FOOTNOTES

Introduction: A Brief Overview of Taoism

1. There are Buddhist equivalents of these two teachings. The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra (The Diamond Sutra) contains many of the same messages found in the Tao Te Ching. The Shurangama Sutra addresses many of the same issues presented in the Chuang Tzu. It was these teachings, along with the later Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, that really influenced Taoism.

1. What Is Immortality?

1. For further information on tan-t’ien, the Eight Subtle Meridians, and the Lesser Heavenly Circuit, refer to my book Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal (Rochester, Vt.: Healing Arts Press, 2002).

2. Is Immortality Possible?

1. In my studies I have not encountered further reference to Pan Shu, Mo Ti, or Ou Yeh. I assume they were masters of their respective arts.

2. One can only guess what locations Ko Hung is referring to here. It may be noteworthy that the southern ocean is the South China Sea near Vietnam, where porous rocks from volcanoes floated in the water.

3. The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Classic Refining the Three Treasures

1. The auspicious days mentioned above consisted of the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month (these are particularly auspicious because it is believed that on those days the Jade Emperor sends the Four Heavenly Kings down to Earth to check on everyone’s behavior; thus, you can acquire merit if they report your spiritual efforts); the ninth day of the first lunar month, which is the Jade Emperor’s birthday; the first day of the second lunar month, which is the Festival of the Sun (the day the sun visits the Jade Emperor’s Palace of Miraculous Mists to determine the events of the coming year); and the sixth day of the eleventh lunar month, the Jade Emperor’s anniversary on becoming the Supreme Ruler.

2. The Maitreya Buddha is the next future Buddha, who will arrive to teach a dharma of joy, whereas the last historical Buddha Shakyamuni taught the dharma of tranquility. Each Buddha is said to come into the world to teach what is missing in humanity that prevents

3. Taoists believe in eighteen layers, or realms, of hell.

4. The practice and philosophy of The Yellow Court Classic (Huang Ting Ching) is evidence enough of the acceptance of supreme deities and religious practice in Taoism, even though this classic relates that these gods exist as both internal spirits and cosmic entities simultaneously. I’ve never found much credence in the contemporary academic view that there is a separate religious and philosophical Taoism, as Taoists hold both views without contradiction. In the Chuang Tzu, which is a doctrine of the unconditioned nature of all things, there is a verse that relates to this question of God/Creator: “There appears to be a True God who does interact, yet there is no evidence of his existence.” To Chuang-tzu, God is suspect. A personal god who influences human life, even in the form of the Jade Emperor, is totally out of sync with his philosophy. Yet he admits to the appearance of a True God. In spite of his brief acceptance Chuang-tzu focuses his beliefs on Nature (Tao) as creation itself, not on a Creator in the personal sense. Ko Hung, author of the Pao P’o Tzu, commenting on Chuang-tzu’s statement about a True God, denies the existence of a supreme god, stating that “everything creates itself through Nature (Tao).”

4. The Three Treasures of Immortality

1. For a more thorough understanding of these I Ching references, see my book T’ai Chi According to the I Ching (Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 2001).