la nomenclatura de los elixires pierde toda connotación literal del Gran Último para arriba, y para los dos cielos más altos no hay fórmula alguna

«The extensive description of Daoist teaching, mythical history, cosmography, pantheon, and literature in the Supreme Secret Principles shows how tightly the Great Clarity and its teachings were integrated into the doctrinal foundations of Six Dynasties Daoism. For the authors of the Principles, and even more so for those of the works quoted in it, the Taiqing legacy constituted a definite entity among the different forms that the Daoist teaching took during the Six Dynasties.» — lo que Pregadio concluye de esa enciclopedia: el grado de integración de la Gran Claridad y sus enseñanzas en los fundamentos doctrinales del taoísmo de las Seis Dinastías, donde el legado Taiqing era una entidad definida

«The status assigned to the Great Clarity in medieval and later Daoism resulted from the revelations of new bodies of teachings and practices that claimed the higher ranks in the hierarchy of the various forms of teaching. Earlier, in texts like the Zhuangzi and the Huainan zi, the Great Clarity had denoted in the first place the highest inner spiritual state, while in the Taiqing texts it is portrayed as the most exalted celestial realm, whose deities grant the revelation of the alchemical scriptures.» — y el balance con que cierra el capítulo: el rango que le tocó en el taoísmo medieval salió de revelaciones nuevas que reclamaron los puestos altos; antes, en el Zhuangzi y el Huainan zi, la Gran Claridad nombraba sobre todo el estado espiritual interior más alto, y en los textos Taiqing es el reino celeste más excelso

«The Taiqing tradition was not based on a body of doctrinal tenets explicitly stated in its texts, and even less so was it provided with a formal organization of masters and disciples. Far from being a “school” in the sense of an established movement, it was originally centered on a set of key scriptures and practices, and developed through the addition of subsidiary texts and methods.» — la negativa con que abre el capítulo tercero: la tradición Taiqing no tuvo cuerpo doctrinal explícito ni organización formal de maestros y discípulos, y lejos de ser una escuela se centró en un conjunto de escrituras y prácticas al que se fueron añadiendo textos subsidiarios

«Possibly for these reasons, there is no trace in any extant source of a catalogue or a list of Taiqing canonical scriptures. In time, however, the original corpus of writings was expanded with the enlargement of the older texts, such as the Scripture of Great Clarity, the addition of new ones, such as the writings related to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, and the compilation of commentaries, such as the one on the Scripture of the Golden Liquor.» — y la negativa que ficha como dato, con su causa en condicional: no hay rastro en ninguna fuente conservada de un catálogo o lista de escrituras canónicas Taiqing, aunque el corpus original sí creció con ampliaciones, textos nuevos y comentarios

«Originally denoting the breaths (qi) of each of the original Three Sovereigns (sanhuang, i.e., the rulers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), the “caverns” also represent the three main doctrinal and textual corpora of Daoism during the Six Dynasties.» — la noción de las Tres Cavernas tal como Pregadio la explica: de aliento de cada uno de los Tres Soberanos —los regentes del Cielo, la Tierra y la Humanidad— pasa a nombrar los tres corpus doctrinales y textuales del taoísmo de las Seis Dinastías

«The Jade Clarity is associated with the Cavern of Reality and the Shangqing corpus; the Highest Clarity (in spite of its name) with the Cavern of Mystery and the Lingbao corpus; and the Great Clarity with the Cavern of Spirit and the Sanhuang (Three Sovereigns) corpus. The name Sanhuang was derived from the Script of the Three Sovereigns, or Sanhuang wen, deemed to be the most representative text of the southern traditions before the creations of the Shangqing and Lingbao corpora.» — y el reparto que resulta: la Claridad de Jade con la Caverna de la Realidad y el corpus Shangqing, la Claridad Suprema con la de Misterio y el Lingbao, y la Gran Claridad con la del Espíritu y el corpus Sanhuang, nombrado por el Sanhuang wen

«For the moment, it is sufficient to note that the resulting fabric of related categories (shown in Table 1) underlies many medieval Daoist doctrines, beliefs, and practices, and continued to define for several centuries major aspects of Daoist doctrine and practice, from the arrange» — el alcance que Pregadio le da a ese tejido de categorías, con la palabra cortada por el cambio de plana: sostiene doctrinas, creencias y prácticas del taoísmo medieval y siguió definiendo durante siglos aspectos mayores, desde, sigue en la plana 64, *ment of scriptural collections in the Daoist Canon to the ordination stages of the masters of ritual*

«the opening chapters of the Supreme Essentials deal with the Dao, the One Pneuma (yiqi), and the highest heavens; then comes the world in which we live, with focus on the Sun, the Moon, and the planets, and on mountains, caverns, and woods; and finally the human being with its inner gods.» — el orden de la enciclopedia según Pregadio: primero el Dao, el Pneuma Uno y los cielos más altos, luego el mundo en que vivimos con el Sol, la Luna, los planetas, las montañas, las cavernas y los bosques, y al final el ser humano con sus dioses interiores

«In another, more elaborate classification, the scriptures are arranged into three categories according to their relation to spiritual domains and their duration in kalpas (jie), or cosmic cycles. The superior scriptures are those issued from the Celestial Worthy of Original Commencement himself; they belong to the world above form and are never destroyed.» — la clasificación de escrituras por kalpas que Pregadio resume, en su primer grado: las superiores salen del propio Celestial Digno del Comienzo Original, pertenecen al mundo sin forma y no se destruyen nunca

«The median ones consist of “the various transmutations (i.e., the alchemical methods) and the talismanic charts (futu) of the Great Clarity, and the scriptures of the Way of Great Peace (taiping daojing)”; they all belong to the world of form and are destroyed at the end of a great kalpa. The inferior ones are related to the practices of “nourishing life” (yangsheng); they pertain to the world of desire and are destroyed at the end of a small kalpa.» — y los otros dos: las medianas son las transmutaciones y las cartas talismánicas de la Gran Claridad junto a las escrituras de la Vía de la Gran Paz, y se destruyen al fin de un gran kalpa; las inferiores, las del nutrir la vida, al fin de uno pequeño

«The first, superior group includes beings who are qualified as deities (shen). None of them has ever lived a historical existence on earth: they consist of divine emperors, lords, envoys (shizhe), jade women (including the Jade Women of the Divine Elixirs, shendan yunü), and various officers. Only their ranks and appellations are known, while their surnames and names, as well as the “virtuous training” (deye) that they underwent, are unknown.» — el primer grupo de seres asociados a la Gran Claridad en la enciclopedia: deidades que nunca vivieron en la tierra —emperadores divinos, señores, enviados, mujeres de jade, entre ellas las de los Elixires Divinos— de las que solo se conocen rangos y apelativos, no sus nombres ni su entrenamiento virtuoso

«Moreover, the table includes only sources known to have existed around the seventh or the eighth century that are entirely or partly preserved in the present-day Daoist Canon.» — el criterio con que Pregadio arma su tabla: solo fuentes de las que consta que existían hacia el siglo VII u VIII y que se conservan entera o parcialmente en el Canon taoísta de hoy

«the bibliographies of the Standard Histories list twenty-eight texts bearing the Taiqing prefix in their titles, and unofficial library catalogues compiled during the Song period add about a dozen. Based on what can be gathered from their titles, about half of these texts are likely to have dealt with alchemy.» — lo que queda fuera y con qué grado: veintiocho textos con el prefijo Taiqing en las bibliografías de las Historias Estándar y cerca de una docena más en catálogos Song, de los que la mitad trataría de alquimia a juzgar por sus títulos

«are lost, however, it is unclear whether the prefix indicates an actual association with the Taiqing tradition, or merely their inclusion into the identically named section of the Daoist Canon, which was initially devoted to the Taiqing tradition but whose connections with it became increasingly blurred in time.» — y la reserva que le pone, en la frase partida por el límite de chunk: perdidos casi todos, no se sabe si el prefijo indica vínculo real con la tradición o solo la inclusión en la sección homónima del Canon, cuya relación con ella se fue desdibujando

«The main Taiqing text was the Scripture of Great Clarity (Taiqing jing). This work contained methods for making several elixirs, two of which are summarized by Ge Hong in his Inner Chapters: the Elixir of Great Clarity (taiqing dan) and the Elixirs of the Nine Radiances (jiuguang dan).2 The text has not come down to us, but the Daoist Canon contains two works that claim, through their titles, to have close ties to it.» — el estado del texto principal según Pregadio: el Taiqing jing traía métodos para varios elixires, de los que Ge Hong resume dos, y no ha llegado hasta nosotros, aunque el Canon taoísta guarda dos obras que por su título dicen estar ligadas a él

«In her speech, the goddess emphasizes that the elixirs lead to transcendence but pertain to the domain of human beings; alchemy, therefore, reflects the human limitations compared to the condition of beings of pure spirit (shen), who do not need to devote themselves to its practice.» — lo que dice la Princesa Primordial en el prefacio que se le atribuye, en la lectura de Pregadio: los elixires llevan a la trascendencia pero pertenecen al dominio de los seres humanos, y la alquimia refleja su límite frente a los seres de espíritu puro, que no necesitan practicarla

«But despite the importance of this text—even a neidan author, Chen Zhixu, quotes some sentences of it in one of his works 4—and despite its attribution to the deity who, as we have seen, first revealed the three main Taiqing scriptures, there is no evidence that the “Preface” was part of the Scripture of Great Clarity as it existed in Ge Hong’s time.» — y la negativa que Pregadio ficha pese a esa importancia y a esa atribución: no hay evidencia de que ese prefacio formara parte del Taiqing jing tal como existía en tiempos de Ge Hong

«The extant work that is closest to the original Scripture of Great Clarity is the Oral Instructions of the Celestial Master on the Scripture of Great Clarity (Taiqing jing tianshi koujue). After an introductory section on the ceremony of transmission, this work contains two writings devoted to methods unrelated to each other.» — la obra que da por más cercana al Taiqing jing original: el Taiqing jing tianshi koujue, con una sección introductoria sobre la ceremonia de transmisión y dos escritos de métodos sin relación entre sí

«The Celestial Master mentioned in the title of the Oral Instructions is certainly Zhang Daoling himself, the beginner of the Way of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi dao), who in medieval times was said to have received a Scripture of Great Clarity in forty-six scrolls when Laojun granted him the revelations of 142 ce.» — quién es el Maestro Celeste del título según Pregadio: Zhang Daoling, iniciador de la Vía de los Maestros Celestes, de quien en época medieval se decía que recibió un Taiqing jing en cuarenta y seis rollos con las revelaciones del 142

«In later times, it became the source of a sizable textual legacy: the original text, listed in some bibliographies as a work in one scroll and mentioned by Ge Hong as made of three scrolls, was expanded to twelve scrolls by the late tenth century, and to sixty-two scrolls by the twelfth century.» — el crecimiento del texto que Pregadio mide: de un rollo en algunas bibliografías y tres según Ge Hong, a doce a fines del siglo X y a sesenta y dos en el XII

«Chen Guofu has plausibly suggested that these enlargements resulted from the incorporation not only of other alchemical methods, but especially of miscellaneous writings on the practices of Nourishing Life (yangsheng).» — la explicación de Chen Guofu que Pregadio califica de plausible: esas ampliaciones vinieron de incorporar no solo métodos alquímicos sino sobre todo escritos varios sobre el nutrir la vida

«The Nine Elixirs, which is translated below in Chapter 9, is one of the few extant sources to give details on the entire ritual sequence of the alchemical practice, from the ceremony of transmission to the ingestion of the elixirs.» — lo que hace singular al Jiudan jing según Pregadio: es de las pocas fuentes conservadas que detallan la secuencia ritual entera, de la ceremonia de transmisión a la ingestión

«It consists of three main parts, respectively concerned with: (1) an introduction about the revelation of the scripture, the benefits of the alchemical medicines, and various ritual rules; (2) the methods for making two preliminary compounds, called Mysterious and Yellow (xuanhuang) and Mud of the Six-and-One (liuyi ni); and (3) the methods and properties of the Nine Elixirs, which are nine separate preparations—an adept is not required to make and ingest all of them, but only one—related to each other by the main phases of their compounding and by the benefits that they grant.» — sus tres partes: la introducción sobre la revelación, los beneficios y las reglas rituales; los dos compuestos preliminares, el Misterioso y Amarillo y el Barro del Seis-y-Uno; y los Nueve Elixires, nueve preparaciones separadas de las que el adepto no ha de hacer más que una

«Ge Hong’s synopsis is quoted in four works in the Daoist Canon, testifying to the prestige that the Nine Elixirs enjoyed also beyond the waidan adepts.» — la medida de prestigio que Pregadio le atribuye: la sinopsis de Ge Hong se cita en cuatro obras del Canon taoísta, más allá de los adeptos del waidan

«In later times, Golden Liquor came to designate within Chinese alchemy a type of elixir rather than a particular preparation, and many sources, including non-alchemical ones, use this term to refer to the “elixir” in a general way. Remarkably different methods for preparations called Golden Liquor are found in several texts, whose relation to the original Scripture of the Golden Liquor, if any, is unclear.» — el desplazamiento semántico que consigna: Licor de Oro pasa a nombrar un tipo de elixir y no una preparación concreta, y hay métodos muy distintos con ese nombre cuya relación con el original, si la hay, no está clara

«Despite the early date of the materials contained in the first chapter, and despite the presence of the Taiqing prefix in the title, there is no indication that this work was part of the original Taiqing corpus. Ge Hong’s summary in his Inner Chapters shows beyond doubt that the received text containing the original Taiqing method of the Golden Liquor is the Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals.» — y la negativa que ficha, con su prueba: pese a la fecha temprana de sus materiales y al prefijo Taiqing del título, nada indica que esa obra fuera parte del corpus Taiqing original; el resumen de Ge Hong muestra que el texto recibido con el método original es el Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals

«Mao Ying’s charismatic figure as one of the main Shangqing saints was crucial for the continued transmission of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles, which entered the Shangqing corpus as part of his revealed biography and later was separated from it—apparently before the middle of the seventh century—to form the present text.» — cómo se conservó el Jiuzhuan huandan jing según Pregadio: entró en el corpus Shangqing dentro de la biografía revelada de Mao Ying y luego se separó de ella, al parecer antes de mediados del siglo VII

«This is the only feature in the entire text that points to its relation to the Shangqing school. The techniques used to compound the elixir, and the language used to describe them, correspond to those found in the three main Taiqing sources— especially the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs—suggesting that an earlier text was incorporated into the Shangqing corpus with the mere addition, or alteration, of two sentences containing Lord Wang’s name.» — la lectura que Pregadio propone sobre esa incorporación: la mención del Señor Wang de la Ciudadela Occidental es el único rasgo Shangqing del texto, y las técnicas y el lenguaje son los de las fuentes Taiqing, de modo que un texto anterior habría entrado con solo dos frases añadidas o alteradas

«While the language of the latter three parts closely reflects the Shangqing language and imagery, the first section again is close in contents, terminology, and style to the Taiqing texts, and describes a method similar to those of the Nine Elixirs and the other texts mentioned above. The heating process, in particular, is virtually identical to the one used for compounding the Nine Elixirs.» — y la costura que le encuentra: las tres partes últimas hablan la lengua y la imaginería Shangqing, mientras la primera es cercana en contenido, terminología y estilo a los textos Taiqing, con un proceso de calentamiento casi idéntico al de los Nueve Elixires

«Earlier study of the Flower of Langgan has resulted in the suggestion of a possible “external influence” and an origin antedating the Shangqing revelations for this text, based on the deities that it mentions: the gods of the mountains and the earth (shanshen and diqi), the constellation of the Weaver (zhinü), and the Count of the Waters (Shuibo).31 When the text is read together with the Taiqing sources, the identity of the earlier, external influence becomes clear.» — el desacuerdo que Pregadio consigna y hacia dónde lo lleva: un estudio anterior propuso para ese texto una influencia externa y un origen anterior a las revelaciones Shangqing por las deidades que nombra, y leído junto a las fuentes Taiqing la identidad de esa influencia se vuelve clara

«The culminating point of a religious legacy is often marked by the compilation of anthologies and commentaries intended to make available a selection of materials wider than those found in the early, original sources. At the same time, collections and large exegetical works often signal the end of the creative stage of that legacy.» — la regla general que Pregadio enuncia sobre las antologías: marcan a la vez la culminación de un legado religioso y el final de su etapa creativa

«These sources, consisting in two anthologies and in the nineteen-chapter commentary to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, provide a wealth of materials for the study of waidan to the mid-eighth century. They were, however, all compiled at a time when the alchemical tradition in China had already taken other forms. These new trends in alchemical doctrines and practices, whose main features are examined in Chapter 12, finally led to the demise not only of the Taiqing legacy, but of waidan itself.» — y cómo la aplica a las fuentes Taiqing del Tang: dan materiales abundantes hasta mediados del siglo VIII, pero se compilaron cuando la tradición alquímica en China ya había tomado otras formas, las que acabarían con el legado Taiqing y con el waidan mismo

«This association rests only on tradition, but interestingly the present Records includes a Method for Making the Inner Elixir (“Zao neidan fa”) which, in spite of its name, clearly refers to a laboratory process.» — y el grado con que Pregadio trata la asociación de Su Yuanming con el neidan: descansa solo en la tradición, y el propio Records trae un Método para Hacer el Elixir Interior que, pese al nombre, describe un proceso de laboratorio

«It is obvious that the Inventory, the Records, and the Essential Instructions drew their descriptions from the same source. The affiliations of the latter two texts with the Taiqing tradition make it very likely that this source is one of the expanded versions of the Scripture of the Elixirs of the Great Clarity.» — la inferencia con que cierra ese tramo, con su grado marcado: las tres obras sacaron sus descripciones de una misma fuente, y por la filiación Taiqing de dos de ellas es muy probable que esa fuente sea una de las versiones ampliadas del Taiqing jing

«For its rich content, its clear design, and its plain language, the Instructions on the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs (Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue) is one of the main sources for the study of Chinese alchemy.» — el valor que Pregadio le da al comentario: por su contenido, su diseño y su lengua llana, el Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue es una de las fuentes principales para el estudio de la alquimia china

«The chief criterion that inspired its anonymous compiler is an amplification of the major themes of the Nine Elixirs through extensive quotations from other works. This enabled him to produce a text in twenty chapters which, besides the portions focused on the Nine Elixirs itself (see Table 3), also includes large amounts of materials not directly related to it, making the commentary a summa of the Chinese alchemical tradition through the seventh century.» — y el criterio de su compilador anónimo: ampliar los temas mayores del Jiudan jing con citas extensas de otras obras, lo que hace del comentario una summa de la tradición alquímica china hasta el siglo VII

«If it is quality that you would discuss, then even the rank of emperor or king (replaced with “duke and marquis”) is not comparable with the method for attaining life in all its fullness. If it is quantity that you would discuss, then all the riches in the empire (replaced with “in a fief”) are not to be exchanged for this art.46 (Jiudan jingjue, 6.1a)» — el pasaje de los Capítulos Interiores citado en el comentario, con las sustituciones que Pregadio señala por respeto al emperador: ni el rango de emperador ni las riquezas del imperio se cambian por el método de alcanzar la vida en plenitud

«The anonymous author of the commentary to the Nine Elixirs displays a remarkable mastery of the alchemical tradition. He has firsthand knowledge of the waidan practice, as he provides evidence of experience in compounding the elixirs. For instance, he had personally tested the methods for making the crucible and the luting mud, and had found them to be “perfect and sublime” (zhimiao).» — lo que Pregadio le reconoce a ese autor anónimo: dominio notable de la tradición y conocimiento de primera mano de la práctica, con métodos del crisol y del barro probados por él mismo

«On the other hand, he notes that the methods for making aqueous solutions that replace unavailable ingredients with others do not give satisfying results. He also reports the different spans of time required in the methods for making solutions of alum given in the Thirty-six Aqueous Solutions (Sanshiliu shuifa) but points out that, upon testing, he had found all of them to require fifty days.» — y los reparos que ese mismo autor declara: las soluciones acuosas que sustituyen ingredientes no dan resultado satisfactorio, y al probarlas halló que todas las de alumbre pedían cincuenta días

«The three main Taiqing scriptures and the two waidan texts preserved in the Shangqing corpus describe methods for compounding about a dozen elixirs, and provide details on the doctrinal foundations of the Taiqing tradition and on the ritual sequence of the alchemical process. The related sources mentioned in this chapter—especially the commentary to the Nine Elixirs—add a wealth of additional information. Together, these texts make it possible to reconstruct the main doctrinal, ritual, and technical aspects of the Taiqing legacy.» — el balance con que Pregadio cierra el capítulo tercero: entre las cinco escrituras y las fuentes afines se reconstruyen los aspectos doctrinales, rituales y técnicos del legado Taiqing

«Ge Hong’s summary of the Scripture of the Golden Liquor (Jinye jing) omits important details of the method.» — la carencia que Pregadio señala en la fuente más citada: el resumen de Ge Hong del Jinye jing omite detalles importantes del método

«Some scholars have examined its chemical features, but not enough attention has yet been paid to the Scripture of the Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals, by the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature (Baopu zi shenxian jinzhuo jing), which describes the same procedure in full.» — y su objeción al estado de la cuestión: se han estudiado sus rasgos químicos y no se ha atendido bastante al Baopu zi shenxian jinzhuo jing, que describe el mismo procedimiento entero

«Two references to the change of the weight system between the Han and the Jin dynasties, found in the commentary, suggest that the original text does indeed date from the Han.» — cómo data Pregadio el Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals: dos referencias al cambio del sistema de pesos entre los Han y los Jin sugieren que el texto original es de época Han

«The place names used in the commentary show that it was written between the late fifth and the late sixth centuries, a dating confirmed by quotations from both the main text and the commentary in the Essays for Ridiculing the Dao (Xiaodao lun), a Buddhist work written in 570.» — y cómo data su comentario: los topónimos lo sitúan entre fines del siglo V y fines del VI, fecha que apoya con las citas del Xiaodao lun, obra budista de 570

«As we have it today, the Flower of Langgan describes an alchemical method performed in four stages. The product of the first stage—which is the Flower of Langgan proper—undergoes further refinement in three later stages, and is finally buried under the earth. After three years, it generates a tree whose» — el método del Langgan huadan jing tal como Pregadio lo resume, con la frase cortada por el cambio de plana: cuatro etapas, el producto de la primera refinado en tres más y enterrado al final bajo tierra, y a los tres años un árbol cuyas, sigue en la plana 78, *properties equal those of the langgan plant that grows on Mount Kunlun*

«The first anthology is the Essential Instructions from the Scripture of the Elixirs of Great Clarity (Taiqing danjing yaojue), attributed to Sun Simiao (fl. 673, traditional dates 581–682).» — la primera antología: el Taiqing danjing yaojue, atribuido a Sun Simiao, a quien Pregadio da por florecido en 673 con fechas tradicionales de 581 a 682

«The second anthology is the Records from the Stone Wall of Great Clarity (Taiqing shibi ji), a collection in three chapters attributed to an Elder of the Moorlands of Chu (Chuze xiansheng).» — la segunda antología: el Taiqing shibi ji, colección en tres capítulos atribuida a un Anciano de los Páramos de Chu

«The text was edited during the Qianyuan period (758–59) of the Tang by an anonymous officer of Jianzhou (Sichuan), based on an earlier version attributed to Su Yuanming.» — y su edición, con fecha: en el periodo Qianyuan del Tang, por un oficial anónimo de Jianzhou, sobre una versión anterior atribuida a Su Yuanming

«The distinction among these features is in many ways artificial, as in several cases the single stages of the alchemical process—in particular, the heating of the elixir ingredients in the crucible—pertain at the same time to all three of them. However, only by distinguishing these aspects from each other is it possible to account for the multiple levels at which the alchemical process takes place.» — la reserva que Pregadio pone a su propio reparto en doctrina, rito y técnica: la llama artificial en muchos sentidos, porque una misma etapa pertenece a las tres a la vez, y solo distinguiéndolas se da cuenta de los varios niveles del proceso

«While the ritual features of the alchemical process and the apotropaic and healing properties of the elixirs enabled waidan to develop in close association with other legacies and traditions of Jiangnan, the distinguishing trait of alchemy lies in the doctrines underlying the compounding of the elixirs.» — dónde pone Pregadio el rasgo distintivo de la alquimia: lo ritual y lo apotropaico permitieron al waidan convivir con los otros legados de Jiangnan, pero lo que la distingue son las doctrinas que sostienen la composición de los elixires

«The central act of the alchemical process consists in causing matter to revert to its state of “essence” (jing), or prima materia. When the elixir ingredients are heated in the crucible, they go through the stages of development of the cosmos in a reverse order. The elixir is achieved when the ingredients reach a state deemed to be equivalent to the “essence” that spontaneously issues from the Dao and originates the world as we know it.» — y cuál es para él el acto central: hacer que la materia revierta a su estado de esencia o prima materia, recorriendo en el crisol y en orden inverso las etapas de desarrollo del cosmos hasta el estado equivalente a la esencia que brota del Dao

«It is, first of all, a symbolic token of the essence from which the formless Dao generates the world of form.» — la definición del elixir con que cierra ese tramo, cortada por el cambio de plana en su primera mitad: antes que objeto ritual o medicina, es prenda simbólica de la esencia con que el Dao sin forma engendra el mundo de la forma

«From a symbolic, ritual, and technical point of view, the entire alchemical process in the Taiqing tradition is supported by the crucible. Accordingly, the Taiqing texts point out that failure in the compounding of the elixirs is owed to mistakes made when preparing the vessel.» — el papel que Pregadio le da al crisol: lo simbólico, lo ritual y lo técnico del proceso Taiqing se apoyan en él, y por eso los textos achacan el fracaso de la obra a errores en la preparación del vaso

«In particular, they repeatedly emphasize that the crucible must be hermetically sealed, for even the most minute opening would cause the “precious treasure” (zhongbao, i.e., the essence) of the ingredients to volatilize and be lost. The “precious treasure” is the essence that forms the elixir.» — y la razón declarada del lutado hermético: la abertura más mínima haría volatilizarse el tesoro precioso de los ingredientes, que es la esencia que forma el elixir

«Xu Shen’s Shuowen jiezi (Elucidations of the Signs and Explications of the Graphs; 100 ce) defines the graph dan (written or ) as formed by two parts, one meaning “cavity” or “well” (jing), and another consisting in a dot (zhu) that represents its center or something contained or hidden within it.» — el análisis del grafo dan que Pregadio toma del Shuowen jiezi de Xu Shen, fechado en el 100: dos partes, una que significa cavidad o pozo y un punto que representa su centro o algo contenido o escondido dentro

«While Xu Shen merely explains dan as “a scarlet stone found in Ba and Yue” (Ba Yue zhi chishi, with reference to regions corresponding to parts of present-day Sichuan and Zhejiang, respectively), the legacy of the later philologists is gathered in the main Chinese and Japanese lexical repertoires. These list four generally accepted meanings of dan:» — y lo que Xu Shen dice del término, frente a lo que recogen los repertorios léxicos chinos y japoneses posteriores: una piedra escarlata hallada en Ba y Yue, contra los cuatro sentidos aceptados

«According to the traditional philologists, the meaning of “elixir” originated later, based on the other acceptations of the word dan. Zhu Junsheng (1788–1858) states that “in later times the essence (jing) of the medicinal stones was also called dan.” 8 Duan Yucai (1735–1815) is somewhat more explicit on the shift of meaning from “essence” to “elixir”: according to his glosses, “dan is the essence of the stone, therefore the essence of all medicinal substances is called dan.”» — el orden que los filólogos tradicionales dan a los sentidos, con dos voces citadas por su nombre: Zhu Junsheng dice que en tiempos posteriores también se llamó dan a la esencia de las piedras medicinales, y Duan Yucai, que dan es la esencia de la piedra y por eso se llama dan a la esencia de toda sustancia medicinal

«These definitions, synonyms, and related terms show that the semantic field of the word dan evolves from a root-meaning of “essence.” Its connotations include the reality, principle, or true nature of an entity or its essential part, and by extension the cognate notions of oneness, authenticity, sincerity, lack of artifice, simplicity, and concentration.» — la tesis semántica de Pregadio: el campo del término dan crece de una raíz que significa esencia, con las connotaciones de realidad, principio o naturaleza verdadera de un ente y las nociones afines de unidad, autenticidad, sinceridad, falta de artificio, simplicidad y concentración

«Lexical analysis, however, can only point to, but cannot account for, the symbolic associations that exist among the different notions and entities that we have mentioned above.» — el límite que Pregadio pone a su propio análisis léxico: puede señalar las asociaciones simbólicas entre esas nociones, no dar cuenta de ellas

«The symbolism of the color red builds in part on the importance of blood, whose circulation is a sign of life. In addition to this, and more important, red is the color of the heart, the symbolic center of the human being. This center, immaterial and intangible, has multiple locations that correspond to each other; besides the heart, it also resides above and below it, in the regions of the brain and the abdomen.» — de qué se compone el simbolismo del rojo según él: en parte de la sangre, cuya circulación es signo de vida, y sobre todo del corazón como centro simbólico del ser humano, centro inmaterial con varias localizaciones que se corresponden

«These three loci are named Cinnabar Fields (dantian), with reference not to the mineral cinnabar, but to the color red: the earliest text to provide a lengthy description of the lower Field, the Central Scripture of Laozi (Laozi zhongjing), represents it as red (chi) in the center, green on the left, yellow on the right, white above, and black below.» — y de ahí el nombre de los tres Campos de Cinabrio, que Pregadio remite al color y no al mineral, con la descripción del Laozi zhongjing: rojo en el centro, verde a la izquierda, amarillo a la derecha, blanco arriba y negro abajo

«Significantly, the Central Scripture defines this red locus within the body as the storing place of essence, whose primary material aspects in human beings are semen in men and menstrual blood in women.» — el dato que subraya de esa misma fuente: ese lugar rojo del cuerpo es el depósito de la esencia, cuyo aspecto material primario es el semen en el hombre y la sangre menstrual en la mujer

«Several decades ago, Max Kaltenmark showed the relation that occurs between the earliest known traditions of immortality and a pattern of equally ancient beliefs documented by literary and iconographic sources. These sources have transmitted descriptions and images of the immortals as transcendent beings provided with feathers and wings that enable them to fly and rise to heaven.» — el hallazgo de Max Kaltenmark en que Pregadio se apoya: la relación entre las tradiciones de inmortalidad más antiguas y las imágenes de los inmortales como seres alados capaces de volar y subir al cielo

«Moreover, as Kaltenmark remarks, “becoming similar to the gods meant not only going back to their winged essence, but also becoming a glowing being: the ancient kings had birds as their emblems, but they were also Suns.” The solar and luminous character of the immortal was emphasized when he attained his transcendent state by ingesting an elixir: according to some texts, taking an elixir makes one’s body as radiant as the sun.» — la fórmula de Kaltenmark que Pregadio cita: parecerse a los dioses era volver a su esencia alada y volverse además un ser resplandeciente, y según algunos textos tomar un elixir hace el cuerpo tan radiante como el sol

«Of an even greater interest and relevance in our context are the southern traditions of the Chu region, which associate immortality with the sun and the light. In the Far-off Journey (Yuanyou) poem of the Elegies of Chu (Chuci) “the poet-magician feeds on solar effluvia . . . he visits the Feathered Men (the immortals) on the Cinnabar Mound (Danqiu), the country of the people who do not die; he washes his hair in the Tanggu, the valley where the sun rises at dawn; at night he exposes his body to the brilliance of the» — las tradiciones del Chu que Pregadio pone por más pertinentes, con la cita cortada por el cambio de plana: en el Yuanyou el poeta-mago se alimenta de efluvios solares, visita a los Hombres Emplumados en el Montículo de Cinabrio y se lava el cabello en el valle donde amanece

«The second-century commentator on the Elegies Wang Yi writes that the Cinnabar Mound is a place “eternally luminous, both by day and night.” 15 This brings to notice a little-studied theme in Chinese religion, namely, the idea of objects, places, or mythical beings of perpetual light—a light that is inherent to them and therefore goes beyond the opposition of light and darkness, or of day and night.» — la glosa de Wang Yi que Pregadio recoge y el tema que le abre: el Montículo de Cinabrio es lugar eternamente luminoso de día y de noche, y eso apunta a una idea poco estudiada, la de objetos, lugares o seres de luz perpetua, inherente a ellos y más allá de la oposición de luz y tiniebla

«Cosmologically, this notion is expressed by the term Pure Yang (chunyang), which refers to the state beyond, and before, the separation of the One into Yin and Yang. The elixir, dan, represents this state, as does the Cinnabar Mound, Danqiu.» — y el término con que la expresa: Yang Puro, el estado anterior a la separación del Uno en Yin y Yang, que representan tanto el elixir como el Montículo de Cinabrio

«The zhi of the Seven Brilliancies and the Nine Radiances (qiming jiuguang) issues a brightness that “resembles that of the stars; by night those lights are visible at a distance of one hundred feet, and each beam can be clearly distinguished from the others, spreading out without merging with the others.”» — la descripción del zhi de las Siete Brillanteces y las Nueve Radiancias que Pregadio traduce: un brillo semejante al de las estrellas, visible de noche a cien pies, con cada haz distinguible de los otros

«According to Ge Hong, these and other zhi were similar to natural elixirs, and adepts could search and ingest them to obtain immortality. One of the elixirs mentioned in his work, the Elixirs of the Nine Radiances (jiuguang dan), shares its name with the zhi of the Seven Brilliancies and the Nine Radiances.» — lo que Ge Hong dice de esos zhi, según Pregadio: eran como elixires naturales que los adeptos podían buscar e ingerir para la inmortalidad, y uno de los elixires de su obra comparte nombre con ese zhi

«Its uses in clothing, architecture, and war implements show that red was the color associated with political authority and its celestial origins before yellow took its place.» — el otro campo del simbolismo del rojo: fue el color de la autoridad política y de su origen celeste antes de que el amarillo ocupara ese sitio

«A custom practiced on the day of the summer solstice, when the power of Yang is at its peak, consisted in hanging a piece of red silk on the doors to prevent demons from entering. This rite may be compared to a passage found in the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs: “Marking the doors with the Fixed Elixir (fudan), the hundred calamities, the myriad sprites, and the chimei and wangliang demons will dare not come before you.”» — el rito exorcístico que Pregadio compara con un pasaje del Jiudan jing: seda roja colgada en las puertas el día del solsticio de verano, y las puertas marcadas con el Elixir Fijo para que no se atrevan a acercarse las cien calamidades ni los demonios chimei y wangliang

«The essence of Great Yang obtains its power from the sun. From cinnabar (dansha) one acquires benefit and obtains one hundred blessings. According to the statutes and the ordinances!» — la inscripción de la jarra de una tumba del 133 a. e. c. que Pregadio traduce: la esencia del Gran Yang toma su poder del sol, y del cinabrio se obtiene provecho y cien bendiciones

«Dan “elixir” is a homophone of dan “dawn,” a detail that may be relevant not only for the phonetic identity of the two words, but also because the elixirs were typically ingested at dawn, facing the rising sun.» — la homofonía que Pregadio señala y el detalle ritual que la acompaña: dan elixir suena igual que dan alba, y los elixires se ingerían típicamente al alba, de cara al sol naciente

«Chen Shaowei (fl. early eighth century) echoes both Liu An and Wang Chong when he says: “Cinnabar is the perfect essence of the Great Yang” (taiyang, i.e., among the celestial bodies, of the sun), and “the root-origin of spiritual brightness (shenming).”» — lo que Chen Shaowei dice del cinabrio, en la traducción de Pregadio: es la esencia perfecta del Gran Yang y la raíz-origen de la claridad espiritual

«The same text states that “the Great Yang is cinnabar, which is born from the sun, which in turn is born from fire; cinnabar therefore is the son of fire and the sun.”» — y la genealogía que traza el Scripture of the Liquid Pearl: el Gran Yang es el cinabrio, que nace del sol, que a su vez nace del fuego, de modo que el cinabrio es hijo del fuego y del sol

«Besides being provided with protective and apotropaic properties, the elixir incorporates and represents the authentic essence that is hidden in and animates matter. This essence represents the timeless, eternal instant in which the Dao generates existence; it represents, in other words, the notion of “origin” in all of its possible aspects, and within it are included all the possible states of manifestation generated by the Dao.» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre lo que el elixir es: además de protector y apotropaico, incorpora y representa la esencia auténtica escondida en la materia que la anima, el instante intemporal en que el Dao engendra la existencia y, con él, todos los estados posibles de manifestación

«Cosmologically, it is a Yang substance, but not in the sense that it represents the principle complementary to Yin: as the Radiant Light goes beyond the opposition between light and darkness, so too the essence that forms the elixir incorporates both Yin and Yang and therefore represents Pure Yang, the state prior to the division of the One into the two.» — y la precisión que añade: es sustancia Yang, pero no como principio complementario del Yin, porque la esencia que forma el elixir incorpora Yin y Yang y por eso representa el Yang Puro, el estado previo a la división del Uno en dos

«The locus classicus of the term Mysterious and Yellow is a sentence found in one of the appendixes to the Book of Changes, which states: “Mysterious and Yellow means the mingling (za) of Heaven and Earth: Heaven is Mysterious (xuan) and Earth is Yellow (huang).”» — el locus classicus que Pregadio da para el Misterioso y Amarillo: una frase de los apéndices del Yijing, donde Misterioso y Amarillo es la mezcla del Cielo y la Tierra, Misterioso el Cielo y Amarilla la Tierra

«The importance of the Mysterious and Yellow in the methods of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs is also shown by the relation of its name to those of the three deities who first transmitted the scripture—the Mysterious Woman (Xuannü), the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), and the Mysterious Master (Xuanzi).» — y el argumento con que apoya su importancia: el nombre del compuesto se relaciona con los de las tres deidades que primero transmitieron la escritura, la Mujer Misteriosa, el Emperador Amarillo y el Maestro Misterioso

«Revealing that this compound plays another role besides the one of preventing the crucible from breaking upon contact with fire, the commentary to the Nine Elixirs glosses its name by saying: “Six and one is seven: the sages keep this secret, and therefore call it Six-and-One.” Significantly, the commentary adds that the mud is so called even when the number of ingredients is different from seven.» — la glosa del comentario al Jiudan jing sobre el Barro del Seis-y-Uno: seis y uno son siete, los sabios guardan el secreto y por eso lo llaman Seis-y-Uno, y el nombre se mantiene aunque los ingredientes no sean siete

«[7] There is a beginning. [6] There is a time before the beginning. [5] There is a time before the time before the beginning. [4] There is being. [3] There is non-being. [2] There is a time before non-being. [1] There is a time before the time before non-being. (Zhuangzi, 5/2/49–51)» — el pasaje del Zhuangzi que Pregadio traduce con su numeración añadida entre corchetes, y que traza el proceso a la inversa: hay un comienzo, un tiempo antes del comienzo, un tiempo antes de ese, el ser, el no ser, un tiempo antes del no ser y un tiempo antes de ese

«His work describes more than thirty methods. Among them is a method for luting the crucible similar to the one described in the Nine Elixirs, followed by detailed descriptions of each ingredient of the mud.» — lo que trae la antología de Sun Simiao: más de treinta métodos, entre ellos uno para lutar el crisol parecido al del Jiudan jing, seguido de la descripción de cada ingrediente del barro

«The first traditions about the immortals show analogies to the myths of the Feathered Men (yuren), whose lands lay along the coastal regions of China and who were the progenitors of the Yi clan. The Yi are sometimes called Wuyi or Zhuiyi (Yi Birds), and their ancestor was a bird—a pheasant or perhaps a pelican.» — la analogía que Pregadio traza con los Hombres Emplumados: sus tierras estaban en las regiones costeras de China, fueron progenitores del clan Yi y su antepasado era un ave, un faisán o quizá un pelícano

«At least until the Han period, important documents were written in red, including oracular bones, which have yielded traces of cinnabar.» — el uso del rojo en la escritura: hasta época Han los documentos importantes iban en rojo, incluidos huesos oraculares con restos de cinabrio

«The same was true of the talismans and the scriptures that Heaven bestowed upon virtuous sovereigns. One of the best-known examples of these writings, often collectively referred to as “cinnabar writs,” or danshu, is the Writ of the Luo River (Luoshu), which contained diagrams written in red.» — y lo mismo los talismanes y escrituras que el Cielo daba a los soberanos virtuosos, llamados en conjunto escritos de cinabrio, como el Luoshu con sus diagramas en rojo

«[4] At the stage of being, the germs of the ten thousand things (wanwu) appear for the first time. [3] At the stage of non-being, there are no forms and sounds, no matter and limits, and there “is” only pure Light (guangyao).» — los dos primeros de los grados que Pregadio resume del Huainan zi, con su numeración: en el ser aparecen por primera vez los gérmenes de las diez mil cosas, y en el no ser no hay formas ni sonidos ni materia ni límites y solo hay Luz pura

«[1] At the stage of the time before the time before non-being, there is absolute undifferentiation, a condition in which even Light would “retreat and evade from itself” (tui er zishi).» — y el último: indiferenciación absoluta, condición en que hasta la Luz se retiraría y se evadiría de sí misma

«The seven stages of the Zhuangzi and the Huainan zi all precede manifestation, and are transmutative phases happening within the inchoate state often denoted as hundun (original or primordial chaos).» — la lectura de Pregadio: los siete estadios preceden todos a la manifestación y son fases transmutativas dentro del estado inchoado que suele llamarse hundun, caos primordial

«The seven stages of cosmogony are portrayed there as seven openings pierced in the body of Emperor Hundun (“Chaos”) by the Emperor of the North and the Emperor of the South. The emergence of duality, symbolized by the two emperors, causes the death of Hundun and the shift from chaos to cosmos:» — y la otra imagen del Zhuangzi con que la empareja: los siete estadios como siete aberturas perforadas en el cuerpo del emperador Hundun, cuya muerte por la emergencia de la dualidad marca el paso del caos al cosmos

«The Emperor of the South was called Shu. The Emperor of the North was called Hu. And the Emperor of the Center was called Hundun. Shu and Hu at times mutually came together and met in Hundun’s territory. Hundun treated them very generously. Shu and Hu, then, discussed how they could reciprocate Hundun’s virtue saying: “Men all have seven openings in order to see, hear, eat and breathe. He alone doesn’t have any. Let’s try boring him some.” Each day they bored one hole, and on the seventh day Hundun died.43 (Zhuangzi, 21/7/33–35)» — el pasaje del Zhuangzi en la traducción de Pregadio: Shu y Hu, para corresponder a la generosidad de Hundun, le perforan cada día una de las siete aberturas que los hombres tienen para ver, oír, comer y respirar, y al séptimo día Hundun muere

«The practices described in the Taiqing texts are based on the reversal of the process alluded to in the passages quoted above. The Mysterious and Yellow and the Mud of the Six-and-One allow an alchemist to re-create the primordial inchoate state within the crucible. The Mysterious and Yellow represents the state before the emergence of duality, while the ingredients of the Mud of the Six-and-One, using the metaphor of the Zhuangzi, serve to close the seven openings that caused the death of Emperor Hundun—whose “body” is the crucible itself.» — la tesis central del capítulo cuarto: las prácticas Taiqing invierten ese proceso, y si el Misterioso y Amarillo representa el estado anterior a la dualidad, los ingredientes del Barro del Seis-y-Uno cierran las siete aberturas que mataron a Hundun, cuyo cuerpo es el propio crisol

«Carefully examine the crucible, and do not let any crack or opening remain. If there is a single breach even as thick as a hair, or as big as the nose of an ant, the Medicine volatilizes and entirely disappears. If the Medicine loses its subtle and divine components (jingshen), if it loses its heavenly and earthly essences, all you would obtain is a stone. Once its precious treasure (zhongbao) is lost, it would be of no efficacy, and its ingestion would have no benefit. (Jiuzhuan liuzhu shenxian jiudan jing, 1.6b)» — el pasaje del Jiuzhuan liuzhu shenxian jiudan jing que Pregadio traduce: una brecha del grosor de un cabello o del tamaño de la nariz de una hormiga basta para que la Medicina se volatilice y no quede más que una piedra, perdido su tesoro precioso

«Released from all corrupted aspects owed to the action of time, the purified matter that constitutes the elixir is an analogue of the essence that gives birth to the “ten thousand things,” or the world of multiplicity.» — la definición que Pregadio da de la materia purificada: liberada de lo corrompido por la acción del tiempo, el elixir es análogo de la esencia que da a luz las diez mil cosas

«Instead of establishing correlations between the ingredients and cosmological principles, as done in the later alchemical tradition in China, the Taiqing texts assign a crucial symbolic role in the task of reverting matter to prima materia to the crucible and in particular to the luting mud. The elixir and the crucible, thus, are at the center of the entire doctrinal import of the alchemical process.» — y el contraste con que cierra: en vez de correlacionar los ingredientes con principios cosmológicos, como la tradición posterior, los textos Taiqing le dan ese papel simbólico al crisol y al barro de lutar

«The Taiqing texts share this understanding of the purport of the alchemical process with all Chinese waidan sources. What distinguishes them from other works is the parallel emphasis that they give to the rites and the ceremonies performed at the single stages of the practice. Together with the underlying doctrines, these rites and ceremonies distinguish alchemy from a mere set of technical procedures.» — lo que Pregadio da por común a todas las fuentes waidan y lo que distingue a las Taiqing: el sentido del proceso lo comparten todas, y lo propio de estas es el peso que dan a los ritos y ceremonias de cada etapa, que son lo que aparta la alquimia de un mero conjunto de procedimientos técnicos

«The adept is instructed to comply with several ritual prescriptions, such as those for receiving texts from his master, for choosing a proper time and place to perform his practice, for building and protecting the laboratory, for kindling the fire, and even for purchasing the ingredients. The compounding of the elixirs is preceded by invocations to the highest divinities, and their ingestion also requires the observance of ritual rules.» — el inventario de prescripciones rituales que el adepto ha de cumplir según esos textos: recibir los textos del maestro, escoger tiempo y lugar, construir y proteger el laboratorio, encender el fuego y hasta comprar los ingredientes, con invocaciones antes de componer y reglas para ingerir

«As stated in the commentary to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, without the written instructions (wenjue) one would be unable to remove the toxicity of the ingredients, but the oral instructions are necessary to understand the meaning of the written instructions.» — lo que el comentario al Jiudan jing dice del reparto entre lo escrito y lo oral: sin las instrucciones escritas no se quita la toxicidad de los ingredientes, y sin las orales no se entiende el sentido de las escritas

«More important, states the commentary, one should not assume that the alchemical practice simply consists in following the recipes found in the texts: the compounding of the elixirs is often unsuccessful precisely because the more important aspects of the practice are not delivered in writing, and this indeed is why Liu Xiang and Tao Hongjing failed in their alchemical endeavors.» — y la advertencia que Pregadio destaca de ese comentario: la práctica no consiste en seguir las recetas de los textos, porque lo más importante no se entrega por escrito, y por eso fracasaron Liu Xiang y Tao Hongjing

«The adept must swear a covenant (meng) and establish a bond (yue, a word that in other contexts denotes a legal contract) with his master, and provide tokens (xin) that prove his commitment to receiving the texts and instructions and to keeping them secret.» — la ceremonia de transmisión según Pregadio: el adepto jura un pacto, traba un vínculo con su maestro y entrega prendas que acreditan su compromiso de recibir los textos y de guardarlos en secreto

«At the end of the rite, he and his master ratify their reciprocal obligation by smearing their mouths with blood, which is sometimes replaced by cinnabar (a further example of the symbolic association between the color red and the notions of sincerity and loyalty that we have discussed in the previous chapter).» — y el gesto que la cierra: maestro y discípulo se untan la boca con sangre, a veces sustituida por cinabrio, cosa que Pregadio enlaza con la asociación del rojo con la sinceridad y la lealtad

«The Scripture of the Golden Liquor says: “Throw a golden figurine of a man weighing eight ounces into an east-flowing stream, and utter an oath after drinking some blood. Only then you may receive the oral instructions.” (Baopu zi, 4.83)» — el rito de prendas del Jinye jing que Pregadio traduce del Baopu zi: una figurilla de oro de ocho onzas arrojada a una corriente que fluya al este, y un juramento tras beber sangre, antes de recibir las instrucciones orales

«Following the Writs of Codes and Covenants (kemeng shu) one uses eight ounces of yellow gold, forty feet of yellow hemp fabric, eight ounces of white silver, and forty feet of white silk as tokens. The transmission cannot take place more than once in one hundred years. The covenant is sealed smearing one’s mouth with blood, and should be kept secret.5 (Taiqing jing tianshi koujue, 1a)» — las prendas para recibir el Taiqing jing según su comentario, con el intervalo que fija: oro, cáñamo, plata y seda, y transmisión no más de una vez cada cien años

«The Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles enjoins the master who transmits the scriptures to donate part of the received tokens to his own master, give another part as alms, and use the rest as ritual objects, never taking advantage of them for personal benefit.» — lo que el mismo texto manda hacer con lo recibido: parte al propio maestro, parte en limosna y el resto como objetos rituales, nunca en provecho personal

«After the disciple has made his offerings, the transmission rite of the Nine Elixirs continues with directions to arrange a seat for the Mysterious Woman near the east-flowing stream, so that the goddess may descend and look upon the ceremony. Details on a presumably similar device are found in the commentary, which describes the construction of a seat for the Great One (Taiyi) used for the same purpose. Each side of the seat is three feet and six inches long, and two feet and eight inches high. The seat is covered with a mat, on which one places a three-foot-long piece of silk.» — el asiento para la Mujer Misteriosa junto a la corriente que fluye al este, y las medidas del asiento para el Gran Uno que da el comentario: tres pies y seis pulgadas de lado, dos pies y ocho de alto, con estera y una pieza de seda de tres pies

«Then, according to the Nine Elixirs, the master burns incense and announces to Heaven that he intends to transmit the alchemical teachings and texts to his disciple. Before handing down the scripture and the oral instructions, he waits for a sign of consent from the Mysterious Woman. If the sky is clear and there is no wind, master and disciple seal their covenant by drinking together the blood of a white chicken.» — y el cierre del rito: el maestro quema incienso y anuncia al Cielo su intención, espera la señal de consentimiento de la Mujer Misteriosa —cielo despejado y sin viento— y sella el pacto con el discípulo bebiendo juntos la sangre de un pollo blanco

«No more than three people, states another Taiqing text, can help the adept: if there are more, “their hearts would not be unanimous.”» — y el límite que pone otro texto Taiqing: no más de tres, porque si son más sus corazones no serían unánimes

«When you have finished your purification, take three bushels of pure liquor and toss them into an east-flowing stream. Gazing down at the water, incant, saying: Azure flow of Great Mystery, Eight Seas and Nine Rivers, Gods of the Mountains, Spirits of the Earth, Protect from above the essence of the elixir! Now with fine liquor, three full bushels, I respectfully sacrifice to the River Spirits (heling). When you have finished incanting, return without looking back and, on that day, place the drugs in the crucible.15 (Langgan huadan shangjing, 2a–b)» — y el rito de cierre con su conjuro, en la traducción de Pregadio: tres fanegas de licor al agua, la invocación al flujo azulado del Gran Misterio, a los Ocho Mares y Nueve Ríos y a los dioses de las montañas y espíritus de la tierra, y el regreso sin mirar atrás

«No further details are available on the purification practices, except that they involve burning incense (the “five fragrances,” wuxiang) and making ablutions (muyu).» — la negativa que Pregadio ficha sobre esas prácticas: no hay más detalles, salvo que incluyen quemar las cinco fragancias y hacer ablaciones

«It should be noted that these basic emblems of correlative cosmology are used in the Taiqing texts only to determine the time for starting the retirement and, as we shall see below, for kindling the fire; they are not used to define the relation of the ingredients of the elixirs, or of the elixir itself, to cosmological principles.» — la precisión que Pregadio subraya sobre el uso del calendario: los emblemas de la cosmología correlativa sirven en los textos Taiqing solo para fijar el tiempo del retiro y del encendido del fuego, no para relacionar los ingredientes ni el elixir con principios cosmológicos

«The Nine Elixirs states that before compounding the elixir one should not approach filth and dirt, and should not enter houses inhabited by young women or where mourning is being observed. Moreover, one should not disclose one’s intentions to “the envious, those who talk too much, and those who do not have faith in this Way.”» — los preceptos que el Jiudan jing impone antes de componer: no acercarse a la inmundicia, no entrar en casas habitadas por mujeres jóvenes ni de luto, y no revelar el propósito a los envidiosos, a los habladores ni a los que no tienen fe en esta Vía

«2. Not forget to utter the name and the cognomen of the Killer Bandit (shazei), who is a demon detrimental to the elixir. His name is Shicong zi and his cognomen is Hun Nixi.» — uno de los Tres Tabúes que el comentario atribuye al Maestro Misterioso: no olvidar pronunciar el nombre y el sobrenombre del Bandido Asesino, demonio dañino para el elixir

«Moreover, if one hears a thunderclap, one should immediately cover the crucible with a wet cloth to prevent the essences of the elixir from being dispersed.» — la contramedida ritual que Pregadio recoge entre las Cuatro Calamidades: al oír un trueno hay que cubrir enseguida el crisol con un paño mojado para que no se dispersen las esencias del elixir

«3. [No details given.] 4. [No details given.] 5. Hearing lamentations and weeping.» — la laguna que Pregadio consigna tal cual en la lista de las Seis Adversidades: dos de los seis puntos vienen sin detalle en la fuente, y él los imprime como corchetes vacíos en vez de rellenarlos

«The very shape of the crucible reminds one of the condition of primeval chaos, often portrayed by the image of a gourd that» — el argumento que Pregadio añade por la forma, cortado por el cambio de plana: la forma misma del crisol recuerda el caos primigenio, figurado a menudo por la calabaza que, sigue en la plana 97, *holds within a world apart comparable to that of primordial times*

«To receive this divine scripture and the instructions on the elixir, make a bond [with your master] and undertake the purification practices. Sanction the covenant with an oath, using a golden figurine of a fish weighing eight ounces and a dragon-shaped jade ring. These replace the oath made by having your hair cut and smearing your mouth with blood. But these sacred arts (lingshu) cannot be kept forever secret. Therefore, if you are unable to find those objects, you may replace the token of the golden fish with forty feet of fine azure hemp fabric, and the token of the dragon-shaped jade ring with forty feet of heavy silk. Give both of them as offerings. (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 5a)» — el rito de prendas del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, con la sustitución que él mismo autoriza: figurilla de pez de oro y anillo de jade en forma de dragón, o cuarenta pies de fino cáñamo azulado y cuarenta de seda pesada si no se consiguen, porque esas artes sagradas no pueden quedar en secreto para siempre. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro; se ancla aquí en la primera aparición

«The compounding can be performed by three persons who share the same heart and love the Way, are devout and trustworthy, are not vulgar or lewd, and are firm in their intentions. If it is difficult to find three such persons, two may be enough. They should all undertake the purification practices, observe the precepts, and perform the ablutions.10 (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 4b)» — el pasaje sobre los ayudantes que Pregadio traduce: tres personas de un mismo corazón, devotas, dignas de confianza, no vulgares ni lascivas y firmes en su intención, o dos si no se hallan tres, todas con purificaciones, preceptos y ablaciones. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«On the day on which you undertake the purification practices, first toss five bushels of pure liquor (qingjiu) into a stream that flows near your dwelling. If there is no stream, you can toss the liquor into a well. This is done to pacify the pneuma of the earth (diqi). Regularly drink some of that water during the purification practices. (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 5a; Sanshiliu shuifa, 11a)» — el rito de apertura de las purificaciones que Pregadio traduce, presente en dos textos: cinco fanegas de licor puro arrojadas a la corriente o al pozo para apaciguar el pneuma de la tierra, y beber de esa agua durante las purificaciones. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«From the day on which you undertake the purification practices, you should discontinue the common human activities, so that you may devote yourself entirely to making the elixir. . . . [You and your companions] should not approach sickness and filth or see corpses. Domestic animals also must be carefully avoided. (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 4b)» — las reglas paralelas del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue: dejar las actividades humanas comunes para entregarse entero al elixir, no acercarse a la enfermedad ni a la inmundicia, no ver cadáveres y evitar con cuidado a los animales domésticos. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«to one who is not fit to receive them, or do not comply with them and disclose them, the Celestial Sovereign (Tianhuang) will banish you from immortality, and you eternally will have to confess your faults on the Dark Road (xuanlu). The City of the Immortals of the Great Mystery (taixuan xiandu) will muddle your mind and confuse your thoughts, and all your endeavors will end in failure.» — las penas por transmitir mal que Pregadio traduce del comentario al Taiqing jing, en el tramo que sigue al límite de chunk: el Soberano Celeste destierra de la inmortalidad, las faltas se confiesan eternamente en el Camino Oscuro y la Ciudad de los Inmortales del Gran Misterio enturbia la mente hasta hacer fracasar todo empeño

«The Nine Old Lords of the Immortals (Jiulao xianjun) will upset your essence and spirit (jingshen), and whatever you devote yourself to will not bear fruit. The Director of the Registers of the Great One (Taiyi silu) will not enter your name in the registers of life (shenglu), and the Director of Destinies of the Three Heavens (Santian siming) will decrease your span of life.» — y su segunda mitad: los Nueve Viejos Señores trastornan la esencia y el espíritu, el Director de los Registros del Gran Uno no inscribe el nombre en los registros de la vida y el Director de los Destinos de los Tres Cielos acorta la vida

«According to the Nine Elixirs, after seven days of purification, one should buy the medicines “on an appointed day and in a place governed by the Virtue of the Month (yuede),” without bargaining over the price.» — la regla de compra que el Jiudan jing impone, según Pregadio: tras siete días de purificación, comprar las medicinas en día señalado y en un lugar regido por la Virtud del Mes, sin regatear el precio

«In addition, one should not buy the ingredients from someone who is observing a mourning period.» — y el tabú que la acompaña: no comprar los ingredientes a quien esté de luto

«The practices concerning the establishment of the ritual area focus on its delimitation, purification, and protection. Space should be purified and protected to guard oneself from the dangerous demons who inhabit the mountains.» — el objeto de las prácticas del área ritual según Pregadio: delimitarla, purificarla y protegerla, y el motivo declarado, guardarse de los demonios peligrosos que habitan las montañas

«This can be achieved by the mere possession of major scriptures like the Script of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang wen), the Charts of the Real Forms of the Five Peaks (Wuyue zhenxing tu), or the Prajña¯pa¯ramita¯-su¯tra, which enable one to summon the gods and obtain their protection.» — el primero de los medios que recoge: la sola posesión de escrituras mayores —el Sanhuang wen, las Cartas de las Formas Reales de los Cinco Picos o el sutra de la Prajñaparamita— basta para convocar a los dioses y obtener su protección

«To drive away spirits and demons, one should also be able to identify them and shout their names, or to recognize those that, in days marked by certain cyclical characters, appear under the guise of human beings or wild animals.» — el segundo: saber identificar a los espíritus y demonios y gritar sus nombres, o reconocer a los que en ciertos días cíclicos se presentan con forma de hombre o de fiera

«However, as is stated in the commentary to the Nine Elixirs, the most effective way to protect the compounding of the elixirs is to use talismans (fu) and seals (yin).33 These are worn on one’s body, affixed at the four directions, placed along the path that leads to one’s dwelling, thrown in the stove, or made into ashes and drunk with water before one compounds the elixirs.» — y el que el comentario al Jiudan jing declara más eficaz: talismanes y sellos, llevados en el cuerpo, fijados a los cuatro rumbos, puestos en el camino, arrojados a la estufa o reducidos a cenizas y bebidos con agua

«Several ingredients of this compound are poisonous vegetable substances whose apotropaic properties are also mentioned in the pharmacopoeias.» — el dato que Pregadio subraya de la Medicina para Expulsar a los Demonios: varios de sus ingredientes son sustancias vegetales venenosas cuyas propiedades apotropaicas también constan en las farmacopeas

«When you compound the great medicines, you should always stay in a quiet place in the mountain forests. Build the Chamber of the Great Medicines (dayao shi) and hang four swords at its four sides. Then make the Pellet for Expelling the Demons and the Talisman for Expelling the Demons. You should affix and hang them [inside the Chamber]; if you do not do so, when the time comes to compound the great medicines their essence and pneuma (jingqi) would be inhaled by the demons. This is why you should protect the medicines by driving away noxious demons and spirits.» — el marco del rito tal como Pregadio lo traduce del comentario al Taiqing jing: la Cámara de las Grandes Medicinas en el bosque de montaña, con cuatro espadas colgadas a sus lados y la Píldora y el Talismán para Expulsar a los Demonios, sin los cuales los demonios inhalarían la esencia y el pneuma de las medicinas

«Method for making the Pellet for Expelling the Demons: Take equal quantities of cinnabar (zhusha), realgar (xionghuang), orpiment (cihuang), tortoise shell (guijia), black veratrum root (lilu), peach pits (taoren), aconite tuber collected in spring (wutou), aconite tuber collected in autumn (fuzi), great bulb of pinellia tuberifera (da banxia), poison ivy (yege), sulphur (shi liuhuang), croton seed (badou), fresh rhinoceros horn (sheng xijiao), umbrella leaf (guijiu), musk (shexiang), spindle tree wings (guijian), and dried centipedes (wugong). Pound these seventeen ingredients and sieve them, mix them with the juice of anise follicles, and make pellets the size of the yolk of a hen’s egg.» — la receta de esa píldora, con sus diecisiete ingredientes tal como los romaniza la traducción: cinabrio, rejalgar, oropimente, concha de tortuga, veratro negro, huesos de durazno, acónito de primavera y de otoño, pinellia, hiedra venenosa, azufre, semilla de crotón, cuerno de rinoceronte fresco, hoja de paraguas, almizcle, alas de bonetero y ciempiés secos

«When you compound the medicines of immortality, hang one pellet within the four walls [of the Chamber]. If you burn one pellet, the hundred demons will run away. If you burn one more pellet, you will kill all of them. Keep this method secret, as it is very effective!» — y su uso, con el encargo de secreto: una píldora colgada dentro de las cuatro paredes, una quemada para que huyan los cien demonios y otra más para matarlos a todos

«In this rite, after an adept has performed the purification practices for one hundred and fifty days, he makes the Decoction of the Five Fragrances (wuxiang tang) with spring water, powdered white millet, cinnabar, honey, and ashes of a mulberry tree.» — el rito de los cinco talismanes del Escrito de la Terraza de Jade, enseñado según la fuente por el Hombre Augusto al Emperador Amarillo: tras ciento cincuenta días de purificación, la Decocción de las Cinco Fragancias con agua de manantial, mijo blanco en polvo, cinabrio, miel y ceniza de morera

«Besides the Talisman for Expelling the Demons and the five talismans of the Jade Terrace, the commentary to the Nine Elixirs reproduces five other sets of talismans and seals and provides explanations on their materials, sizes, colors, and uses. Several of them also appear in Ge Hong’s Inner Chapters, but both the illustrations and the accompanying texts contain variants, sometimes substantial, compared to Ge Hong’s work.» — el marco del catálogo de talismanes que Pregadio inventaría: el comentario al Jiudan jing reproduce cinco juegos más con sus materiales, tamaños, colores y usos, varios de ellos también en los Capítulos Interiores pero con variantes a veces sustanciales

«vi. Illustrations (including a variant of the lower part) and instructions for making the Talisman for Opening the Mountain (kaishan fu). This talisman not only enables one to control spirits and demons but also causes the “gates of the mountain” (shanmen) to open and yield scriptures and elixir ingredients.» — otra muestra: el Talismán para Abrir la Montaña, que además de dar dominio sobre espíritus y demonios hace que las puertas de la montaña se abran y entreguen escrituras e ingredientes del elixir

«v. Talismans of the Five Gods (wushen fu, i.e., the Emperors, di, of the Five Directions), which ensure success in the compounding of the elixirs. These talismans are received by paying one’s respects to the Highest Sovereign Lord of the Dao (Shanghuang Daojun). They can be ingested or worn on one’s head and should be prepared ten days before making the elixirs. Ge Xuan (Ge Hong’s granduncle) received both these and the previous four talismans.» — y una tercera: los Talismanes de los Cinco Dioses, que aseguran el éxito de la obra, se reciben rindiendo homenaje al Supremo Señor Soberano del Dao, se ingieren o se llevan en la cabeza y se preparan diez días antes, y que según la fuente recibió Ge Xuan

«When one compounds an elixir, one should pour some liquor into a stream to avert the evil influences of the earth’s pneuma, and should celebrate a ceremony for the deities. However, if one obtains the Jade Contract of the Nine Old Lords, all such ceremonies become unnecessary.» — la economía ritual que Pregadio recoge del Contrato de Jade de los Nueve Viejos Señores: normalmente hay que verter licor en la corriente y celebrar una ceremonia para las deidades, y quien obtiene ese contrato queda dispensado de todas ellas

«around the vessel containing the decoction, and hanging the talisman of the center three feet above the vessel. He leaves the chamber and then enters again, walking the Pace of Yu (yubu) and holding his breath. After he exhales his breath over the decoction and pays homage to the five talismans, he pours the decoction over his own body to purify himself. Then he wears clean clothes, places the talismans of the four directions on his body, and ingests the talisman of the center.» — la secuencia del rito de la Terraza de Jade, en el tramo que sigue al cambio de plana: los talismanes de los cuatro rumbos alrededor del vaso y el del centro colgado tres pies encima, el Paso de Yu con el aliento retenido, la decocción vertida sobre el propio cuerpo y el talismán del centro ingerido

«a supernatural light fills the chamber. The adept should not be afraid of it, continuing to guard the One (shouyi) until a divine being (shenren) appears and grants teachings. The adept also should wear the Five Talismans on his own body when he searches for the elixir’s ingredients, and should bury them at the four sides and underneath the furnace when he compounds the elixirs.» — el desenlace que la fuente le promete, en la plana siguiente a la de las láminas: una luz sobrenatural llena la cámara, y el adepto no ha de temerla sino seguir guardando al Uno hasta que aparezca un ser divino y le dé enseñanzas

«v. Secret Talisman of the Thirty-nine Perfected of the Yellow Court of Lord hao (Laojun huangting sanshijiu zhen bifu), to be affixed in the place where one compounds an elixir.» — una muestra del catálogo de talismanes, con el nombre tal como lo imprime el troceo: el Talismán Secreto de los Treinta y Nueve Perfectos de la Corte Amarilla de *Lord hao*, donde el nombre pide Lord Lao, que se fija en el sitio donde se compone el elixir

«The appended text says that the elixirs should be compounded inside a cavern in the depths of a mountain, away from people and domestic animals, and near an east-flowing stream. If it is not possible to compound them in a cavern, one may dwell in the depths of a mountain; if it is not possible to stay in an uninhabited place, one may retire to a “pure chamber”; if an east-flowing stream is not available, one flowing to the west is permitted.» — y la cascada de concesiones del texto anejo: el elixir se compone en una caverna de montaña, y si no, en lo hondo de un monte, y si no, en una cámara pura, y si no hay corriente que fluya al este se permite una que fluya al oeste

«Then he takes one of the talismans and places it in a bag of green silk, which he hangs on his own body so that the talisman is over his heart. The other talisman is cut into two halves. One is thrown into a stream near one’s dwelling, the other is buried underneath the furnace.» — y el destino de cada copia: una en una bolsa de seda verde colgada sobre el corazón, la otra cortada en dos mitades, una arrojada a la corriente y la otra enterrada bajo el horno

«this talisman is also called Authentic Register of the Eight Simplicities (basu zhenlu), or Superior Talisman of the Great Clarity (taiqing shangfu). When an adept begins his purification practices, he draws two of these talismans on a piece of green silk, and» — los otros nombres del Contrato de Jade de los Nueve Viejos Señores, con la frase cortada por el límite de chunk: Registro Auténtico de las Ocho Simplicidades o Talismán Superior de la Gran Claridad, dibujado por duplicado en seda verde al empezar el adepto sus purificaciones

«Build the Chamber of the Divine Stove near an east-flowing stream. The Chamber should be forty feet long, twenty feet wide, and its foundation should be four feet from the ground. First dig the earth for a few feet; if you do not find an old well or a tomb, you can raise the foundation there. The Chamber should have three doors, facing south, east, and west. Place the stove in the center, with the mouth facing west. Arrange an iron stand inside the stove and set the crucible on it, so that it is nine inches from the» — las medidas del laboratorio que Pregadio traduce del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, con la frase cortada por el cambio de plana: cuarenta pies de largo, veinte de ancho, cimiento a cuatro del suelo, tres puertas al sur, al este y al oeste, y la estufa al centro con la boca al oeste

«For building the foundation of the furnace ground, you should first dig to a depth of three feet, removing the contaminated soil and replacing it with clean loam, ramming it to make it firm. The foundation to be built on this level surface should be two feet five inches in height. Do not build your furnace on the site of an old grave mound or residence. The furnace chamber should be thirty feet long, sixteen feet wide, and sixteen feet tall. It must be pure, clean, and well constructed. Roof it with fragrant grasses, and plaster the walls both inside and out so that they are sturdy and secure. There should be two doors, four feet wide, covered with curtains, that face east and south.» — y las del Langgan huadan jing: cavar tres pies, quitar el suelo contaminado, no levantar el horno sobre un túmulo antiguo ni sobre una vivienda, y una cámara de treinta por dieciséis pies techada con hierbas fragantes y con dos puertas al este y al sur

«Only the head alchemist and the person who watches on the fire are to stay in this chamber. The furnace is to be placed in the center of the room. The mouth of the furnace should face east. The furnace is to be constructed of fine bricks, mortared together. Then pound white clay and the hair of oxen, horse, and river deer into vinegar and east-flowing stream water to make plaster for the furnace. Set the crucible of the medicines on an iron stand that has been placed inside the furnace. The crucible should be set in the center of the furnace, with all four sides three and a half inches from the sides of the furnace.» — quiénes pueden estar dentro y dónde va el horno, según ese mismo texto: solo el alquimista principal y el que vigila el fuego, con el horno al centro, la boca al este y el crisol sobre un soporte de hierro a tres pulgadas y media de cada lado

«The author of the commentary, however, adds that these were “old methods.” By his time, he says, it was enough to eliminate the contaminated soil, build a mound of clean loam, and bury a talisman under the crucible.» — el desacuerdo interno que Pregadio consigna: el autor del comentario al Jiudan jing llama viejos a esos métodos y dice que en su tiempo bastaba quitar el suelo contaminado, levantar un montículo de barro limpio y enterrar un talismán bajo el crisol

«The entire preliminary process for making the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles should be timed so that one kindles the fire at dawn on the ninth day of the ninth month.» — la fecha exacta que un texto impone para encender el fuego: el alba del noveno día del noveno mes

«Among the days indicated as unfavorable are those of Establishment (jian), of Receiving (shou), and of the Killer of the Month (yuesha).57 The most favorable days are the fifth of the fifth month and the seventh of the seventh month,58 followed by the days of Opening (kai) and of Removal (chu).59 The compounding can also begin in the days whose cyclical signs are in a relationship of “ruler and assistant” and do not “subdue” each other; moreover, the sky should be clear, and the sun and the moon should be bright.» — el calendario del encendido según Pregadio: desfavorables los días de Establecimiento, de Recibir y del Asesino del Mes; los más favorables el quinto del quinto mes y el séptimo del séptimo, con cielo despejado y sol y luna brillantes

«Now the fire may finally be started. In the Nine Elixirs, this stage is also marked by a ceremony. The alchemist invokes the Great Lord of the Dao (Da Daojun), Lord Lao (Laojun), and the Lord of the Great Harmony (Taihe jun). He offers them food and drinks, and asks them to watch over the process, let the practice be successful, and let him become an accomplished man (zhiren) and have audience at the Purple Palace (Zigong), in the constellation of the Northern Dipper.» — el rito de encendido del Jiudan jing: invocación al Gran Señor del Dao, al Señor Lao y al Señor de la Gran Armonía, comida y bebida ofrecidas, y la petición de volverse hombre acabado y tener audiencia en el Palacio Púrpura

«The offerings are moved near the crucible, and more dried meat and liquor are placed on three tables. The meat should be replaced once every three days, and the liquor three times a day.» — y el mantenimiento de las ofrendas durante la obra: la carne se renueva cada tres días y el licor tres veces al día

«When the elixir is achieved, according to the commentary to the Nine Elixirs, he performs again the ceremony made before the kindling of the fire, adding more pork meat on the altar, and cooked rice, a cooked chicken, and a dried carp in the seat to the east of the altar. Finally, having asked permission to do so with an invocation, he opens the crucible.» — el rito de apertura: repetida la ceremonia del encendido con carne de cerdo, arroz cocido, un pollo cocido y una carpa seca, y pedido permiso con una invocación, el alquimista abre el crisol

«After you achieve gold, take one hundred pounds of it and arrange a major ceremony. For the procedure there is a separate scroll, but this is not the same ceremony as the one performed for compounding [the elixirs of] the Nine Tripods. For this ceremony you separately weigh and arrange different quantities of gold.» — el arranque de la ceremonia que Ge Hong describe antes de ingerir el Elixir de la Gran Claridad, en la traducción de Pregadio: cien libras del oro obtenido para una ceremonia mayor, distinta de la de los Nueve Trípodes y con un rollo aparte para su procedimiento

«You offer twenty pounds to Heaven, five pounds to the Sun and the Moon, eight pounds to the Northern Dipper (beidou), eight pounds to the Great One (Taiyi), five pounds to the god of the well, five pounds to the god of the stove, twelve pounds to the Count of the River (Hebo), five pounds to the god of the soil (she), and five pounds each to the spirits and the divinities of the doors, of the house, of the village, and to the Lord of Clarity (Qingjun). This makes eighty-eight pounds altogether.» — el reparto del oro entre las deidades, que suma ochenta y ocho libras: veinte al Cielo, cinco al Sol y a la Luna, ocho al Carro del Norte, ocho al Gran Uno, cinco al dios del pozo, cinco al de la estufa, doce al Conde del Río y cinco a cada uno de los demás

«With the remaining twelve pounds, fill a beautiful leather bag, and on an auspicious day silently leave it in a very crowded spot of the city market, in the peak hour. Then leave without turning back. (Baopu zi, 4.76 –77)» — y el destino de las doce libras restantes: una bolsa de cuero dejada en silencio, en día propicio y a la hora de más gente, en un punto concurrido del mercado, y luego irse sin volver la vista

«No other source besides the Inner Chapters has preserved a description of this rite; the very large amounts mentioned by Ge Hong raise doubts about the accuracy of his report.» — la reserva que Pregadio pone a ese testimonio: ninguna otra fuente conserva el rito, y las cantidades tan grandes que da Ge Hong hacen dudar de la exactitud de su informe

«The Nine Elixirs repeatedly recommends that one should ingest the elixir after undertaking further purification practices, observing the precepts, and performing ablutions for five weeks. The elixir is typically ingested at the dawn of a jiazi day, the first of a sexagesimal cycle: the adept burns some incense, pays obeisance to the gods, and bows down facing east.» — el rito de ingestión del Jiudan jing: cinco semanas más de purificaciones, preceptos y ablaciones, y el elixir tomado al alba de un día jiazi, primero del ciclo sexagenario, con incienso, homenaje a los dioses y postración hacia el este

«According to the commentary, he should not ingest the elixir on cold, windy, or rainy days, if the sky is dark, or if there is an overabundance of dew. Moreover, he should dwell in a pure and quiet place and abstain from sour foods, sexual intercourse, and the rites of mourning.» — y los tabúes que añade el comentario: no ingerirlo en días fríos, ventosos o lluviosos, ni con cielo oscuro o rocío excesivo, morando en lugar puro y quieto y absteniéndose de alimentos ácidos, de trato sexual y de ritos de luto

«The ritual sequence described above is reconstructed based on details found in different Taiqing texts. While the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs is the source that provides the most complete account, the other texts mention only some of the ritual steps that should be performed. The single texts, however, give coherent details, and the differences that exist among them are less substantial than the details of the techniques that they describe.» — la reserva de método con que Pregadio cierra el capítulo quinto: la secuencia ritual está reconstruida con detalles de textos distintos, y aunque cada uno mencione solo algunos pasos, sus datos son coherentes y sus diferencias menores que las de las técnicas

«At the core of the early Taiqing tradition are about a dozen elixirs (dan) or “medicines” (yao). The Taiqing texts also refer to them as huandan, a term sometimes translated as “cyclically transformed elixir” but more literally meaning “reverted elixir.”» — el objeto del capítulo sexto: la docena de elixires o medicinas del Taiqing temprano, que los textos llaman huandan, término que él prefiere verter literalmente como elixir revertido

«Huandan has two main senses in waidan, where it denotes an elixir obtained either by refining mercury from cinnabar, or by joining refined mercury and refined lead. In the first instance, mercury (Yin) is refined from cinnabar (Yang), added to sulphur (Yang), and refined again. This process, typically repeated nine times, yields an essence deemed to be entirely devoid of Yin and thus to incorporate the qualities of Pure Yang (chunyang), the state of oneness before Yin and Yang arise.» — el primero de los dos sentidos del término en el waidan: el mercurio refinado del cinabrio, añadido al azufre y refinado de nuevo nueve veces, da una esencia tenida por libre de Yin y por eso Yang Puro, el estado de unidad anterior al Yin y al Yang

«In the second instance, refined mercury (Real Yin, zhenyin) is refined from cinnabar (Yang), and refined lead (Real Yang, zhenyang) is refined from native lead (Yin). The elixir produced by joining refined mercury and refined lead to each other is also equated to Pure Yang.» — y el segundo: el Yin Real refinado del cinabrio y el Yang Real refinado del plomo nativo, unidos en un elixir que también se equipara al Yang Puro

«The purpose of this survey is not to account for all the technical details involved in compounding the Taiqing elixirs—in particular, their chemical aspects—but only to illustrate their nature and their main features, within the limits and the perspectives of the present book.» — el límite que Pregadio le pone a su propio capítulo técnico: no dar cuenta de todos los detalles, en particular de los químicos, sino ilustrar la naturaleza y los rasgos principales de los métodos

«For instance, the commentary to the Scripture of Great Clarity gives instructions for making the crucible, saying that the luting mud should be prepared according to the method found in the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, and that the crucible should also be used for compounding all the other major Taiqing elixirs. The ingredients of the luting mud of the Nine Elixirs in turn are the same as those given in the Golden Liquor, except for a single ingredient, which is omitted in the latter text.» — el ejemplo con que muestra la trabazón entre los textos: el comentario al Taiqing jing remite para el barro al método del Jiudan jing, y los ingredientes de ese barro son los mismos del Jinye jing salvo uno que este omite

«In the Taiqing methods, the crucible is typically formed by two superposed vessels made of red clay (chishi zhi) and joined by their mouths. Owing to this feature, the texts often mention a “double crucible” (liangfu) or an “upper and lower earthenware crucible” (shangxia tufu).» — cómo es el crisol Taiqing según Pregadio: dos vasos superpuestos de arcilla roja unidos por sus bocas, de donde los nombres de crisol doble y de crisol de barro superior e inferior

«No other early Taiqing text describes the preparation of the crucible in such detail as does the commentary to the Scripture of Great Clarity; in other instances, as we shall presently see, the main focus is on the luting process. The Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles merely states that one should use a crucible holding three and a half pecks made in Xingyang, Changsha, or Yuzhang (in present-day Henan, Hunan, and Jiangxi, respectively), four-tenths of an inch thick.» — la comparación que Pregadio traza: ningún otro texto Taiqing temprano detalla tanto la preparación del vaso, y el Jiuzhuan huandan jing se limita a pedir uno de tres celemines y medio hecho en Xingyang, Changsha o Yuzhang, de cuatro décimos de pulgada de grosor

«In the Mysterious and Yellow, the Yin and Yang principles in their pure state are represented by the essences of lead and mercury, which are liberated by the adept when he heats the native substances. Then lead and mercury are repeatedly steamed in a bamboo cylinder, and finally are sublimated with aqueous solutions of realgar and cinnabar.» — cómo se hace el Misterioso y Amarillo: las esencias del plomo y del mercurio liberadas al calentar las sustancias nativas, cocidas al vapor repetidas veces en un cilindro de bambú y sublimadas al fin con soluciones acuosas de rejalgar y de cinabrio

«In the methods of the Nine Elixirs, this mud is made of alum (fanshi), Turkestan salt (rongyan), lake salt (luxian), arsenolite (yushi), oyster shells (muli), red clay (chishi zhi), and talc (huashi). The seven ingredients are pounded, heated for nine days and nights in an iron vessel, pounded again, sieved, and then soaked in a Flowery Pond (huachi). The crucible is luted first with this mud, then with the mud of Mysterious and Yellow, and finally is left to dry in the sun for ten days.» — los siete ingredientes del Barro del Seis-y-Uno según el Jiudan jing y su preparación: alumbre, sal de Turquestán, sal de lago, arsenolita, conchas de ostra, arcilla roja y talco, majados, calentados nueve días y noches, cribados y remojados en un Estanque Florido

«The most elaborate and lengthy description of the luting technique, however, is the one found in the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles, which devotes more than half of the entire text to it.» — dónde está la descripción más extensa del lutado, con la medida que Pregadio le da: en el Jiuzhuan huandan jing, que le dedica más de la mitad del texto entero

«According to another method found in the commentary to the Nine Elixirs, the Chamber of the Talismans (fushi) should be built near an east-flowing stream. Its length is twelve paces and its height is twenty-four feet, and it has one door facing south. The walls are plastered with “fragrant mud” (xiangni), and talismans are affixed at the four sides. At the center one arranges the layered alchemical altar (here called Three Terraces, santai,» — la Cámara de los Talismanes según otro método del mismo comentario, con la frase cortada por el cambio de plana: doce pasos de largo, veinticuatro pies de alto, una puerta al sur, paredes enlucidas con barro fragante, talismanes a los cuatro lados y al centro el altar en capas llamado Tres Terrazas

«On the western side, one places the ingredients of the elixirs and the scriptures.» — y dónde van los ingredientes: en el lado occidental de esa cámara, junto con las escrituras

«The commentary to the Nine Elixirs describes a more complex rite, called Ceremony of the Nine Elixirs (jiudan ji), which is performed before kindling the fire. The adept first sets up an altar, nine feet wide in the lower part and four feet wide in the upper part, and places the stove six feet west of the altar. On the altar he arranges five pieces of silk, placing one piece of dried meat and one cup of liquor on each of them.» — la Ceremonia de los Nueve Elixires que describe el comentario: altar de nueve pies de ancho abajo y cuatro arriba, estufa seis pies al oeste, y cinco piezas de seda sobre el altar con una de carne seca y una copa de licor en cada una

«On a seat to the east of the altar he arranges nine pieces of silk, placing two pieces of dried meat and two cups of liquor on each of them. He also offers millet, dried meat of ox and sheep, boiled carp, cooked eggs, jujubes, pears, and oranges or other red fruits. Burning some incense, he pours liquor into the cups.» — y el resto de la ofrenda: nueve piezas de seda en un asiento al este con dos carnes y dos copas cada una, y mijo, carne seca de buey y de oveja, carpa hervida, huevos cocidos, azufaifas, peras y naranjas u otros frutos rojos, con incienso quemado

«None of the Taiqing compounds—including the fourth of the Nine Elixirs, even though its name is Reverted Elixir—is based on either of these processes.» — la negativa que Pregadio ficha: ninguno de los compuestos Taiqing se hace por esos dos procesos, ni siquiera el cuarto de los Nueve Elixires pese a llamarse Elixir Revertido

«In the Taiqing texts, the term huandan indicates the medicines of great clarity» — y el sentido que reserva para esos textos, con la frase cortada por el cambio de plana: ahí huandan indica, sigue en la plana 120, *that the elixir has been obtained by causing its ingredients to revert (huan) to their original condition of “essence” (jing)*

«red clay is pounded, sieved, steamed for one day, and added to vinegar, forming a mud used for making three pairs of double crucibles. Then thirty pounds of oak bark are boiled for one day; the dregs are removed, and by frying the remaining portion a reddish-black lacquer is obtained, called “oak lacquer” (huqi), which is used for luting the mouths of the two crucibles and their inner parts.» — la receta del vaso en el comentario al Taiqing jing: arcilla roja majada, cribada, cocida al vapor un día y mezclada con vinagre para tres pares de crisoles dobles, y una laca rojinegra de corteza de roble hervida para lutar las bocas y el interior

«The commentary states that this vessel can be used for compounding not only the Elixir of Great Clarity but also the Nine Elixirs, the Golden Liquor, the Reverted Elixir, and the Flower of Langgan—in other words, all the elixirs whose methods are found in the three main Taiqing sources and in the two early waidan texts included in the Shangqing corpus.» — y el alcance que ese comentario le da a su propio crisol: sirve no solo para el Elixir de la Gran Claridad sino para los Nueve Elixires, el Licor de Oro, el Elixir Revertido y la Flor de Langgan

«As the Flower of Langgan remarks, this method is easier than the one used for making the crucibles of the Golden» — la comparación que el propio Langgan huadan jing hace de su método, cortada por el límite de chunk: es más fácil que los usados para los crisoles del Licor de Oro y del Elixir Revertido, pero el majado y el lutado piden más cuidado

«According to the commentary to the Nine Elixirs, the Flowery Pond that is used for soaking the ingredients before they are heated is obtained from boiled wheat, yeast, the unidentified “white-azure stone” (qingbai shi), powdered lead, powdered cinnabar, and steamed red glutinous millet, which are placed in a closed vessel together with vinegar. The acetic bath should be prepared at the center of the laboratory, in a position of good auspice, and away from women and domestic animals. It is ready in seventy days in summer and one hundred and forty days in winter.» — la receta del Estanque Florido en el comentario al Jiudan jing: trigo hervido, levadura, la no identificada piedra blanquiazul, plomo y cinabrio en polvo y mijo glutinoso rojo al vapor con vinagre, en el centro del laboratorio, en posición de buen augurio y lejos de mujeres y animales domésticos

«When the heating process is concluded, the layer of mud around the mouths of the two crucibles is removed with a notched blade or with sandstone. Then the vessel is opened with an iron tool. The elixir is collected using a feather of a two-year-old white chicken, one born from a rooster and a hen also white, that is bred separately from other chickens. After the elixir is collected, it is placed in a tightly sealed golden cylinder and kept in a silk bag, never to be left alone.» — el rito de recolección que Pregadio describe: quitado el barro y abierto el vaso con herramienta de hierro, el elixir se recoge con la pluma de un pollo blanco de dos años, hijo de gallo y gallina blancos y criado aparte, y se guarda en un cilindro de oro sellado dentro de una bolsa de seda, sin dejarlo nunca solo

«This transmutation is referred to with the word dian, which denotes, as “projection” does in Western alchemy, the process by which a small quantity of elixir confers its properties to other substances that are added to it.» — la equivalencia que Pregadio enuncia: dian nombra, como la proyección en la alquimia occidental, el proceso por el que una cantidad pequeña de elixir confiere sus propiedades a otras sustancias

«The stated purpose of this transmutation is to verify that the elixir has been correctly prepared, but the Nine Elixirs also hints at the use of alchemical gold for making vessels when it says that the gold obtained in this way should be malleable.» — y para qué sirve según el texto: comprobar que el elixir se preparó bien, aunque el Jiudan jing apunta también al uso del oro alquímico para hacer vasijas al pedir que sea maleable

«The method is lost with the scripture that contained it; what we know about it comes from the summary given by Ge Hong in his Inner Chapters, and from fragmentary details found in the Oral Instructions to the Scripture of Great Clarity.» — el estado de la fuente para el elixir principal: el método del Elixir de la Gran Claridad se perdió con la escritura que lo contenía, y lo que se sabe viene del resumen de Ge Hong y de detalles sueltos de las Instrucciones Orales

«Ge Hong states that “the Elixir of Great Clarity is slightly more difficult to compound than the Nine Tripods (i.e., the Nine Elixirs), but is a superior method for rising to heaven in broad daylight.”» — lo que Ge Hong dice de ese elixir, en la traducción de Pregadio: es algo más difícil de componer que los Nueve Trípodes, pero es método superior para subir al cielo en pleno día

«When you compound it, you should first prepare the Flowery Pond (huachi), the Red Salt (chiyan), the Hard Snow (genxue),30 the Mysterious and White (xuanbai), the Flying Talisman (feifu), and the Divine Water of the Three-and-Five (sanwu shenshui). Only then can the fire be lit. The elixir of the first cycle confers immortality after it is ingested for three years; that of the second, after two years; that of the third, after one year; that of the fourth, after half a year; that of the fifth, after one hundred days; that of the sixth, after forty days; that of the seventh, after thirty days; that of the eighth, after ten days; and that of the ninth, after three days.» — el resumen del método que Pregadio traduce de Ge Hong, con su escala decreciente: los preparados previos antes de encender el fuego, y luego el elixir del primer ciclo que da la inmortalidad tras tres años de ingesta y el del noveno tras tres días

«Place the elixir of the ninth cycle in a Divine Tripod (shending) and expose it to the sun after the summer solstice. When the tripod becomes hot, add one pound of Vermilion Child (zhu’er, cinnabar) beneath the lid and then retire, watching and waiting that the essence of the sun shines upon it.» — y la operación solar con que remata: el elixir del noveno ciclo en un Trípode Divino expuesto al sol después del solsticio de verano, con una libra de Niño Bermejo bajo la tapa, y el adepto retirado a esperar que lo ilumine la esencia del sol

«Suddenly the five colors of divine radiance (shenguang) will appear together, glowing and sparkling, and the elixir of the ninth cycle will transmute itself into a Reverted Elixir (huandan). Ingest a speck of it, and you will rise to heaven in broad daylight. The elixir in nine cycles should be compounded in a sealed earthenware crucible and heated by a chaff fire, first gentle and then intense. (Baopu zi, 4.77)» — el desenlace de esa operación según el mismo pasaje: los cinco colores de la radiancia divina aparecen juntos, el elixir del noveno ciclo se vuelve Elixir Revertido y una mota basta para subir al cielo en pleno día

«The names of three of these methods—those for the Flowery Pond, the Red Salt, and the Hard Snow—correspond to those of the preliminary preparations mentioned by Ge Hong. As the original Scripture is not extant, however, there are no clues to identify what role these and the other methods listed above played in compounding the Elixir of Great Clarity.» — el límite que Pregadio declara al cotejar las dos fuentes: tres de los siete métodos de las Instrucciones Orales coinciden por su nombre con los preparados de Ge Hong, pero al no conservarse la escritura no hay pista de qué papel tenían en la composición

«The Oral Instructions, moreover, does not reveal the identity of the Flying Talisman and the Divine Water of the Three-and-Five; nor does it refer either to the nine cycles of heating or to the final transmutation of the elixir with cinnabar.» — y las negativas que ficha sobre esa misma fuente: no revela qué son el Talismán Volante ni el Agua Divina del Tres-y-Cinco, ni menciona los nueve ciclos de calentamiento ni la transmutación final con cinabrio

«The Nine Elixirs certainly are superior methods for making the medicines of immortality, but the ingredients used to compound them are extremely varied. If communication among the four directions [of the empire] was possible, one could purchase the ingredients, but [at present] they cannot be procured because the Nine Regions are isolated from each other. Moreover, one must keep the fire going for several dozen days and nights, and watch over its intensity so that it does not lose the proper strength. This is painstaking and extremely difficult. For these reasons, [the Nine Elixirs] are not as easy to prepare as the Golden Liquor. (Baopu zi, 4.84)» — las dificultades que Ge Hong reconoce en los Nueve Elixires, en la traducción de Pregadio: ingredientes variadísimos que no se consiguen por el aislamiento de las Nueve Regiones, y decenas de días y noches vigilando la intensidad del fuego

«To ascertain whether the elixir has been correctly prepared, it is transmuted into gold. If gold does not form, the elixir is not ready; “this is because you have not luted the crucible hermetically, or because you have transgressed against the precepts.”» — la prueba del Primer Elixir y las dos causas de fracaso que la propia fuente da: si no se forma oro, el elixir no está listo, y es porque no se lutó herméticamente el crisol o porque se transgredieron los preceptos

«All three methods are based on mercury, which according to the “Secret Instructions” initially should be refined nine times in order to expel its toxicity.» — un detalle de procedimiento del Segundo Elixir: las Instrucciones Secretas mandan refinar el mercurio nueve veces para expulsar su toxicidad

«The ingredients of the Third Elixir are orpiment and realgar, two minerals respectively associated with Yin and Yang.» — el único lugar del capítulo donde Pregadio empareja ingredientes con principios: el oropimente y el rejalgar del Tercer Elixir, asociados respectivamente al Yin y al Yang

«Several waidan texts dating from the Tang period onward give instructions on the “fire times” (huohou), a complex system that regulates the intensity of fire according to the cycles of cosmic time.» — el sistema de los tiempos del fuego que Pregadio describe para el waidan del Tang en adelante: regula la intensidad del fuego según los ciclos del tiempo cósmico

«The purpose is not only to mirror the accomplishment of an entire cosmic cycle in the relatively short time required to compound an elixir but also to embody the “particle” of Original Pneuma into the elixir.» — y para qué sirve: no solo reflejar un ciclo cósmico entero en el tiempo corto de la obra, también encarnar en el elixir la partícula del Pneuma Original salida del Dao

«The Taiqing heating method is much simpler, and no cosmological emblems enter its description.» — el contraste que Pregadio traza con el método Taiqing: mucho más simple, y sin emblemas cosmológicos en su descripción

«First keep the crucible five inches above a fire of horse manure or chaff, and warm it for nine days and nine nights. Then increase the fire so that it touches the crucible, for nine more days and nights. [Then put the crucible over the fire, for nine more days and nights.] Finally let the fire cover the lower crucible for nine more days and nights. After thirty-six days altogether, you can extinguish the fire and let the crucible cool for one day.20 (Jiudan jingjue, 1.4b)» — el método de calentamiento del Primer Elixir que Pregadio traduce y da por típico de todo el texto: cuatro tramos de nueve días y nueve noches acercando el fuego, treinta y seis días en total y uno de enfriamiento. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«First light a fire of chaff under the stand so that it is at up to six inches from the base of the crucible, for nine days and nine nights.» — el arranque del método equivalente del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, que Pregadio usa para mostrar lo cerca que está su terminología de la del Jiudan jing: el fuego de tamo a seis pulgadas de la base del crisol durante nueve días y nueve noches. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«Extinguish the fire and let the crucible cool for ten days. Then increase the fire again so that it is at half an inch from the juncture, for thirty-six days from dawn to night. This makes altogether ninety days and ninety nights [of heating]. You will obtain the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles. (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 3a)» — y su cierre: diez días de enfriamiento y luego treinta y seis más de fuego a media pulgada de la juntura, noventa días y noventa noches en total para obtener el Elixir Revertido en Nueve Ciclos. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«Gold also will form by projecting twenty-four scruples of Flower of Cinnabar (danhua) onto one pound of powdered mercury. When gold has formed, make it into a cylinder and store the Medicine in it.» — la operación que Pregadio traduce del Jiudan jingjue: veinticuatro escrúpulos de Flor de Cinabrio proyectados sobre una libra de mercurio en polvo forman oro, y con ese oro se hace el cilindro donde se guarda la Medicina. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«If the elixir can produce these transmutations, its compounding has been successful. If the test fails, repeat the heating according to the previous method for ninety days and ninety nights, and you will not fail in obtaining the elixir.27 (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 3b– 4a)» — y el criterio de prueba que el mismo texto fija: si el elixir logra esas transmutaciones la obra salió bien, y si la prueba falla hay que repetir el calentamiento noventa días y noventa noches. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«There is then the Scripture of the Five Numinous Elixirs (Wu lingdan jing) in one scroll, containing five methods. One uses cinnabar (dansha), realgar (xionghuang), orpiment (cihuang), laminar malachite (cengqing), alum (fanshi), magnetite (cishi), Turkestan salt (rongyan), and hematite (Taiyi Yu yuliang). One also uses the Mud of the Six-and-One and a Divine Chamber (shenshi, a secret name of the crucible).» — el pasaje de Ge Hong sobre los Cinco Elixires Numinosos que Pregadio traduce: cinco métodos en un rollo, con cinabrio, rejalgar, oropimente, malaquita laminar, alumbre, magnetita, sal de Turquestán y hematita, más el Barro del Seis-y-Uno y una Cámara Divina, nombre secreto del crisol

«The elixirs are compounded after one performs an offering ceremony (jiao). They will be ready in thirty-six days. The Talismans of the Five Emperors (Wudi fu), which are written with the five colors of these elixirs, make one free from death. However, [the Five Numinous Elixirs] are inferior to the Elixir of Great Clarity and the Elixirs of the Nine Tripods. (Baopu zi, 4.78)» — y la jerarquía que el propio Ge Hong enuncia: listos en treinta y seis días, con los Talismanes de los Cinco Emperadores escritos en los cinco colores de esos elixires, pero inferiores al Elixir de la Gran Claridad y a los de los Nueve Trípodes

«According to the received text of the Nine Elixirs, the main steps of each method are the following. The ingredients (see Table 4) are placed in an earthenware crucible, which is closed with another overturned crucible.» — el esquema común de los nueve métodos según Pregadio: los ingredientes en un crisol de barro cerrado con otro invertido

«The vessel is luted with the Mud of the Six-and-One and a mud of Mysterious and Yellow; after it has dried, it is placed on the fire. At the end of the required number of days it is left to cool and is then opened. The elixir is collected with a chicken feather and is added to other substances. In some instances, it is said to be ready; in other instances, it must be placed in the crucible and heated again. If the essence of the ingredients does not coagulate under the upper part of the crucible, the entire process should be repeated.» — y el resto del esquema: lutado con el Barro del Seis-y-Uno y con barro de Misterioso y Amarillo, secado, puesto al fuego, enfriado y abierto, con el elixir recogido con pluma de pollo, y todo el proceso repetido si la esencia no coagula bajo la parte alta del vaso

«It was by ingesting the Golden Liquor that the Great One (Taiyi) became an immortal. The Golden Liquor is not inferior to the Nine Elixirs. . . . This scripture says that when one ingests the Golden Liquor, one’s whole body takes on a golden hue.» — el pasaje que Ge Hong cita del Jinye jing y que no está en el texto recibido, en la traducción de Pregadio: el Gran Uno se hizo inmortal ingiriendo el Licor de Oro, que no es inferior a los Nueve Elixires, y quien lo ingiere toma color de oro en todo el cuerpo

«Laozi obtained this scripture from the Primordial Princess (Yuanjun), who said: “This Way is extremely important. It appears only once every hundred years, and is stored in a stone chamber (shishi).” All those who compound this elixir should perform the purification practices and observe the interdictions for one hundred days, abstaining from contacts with ordinary people. [To do this,] build a pure chamber (jingshe) on a slope of a famous mountain, where a stream flows east. (Baopu zi, 4.82–83)» — y el marco ritual que el mismo pasaje le pone: Laozi obtuvo la escritura de la Princesa Primordial, la Vía aparece una sola vez cada cien años y se guarda en una cámara de piedra, y quien componga el elixir ha de purificarse cien días en una cámara pura junto a una corriente que fluya al este

«ogy exists between the four-stage cycles of heating described in some early waidan sources—including the Scriptures of the Nine Elixirs—and the cycle of the four seasons. The heating method of the Taiqing texts represents, therefore, a precursor of the Tang and later system of “fire times.”» — la matización que Pregadio le pone a ese contraste, en la frase que arranca partida por el cambio de plana y que él atribuye a Kim Daeyeol: hay analogía entre los ciclos de calentamiento en cuatro tiempos de algunas fuentes waidan tempranas y el ciclo de las cuatro estaciones, con lo que el método Taiqing vendría a ser precursor del sistema posterior de tiempos del fuego

«Take ten pounds of lead and place it in an iron vessel. Heat it on an intense fire and bring it to a boil. Pour one scruple of Flower of the Nine Cycles (jiuzhuan zhi hua) onto the liquid lead and stir. In one instant it will form nine pounds of gold.» — el método del Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue para el oro: un escrúpulo de Flor de los Nueve Ciclos vertido sobre diez libras de plomo hirviendo da en un instante nueve libras de oro. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«The elixir will be ready in one hundred days. If you ingest one ounce of it, you will become an immortal. If you do not yet wish to leave the world, and want to become an Immortal of Earth (dixian) or an Immortal of Water (shuixian), merely perform the purification practices and observe the interdictions for one hundred days. If [instead] you intend to rise to heaven, ingest it after you abstain from cereals for one year. If you ingest half an ounce, you will live a long life free from death. The ten thousand injuries and the hundred poisons will not harm you.» — la escala de efectos del Licor de Oro que Pregadio traduce de Ge Hong: una onza a los cien días hace inmortal, y quien no quiera dejar el mundo puede quedarse como Inmortal de la Tierra o del Agua, mientras media onza da vida larga sin muerte y protege de las diez mil heridas y los cien venenos

«However, comparison with the synonyms given in the Synonymic Dictionary of the Materia Medica (Shiyao erya), an alchemical lexicon dated 806 ce, and in the commentary to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, suggests the following equivalences:» — cómo resuelve Pregadio los nombres secretos de la lista de Ge Hong: comparándolos con el Shiyao erya, léxico alquímico que fecha en el 806, y con el comentario al Jiudan jing

«Wang Kuike suggests that the other ingredients were used to prepare the Flowery Pond (i.e., the acetic bath) that the received text simply calls “vinegar” (zuowei).» — la propuesta de Wang Kuike que Pregadio recoge como tal: los demás ingredientes servirían para preparar el Estanque Florido que el texto recibido llama simplemente vinagre

«The method for compounding the Golden Liquor is not reported in the Inner Chapters, but Ge Hong says that “there is no fire to tend; the mixture is simply placed in a Flowery Pond for a number of days sufficient to prepare the elixir.” 49 This matches the directions given in the received text.» — el rasgo que distingue al Licor de Oro, en palabras de Ge Hong: no hay fuego que atender, y la mezcla solo se deja en un Estanque Florido los días que pida el elixir, cosa que concuerda con el texto recibido

«The only detail that differs between the two versions is the time of the second heating; according to Ge Hong this requires “sixty double hours,” which may be an error for “six double hours”:» — la divergencia entre las dos versiones que Pregadio consigna, con su hipótesis marcada como tal: Ge Hong pide sesenta horas dobles para el segundo calentamiento donde el texto recibido pide seis, y eso podría ser un error

«According to the method for making Amber Pills from the Golden Liquor, boil the Golden Liquor with quicksilver for thirty days. Fill an earthenware bowl [with the quicksilver] and lute it with the Mud of the Six-and-One. Place it over a raging fire and heat it. In sixty double hours its whole content will transmute itself into an elixir. Ingest this elixir in pills the size of small beans, and you will become an immortal. Take a speck of it with a spatula, add one pound of quicksilver, and it will form silver. (Baopu zi, 4.83)» — el método de las Píldoras de Ámbar en la traducción de Pregadio: el Licor de Oro hervido con azogue treinta días, el cuenco de barro lutado con el Barro del Seis-y-Uno sobre fuego bravo, y una mota con una libra de azogue que forma plata

«Those who eat and drink from these vessels can live as long as Heaven and Earth, for these vessels, like the fangzhu mirrors, absorb the essences of the sun and the moon.» — el uso de las vasijas de Elixir-Oro según el Jinye jing: quien come y bebe en ellas vive tanto como el Cielo y la Tierra, porque absorben las esencias del sol y de la luna como los espejos fangzhu

«Further, take one pound of this elixir and place it over a fire. Fan it, and it will transmute itself into a flowing scarlet gold, called Elixir-Gold. If you smear daggers and swords with this Gold, they will keep the other weapons ten thousand miles away. If you cast plates and bowls with the Elixir-Gold and take food and drinks from them, you will live a long life. Just as you can collect a liquid from the fangzhu mirrors, so from these plates and bowls you can collect [the essences of] the sun and the moon, and obtain their liquor. If you drink it, you will be free from death. (Baopu zi, 4.83)» — el pasaje paralelo de Ge Hong que Pregadio traduce: el elixir se vuelve un oro escarlata fluyente llamado Elixir-Oro, que untado en dagas y espadas mantiene a diez mil millas las demás armas, y fundido en platos y cuencos recoge de ellos el licor del sol y de la luna

«Upon their ingestion, one’s body takes on a golden hue, and one is transmuted into light and rises to heaven, becoming an assistant to the god of the Central Yellow (Zhonghuang) and to the Great One (Taiyi). These two deities, according to the commentary, exert control over all the immortals.» — las propiedades del Licor de Oro en la cuarta parte del texto recibido: el cuerpo toma color de oro, el adepto se transmuta en luz y sube al cielo como asistente del dios del Amarillo Central y del Gran Uno, dos deidades que según el comentario mandan sobre todos los inmortales

«Comparison of the Scripture of the Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals with Ge Hong’s summary shows beyond doubt that this text contains the original Taiqing method for making the Golden Liquor.» — la conclusión que Pregadio saca del cotejo, sin reserva: el Shenxian jinzhuo jing contiene el método Taiqing original del Licor de Oro

«Although the method of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles (jiuzhuan huandan) has been preserved in the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) textual corpus, the techniques and the rites required to compound it correspond in virtually all details to those described in the three main Taiqing sources. As I suggested earlier in this book, this is one of two recipes that were incorporated into the Shangqing corpus from earlier texts, either belonging to the Taiqing tradition or closely associated with it.» — y la que sostiene para el Elixir Revertido en Nueve Ciclos: conservado en el corpus Shangqing, sus técnicas y sus ritos corresponden en casi todo a las tres fuentes Taiqing principales, y es una de las dos recetas incorporadas al Shangqing desde textos anteriores

«The compounding of the elixir begins at the dawn of the ninth day of the ninth month. Its ingredients are alum, nodular malachite (kongqing), quartz (baishi ying), cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, and mercury. At the end of the heating cycle, the crucible is left to cool for seven days. When it is opened, the elixir that has coagulated under the upper part of the crucible is collected using a feather of a three-year-old chicken. If the elixir has not formed after the first hundred days of heating, it is because the fire was not strong enough; the crucible should be closed again and heated for thirty-six more days.» — el método del Elixir Revertido en Nueve Ciclos según Pregadio: empieza al alba del noveno día del noveno mes, con alumbre, malaquita nodular, cuarzo, cinabrio, rejalgar, oropimente y mercurio; y si el elixir no cuaja a los cien días es porque el fuego no fue bastante fuerte

«As remarked above, three sections describing processes that do not take place in an alchemical laboratory, but as part of meditation practices, were added to this text after its inclusion into the Shangqing corpus.» — la costura que Pregadio señala en el Langgan huadan shangjing: tres secciones que describen procesos ajenos al laboratorio, propios de prácticas de meditación, se añadieron al texto tras su entrada en el corpus Shangqing

«The fire is started after thirty more days of purifications. The fourteen ingredients of the Flower of Langgan—cinnabar, realgar, quartz, nodular malachite, amethyst, graphite, saltpeter, sulphur, actinolite, mica, pyrite, white lead, Turkestan salt, and orpiment—are pounded and placed in the crucible, and mercury added on top of them.» — los catorce ingredientes de la Flor de Langgan tal como los romaniza Pregadio: cinabrio, rejalgar, cuarzo, malaquita nodular, amatista, grafito, salitre, azufre, actinolita, mica, pirita, albayalde, sal de Turquestán y oropimente, majados y puestos en el crisol con mercurio encima

«If it is ingested at dawn on the day of the new moon in the eleventh, the fourth, or the eighth month, vapors of seven colors will emanate over one’s head, and one’s complexion will take on an aspect similar to gold and jade. Holding one’s breath will make chariots appear from the eight corners of the cosmos (baxuan), and spitting on the ground will make a flying dragon materialize. If one whistles to the right, divine immortals will come to pay homage, and if one points to the left, the Three Pure Ones (Sansu) will blow together.» — los efectos que ese texto promete, en la traducción de Pregadio: vapores de siete colores sobre la cabeza, el rostro con aspecto de oro y de jade, carros que aparecen de los ocho rincones del cosmos al retener el aliento, un dragón volador al escupir en el suelo y los inmortales divinos que vienen a rendir homenaje al silbar a la derecha

«Until some decades ago, many of those who shared this view did not have access to the texts of the waidan corpus in the Daoist Canon, and may even have been unaware of their existence. This point has a considerable importance, for Ge Hong’s work fully reveals its peculiarities only when it is compared to the sources in that corpus.» — y el motivo que le atribuye a ese juicio: quienes lo sostenían no tenían acceso a los textos del corpus waidan del Canon taoísta y podían ignorar que existieran, cuando la obra de Ge Hong solo muestra lo que tiene de propio al compararse con ellos

«Rather than being an anonymous scripture revealed by a deity, centered on methods for compounding the alchemical medicines, and rich in language addressed to initiates (either for its technical terminology or for its imagery), the Inner Chapters is an eclectic work, written with few exceptions in an accessible language, and in which a preponderant role is played by the views of its author, who often speaks in the first person and expounds his own thoughts and beliefs.» — en qué se aparta el Baopu zi neipian de las escrituras Taiqing, según Pregadio: no es escritura anónima revelada por una deidad ni gira sobre los métodos, sino obra ecléctica, de lengua accesible, donde pesa sobre todo la opinión de un autor que habla en primera persona

«Even more significant is the fact that, while hagiographic accounts depict him as compounding elixirs late in life on Mount Luofu (Luofu shan, Guangdong), Ge Hong himself acknowledges that at the time he wrote his Inner Chapters he had not performed any alchemical method.» — el dato que Pregadio llama aún más significativo, y que toma del propio autor: aunque las hagiografías lo pinten componiendo elixires en el monte Luofu, Ge Hong reconoce que al escribir sus Capítulos Interiores no había ejecutado ningún método alquímico

«Ge Hong’s lack of personal expertise in compounding the elixirs does affect his image as an alchemist—which anyway is to a considerable extent a creation of later hagiographers and modern scholars—and may be at the origin of some unclear or inaccurate reports of alchemical processes found in his work.» — y lo que Pregadio saca de ahí, con su grado marcado: esa falta de pericia propia afecta su imagen de alquimista —imagen que él atribuye en buena parte a hagiógrafos posteriores y a estudiosos modernos— y puede estar en el origen de algunos informes poco claros o inexactos de su obra

«Yet, despite its many shortcomings, there are several reasons to appreciate the evidence provided by the Inner Chapters on the early development of alchemy and on its background. Ge Hong states that he originally collected materials found in several sources to compile a handbook for his own reference, and that later he expanded those excerpts and notes into a book addressed to “those who are moved by the same aspirations as myself.”» — lo que Pregadio le concede pese a esos defectos, con la declaración del propio Ge Hong: reunió materiales de varias fuentes para un manual de uso propio y luego los amplió en un libro dirigido a quienes tuvieran sus mismas aspiraciones

«As a compilation that makes large use of external sources, the Inner Chapters contains a remarkable number of materials that are otherwise lost, many of which concern alchemy; in other cases, as we have seen with the Taiqing sources, his quotations make it possible to identify and authenticate the received versions of early texts in the Daoist Canon.» — el valor documental que le reconoce: conserva muchos materiales perdidos, buena parte sobre alquimia, y sus citas permiten identificar y autenticar las versiones recibidas de textos tempranos del Canon

«This testimony, finally, comes from a member of one of the families committed to the preservation of the traditional lore of southeastern China and the enhancement of its prestige among the Jiangnan aristocracy: actually Ge Hong’s family was—according to his own statement, which no source appears to contradict—initially the only one to possess the Taiqing texts.» — y de quién viene ese testimonio: de un miembro de una de las familias empeñadas en preservar el saber tradicional del sureste, la única que al principio poseía los textos Taiqing según su propia declaración, que Pregadio dice no ver contradicha por ninguna fuente

«Needless to say, not all Taiqing adepts must have looked at alchemy as Ge Hong did; many of them, however, are likely to have shared his views on how alchemy related to other traditions, which is the point that interests us here.» — la reserva con que Pregadio usa ese testimonio: no todos los adeptos Taiqing habrán visto la alquimia como Ge Hong, aunque muchos probablemente compartieran su modo de relacionarla con las demás tradiciones

«To him the use of herbal drugs also was subordinate to meditation and alchemy: whereas medicines of herbs and plants (caomu zhi yao) only afford longevity, Ge Hong states, guarding the One (shouyi) enables one to approach the gods and repel demons, and ingesting the Taiqing elixirs confers immortality.» — la jerarquía de prácticas que Pregadio le atribuye a Ge Hong: las medicinas de hierbas solo dan longevidad, guardar al Uno acerca a los dioses y repele demonios, e ingerir los elixires Taiqing da la inmortalidad

«The distinction between the benefits of alchemy and meditation, however, was not so clear-cut, for, as we shall see, Ge Hong also says that “if one ingests the Great Medicine of the Golden Elixir (jindan dayao), the hundred evils do not come close.”» — y la frontera que él mismo ve borrosa en esa jerarquía: Ge Hong dice también que ingerida la Gran Medicina del Elixir de Oro los cien males no se acercan

«If you add yellow clay to the Golden Liquor, place them in a bowl luted with the Mud of the Six-and-One, and heat the bowl over an intense fire, its whole contents will form gold. This is the first half of the procedure.» — el método del Elixir para el Nombramiento a Inmortal en la versión de Ge Hong: arcilla amarilla añadida al Licor de Oro en un cuenco lutado con el Barro del Seis-y-Uno, calentado a fuego intenso, da oro, y eso es la primera mitad del procedimiento

«If you heat this gold longer, it will transmute itself into an elixir. By ingesting this elixir in pills of the size of small beans, you will be able to enter a famous» — y su segunda mitad, cortada por el cambio de plana: calentado más tiempo, ese oro se vuelve elixir que en píldoras del tamaño de habas permite entrar en una montaña famosa

«Reflecting with more or less awareness the judgment of the Chinese literati, who found in the Inner Chapters of the Book of the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature (Baopu zi neipian) an accessible introduction to the arts of the elixirs, several scholars in the past have called this work the main Chi» — el juicio recibido que Pregadio consigna antes de discutirlo, cortado por el cambio de plana: varios estudiosos llamaron a los Capítulos Interiores el principal texto alquímico chino, y sigue en la plana 143, *nese alchemical text and its author, Ge Hong (283–343), the greatest Chinese alchemist*

«grants one access to the sacred in both of its aspects: the absolute Dao, on the one hand, and the intermediate world of gods and demons, on the other.» — la lectura que Pregadio hace de esa tensión, en el tramo que sigue al límite de chunk: para Ge Hong la alquimia da acceso a lo sagrado en sus dos aspectos, el Dao absoluto y el mundo intermedio de dioses y demonios

«Through this appraisal, Ge Hong presents alchemy as a teaching that, by the beginning of the fourth century, had positioned itself, together with meditation, at the higher end of the spectrum of religious and ritual traditions of Jiangnan. At the lower end, Ge Hong places a broad group of followers of other practices whom he singles out for criticism.» — y el mapa que Pregadio le atribuye: hacia principios del siglo IV Ge Hong coloca la alquimia, junto con la meditación, en el extremo alto del espectro de tradiciones religiosas y rituales de Jiangnan, y en el bajo a un grupo amplio de seguidores de otras prácticas a los que critica

«It is clear that if the present-day coarse and rustic practitioners do not obtain the great methods of the Golden Elixir, they will not obtain a long life. They may be able to heal illnesses and bring a dead person to life again, to abstain from cereals and be free from hunger for many years, to summon gods and demons, to be sitting at one moment and then rise up and disappear, to see one thousand miles away, to reveal the rise and fall of what is obscure and hidden, and to know the fortunes and calamities awaiting what has not yet sprouted. All this, however, will be of no advantage to increase the length of their life. (Baopu zi, 14.259)» — el pasaje de Ge Hong sobre los practicantes bastos y rústicos que Pregadio traduce: sin los grandes métodos del Elixir de Oro no habrá vida larga, aunque sepan curar enfermedades, resucitar muertos, abstenerse de cereales, convocar dioses y demonios, desaparecer o ver a mil millas

«This group of practitioners is associated by Ge Hong with the “minor arts” (xiaoshu), which, as shown by the passage quoted above, include healing practices, longevity techniques, divination, and magic. At best, says Ge Hong, some of these arts may serve as preliminary to the compounding of elixirs. If they are practiced along with the ingestion of the “minor medicines” (xiaoyao), they allow one to live longer. After that, “one can gradually climb to the Subtle” (jianjie jingwei).» — qué cuenta Ge Hong entre las artes menores y qué les concede: curación, técnicas de longevidad, adivinación y magia, que a lo sumo sirven de preliminar y, con las medicinas menores, alargan la vida hasta poder subir gradualmente a lo Sutil

«What might appear to be a contradiction in Ge Hong’s views is the fact that although he considers alchemy to be superior to the “minor arts,” as defined above, he includes among the benefits afforded by the ingestion of the elixirs virtually all those granted by the practices he deems to be inferior.» — la contradicción aparente que Pregadio señala en Ge Hong: tiene la alquimia por superior a las artes menores y sin embargo cuenta entre los beneficios de los elixires casi todos los que dan las prácticas que juzga inferiores

«One should not suspect, however, that this is due to Ge Hong’s misunderstanding or reflects his own way of seeing. The Scripture of the Nine Elixirs and the other Taiqing texts repeatedly mention the elixirs’ gifts of summoning gods and controlling demons together with their property of granting immortality.» — y por qué no se la achaca a él: el Jiudan jing y los demás textos Taiqing nombran una y otra vez el don de convocar dioses y dominar demonios junto al de dar la inmortalidad

«If you smear coins with the Reverted Elixir (huandan) and use them to buy something, all those coins will return (huan) to you on that very day. (Jiudan jingjue, 1.10b)» — el ejemplo con que lo apoya: monedas untadas con el Elixir Revertido vuelven ese mismo día a quien las gastó, juego de palabras que la propia fuente hace con huan

«For Ge Hong, three doctrinal and textual bodies incorporated the higher layer of those traditions: (1) the Script of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang wen), the Charts of the Real Forms of the Five Peaks (Wuyue zhenxing tu), and the associated writings; (2) the Taiqing alchemical scriptures; and (3) the writings dealing with meditation. The methods found in these three corpora were, in Ge Hong’s view, superior to all other practices prevalent in his time, to which nevertheless he devotes much space in his Inner Chapters.» — los tres cuerpos doctrinales que, según Pregadio, Ge Hong pone en el estrato alto de las tradiciones de Jiangnan: el Sanhuang wen con las Cartas de las Formas Reales de los Cinco Picos, las escrituras alquímicas Taiqing y los escritos de meditación

«The two scriptures are not extant in their original form, and their state in Ge Hong’s time—especially in the case of the Real Forms—is not exactly known to us.» — la negativa que ficha sobre esas dos escrituras: no se conservan en su forma original y no se sabe con exactitud en qué estado las conoció Ge Hong

«I heard my master Zheng [Yin] say that among the important writings on the Dao none surpasses the Inner Script of the Three Sovereigns (Sanhuang neiwen) and the Charts of the Real Forms of the Five Peaks. The immortal officers (xianguan) and the accomplished men (zhiren) of antiquity venerated the methods expounded in these writings, considered them to be secret, and transmitted them only to those destined to become immortals. They handed them down only once in forty years, after one made an oath by smearing one’s mouth with blood and established a bond by offering gifts» — lo que Ge Hong dice haber oído de su maestro Zheng Yin: ningún escrito importante sobre el Dao supera al Sanhuang neiwen y a las Cartas de las Formas Reales, que se transmitían una sola vez cada cuarenta años, tras juramento con la boca untada de sangre y entrega de dones

«The Three Sovereigns says that if a household possesses this scripture, one can keep off evil and the noxious demons, quell the unhealthy pneumas (qi), intercept calamities, and neutralize misfortunes. If someone is on the point of death because of an illness, let him hold this text and, provided he has full faith in its methods, he will not die.» — y lo que el Sanhuang wen promete a quien lo posea, en la traducción de Pregadio: apartar el mal y los demonios nocivos, sosegar los pneumas insanos, atajar calamidades, y salvar de la muerte a quien lo sostenga con fe plena

«If a practitioner who wishes to search for long life enters a mountain holding this text, he will keep off tigers, wolves, and mountain sprites. The five poisons (wudu) and the hundred calamities (baixie) will dare not come near him, and when he crosses a river or a large expanse of water, he will avoid crocodiles and halt wind and waves. If one obtains this book, one can carry out transformations and start any activity without inquiring about proper places or propitious times. One’s household will not know calamity or adversity. (Baopu zi, 19.336)» — el resto de esas promesas: aparta tigres, lobos y duendes de montaña, mantiene lejos los cinco venenos y las cien calamidades, libra de cocodrilos y de olas al cruzar el agua, y dispensa de preguntar por lugares y tiempos propicios

«These powers derive from the mighty talismans on which the Three Sovereigns and the Real Forms were based. The two scriptures were, in fact, talismans themselves: as we have seen, owning them, and even merely holding them in one’s hands, offered protection against assaults of demons, dangers brought by outer forces, and even death.» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre esas dos escrituras: sus poderes vienen de los talismanes en que se basaban, y de hecho eran ellas mismas talismanes, porque poseerlas o solo tenerlas en la mano ya protegía

«The relation of beliefs and practices like those described above to alchemy and meditation—the other two doctrinal and textual corpora that Ge Hong endorsed—might at first seem unclear, for we are accustomed to think of Chinese alchemy as rooted in the system of correlative cosmology, and to Daoist meditation as exclusively concerned with the visualization of gods or with inner contemplation.» — el prejuicio que Pregadio nombra para desarmarlo: estamos habituados a pensar la alquimia china arraigada en la cosmología correlativa y la meditación taoísta dedicada solo a visualizar dioses o a la contemplación interior

«Instead, one of the reasons why alchemy and meditation were valued in Ge Hong’s time is that the benefits they afforded included those associated with the Three Sovereigns and the Real Forms: protection by benevolent gods and expulsion of dangerous spirits.» — y lo que él sostiene: una de las razones por las que se apreciaban la alquimia y la meditación en tiempos de Ge Hong es que daban lo mismo que el Sanhuang wen y las Formas Reales, protección de dioses benévolos y expulsión de espíritus peligrosos

«If you walk keeping in your hand one pill [of the Fixed Elixir] of the size of a date stone, the hundred demons will be exterminated. . . . This elixir will also keep off thieves and robbers, and even tigers and wolves will run away. If a woman who lives alone keeps one pill the size of a large bean in her hand, the hundred demons, thieves, and robbers will flee and dare not come near her.» — otro: una píldora del Elixir Fijo del tamaño de un hueso de dátil llevada en la mano extermina a los cien demonios, aparta ladrones, tigres y lobos, y protege a la mujer que vive sola

«These examples show that, as do the talismans of the Three Sovereigns and the Real Forms, the elixirs cause gods and other divine beings to appear and offer their protection to the adept. At the same time, however, the elixirs offer one benefit that goes beyond the reach of those scriptures, as they make it possible not only to summon the gods, but also to rise to heaven with them.» — el punto en que Pregadio separa los elixires de los talismanes: hacen lo mismo que ellos, pero además permiten no solo convocar a los dioses sino subir al cielo con ellos

«Here Ge Hong draws two sets of distinctions. The first is between the alchemical elixirs and the herbal drugs: the elixirs confer immortality, the herbal drugs only prolong life. Of equal importance, for Ge Hong, is another distinction, namely the one between practices that deal with the sacred at various levels—alchemy, meditation, use of talismans and charms, and observance of precepts—and those that merely help one to heal from “internal ailments” (neiji), but leave one subject to outer evil influences.» — las dos distinciones que Pregadio le lee en ese pasaje: la primera entre elixires y hierbas, que dan inmortalidad y longevidad respectivamente, y la segunda entre las prácticas que tratan con lo sagrado y las que solo curan dolencias internas y dejan expuesto al mal de fuera

«If one ingests the Great Medicine of the Golden Elixir, the hundred evils do not come close even if one continues to dwell in the world. If one ingests only herbs and plants and small pills of the eight minerals, one can only heal from illnesses and increase one’s length of life. This is because such preparations are not enough to avert the calamities that come from outside. (Baopu zi, 18.327)» — el pasaje que Ge Hong dice haber recibido de su maestro: ingerida la Gran Medicina del Elixir de Oro los cien males no se acercan aunque se siga en el mundo, mientras las hierbas y las píldoras de los ocho minerales solo curan y alargan la vida, porque no bastan contra las calamidades que vienen de fuera

«To prepare them, heat together and transmute the Five Minerals (wushi): cinnabar (dansha), realgar (xionghuang), alum (fanshi), laminar malachite (cengqing), and magnetite (cishi). Each mineral is submitted to five transmutations, and each transmutation produces five colors. There are five minerals and therefore twenty-five colors.» — los Elixires de las Nueve Radiancias según Ge Hong: cinco minerales sometidos cada uno a cinco transmutaciones que dan cinco colores, veinticinco colores en total

«Again, one cannot fail to notice that the Elixirs of the Nine Radiances, in addition to their healing powers, afford several benefits associated by Ge Hong with the “minor arts”: invisibility, divinatory powers, and feats of magic.» — el hallazgo que Pregadio subraya en esa lista: los Elixires de las Nueve Radiancias dan, además de curación, cosas que el propio Ge Hong adscribe a las artes menores, invisibilidad, poderes adivinatorios y hazañas de magia

«Even the lowest of the minor elixirs is by far superior to the highest among herbs and plants. If any herb or plant is placed on a fire it burns away. Instead, if cinnabar is placed on a fire it produces quicksilver, and after repeated transmutations it reverts to cinnabar. It is by far superior to any herb or plant and therefore it can make one live long. Only the divine immortals see this principle. (Baopu zi, 4.72)» — la razón que Ge Hong da para la superioridad de los elixires sobre las hierbas, en la traducción de Pregadio: la hierba puesta al fuego se quema, y el cinabrio da azogue y tras repetidas transmutaciones vuelve a ser cinabrio

«Consistently with this statement, he distinguishes breathing, daoyin, the ingestion of herbal drugs, as well as the sexual practices, from the compounding of the elixirs, and places them into a separate category. The latter he designates as yangsheng, or Nourishing Life, a comprehensive rubric that has no specific definition but covers several techniques that share a physiological foundation.» — el rótulo bajo el que Ge Hong agrupa esas otras prácticas, según Pregadio: yangsheng o Nutrir la Vida, rúbrica amplia sin definición propia que cubre técnicas de fundamento fisiológico

«The ten thousand gods will become your attendants and offer protection, and the Jade Women will be at your service. The divine immortals will welcome you, and you will rise to heaven. The hundred demons (baigui), the Gods of Soil and Grain, the Count of the Wind, and the Master of Rain will welcome you, and you will have them at your service. (Jiudan jingjue, 1.11a)» — uno de los pasajes del Jiudan jingjue que Pregadio traduce para mostrarlo: los diez mil dioses como servidores, las Mujeres de Jade al servicio del adepto, y los cien demonios, los Dioses del Suelo y del Grano, el Conde del Viento y el Maestro de la Lluvia a sus órdenes. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«If you want to keep away the five sorts of weapons (wubing), you should carry [the Divine Elixir] at your belt. Divine beings will offer their protection and keep the weapons away. (Jiudan jingjue, 1.9b)» — un caso de uso sin ingestión: el Elixir Divino llevado al cinto hace que los seres divinos protejan al adepto y aparten las cinco clases de armas. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«insistence on the limited benefits of the “medicines of herbs and plants” does not result from an attempt to prove the inferiority of medicine compared to alchemy. His point is not the distinction between alchemy and medicine as a learned system of theory and practice for the prevention and the healing of ailments; his criticism, in particular, is not addressed to the cosmological and medical system at the basis of the Inner Scripture of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi neijing) and the related writings.» — la aclaración que Pregadio hace sobre esa insistencia, en la frase partida por el límite de chunk: no es un intento de probar la inferioridad de la medicina frente a la alquimia, y su crítica no va contra el sistema cosmológico y médico del Huangdi neijing

«Ge Hong is considering a different question: how to deal with the dangerous aspects of the supernatural world. Herbal medicines, for him, are not the answer, for they have no power against demons and the “calamities that come from outside.”» — y cuál es entonces la pregunta que Ge Hong se hace, según Pregadio: cómo habérselas con los aspectos peligrosos del mundo sobrenatural, para lo que las medicinas de hierbas no son respuesta

«To revive a dead person, provided that no more than three days have passed since his or her death, take a speck of the green elixir, mix it with water, and wash the deceased with it, also placing a speck in his or her mouth; that person will immediately return to life.» — lo que hace el elixir verde de los Nueve Radiancias, en la traducción de Pregadio: una mota mezclada con agua para lavar al muerto de menos de tres días y otra en su boca lo devuelven al instante a la vida

«The property of gold and cinnabar is that the more they are heated, the more wondrous are their transmutations. If gold is placed on a fire it does not lose weight even after it is refined one hundred times, and if it is placed under the earth it does not decay until Heaven abides.» — el segundo argumento de Ge Hong sobre el oro y el cinabrio: cuanto más se calientan más prodigiosas son sus transmutaciones, el oro refinado cien veces no pierde peso y bajo tierra no se corrompe mientras dure el Cielo

«But when gold and cinnabar enter one’s body, they permeate the system of transformation of food into nutritional essences: they are not simply an external support like verdigris. (Baopu zi, 4.71–72)» — y su remate: al entrar en el cuerpo, el oro y el cinabrio permean el sistema que vuelve el alimento en esencias nutricias, y no son mero apoyo externo como el cardenillo untado bajo los pies

«All those who want to live a long life, but do not obtain the Divine Elixirs and the Golden Liquor, merely bring suffering upon themselves. Practicing breathing and daoyin, exhaling the old and inhaling the new breath, and ingesting medicines of herbs and plants can extend the length of one’s life, but do not allow one to escape death. When a man ingests the Divine Elixirs, he becomes a divine immortal and transcends the generations [of mortals]. (Jiudan jingjue, 1.1a)» — el pasaje del Jiudan jingjue con que Pregadio abre el apartado del Nutrir la Vida: la respiración, el daoyin y las medicinas de hierbas alargan la vida pero no libran de la muerte, y solo los Elixires Divinos hacen inmortal divino y trascienden las generaciones. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«herbs and plants and practice the minor arts, can extend the number of one’s years and defer the time of death, but cannot obtain immortality. Some only know how to ingest herbal medicines, but ignore the essential arts for inverting the course of aging: they entirely lack the principle of long» — el pasaje de Ge Hong sobre el límite de las hierbas, en el tramo que sigue al límite de chunk: alargan los años y difieren la muerte pero no dan la inmortalidad, y quien solo sabe ingerirlas e ignora las artes para invertir el curso del envejecimiento carece del principio de la vida larga

«Take the residue of the elixir from the crucible, mix it, and pound it fifty thousand times. Add some sugar or honey to it, and make it into pills the size of kola nuts. These are the Divine Pills of the Great Ultimate for Reverting to Life (Taiji huanming shenwan).» — las Píldoras Divinas del Gran Último para Revertir a la Vida en la traducción de Pregadio: el residuo del elixir majado cincuenta mil veces con azúcar o miel, en píldoras del tamaño de nueces de cola. El pasaje vuelve en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro

«If you place two of these pills in the mouth of those who have died no more than three days earlier, and make them ingest those pills with freshly drawn water, they will come back to life. If the Divine Pills are given to those who suffer loss or injury, or who have become blind or deaf, they will revert to their previous condition. If you have an internal ailment, ingest a couple of pills; if the ailment is an outer one, pulverize two pills and apply the powder by rubbing. You will heal in a short time. One can easily heal any illness in this way. (Jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, 4a)» — y lo que esas píldoras hacen: dos en la boca de quien lleve menos de tres días muerto lo devuelven a la vida, curan al mutilado, al ciego y al sordo, y sirven ingeridas para el mal interno y pulverizadas y frotadas para el externo

«Others do not understand how to wear the divine talismans at their belt, how to make charms and observe the precepts, how to meditate on the deities within themselves, and how to guard the Real One (zhenyi): they can merely prevent internal ailments from arising and wind and humidity from hurting them.» — y la segunda mitad de ese pasaje: quien no sabe llevar al cinto los talismanes divinos, hacer ensalmos, observar los preceptos, meditar en las deidades interiores y guardar al Uno Real solo evita que le nazcan dolencias internas y que le dañen el viento y la humedad

«If a noxious demon, a powerful evil, a mountain sprite, or a poison in the water suddenly harms them, they are dead. Some do not obtain the methods for entering the mountains (rushan), and let the mountain deities bring calamities to them. Goblins and demons (yaogui) will put them to test, wild animals will wound them, poisons from pools will hit them, and snakes will bite them. There will be not one, but many prospects of death. (Baopu zi, 13.243)» — y su cierre: un demonio nocivo, un mal poderoso, un duende de montaña o un veneno de agua los mata, y a quien no obtiene los métodos para entrar en las montañas lo alcanzan las calamidades de sus deidades, los duendes, las fieras y las serpientes

«Those who know the arts of the Mysterious Woman and the Pure Woman say that one can transcend the world only through the arts of the bedchamber. Those who are expert in breathing (tuna) say that one can extend the number of years only through circulation of breath (xingqi). Those who know the methods for bending and stretching [their body] say that one can avoid aging only through daoyin. Those who know the methods based on herbs and plants say that one can surpass any limit only through medicines and pills. When the study of the Dao does not bear fruit, it is because of biases like these. (Baopu zi, 6.124)» — el pasaje de Ge Hong contra el sesgo del especialista, en la traducción de Pregadio: cada quien tiene por única vía la suya —las artes de alcoba, la circulación del aliento, el daoyin, las hierbas—, y por sesgos así no fructifica el estudio del Dao

«Ge Hong’s view of these disciplines is condensed in a significant question: “Can the Dao really be nothing more than the pursuit of nourishing life?”» — la pregunta con que Pregadio condensa la posición de Ge Hong sobre esas disciplinas: si el Dao puede no ser más que la búsqueda de nutrir la vida

«Those who fully understand the principles of Nourishing Life ingest the Divine Medicines. Besides this, they circulate breath without negligence, and practice daoyin from morning to evening so that their system of transmutation of food into nutritional essences operates without obstructions. In addition, they practice the arts of the bedchamber, moderate their food and drinks, do not expose themselves to wind and humidity, and do not grieve about what they cannot do. Thus they can be without illnesses. (Baopu zi, 15.271)» — el pasaje en que Ge Hong las ordena como auxiliares: quien entiende el Nutrir la Vida ingiere las Medicinas Divinas y además circula el aliento, hace daoyin, practica las artes de alcoba, mide comida y bebida y no se expone al viento ni a la humedad, y así queda sin enfermedades

«The object of Ge Hong’s criticism, therefore, is not whether these techniques have value in themselves, but the belief that one can practice them as the sole way to attain immortality.» — y dónde pone Pregadio el blanco de esa crítica: no si esas técnicas valen en sí, sino la creencia de que basten por sí solas para alcanzar la inmortalidad

«Among the arts of Yin and Yang (i.e., the sexual practices), the best ones can heal the lesser illnesses, and the next ones can prevent one from becoming depleted. Since their principles have inherent bounds (qi li zi you ji), how could they confer divine immortality, ward off calamities, and lead one to happiness?» — el límite que el propio Ge Hong les fija a las artes de alcoba: las mejores curan males menores y las siguientes evitan el agotamiento, y como sus principios tienen término propio no pueden dar la inmortalidad divina

«The common people hear that the Yellow Emperor rose to heaven with 1,200 women, and say that he obtained longevity only thanks to this. They do not know that the Yellow Emperor compounded the Nine Elixirs on Lake Ding at the foot of Mount Jing, and then rose to heaven by riding a dragon. He might have had 1,200 women, but it was not for this reason that he was able to do it.21 (Baopu zi, 6.129)» — el argumento con que lo remata: la gente común atribuye la ascensión del Emperador Amarillo a sus mil doscientas mujeres, e ignora que compuso los Nueve Elixires al pie del monte Jing y subió al cielo montando un dragón

«Referring to both as the culmination of an adept’s search for transcendence, he states that “as for the immortals’ methods of longevity there is only the Golden Elixir, and as for guarding one’s form (shouxing) and warding off evil there is only [the method of guarding] the Real One (zhenyi).”» — la fórmula con que Ge Hong empareja las dos prácticas superiores, en la traducción de Pregadio: para la longevidad de los inmortales solo está el Elixir de Oro, y para guardar la forma y apartar el mal solo el guardar al Uno Real

«The scriptures on the Elixir in Nine Cycles and on the Golden Liquor, and the instructions on guarding the One, are all in the Five Citadels (wucheng) of Mount Kunlun. They are stored in jade caskets, inscribed on golden tablets, sealed with purple mud, and impressed with the badge of the Center (zhongzhang). (Baopu zi, 18.324)» — el origen común que una escritura de los inmortales citada por Ge Hong les asigna: los textos celestes de la alquimia y del guardar al Uno están juntos en las Cinco Ciudadelas del Kunlun, en cofres de jade, en tablillas de oro, sellados con barro púrpura

«Another text known to Ge Hong, however, assigned meditation a standing higher than that of the apotropaic methods of the Sanhuang wen and the alchemical elixirs. According to this anonymous text, which is quoted in both the Inner Chapters and the Prolegomena to the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure, the Yellow Emperor received the latter two bodies of teaching, together with others, during his initiatory journey to the four directions of the world. It was only at the end of his pilgrimage, in the Jade Hall (Yutang, the residence of Laozi), that the August Man of Celestial Reality (Tianzhen huangren) granted him the method for guarding the One.» — y el desacuerdo que Pregadio consigna sin armonizar: otro texto conocido por Ge Hong pone la meditación por encima del Sanhuang wen y de los elixires, porque el Emperador Amarillo recibió el guardar al Uno al final de su viaje, en la Sala de Jade

«Ge Hong distinguishes between two types of meditation on the One, which he calls “guarding the Real One” (shou zhenyi) and “guarding the Mysterious One” (shou xuanyi). Guarding the Real One, or “guarding the One” for short, consists of visualizing and meditating on the inner deities, seen as multiple forms taken by the One within the human being. These gods dwell in the main loci of the inner body, especially the three Cinnabar Fields (dantian).» — la distinción que Pregadio le lee: guardar al Uno Real es visualizar y meditar en las deidades interiores, formas múltiples del Uno dentro del hombre, que moran sobre todo en los tres Campos de Cinabrio

«To guard the Mysterious One, meditate on yourself as dividing into three persons. After you see these three persons, continue to increase them until they become several dozen, all similar to yourself, hiding or showing themselves. About this there are oral instructions; it is the so-called “way of dividing one’s form” (fenxing zhi dao). . . . My master said that in order to guard the [Mysterious] One, one should jointly cultivate the practice of the Bright Mirror (mingjing). When the “way of the mirror” (jingdao) is achieved, one can divide one’s form into several dozen persons, all with the same clothes and the same appearance. (Baopu zi, 18.325–26)» — el otro método, el de guardar al Uno Misterioso, tal como Pregadio lo traduce: meditarse dividido en tres personas y multiplicarlas hasta decenas idénticas a uno mismo, la llamada vía de dividir la propia forma, cultivada junto con la práctica del Espejo Brillante

«Beyond their differences, however, the two methods afford identical benefits, and these benefits are equal to those gained through the ingestion of the elixirs. On one hand, guarding the Real One enables one to access the divine world: “If you guard the One and preserve the Real (cunzhen), you will be able to communicate with the gods (tongshen).”» — lo que Pregadio sostiene de los dos métodos: dan lo mismo, y ese algo es igual a lo que da ingerir los elixires, porque guardar al Uno Real permite comunicar con los dioses

«On land, the One keeps off the evil animals; in water, it sends away the crocodiles. You will not fear the wangliang demons or the poisonous insects. The demons will dare not come near you, and the blades will dare not strike. . . . In the shrine of a demon, in a mountain’s forest, in a land infested by a plague, within a tomb, in a marsh inhabited by tigers and wolves, or in the dwelling of snakes, if you guard the One without distraction all evils will be expelled. But if you forget to guard the One even for a single instant, the demons will harm you. (Baopu zi, 18.324, 325)» — y el reverso protector: el Uno aparta las fieras en tierra y los cocodrilos en el agua, y en el santuario de un demonio o en un pantano de tigres expulsa todos los males, pero basta olvidarse de guardarlo un instante para que los demonios hagan daño

«At the same time, defining itself as a higher form of doctrine and practice, alchemy offered its adepts not only the benefits afforded by other practices, but beyond them, and most important, the knowledge of the Dao and immortality.» — el balance del capítulo séptimo: definiéndose como forma más alta de doctrina y de práctica, la alquimia ofreció a sus adeptos lo que daban las otras prácticas y, por encima, el conocimiento del Dao y la inmortalidad

«Seen in a broader perspective, this feature was required for the Taiqing tradition to claim the highest rank among the religious and ritual legacies of Jiangnan: to succeed in doing so, alchemy simultaneously needed to replace the practices related to those traditions, incorporate the benefits that they afforded, and offer additional ones. As we have seen in the Introduction to this book, any alchemical tradition does this with no effort, as incorporating elements from other traditions while providing them with a different doctrinal basis is one of the essential features of alchemy.» — y la tesis general que Pregadio deriva: para reclamar el rango más alto la alquimia tenía que sustituir las prácticas vecinas, incorporar sus beneficios y añadir otros, cosa que hace sin esfuerzo porque tomar elementos ajenos dándoles otra base doctrinal es rasgo suyo

«There is little or no space for waidan in the Shangqing and Lingbao doctrines and practices. Waidan, in fact, seems to have played no role at all in Lingbao, whose main historical function has been to provide the doctrinal context for the first major codification of Daoist ritual.» — la negativa con que Pregadio abre el capítulo octavo: hay poco o ningún sitio para el waidan en las doctrinas y prácticas Shangqing y Lingbao, y en Lingbao parece no haber tenido papel alguno

«Being mainly concerned with ritual, it is understandable that the compounding of elixirs is not within the focus of this legacy; but given the larger context in which it developed, it is significant that one of the earliest explicit mentions of the “inner elixir” is found exactly in a Lingbao text.» — y el hallazgo que subraya en esa negativa: siendo Lingbao un legado ritual se entiende que los elixires no le interesen, y sin embargo una de las menciones explícitas más tempranas del elixir interior está justamente en un texto Lingbao

«Shangqing, instead, despite focusing primarily on meditation, incorporated (as we have already seen, and as we shall see in more detail in this chapter) waidan texts into its own literature, and some immortals and semi-divine beings related to alchemy into its own pantheon. But although this marked the first—and apparently the only—encounter of a major Daoist tradition with waidan, the studied hierarchical arrangement of practices and saints reflected in the Shangqing texts was intended precisely to show that the Shangqing teachings and methods were superior to the earlier ones, including those of the Taiqing tradition, and thus were ready to replace them.» — y la relación distinta que le adjudica al Shangqing: incorporó textos waidan a su literatura y a inmortales ligados a la alquimia a su panteón, con un orden jerárquico hecho para mostrar que sus enseñanzas eran superiores a las anteriores y estaban listas para reemplazarlas

«Clearly this is the same ranking promoted by Ge Hong two centuries earlier in his Inner Chapters, with the only important difference that whereas Ge Hong deemed waidan and meditation to be the two superior forms of practice, here meditation—in the forms endorsed by the Shangqing scriptures— is assigned the highest rank.» — la comparación que Pregadio traza entre las dos jerarquías: la del Zhen'gao de Tao Hongjing es la misma de Ge Hong dos siglos antes, con la diferencia de que ahora la meditación en su forma Shangqing queda por encima del waidan

«The passage quoted above from the Declarations of the Perfected shows that Shangqing does not entirely reject waidan; it considers it to be superior to exorcistic and healing practices and to the methods of Nourishing Life, and it acknowledges that the elixirs grant immortality. Tao Hongjing’s Declarations, in fact, describes waidan methods and, as we shall presently see, Tao himself performed waidan practices.» — lo que Pregadio le concede a Shangqing en esa jerarquía: no rechaza el waidan del todo, lo pone por encima de lo exorcístico, lo curativo y el Nutrir la Vida, y reconoce que los elixires dan la inmortalidad; el propio Tao Hongjing practicó el waidan

«I heard my master say that in the scriptures on the Arts of the Way (daoshu) there are several thousand methods to meditate, to visualize, and to expel evil in order to protect oneself.» — el pasaje de Ge Hong sobre la abundancia de métodos: en las escrituras de las Artes de la Vía hay varios millares de maneras de meditar, visualizar y expulsar el mal para protegerse

«Sometimes, however, generating in meditation (sizuo) several thousand beings in order to protect oneself is so complicated that it may confuse one’s mind. If one knows the Way of guarding the One, one can do without all other methods. Therefore it is said: “If you know the One, the ten thousand affairs are brought to completion.” 25 (Baopu zi, 18.324)» — y la razón de preferir uno solo: generar en meditación millares de seres para protegerse es tan complicado que puede confundir la mente, y quien conoce la Vía de guardar al Uno puede prescindir de los demás métodos

«The One has surnames and names, as well as clothes and colors. In men it is nine-tenths of an inch tall, in women six-tenths of an inch. Sometimes it is in the lower Cinnabar Field, at two inches and four-tenths below the navel. Sometimes it is in the middle Cinnabar Field, the Golden Portal of the Crimson Palace (jianggong jinque) below the heart. Sometimes it is in the space between the eyebrows: at one inch behind them is the Hall of Light (mingtang), at two inches is the Cavern Chamber (dongfang), and at three inches is the upper Cinnabar Field.» — el pasaje que da las medidas y los sitios del Uno en el cuerpo, en la traducción de Pregadio: nueve décimos de pulgada en el hombre y seis en la mujer, en el Campo de Cinabrio inferior, en el medio bajo el corazón, o entre las cejas, donde a una pulgada está la Sala de la Luz y a tres el Campo de Cinabrio superior

«This is deemed to be extremely important within the lineages of the Way (daojia). From generation to generation, they orally transmit the surnames and names [of the inner gods] after smearing their mouths with blood. (Baopu zi, 18.323)» — y el régimen de secreto que lo acompaña: los linajes de la Vía lo tienen por importantísimo y transmiten oralmente, de generación en generación, los apellidos y nombres de los dioses interiores tras untarse la boca con sangre

«Although some scholars have tried (unsuccessfully until now) to distinguish a particular social group or even a “syncretic community” behind Lingbao, the main task of this legacy» — el estado de la cuestión que Pregadio consigna, con su reserva y cortado por el cambio de plana: hay quien intentó, sin lograrlo hasta ahora, distinguir un grupo social o hasta una comunidad sincrética tras Lingbao

«Based on this, it could be but a small step to conclude that waidan has no more than a marginal relation to Daoism as it evolved during the Six Dynasties and in later times. This step, in fact, has been made in some studies on Chinese alchemy.» — el paso que Pregadio identifica en algunos estudios antes de objetarlo: concluir que el waidan no tiene más que una relación marginal con el taoísmo de las Seis Dinastías y posterior

«The existence of about one hundred waidan texts in the Daoist Canon (one of the largest corpora in that collection, if considered as a whole), in addition to the inclusion of the Great Clarity, of “the various transmutations and the talismanic charts” descended from that heaven, and of deities, saints, and immortals associated with alchemy into the system of the Three Caverns, shows, instead, how closely waidan was integrated into the construction that Daoists erected—with awareness and intention, as shown by the very complexity of that system—during the Six Dynasties.» — y con qué lo objeta: el centenar de textos waidan del Canon, uno de sus corpus más grandes, y la inclusión de la Gran Claridad, de sus transmutaciones y cartas talismánicas y de sus santos en el sistema de las Tres Cavernas

«If one feeds on herbal drugs without knowing [the arts of] the bedchamber, circulation of breath, and daoyin, then the ingestion of drugs is of no bene» — el arranque del pasaje del Zhen'gao que Pregadio traduce, cortado por el cambio de plana: comer drogas de hierbas sin saber de alcoba, circulación del aliento y daoyin no da provecho alguno

«If one only knows how to practice [the arts of] the bedchamber, daoyin, or the circulation of breath, and does not know the methods of the Divine Elixirs, one does not become an immortal. If one obtains the Golden Liquor and the Divine Elixirs, one becomes an immortal with no need of other practices. If one obtains the Authentic Scripture of the Great Cavern, there is no need of the Way of the Golden Elixir (jindan zhi dao).4 (Zhen’gao, 5.11b)» — y el remate de esa jerarquía: sin los métodos de los Elixires Divinos no hay inmortal, con el Licor de Oro y los Elixires Divinos no hacen falta otras prácticas, y con la Escritura Auténtica de la Gran Caverna no hace falta la Vía del Elixir de Oro

«Instead of focusing on making and ingesting elixirs, Shangqing primarily uses some features of the alchemical process as a support for meditation practices.» — la tesis de Pregadio sobre cómo integró Shangqing el waidan: no componiendo ni ingiriendo elixires, sino usando algunos rasgos del proceso alquímico como soporte de las prácticas de meditación

«In these and other ways, Shangqing effectively bends the nature and purposes of waidan to its own ends, turning it into a metaphor used to describe inner processes, and anticipating in this way traits that later characterize inner alchemy, of which this tradition is one of the main forerunners.» — y lo que resulta de eso: Shangqing dobla la naturaleza y los fines del waidan a los suyos, lo vuelve metáfora de procesos interiores y anticipa rasgos de la alquimia interior, de la que Pregadio lo hace uno de los precursores principales

«The Authentic Scripture of the Great Cavern, the central Shangqing scripture, was alternatively called Inner Scripture of the Contemplation of the Heaven of the Superior Way of Great Clarity (Taiqing shangdao guantian neijing). One can recognize in this title an allusion to the complete, unrevealed version of the Scripture of Great Clarity, whose title, as reported by Ge Hong, was Scripture of the Contemplation of the Heaven of Great Clarity (Taiqing guantian jing).» — el hallazgo textual con que Pregadio lo apoya: la escritura central del Shangqing llevaba también un título que alude al Taiqing guantian jing, la versión completa y no revelada de la escritura de la Gran Claridad

«The main Shangqing scripture, therefore, was presented as the superior, unabridged version of the main Taiqing scripture, parts of which were still “not transmitted for teaching” in Ge Hong’s time but had become available by way of the Shangqing revelations.» — y lo que ese título hacía: presentar la escritura principal del Shangqing como la versión íntegra de la principal Taiqing, cuyas partes no transmisibles en tiempos de Ge Hong quedaban disponibles por las revelaciones Shangqing

«His biography reports that he finally chose to devote himself to a different waidan practice only because he did not deem the text of the Nine Elixirs that he possessed to be sufficiently clear.» — el dato que Pregadio recoge sobre Tao Hongjing: experimentó sin éxito con el waidan y, según su biografía, pasó a otra práctica solo porque no tenía por bastante claro el texto del Jiudan jing que poseía

«The partial integration of waidan into the Shangqing tradition was supported by the creation of new hagiographic lines of transmission. In this regard, Shangqing followed two main routes, either by attributing the origin of the Taiqing methods to divine beings and immortals different from those mentioned in the Taiqing texts, or by representing the Taiqing immortals as disciples of Shangqing immortals.» — las dos rutas hagiográficas que Pregadio distingue en esa integración: atribuir el origen de los métodos Taiqing a seres divinos distintos de los que nombran los textos Taiqing, o volver discípulos de inmortales Shangqing a los inmortales Taiqing

«Tao Hongjing’s biographer chooses the former option, stating that the method of the Golden Liquor was first transmitted not by Zuo Ci, but by Ma Mingsheng, Yin Changsheng, and Anqi sheng, all of whom were supposed to have lived before Zuo Ci.» — la primera ruta con su ejemplo: el biógrafo de Tao Hongjing hace transmitir el método del Licor de Oro no por Zuo Ci sino por Ma Mingsheng, Yin Changsheng y Anqi sheng, todos anteriores a él

«The Declarations of the Perfected exemplifies the second option: it admits Zuo Ci into the Shangqing roster of immortals and semi-divine beings but claims that he had received teachings and texts from Li Zhongfu, a disciple of the major Shangqing saint, Lord Wang (the saint who also taught the Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles).» — y la segunda: el Zhen'gao admite a Zuo Ci entre sus inmortales pero le hace recibir enseñanzas y textos de Li Zhongfu, discípulo del Señor Wang

«The biographies of Shangqing immortals—which, as Isabelle Robinet has shown, acted as the main channel for admitting earlier traditions into the Shangqing corpus of doctrines and methods 17—mention other lines of transmission. The biographies describe the practices through which their subjects had achieved their spiritual status, and elixirs and alchemical texts often figure among the treasures that they found, or received, during their initiatory quest.» — el mecanismo que Pregadio atribuye a Isabelle Robinet: las biografías de inmortales Shangqing fueron el canal principal para admitir tradiciones anteriores, y entre los tesoros que sus protagonistas hallan figuran elixires y textos alquímicos

«Juanzi came from the state of Qi (in present-day Shandong). He devoted himself to eating atractylis (zhu), of which he collected and ingested the essence. When he reached the age of three hundred years, he appeared in the state of Qi. He wrote the Scripture of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity (Tiandiren jing) in forty-eight scrolls. Later, while he was fishing in the He marshes (Heze, Shandong), he caught a carp whose stomach contained a talisman, and retired to Mount Dang (Dangshan, Jiangsu). He was able to summon wind and rain.» — el retrato de Juanzi que Pregadio traduce del Liexian zhuan: comía atractilis, llegó a los trescientos años, escribió el Tiandiren jing en cuarenta y ocho rollos, pescó una carpa con un talismán en el estómago y sabía convocar viento y lluvia

«The sequence of associations that led to merging the figures of Juanzi and Xuanzi is not easy to establish, but the passage quoted above from the Biographies of the Immortals contains another detail of interest.» — la negativa de método que Pregadio ficha: no es fácil trazar la secuencia de asociaciones que fundió las figuras de Juanzi y Xuanzi

«One of the best examples of the prestige enjoyed by the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs outside the alchemical tradition is the early attempt made to connect it with Zhang Daoling, the beginner of the Way of the Celestial Masters. The first source that documents this association—which, let it be mentioned once, is entirely fictional from a historical point of view—is the Biographies of the Divine Immortals (Shenxian zhuan).» — el caso que Pregadio da por mejor ejemplo del prestigio del Jiudan jing fuera de la tradición alquímica, con su juicio declarado entre guiones: el intento temprano de ligarlo a Zhang Daoling, asociación que él llama del todo ficticia desde el punto de vista histórico

«Zhang Daoling came from the state of Pei (in present-day Jiangsu). First he was a student of the National Academy (Taixue) and studied the Five Classics deeply, but when he was late in life he sighed and said: “This will be of no avail to extend the length of my life.” Thereafter he devoted himself to longevity practices, and received the methods of the Elixirs of the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi jiuding dan). He intended to compound them, but the ingredients were extremely costly. Since his family was poor, he gave a thought to ploughing fields and raising cattle, but as he was not practical in those matters, he did not have a chance to compound them.» — el relato del Shenxian zhuan en la traducción de Pregadio: Zhang Daoling deja el estudio de los Cinco Clásicos porque no alarga la vida, recibe los métodos de los Elixires de los Nueve Trípodes y no puede componerlos por pobre

«When he achieved them, he ingested only half a dose as he did not yet want to rise to heaven. . . . He told all [his disciples]: “Many of you are not yet free from the vulgar customs and are unable to turn your back to the world. You may receive from me the methods of the circulation of breath (xingqi), gymnastics (daoyin), and the bedchamber (fangzhong), and you may ingest herbs and plants, but this would only allow you to live a few hundred years. The great import of the Nine Tripods is only within the reach of Wang Chang. Eventually, another man who comes from the east shall be able to obtain them.” 25 (Shenxian zhuan, in Taiping guangji, 8.55–58)» — y su continuación: ingiere media dosis para no subir aún al cielo, y dice a sus discípulos que la circulación del aliento, el daoyin, la alcoba y las hierbas solo dan unos siglos, y que el sentido grande de los Nueve Trípodes solo está al alcance de Wang Chang

«Michel Strickmann suggested that these forged attributions resulted from the pledge of loyalty made by Jiangnan aristocratic families to the Celestial Masters. As alchemy and pharmacology formed an important part of those families’ heritage, Strickmann wrote, “synthesis was the inevitable answer” to the question of how to deal with the local traditions facing the newly imported religion.» — la explicación de Michel Strickmann que Pregadio consigna: esas atribuciones forjadas salieron del juramento de lealtad de las familias aristocráticas de Jiangnan a los Maestros Celestes, para quienes la síntesis era la respuesta inevitable

«The evidence pointed out by Robinet suggests, in other words, that Zhang Daoling’s image in the Shangqing sources reflects the “pledge of loyalty” of the Jiangnan aristocracy not to the Celestial Masters, but to their own traditions. Seen under this light, the creation of Zhang Daoling’s alchemical personality appears to be the odd result of the competition for preeminence among the different traditions of Jiangnan.» — la lectura que Pregadio propone a partir de esa evidencia: la imagen de Zhang Daoling en las fuentes Shangqing refleja la lealtad de la aristocracia de Jiangnan a sus propias tradiciones, y su personalidad alquímica es resultado de la competencia por la preeminencia

«Aptly defined by Stephen Bokenkamp as a striving for “cosmological priority,” these attempts were the other side of the struggle for integration apparent in the formal schema of doctrines, practices, heavens, and deities related to the Three Caverns.» — el término que Pregadio toma de Stephen Bokenkamp para nombrar esa competencia: una pugna por la prioridad cosmológica, reverso de la lucha por la integración visible en el esquema de las Tres Cavernas

«The original cosmogony of the Celestial Masters was rather straightforward compared to other formulations both within and outside the Daoist tradition. It envisaged three pneumas, called Mysterious, Original, and Inaugural (xuanqi, yuanqi, and shiqi), that the Dao issues sequentially and through which it generates the cosmos.» — la cosmogonía original de los Maestros Celestes según Pregadio: tres pneumas —Misterioso, Original e Inaugural— que el Dao emite en sucesión y con los que engendra el cosmos

«Relating the Way of the Celestial Masters to the domain of the Great Clarity in the system of the Three Caverns, moreover, solved at once two issues: acknowledging its presence in Jiangnan, and asserting that the local traditions, in the form they took after the Shangqing and Lingbao revelations, were superior to its cults and practices.» — los dos problemas que, según Pregadio, resolvía de un golpe ligar a los Maestros Celestes con la Gran Claridad: reconocer su presencia en Jiangnan y afirmar a la vez que las tradiciones locales posteriores a las revelaciones eran superiores a sus cultos

«On the one hand, they accepted their association with the heaven of Great Clarity to the point of altering their views on cosmogony: the Mysterious, Original, and Inaugural pneumas were represented in the Inner Explanations as issuing from the domain of Great Clarity.» — la respuesta que Pregadio lee en el Santian neijie jing: los Maestros Celestes aceptaron su asociación con la Gran Claridad hasta alterar su cosmogonía y hacer que los tres pneumas salieran de ese dominio

«Who exactly conceived the image of Zhang Daoling as an alchemist remains unknown, but the circumstances described above show how that image reflects the reciprocal relations among the different religious traditions in fifth-century Jiangnan. It seems clear that the scheme of the Three Caverns was the only framework through which the Celestial Masters could be formally integrated in those traditions, and that the only way of access for them into that framework—the two other tiers being assigned to Shangqing and Lingbao—was through an association with the heaven of Great Clarity.» — la negativa que Pregadio ficha y lo que sí sostiene: se ignora quién concibió la imagen alquímica de Zhang Daoling, pero el esquema de las Tres Cavernas era el único marco de integración posible y, ocupados los otros dos pisos, el único acceso pasaba por la Gran Claridad

«It relates that after studying astronomy, geography, cartography, and the apocryphal texts in his youth, Zhang went to Mount Yunjin (Yunjin shan, Jiangxi) to refine the Divine Elixirs of the Nine Heavens (jiutian shendan).» — lo que cuenta el Han tianshi shijia del siglo XIV, según Pregadio: tras estudiar astronomía, geografía, cartografía y los textos apócrifos, Zhang fue al monte Yunjin a refinar los Elixires Divinos de los Nueve Cielos

«Even the name of the Longhu shan (Mount of the Dragon and Tiger), the seat of the Celestial Masters from the Tang period onward, is related to Zhang’s alchemical prowess: “When the elixirs were achieved, a dragon and a tiger appeared, and this is why the mountain has that name.”» — y de dónde saca ese texto el nombre del monte sede de los Maestros Celestes: logrados los elixires aparecieron un dragón y un tigre

«The texts in the Taiqing supplement, therefore, yield knowledge of the heaven of Great Clarity because they are deemed to originate from that celestial domain, and to serve as a support for obtaining access to it.» — la lectura que Pregadio hace de ese pasaje: los textos del suplemento Taiqing dan conocimiento del cielo de la Gran Claridad porque se los tiene por originados en él y por soporte para acceder a él

«But the statement that the scriptures in the Cavern of Spirit deal with methods for “guarding the One,” whereas those in its Taiqing supplement are used to “summon and control gods and demons” (zhaozhi guishen), is worthy of attention. Meditation and alchemy are still associated with each other as they were in Ge Hong’s time; the respective textual corpora, however, are now distinguished from each other, with alchemy serving as a supplementary discipline to meditation.» — el cambio que Pregadio detecta en ese reparto: meditación y alquimia siguen asociadas como en tiempos de Ge Hong, pero sus corpus textuales ya se distinguen y la alquimia queda como disciplina suplementaria de la meditación

«The low rank attributed to the Great Clarity in that system reflects the priority accorded to new revelations that served to frame two new, higher systems of practice: Daoist meditation and Daoist ritual.» — el balance del capítulo octavo: el rango bajo de la Gran Claridad refleja la prioridad dada a las revelaciones nuevas, que enmarcaron dos sistemas de práctica más altos, la meditación y el ritual taoístas

«With a noticeable decrease from the figure given above for the Song Canon, the Great Clarity section of the current Canon contains twenty-five works. Among them is the Ge Hong’s Inner Chapters, but no waidan text. The decline and final disappearance of the Taiqing tradition, and the loss of texts that were part of this section in the Canon of the late Six Dynasties, left space for the inclusion of writings unrelated to the original alchemical revelations of the heaven of Great Clarity.» — y la medida final de ese declive: la sección de la Gran Claridad del Canon actual trae veinticinco obras, entre ellas los Capítulos Interiores de Ge Hong, y ningún texto waidan

«the Nine Elixirs is correct, this would construct a line of transmission of those methods that goes from Laozi to Juanzi, then to Su Lin, and finally to Ziyang zhenren, entirely neglecting the role played by Zuo Ci.» — la línea de transmisión que se seguiría de identificar los nueve métodos de inmortalidad con los Nueve Elixires, enunciada en condicional y arrancando al otro lado del cambio de plana: de Laozi a Juanzi, de este a Su Lin y de este a Ziyang zhenren, dejando fuera por completo a Zuo Ci

«Two explanations, at first, would seem to be conceivable to account for the attempt to place the Nine Elixirs under Zhang Daoling’s spiritual authority. On the one hand, the Jiangnan alchemical practitioners might have wished to legitimize themselves vis-à-vis the Celestial Masters by ascribing to Zhang the transmission of one of the main waidan texts.» — la primera de las dos explicaciones que Pregadio pone sobre la mesa: que los practicantes alquímicos de Jiangnan buscaran legitimarse ante los Maestros Celestes adscribiendo a Zhang la transmisión de uno de los textos waidan principales

«Vice versa, the account in the Biographies of the Divine Immortals might have been fabricated by the Celestial Masters themselves to help spread their cult in Jiangnan, especially among the elite to which alchemy addressed itself. Looking at the broader context of Daoism in the Six Dynasties, however, a third possibility also seems to be worthy of consideration.» — y la segunda, con la tercera que él añade: que fueran los propios Maestros Celestes quienes fabricaran el relato para extender su culto en Jiangnan, aunque mirando el contexto más amplio le parece digna de consideración una tercera posibilidad

«Robinet, however, also pointed out evidence that contradicts Strickmann’s hypothesis. She noticed, for instance, that Tao Hongjing defines the practices of the Celestial Masters as “minor Taiqing methods” (taiqing xiaoshu);» — la evidencia contraria que Pregadio atribuye a Robinet: Tao Hongjing llama a las prácticas de los Maestros Celestes métodos menores de la Gran Claridad

«This description undergoes remarkable changes in the mid-fifth-century Scripture of the Inner Explanations of the Three Heavens (Santian neijie jing), the source containing the most comprehensive account of the Celestial Masters’ “history of the Dao” both before and after the generation of the cosmos and the beginning of human history.» — el texto en que Pregadio registra el cambio: el Santian neijie jing de mediados del siglo V, que trae el relato más completo de la historia del Dao de los Maestros Celestes antes y después de la generación del cosmos

«The Inner Explanations associates the “illimitable Great Way” (wuji dadao) of Great Clarity with the Elder of the Way and Its Virtue (Daode zhangren), the first appearance of the cosmic Laozi (Laojun, here indeed still pre-cosmic) even before the generation of the Primordial Princess (Yuanjun, Laojun’s mother) and of Laojun himself. The Great Clarity then produces the three pneumas mentioned above, which in turn generate the cosmos.» — y en qué consiste el cambio: la Gran Vía ilimitada de la Gran Claridad queda ligada al Anciano de la Vía y su Virtud, primera aparición del Laozi cósmico anterior incluso a la Princesa Primordial, y es la Gran Claridad la que produce los tres pneumas

«Precisely by doing so, however, the Celestial Masters ingeniously moved a step forward in the con» — la jugada que Pregadio les atribuye con ese mismo gesto, cortada por el cambio de plana: al aceptar la asociación dieron un paso adelante en la pugna por la prioridad cosmológica, y sigue en la plana 170, *test for “cosmological priority.”*

«What coagulates from the pneuma of the Great Dao has a clear pneuma and a great substance (qiqing titai); this is why it is called Great Clarity. The fact that a celestial domain (jing) gives its name to [a corpus of] scriptures» — la explicación del término que Pregadio traduce del Daojiao yishu, fechado hacia el 700 y cortada por el cambio de plana: lo que coagula del pneuma de la Gran Vía tiene pneuma claro y sustancia grande, y por eso se llama Gran Claridad

«Because these scriptures explicate the arts of the Golden Elixir (jindan), and those who ingest [the Golden Elixir] rise away to the Great Clarity. This is the meaning of the term Great Clarity. (Daojiao yishu, 2.7b–8a)» — y la razón que el mismo texto da para que un dominio celeste dé nombre a un corpus: esas escrituras explican las artes del Elixir de Oro, y quien lo ingiere se eleva a la Gran Claridad

«Preserving (cun) and guarding (shou) the Great One, and ingesting the Golden Elixir, help one to achieve this Way. Thus the function of spirit (or: one’s divine faculty, shenyong) is extended. (Daojiao yishu, 2.12a)» — y los medios que nombra para lograrlo: preservar y guardar al Gran Uno e ingerir el Elixir de Oro, con lo que se extiende la función del espíritu

«The states of Eternal Man and Man of Light are mentioned together in several works. Guangcheng zi, the master of the Yellow Emperor, states for instance in the Zhuangzi: “I am as luminous as the Sun and the Moon, and am coeternal with Heaven and Earth” (27/11/43). According to the Huainan zi (Book of the Master of Huainan), 20.2b, “the Great Man merges his virtue (de) with Heaven and Earth, and merges his light (ming) with the Sun and the Moon.”» — el comentario con que Pregadio anota ese pasaje: los estados de Hombre Eterno y Hombre de Luz aparecen juntos en varias obras, y cita a Guangcheng zi en el Zhuangzi y al Huainan zi sobre el Gran Hombre que funde su virtud con el Cielo y la Tierra y su luz con el Sol y la Luna

«This Way is of supreme importance, and can be transmitted only to those who are worthy of it. Let it not be disclosed to those who are not fit to receive it, even if [1b] they collect heaps of gold as high as mountains, or if they own ten thousand miles of land. Obtaining just one of these elixirs is enough to become an immortal: it is not required to obtain all nine of them.» — la admonición que el Emperador Amarillo dirige al Maestro Misterioso, en la traducción de Pregadio: la Vía no se revela a quien no sea digno aunque junte montones de oro, y basta obtener uno solo de los nueve elixires para volverse inmortal

«Throw a golden figurine of a man weighing nine ounces and a golden figurine of a fish weighing three ounces into an east-flowing stream, and utter an oath (shi). Both should be provided by the one who receives this Way. Before this, undertake the purification practices (zhai) and perform the ablutions (muyu). On the banks of the stream, in a place unfrequented by other people, arrange a seat for the Mysterious Woman. Burn some incense and announce to Heaven: “I wish to transmit the Way to obtain a long life to (name of the recipient)!” Lay the Scripture of the Elixirs on a stand, and place the seat [for the Mysterious Woman] there.» — las reglas de transmisión en la letra de la escritura, con los pesos que en el capítulo quinto quedaban sin dar: figurilla de hombre de nueve onzas y de pez de tres onzas arrojadas a una corriente que fluya al este, purificaciones y ablaciones previas, y un asiento para la Mujer Misteriosa a la orilla

«When you are ready to transmit the Way, face north and do not disclose it for one [double] hour (yishi). If the sky is clear and there is no wind, the Way can be transmitted. [Master and disciple] seal their covenant by drinking together some blood of a white chicken. Transmit the oral instructions and the essentials of the compounding of the elixirs, and throw the golden figurines of the man and the fish into the stream. This is done so that the multitudes of those who are not suited for becoming a divine immortal never see this Way.» — y el cierre del rito: mirar al norte y callar durante una hora doble, transmitir solo si el cielo está claro y no hay viento, sellar el pacto bebiendo juntos sangre de pollo blanco y arrojar las figurillas a la corriente

«“Those who are not suited for becoming a divine immortal” is literally “those who do not have the bones of a divine immortal,” i.e., who do not have an inner constitution fit to obtain immortality.» — la restitución que Pregadio declara en su comentario: la frase dice a la letra los que no tienen los huesos de un inmortal divino, es decir, los que no tienen constitución interior apta para la inmortalidad

«To prepare the Medicines, the fifth day of the fifth month is most auspicious, followed by the seventh day of the seventh month. It is good to start on a jiazi or a dingsi day, or on a day of Opening (kai) or Removal (chu). The next best are the jiashen, yisi, or yimao days.» — el calendario que dicta la Mujer Misteriosa: el quinto día del quinto mes es el más propicio, luego el séptimo del séptimo, y conviene empezar en día jiazi o dingsi, o de Apertura o de Remoción

«When you compound the Divine Medicines, beware of intercourse with common and dull people. Do not let the envious, those who talk too much, and those who do not have faith in this Way hear or know about it. If they do, the compounding of the Divine Medicines would not be successful.» — el tabú de discreción de la escritura: no tratar con gente común y obtusa, y no dejar que los envidiosos, los habladores y los que no tienen fe en la Vía se enteren, porque entonces la obra no saldría

«When you achieve success in making the Medicines you will become a Perfected (zhenren). You will rise to heaven and enter the abyss, you will transform yourself and be “vague and indistinct” (huanghu). You will become an immortal with your family: how could you do that alone?» — la promesa que remata ese tramo: quien logre las Medicinas será un Perfecto, subirá al cielo y entrará en el abismo, se volverá vago e indistinto y será inmortal con su familia

«In other words, the adept will have the same qualities as the Dao itself, which is “vague and indistinct” (Laozi 14 and 21). “Rising to heaven and entering the abyss” (shangtian ruyuan) refers to the ability to move freely along the axis that connects different states of being.» — el comentario con que Pregadio glosa esas fórmulas: el adepto tendrá las cualidades del propio Dao, que es vago e indistinto, y subir al cielo y entrar en el abismo remite a moverse libremente por el eje que une los distintos estados del ser

«The common people are fond of wealth, and do not compound the alchemical Medicines. They believe in medicines obtained from herbs and plants, but these putrefy when buried, decompose when boiled, and burn when heated. If those medicines cannot keep themselves alive, how could they do so for humans? They can heal illnesses and increase the pneuma (qi) but cannot make one escape death. Only a few can hear the essentials of the Culminant Way of the Reverted Elixirs.» — el argumento de la escritura contra las hierbas: se pudren enterradas, se descomponen hervidas y arden calentadas, y si no pueden mantenerse vivas a sí mismas menos pueden hacerlo con los hombres

«This petty man, (name of the officiant), verily and entirely devotes his thoughts to the Great Lord of the Dao (Da Daojun), Lord Lao (Laojun), and the Lord of the Great Harmony (Taihe jun). Alas, this petty man, (name of the officiant), covets the Medicines of Life! 2 Lead him so that the Medicines will not volatilize and be lost, but rather be fixed by fire! Let the Medicines be good and efficacious, let the transmutations take place without hesitation, and let the Yellow and the White be entirely fixed! When he ingests the Medicines, let him fly as an immortal, have audience at the Purple Palace (Zigong), live an unending life, and become an accomplished man (zhiren)!» — la invocación del encendido en la traducción de Pregadio, con el hueco del nombre marcado: el oficiante se encomienda al Gran Señor del Dao, al Señor Lao y al Señor de la Gran Armonía y pide que las Medicinas no se volatilicen, que las transmutaciones no vacilen y que el Amarillo y el Blanco queden fijados

«In the version of the “Secret Instructions,” 20.2a–b, and the Liquid Pearl, 1.5b–6a, after the adept states that he “covets the Medicines of Life,” he offers the liquor, rises, and pays obeisance nine times. Moreover, according to both the “Secret Instructions” and the Liquid Pearl, at the beginning of the invocation the adept should announce to Heaven his intention of compounding the Nine Elixirs, and declare that he also devotes his thoughts to several female deities: the Jade Women, the Mysterious Woman, the Pure Woman, and the Jade Women with the Azure Waistband (qingyao yunü).» — la variante que Pregadio consigna en su comentario, sin armonizarla: en las Instrucciones Secretas y en el Liquid Pearl el adepto ofrece el licor, se alza y se postra nueve veces, y se encomienda además a varias deidades femeninas

«Take ten pounds of quicksilver (shuiyin) and twenty pounds of lead (qian). Place them in an iron vessel, making the fire underneath intense. The lead and the quicksilver will breathe out their Essence and Flower (jinghua), which will be purple or like gold in color. Gather and collect it with an iron spoon.» — el método del Misterioso y Amarillo en la letra de la escritura: diez libras de azogue y veinte de plomo en vaso de hierro sobre fuego intenso, hasta que exhalen su Esencia y Flor, púrpura o de color de oro, recogida con cuchara de hierro

«The Taiqing jinye shendan jing, 1.15a, has “nine pounds of quicksilver and one pound of lead,” and “earthenware crucible” for “iron vessel.” It also states that firing should take place “from dawn to the second half of the ninth hour” (the ninth double hour, shen, corresponding to 3–5 p.m., was divided into two parts, shangbu and xiabu). Note that in the Nine Elixirs an iron vessel is used only to prepare the Mysterious and Yellow and the Mud of the Six-and-One; the other methods use an earthenware crucible.» — una divergencia entre testimonios que Pregadio consigna sin arbitrar: el Taiqing jinye shendan jing da nueve libras de azogue y una de plomo y pide crisol de barro donde el Jiudan jing pide vaso de hierro, que en esta escritura solo se usa para el Misterioso y Amarillo y para el Barro del Seis-y-Uno

«References to page numbers in the Daozang text are given in brackets within the translation. Passages indented and within parentheses, introduced by “note,” are editorial notes found in the Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue, often without formal distinction from the main text. My comments are printed in smaller type.» — las convenciones tipográficas que Pregadio declara para su traducción de la parte cuatro: las páginas del Daozang entre corchetes, las notas editoriales del Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue sangradas y entre paréntesis, y sus propios comentarios en cuerpo menor. El mismo párrafo se repite al frente de las otras dos traducciones

«The Mysterious Woman announced to the Yellow Emperor: All those who want to live a long life, but do not obtain the Divine Elixirs (shendan) and the Golden Liquor (jinye), merely bring suffering upon themselves.» — cómo arranca la escritura traducida: es la Mujer Misteriosa quien anuncia al Emperador Amarillo, con lo que la voz del texto es la de la diosa y no la del emperador

«seated, he will see ten thousand miles away, and will have gods and demons (guishen) at his service. He will rise into the Void (xu) with his whole family, and will fly even though he has no wings. Mounting the clouds and steering a chariot pulled by dragons, he will roam in the Great Clarity (Taiqing) and in one instant will tour the eight poles (baji). He will not halt in front of a river, and will not fear the hundred poisons (baidu).» — el resto de las promesas de la escritura en la traducción íntegra de la parte cuatro: ver a diez mil millas estando sentado, tener a dioses y demonios al servicio, elevarse al Vacío con la familia entera, volar sin alas y no detenerse ante un río ni temer los cien venenos

«When you want to compound the Divine Elixirs you should dwell in the depths of a mountain, in a wide moorland, or in a place deserted and unin» — el lugar que la escritura prescribe, con la palabra cortada por el cambio de plana: lo hondo de una montaña, un páramo ancho o un sitio desierto y, sigue en la plana 181, *habited for endless miles*

«If you compound them among other people you should stay behind thick, high walls, so that nothing can be seen between the inside and the outside. Your companions should not number more than two or three.» — y la alternativa para quien componga entre gente: muros gruesos y altos que no dejen ver de dentro afuera, con dos o tres compañeros a lo sumo

«Use alum (fanshi), Turkestan salt (rongyan), lake salt (luxian), and arsenolite (yushi), heating them first for twenty days; also use left-oriented oyster shells (zuogu muli) from Donghai, red clay (chishi zhi), and talc (huashi). Take the desired amount of these seven substances in equal parts, and pound them together ten thousand times until they become powder-like.» — los siete ingredientes del Barro del Seis-y-Uno en la letra de la escritura: alumbre, sal de Turquestán, sal de lago y arsenolita calentados veinte días, más conchas de ostra orientadas a la izquierda de Donghai, arcilla roja y talco, a partes iguales y majados diez mil veces

«Place them together in an iron vessel, and heat them for nine days and nine nights, making the fire underneath intense. When the Medicines take on a vivid scarlet color like fire, [4a] pound them again ten thousand times. Sift them through a piece of thin silk, and add them to a hundred-day Flowery Pond (huachi), forming a mud.» — y su cocción: nueve días y nueve noches a fuego intenso en vaso de hierro hasta que las Medicinas tomen color escarlata vivo como el fuego, majadas de nuevo diez mil veces, cernidas por seda fina y añadidas a un Estanque Florido de cien días

«The name of this elixir can also be rendered as Cinnabar Flower, where “flower” denotes the sublimate and “cinnabar” is its color: as said below, the elixir “sometimes will be of a vivid scarlet color like cinnabar.”» — la alternativa de traducción que Pregadio declara para el Primer Elixir: puede verterse Flor de Cinabrio o Cinabrio Flor, donde flor nombra el sublimado y cinabrio su color

«To prepare it, use one, two, or ten pounds of Real Powder (zhensha, cinnabar), in the desired amount according to your wealth.» — la única medida que la escritura deja al arbitrio: una, dos o diez libras de Polvo Real, la cantidad que uno pueda según su riqueza

«Real Powder is a secret name of cinnabar. In the Liquid Pearl, 1.4b, the ingredient of this elixir is called Vermilion Child (zhu’er), an abbreviated form of Vermilion Child Who Descends on the Mound (jiangling zhu’er), which the Shiyao erya (Synonymic Dictionary of the Materia Medica; CT 901), 1.1b, lists among the synonyms of cinnabar. The corresponding method in the Taiqing jinye shendan jing designates cinnabar by its common name, dansha (“cinnabar powder”).» — el nombre secreto y sus variantes, en el comentario de Pregadio: Polvo Real es nombre secreto del cinabrio, el Liquid Pearl lo llama Niño Bermejo y el Taiqing jinye shendan jing lo nombra por su nombre común

«Carefully examine the crucible, and make sure that there are no cracks, even as thin as a hair. The Medicine would otherwise entirely volatilize and lose its Essence and Flower, and the ingestion of the mere residue would be of no benefit.» — la advertencia que la escritura repite en su propia letra: una grieta tan fina como un cabello basta para que la Medicina se volatilice entera y pierda su Esencia y Flor, y el residuo no sirve de nada

«The sentence in brackets, which is missing in the received version of the Nine Elixirs, is found in the “Explanations” of the Liquid Pearl, 1.5a. The omission in the Nine Elixirs is certainly due to a copying error: the text says here that heating takes thirty-six days, and adds below that if the whole process has to be repeated, it would require seventy-two days altogether. The summary in the Baopu zi, 4.74, also has “thirty-six days.”» — la enmienda que Pregadio propone y justifica: la frase entre corchetes falta en la versión recibida y la toma de las Explicaciones del Liquid Pearl, porque la cuenta de días no cuadra sin ella y la atribuye a un error de copia

«A superior man will rise to heaven after he ingests it for seven days, an ordinary man will obtain immortality after he ingests it for seventy days, and a dull man will obtain immortality after he ingests it for one year.» — la escala de plazos por calidad del adepto que da la escritura: el hombre superior sube al cielo a los siete días de ingerirlo, el ordinario alcanza la inmortalidad a los setenta y el torpe al año

«If you prepare gold, you can transcend the generations [of mortals] If you do not prepare it, you can hardly secure your destiny. Doing nothing but harm to yourself, Where would you find repair?» — los cuatro versos con que la Mujer Misteriosa cierra el Primer Elixir, en la traducción de Pregadio: quien prepara oro trasciende las generaciones y quien no lo prepara apenas asegura su destino

«Fire is called Child-Light (ziming), and mercury too is called Child-Light. The One (yi) is the Essence of Lead (qianjing); some call it Great Yin (taiyin), others Duke Metal (jingong), others River Chariot (heche), others the Handsome Maiden (chanü), and others “quickly conquered stone” (lizhi shi).» — la letanía de nombres secretos que la escritura enuncia: el fuego y el mercurio se llaman Luz-Niña, y la Esencia del Plomo recibe los nombres de Gran Yin, Duque Metal, Carro del Río, la Hermosa Doncella y piedra pronto vencida

«In this passage, the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs lays out some notions that would acquire primary importance in the later alchemical tradition, in which the extraction of Real Yin from Yang (refined mercury from cinnabar) and of Real Yang from Yin (refined lead from native lead) constitutes the basic form of the alchemical process.» — lo que Pregadio ve en ese pasaje: la escritura enuncia ahí nociones que serán capitales en la tradición alquímica posterior, la extracción del Yin Real del Yang y del Yang Real del Yin

«“Yellow and White” usually denotes gold and silver, and the reason for its mention in relation to the Essence of Lead is unclear to me. In a description of the method for making the Mysterious and Yellow, the Jiudan jingjue, 12.1b, has “White Snow” (baixue) instead of “Yellow and White”; this reading may be preferable.» — una abstención de Pregadio que él mismo declara en primera persona: no le queda clara la razón de que se mencione el Amarillo y Blanco en relación con la Esencia del Plomo, y apunta que la lectura Nieve Blanca del Jiudan jingjue podría ser preferible

«Instead of “eighty days,” the Liquid Pearl, 1.10b, has “eighty-one days,” which is likely to be the correct reading.» — otra enmienda que Pregadio propone con su grado marcado: donde la escritura dice ochenta días, el Liquid Pearl dice ochenta y uno, lectura que le parece probablemente correcta

«The Medicine will have entirely sublimated, and will adhere to the upper crucible. It will be similar to the five-colored langgan, to shooting stars, or to frost and snow. Sometimes it will be of a vivid scarlet color like cinnabar, sometimes it will be azure and sometimes purple. Collect it by brushing it off with a feather. One pound will have reduced to only four ounces.» — el aspecto del elixir logrado, en la letra de la escritura: adherido al crisol superior, semejante al langgan de cinco colores, a estrellas fugaces o a escarcha y nieve, escarlata vivo unas veces y azulado o púrpura otras, y de una libra quedan cuatro onzas. La fórmula se repite en los métodos siguientes; se ancla aquí en la primera aparición

«According to the same text, 20.9a–10a, the Grease of Dragons is usually obtained by leaving seven worms under salt in a vessel. However, says the text, since killing small creatures for one’s own benefit goes against the principles of benevolence (ren) and sympathy (ceyin), the term longgao can also be understood as xilong gao (Fat of the Western Dragons), which is a secret name of the dew collected on mulberry trees.» — el escrúpulo que Pregadio recoge de las Instrucciones Secretas: la Grasa de Dragones se obtiene dejando siete gusanos bajo sal, pero como matar criaturas pequeñas en provecho propio va contra la benevolencia y la compasión, el término puede entenderse como rocío recogido en moreras

«The inferior and foolish people who compound the elixirs only use the “quickly conquered stone” found on the mountains.» — la polémica que trae la propia escritura, cortada por el cambio de plana: los inferiores y necios componen los elixires solo con la piedra pronto vencida hallada en los montes

«Perfected say that the Stone Gall (shidan) is always obtained from lead. The common people who foolishly compound the Divine Medicines instead use the Stone Gall that comes from the lands of the Qiang. This is mistaken, and is ten thousand miles away from the Way; it is the reason why the Medicine cannot be successfully compounded.» — y su continuación: los Perfectos dicen que la Hiel de Piedra sale siempre del plomo, y quienes usan la de las tierras de los Qiang yerran en diez mil millas y por eso la Medicina no cuaja

«When you want to ingest the elixir, at the dawn of a jiazi day, pay obeisance twice facing east. Ingest it in pills the size of small beans. By swallowing one pill a day for one hundred days you will become a divine immortal. It also will heal the ten thousand diseases, and cure convulsions and leprosy. [7b] There is no illness it will not treat.» — las propiedades curativas que la escritura le da al Misterioso y Amarillo: una píldora diaria durante cien días vuelve inmortal divino, y además sana las diez mil dolencias, las convulsiones y la lepra, sin enfermedad que no trate

«As seen above, the compounding of the Flower of Cinnabar requires, according to the Nine Elixirs, four phases of nine days each. This contradiction can only be explained by assuming that here the text mentions only one of the four heating cycles, and that the sentence translated above should be read as meaning “heat the crucible for [four cycles of] nine days and nine nights.”» — una contradicción interna que Pregadio consigna y resuelve por conjetura declarada: la Flor de Cinabrio pide cuatro fases de nueve días, y aquí el texto nombra una sola, de modo que habría que leer cuatro ciclos de nueve días y nueve noches

«Its appearance will be like frost and snow; it will be purple, red, vermilion, and green, like a five-colored luminous efflorescence. It will have a thickness of two inches or more.» — el aspecto del Talismán Divino en la letra de la escritura: como escarcha y nieve, púrpura, rojo, bermellón y verde, como una eflorescencia luminosa de cinco colores de dos pulgadas o más de grosor

«It is not clear which text is referred to as “Instructions” (jue); this gloss is not found either in the commentary to the Nine Elixirs or in the other texts related to it. The text of the “note” (or, possibly, the “commentary,” zhu) mentioned in the second sentence—my translation of which is tentative—also does not appear in the other works on the Nine Elixirs.» — una abstención de Pregadio en primera persona sobre una glosa del propio troceo: no está claro a qué texto llama Instrucciones, la glosa no aparece en el comentario ni en los textos afines, y su traducción del pasaje la declara tentativa

«In one hundred days Immortal Men will visit you, and the Jade Women (yunü) will appear. Following these divine beings [8b] you will rise and fly. If you want to cross a great river, add Grease of Dragons, or Leftovers of the Count of the River (hebo yu), to the Divine Tally, and smear it on the soles of your feet. When you walk on the water, you will not sink.» — lo que el Elixir Revertido del Talismán Divino promete en la letra de la escritura: a los cien días lo visitan Hombres Inmortales y aparecen las Mujeres de Jade, y untado con Grasa de Dragones en las plantas de los pies permite andar sobre el agua sin hundirse

«The Three Corpses and the Nine Worms are frequently mentioned in Daoist texts as representations of the agents that cause death.» — lo que Pregadio anota sobre los Tres Cadáveres y los Nueve Gusanos: los textos taoístas los nombran a menudo como figuras de los agentes que causan la muerte

«According to the rule, magnetite should not be used, but I follow the text without altering it.» — una nota del editor antiguo que Pregadio conserva tal cual dentro de la traducción: según la regla no debería usarse magnetita, pero sigue el texto sin alterarlo

«Then take two pounds of Imperial Man (dinan) (note: That is, realgar, xionghuang.) and one pound of Imperial Woman (dinü). (note: That is, orpiment, cihuang.» — el par de nombres secretos del Tercer Elixir con las glosas del propio texto: Hombre Imperial es el rejalgar y Mujer Imperial el oropimente

«Commenting on a line of the “Songs” on the Nine Elixirs, the Liquid Pearl, 1.13b, says here: “If in compounding the Divine Medicines of the Nine Elixirs the sublimated essence does not obtain the Grease of Dragons, the Medicines will lack divine properties.”» — lo que el Liquid Pearl añade al comentar las Canciones sobre los Nueve Elixires: sin la Grasa de Dragones la esencia sublimada deja a las Medicinas sin propiedades divinas

«The Liquid Pearl, 1.13b, adds: “It is not gods or demons, but the Medicine that makes this possible.”» — una adición del Liquid Pearl que Pregadio recoge: no son dioses ni demonios, es la Medicina la que lo hace posible

«Men, women, children, servants, and the six domestic animals will also become immortal and free from death if this elixir is given to them to ingest.» — el alcance que la escritura le da al Elixir Divino: hombres, mujeres, niños, sirvientes y los seis animales domésticos se vuelven inmortales y libres de muerte si se les da a ingerir

«Transcending the generations [of mortals] is not inherited, Everything is in one’s own hands.» — los dos versos con que la escritura cierra el Tercer Elixir, en la traducción de Pregadio: trascender las generaciones no se hereda, todo está en las propias manos

«Constantly keep a damp cloth on the crucible, so that the Medicine does not volatilize, and check the cloth, dampening it again when it becomes dry. After eighty-one days altogether you can extinguish the fire.» — un detalle operativo del Cuarto Elixir en la letra de la escritura: mantener siempre un paño húmedo sobre el crisol para que la Medicina no se volatilice, y volver a mojarlo cuando se seque

«stead: “You will find the Dao and will transcend the generations [of mortals], the hundred diseases will leave your body and you will obtain a life free from death”» — una divergencia entre testimonios que Pregadio consigna sin armonizar, en el tramo que sigue al límite de chunk: donde el Jiudan jing promete andar sobre el agua, el Liquid Pearl promete hallar el Dao, trascender las generaciones y una vida libre de muerte

«Ingest it with pure water from a well. In one hundred days, vermilion birds and male and female phoenixes will circle above you, and Divine Men and Jade Women will appear. In two hundred days you will rise to heaven and enter the earth, and the immortals will become your attendants. In one year the Great One (Taiyi) will welcome you in a chariot of clouds pulled by dragons and horses.» — las promesas del Cuarto Elixir en la letra de la escritura: a los cien días aves bermejas y fénix macho y hembra giran sobre el adepto, a los doscientos sube al cielo y entra en la tierra, y al año el Gran Uno lo recibe en un carro de nubes tirado por dragones y caballos

«When a man ingests this elixir, he will never be hungry or thirsty. Even if he is one hundred years old, he will drink only water from a spring and will feed himself only on two dozen dates and chestnuts, or on a five-inch piece of dried meat of ox or mutton.» — y su efecto sobre el hambre: quien lo ingiere no volverá a tener hambre ni sed, y a los cien años beberá solo agua de manantial y comerá dos docenas de dátiles y castañas o un trozo de carne seca de cinco pulgadas

«This property of the Reverted Elixir is associated with the word huan (to revert, to return) that forms its name.» — el juego de palabras que Pregadio señala en esa promesa: la propiedad de las monedas que vuelven se asocia con huan, revertir o volver, la palabra que forma el nombre del elixir

«After ingesting a speck of this elixir for thirty days, a chick will grow wings and become a flying immortal.» — una frase del Quinto Elixir que el propio troceo deja en disputa: ingerido treinta días, a un pollito le crecen alas y se vuelve inmortal volador

«The editor’s note seems to imply that, according to a version of the Nine Elixirs available to him, the elixir should be ingested with the blood of a chick. Instead, the Liquid Pearl, 2.1b, has “divine chick” for “chick,” and renders this sentence as follows: “By ingesting a speck [of this elixir], a divine chick will immediately fly ten thousand miles away as an immortal, passing over rivers and seas. By ingesting it for thirty days, it will be able to fly.” The growth of wings is a metaphor for the achievement of immortality.» — cómo la lee Pregadio, con su grado marcado: la nota del editor parece implicar que el elixir se ingiere con sangre de pollito, mientras el Liquid Pearl dice pollito divino, y crecer alas es metáfora de alcanzar la inmortalidad

«Ingesting this elixir three times a day in pills the size of small beans, it will make a man into a divine immortal free from death. Ingesting it with juice of wild raspberries,12 the white hair of a ninety-year-old man will turn black in twenty days. The elixir will be beneficial for his Yang essence (jing) and will strengthen his Yin pneuma (qi). Having intercourse with women he will generate a multitude of children.» — las promesas del Elixir Blando en la letra de la escritura: vuelve al hombre inmortal divino libre de muerte, y con jugo de frambuesa silvestre ennegrece en veinte días el pelo blanco de un hombre de noventa años

«A kola tree drawn with the Soft Elixir will transform itself into a man. If servants are marked with this elixir, they will never escape. An eighty-year-old woman who ingests it will bear children, [13a] and an officer who ingests it will be promoted.» — y las tres promesas que cierran ese elixir: un árbol de cola dibujado con él se vuelve hombre, los sirvientes marcados con él no huyen, una mujer de ochenta años que lo ingiere pare y el oficial que lo toma asciende

«The last sentence rests on a pun between qian (“to transfer”) and one of the graphs for xian (“to rise [as an immortal]”; see the Glossary).» — el juego de palabras que Pregadio declara detrás de esa última promesa: qian, transferir, y uno de los grafos de xian, elevarse como inmortal

«Its color is partly black and partly purple, as though it has hues of the five colors. Take one pound or more of mercury. Cover an earthenware crucible with Flower of Mysterious and Yellow (xuanhuang hua), making it three-tenths of an inch thick both inside and outside.» — el color del Elixir Fijo en la letra de la escritura: en parte negro y en parte púrpura, como si tuviera matices de los cinco colores

«At dawn, kneel down and pay obeisance twice facing the sun. Ingest a speck with pure water from a well, and you will become a divine immortal.» — el rito de ingestión del Elixir Fijo: al alba, arrodillarse y postrarse dos veces de cara al sol, y tomar una mota con agua pura de pozo

«It was by ingesting the Reverted Elixir of the Golden Liquid that the Great One (Taiyi) became a divine immortal, and rose to heaven in broad daylight. Those who search for immortality and do not obtain this Way merely bring suffering upon themselves. Its method is described below.» — el arranque de esa escritura en la traducción de Pregadio: el Gran Uno se hizo inmortal divino ingiriendo el Elixir Revertido del Líquido de Oro y subió al cielo en pleno día, y quien busque la inmortalidad sin esta Vía solo se acarrea sufrimiento

«Put the cylinder in vinegar (zuowei) for one hundred days, not a single day less. After the required amount of time, the Medicine will form. If the number of days is not sufficient, the Medicine cannot transmute itself; in that case, leave the cylinder [in vinegar] again as before and let the Medicine form. The cylinder should not be turned upside down.» — el plazo que la escritura impone sin margen: cien días en vinagre, ni uno menos, y si no bastan la Medicina no se transmuta y hay que dejar el cilindro otra vez, que además no debe volverse del revés

«This passage is an almost verbatim quotation of the method for making the Mud of the Six-and-One in the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs; see the translation above, p. 166. The omission of the seventh ingredient, talc (huashi), may be due to a copying error.» — la enmienda que Pregadio propone al cotejar las dos escrituras: el pasaje es casi cita literal del método del Barro del Seis-y-Uno del Jiudan jing, y la omisión del séptimo ingrediente, el talco, podría deberse a un error de copia

«The Reverted Elixir obtained by calcination in the yellow earthenware bowl can be ingested. Swallow it in pills the size of a small bean, and you will rise to heaven in broad daylight. Divine beings (shenming) will welcome you, and dragons and tigers will plea for your assistance.» — lo que la escritura promete al que ingiera el Elixir Revertido: subir al cielo en pleno día, ser recibido por seres divinos y que dragones y tigres le pidan asistencia

«According to the commentary, an adept who ingests this elixir enjoys a status higher than that of the deities of the mountains, the rivers, and the soil. These deities are flanked by an azure dragon on their left and a white tiger on their right; hence the image given in the text. The commentary also states that for ingesting this elixir it is not necessary to observe any taboo concerning time.» — la glosa del comentario antiguo que Pregadio resume: el adepto que lo ingiere queda por encima de las deidades de los montes, los ríos y el suelo, flanqueadas por un dragón azul y un tigre blanco, y para ingerirlo no hay tabú de tiempo que observar

«The commentary also remarks that “half an ounce of the ancient times corresponds nowadays to one ounce.”» — un ajuste de medidas que Pregadio recoge del comentario antiguo: media onza de la antigüedad corresponde hoy a una onza

«The text translated below is found in the Taiji zhenren jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue (Essential Instructions on the Scripture of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles of the Perfected of the Great Ultimate; CT 889), 1a–5b. References to page numbers in the Daozang text are given in brackets within the translation. I divide the text into seven parts, corresponding to the summary of the methods found above, pp. 118–19. My comments are printed in smaller type (comments found in the translation of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs are not duplicated here).» — cómo presenta Pregadio la tercera de sus traducciones: el Taiji zhenren jiuzhuan huandan jing yaojue, dividido por él en siete partes, sin repetir los comentarios ya puestos en la traducción del Jiudan jing

«As remarked above, pp. 57–58, the mention of this deity here and in the last section of the text is the only detail that displays its affiliation to the Shangqing corpus.» — el hallazgo de voz que Pregadio anota al pie de esa traducción: la mención del Señor Wang de la Ciudadela Occidental, aquí y en la sección final, es el único rasgo que adscribe el texto al corpus Shangqing

«Qiandan is also the common name of minium. Here, however, this term denotes a substance similar in properties and function to the Mysterious and Yellow of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs.» — una precisión terminológica de Pregadio: qiandan es el nombre común del minio, pero en este texto nombra una sustancia semejante en propiedades y función al Misterioso y Amarillo del Jiudan jing

«Do not let there be a crack even as minute as a hair, or the crucible could not be used. For this purpose, make a brush with mutton hair, and spread evenly the mud with it so that the crucible is perfectly tight.» — el remate del lutado en la letra de esta escritura: ni una grieta del grosor de un cabello, y para lograrlo una brocha de pelo de oveja que extienda el barro por parejo

«Cinnabar (dansha), ten pounds. Use the lustrous (guangming) variety that does not tinge the paper. Cinnabar from Chenzhou or Jinzhou is superior.» — el criterio de calidad que la escritura fija para el cinabrio: la variedad lustrosa que no tiñe el papel, y mejor la de Chenzhou o Jinzhou

«The mention of Jinzhou, a prefecture established in 686, shows that the present version of the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles was re-edited after the late seventh century.» — la datación que Pregadio saca de ese detalle: la mención de Jinzhou, prefectura creada en 686, muestra que la versión actual del Jiuzhuan huandan jing se reeditó después de finales del siglo VII

«I divide the text into five parts, corresponding to the summary of the methods and the comparison with the synopsis in Ge Hong’s Inner Chapters found above, pp. 114–18.» — y el reparto que le impone: cinco partes que corresponden al resumen de los métodos y al cotejo con la sinopsis de los Capítulos Interiores de Ge Hong

«twelve ounces of gold (huangjin) of superior quality, and twelve ounces of quicksilver (shuiyin). Take the gold, grind it to powder, and cast it into the quicksilver so that they combine with each other. Wash them in pure wa» — los ingredientes del Licor de Oro en la letra de la escritura, con la palabra cortada por el cambio de plana: doce onzas de oro de calidad superior molido y fundido con doce de azogue, lavados en agua pura

«To explain the apparent contradiction between this sentence (“use the two Waters to boil ten thousand pounds [of quicksilver]”) and the sentence found at the beginning of the present section» — una contradicción aparente que Pregadio señala en la escritura, cortada por el cambio de plana: un pasaje manda hervir con las dos Aguas diez mil libras de azogue y otro habla de dos libras; el comentario, dice, resuelve que el Agua de Mercurio solo sirve para probar el Elixir Revertido

«Brush it off with a feather of a three-year-old chicken, and store it [3b] in a tight container to be carried with you.» — el detalle de recolección que da esta escritura, distinto del pollo de dos años del Jiudan jing: una pluma de pollo de tres años y un recipiente hermético que se lleva consigo

«The Three Luminaries are the Sun, the Moon, and the five planets; or the Sun, the Moon, and the Northern Dipper. On the Winged-Wheel Chariot (yulun zhi che) see Wushang biyao (The Supreme Secret Essentials; CT 1138), 19.8a. The Wushang biyao locates the Great Tenuity between the heavens of Great Clarity (Taiqing) and Highest Clarity (Shangqing); see above, p. 48.» — la abstención con que Pregadio anota los Tres Luminares: el Sol, la Luna y los cinco planetas, o bien el Sol, la Luna y el Carro del Norte, sin decidir entre las dos lecturas

«The Flower of the Nine Cycles is the elixir obtained from the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles, i.e., the previous method.» — la identificación que Pregadio hace del ingrediente de la proyección: la Flor de los Nueve Ciclos es el elixir obtenido por el método anterior

«“Tin” (xi) is a frequent synonym of lead in waidan texts. The passage translated above is quoted as Method for Testing the Medicines (“Shiyao fa”) in the Jiudan jingjue ( Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue; CT 885), 20.16b–17a.» — una equivalencia léxica que Pregadio consigna: estaño es sinónimo frecuente de plomo en los textos waidan, y el pasaje se cita en el Jiudan jingjue como Método para Probar las Medicinas

«Considering all this, is it not truly difficult to devote oneself to the practices of self-cultivation (xiuyang) among the common people?» — la pregunta retórica con que la escritura cierra sus reglas rituales, en la traducción de Pregadio: si no es de veras difícil entregarse a las prácticas de cultivo de sí en medio de la gente común

«This method of the Divine Elixir in Nine Cycles is the oral instructions (koujue) of Lord Wang. It is clear and easy to perform. If the ingredients are utterly pure (jinjing), and if you duly perform the purification practices, observe the precepts, and cultivate yourself dwelling in deep retirement and attaining to a state of clarity and tranquility (qingjing), this divine and wondrous method will never fail.» — la firma del método en la letra de la escritura: son las instrucciones orales del Señor Wang, claras y fáciles de ejecutar, que no fallan nunca si los ingredientes son puros y el adepto se purifica y se cultiva en retiro hondo

«The master who has the scriptures should make arrangements in order to distribute [the received tokens] [5b] by giving them to those who study in the cold of a mountain hut. He should not bring harm to himself by using them for his own advantage. Thus he demonstrates his own bond with Heaven, and shows that he does not act for personal benefit.» — lo que la escritura manda hacer al maestro con las prendas recibidas: repartirlas entre los que estudian en el frío de una choza de montaña, sin dañarse a sí mismo usándolas en provecho propio

«There are laws concerning the disclosure [of this scripture] to the four corners of the world against the covenant of transmission. Keep it secret! Beware!» — y la advertencia con que cierra la parte cuatro: hay leyes contra divulgar la escritura a los cuatro rincones del mundo en contra del pacto de transmisión

«The Taiqing scriptures are the first ones to be based on the view of the alchemical process described above in Chapter 4. This view is the main legacy that they left to the later traditions in the history of Chinese alchemy; it survived beyond the decline of the Taiqing tradition, and even beyond the demise of waidan when neidan embraced it and renovated it.» — la tesis con que Pregadio abre el capítulo doce: la visión del proceso alquímico que las escrituras Taiqing inauguran es su legado principal, y sobrevivió al declive de la tradición y a la muerte del waidan porque el neidan la hizo suya y la renovó

«Meditation is the discipline that most affected these developments. Both Michel Strickmann and Isabelle Robinet have opened the way to the study of this important juncture in the history of alchemy and Daoism, showing that the Shangqing meditation practices interiorize the alchemical process and thus were crucial for the rise and development of neidan.» — a qué disciplina atribuye Pregadio el cambio, con las voces nombradas: la meditación, y en particular las prácticas Shangqing que interiorizan el proceso alquímico, según Michel Strickmann e Isabelle Robinet

«Referring to Laozi as a deity to be visualized within one’s inner body, the Inscription for Laozi (Laozi ming) of 165 ce states that he “goes in and out of the Cinnabar Hut (danlu), and rises from and descends into the Yellow Court (huangting).” 2 The Cinnabar Hut and the Yellow Court are names of the upper and the lower Cinnabar Field, respectively, but one can hardly read this sentence without also noticing the analogy between the Cinnabar Hut and another danlu, the “elixir furnace,” or alchemical stove.» — el ejemplo más temprano que Pregadio data, con la analogía que él mismo declara: la Inscripción para Laozi del 165 lo hace entrar y salir de la Choza de Cinabrio y subir y bajar a la Corte Amarilla, nombres de los Campos de Cinabrio superior e inferior, y danlu es también el horno del elixir

«He regulates the Three Luminaries (sanguang), and the Four Numina (siling) are to his sides; he maintains his thoughts on his Cinnabar Field and on the Purple Chamber of the Great One (Taiyi).» — los versos de esa inscripción en la traducción de Pregadio: Laozi regula los Tres Luminares, tiene a sus lados las Cuatro Númenes y mantiene su pensamiento en su Campo de Cinabrio y en la Cámara Púrpura del Gran Uno

«Those who regularly practice false arts in the mortal world have established glib and deceptive arguments, basing themselves on this perfected text (i.e., the Laozi). . . . They say that nurturing the embryo (peitai) and refining the physical form (lianxing) should be like making clay into pottery.5 (Xiang’er, 14)» — el pasaje del comentario Xiang'er al Laozi que Pregadio traduce y fecha hacia el 200: critica a quienes practican artes falsas y dicen que nutrir el embrión y refinar la forma física es como volver barro en cerámica

«Taken together, the two inscriptions and the Xiang’er show that alchemical imagery was used in relation to meditation practices by the turn of the third century ce, and that the notion of an “inner embryo” already existed by that time.» — lo que Pregadio saca de esos tres testimonios: hacia el cambio del siglo III ya se usaba imaginería alquímica para las prácticas de meditación y ya existía la noción de un embrión interior

«If you ingest one pill at dawn, your longevity will equal that of Heaven and Earth. Dan “at dawn” is likely to be a mistake for ri “a day.”» — la promesa de las Píldoras Divinas y la enmienda que Pregadio le pone a renglón seguido, con su grado marcado: una píldora al alba iguala la longevidad al Cielo y la Tierra, aunque dan, al alba, es probablemente error por ri, un día

«Be careful not to break the old crucible, so that you can use it for compounding another elixir with the same luting. [4b] You will only have to seal the mouths of the upper and lower halves again.» — el consejo doméstico que la escritura da al final: no romper el crisol viejo, para poder usarlo con el mismo lutado en otro elixir y tener solo que volver a sellar las bocas de las dos mitades

«Under Initial Green (shiqing) 7 the Moon is with the Sun: the two halves ascend together and combine to become one. Exiting from the Jade Pond (yuchi), it enters the Golden Chambers (jinshi); it is as large as a pellet, as yellow as an orange, and has a delicious taste within, as sweet as honey.» — los versos del Baopu zi sobre las esencias interiores que Pregadio traduce: bajo el Verde Inicial la Luna está con el Sol, las dos mitades ascienden juntas y se hacen una, y lo que sale del Estanque de Jade entra en las Cámaras de Oro, grande como una perdigonada y amarillo como una naranja

«The pure and white pneuma, utterly subtle and rarefied, ascends to the Obscure Barrier (youguan) by bending and twisting three times, and the middle Cinnabar [Field] (zhongdan) shines incomparably; when it is established in the Gate of Life (mingmen), your bodily form will know no end. Profound! Wondrous! And difficult to investigate. (Baopu zi, 6.128)» — y su segunda mitad: el pneuma puro y blanco sube a la Barrera Oscura torciéndose tres veces, el Cinabrio medio brilla sin comparación, y establecido en la Puerta de la Vida la forma corporal no conoce fin

«Both the Central Scripture and the Yellow Court enjoin adepts to visualize the deities who reside within themselves. These deities perform multiple related roles: they serve as administrators of the body, allow the human being to communicate with the major (and in several cases corresponding) gods of the outer pantheon, and personify the formless Dao or impersonal notions such as Yin and Yang and the Five Agents.» — los papeles que Pregadio atribuye a las deidades interiores del Laozi zhongjing y del Huangting jing: administran el cuerpo, comunican al hombre con los dioses del panteón exterior y personifican el Dao sin forma o nociones impersonales como el Yin y el Yang y los Cinco Agentes

«Constantly think that below the nipples are the Sun and the Moon. Within the Sun and the Moon are a yellow essence and a red pneuma that enter the Crimson Palace (jianggong); then again they enter the Yellow Court (huangting) and the Purple Chamber (zifang). The yellow essence and the red pneuma thoroughly fill the Great Granary (taicang). (Laozi zhongjing, sec. 11)» — la práctica del Laozi zhongjing en la traducción de Pregadio: pensar siempre que bajo los pezones están el Sol y la Luna, y que dentro de ellos una esencia amarilla y un pneuma rojo entran en el Palacio Carmesí, la Corte Amarilla y la Cámara Púrpura hasta llenar el Gran Granero

«The purpose is to nourish the Red Child (chizi), an infant who resides in the Great Granary and is said to represent the “real self” (zhenwu) of the human being.» — para qué sirve esa circulación según Pregadio: nutrir al Niño Rojo, un infante que reside en el Gran Granero y del que se dice que representa el yo real del ser humano

«The saintly man dissolves the pearls; the worthy man liquefies the jade. For dissolving the pearls and liquefying the jade, the method is the same. Dissolving the pearls means ingesting the essence of the Sun: the left eye is the Sun. Liquefying the jade means feeding on the essence of the Moon: the right eye is the Moon. (Laozi zhongjing, sec. 39)» — otra práctica del mismo texto, con su equivalencia de ojos y luminarias: disolver las perlas es ingerir la esencia del Sol, que es el ojo izquierdo, y licuar el jade es alimentarse de la esencia de la Luna, que es el derecho

«There are clear associations between the essences and pneumas of the Sun and the Moon, delivered by the adept of the Central Scripture to his inner gods, and the Yin and Yang essences and pneumas that a neidan adept circulates in his body to compound the elixir or nourish the “inner embryo.”» — la asociación que Pregadio traza entre las dos tradiciones: las esencias y pneumas del Sol y la Luna que el adepto del Laozi zhongjing entrega a sus dioses interiores y las esencias Yin y Yang que el adepto de neidan circula para componer el elixir o nutrir el embrión interior

«The Central Scripture and the Yellow Court refer to these juices using terms derived from waidan or having alchemical connotations, such as Mysterious Pearl (xuanzhu), Jade Sap (yujiang), Jade Blossom (yuying), Jade Pond (yuchi), Jade Liquor (yuye), Golden Nectar (jinli), and even Golden Liquor (jinye). Other sources refer to them as Divine Water (shenshui), White Snow (baixue), and Golden Essence (jinjing), all of which are also known as synonyms of ingredients of waidan elixirs.» — el léxico alquímico que Pregadio encuentra aplicado a la saliva en esos textos: Perla Misteriosa, Savia de Jade, Flor de Jade, Estanque de Jade, Licor de Jade, Néctar de Oro y hasta Licor de Oro, además de Agua Divina, Nieve Blanca y Esencia de Oro

«The analogies of essences, pneumas, and salivary juices with waidan end where those with neidan begin: the adept nourishes himself and his gods not through the ingestion of external substances, but through components of his own inner body; he finds the vital ingredients within himself, and their ingestion takes place internally.» — dónde pone Pregadio la frontera entre las dos alquimias: la analogía con el waidan acaba donde empieza la del neidan, porque el adepto no se nutre de sustancias externas sino de componentes de su propio cuerpo interior

«Master Yellow Gown! Master Yellow Gown! Real Man of the Yellow Court, reside in myself! Summon for me medicinal liquor, dried pine-seeds, rice, and broth of millet, so that I can eat and drink of them! Let them come right now! (Laozi zhongjing, sec. 11)» — una de esas invocaciones en la traducción de Pregadio: al Maestro Túnica Amarilla, padre del Niño Rojo, se le pide licor medicinal, piñones secos, arroz y caldo de mijo, y que vengan ahora mismo

«If you cannot ingest the Divine Elixir and the Golden Liquor, and do not labor to become skilled in meditation, you merely bring suffering upon yourself.”» — la equivalencia que el propio Laozi zhongjing enuncia entre alquimia y meditación: quien no puede ingerir el Elixir Divino y el Licor de Oro y tampoco se esfuerza en la meditación solo se acarrea sufrimiento

«The self is the son of the Dao; this is what he is. Human beings also have him, not only me. He resides precisely in the ducts of the stomach, the Great Granary. He sits facing due south on a couch of jade and pearls, and a flowery canopy of yellow clouds covers him. He wears clothes with pearls of five hues. His mother resides above on his right, embracing and nourishing him; his father resides above on his left, instructing and defending him. (Laozi zhongjing, sec. 12)» — el retrato del Niño Rojo que Pregadio traduce: el yo es el hijo del Dao, reside en los conductos del estómago, se sienta mirando al sur en un lecho de jade y perlas bajo un dosel florido de nubes amarillas, con la madre a su derecha nutriéndolo y el padre a su izquierda instruyéndolo y defendiéndolo

«These two poems contain several terms that appear in contemporary texts related to meditation, and in later texts related to neidan:» — lo que Pregadio observa en esos dos poemas: varios de sus términos aparecen en textos contemporáneos de meditación y en los posteriores de neidan

«Now, however, he does not ask the gods to favor the compounding of the elixir; he asks, instead, that they dispense an elixir to him» — y en qué se aparta de aquella: ya no pide que favorezcan la composición del elixir, sino que le dispensen uno

«One of the Shangqing revealed scriptures applies the term Nine Elixirs (jiudan) to the pneumas of the Nine Heavens (jiutian zhi qi) received by human beings during their embryonic development:» — el traslado de sentido que Pregadio registra: una escritura revelada Shangqing llama Nueve Elixires a los pneumas de los Nueve Cielos que el ser humano recibe durante su desarrollo embrionario

«In the first month, one receives the pneuma; in the second, the numina (ling); in the third, they are transformed together; in the fourth, one coagulates the essence; in the fifth, the trunk and the head are established; in the sixth, one alters oneself and takes form; in the seventh, the [inner] deities take their positions; in the eighth, the nine orifices are luminous; and in the ninth, the pneumas of the Nine Heavens are distributed and one obtains the voice. In the tenth month, the Director of Destinies (Siming) inscribes the Registers: one receives one’s destiny and is born.» — los diez meses de la gestación en la traducción de Pregadio: el pneuma, las númenes, la transformación conjunta, la coagulación de la esencia, el tronco y la cabeza, la forma, los dioses interiores en sus puestos, los nueve orificios luminosos, los pneumas de los Nueve Cielos y la voz, y al décimo el Director de los Destinos inscribe los Registros

«When one is generated, there are in the womb twelve knots and nodes that hold the five viscera together. The five viscera are obstructed and squeezed, the knots cannot be untied, and the nodes cannot be removed. Therefore the illnesses of human beings depend on the obstructions caused by these nodes, and the extinction of one’s allotted destiny (i.e., one’s death) depends on the strengthening of these knots.» — la contraparte mortal de esa gestación en el mismo texto: doce nudos y nodos que sostienen las cinco vísceras y que no pueden desatarse ni quitarse, de los que dependen las enfermedades y la extinción del destino asignado

«To untie the “knots of death,” the adept is instructed to re-experience his embryonic development in meditation, receiving again the Nine Elixirs, which here denote the pneumas of the Nine Heavens. Then he visualizes the Original Father (yuanfu) in his upper Cinnabar Field and the Original Mother (yuanmu) in his lower Cinnabar Field, who issue pneumas that the adept joins in his middle Cinnabar Field to generate, this time, an inner immortal body. The Original Father and the Original Mother play, in this practice, a role analogous to the one of the father and the mother of the Red Child in the Central Scripture.» — el remedio que esas prácticas proponen, según Pregadio: revivir en meditación el propio desarrollo embrionario, recibir de nuevo los Nueve Elixires y unir en el Campo de Cinabrio medio los pneumas del Padre Original y de la Madre Original para engendrar un cuerpo inmortal interior

«As Isabelle Robinet has noted, the Shangqing texts sometimes exchange the Yin and Yang qualities of the Sun and the Moon, so that each of them is said to contain an essence of the opposite sign (Yin for the Sun, Yang for the Moon).25 This anticipates an essential pattern of neidan, where the alchemical work is based on gathering Yin within Yang (i.e., Real Yin, zhenyin) and Yang within Yin (i.e., Real Yang, zhenyang) in order to join them and compound the elixir.» — el hallazgo que Pregadio atribuye a Isabelle Robinet y lo que anticipa: los textos Shangqing intercambian a veces las cualidades Yin y Yang del Sol y de la Luna, de modo que cada uno contiene una esencia de signo contrario, patrón esencial del neidan

«Whereas the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs and the other Taiqing texts emphasize the performance of rites and techniques and devote virtually no space to doctrinal statements, the doctrinal aspects of alchemy are the main focus of many waidan sources dating from the Tang period onward. These sources are not concerned with the ritual aspects of the alchemical practice; they explain the alchemical process by borrowing the language and emblems of the Book of Changes (Yijing) and of the system of correlative cosmology, and describe the compounding of an elixir made of lead and mercury, which ingredients replace the much larger variety of ingredients typical of the earlier methods.» — el contraste que Pregadio traza con las fuentes waidan del Tang en adelante: no tratan lo ritual, explican el proceso con la lengua y los emblemas del Yijing y de la cosmología correlativa, y describen un elixir de plomo y mercurio en vez de la variedad amplia de ingredientes anterior

«This text is traditionally deemed to have been written in the second century ce by Wei Boyang, a legendary immortal said to come from the Guiji area of present-day northern Zhejiang. The original Han version of the Token, which is lost, was related to the lore of the “studies of the Changes” (yixue), and may have been one of the apocrypha (wei) to the Book of Changes.» — la atribución tradicional del Zhouyi cantong qi que Pregadio consigna como tal: escrito en el siglo II por Wei Boyang, inmortal legendario del área de Guiji, con una versión Han original hoy perdida que pudo ser uno de los apócrifos del Yijing

«Although some scholars in the past have suggested that the received text was fabricated in the Tang period, evidence of a text entitled Token for the Agreement of the Three during the Six Dynasties is not lacking. Tao Hongjing (456 –536), the poet Jiang Yan (444–505), and the Confucian scholar Yan Zhitui (531–91) mention this title in their writings. All of them were from Jiangnan or spent a considerable part of their life there, showing that a Token for the Agreement of the Three was transmitted in that region during the Six Dynasties.» — el desacuerdo que consigna y la evidencia con que lo acota: hubo quien propuso que el texto recibido se fabricó en el Tang, pero Tao Hongjing, el poeta Jiang Yan y el letrado confuciano Yan Zhitui mencionan el título, y los tres eran de Jiangnan o vivieron allí

«It seems likely, therefore, that Yu Fan’s followers continued to transmit the original text of the Token in southeastern China during the early Six Dynasties.» — la conjetura que Pregadio marca como probable: los seguidores de Yu Fan siguieron transmitiendo el texto original del Token en el sureste de China durante las primeras Seis Dinastías

«These writings are the first known waidan texts to accord priority to metals—particularly lead and mercury, the two emblematic ingredients of the elixir in the Token—over minerals.» — el lugar que Pregadio le da al corpus atribuido a Hugang zi: son los primeros textos waidan conocidos que dan prioridad a los metales, en particular al plomo y al mercurio, sobre los minerales

«The Token—which is neither a waidan nor a neidan text, although it contains allusions to both—provides an illustration of those principles; the task of connecting them to waidan and neidan is left to a large number of commentaries and related texts that explicate them and apply them to the alchemical practice.» — la precisión que Pregadio hace sobre ese texto: no es ni waidan ni neidan, aunque alude a los dos, y se limita a ilustrar los principios, mientras conectarlos con la práctica queda para los comentarios

«The Token actually uses some terms and phrases derived from the Yellow Court in order to criticize the practices at the basis of the latter text.» — el uso polémico que Pregadio descubre en esos préstamos: el Token toma términos del Huangting jing para criticar justamente las prácticas en que ese texto se funda

«By being sleepless day and night, and never taking a pause month after month, daily your body becomes tired and exhausted: you are “vague and indistinct,” but look like a fool. Your hundred channels stir like a cauldron, unable to clear and to settle; by piling soil you set up space for an altar, and from morning to sunset reverently worship. (Zhouyi cantong qi fenzhang zhu, sec. 8)» — y la segunda mitad de esa diatriba: sin dormir día y noche y sin pausa mes tras mes el cuerpo se cansa y se agota, uno queda vago e indistinto pero con cara de necio, los cien canales se agitan como un caldero y se levanta un altar de tierra para adorar de la mañana a la noche

«The Token is not content with criticizing these methods, but refers to them with irony. “Exhaling the old and inhaling the new” (tugu naxin), a common expression that denotes ingesting and circulating breath, is overturned into “exhaling the upright and inhaling the external and evil” (tuzheng xi waixie). Breath is ingested “till it chirps in your bowels.” The adept who devotes himself to these practices is “vague and indistinct” (huanghu), an expression employed in the Laozi and many other texts to refer to the Dao itself, but deliberately used in the Token to describe a practitioner who “looks like a fool.”» — el tono que Pregadio le reconoce a ese pasaje: el Token no se limita a criticar, usa la ironía, y vuelve vago e indistinto —expresión que el Laozi reserva al Dao— la descripción de un practicante con cara de necio

«in some cases it is the adept who asks the gods to deliver nourishment to him. To do so, he addresses invocations to the gods that recall the one pronounced by the Taiqing alchemist be» — el giro que Pregadio subraya en algunos métodos del Laozi zhongjing: a veces es el adepto quien pide a los dioses que le den de comer, con invocaciones que recuerdan la que el alquimista Taiqing pronuncia antes de encender el fuego

«upper Cinnabar Field, or one of its “chambers”), Crimson Palace (the middle Cinnabar Field), Flowery Canopy (the eyebrows and, again, the upper Cinnabar Field), Jade Pond (the mouth), Golden Chambers (the lungs), Obscure Barrier (the central space between the kidneys), and Gate of Life (the lower Cinnabar Field, or a locus in its region). These analogies show that a set of cognate meditation practices existed by the third century, and that a common codified terminology was used to describe them.» — el glosario de topografía interior que Pregadio levanta de esos versos, en el tramo que sigue al cambio de plana: Palacio Carmesí, Dosel Florido, Estanque de Jade, Cámaras de Oro, Barrera Oscura y Puerta de la Vida, de donde infiere que hacia el siglo III ya había prácticas emparentadas y una terminología codificada común

«Another set of Shangqing methods based on the image of the embryo consists of the practices performed to ensure that the souls of one’s ancestors obtain release from the underworld. Through the meditation practices performed by their descendants, ancestors may “return to the embryo” (fantai) and become “immortals in the embryonic state” (taixian), obtaining, this time, rebirth in heaven.» — el otro juego de métodos Shangqing que Pregadio describe: los que hacen que los ancestros vuelvan al embrión y se vuelvan inmortales en estado embrionario, para renacer esta vez en el cielo

«The notion of purification underlying these practices is also associated with alchemical imagery and terminology: the ancestors rise to the Golden Gate (jinmen, a station in the heavenly circuit of the Sun) where they “refine their matter” (lianzhi) by bathing themselves in the Water of Smelting Refinement (yelian zhi shui).» — y la terminología alquímica de esa purificación: los ancestros suben a la Puerta de Oro y refinan su materia bañándose en el Agua de Refinamiento por Fundición

«From the beginning of the seventh century, no other scripture has had an influence on the history of Chinese alchemy comparable to that of the Token» — la medida de influencia que Pregadio le da al Zhouyi cantong qi, cortada por el cambio de plana: desde principios del siglo VII ninguna otra escritura ha tenido sobre la historia de la alquimia china una influencia comparable a la suya

«Through this text, the whole array of emblems and patterns of correlative cosmology entered the language and imagery of alchemy. These emblems make it possible to describe and relate to each other different cosmological configurations represented by Yin and Yang, the Five Agents, the trigrams and hexagrams of the Book of Changes, the Celestial Stems and the Earthly Branches, the twenty-eight lunar mansions, and so forth, in ways unknown to the earlier tradition represented by the Taiqing and other waidan texts.» — y lo que entró por ella: el juego entero de emblemas y patrones de la cosmología correlativa en la lengua y la imaginería de la alquimia, de maneras desconocidas para la tradición anterior de los textos Taiqing

«One of the most noticeable examples is the description of the elixir in the Token, where it is said to be “square and round and with a diameter of one inch” (fangyuan jingcun). This corresponds to a description found in the Yellow Court, where the Gate» — el préstamo que Pregadio da por más visible, cortado por el cambio de plana: el elixir del Token es cuadrado y redondo y de una pulgada de diámetro, como en el Huangting jing la Puerta, sigue en la plana 236, *of Life (mingmen), i.e., the lower Cinnabar Field*, donde se dice de ella lo mismo con la palabra tamaño en vez de diámetro

«Altogether, the Token shares with the Yellow Court no less than five dozen terms and phrases that refer to doctrinal notions, the view of the human being, and self-cultivation practices, as well as several descriptive terms.» — la cuenta con que lo apoya: el Token comparte con el Huangting jing no menos de cinco docenas de términos y frases sobre nociones doctrinales, la visión del ser humano y las prácticas de cultivo de sí

«This is not the method of passing through the viscera, contemplating within and concentrating on something; of treading the Dipper and pacing the asterisms, using the six jia as chronograms (richen); of sating yourself with the nine-and-one in the Way of Yin, fouling and tampering with the original womb (yuanbao);» — la lista de prácticas que el Token rechaza, en la traducción de Pregadio: pasar por las vísceras y contemplar dentro, pisar el Carro y andar los asterismos, y saciarse del nueve-y-uno en la Vía del Yin

«although some neidan texts emphasize the notion of “generating” and “raising” the inner embryo through practices performed for this purpose, others refer to the embryo, and to the elixir itself, as an image of one’s own authentic self, and of one’s own awakened state, which is inherent and does» — la reserva con que Pregadio trata la relación entre el Niño Rojo y el embrión del neidan, con la frase cortada por el límite de chunk: unos textos insisten en generar y criar el embrión interior, y otros lo tienen, como al elixir mismo, por imagen del yo auténtico y del estado despierto, inherente y que, sigue en la plana 230, *not need to be “generated.”*

«The function of connecting what is above to what is below (where “what is below” includes the adept who practices alchemy) is not performed by the outer and the inner gods approached through ritual or meditation, but by a wide set of cosmological and alchemical emblems, all of which correspond to the others.» — el desplazamiento que Pregadio fija en esa tradición nueva: la función de unir lo de arriba con lo de abajo ya no la cumplen los dioses exteriores e interiores del rito y de la meditación, sino un juego amplio de emblemas cosmológicos y alquímicos que se corresponden entre sí

«In terms of alchemical emblems, Real Yin and Real Yang are represented by Real Mercury (zhenhong) and Real Lead (zhenqian), respectively. Real Mercury is refined from native cinnabar (Yang containing Real Yin, or the broken line within li ), and Real Lead is refined from native lead (Yin containing Real Yang, or the unbroken line within kan» — el tercero de los tres emblemas mayores que Pregadio enumera: el Yin Real y el Yang Real como Mercurio Real y Plomo Real, refinados del cinabrio nativo y del plomo nativo respectivamente

«All these emblems are intermediate between the Dao and the world, and serve the purpose of expressing their “wondrous unity” and of framing a practice that offers a way of access to it.» — y el papel que les asigna: son intermedios entre el Dao y el mundo, expresan su unidad prodigiosa y enmarcan una práctica que da acceso a ella

«Without any explicit mention of the Token for the Agreement of the Three, or any apparent reference to its system, Chen Shaowei describes his method using cosmological emblems, especially in the portions devoted to the stages of heating.» — el caso de Chen Shaowei, activo en la segunda década del siglo VIII: describe su método con emblemas cosmológicos, sobre todo en las etapas de calentamiento, sin mencionar el Token ni referirse a su sistema

«The reference to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs seems to allude to the method for making the Seventh Elixir, where mercury is placed in a crucible luted with the Mysterious and Yellow.» — la identificación que Pregadio propone, con su grado marcado: esa referencia parece aludir al método del Séptimo Elixir, donde el mercurio va en un crisol lutado con el Misterioso y Amarillo

«The arts of the Great Elixir derive from lead and mercury, and the principles of lead and mercury are the foundation of the Great Elixir. (Dadan qianhong lun, 1a)» — uno de los dos textos Tang con que Pregadio cierra ese argumento: las artes del Gran Elixir derivan del plomo y del mercurio, y los principios del plomo y del mercurio son el fundamento del Gran Elixir

«With its mention of the “four yellows” (realgar, orpiment, arsenic, and sulphur) and the “eight minerals” (cinnabar, realgar, mica, malachite, sulphur, salt, saltpeter, and orpiment), the last passage quoted above echoes the admonishment of the Token for the Agreement of the Three: “Dispose of realgar, get rid of the eight minerals!”» — la glosa con que Pregadio identifica esas dos series y el eco que les encuentra: los cuatro amarillos y los ocho minerales, y la admonición del Token de deshacerse del rejalgar y de los ocho minerales

«From the beginning of the Tang period, some authors began to describe the alchemical process as happening entirely within the human being, with no dependence on minerals, metals, instruments, or fire, as other alchemists had used earlier, and employing the same terminology, imagery, and symbolism as those found in the Token for the Agreement of the Three. The earliest extant text that can be labeled as neidan in this sense is a short treatise written by Liu Zhigu in the first half of the eighth century, which emphatically criticizes the waidan interpretations of the Token and offers its first neidan reading.» — la primera aparición del neidan que Pregadio data: desde principios del Tang algunos autores describen el proceso enteramente dentro del ser humano, sin minerales, metales, instrumentos ni fuego, y el texto más antiguo que cabe llamar neidan es un tratado breve de Liu Zhigu de la primera mitad del siglo VIII

«Although the earliest known method based exclusively on cinnabar is found in the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs,40 the early texts of the Taiqing tradition, and even more so the waidan texts incorporated» — el contraste que Pregadio traza sobre el cinabrio, cortado por el cambio de plana: el método más antiguo basado solo en él está en el Jiudan jing, pero los textos Taiqing tempranos, y más aún los waidan incorporados al corpus Shangqing, dan prioridad a métodos de muchos ingredientes

«Without male and female, how could there be fixation, transmutation, and accomplishment of the elixir? The male is mercury, the female is the essence of lead. Jiuyuan jun said: “Ingesting only the reddened mercury (i.e., refined mercury) is called ‘orphan Yang’ (guyang), and ingesting only the flower of lead (i.e., refined lead) is called ‘orphan Yin’ (guyin). Therefore lead and mercury need each other to accomplish the elixir.”» — el pasaje del comentario waidan al Token que Pregadio traduce, con la voz de Jiuyuan jun dentro: el macho es el mercurio y la hembra la esencia del plomo, e ingerir solo uno es Yang huérfano o Yin huérfano, de modo que plomo y mercurio se necesitan

«According to the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs (Jiudan jing), one should smear the crucible with the Flower of Metal (jinhua, i.e., refined lead) in order to nourish mercury. But could one ever use the words “Yin and Yang”» — la crítica que ese mismo comentario dirige al Jiudan jing, cortada por el cambio de plana: manda embarrar el crisol con la Flor del Metal para nutrir el mercurio, pero no cabría hablar de Yin y Yang si el elixir se logra poniendo solo mercurio en un trípode vacío

«The common people who search for immortality by ingesting only lustrous cinnabar (guangming sha) and purple cinnabar (zisha), without a process for the conjunction [of Yin and Yang], go afar from the Way.» — el pasaje de Zhang Jiugai que Pregadio traduce: quien busca la inmortalidad ingiriendo solo cinabrio lustroso o púrpura, sin un proceso de conjunción, se aleja de la Vía

«Therefore an orphan Yin cannot nourish anything, and a lone Yang cannot generate anything. It is the coupling of Yin and Yang that accomplishes the Reverted Elixir. (Zhang zhenren jinshi lingsha lun, 4a–b)» — y su remate: un Yin huérfano no nutre nada y un Yang solo no engendra nada, porque es el acoplamiento de Yin y Yang el que logra el Elixir Revertido

«The two tables in this appendix list the dated texts and those whose date can be established by internal or external evidence. The Þrst table shows texts bearing reliable dates. It lists eight works, but two of them (CT 928 and CT 944) contain variant versions of the same text and another (CT 233) is a collections of earlier methods. No more than six of the hundred or so extant waidan texts, therefore, contain a reliable indication of their date.» — la cifra con que Pregadio cierra el apéndice A: de los cien y pico textos waidan conservados, no más de seis traen una indicación fiable de su fecha. La capa de texto de los apéndices está dañada y devuelve *Þrst* por *first*

«Some of the extant texts were almost certainly written after the Song periodÑe.g., the Chunyang LŸ zhenren yaoshi zhi 乴柝▢䡿‚坅䥓婝 (CT 903) and the Xuanyuan Huangdi shuijing yaofa 怲悥瀣⽽㶔仳坅㸵 (CT 929)Ñbut their exact date has not yet been established.» — y la negativa que ficha: algunos textos conservados se escribieron casi con certeza después del Song, pero su fecha exacta no se ha fijado todavía

«The received version of the Methods of the Thirty-six Aqueous Solutions (CT 930) includes Þfty-nine recipes for the solution of forty-two minerals, but states that the methods for the last seven substances were added to an Ò old versionÓ (guben ╄㢌) containing the methods for the Þrst thirty-six substances (thirty-Þve in the present text).» — la costura que Pregadio describe en el Sanshiliu shuifa: la versión recibida trae cincuenta y nueve recetas para cuarenta y dos minerales, y declara que los métodos de las siete últimas sustancias se añadieron a una versión vieja que traía los treinta y seis primeros

«Note that the characters gao qi yue 永廗㡐, found at the beginning of this section, do not introduce a quotation from an alchemist (Ò Gao Qi said . . .Ó), but are an error for zhaiqi ri 炫廗㝅(Ò On the day in which you start the puriÞcation practices . . .Ó), as shown by quotations of the same passage in the Reverted Elixir in Nine Cycles and in the commentary to the Nine Elixirs.» — una enmienda de lectura que Pregadio propone y justifica: los caracteres al inicio de la sección ritual no introducen una cita de un alquimista llamado Gao Qi, sino que son error por la fórmula del día en que se empiezan las purificaciones, como muestran las citas del mismo pasaje en otros dos textos

«Despite the importance and the renown of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs, no text entitled Jiudan jing or Jiuding danjing ᾽灮ᾙ仳 is listed in the bibliographies of the Standard Histories.» — una negativa que Pregadio ficha sobre la escritura central: pese a su importancia y su fama, ningún texto titulado Jiudan jing o Jiuding danjing figura en las bibliografías de las Historias Estándar

«The cryptic language and imagery of the poems are explicated through quotations from the Nine Elixirs that amount to virtually its entire text, arranged here as a commentary to the corresponding lines of poetry.» — la relación entre las dos capas del Liquid Pearl según Pregadio: la lengua y la imaginería crípticas de las Canciones se explican con citas del Jiudan jing que suman casi su texto entero, dispuestas como comentario a los versos

«These similarities and differences suggest that the Ò ExplanationsÓ might derive from a lost third recension of the Nine Elixirs besides the ones found in the Jiudan jingjue and the Liquid Pearl.» — la conjetura que Pregadio marca como tal sobre las Explicaciones: sus semejanzas y diferencias con la versión del Jiudan jingjue sugieren que vengan de una tercera recensión perdida del Jiudan jing

«Except for the Taiqing jinye shenqi jing ⪊㽥挱㼒䪾㶃仳 (CT 880), whose origins, despite the Taiqing preÞx in the title, are unclear, all texts indicated in the second table as dating from between the Han and the Six Dynasties» — el alcance que Pregadio declara para su segunda tabla, cortado por el cambio de plana: salvo el Taiqing jinye shenqi jing, cuyos orígenes llama poco claros pese al prefijo Taiqing del título, todos los textos fechados entre los Han y las Seis Dinastías, sigue en la plana 247, *have been used as sources of the present study*

«Mistakes in Ge HongÕs summary make it impossible to reconstruct the chemical processes involved in the compounding of the Flower of Cinnabar without recourse to the received text of the Nine Elixirs. Ge Hong actually does not provide the method of the Flower of CinnabarÑor of any of the Nine ElixirsÑbut only an inaccurate list of the ingredients of the luting mud.» — el límite que Pregadio le pone al testimonio de Ge Hong sobre el Primer Elixir: los errores de su resumen impiden reconstruir los procesos sin acudir al texto recibido, y de hecho no da el método sino una lista inexacta de los ingredientes del barro. La capa de texto de los apéndices imprime *Ge HongÕs* y *Þt*

«While this remark is accurate, the comparison between the summary of the Golden Liquor in the Inner Chapters and the Baopu zi shenxian jinzhuo jing 㐑㢔 Ⲱ䪾‹挱㶫仳(Scripture of the Golden Liquid of the Divine Immortals, by the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature; CT 917) makes clear that the latter work, and not the Taiqing jinye shendan jing, contains the received text of the original Golden Liquor» — y la precisión que le añade: aceptada la observación, el cotejo muestra que el texto recibido del Licor de Oro original está en el Baopu zi shenxian jinzhuo jing y no en el Taiqing jinye shendan jing

«These similarities suggest that while the Taiqing jinye shendan jing is not an original Taiqing text, it is partially based on the Taiqing scriptures and particularly on the Nine Elixirs.» — la conclusión que Pregadio saca de los paralelos que tabula, con su grado marcado: el Taiqing jinye shendan jing no es texto Taiqing original, pero se apoya en parte en las escrituras Taiqing y sobre todo en el Jiudan jing

«Chen Guofu has suggested that the rhymes of the portions in verses (1.13a10Ð14b9, and 2.1a3Ð6) show that the Þrst part of the text (1.1aÐ 2.4b9) dates from the late Þrst century bce or the early Þrst century ce, and that the second part (2.4b10Ð3.18a) is of a later date. The reliability of this indication, however, is questionable.» — una datación ajena que Pregadio consigna y objeta: Chen Guofu fecha la primera parte del texto por las rimas de sus versos a fines del siglo I a. e. c. o principios del I, y él llama cuestionable la fiabilidad de ese indicio

«It attributes to Laozi the statement that the best zhi grow above cinnabar, gold, malachite, and realgar, and teaches how to plant these minerals at the four directions of a mountain on the days of the solstices and the equinoxes so that they produce zhi plants.» — lo que el Zhong zhicao fa atribuye a Laozi, según Pregadio: que los mejores zhi crecen sobre cinabrio, oro, malaquita y rejalgar, y enseña a plantar esos minerales en los cuatro rumbos de un monte en solsticios y equinoccios para que produzcan zhi

«Cinnabar (zhusha 㢑䥢) which is lustrous and translucent as a pomegranate is efÞcacious. (Taiqing shibi ji, 3.12b)» — una de las tres entradas del Taiqing shibi ji que Pregadio traduce para mostrar el parentesco con el Inventario: el cinabrio lustroso y translúcido como una granada es eficaz. El troceo devuelve los caracteres chinos dentro de la línea y *efÞcacious* por *efficacious*

«clear evidence on the substantial authenticity of the received text is provided by the Scripture of the Liquid Pearl.» — la prueba de autenticidad que Pregadio ofrece para el texto recibido del Jiudan jing: la da el Scripture of the Liquid Pearl

«Many of these variants correspond to those pointed out by the anonymous compiler of the Jiudan jingjue, who therefore based his edition of the Nine Elixirs on more than one manuscript, one of which was close to the textual lineage witnessed by the present Liquid Pearl. This rules out the possibility that the present text of the Nine Elixirs was fabricated, or substantially revised, in the seventh century when the nineteen-chapter commentary was compiled.» — y en qué consiste: muchas de las variantes del Liquid Pearl coinciden con las que señaló el compilador anónimo del Jiudan jingjue, que por tanto trabajó sobre más de un manuscrito, lo que descarta que el texto actual se fabricara o se revisara a fondo en el siglo VII

«Isabelle Robinet has remarked that the recipes found in the Taiqing jinye shendan jing ⪊㽥挱㼒䪾ᾙ仳(Scripture of the Divine Elixir of the Golden Liquor of Great Clarity; CT 880) Ò sÕinscrivent dans la lignŽe de celles qui donne Ge HongÓ in his Inner Chapters.» — la observación de Isabelle Robinet que Pregadio cita en francés: las recetas del Taiqing jinye shendan jing se inscriben en la línea de las que da Ge Hong. El troceo imprime el título de su libro mutilado, sin acentos

«These textual similarities show that the Records from the Stone Wall of Great Clarity, Sun SimiaoÕs Essential Instructions, and the Tang Inventory all drew their descriptions of minerals from a single source. The association of the former two texts with the Taiqing tradition points to one of the enlarged versions of the Scripture of Great Clarity as the source in question.» — la conclusión que Pregadio saca del cotejo de las tres obras: sacaron sus descripciones de minerales de una sola fuente, y la filiación Taiqing de dos de ellas apunta a una de las versiones ampliadas del Taiqing jing

«The author of the Jiudan jingjue remarks that all these methods require saltpeter (xiaoshi 䦽䥓) and Turkestan salt (rongyan ㍮濝). Saltpeter, however, was unavailable at his time. While the Ò common peopleÓ (suren 嶗‚) make aqueous solutions without saltpeter or replace it with other ingredients, he deems these methods to be inefÞcacious.» — un reparo técnico del autor del comentario que Pregadio recoge: todos esos métodos piden salitre y sal de Turquestán, y el salitre no se conseguía en su tiempo, de modo que tiene por ineficaces los que la gente común hace sin él o sustituyéndolo

«The title of Ge HongÕs work never appears in the Jiudan jingjue, but the Inner Chapters is the source of several passages in chapters 2, 4, 5, and 6 concerning the general features of alchemical practice, the choice of the time to begin oneÕs retirement and puriÞcations, and the protection of ritual space. The systematic recourse to Ge HongÕs work is explained by the compilerÕs wish to offer Emperor Gaozong easily understandable instructions on alchemy.» — el hallazgo de fuentes que Pregadio expone: el título de la obra de Ge Hong no aparece nunca en el Jiudan jingjue y sin embargo los Capítulos Interiores son la fuente de varios pasajes, cosa que él explica por el deseo del compilador de dar al emperador Gaozong instrucciones fáciles de entender

«Like most other Chinese alchemical texts, the Jiudan jingjue gives no explicit indication of its date. Unlike other documents, however, it contains many relevant indications that should be examined both individually and in relation to each other. The issue of dating is further complicated by the different dates suggested in the past by several scholars, sometimes with no illustration of the criteria on which they were based.» — el problema de datación que Pregadio plantea: el Jiudan jingjue no da indicación explícita de su fecha, aunque trae muchos indicios, y el asunto se complica con las fechas propuestas por varios estudiosos, a veces sin decir con qué criterio

«The Þrst reference to the date of the Jiudan jingjue by a modern scholar is found in Cao YuanyuÕs study of the alchemical instruments, published in 1933.31 Cao dated the commentary to the beginning of the seventh century without elaborating further. Slightly more than two decades later, Joseph Needham and his collaborators deÞned the Jiudan jingjue as Ò an alchemical compendium of Thang [Tang] or Sung [Song] date.Ó This suggestion also was not supported by any evidence, and neither was the suggestion given later by Needham that the text dates from the early Tang or the early Song period. Finally, Needham indicated the seventh century as the likely date of composition.» — el desacuerdo de datación que Pregadio consigna sin armonizar: Cao Yuanyu lo fechó en 1933 a principios del siglo VII sin más, y Joseph Needham lo llamó compendio de época Tang o Song, luego del Tang temprano o del Song temprano, y al final apuntó al siglo VII

«There are no practices higher than the alchemical ones: the scriptures say that the superior methods do not consist of offerings and ceremonies to deities and spirits but of making the elixirs.» — el resumen que Pregadio hace de un capítulo del comentario: ninguna práctica es más alta que la alquímica, y las escrituras dicen que los métodos superiores no consisten en ofrendas y ceremonias a deidades y espíritus sino en hacer los elixires

«It is wrong, however, to assume that one might compound the elixirs merely by following the written methods, since the main practices are not transmitted in writing. This is why the compounding is often unsuccessful; and even if the elixir is achieved, ingesting it will be ineffective unless it is accompanied by inner cultivation.» — y la reserva que el mismo capítulo pone: es erróneo suponer que basta seguir los métodos escritos, porque lo principal no se transmite por escrito, y sin cultivo interior ingerir el elixir no surte efecto

«The Þrst author to support his dating with some details was Chen Guofu, who in 1963 indicated a compilation in the Tang period based on the place names cited in the text and the mention of Tao Hongjing 柖へ㟏 (456 Ð 536).» — el primero que apoyó su fecha con datos, según Pregadio: Chen Guofu, que en 1963 situó la compilación en el Tang por los topónimos citados y por la mención de Tao Hongjing

«There is no reason to assume that the difference between ten or twenty juan in the above bibliographies reßects an enlargement of the Jiudan jingjue between 1042 and 1161. The difference is merely owed to the fact that, in the copy of the Song Imperial Library, each juan contained the transcription of two juan of the current text. Traces of this arrangement are found in the Daozang 憳圯 (Daoist Canon) edition of the Jiudan jingjue. Although this edition is divided into twenty juan, all odd-numbered chapters still bear a note saying that they include the next juan.» — la explicación que Pregadio da para una divergencia bibliográfica: la diferencia entre diez y veinte juan no refleja una ampliación del texto, sino que en la copia de la Biblioteca Imperial Song cada juan traía dos del texto actual, cosa que repiten las notas de los capítulos impares del Canon

«Among them, the latest work the date of which is known is Tao HongjingÕs Bencao jing jizhu, written in 500 ce or shortly thereafter. The Jiudan jingjue, thus, was not compiled before 500 ce.» — el primero de los criterios de datación que Pregadio aplica: la obra fechada más reciente entre las citadas es el Bencao jing jizhu de Tao Hongjing, de hacia el 500, de modo que el comentario no se compiló antes de esa fecha

«I have been unable to ascertain the identity of a Pengjun ネ╻(Lord Peng, unlikely to be the legendary immortal Pengzu ネ 䪶), credited with a work quoted in the Jiudan jingjue with no indication of its title.» — una negativa que Pregadio declara en primera persona: no ha logrado fijar la identidad de un Lord Peng a quien se atribuye una obra citada en el Jiudan jingjue sin indicación de título

«As the Jiudan jingjue was addressed to an emperor, it might be expected that the author took care to mention place names currently in ofÞcial use. At least in principle, therefore, the evidence of place names is especially important for dating the Jiudan jingjue. This is even more true since, in Þve instances, the places of provenance of a mineral are given with the indication that those were the contemporary sites of occurrence.» — el supuesto con que Pregadio aborda los topónimos: dirigido a un emperador, cabe esperar que el autor cuidara de nombrar lugares en uso oficial, y en cinco casos indica que eran los sitios de extracción de su tiempo

«The place names mentioned above, therefore, were simultaneously adopted in the ofÞcial toponymy of the Chinese empire only between 623 (when the prefecture of Yuzhou was established) and 686 (when the district of Mayang became part of the new prefecture of Jinzhou).» — la horquilla que resulta de ese criterio: esos topónimos solo coincidieron en la toponimia oficial del imperio entre 623 y 686

«The circumstances make this another particularly favorable criterion, as it is possible to compare several quotations with a source for which a full concordance is available, namely, the Inner Chapters of Ge HongÕs Book of the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature (Baopu zi neipian).» — el último criterio que Pregadio aplica y por qué lo tiene por favorable: los caracteres tabuados, que puede cotejar con una fuente de la que hay concordancia completa, los Capítulos Interiores de Ge Hong

«recently, Zhao Kuanghua dated the Jiudan jingjue to the beginning of the Tang period, and a Tang date was also suggested by Meng Naichang and by Ho Peng Yoke.» — la continuación del desacuerdo de datación que Pregadio consigna: Zhao Kuanghua fecha el Jiudan jingjue a principios del Tang, y Meng Naichang y Ho Peng Yoke también apuntan al Tang

«Another scholar, Zhu Sheng, assigned the composition of the work to the reign period of Emperor Gaozong 永⳷ of the Tang (r. 649Ð 83) but, oddly, pointed to Hugang zi 䐰⎻Ⲱ as its author.» — y la propuesta que él mismo califica de extraña: Zhu Sheng sitúa la composición en el reinado de Gaozong y a la vez adjudica la autoría a Hugang zi

«In a study published in 1980, Sivin indicates a date in the early Song based on the occurrence of the place name Yizhou 䠪⼾, which the Jiudan jingjue mentions as a contemporary source of a variety of alum.» — el argumento de Nathan Sivin que Pregadio expone: fecha el texto en el Song temprano por el topónimo Yizhou, que el Jiudan jingjue da como fuente contemporánea de una variedad de alumbre

«Sivin notes that, according to a Sichuan geographical monograph published in 1730, the name Yizhou was used only during the years ca. 620Ð27, 977Ð88, and 994Ð1001. Sivin notes, moreover, that the late Tang and most of the Song periods are ruled out by a passage of the Jiudan jingjue that alludes to the contemporary conditions of peace in the empire.» — y el resto de ese argumento: según una monografía geográfica de Sichuan de 1730 el nombre Yizhou solo se usó en tres tramos, y Sivin descarta el Tang tardío y casi todo el Song por un pasaje que alude a la paz del imperio

«In a study published in 1983, Chen Guofu identiÞes the Xinxiu bencao 㜐ⅎ㢌咩 (Newly Revised Pharmacopoeia; 659), instead of the Bencao jing jizhu, as the source of the descriptions of minerals given in the Jiudan jingjue.» — el argumento de Chen Guofu: identifica como fuente de las descripciones de minerales el Xinxiu bencao de 659, y no el Bencao jing jizhu

«The Tang administration established the district of Mayang in 620, and founded the prefecture of Jinzhou 撆⼾in the same area in 686. Since the Jiudan jingjue mentions Mayang instead of Jinzhou, Chen Guofu concludes that the Jiudan jingjue dates from between 659 (date of the Xinxiu bencao) and 686 (date of founding of Jinzhou).» — y su conclusión: como el texto nombra Mayang y no Jinzhou, Chen Guofu fecha el Jiudan jingjue entre 659 y 686

«Of value, however, is the single mention of the Ò great shengÓ ⪇⒧ (dasheng, corresponding to 3 sheng), a unit introduced in the Tang period.» — el criterio metrológico que sí le sirve a Pregadio: la única mención del gran sheng, unidad introducida en época Tang. El troceo devuelve las comillas del impreso como *Ò* y *Ó*

«This contrasts with SivinÕs suggestion that, during the Tang, the prefecture was so named only between 620 and 627.» — el desacuerdo puntual que Pregadio le opone a Sivin: que la prefectura solo llevara ese nombre entre 620 y 627 contrasta con el tratado geográfico del Jiu Tangshu, que le da ese nombre entre 618 y 742

«and the measures of weight and volume suggest a Tang or later date. With much more accuracy, the place names show that the Jiudan jingjue dates from between 623 and 686, while the tabooed characters further restrict the time span during which the Jiudan jingjue was written to between 649 and 683, the dates of GaozongÕs reign. Three references to the conditions of peace that prevailed at that time in the empire conÞrm this dating.» — la horquilla final a la que Pregadio llega: los topónimos fechan el Jiudan jingjue entre 623 y 686, y los caracteres tabuados la estrechan a los años del reinado de Gaozong, entre 649 y 683, y en el mismo sentido van tres referencias a la paz del imperio

«These questions cannot be answered at present, but neither bears any major consequence on the dating suggested above. If the Xinxiu bencao is among the sources of the Jiudan jingjue, the Jiudan jingjue was written between 659 (instead of 649) and 683. If the Jiudan jingjue is among the sources of the Xinxiu bencao, the Jiudan jingjue was written in the early years of GaozongÕs reign, between 649 and 659. The partial similarities with the Xinxiu bencao do, nevertheless, raise the possibility that an alchemical and a pharmacological compendium were compiled at the same time as part of a single undertaking sponsored by the imperial court.» — la abstención con que Pregadio cierra el apéndice y lo que aun así propone: las preguntas sobre la dirección del préstamo con el Xinxiu bencao no pueden contestarse ahora y no cambian la fecha, pero levantan la posibilidad de que un compendio alquímico y uno farmacológico se compilaran a la vez como parte de un mismo encargo de la corte

«Virtually all texts that document the use of correlative cosmology in waidan are related to the Zhouyi cantong qi (Token for the Agreement of the Three According to the Book of Changes). The earliest known mention of this seminal work in association with waidan dates from around 500 ce» — una precisión que Pregadio hace en la primera de sus notas: casi todos los textos que documentan el uso de la cosmología correlativa en el waidan se relacionan con el Zhouyi cantong qi, y la mención más temprana de esa obra en relación con el waidan es de hacia el 500

«Radical rejection occurs only when the reverse process happens, i.e., when some authors disapprove of different traditions that borrow features of the alchemical doctrinesÑfor instance, their original technical terminologyÑand apply them to domains that are deemed to be incompatible with alchemy. An example is the strong criticism addressed by some neidan authors towards the sexual practices.» — el matiz que Pregadio añade en nota a su tesis sobre lo que la alquimia rechaza: el rechazo radical solo aparece al revés, cuando algunos autores desaprueban que otras tradiciones tomen rasgos de la doctrina alquímica y los apliquen a dominios que tienen por incompatibles, como la crítica de algunos autores de neidan a las prácticas sexuales

«does not record any reference to alchemy in approximately 250 biographies of fangshi found in about two dozen sources.» — el dato negativo con que Pregadio apoya en nota su reserva sobre los fangshi: un repertorio de unas doscientas cincuenta biografías de fangshi de dos docenas de fuentes no registra ninguna referencia a la alquimia

«The meaning of the phrase Ò[had] drunk of pearlÓ is unclear, but ÒpearlÓ (zhu) appears in various terms used for reÞned mercury, e.g., liuzhu, or Liquid Pearl, and xuanzhu, or Mysterious Pearl.» — una abstención que Pregadio declara en nota: el sentido de la frase sobre haber bebido perla no está claro, aunque perla aparece en varios términos del mercurio refinado

«No explicit reference to alchemy appears in the Huainan zi. In particular, there is no deÞnite indication that the well-known passage on the natural evolution of minerals found in this work (see Sivin, ÒThe Theoretical Background of Elixir Alchemy,Ó 224Ð 25; and Major, Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought, 212Ð16) is related to alchemy. While this passage bears some similarities to waidan notions developed in the Tang period, the assumptions on which it rests are different from those at the basis of alchemy, and no waidan text refers to it.» — la negativa que ficha en nota sobre el Huainan zi: no trae referencia explícita a la alquimia, y ni siquiera el conocido pasaje sobre la evolución natural de los minerales se puede dar por relacionado con ella, porque ningún texto waidan lo cita

«Lagerwey (p. 268) gives the number of quoted works as approximately one hundred and twenty. Earlier studies had recorded a higher number, but many texts are quoted under different titles.» — una corrección de cifras que Pregadio consigna en nota: Lagerwey da unas ciento veinte obras citadas en el Wushang biyao, donde estudios anteriores daban más, porque muchos textos se citan bajo títulos distintos

«I call the version of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs in the Jiudan jingjue Ò primaryÓ mainly because of its format. This version forms a self-standing unit, whereas the version in the Jiuzhuan liuzhu shenxian jiudan jing is arranged as a commentary to verses on the Nine Elixirs, and is consequently fragmented among the corresponding lines of those verses.» — el criterio que Pregadio declara en nota y en primera persona para llamar primaria a una de las dos versiones: lo hace por el formato, porque la del Jiudan jingjue es una unidad autónoma y la otra va fragmentada como comentario a unos versos

«There are actually no Agents that give birth to each other in the Ò generativeÓ (xiangsheng) cycle of the Five Agents. As Major notes on p. 132, the import of the Huainan zi passage is rhetorical rather than cosmological. This might be the reason why the Ò responsibleÓ days are not mentioned in the three texts mentioned above, which are concerned with rules for actual practices.» — un razonamiento de nota en que Pregadio explica un silencio: no hay Agentes que se engendren unos a otros en el ciclo generativo, el pasaje del Huainan zi es retórico y no cosmológico, y esa podría ser la razón de que los días responsables no se mencionen en los tres textos de reglas prácticas

«A different type of vessel, whose lower and upper halves are made of iron and clay, respectively, is described in both Taiqing anthologies of the Tang period.» — una variante técnica que Pregadio consigna en nota: un vaso cuyas mitades inferior y superior son de hierro y de barro, descrito en las dos antologías Taiqing del Tang

«The chimei and wangliang demons haunt the mountain forests. See Kiang Chao-yuan, Le voyage dans la Chine ancienne, 168Ð216 and passim.» — la glosa con que Pregadio identifica en nota a dos de los demonios que los elixires apartan: los chimei y los wangliang rondan los bosques de montaña

«Yamada provides evidence that the original texts containing the recipes were produced in Shandong and were transmitted to Jiangnan at the end of the Han period.» — un dato de procedencia que Pregadio recoge en nota: Yamada aporta evidencia de que los textos originales con las recetas de hierbas se produjeron en Shandong y pasaron a Jiangnan al final de los Han

«This cosmogony, as remarked by Bokenkamp (pp. 165 and 189), reßects the one outlined in Laozi, 42: Ò The Dao generates the One, the One generates the Two, the Two generate the Three, the Three generate the ten thousand things.Ó» — el eco que Pregadio consigna en nota, atribuido a Bokenkamp: la cosmogonía de los Maestros Celestes refleja la del capítulo 42 del Laozi, donde el Dao engendra al Uno, el Uno al Dos, el Dos al Tres y el Tres las diez mil cosas

«I approximate a literal translation of shuji as Ò pivotal mechanism,Ó as this is the way the term is understood in the Cantong qi. More exactly, shuji denotes in the Scripture of the Yellow Court the hinges of the door-shutters (or their Ò door-post and catchÓ in Paul KrollÕs translation of this passage; Kroll, Ò Body Gods and Inner Vision: The Scripture of the Yellow Court,Ó 154) that one should shut in order to protect the loci of oneÕs inner body.» — una decisión de traducción que Pregadio declara en nota y en primera persona: vierte shuji casi a la letra como mecanismo pivotal, por ser así como lo entiende el Cantong qi, aunque en el Huangting jing designa los goznes de las contraventanas

«The trigram qian, therefore, has two meanings in alchemy: it represents not only Yang in the Yin-Yang pair but also Pure Yang, the state of oneness that comes before the division into Yin and Yang. The symbolism of lead is even more complex, as it has three levels of meaning. Native lead represents Yin containing Real Yang, and is matched by cinnabar, which represents Yang containing Real Yin. ReÞned lead represents Real Yang, and is matched by mercury reÞned from cinnabar, which represents Real Yin. However, just like the Yang trigram qian, reÞned lead also stands for Pure Yang. For this reason, Ò leadÓ is a frequent synonym of Ò goldÓ in alchemical texts, and represents the elixir itself.» — la advertencia que Pregadio da en nota sobre la ambigüedad de los emblemas: qian significa a la vez el Yang del par Yin-Yang y el Yang Puro anterior a la división, y el plomo tiene tres niveles de sentido, por lo que plomo es sinónimo frecuente de oro y representa el elixir mismo

«In the commentary, Tao Hongjing is sometimes called Tao Yinju or Tao Ming, an abbreviated form of one of his appellations, Tao Tongming.» — una variante de nombre que Pregadio consigna en nota: en el comentario a Tao Hongjing se le llama a veces Tao Yinju o Tao Ming, forma abreviada de uno de sus apelativos

«I emend Ò JianzhouÓ 嚱⼾ into Lanzhou 垍⼾ following the reading of Xinxiu bencao, [3.]100, which in the entry on malachite mentions the same four names in the same order as in the Jiudan jingjue.» — una enmienda de topónimo que Pregadio declara en nota y en primera persona: enmienda Jianzhou en Lanzhou siguiendo la lectura del Xinxiu bencao, que nombra los mismos cuatro lugares en el mismo orden

«Here and in the following notes I provide references to the Jiu Tangshu, whose treatise provides more details on administrative geography than does the corresponding treatise in the Xin Tangshu. The treatise in the Xin Tangshu is, nevertheless, valuable for its indications of natural substances occurring in each region» — el criterio de fuentes que Pregadio declara en nota: cita el Jiu Tangshu porque su tratado da más detalle de geografía administrativa, aunque reconoce valioso el del Xin Tangshu por sus indicaciones de sustancias naturales por región

«The compound danxin (cinnabar heart) occurs with the same meaning in both modern Chinese and Japanese (pron. tanshin), whereas modern Japanese preserves the expression tansei, meaning Òsincerity,Ó as well as tannen, meaning Òattention, concentration.Ó» — un dato de pervivencia léxica que Pregadio da en nota: el compuesto corazón de cinabrio sigue con el mismo sentido en chino y en japonés modernos, y el japonés conserva además tansei, sinceridad, y tannen, atención o concentración. El troceo devuelve las comillas del impreso como *Ò* y *Ó*

«Most scholars agree that the incorporation of the Huangting jing into the Shangqing corpus resulted in the creation of a new version of this text, now known as Ò InnerÓ (Ò NeiÓ), that expanded an earlierÑand also still extantÑversion, now known as Ò OuterÓ (Ò WaiÓ).» — un acuerdo académico que Pregadio consigna en nota: la incorporación del Huangting jing al corpus Shangqing produjo una versión nueva, la Interior, que amplió otra anterior y también conservada, la Exterior

«None of the extant fragments of this work, however, are concerned with the compounding of elixirs.» — la negativa con que Pregadio acota en nota una propuesta de Needham sobre un texto de escuela sureña ligado a Zou Yan: ninguno de sus fragmentos conservados trata de componer elixires

«Her account in Du GuangtingÕs (850Ð933) Yongcheng jixian lu (Records of the Assembled Immortals of the FortiÞed Wall City; CT 783), 1.7b, mentions several secret names of elixirs similar to those found in the early waidan corpus» — un dato que Pregadio recoge en nota sobre la Princesa Primordial: su relato en el Yongcheng jixian lu de Du Guangting menciona varios nombres secretos de elixires parecidos a los del corpus waidan temprano

«A date earlier than the mid-seventh century is indicated by the bibliographic catalogue in the Suishu, 34.1049, which lists a Taiji zhenren jiuzhuan huandan jing as an independent text. The received version, however, must have been re-edited after the late seventh century, as shown by the mention of Jinzhou (2a), a prefecture established in 686 in present-day Hunan, as a source of cinnabar.» — la horquilla que Pregadio fija en nota para el Jiuzhuan huandan jing: el catálogo del Suishu lo sitúa antes de mediados del siglo VII, y la mención de Jinzhou, prefectura creada en 686, muestra que la versión recibida se reeditó después de finales de ese siglo

«It is noteworthy that, in the Taiqing tradition, the lead-mercury compound is not an elixir and is used only for the purposes mentioned above.» — un contraste que Pregadio subraya en nota: en la tradición Taiqing el compuesto de plomo y mercurio no es un elixir y sirve solo para los usos dichos, mientras en buena parte del waidan posterior el plomo y el mercurio pasan a ser otra cosa

«None of the Þve talismans, however, is similar to the one reproduced in the Jiudan jingjue.» — una negativa de cotejo que Pregadio ficha en nota: ninguno de los cinco talismanes de Laozi para Entrar en una Montaña se parece al reproducido en el Jiudan jingjue

«An equivalence with Ò tinÓ (i.e., lead), though, is suggested by the methods for making the Hard Snow found in both Tang anthologies of the Taiqing tradition, which use mercury and Ò tinÓ in almost identical proportions to those mentioned in the Oral Instructions.» — una identificación que Pregadio propone en nota para la piedra floreada, frente a las de otros: los métodos de la Nieve Dura de las dos antologías Tang sugieren equivalencia con el estaño, es decir con el plomo

«It should be noted that in this respect Shangqing actually did not innovate, but developed traditions documented by earlier sources on meditation practices, especially the Central Scripture of Laozi (Laozi zhongjing) and the Scripture of the Yellow Court (Huangting jing).» — una matización que Pregadio hace en nota a su propio relato: en esto Shangqing no innovó, sino que desarrolló tradiciones ya documentadas en fuentes anteriores de meditación, el Laozi zhongjing y el Huangting jing

«Both details suggest that in the manuscript of the Nine Elixirs used for compiling the Liquid Pearl, the section on the First Elixir included the method for making the Liquid Pearl, which is obtained in nine cycles. The First Elixir, instead, requires only four cycles of heating.» — una reconstrucción de manuscrito que Pregadio propone en nota: los dos detalles sugieren que en el manuscrito usado para compilar el Liquid Pearl la sección del Primer Elixir incluía el método de la Perla Líquida, que va en nueve ciclos, mientras el Primer Elixir pide solo cuatro

«The only passage in the Liquid Pearl that does not correspond in any way to the version of the Nine Elixirs in the Jiudan jingjue contains a warning on the unauthorized transmission of the text» — la única divergencia de fondo que Pregadio encuentra entre las dos versiones, dicha en nota: el pasaje del Liquid Pearl que no corresponde a nada del Jiudan jingjue es una advertencia sobre la transmisión no autorizada del texto

«2. Seals for Warding Off the Hundred Snakes and Talismans for Driving Away the Wild Animals (pi baishe yin ji neng que hulang bu fan fu; Fig. 5).41 This set includes six seals and talismans: i. Two Divine Seals (shenyin) to be worn on one’s body. ii. Seal for keeping away wild animals, which can also be used as a talisman and ingested.» — el segundo juego del catálogo de talismanes, con los dos primeros de sus seis: dos Sellos Divinos que se llevan en el cuerpo y un sello para apartar a las fieras que también sirve de talismán y se ingiere

«The same function that the lead-mercury compound plays in the Nine Elixirs is performed in other Taiqing texts by refined lead alone, called Lead Elixir (qiandan) or Yellow Elixir (huangdan).» — una equivalencia funcional que Pregadio señala entre textos Taiqing: lo que en el Jiudan jing hace el compuesto de plomo y mercurio lo hace en otros el plomo refinado solo, llamado Elixir de Plomo o Elixir Amarillo

«Fourth Elixir: Reverted Elixir (huandan). The Fourth Elixir is obtained from eight ingredients: mercury, realgar, laminar malachite, alum, sulphur (tingzhi), lake salt, hematite, and arsenolite. The crucible is luted first with a mud made of alum, arsenolite, red hematite, Turkestan salt, oyster shells, red clay, worm excreta, mica, and talc. Then it is luted again with the Mud of the Six-and-One, and is heated in nine cycles of nine days each.» — los ocho ingredientes del Cuarto Elixir y el doble lutado de su crisol, con nueve ciclos de nueve días de calentamiento

«“Nine times above and nine times below” refers to turning the crucible upside down at the end of each cycle. The “Secret Instructions,” 20.11b, explains this process in more detail: “Place the crucible on three iron pots (tieguo) nine inches over the ground, and keep it on a fire of chaff for one day and one night. Then turn it upside down without opening it, and [heat it] again for one day and one night. Turn it upside down in this way nine times altogether.” The same method is used for heating the» — la glosa técnica con que Pregadio explica una fórmula de la escritura, cortada por el cambio de plana: nueve veces arriba y nueve abajo significa volver el crisol del revés al final de cada ciclo, con el detalle que añaden las Instrucciones Secretas

«Then take two pints of excreta of Dragons of Earth, compound them with gall of a yellow dog 9 and make the crucible [with this mixture]. Pound three pounds each of oyster shells and red clay until they become powder-like, and add them to vinegar making a mud. Smear the crucible with it, making it three-tenths of an inch thick both inside and outside, and let it dry.» — el modo de hacer el crisol del Sexto Elixir en la letra de la escritura: excrementos de Dragones de Tierra con hiel de perro amarillo, y encima un barro de conchas de ostra y arcilla roja de tres décimos de pulgada

«Heat the crucible over a tenuous fire, first keeping the heat gentle but then making it fierce, for nine days and nine nights. Let the crucible cool for one day and open it. Brush it with a feather to collect what adheres to the upper crucible, and add to it some Grease of Dragons and gall of a yellow dog.» — el calentamiento del Noveno Elixir en la letra de la escritura: fuego tenue primero suave y luego bravo durante nueve días y nueve noches, y el elixir recogido con pluma y mezclado con Grasa de Dragones y hiel de perro amarillo

«Moreover, if you add yellow clay to the Gold Water and the Mercury [Water], and calcine them over an intense fire for one day, they will entirely transmute themselves into gold. If you heat them for two days, they will transmute themselves into an elixir, [8b] called Elixir for the Nomination to Immortal (bixian dan). If you ingest this elixir in pills the size of a small bean, you will be able to enter a famous mountain or a great river, and become an immortal.» — el Elixir para el Nombramiento a Inmortal en la letra de la escritura traducida: arcilla amarilla con el Agua de Oro y el Agua de Mercurio da oro en un día de calcinación y elixir en dos, y con él se entra en una montaña famosa o en un gran río y se vuelve uno inmortal

«This is the method to follow if you use an earthenware crucible. If you use a porcelain or a metallic crucible, lute it as necessary instead of one and two-tenths inches.» — una concesión técnica que trae la propia escritura: lo dicho vale para el crisol de barro, y con uno de porcelana o de metal se luta lo que haga falta

«On three occasions, the Central Scripture instructs its adepts to visualize their inner essences and pneumas, saying that they should “moisten and impregnate” (runze) several organs of the body.» — el préstamo que Pregadio rastrea desde el Laozi zhongjing: tres veces manda a sus adeptos visualizar sus esencias y pneumas interiores y humedecer e impregnar varios órganos del cuerpo

«It is not important whether quartz (baishi ying 䟝䥓呑) is coarse or Þne. Providing it is lustrous, luminous, uncontaminated by ßecks both outside and inside, and has the same color as water when immersed in it, it is efÞcacious. (Taiqing shibi ji, 3.12b)» — la tercera de las entradas del Taiqing shibi ji que Pregadio traduce: el cuarzo vale grueso o fino, con tal de que sea lustroso, luminoso, sin motas dentro ni fuera y del color del agua al sumergirlo

«This appendix contains materials concerning the Huangdi jiuding shendan jingjue 瀣⽽᾽灮䪾ᾙ仳它(Instructions on the Scripture of the Divine Elixirs of the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor; CT 885, referred to below as Jiudan jingjue), the text that includes the primary received version of the Scripture of the Nine Elixirs. It provides an outline of the commentary, an analysis of its main sources, and evidence on its date.» — el alcance que Pregadio declara para el apéndice C: un esquema del comentario, un análisis de sus fuentes principales y la evidencia sobre su fecha

«Since the writings of the literati (rushu ≲㡘) do not contain methods for becoming an immortal, a sovereign should search for them. The methods alone, however, are not enough: one should also receive both the written and the oral instructions» — lo que el comentario sostiene sobre la transmisión, en el resumen de Pregadio: los escritos de los letrados no traen métodos para hacerse inmortal y el soberano ha de buscarlos, aunque los métodos solos no bastan

«The description of the elixir ingredients is interrupted by this chapter that deals with general principles of the alchemical work. Its content is closely related to chapter 6 (see the summary above).» — una observación de estructura que Pregadio hace sobre el comentario: la descripción de los ingredientes queda interrumpida por un capítulo de principios generales, emparentado con el sexto

«Cinnabar, Ò which is red outside, contains a white substance inside, which is mercuryÓ; this is the hun 沢 (the Ò celestial soulÓ) of cinnabar, its volatile essence, which a large number of methods instruct how to reÞne (lian 䊩) and Þx (zhi 㸛, or fu ) in order to avoid its loss when cinnabar is heated. Alchemical mercury then can be joined to alchemical lead to make an elixir that incorporates the pure essences of Yin and Yang; or it can be combined with sulphur and sublimated again to obtainÑusually after seven or nine cycles of reÞningÑa pure and luminous essence. These are the two fundamental waidan ⩶ᾙ practices.» — las dos prácticas waidan fundamentales según el resumen que Pregadio hace del comentario: el cinabrio, rojo por fuera, contiene dentro una sustancia blanca que es el mercurio, su alma celeste y esencia volátil, que se refina y se fija para unirla al plomo alquímico o para sublimarla con azufre

«The Jiudan jingjue is the main source of fragments from works attributed to Hugang zi, who is associated with several lost texts and represents a lineage based in southeastern China.» — el valor que Pregadio le da al comentario como testigo: es la fuente principal de los fragmentos de las obras atribuidas a Hugang zi, ligado a varios textos perdidos y representante de un linaje del sureste de China

«the descriptions of the ingredients come almost entirely from Tao HongjingÕs 柖 へ㟏 Bencao jing jizhu, dating from ca. 500 ce.» — el reparto de fuentes que Pregadio traza para el comentario: los capítulos introductorios vienen de los Capítulos Interiores, los métodos de las obras perdidas de Hugang zi, y las descripciones de los ingredientes casi enteras del Bencao jing jizhu de Tao Hongjing

«Ò Secret InstructionsÓ makes it clear that the portion of the Nine Elixirs concerned with the Second Elixir describes several independent methods arranged in a sequence.» — un dato que Pregadio saca de las Instrucciones Secretas: la sección del Segundo Elixir describe varios métodos independientes puestos en serie. El troceo devuelve las comillas del impreso como *Ò* y *Ó*

«No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written pemission of Stanford University Press.» — la reserva de derechos que imprime Stanford University Press; el troceo devuelve *pemission* donde el impreso pide *permission*

«The information within this book is provided for academic and research purposes only. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for the way in which the information in this book is used and will not be held responsible for any damages arising from the use of any information featured in this book.» — el descargo del editor: la información del libro se da solo con fines académicos y de investigación, y no acepta responsabilidad por el uso que se le dé. Es voz del editor, no del autor

«Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pregadio, Fabrizio. Great clarity : Daoism and alchemy in early medieval China / Fabrizio Pregadio. p. cm. — (Asian religions and cultures) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 0-8047-5177-3 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Daoism—China—History. 2. Alchemy—China—History. 3. China—Religion. I. Title. II. Series: Asian religions & cultures.» — la ficha de catalogación de la Biblioteca del Congreso, que clasifica el volumen bajo taoísmo, alquimia y religión de China y lo inscribe en la serie

«Chinese Poetry and Prophecy: The Written Oracle in East Asia Michel Strickmann 2005 Chinese Magical Medicine Michel Strickmann Edited by Bernard Faure Edited by Bernard Faure 2002 Living Images: Japanese Buddhist Icons in Context Edited by Robert H. Sharf and Elizabeth Horton Sharf 2001» — los títulos anteriores de la serie que la misma plana lista, con Michel Strickmann y Robert H. Sharf entre sus autores y editores

«I would also like to thank Carl Bielefeldt, Bernard Faure, and the other colleagues at the Department of Religious Studies, Stanford University, where the manuscript has gone through several stages of revision through the end of 2003, initially with support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.» — en los agradecimientos, Pregadio nombra a Bielefeldt y a Faure como colegas del Departamento de Estudios Religiosos de Stanford, donde el manuscrito pasó por varias revisiones hasta finales de 2003

«Finally, I am grateful to Phyllis Schafer, who edited an earlier draft of the book, and to Sally Serafim, who edited the final version.» — y acredita a Phyllis Schafer la edición de un borrador anterior y a Sally Serafim la de la versión final; la capa de texto imprime *Serafim* con ligadura

«Fabrizio Pregadio June 2004» — la firma y la fecha con que cierra el prefacio, en el arranque del segundo chunk del troceo: junio de 2004, un año antes del pie de imprenta

«References to texts in the Daozang 憳圯 (Daoist Canon) include the numbers assigned to them in the catalogue edited by Kristofer Schipper, Concordance du Tao-tsang: Titres des ouvrages (Paris: ƒcole Franaise dÕExtrme-Orient, 1975), abbreviated as Ò CT.Ó» — la nota de fuentes con que abre la bibliografía de la edición: las referencias a textos del Canon taoísta llevan el número del catálogo editado por Kristofer Schipper, abreviado CT. El troceo pierde los acentos del pie editorial francés y devuelve las comillas como *Ò* y *Ó*

«Baopu zi neipian 㐑㢔Ⲱ⋇䴧 [Inner Chapters of the Book of the Master Who Embraces Spontaneous Nature]. Ge Hong 喻㺊 (283Ð343), ca. 317, revised ca. 330.» — la entrada bibliográfica de la obra que Pregadio más cita, con las fechas que ahí le asigna: Ge Hong, 283 a 343, hacia 317 y revisada hacia 330

«Sanshiliu shuifa Ὡ⒡⋍㶔㸵 [Methods of the Thirty-six Aqueous Solutions]. Six Dynasties, possibly containing Han materials. Daozang, CT 930.» — la entrada bibliográfica del Sanshiliu shuifa, con la fecha y la reserva que Pregadio le pone ahí: Seis Dinastías, posiblemente con materiales Han

«Bokenkamp, Stephen R. Early Daoist Scriptures. With a contribution by Peter Nickerson. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.» — la entrada bibliográfica de la obra de Stephen Bokenkamp que Pregadio pone junto a sus propias traducciones en el prefacio, citada aquí como bibliografía consignada

«Kroll, Paul W. Ò Body Gods and Inner Vision: The Scripture of the Yellow Court.Ó In Donald S. Lopez, ed., Religions of China in Practice, 149Ð55. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.» — otra entrada de la sección de estudios, la de Paul Kroll sobre el Huangting jing, cuya traducción de shuji discute Pregadio en nota; entrada de bibliografía consignada

«Ware, James. Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of A.D. 320: The Nei PÕien of Ko Hung (Pao-pÕu tzu). Cambridge (Mass.): M.I.T. Press,» — la entrada de la traducción de Ware a la que Pregadio remite en casi todas sus citas del Baopu zi; entrada de bibliografía consignada, cortada por el final de la línea

«Taoist Meditation: The Mao-shan Tradition of Great Purity. Translated by Julian F. Pas and Norman J. Girardot. Albany: State University of New» — la entrada bibliográfica de Taoist Meditation de Isabelle Robinet, una de las voces que Pregadio más nombra; entrada de bibliografía consignada, cortada por el cambio de plana

«Alchemy: definition of, 23–25, 219– 20; as figurative language, 216; dual status in the Taiqing tradition, 13–» — el índice de materias de la edición, que registra en su primera entrada las tres cosas que el propio libro hace con la palabra alquimia: definirla, usarla como lenguaje figurado y describir su estatus doble en la tradición Taiqing

«Hugang zi and his great contribution to ancient Chinese chemistry]. In Zhao Kuanghua, ed., Zhongguo gudai huaxue shi yanjiu ᾍ⡝╄⁃⑶Ⳇ╒䥴䯖 [Studies on the history of ancient Chinese chemistry], 184Ð210. Beijing: Beijing daxue» — una entrada más de la bibliografía consignada, la del estudio de Zhao Kuanghua sobre Hugang zi que Pregadio cita en el apéndice C, cortada por el cambio de plana

«figures and tables figures 1. Inscription on a jar from a tomb in Huxian (Shaanxi) 74 2. Talisman for Expelling the Demons» — la lista de figuras y tablas de la edición, que abre con la inscripción de una jarra de una tumba de Huxian y el Talismán para Expulsar a los Demonios

Materia prima — El acto central del proceso alquímico es, para Pregadio, hacer que la materia revierta a su estado de esencia o prima materia: los ingredientes recorren en el crisol, en orden inverso, las etapas del desarrollo del cosmos hasta el estado equivalente a la esencia que brota del Dao, y el término huandan, elixir revertido, significa en los textos Taiqing justamente eso.

Secreto (lo que se jura no fijar por escrito) — Las instrucciones orales que no pueden escribirse, el pacto jurado antes de recibirlas, el argumento de que la composición fracasa porque lo más importante no se transmite por escrito, y el rito mismo como secreto de la alquimia según Ge Hong.

Decknamen (nombres cubiertos) — Los nombres secretos de los ingredientes, que Pregadio resuelve cotejando el Shiyao erya y el comentario al Jiudan jing: Polvo Real y Niño Bermejo por cinabrio, Grasa de Dragones por jugo de gusanos o rocío de morera, Hombre Imperial y Mujer Imperial por rejalgar y oropimente, Dragones de Tierra por gusanos, piedra pronto vencida y Hiel de Piedra por plomo.

Iniciación (recepción por grados / metamorfosis del ser) — La ceremonia de transmisión como pórtico de la obra: juramento, pacto sellado con sangre o con cinabrio, prendas de oro y de seda, asiento para la Mujer Misteriosa, señal de consentimiento de la diosa y penas para quien transmite mal.

Cadena de transmisión (quién tomó de quién) — La cadena que Pregadio saca de Ge Hong —Zuo Ci, Ge Xuan, Zheng Yin, Ge Hong— y las líneas hagiográficas que el Shangqing fabricó un siglo después, ya atribuyendo el origen a otros inmortales, ya haciendo discípulos suyos a los de la Gran Claridad.

Crítica de fuentes (criterios de inclusión y descarte) — El grueso del método del libro: la cifra de textos waidan datables, las negativas sobre Zou Yan y sobre el edicto de Jingdi, las enmiendas de lectura propuestas, la datación del comentario por bibliografías, medidas, topónimos y caracteres tabuados, y el desacuerdo con Sivin y con Chen Guofu consignado sin armonizar.

Talismán (imagen astrológica) — Los talismanes y sellos como el medio que el comentario al Jiudan jing declara más eficaz para proteger la obra, con el catálogo de cinco juegos, la Píldora y el Talismán para Expulsar a los Demonios, los cinco de la Terraza de Jade y el Contrato de Jade de los Nueve Viejos Señores.

Microcosmos (el hombre-mundo) — El cuerpo interior como sede de una multitud de divinidades y de los tres Campos de Cinabrio, y la topografía que el Laozi zhongjing y el Huangting jing le dan —Palacio Carmesí, Corte Amarilla, Cámara Púrpura, Gran Granero—, con el Niño Rojo que representa el yo real.

Evocación (llamar y constreñir espíritus) — Convocar dioses y expulsar demonios como beneficio del elixir que no exige ingerirlo, y como el punto por el que la alquimia Taiqing hizo sitio entre las tradiciones de Jiangnan.

Mansiones lunares (los 28 sectores del recorrido de la Luna) — Las veintiocho mansiones lunares entre los emblemas de la cosmología correlativa que el Zhouyi cantong qi hizo entrar en la lengua de la alquimia, desconocidos para la tradición Taiqing.