Commentary on the Inner Chapters of the Baopuzi (Revised and Expanded Edition) (New Series of the Canon of the Masters)

Author: Wang Ming
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-03-01
Features: The Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal is undoubtedly an important source for the study of the history of Taoism and the history of science and technology. Previous and contemporary scholars have done considerable collation work. This time, I have compiled these into a single collection, supplemented by my own annotations and corrections, marking the first such collation. As for annotations, there has never been a published annotated edition. According to records, Tao Hongjing's nephew, Tao Yi, mentioned in the "Record of Tao Hongjing's Taoist Writings" (found in the 107th volume of the Cloudy Chamber Jingshi compiled by Zhang Junfang of the Song Dynasty and in the Biography of Tao Hongjing by Jia Song of the Song Dynasty) that Tao Hongjing had written twenty volumes of annotations for the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal (see The Inner Biography of Tao Hongjing by Jia Song of the Song Dynasty). Tao Hongjing's twenty volumes of annotations on the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal were presumably annotations for the Inner Canon, but this annotated edition has long been lost, leaving no trace behind. Now, I have made a rough annotation to offer some assistance to readers. Since the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal is not a popular reading material, the annotated edition, with both collated text and annotations, already contains substantial content. Therefore, except for a few places where I take the opportunity to offer critical remarks (such as the mistaken claim in the "Subtle Intentions" chapter that Guo Ju buried his child and found gold), I generally do not add separate critiques for general religious superstitions or feudal ethical teachings. The Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal was originally published as a standalone work, separate from the Outer Canon. In the preface to the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal, Ge Hong writes: "Among the works I have written, I set apart this one as the Inner Canon, totaling twenty volumes, and it follows the same order as the Outer Canon." Ge Hong wrote the Outer Canon first and then the Inner Canon" (see Yellow and White). The self-introduction of the Outer Canon states: "I have written twenty volumes of the Inner Canon and fifty volumes of the Outer Canon." Thus, the Inner Canon was twenty volumes, beyond doubt. However, the Book of Sui's Bibliography lists the Inner Canon as twenty-one volumes, while the New Book of Tang's Bibliography lists it as ten volumes, which is inconsistent. The currently circulating Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal is twenty volumes, with each volume corresponding to one chapter. Therefore, the ten-volume edition of the New Book of Tang may have combined two chapters into one volume. I believe the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal was originally twenty volumes, with each volume corresponding to one chapter, but this may not be its original form. Because the Book of Jin states that Ge Hong's Inner Canon and Outer Canon together consisted of one hundred and sixteen chapters. The current edition has twenty chapters in the Inner Canon and fifty-two in the Outer Canon, totaling only seventy-two chapters, which is forty-four chapters short of the original one hundred and sixteen. These forty-four chapters have clearly been lost. Therefore, Yan Kejun, in his Iron Bridge Random Notes, writes in the preface to the Inner Canon of the Emerald Immortal: "The current edition only contains fifteen or sixteen chapters of the Inner Canon and thirteen or fourteen of the Outer Canon." After this, it must be stated.