This dissertation explores the discursive voices present in a late Qing inner alchemy (neidan) compilation, the Nudan hebian. Inner alchemy is a meditation/visualization practice centered on purification of the physical body as the essential element in gaining physical immortality; therefore the physical body is of utmost importance. Yin-yang theory associates male with heaven and yang, and female with earth and yin. (Kunjue 1a) In neidan, both men and women must purge the earthly elements from their mind-body matrix to create a 'golden yang immortal's body' (Hutian xingli nudan shize 463a). This process can be accomplished by men through self-cultivation, but in mainstream Qing Daoism, women were limited by their gender, and could not attain complete mind-body purification without resort to outside assistance from the gods. / The theoretical consequences of these limitations notwithstanding, many women practiced neidan and were thought to have reached the highest states of perfection. The symbolic processes through which this becomes possible are complex and often contradictory. Some Nudan hebian texts reveal many levels of discursive play, rendering new meanings for old symbols and revealing rifts and commonalities in the tradition. Exploration of these rifts and commonalities reveals important dilemmas and understandings operative in the particular socio-historical contexts in which they were drafted, and offers a gender-sensitive historical perspective on the development of neidan during the late Qing period.

No description available.