HISTORY OF TAOISM: Philosophy-Religion of Immortality (DAOZHAN: Divination Resource for Taoist Calculation)

“The holy sages were divine, hence they knew the future; they were wise, hence they stored up the past.”- Yijing as quoted in Da LiuHistory of Taoism: Philosophy-Religion of Immortality, served originally as the first book or chapter within the tome, DAOZHAN: Divination Resource for Daoist Calculation. The word Tao (dao) means “way,” or more specifically “way of truth.” The master of method (fangshi), later known as human of the way (daoren), or master of way, or priest of the way (daoshi), a product of Chinese shamanism (Chuci), practiced divination, astrology, geomancy, medicine, internal alchemy (neidan), ecstatic wandering, and exorcism (Taoist arts) for the sole purpose of preserving their harmony with nature, and becoming a divine immortal. It was difficult to distinguish between the fangshi and the sorcerer (wu). This book concisely presents the history of Taoism for the purpose of understanding Taoist divination (zhan), or mystic mathematics (shu), which is structured by an intricately unfolding pantheon cosmology. Taoist divination provides the practitioner with a clear perspective of the source of creation through the application of the philosophy of nature. Focusing on the source, improves the quality of life by defining the path of immortality, which is followed by the Taoist adept (daoren) for becoming the sage (shengren). Divination is fundamentally applied as a cosmological code (earth-external) and philosophical guide (heaven-internal) for facilitating the success of interior alchemy (neidan) (the process of returning the spirit to the divine origin).Taoist divination, a diagnostic discipline of Taoist medicine, is the art of understanding reality (predicting portents) by utilizing such modalities as astrology, geomancy, Yijing calculation, and biomancy (analysis of the face, body and hand). Astrology predicts the inherited fortune (karmic condition) bestowed by heaven. Geomancy predicts the fortune in personal harmony with the environment. Body and face analysis predicts the fortune in one’s outer appearance. Hand analysis predicts the fortune in one’s inner self (personality). Yijing oracle mathematics provides the symbolic cosmic code as philosophical guidance for spiritual alchemy.Copyright 2005. (215 pages, 87 figures); see lotusspace.com for more info. Read more