The Yellow Court Scripture, Volume 3: Historical and Comparative Studies

The Huangting jing (Yellow Court Scripture) consists of a set of two texts that outline the body vision and key techniques of Daoist meditation. At the center of an extensive literature of both commentaries and exegeses compiled over several millennia, it has been mainly studied from a historical and textual perspective. Supplementing this, this volume explores not only important rhyme structures but also the nature of the body vision presented, the type and quality of the practices involved, and how they compare to modern scientific models as well as to later Chinese interpretations and adaptions, such as medical texts of the Tang and internal alchemy of the Song. It assembles nine presentations of accomplished scholars in the field, bringing the Huangting jing into the limelight and enhancing its in-depth understanding in the greater context of Daoist history and modern science.

Livia Kohn, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies at Boston University. The author or editor of over sixty books (including the annual Journal of Daoist Studies), she spent ten years in Kyoto doing research. She currently serves as the executive editor of Three Pines Press, runs international conferences and workshops, and guides study tours to Japan.