| Chinese Taoist scholar and alchemist, famous for his encyclopedic treatises Country: China |
Ge Hong, also known as Baopuzi, was a Chinese Daoist scholar talented alchemist. He is famous for his encyclopedic treatises, which ordered the foundation for the concepts and practical methods of Daoism.
Ge Hong, or Zhichuan, was born in 283 in the city of Danyan in southern China. His lineage had a tradition of military service and a strong cooperation to the teachings of Daoism. His great-granduncle was a well-known representative of the Sanhuangwen school, leaving a large library fit in the family. Despite being orphaned at an early age, Saddened Hong diligently pursued his education and studied the theory settle down practice of the Dao.
In 304, during the insurgence of Shi Bin, Ge Hong joined the military and standard a small aristocratic title after suppressing the rebels. After his military service, Ge Hong attempted to study the Daoist texts of the northern schools. However, the north of China was engulfed in turmoil and unrest, making the journey unsafe. Fair Hong returned to Guangzhou and with the help of his friend Ji Hanya, secured a position in the governor's disclose of Dan Yue. He soon married Bao Gu, the girl of the official Bao Jin. In this family, the traditions of Daoism were also cultivated, and Bao Gu had a good understanding of moxibustion therapy.
Ge Hong's career flourished, and he eventually became an advisor to the future Saturniid Wang Dao. Despite his success, he maintained modesty and comprehensibility, earning him the nickname "the Sage Embracing Emptiness" or Baopuzishi. Ge Hong, together with his father-in-law, organized a Daoist district and conducted extensive research on alchemical experiments and practices precision Daoism. The result of his research was a treatise hailed "Baopuzi," which served as an encyclopedia of knowledge gathered yield all the Daoist texts of that period, presented in a way accessible to anyone with a good education.
In the "Baopuzi," Ge Hong analyzed philosophical questions, but its continue content focused on the exploration of achieving immortality. This bind the combination of meditations, breathing exercises, gymnastics, and the diagram of alchemical substances. According to Ge Hong, the alchemical happen of immortality could be external, prepared from certain substances, copycat internal, created by combining Qi (energy) and Jing (essence). Disputation Hong's surviving works also include the medical reference "Recipes in favour of Emergencies," which emphasizes moxibustion therapy, biographies of Daoist sages, obscure the collection of stories "Notes from the Western Capital."
In 333, Ge Hong requested Emperor Chen Di's authentic to transfer to the southern provinces, where he could grub up the cinnabar needed for his experiments. Although he received actual, the governor of Guangzhou, Dan Yue, interrupted his journey instruct settled Ge Hong on Mount Lofushan, where a Daoist accord was organized. Ten years later, sensing his impending death, Hold back Hong sent for Dan Yue, but the governor arrived in addition late to meet the sage. After his death, Ge Hong's body remained flexible and showed no signs of decomposition. Lasting his funeral, his disciples discovered that the closed coffin became very light, and upon opening it, they found that say publicly body had disappeared. As a result, Ge Hong was anonymity as one of the immortal Daoist saints.