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{{short description|Daoist classic}}
{{italic title}}
The '''''Wuzhen pian''''' ({{lang-zh|c=悟真篇|p=Wùzhēn piān|w=''Wu-chen p'ien''|l=Folios on Awakening to Reality/Perfection}}) is a 1075 [[
==Title==▼
''Wuzhen pian'' combines three Chinese words.▼
*''wu'' [[Wikt:悟|悟]] "realize; awaken; understand; perceive (esp. truth)", viz. Japanese ''[[satori]]''▼
*''zhen'' [[Wikt:真|真]] "true, real, genuine; really, truly, clearly; (Daoist) true/authentic character of human beings"▼
*''pian'' [[Wikt:篇|篇]] "piece of writing; strip of bamboo, sheet of paper; article, essay, chapter"▼
The [[Chinese character]] ''wu'' 悟 "awaken; realize", which is written with the "heart/mind [[radical (Chinese character)|radical]]" 忄and a [[phonetic]] of ''wu'' [[Wikt:吾|吾]] "I; my; we; our", has a literary [[variant Chinese character]] ''wu'' [[Wikt:寤|寤]] "awake; wake up" with the "roof radical" 宀, ''qiang'' 爿 "bed", and this ''wu'' 吾 phonetic. Compare the given name of [[Sun Wukong]] 孙悟空, the central character in [[Journey to the West]], which literally means "Awaken to Emptiness".▼
The ambiguity of the ''Wuzhen pian'' title, and by extension the text itself, is illustrated by these English renderings:▼
==Author==
Zhang Boduan, or Zhang Ziyang ({{lang-zh|c=張紫陽|labels=no}}), was a native of [[Tiantai
Biographical sources agree that Zhang Boduan died in 1082 CE during the reign of [[Emperor Shenzong of Song]], but disagree whether he was born in 983, 984, or 987. Zhang was honorifically called Ziyang Zhenren ({{lang-zh|c=紫陽真人|labels=no}}), ranking him as a
The [[Quanzhen School]] of
In [[Shaanxi]], [[Hong Kong]], and [[Singapore]], there are ''Zhenren Gong'' ({{lang-zh|c=真人宮
==Texts==
The received ''Wuzhen pian'' text contains a preface dated 1075 and a postface dated 1078, both under the name Zhang Boduan. The [[Daozang]] "
The core of the ''Wuzhen pian'' comprises 81 poems: 16 heptasyllabic ''[[Lüshi (poetry)|lüshi]]''
Zhang later appended the ''Wuzhen pian'' text with 12 alchemical ''[[ci (poetry)|ci]]''
Baldrian-Hussein describes the text
<blockquote>The verses of the ''Wuzhen pian'' are a work of literary craftsmanship and were probably intended to be sung or chanted. They teem with paradoxes, metaphors, and aphorisms, and their recondite style allows multiple interpretations. The verses are widely accepted as an elaboration of the ''Zhouyi cantong qi'', but their philosophical basis is in the ''Daode jing'' and the ''Yinfu jing''. Life, says Zhang Boduan, is like a bubble on floating water or a spark from a flint, and the search for wealth and fame only results in bodily degeneration; thus human beings should search for the Golden Elixir (''jindan'' 金丹) to become celestial immortals (''tianxian'' 天仙).
The ''Wuzhen pian'' is one of the major scriptures of
==Commentaries==
The intentionally abstruse and highly symbolic language of the ''Wuzhen pian'' is open to diverse interpretations. Many commentators, both
The
In addition, there are numerous later commentaries to the text. Two notable examples are by Qiu Zhao'ao (仇兆鰲;
▲==Title==
▲''Wuzhen pian'' combines three Chinese words.
▲*''wu'' [[Wikt:悟|悟]] "realize; awaken; understand; perceive (esp. truth)", viz. Japanese ''[[satori]]''
▲*''zhen'' [[Wikt:真|真]] "true, real, genuine; really, truly, clearly; (Daoist) true/authentic character of human beings"
▲*''pian'' [[Wikt:篇|篇]] "piece of writing; strip of bamboo, sheet of paper; article, essay, chapter"
▲The [[Chinese character]] ''wu'' 悟 "awaken; realize", which is written with the "heart/mind [[radical (Chinese character)|radical]]" 忄and a [[phonetic]] of ''wu'' [[Wikt:吾|吾]] "I; my; we; our", has a literary [[variant Chinese character]] ''wu'' [[Wikt:寤|寤]] "awake; wake up" with the "roof radical" 宀, ''qiang'' 爿 "bed", and this ''wu'' 吾 phonetic. Compare the given name of [[Sun Wukong]] 孙悟空, the central character in [[Journey to the West]], which literally means "Awaken to Emptiness".
▲The ambiguity of the ''Wuzhen pian'' title, and by extension the text itself, is illustrated by these English renderings:
▲*Essay on the Understanding of the Truth (Davis and Chao 1939)
▲*Folios on the Apprehension of Perfection (Boltz 1987)
▲*Awakening to Perfection (Kohn 1993)
▲*Understanding Reality (Cleary 1997, Wong 1997)
▲*Chapters on Awakening to the Real (Crowe 2000)
▲*Chapters on Awakening to Perfection (Komjathy 2004)
▲*The Essay on Realizing the Truth (Bertschinger 2004)
▲*Awakening to Reality (Pregadio 2009)
==Translations==
The ''Wuzhen pian'' has full and partial translations into English. Tenney L. Davis and Chao Yün-ts’ung, who collaborated on several groundbreaking studies of
Louis Komjathy
<blockquote>學仙須是學天仙、<br>
惟有金丹最的端。<br>
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The first translation is by Davis and Chao.
<blockquote>If you are learning to be a ''hsien'' (immortal), you should learn to be a heavenly ''hsien''. The most accurate means (for this purpose) is ''chin tan'' (gold medicine). The two things, when put into contact with each other, will indicate harmonious properties. The Tiger and the Dragon locate at the places where the ''wu hsing'' 五行 (five elements) are perfected. I desire to send ''wu ssu'' 戊巳 as a matchmaker to make them husband and wife and to bring them into a union from which real happiness will arise. Wait for the success of the compounding, and you will return to see the north gate of the Imperial palace. You will be able to ride on a phoenix's back, to fly high into the cloud and the light of the sky.
Cleary idiosyncratically translates in capital letters to distinguish the text from his translation
<blockquote>IF YOU ARE GOING TO STUDY IMMORTALITY, YOU SHOULD STUDY CELESTIAL IMMORTALITY; ONLY THE GOLD ELIXIR IS WORTHWHILE. WHEN THE TWO THINGS JOIN, SENSE AND ESSENCE MERGE; WHEN THE FIVE ELEMENTS ARE COMPLETE, THE TIGER AND DRAGON INTERTWINE. STARTING WITH HEAVEN-EARTH AND EARTH-EARTH AS GO-BETWEENS, FINALLY HUSBAND AND WIFE CONJOIN HAPPILY. JUST WAIT FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT TO BE COMPLETED TO PAY COURT TO THE NORTH PALACE GATE; IN THE LIGHT OF NINEFOLD MIST YOU RIDE A FLYING PHOENIX.
Komjathy criticizes both the style and language of
<blockquote>Cleary translates the most technical section of this stanza, line five, as “Starting with Heaven-Earth and Earth-Earth as go-betweens.” With no annotation, the reader wonders what Chinese phrases Cleary is translating. An educated reader’s initial guess might be ''Yijing'' hexagrams. As it turns out, the Chinese text has the characters ''wu'' 戊 and ''ji'' 己, the fifth and sixth of the ten Celestial Stems (''tiangan'' 天干), respectively. Cleary does not provide an explanation for or introduction to such choices, although ''Understanding Reality'', unlike his later publications, contains a glossary of terms.
He suggests a "more accurate and technical translation":
<blockquote>[If you wish to] study immortality, you should study celestial immortality (''tianxian''); <br>
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Thus causing husband and wife to be protected in commingled bliss. <br>
Simply wait until the practice (''gong'') is completed, [then] face towards the Northern Tower (''beique''); <br>
Amidst the illumination of nine vapors, you mount an auspicious phoenix.
Komjathy
Compare how Paul Crowe translates this same stanza:
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then cause the husband and wife to be calm and joyous. <br>
Simply wait until the work is completed [then] pay court to the Northern Palace; <br>
amidst the brightness in nine rose-coloured clouds [you will] ride the auspicious ''luan'' bird.
For translating the thorny ''wuji'' expression, Crowe notes, "''Wu'' 戊 and ''ji'' 己 refer to the fifth and sixth of the ten celestial stems (''tiangan'' 天干) which, in combination, correspond to the earth phase which occupies the central position."
There is also a poetic translation by Richard Bertschinger
<blockquote>
"A Study of Fairyhood must be <br>
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Nine Times layered clouds with Red Rays of light, <br>
We hold back our fabulous Luan..."</blockquote>
<blockquote> Reality is all around us... all around in the natural world. The tender dusk; the beautiful dawn; an unfolding flower; the soaking mist; a snowfall; the moon rise, all is evidently unique. Two Materials are involved in this delicate dance of living water and flame - the central lines of Kan (water) and Li (fire); the one source essence (yuan jing), the other source spirit (yuan shen). As what we feel and are within meld, body and mind are one, tumbling Dragon and Tiger - Wood and Fire, Gold and Water amixed. Praise be to the Soil! Dear Kun-mother, match-maker, breasted woman, Dark Female! She stands as go-between, protecting our happy home. The Elixir born, dawn breaks at the Northern Gate of Kan, the sun rises on a chilly dawn - its first warm rays bless our cold bodies; the clouds ablaze, the sandals on our feet strong. Hold back your fabulous steeds .
And finally, here is how Fabrizio Pregadio
<blockquote>
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==References==
* {{Cite book |last=Baldrian-Hussein
* {{Cite book |last=Boltz
* {{Cite book |last=Cleary
▲*Boltz, Judith M. 1987. ''A Survey of Taoist Literature, Tenth to Seventeenth Centuries''. University of California.
* {{Cite thesis |last=Crowe |first=Paul |title=An annotated translation and study of Chapters on Awakening to the Real: A Song Dynasty Classic of Inner Alchemy Attributed to Zhang Boduan |date=1997 |publisher=University of British Columbia |url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0099267 |doi=10.14288/1.0099267}}
▲*Cleary, Thomas. 1987. ''Understanding Reality: A Taoist Alchemical Classic''. University of Hawaii Press.
* {{Cite journal |last=Davis
* {{Cite book |last=Kohn
▲*Davis, Tenney L. and Chao Yün-ts’ung. 1939. "Chang Po-tuan of T’ien-t’ai, his Wu Chen P’ien, Essay on the Understanding of the Truth," ''Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences'' 73:97-117.
* {{Cite book |last=Komjathy |first=Louis |url=http://www.onmarkproductions.com/taoist-texts-in-translation.pdf |title=Daoist Texts in Translation |date=2004}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pregadio
▲*Kohn, Livia. 1993. ''The Taoist Experience: An Anthology''. State University of New York Press.
* {{Cite book |last=Wong |first=Eva |title=Teachings of the Tao |date=1997 |publisher=Shambhala}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bertschinger|first=Richard |title=Written Upon Awakening to Reality |date=2016 |publisher=Tao Booklets}} [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Written-Upon-Awakening-Reality-Translation/dp/1540722902]
▲*Pregadio, Fabrizio. 2009. [http://www.goldenelixir.com/press/trl_01_wuzhenpian.html ''Awakening to Reality: The "Regulated Verses" of the'' Wuzhen pian'', a Taoist Classic of Internal Alchemy'']. Golden Elixir Press.
*Robinet, Isabelle. 1995.'' Introduction à l’alchimie intérieure taoïste: De l’unité et de la multiplicité. Avec une traduction commentée des Versets de l’éveil à la Vérité''. Paris: Éditions du Cerf. [Contains on pp. 205–54 an annotated translation of the ''Wuzhen pian''.]▼
'''Footnotes'''
{{reflist|25em|refs=.<ref name="DavisChao1940">Tr. {{Cite journal |last=Davis |first=Tenney L. |last2=Chao |first2=Yün-ts’ung |date=1940 |title=Four Hundred Word Chin Tan of Chang Po-tuan |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/25130199 |journal=Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences |volume=73 |issue=13 |pages=371–376 |doi=10.2307/25130199 |jstor=25130199}}</ref><ref name="Cleary1997">Cleary, 1997.{{Full citation needed|date=May 2021}}</ref><ref name="Crowe2000">Crowe 2000.{{Full citation needed|date=May 2021}}</ref><ref name="Bertschinger2004">Bertschinger, Richard. 2004. ''The Essay on Realizing the Truth by Chang Po-tuan''. Tao Booklets, Montacute. An updated preview (2009- )can be found [http://mytaoworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Awakening-to-Reality2015reformattedpreview.pdf online].</ref> and the full text here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Written-Upon-Awakening-Reality-Translation/dp/1540722902]
}}
==Further reading==
▲* Robinet, Isabelle. 1995.'' Introduction à l’alchimie intérieure taoïste: De l’unité et de la multiplicité. Avec une traduction commentée des Versets de l’éveil à la Vérité''. Paris: Éditions du Cerf. [Contains on pp. 205–54 an annotated translation of the ''Wuzhen pian''.]
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