The Lu Danting 卢丹亭

Lu Danting was a native of Jiyuan (now part of Henan Province) during the Ming Dynasty. He was erudite and skilled in writing, and proficient in the study of The I Ching (the Book of Changes).

He had a lifelong fondness for traveling to famous mountains, visiting masters to seek Taoist teachings, and studying the techniques of "ludding qiangong" (the alchemical practice involving furnaces, tripods, lead, and mercury—core elements of traditional Taoist external alchemy). He lived in seclusion on Mount Lushan, where he mastered the art of medicine and excelled in the practices of "tuna daoyin" (breath control and guiding energy, a traditional Taoist qigong method for physical and spiritual cultivation).

His works include Yangzhen Miji (Secret Manual of Nourishing the True Essence), Danting Wenda Ji (Collection of Questions and Answers by Danting), Danting Zhenren Xuantan Ji (Collection of Profound Discourses by Real Person Danting), and Danting Wuzhen Pian (Danting's Essay on Awakening to Reality), among others. These works are recorded in Daozang Jinghua Lu (Selected Essentials of the Taoist Canon).