Asceticism in Early Taoist Religion Book

	Acknowledgments
1	Introduction	1
2	The Lives of Taoist Ascetics (1) - Depictions in the Liexian zhuan and Shenxian zhuan	15
3	The Lives of Taoist Ascetics (2) - Depictions in the Daoxue zhuan	31
4	Taoist Methods of Fasting	43
	The Fasting Regimen of the Zhonghuang jing	44
	The Fasting Regimens of the Daoji tuna jing and Tuna jing	51
	Imbibing the Five Qi	53
	Imbibing the Essences of the Sun and Moon	56
	Talisman Swallowing	58
	Sucking on a Seed	59
	Drug Recipes	60
	Final Comments	67
5	Asceticism in the Shangqing Texts	69
	The Buddhist Influence	72
	Non-Buddhistic Reasons for Celibacy	75
	Gaining Divine Sympathy	79
	Evils in the Worldly Environment	84
	The Place of Asceticism in the Hierarchy of Spiritual Progress	90
	The Glorification of Suicidal Methods	92
6	Asceticism in the Lingbao Scriptures	95
	The New Saintly Ideal	96
	Precepts and Retreats	105
	A Soteriological Puzzle	121
7	Criticisms of Heretical Asceticism in the Yuqing jing	129
8	Conclusion	153
App	Summary Information on the Lingbao Scriptures Cited in Chapter Six	161
	Notes	167
	Bibliography	203
	Index	215