Decoding the "Divine Consciousness" of the Temple of Heaven: The "Mandala" Writing of Daoist Alchemy

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is decoded as a monumental Daoist alchemical 'mandala,' embodying the stages of Internal Alchemy—refining essence, transforming breath into spirit, and sublimating to merge with the divine. Architectural elements like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (with triple eaves symbolizing elixir fields), celestial blue tiles, and numerical symbolism (12 pillars for earthly cycles, 4 for cosmic order) encode consciousness ascension. The Temple's layout mirrors a nested cosmological model, integrating mortal and divine realms to achieve 'Heaven-Human Unity.' This study reveals the Temple as a ritual space and catalyst for spiritual transformation through architectural symbolism.

Yanning, P. (2025). Decoding the "Divine Consciousness" of the Temple of Heaven: The "Mandala" Writing of Daoist Alchemy. International Journal of Philosophy, 13(3), 135–144. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20251303.17