The Secret of Everlasting Life is the first translation from the Chinese of the second-century Can Dong Qi. This ancient work, the earliest known text on alchemy and immortality, echoes the wisdom and poetry of both the Tao Te Ching and I Ching. The Can Dong Qi is also the ancestral text of all Qi Gong exercises in China. This translation reveals the meditation methods practised for thousands of years by Taoist sages.<BR><BR>Presented here with its original Chinese commentaries, the Can Dong Qi is full of practical wisdom and advice about the process of human transformation and how to nurture and develop the natural life-energy within us. Richard Bertschinger's additional commentary explains the intricacies of Chinese allegory and symbolism for the Western reader.<BR><BR>This book is core reading for anyone interested in Taoist thought, Chinese philosophy and culture, or Chinese medicine.