Dong Dening董德宁

Style & Daoist names

sobriquet Langzhenzi (according to one account)

Period

Qing

Dates

? — ?

School

Longmen (Dragon Gate) Lineage of Quanzhen

Role

Commentator on Alchemical Scriptures

Birthplace

Unknown

Life

Dong Dening was a scholar of internal alchemy during the Qianlong era of the Qing; details of his life are unknown. His works, the Zhouyi cantong qi zhengyi (Correct Meaning of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi, completed during the Qianlong era) and the Wuzhen pian zhengyi (Correct Meaning of the Wuzhen Pian), interpret the alchemical scriptures from a standpoint of quiet cultivation, explicitly opposing theories of sexual and combative techniques involving yin and yang, and their commentary, plain and well-ordered, was among the more widely circulated Qing-dynasty commentaries on the Cantong qi and the Wuzhen pian. Both works were included in compendia such as the Daoguan zhenyuan and the Daozang jinghua. Dong Dening represents the position of the "quiet-cultivation school" (qingjing pai) in the history of Qing alchemical commentary, standing in contrast to dual-cultivation adherents such as Fu Jinquan. He opposed treating the Cantong qi as a text of external alchemy or of the bedchamber arts, holding that its purpose lay in "nature and life" — a position quite representative among Qing-dynasty alchemists. In modern times, Chen Yingning commented on his annotations, judging his views to be fair and balanced.

Contributions & Influence

• Wrote commentaries on the Cantong qi and the Wuzhen pian, advocating quiet-cultivation alchemical methods
• Compiled the Daoguan zhenyuan, gathering alchemical scriptures
• Represents the position of the quiet-cultivation school in Qing-dynasty alchemy

Works

• The Correct Meaning of the Zhouyi Cantong qi
• The Correct Meaning of Awakening to Reality
• Daoguan Zhenyuan (The True Source Threading through the Dao) (compiler)