Ge Hong's Baopuzi: Shouyi Systematized (c. 320 CE)
Ge Hong's Baopuzi neipian 'Dizhen' chapter converts shouyi from scripture teaching into a codified practice with numbered versions and claimed signs of attainment.
Event: Around 320 CE, Ge Hong (283–343) codified the shouyi tradition in the Baopuzi neipian (‘Dizhen’ chapter): “guarding the One” and “guarding the True One,” practiced in a quiet chamber, with graded signs of attainment claimed in the text’s own hagiographic register.
Evidence class: primary text (~320 CE). The attainment signs are traditional claims recorded by the source, not verified reports.
Why it matters here: with Ge Hong, shouyi stops being scattered scripture teaching and becomes a named, numbered discipline with a recognized lineage — the institutionalization step between the Taiping Jing and the Tang zuowang manuals. See the shouyi page.
Sources
- Baopuzi neipian, 'Dizhen' (ch. 18), received text