Le droghe dell'immortalità nell'antichità cinese e il Taishang Lingbao zhicao pin

The text deals with the concept of immortality in Daoist tradition according to some sources of ancient and medieval China. The chinese character xian, usually translated as “immortality”, referred to a transcendent life where it was possible to abandon the limits of space and time of the earthly life. According to the historian Sima Qian (ca. 145-86 BC), the cult of immortality developed thanks to the activities of the fangshi, in particular in the kingdoms of Yan and Qi. These beliefs were criticized by Wang Chong (ca. 27-100) in the chapter Daoxu of his Lunheng. Ge Hong (283-343) was probably the first author who dealt exhaustively with the methods and practices to attain longevity and immortality. The first chapter of the book (85 pp. ) describes chapter 2 Lunxian (Discussing Immortality) and chapter 11 Xianyao (The drugs of immortality) of the Baopuzi (pp. 22-46), and concludes with a short analysis of the ritual and symbolic use of the drugs of immortality. The chapter is followed by a first annotated translation of the Taishang Lingbao zhicaopin (TT 1406), an anonymous text of the Daozang. The two appendices (pp. 224- 257) deal with other texts of the daoist tradition.