Reading list

Daoist Inner Alchemy

Quanzhen Daoism and the refinement of essence, energy and spirit, from Wang Chongyang to Qiu Chuji.

Advanced. 5 steps

Orientation

Tradition
Quanzhen Daoism
The monastic order of Complete Perfection and its unity of the three teachings.

Concept
Neidan
The three treasures and their refinement, and what the elixir really is.
Text
Cultivating Perfection
Louis Komjathy, 2007
The early masters’ own poems and practices, studied closely.

Text
The Travels of an Alchemist
Li Zhichang, tr. Arthur Waley, 1931
Qiu Chuji crosses Asia to tell Chinggis Khan there is no elixir of immortality.

Text
The Tâo Teh King
Laozi, tr. James Legge, 1891
The classic that Quanzhen asked its adepts to study first of all.

Cite this entry

Chicago (bibliography): “Daoist Inner Alchemy.” Reading list. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/daoist-inner-alchemy.
Chicago (note): “Daoist Inner Alchemy,” reading list, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/daoist-inner-alchemy.
MLA: “Daoist Inner Alchemy.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/daoist-inner-alchemy.
BibTeX: @misc{reading-lists-daoist-inner-alchemy, title = {{Daoist Inner Alchemy}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Reading list. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/daoist-inner-alchemy} }