Incorporating Daoist Practices into Zen: Hakuin Ekaku’s Adaptation of Inner Alchemy and Its Cross-Cultural Impact
Religions January 28, 2026 Ruda Lin
Hakuin Ekaku, a reviver of the Japanese Rinzai school, incorporated Chinese Daoist cosmology and internal alchemy techniques—such as focusing the mind on the dāntián and regulating breath—into his teachings to address 'Zen sickness' and nurture body and mind. These methods influenced Japanese health practices like abdominal breathing and harmonizing breath and mind, which spread quiet sitting in society. Translated works later reached China, inspiring scholars like Jiang Weiqiao to reinterpret traditional self-cultivation, leading to publications such as The Yinshizi's Method of Quiet Sitting. The paper traces this cross-cultural transmission, showing Daoist practices' vitality and universal significance beyond any single religious tradition during East Asia's modernization.