From Shiguang to Xingguang: Ontology and the Method of Huiguang in the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi

This article argues that the Daoist text Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi presents a coherent metaphysical framework centered on light, not merely a psychological or symbolic model. It distinguishes innate light (xingguang), identified as the ontological Dao, from cognitive light (shiguang), which obscures this primordial luminosity. The practice of turning the light inward (huiguang) is prescribed as the disciplined path of return. Through close textual analysis, the article elucidates a triadic framework of light as ontology, method, and visionary confirmation, concluding that the text offers a distinctively Daoist model of light-centered cultivation.

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Abstract

This article advances an ontological interpretation of light in the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi 太乙金華宗旨, arguing that its discourse on luminosity articulates a coherent Daoist metaphysical framework rather than a psychological or purely symbolic model of inner experience. It demonstrates that the text distinguishes xingguang 性光 (innate light), as the ontological Dao, from shiguang 識光 (cognitive light), which obscures this primordial luminosity, and prescribes huiguang 回光 (turning the light inward) as the disciplined path of return. Against prevailing symbolic and psychological readings, this distinction is shown to function as an internally articulated ontological structure rather than a metaphorical taxonomy of experience. Through close textual analysis, the article elucidates a triadic framework of light as ontology, method and visionary confirmation. It concludes that the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi presents a distinctively Daoist model of light-centered cultivation, contributing to Daoist metaphysics and to broader debates on non-dual ontology and contemplative practice. Submission: 30/10/2025 – Decision: 27/11/2025 - Revision: 19/12/2025 – Publication: 20/1/2026