A Study Of Li Daochun's Thought Of Taoism

Li Daochun, styled Yuanshu , also known as Qin An or Yun Chanzi, was diciple of Bai Yuchan, the founder of Southern School. In the history of Daoism, Li Daochun was viewed as one of the most brilliant Daoist thinkers in the Yuan dynasty.The expansion of the influence of the Yuan dynasty in south China provided a favorable condition for the transmition of Complete Perfection School in those areas. In the process, the School of Golden Elixir in the south became more close to Complete Perfection School. The result of the movement is the integration between Daoist Schools from the North and South. The special contribution of Li Daochun was the stress of Eternal Dao as the core of Inner Alchemy theory and the reinterpretation of Inner Alchemy by Laozi and Book of Change. Li Daochun also stressed the importance of Inner Nature and Bodily Life in the cultivation of Dao, arguing that one's inner nature constituted the core of cultivation of Inner Alchemy. In the history of Daoism, Li Daochun's contribution also came from his viewpoints on the harmonious relation among the Three Schools, namely, Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, which constituted the core of traditional Chinese culture.In this disertation, the author outlines Li Dao Chun 's life, his academic books and thoughts on Daoism. Li's inner Alchemy theory is the focus of this disertation, especially the relationship between Inner Nature and Bodily Life in cultivation Inner Alchemy, Li's ideas about way to inner harmoy, the special status of emptiness of human nature in cultivation of Dao, his viewpoints on the Three Schools and so on. In his discussion, the author provides us with a complete picture of Li Daochun's life and, more importantly, his special contribution to the development of the theory of Inner Alchemy in his life time.