Cloud Radiance Poetry Daoist Classic 云光集

Composed by Wang Chuyi in the Jin Dynasty.

Consisting of four scrolls, it is included in the Taiping Section of The Daozang.

Cloud Radiance Poetry

This is a collection of poems and odes by Wang Chuyi, a great master of The Quanzhen Dao, containing more than six hundred poems and odes. Most of the works are epistolary poems in response to gifts and exchanges, all propagating the tenets of the Quanzhen Dao. His correspondents cover all strata of society, including civil and military officials such as governors and generals, as well as Confucian scholars, Buddhist monks, Taoist priests, female Taoist nuns, diviners, boatmen, shopkeepers, and village elders.

In general, he urges people to return to the path of cultivation, with his teachings centered on Internal Alchemy. He states that when the spirit and Qi are united, the qi circulates repeatedly through the three dantians, the three treasures converge at the crown of the head, and the divine elixir is formed, enabling one to attain the subtle state where both form and spirit are perfect, and achieve both nature and life in completeness. He also frequently speaks of understanding one's nature and clarifying the mind, teaching people to "recognize that single spiritual spark from the primal beginning; cultivate nothing, accomplish nothing, and transcend all existence." He advocates abstaining from wine, sex, wealth, and qi, as well as delusional emotions and attachments, and teaches humility and meekness in dealing with the world. There are also many poems on vegetarian rituals and altar ceremonies, reflecting the religious activities held by the Quanzhen Dao for the Jin court, scholars, and common people of the time.