Journal directory listing - Volume 65 (2020) - Journal of NTNU【65(2)】September (Special Issue: Studies on Taoist Dantao)
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Immortality and Longevity: Hsi-Wang-Mu and Her Immortal Daoist Skills in Tales of Emperor Wu of Han
Author: Li-Feng Kao (Department of Chinese, National Chengchi University, Distinguished Professor)

Vol.&No.:Vol. 65, No. 2
Date:September 2020
Pages:1-25
DOI:10.6210/JNTNU.202009_65(2).0001

Abstract:
From time immemorial, Daoists have practiced immortality as their goal. In terms of its historical development, the goddess Hsi-Wang-Mu was an important deity in the Han dynasty. Many images of the goddess appear in the tombs of the Han dynasty. In the carvings and paintings in the tombs of the ancestral hall, Hsi-Wang-Mu (西王母) is depicted performing her sacred duties, soothing the fear of the living and the spirit of the dead when they face death; meanwhile, Hsi-Wang-Mu can inspire their expectation of immortality. For the Han dynasty people, Hsi-Wang-Mu is the goddess who masters the “pills of immortality.” The pursuit of immortality has been at the core of the Daoist thought since the Qin and Han Dynasties and has since become the focus of health preservation of Daoism Dandao (丹道). Hsi-Wang-Mu is closely related to the development of immortal thought in the Middle Ages. The content of the Tales of Emperor Wu of Han has Daoist features and clearly reflects the immortal thought and health preservation concept contained in the mythological narrative of Hsi-Wang-Mu since the Han Dynasty. The image of the goddess in Tales of Emperor Wu of Han differs considerably from that in the pre-Qin and Warring States period, when she became a sacred goddess. In Tales of Emperor Wu of Han, Hsi-Wang-Mu’s teaching are based on the “immortal Daoist skills.” The practice methods mentioned in the book can be divided according to the narrative content of the text into three main themes: cultivation of immortals, health-preserving skills, and way of variety. These are related to the development of Hsi-Wang-Mu’s beliefs and body cultivation techniques, which is worth further research. This article focuses on Tales of Emperor Wu of Han, explores the specific connotation of the goddess Hsi-Wang-Mu and her teachings of “immortal Daoist skills” in the Daoist scriptures in the Middle Ages; furthermore, it also discusses its significance and the function of the belief in the contemporary Hsi-Wang-Mu.

Keywords:way of the immortals, Hsi-Wang-Mu, immortality, Tales of Emperor Wu of Han, health preservation

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References:
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APA FormatKao, L.-F. (2020). Immortality and Longevity: Hsi-Wang-Mu and Her Immortal Daoist Skills in Tales of Emperor Wu of Han. Journal of National Taiwan Normal University, 65(2), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.6210/JNTNU.202009_65(2).0001
Chicago FormatKao, Li-Feng. “Immortality and Longevity: Hsi-Wang-Mu and Her Immortal Daoist Skills in Tales of Emperor Wu of Han.” Journal of National Taiwan Normal University 65, no. 2 (2020): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.6210/JNTNU.202009_65(2).0001