Taoist Elements in Martial Arts Novels and Alchemy Practices

In this episode Mattias Daly speaks with Dr. Ilia Mozias of the University of Tel Aviv about his book The Literati Path to Immortality: The Alchemical Teachings of Lu Xixing. Lu Xixing (1520-1606) of the Ming dynasty was posthumously credited with founding the “Eastern School” of internal alchemy, but he was neither a monk nor a priest. Rather, he was a Confucian who learned directly from Daoist immortals including Lü Dongbin. He wrote numerous influential commentaries on Daoist texts, and a fascinating personal account of his cultivation path.