Liangqiuzi's Inner Vision Commentary 黄庭内景玉经注
Paul PengLiangqiuzi's Inner Vision Commentary
Originally attributed to Liang Qiuzǐ, who is identified as Bai Lüzhong of the Tang Dynasty. Records of Bai Lüzhong’s annotations on the Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) can be found in Old Book of Tang·Biography of Bai Lüzhong.
Originally in one volume, the version in The Daozang is divided into three volumes, included in the Jade Commentaries Category of the The Dongxuan Section. Other surviving versions include those collected in Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips of the Cloud Satchel) and Xiuzhen Shishu (Ten Books of Cultivating Truth).
Liangqiuzi's Inner Vision Commentary
At the beginning of the book is Jue on the Jade Scripture of the Internal Landscape of the Yellow Court, which summarizes the core purport of the scripture and the methods for recitation and practice. The annotations explain the meaning of the scripture sentence by sentence, concise and accurate.
For example, when interpreting the meaning of "Internal Landscape of the Yellow Court (Huangting Neijing)", it states: "‘Huang’ (yellow) is the color of the center; ‘Ting’ (court) is the middle of the four directions. Externally, it refers to the center of heaven, the center of earth, and the center of humans; internally, it refers to the center of the brain, the center of the heart, and the center of the spleen—hence the name ‘Huangting’ (Yellow Court). ‘Nei’ (internal) refers to the mind; ‘Jing’ (landscape) refers to images. External images are metaphors for the phenomena of the sun, moon, stars, clouds, and mist; internal images are metaphors for the forms of flesh, blood, tendons, bones, zang-organs, and fu-organs. The mind resides within the body, and one contemplates the images and colors of the whole body—hence ‘Neijing’ (Internal Landscape)."
The annotations take the middle dantian (heart) as the key to practicing the methods of the Internal Landscape Scripture, and elaborate on the locations of the three dantians and the essential techniques for cultivation. This annotated version has been highly valued by later commentators and practitioners of Taoism.
