《三极至命筌蹄》

The Sheep-Cart Lesser Vehicle is a cultivation method named “Raising Fire with the Qin Key.” The practice consists of contracting the external kidneys (referring to the male reproductive organs) so that the “obscure people’s fire” at the lower part of the bladder unites with the external kidneys, then coordinating this with the “earth fire” of left civil and right martial, allowing the inner fire to circulate from below upward and pass directly through the Three Passes (the barriers through which the Qi-mechanism ascends in Neidan [internal alchemy] cultivation). After practicing in this way for forty-nine days, sweet dew will naturally descend within the body to the Jade Pool (the location in the oral cavity). Sweet dew is also called Yellow-Center Wine, Stone Source, or Tihu. If one practices regularly without slackening, it is said that one may reverse aging and return to youth, gradually entering the sagely Dao.

The “Deer Cart of the Middle Vehicle” (a stage in a method of cultivation and nourishment) is the method of “guarding the center,” that is, concentrating the Shen (spirit) to hold the central and upright position of body and mind. The specific practice is to cause the dim “ruler fire” (the fire of the heart-spirit) in the upper part of the heart to descend, enter between the two kidneys, and unite with the “minister fire” residing in the center, transforming into a lotus flower as if emerging from deep water; one visualizes a perfected being sitting upright upon the flower and continuously maintains this visualization. After practicing this for twenty days, added to the previous work of the “Sheep Cart Lesser Vehicle,” totaling sixty-nine days, the numinous medicine in the Niwan (the inner landscape site in the head) Heavenly Valley generates of itself. This numinous medicine is also called “black mercury”; mercury is also called “gold in water,” referring to the original Jing (essence). This is a method of replenishing the brain and returning the Jing. If one can frequently maintain the visualization, one may gradually enter the sagely realm.

Some people call the “windlass” the deer cart, regarding this as cultivation that follows the true Dao (the Way). Every day at the yin hour and the gen hour one sits upright, visualizes the way of the deer cart without interruption, the period likewise being forty-nine days. One should first cultivate the sheep cart, then the deer cart, and afterwards the ox cart; cultivating the three carts together is called the “Great Vehicle.”

What Laozi said about governing a large country being like cooking small fish, Fuxi (Baoxi) drawing the trigram Li to fashion nets for fishing and hunting, Yao and Shun speaking of “sincerely holding to the center,” King Wen saying “gen its back” (stopping at the back so that the mind-thoughts settle), the Duke of Zhou speaking of “the gen limit fumigating the heart,” and Confucius saying “withdraw and store away in the secret,” all contain the purport of guarding the center.

The so-called “producing the medicine” and “refining lead to fill the abdomen” refer to lead that is black lead, that is, black mercury, also called “black tortoise Jing” or “black tortoise liver”; when it descends to the Heavenly Valley it is called “white dragon liver.” This is the name for guarding the center in its initial stage. The so-called “warming and nourishing” and “Shen-earth Kan-fire” are names for guarding the center in its middle stage; “guarding the city,” “field battle,” and “sealing and locking the passes” are names for guarding the center in its final stage. “Bathing” and “true Qi (vital energy) steaming with dai” are names for guarding the center spoken from the perspective of the transformations of punishment and virtue.

Regarding “guarding the One,” some say the Shen of the left kidney is called “Taiyi,” the Shen of the right kidney is called “Xuanyi,” and the union of the two kidney Shens is called “Taiyi.” Regarding “guarding the true,” some explain that dividing into two places is falsehood while returning to one place is true; “guarding the black” means white when manifested and black when hidden; “guarding the female” means soaring and flying as male, hidden and quiet as female.

There is another saying that speaks of “guarding the yellow chamber.” The yellow chamber is located directly in front of the secret door, opposite the center of the navel, also called the “Yellow Court” or Dantian (energy center). Explanations of the yellow chamber’s location by various schools are not consistent: some consider it the mud altar, that is, the Niwan, also called Heavenly Valley or Heavenly Understanding; some consider it the Crimson Palace, that is, the upper Mingmen, also called Jie Rong or Ying Valley; others regard the heart, kidneys, spleen, and gallbladder all as related sites. These sayings all belong to methods of cultivation that involve visualizing a certain site within the body.

If one wishes to support yang and suppress yin so that the two inner forces of “gold in water” and “wood in fire” are not isolated from each other, one cannot do without guarding the center. The method of guarding the center is the secret transmitted by successive generations of sages and is also the work by which sagehood is achieved. If one can sincerely hold and guard it, causing gold in water and wood in fire to unite, then one can continue the Dao of Fuxi and Taotang (Yao) from generation to generation, and everyone may become a sage like Yu Shun; the vast realm of cultivation and the golden ladder and jade steps leading to heaven thereby also lay their foundation.

The “Ox Cart of the Great Vehicle” is a cultivation method that harmonizes the mind-spirit by holding the breath and circulating the Qi (vital energy). “Screening the qi” means closing off the nasal breath so the Qi is not exhaled; the exhaled Qi is called “hu” (exhale) and the inhaled Qi is called “xi” (inhale). “Returning the wind” means causing the heavenly wind (the internal Qi) to reverse and turn, thereby uniting with the spirit. The spirit spoken of here is the inner mind-spirit, called the Primordial Sovereign (Yuanjun), courtesy name Guardian of the Numinous (Shouling).

In practicing this method one ordinarily first practices the Sheep Cart for forty-nine days, then the Deer Cart for twenty days, totaling sixty-nine days; afterward one practices the Ox Cart for twelve days. The three carts together amount to eighty-one days. According to the scripture, when practice reaches this stage the Heavenly Valley (the locus of numinous nature within the body) naturally generates the numinous medicine, permitting further cultivation of authenticity. Those of intelligent endowment and extremely rapid comprehension may also practice the three carts concurrently and generate the numinous medicine in ten days, without needing to pass through eighty-one days. If cultivating in orderly sequence one should proceed step by step and not be impatient.

At the beginning of study there is no need to be bound by specific hours; first practice the Sheep Cart for forty-nine days. Next, every day during the yin and gen periods, practice the Deer Cart for forty-nine days. Afterward, every day during the four periods of zi, wu, gen, and yin, practice the Ox Cart for forty-nine days. This totals one hundred forty-seven days. Thereafter one may still practice without being constrained by hours; the essential point is unceasing continuity. The scripture employs “the gentleman ceaselessly strengthens himself” to show that cultivation prizes perseverance: if the thought is held without loss one can pass from the ordinary into sagehood; if practice becomes slack and the mind-spirit scattered, one may revert from sagehood to the ordinary. Single-minded adherence makes the Dao-heart manifest and the human-heart stable; if one lets go and does not attend, the human-heart becomes perilous and chaotic while the Dao-heart remains hidden and subtle.

The Sheep Cart, Deer Cart, and Ox Cart are, in the last analysis, one path of the Great Vehicle. It is merely that people’s endowments differ in sharpness or dullness and their temperaments in cleverness or clumsiness, so the ancient sages established different teachings from shallow to deep, whether gradual or sudden. Worldly people, however, often refuse to apply themselves diligently to the master’s methods and act only on one-sided statements: seeing the elixir scriptures mention “closing the tail gate,” they mistakenly take the Sheep Cart to mean blocking the tail gate and discard it; seeing mention of “blowing and puffing,” they take the Ox Cart to mean blowing Qi and performing exhalation-inhalation and discard it; seeing mention of “preserving the breath,” they take the Deer Cart to mean visualizing the breath and discard it.

The scripture holds that discarding any one cart causes it to lose its function: without practicing the Sheep Cart the earthly fire cannot be activated and the human-heart is difficult to stabilize; without practicing the Ox Cart the heavenly wind cannot reverse and the Dao-heart is difficult to manifest; without practicing the Deer Cart the hundred spirits cannot blend, the human-heart and Dao-heart remain separate, and it is hard to attain purity and single-mindedness. What Laozi called “the bellows guarding the center” (using the bellows as a metaphor for guarding the harmonious mean), what the Jade Emperor called “returning the wind and mixing,” and what Great Shun called “essence and unity in the center” (concentrating Jing in a single intention and holding to centrality and correctness) all refer to this same Great Vehicle path; they are not mutually distinct methods of cultivation.

The ancient sages’ criticism of “closing the tail gate” was directed at the arts of gathering yin, because treating gathering yin as a cultivation method harms others; their criticism of “blowing and puffing” was directed at practicing the six-character Qi method, because the scripture considers this to deplete and leak the Qi of the Triple Burner and the five viscera; their criticism of “preserving the breath” was directed at concentrating intention below the navel, because the region below the navel is regarded as a gathering place of stale residue and filthy turbidity, suitable only for moxibustion in treating illness and not as a site for settling the mind-spirit or for gathering and storing in withdrawal. The scripture states that one must not rashly expound profound principles to the ignorant; the sagely teacher originally wished to save and enlighten people, and if this instead leads to misunderstanding it would contradict the sagely teacher’s original intent. Therefore the author specially explains the Great Vehicle path in the hope of dispelling the doubts of worldly people. If one cultivates the Dao with concentrated mind there is hope of entering the realm of sages and worthies.

The “person of the August Ultimate” ultimately returns to the Doctrine of the Mean and accords with innate nature; the principles symbolized by the lines of the Three Changes are all contained herein. One ought to practice with effort. The ancient formula says: “the human-heart is only perilous,” meaning that the human-heart is easily drawn by kidney evil, and following it leads into danger; “the Dao-heart is only subtle,” meaning that if the heart is not upright the Dao-heart becomes hidden and difficult to perceive; “only Jing, only unity,” meaning that if Jing and sincerity are firm they will not be corrupted, and if one remains constantly single-minded one will not deviate from the correct Way.

By strictly observing the principle of centrality and correctness, sincerely according with the Heavenly Dao and holding fast to it, one attains the realm of the sage.

The Superior Vehicle of the Great Ox Cart refers to the method of cultivating true nature and refining the elixir within the body. In cultivation, primordial Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and mercury serve as the medicines, while primordial Qi and red lead serve as the fire timing; the waxing and waning of the fire are then adjusted according to the Yin-Yang changes of zi and wu. This method is transmitted orally and mind-to-mind from master to disciple and is never committed to writing. Efficacy appears after three years of practice, and completion is reached after nine years. The Jing (scripture) states that Jing transforms into a black substance and Qi transforms into Shen (spirit); after a thousand days of silent cultivation facing the True, one may ascend to heaven after twelve years. Cultivating Neidan (internal alchemy) is said to confer immortality, or one may sit and transform or immediately leave the physical form. Once the realm of true emptiness is attained, one enters the realm of wondrous existence.

The Unsurpassed Vehicle of the Great White Ox Cart refers to the art of employing the white ox of the snow mountain to refine Waidan (external alchemy) in pursuit of immortality. The phrase “taking Qian and Kun as the tripod and vessel” means regarding Qian and Kun as the utensils and fundamental conditions for elixir refinement. Qian symbolizes the horse, belongs to Yang, represents the man, and is called the “great country and great elephant”; Kun symbolizes the ox, belongs to Yin, represents the woman, and is called the “small country and small elephant.” The Jing uses “Upasika” to designate the small country and small elephant. The lesser Upasika belongs to the Dui trigram; Dui belongs to Metal, whose color is white, and so it is called the “white ox.” The change of Qian into Kun is primarily concerned with establishment; the lesser Upasika belongs to Dui. Because the change from Qian to Kun corresponds to the Qi of the solar terms Beginning of Winter and Lesser Snow, occupying the mountain position of the Gen trigram in the pre-heaven Bagua (Eight Trigrams), it is therefore called the “White Ox of the Snow Mountain.”

“Taking Kan and Li as the medicines” means using what the two trigrams Kan and Li symbolize as the materials for elixir refinement. Kan symbolizes the middle son, formed when Kun obtains the central Qi of Qian; Kan belongs to Water and corresponds to lead. Metal is present in Water and silver in lead, so it is called “black mercury,” also known as “quicksilver”; this is the medicine of Kan. Li symbolizes the middle daughter, formed when Qian obtains the central Qi of Kun; Li belongs to Fire and corresponds to cinnabar. Wood is present in Fire and mercury in cinnabar, so it is called “red lead,” also known as “cinnabar mercury” or “quicksilver”; this is the medicine of Li. The “Mysterious Female” spoken of in the Five Thousand Characters (that is, the Daode Jing) refers to Qian and Kun; “ying and po” refer to Li and Kan.

The so-called “seven returns and nine restorations, refining the form with golden liquid” refers to this kind of cultivation. The practitioner condenses Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) in an extremely short time, forming the embryonic body in a single day, emerging from the womb after ten months, and reaching the realm of “no Yin” in three years; this is called the “immortal of pure Yang.” After a further six years of cultivation they cut off food and drink, and their breath no longer enters or exits through the nose; this is called “utmost authenticity.” Their bones become like white jade, their sinews and vessels like yellow gold, and they can tread upon emptiness and penetrate metal and stone. This is the highest realm attainable in the cultivation of immortality. From Laozi and the Yellow Emperor onward, all those capable of flying ascent and transformation are said to have cultivated this method of the Dao.

Therefore Laozi composed the Daode Jing to transmit it to later generations, and the Yellow Emperor wrote the Yinfu Jing to clarify its intent. The Yinfu Jing consists of three chapters; originally it was transmitted orally by successive sages, without written records. When later people copied it, many errors and corruptions occurred. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor obtained this scripture in a stone chamber, its characters a full zhang in height; others say that the Old Mother of Mount Li annotated it. These are all fabrications of idle enthusiasts. Those who seek to study it should possess the discernment to distinguish the genuine from the false.

The Perfected Wei Boyang thereupon composed the Zhouyi Cantong Qi, profoundly expounding its hidden meanings; the Zhengyang Perfected Zhongli Quan wrote the Yunfang Thirty-Nine Chapters, analyzing those specious points of confusion; the Chunyang Perfected Lü Dongbin composed songs such as “Qinyuan Chun,” “Shuangtian Xiaojiao,” and “Jiaotou Tuokong,” expanding its implications; the Huayang Perfected Shi Jianwu practiced this Dao and wrote the Huizhen Ji, guiding those aspiring to study the Dao through the gateway. All these works elucidate the essentials of the Dao and reveal its crucial points, yet none completely explain the standards of fire timing, the methods of warming and nourishing, or the ultimate destination of cultivation.

Master Yizhen of Tiantai received demotion under the Ziyang Perfected, long maintaining his moral integrity, and later was inspired when Lady Xihua revealed the key points and transmitted the oral formulas. After Master Yizhen attained the Dao he transmitted the Wuzhen Pian to Yaolin Shi Tai; after Shi Tai attained the Dao he transmitted the Huanyuan Pian to Zixian Xue Daoguang; after Xue Daoguang attained the Dao he transmitted the Fuming Pian to the Niwan Perfected; after the Niwan Perfected attained the Dao he in turn transmitted the Cuixu Pian to the Ziqing Perfected Bai Yuchan. Those who later came to hear of this Dao were all disciples of the Ziqing Perfected.

I have always admired the arts of the Dao and was fortunate to encounter Master Yao, Taoyuanzi, a disciple of Master Ziqing. His bodily form resembled a tortoise and his bearing that of Xuanwu (the Dark Warrior); I felt him to be an extraordinary person, and so served him with the courtesy of a disciple for nearly twelve years. I repeatedly inquired of him about the way of lead and mercury (the term in Neidan for the Yin-Yang medicinal substances), yet he always politely declined and would not speak plainly. In the Jihai year of the Jiaxi era I accompanied the Daoist official to Yousheng Abbey and departed because of a temporary posting. The following year, Gengzi, I was granted, through a petition to the Dao Ancestor, to receive the oral formulas of Neidan (internal alchemy). Cultivating in accordance with the formulas, there were indeed corresponding verifications.

Not long afterward I was compelled by affairs and twice wandered from place to place. Later, reading the Wuzhen Pian, I saw it say: “If one speaks of nine years or three years, it is merely postponing and delaying the term of cultivation.” It also says: “When frost falls in the tenth month, the elixir only then begins to ripen; even if cultivation is neglected, spirits and ghosts will be astonished.” From this I realized that Neidan requires nine years to succeed, while Waidan (external alchemy) takes ten months to emerge from the womb. Thereupon I let my hair hang disheveled and walked barefoot, wandering through the regions of Taizhou and Wenzhou.

In Yongjia I happened to meet Master Yang Shigu, known as Caiyin. We felt like old friends at first meeting, and he transmitted to me the essentials of the medicines and the dingqi (terms used in Neidan cultivation to indicate the medicinal substances and the site of refining and nourishing); this was in the eleventh month of the Guihao year of the Chunyou era. On the third day of the third month of the Jiachen year he further transmitted the method of fire timing. Turning back to compare with the elixir scriptures, I found the two in complete accord.

This method of the Dao, it turns out, concerns long life without death, transformation, and flying ascent. People of the present day often speak only of methods that lead to speedy death, or else merely of guarding the corpse. I fear that later generations who sincerely believe in the arts of the Dao, upon hearing certain accounts, will instead be misled by such people and together fall into deviant paths—truly a cause for regret. Therefore I have tentatively set forth a brief outline of its general principles.

There are three levels in cultivating the Dao (the Way) of becoming an immortal.

“Tianbao cultivation of sagehood” is called the Dao of refining sagehood. The medicinal substances are not specified by weight, and the firing process is not limited to particular times; one must cultivate continuously at every moment throughout the twelve double-hours of the day and persist through every one of the twelve months of the year. After one hundred days of practice, efficacy becomes visible; it is completed in one year, nurturing the “sage embryo” (the sanctified embryo formed during cultivation), named the Golden Liquid Great Reversion Divine Elixir. This is the great-vehicle path among the “three carts,” known as the essence of a thousand scriptures and the foundation of ten thousand methods.

“Lingbao cultivation of authenticity” is called the method of refining Qi (vital energy). The medicinal substances have specified weights, and the firing process has corresponding times and days; of the twelve double-hours in a day, only two are used for cultivation, and of the twelve months in a year, only ten are employed. Results appear after three years, and it is completed in nine years, nurturing the “true embryo” (the embryo of true nature formed through cultivation), named the Golden Liquid Great Reversion Internal Elixir or Neidan (internal alchemy). This is known as the superior vehicle of the great ox cart. After nine full years, one concentrates Shen (spirit) in the “Heavenly Valley” (Tiangu, a cultivation site inside the head) and silently worships Shangdi each day. When Jing (essence) and Qi are set in motion and cultivated for one thousand days, added to the preceding years to complete a twelve-year cycle, one can leave the physical form, the spirit-soul soars aloft, and one attains neither birth nor extinction.

“Shenbao cultivation of immortality” is called the art of refining the form. Although the medicinal substances are not specified by weight, the firing process has definite times and days; of the twelve double-hours in a day, only one is used for cultivation, and of the twelve months in a year, only nine are employed. After ninety days of practice, results appear; it is completed in three hundred days, beginning to form the “immortal embryo” that transmutes the mortal body. In this way one can not only avoid death but also obtain new life. After taking it for three years, the physical form converts to pure Yang and no longer fears cold or heat; after six years of nourishing and refining, the breath becomes so subtle that no respiration is visible in the nose, and one is no longer troubled by hunger or weakness; after three thousand days of cultivation, one can transform and soar. This is called the Golden Liquid Great Reversion External Elixir or Waidan (external alchemy), the unsurpassed method represented by the “great white ox cart.”

The skill of refining the elixir...

Elixir refining is divided into three kinds. The first is called the Spirit Elixir, refined by preserving and nurturing the mind-spirit, that is, through seated meditation. The second is called the True Elixir, refined by applying cultivation methods, that is, through practicing the techniques. The third is called the Immortal Elixir, which emphasizes connecting the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity and requires two medicinal substances; this is the work of elixir refining.

What difficulty is there in this?

The Spirit Elixir must be refined for thirty-six thousand ke, with fire applied at every ke; if even a single ke passes without the application of fire, the process is interrupted. Neidan (internal alchemy) must be refined for more than seven hundred twenty shichen, with fire likewise applied at every moment; if even one shichen passes without the application of fire, it is likewise interrupted. Waidan (external alchemy) likewise must be refined for thirty-six thousand ke, with fire applied at every ke; if even a single ke passes without the application of fire, the process is interrupted. Neidan must be refined for more than seven hundred twenty shichen, with fire applied constantly; if even one shichen passes without the application of fire, it is interrupted. By comparison, Waidan requires the application of fire for only eighty-one shichen—is this not far easier?

Facing the place where thunder rumbles and shakes: this refers to the month when the Earth-Thunder Return hexagram (Dilei Fu gua, which symbolizes the initial revival of yang qi) holds sway.

The return of a single yang: this refers to the day of the seven-day return, that is, the time when yang qi begins to sprout anew.

The fire in the jade furnace blazes: the jade furnace refers to the Crescent Moon Furnace (the furnace used in elixir refining); fire refers to the natural true fire. Once the golden cauldron is obtained, the cold smoke of Taisu (Primordial Simplicity) is stimulated in response, and the fire then becomes vigorous.

The smoke of the golden cauldron is cold: the golden cauldron refers to the Cinnabar Cauldron; smoke refers to the smoke of Taisu. Once the natural true fire of the jade furnace is obtained, the smoke is no longer cold.

The maiden rides the dragon: the maiden refers to the yin line in the Zhen trigram; “rides” means to be carried upon; the “dragon” refers to the red dragon and the green dragon.

The Metal Sire straddles the tiger: the Metal Sire refers to the yang line in the Dui trigram; “straddles” means to ride; the “tiger” refers to the black tiger and the white tiger.

In a mere instant, the Great Reverted Elixir is formed.

“In the space of a meal” refers to the time it takes to eat one meal; “congealing” means the condensation of lead and the coagulation of mercury; “great” means boundlessly vast without limit; and “return” means reverting to the original source. This “Golden Liquid Great Return Waidan (external alchemy),” although cultivated with the aid of external medicines, is not the tangible dregs of gold, silver, plants, or trees, but rather the primordial One Qi (vital energy) that existed before Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) had differentiated (the original primordial Qi from the time when heaven and earth were still undivided).

After heaven and earth differentiated, giving rise to the Two Modes, Four Images, Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the primordial One Qi dispersed throughout the myriad things. It is now absorbed by the method of “gathering without gathering and taking without taking,” so that the Qi of heaven and earth reunites as one, and is therefore called “return.” This is what cultivators refer to as “wrapped in the Dantian (energy center)” (inside the Dantian).

The Dantian (energy center) is the Yellow Chamber and Secret Door, also called the Primordial Field. On its left is the Azure Dragon of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), on its right the Crimson Serpent of Eight Might, and in the center a fierce beast of golden Jing (essence). When the Three Worms (a term in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation for things within the body that disturb body and mind) are gathered inward, cultivation has a path leading to longevity; when the Three Worms rush outward, the light of Shen (spirit) gradually disperses and the heart-Shen is thereby depleted. The Lord of Elixir Origin uses the Li trigram (symbolizing fire) as a net to capture and gather within the Dantian so that the Three Worms cannot scatter, thus making the foundation of cultivation firm and achieving the way of long life and enduring vision. Both “hunting” and “fishing” relate to fields, hence it is called “Dantian.”

Some people refer to the Sea of Qi about one cun and five fen below the navel, the Stone Gate at two cun, and the Pass Origin at three cun as the Dantian; these are acupuncture points used by physicians located in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the human body. Some call the location at one cun and three fen the Dantian, which is the explanation used by beginners when first entering the Dao. Some take the heart as the Dantian, which is the saying of Chan gate quiet cultivators who illuminate the mind and see the nature; some take the spleen on the left of the stomach as the Dantian, which is the practice of those greedy for food who cultivate the Central Yellow and supplement through diet. There are also those who take the liver and gallbladder on the right of the spleen as the Dantian, which is the mistaken view of worldly masters who have not obtained the true secrets, after reading books such as Yunfang’s Thirty-Nine Chapters and the Discourse on Breaking Delusion in Song, wrongly identifying liver and gallbladder as the Dantian.

There are still those who take the center of the eyebrows as the Dantian for entering concentration and emitting the yin spirit; the tip of the nose as the Dantian for practicing concentration; the places where one holds flowers and vegetables or grasps objects and ladles as the Dantian, which is the method of Daoists who open shops for a living, lodging the mind-Shen in external things; the two eyes of an infant as the Dantian, which is the practice of gazing at the sun without blinking; the fetal sac as the Dantian, which is the method of closing and guarding the Weilu (the area near the end of the spine); the jade stem as the Dantian, which is a side-door practice of performing so-called Vajra Chan and cultivating the method of non-leakage.

Some take the “not thinking of good, not thinking of evil,” hanging pressure and letting go of the hands, as the Dantian, which is the saying of Chan monks who have not grasped the tenet of no-thought; the Jade Maiden in the stomach as the Dantian, which is cultivation by swallowing saliva; the navel center as the Dantian, which is the visualization of heart fire by side-door yin-gatherers; the two eyes as the Dantian, which is visualizing the left eye as the sun and the right eye as the moon; the forehead bone as the Dantian, which is visualizing the nine-colored round image; the “chi dwelling” of the face as the Dantian, which is the practice of cultivating the Spirit Court. The paths of cultivation vary in a thousand ways and are hard to list one by one, but none of these is the Dantian spoken of in the orthodox tradition. The true Dantian is the Secret Door.

Some further take the space between the seven orifices as the Dantian, gathering the gaze, concentrating the ear-hearing, closing the tongue Qi, and regulating the nasal breath, so that the Four Images (elements used in cultivation to illustrate the coordination of body and mind) come into harmony. This is a common practice among students of the Dao that cannot be abandoned. Taking the Mud Altar (a cultivation location in the head) as the Dantian is used after one year of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation when shifting the furnace and changing the cauldron; those first learning to cultivate truth should not adopt it.

There is a white crow. Here the “white crow” refers to the white crow of the primordial field, also called “black mercury” or “white gold,” which is true mercury. Because it mixes with white Qi (vital energy), it is called the white crow. When it lies hidden and invisible, it is termed “gold in water” or “silver in lead”; when it appears yet cannot yet be taken and used, it is called “white snow on the cold mountain.” Because it can circulate it is also named the “fierce beast of golden Jing (essence)”; because it can fly and ascend it is likewise called the “white crow.” All these names speak of one and the same thing.

It flies into the Niwan. “Flies into” refers to employing the Heavenly Treasure formula for refining Shen (spirit), mixing the primordial, and entering the medicine. The scripture states that this cultivation must follow the Great Vehicle path of the three carts, continuing without interruption for twenty days so that a great quantity of true mercury is generated in the primordial field. The so-called “true seed” is precisely the white crow of the primordial field.

It is conveyed by the river cart to Kunshan. There are three accounts of the “river cart”: the first is the Yellow River cart, that is, the double-pass pulley method, which speaks of circulating repeatedly day and night so that efficacy is doubled; the second is the river cart, that is, the bellows-and-key technique for raising fire, meaning that circulation must not cease even for an instant as the medicine is sent to the summit of Kunlun Peak; the third is the purple river cart, that is, the formula of dragon-and-tiger copulation, which uses images such as the well-sweep and the mud snake dancing at the well bottom to describe the union of Yin-Yang and the circulation of the Qi mechanism. Here “Kunshan” is Kunlun Peak, which is also the mud altar.

Without the slightest expenditure of effort it crosses the jade pass. This means that the white crow of the primordial field requires no deliberate force and naturally passes through the jade pass. The “jade pass” refers to the Wu-Ji gate; the slightest deviation prevents the elixir from being formed.

Grasp the tortoise, snake, crow, and rabbit,

"Ba" means to grasp, hold, or take. "Gui she wu tu" (turtle, snake, crow, and rabbit) refers to water and fire, the sun and moon; it also refers to the xuanpin (the gateway of Yin-Yang intercourse), lead, cinnabar, mercury, and silver, as well as expressions such as "there is Kan within Li" and "there is Li within Kan." Although the names are many, in the end there are only the two words Yin-Yang.

Capturing Alive

"Capturing alive" means that the turtle, snake, crow, and rabbit are not things of the same nature; they occupy the four directions of east, west, south, and north and are ordinarily separated from one another. The method of the returning elixir (huandan, the process in Neidan of condensing and refining Jing and Qi) is to make them no longer separated and then to unite them; this is like capturing and seizing on the spot things that had been apart.

In ancient times there was a man named Wang Guzi who did not understand the true principles of Yin-Yang cultivation. Seeing in the Yi such phrases as "The Dao of Qian becomes male, the Dao of Kun becomes female" and "One yin and one yang is called the Dao," he arbitrarily created the "Art of the Three Peaks": he called the woman's xuan yong (female genitals) the upper peak, breast milk the middle peak, and the shi tong (male genitals) the lower peak. His disciples further catered to this heterodox teaching, even going so far as to cut out heart blood and exhaustively absorb yin essence as the medicine, hoping to refine the returning elixir. Therefore the Thirty-Nine Chapters of Yunfang warns people not to mistakenly kill or injure others and advises them to keep company with companions.

Instant Clouds and Rain

"Shashi" means a brief moment, indicating that the response is rapid. "Yunyu" (clouds and rain) takes its meaning from the Yi's "clouds and thunder: Zhun" and "thunder and rain: Jie." Both clouds and rain are the Qi of Kan-water: Kan-water pervades heaven and earth; responding to the Qi of Heaven it rises and becomes clouds, responding to the Qi of Earth it descends and becomes rain. So-called clouds and rain is the action of Yin-Yang rising and descending that produces the moistening of the myriad things.

A Single Point Becomes the Elixir

"Yidian" refers to the mysterious pearl of the red waters (a symbolic image in Neidan techniques), the size of a millet grain, and is therefore called "one point." "Chengdan" means that from the minute it gradually becomes manifest and is finally refined into the elixir.

In "white snow filling the empty [space], yellow sprouts filling the courtyard," another version has "tian" (heaven) for "kong"; another version has "di" (earth) for "yuan."

“White Snow” refers to the white snow that pervades the six voids (the empty spaces within the body); “emptiness” refers to the six voids; “Yellow Sprouts” refers to the yellow sprouts that emerge from the earth; “courtyard” refers to the inner courtyard of the six desires. The inner courtyard of the six desires is also called the Yellow Palace, because within the two kidneys dwell six Jade Maidens of gui-water who specifically govern the activation of vigorous vital force, and whose sharpness is extremely keen.

The Lingbao Jing states “sever the edges of the six gui,” meaning that one should restrain the keen momentum with which the six gui Jade Maidens stir vital force, so that the Yellow Sprouts may become full without overflowing. Therefore the Zhenren warns that the vital force of the Yellow Sprouts must not be allowed to grow overly abundant and spill beyond the Yellow Palace.

Yellow Sprouts and White Snow are known by many different names. When they first circulate through the head, abdomen, and four limbs they are called “White Snow of the Six Voids”; when they flow above the winding river they are called “Divine Water of the Great Mystery”; when they gather in the cassia sea they are called “Bright Moon in the Emerald Pool.” When they moisten the body they are called “Sweet Dew of Celestial Moisture”; when they seep into the Golden Cauldron and Flower Pond (terms for bodily locations in Neidan (internal alchemy) practice) they are called “Flowing Pearls of Fire Mercury”; when they flourish in the Yellow Palace they are called “Emerging Yellow Sprouts.” Though the names differ, their substance is invariably the “Mysterious Pearl of Red Water.”

The appellations found in the various immortal scriptures are not uniform. The Yunfang Thirty-Nine Chapters remarks: “The true Dao (the Way) is not in books.” This means that burying oneself in textual study is inferior to concentrating on the search for an enlightened master.

“Ingest this dao-gui and eternally preserve the countenance” means that by taking this “one dao-gui” (an extremely small quantity of medicine or elixir) one can long maintain one’s appearance. The phrase “ingest this” refers to practicing in the manner of the numinous crow gazing at the moon and drinking from sweet springs. Here “dao” (knife) indicates that a superior adept who cultivates it can cut and complete the Dao of heaven and earth, whereas an inferior adept who cultivates it improperly may harm himself.

Those who cultivate this method are like the numinous crow gazing at the moon and drinking from a sweet spring. What is called the “knife” means that superior practitioners who carry out this method can cut and complete the Dao (the Way) of heaven and earth, whereas inferior practitioners who attempt it will perish and meet their end. What is called the “gui” refers to the two Earths of Wu and Ji. What is called “eternally preserving the countenance” simply means immortality without aging.

Methods of sitting in meditation and practicing gong number one thousand two hundred gates; all of them can prevent the countenance from aging easily, yet none can confer immortality and freedom from death. Only great sages such as Zu Mi, Laozi, Fuxi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, Wei Boyang, Zhongli, and Lü Kunxian—from the Yellow Emperor of high antiquity down to those who later awakened to the true Dao—are able to preserve their youth forever.

Constant Warm Nurturing

Warm nurturing comprises six stages. The first is the warm nurturing of entering the medicine, which takes place when inner lead is refined into the true seed. The second is the warm nurturing of wild battle, occurring at the time of advancing the fire. The third is the warm nurturing of guarding the city, at the time of withdrawing the fire. The fourth is the warm nurturing of bathing, when the fire’s intensity declines and ceases and steaming-refining is required. The fifth is the warm nurturing of supplementing the cold, the period of quiet guarding after the fire has died down. The sixth is the warm nurturing of moving the furnace and exchanging the tripod, which follows the emergence of the embryo and its entry into the mouth.

Although these six designations differ, in practice only the single formula of “entering the medicine” runs through the entire process from start to finish. It begins with the first stage and concludes by returning to the fifth, and for this reason it is termed “constant.”

Enabling the Embryo to Emerge and Transform Spiritually

Emerging from the embryo takes three forms. The first is emerging from the embryo and entering the mouth: after ten months of arduous cultivation the fetal Neidan (internal alchemy) is caused to emerge. The second is emerging from the embryo and leaving the shell, just as a hen incubating her eggs remains constantly attentive until the chicks take form and break the shell of their own accord, or as a cicada, once formed, sheds its husk by itself. The third is shedding the mortal embryo, when both physical form and Shen (spirit) attain a wondrous state and unite with the Dao in truth.

“Shen” indicates arriving without walking and reaching swiftly without needing to hurry. “Transformation” indicates that the truly wondrous Nothing can penetrate metal and stone, while the refined wondrous Something can traverse empty space.

The Body Amid the Clouds

There are three kinds of “body.” The first is the self-possessed body: an infant-like physique cultivated by oneself, produced through one’s own refinement and not generated from the father’s Jing (essence) and the mother’s blood. The second is the leaving-and-joining body, meaning the ability to sit and pass away while possessing another body outside one’s own. The third is the wondrous nothing-body, that is, the body amid the clouds.

People have three kinds of bodies. The first is called the “self-possessed body,” an infant-like physique cultivated through practice, formed by oneself and not born of the father's Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and the mother's blood and flesh. The second is called the “body of departure and reunion,” referring to the capacity to sit while the Shen (spirit) consciousness leaves the body, with another body existing outside it. The third is called the “wondrous formless body,” which appears as a form when assembled and turns into Qi (vital energy) when scattered.

Having cultivated the “self-possessed body,” one is called an earthly immortal: the immortal embryo flies into the “Mud Nine” (that is, the Niwan Palace, the upper Dantian (energy center) of the head in Daoist doctrine), also named Kunlun Peak, as if it were above one's own clouds. Having further cultivated the “body of departure and reunion,” one is called a spirit immortal: the embryonic immortal leaves the physical husk and treads the clouds; although the form is still on the earth, the Shen (spirit) consciousness has already reached the clouds. When the “wondrous formless body” is cultivated, one is called a heavenly immortal: the Shen (spirit) consciousness rises into the blue emptiness, the form pervades the Great Void, and both form and Shen (spirit) are situated in the clouds. The wonder of the Golden Liquid Returning Elixir (the Neidan (internal alchemy) practice of refining Jing (essence) into Qi (vital energy) and condensing the elixir embryo) attains the state of the body in the clouds; this is the emptiness that is “not empty.”

Praise by Perfected Chunyang, “Frosty Sky Dawn Horn”

When Heaven and Earth had not yet split apart, how could the myriad things be distinguished? Once nature appears, Qi (vital energy) is generated accordingly; Yin-Yang remain mixed and undivided. Hongmeng (the chaotic state before Heaven and Earth divided and the myriad things took form) transforms into Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), containing Yin and Yang within the entirety. If one can understand how to split Hongmeng open...

Longhan and Yankang are names of kalpa periods in Daoist chronology. In Hongmeng there is “Nüqing” (a Daoist deity); Nüqing manifests at the time of the division of chaos, and thus the signs of ten thousand forms begin to appear.

The so-called “knowing and not speaking, not knowing and not speaking”... Those who talk at length are merely speaking emptily. The wondrous method of dual cultivation of nature and life of the superior immortals is not easy to transmit by speaking it to others. The wondrous secret is indeed difficult to thoroughly understand.

The secret of the immortals' wondrous Dao is transmitted from the Taiqing realm. Without a master's pointing out, relying only on one's own guessing is ultimately futile and only increases distress. A knowing friend is extremely rare in the world. Countless people cultivating immortality compete to guess the meaning of the written words. The former master has already spoken the secret, yet they stare with wide-open eyes and cannot take it in.

One must understand the principle of reversing Yin-Yang: Between Heaven and Earth primordial Qi (vital energy) is abundant; Li and Kan (the Li and Kan trigrams of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), symbolizing Fire and Water respectively and often referring to Yin-Yang) contain the complete materials for cultivation. Recognizing the symbols of prior heaven, body and mind can correspond with the transformations of the myriad things.

The sun in the moon: The Great Yin (the moon represented by yin qi) originally belongs to the Kan trigram, and the Jade Rabbit within it symbolizes yang. Fangri is one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, like the sun's image in the clouds; by using this to cultivate and refine, one can transform and become a body of utmost firmness.

The moon in the sun.

The sun falls into the Li Palace, symbolizing the heart-fire in Neidan (internal alchemy), wherein is hidden the Guilin Crow referring to the Jing (essence) within the fire. When the Bi Moon, a lunar mansion, shines upon Mount Da as named in the scripture and becomes full, encountering it reawakens the hun and po souls.

Marvelous Formula of the Heavenly Treasure for Refining Shen (spirit), Mixing the Primordial, and Entering the Medicine

A single leaf, a single flower.

Within the five viscera the body and mind are as clear as jade and as pure as snow. Although there are many gates and orifices, they all communicate with the divine spirit. Under the moonlight the cinnabar clouds, a symbolic scene of the completed internal elixir, appear from the wine; it remains unsullied by mud and unstained by worldly dust.

The yin pit is my home.

Cold cliffs on both sides lock in the jade ice, yet a clear current of water flows through the middle. In the sunlight and shadows the flower of the heart manifests; there lies the Hibiscus Langyuan City, a symbol of the immortal realm.

Sulfur dies upon seeing me.

The so-called sulfur refers to the intention-horse ridden by the five spirits, which specifically drives the mind-monkey to run about everywhere. Wonderful fragrance and gorgeous colors heavily perfume it, ultimately transforming it into a realized person seated peacefully in the ritual space.

Mercury congeals into sand.

Black mercury and red lead refer to mercury, symbolizing the meeting of kidney Jing and heart Qi (vital energy), revealing the innate true nature. Reharmonizing them so they return to Wuji, the undifferentiated primordial state, one can gradually realize the living body that naturally forms within Yin-Yang.

Song Pointing to the Truth of Refining the Medicine

What is the superior medicinal ingredient? It exists right in the mundane world and can be found whether near or far. Reluctantly naming it, it is called the “Mysterious Female,” “mercury,” or “lead,” but in fact it is simply Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit).

Refining Jing means refining primordial Jing (the Jing-Qi originally present from prenatal times), not the Jing produced by sexual union of men and women. In cultivation men do not indulge lust nor do women give free rein to passion; this is not techniques such as Three Peaks harvesting combat or Huanggu gathering and replenishing. When inner luminous awareness arises, nature and emotion meet; with the mind empty, still, and free of dust, a subtle essential nature is generated.

Refining Qi means refining primordial Qi (the original Qi present from prenatal times), not the breath of mouth and nose. The scripture says “the nose does not exhale, the mouth does not inhale,” which is not merely ordinary breathing but the cultivated state in which respiration grows faint and subtle while body and mind become quiet. Symbolic terms such as Xun wind and Li fire describe the circulation and refining inside the cauldron-furnace; ultimately the body is stabilized so that the root of life is established.

Refining Shen means refining primordial Shen (the original spiritual brightness present from prenatal times), not the “spirit” of thoughts and deliberative activity. There are no delusive imaginings in the mind and no turmoil of intention; such thoughts typically involve worry and lingering attachment. Forget anxieties, cut off attachments, and nourish primordial Shen in clarity and stillness so that Jing and Qi rise directly to the Heavenly Valley (the cultivation site in the head).

Jing, Qi, and Shen are the most immediate medicinal ingredients. Cultivating elixir methods with them alone still does not reach the true essentials; the key to elixir work lies in the “marrow of Qian and Kun,” that is, “Kan-Li-Ren.” These are terms expressing the Yin-Yang transformations of Neidan (internal alchemy); ordinary people often fail to understand them, and even after reading many books they search in vain.

Immortal teachers are not found only at the ends of the earth; they may also mingle among ordinary people in the world. Such persons appear ordinary outwardly, wearing hemp in summer and furs in winter like the ancients; they take no account of honor, disgrace, gain, or loss, concealing themselves inwardly and cultivating refined purity. How could the subtle Dao (the Way) and heavenly secrets be casually revealed? Once meritorious practice is complete—three thousand merits and eight hundred deeds accumulated—why worry that an immortal teacher will not personally instruct and earnestly admonish?

Essential Highlights of Elixir Classics

The earliest of the elixir classics is the Yi, which has hexagram images and diagrams but no written text and has circulated for tens of thousands of years. King Wen of Zhou, the Western Earl, once inquired about its principles from the archival historian; Confucius also asked about rites and unrolled the bamboo slips so often that the leather bindings broke. Later the Daodejing transmitted by Laozi expressed profound intent; subsequently the Cantongqi appeared, likewise of orthodox transmission. Zhang Pingshu’s Wuzhenpian made the principles still clearer, stating that they lie right before the eyes, between left and right.

General Account of the Three Essentials

Laozi speaks of “tuoyue shouzhong” (keeping the mind-spirit guarded at the central and upright place of the body). This constitutes the three essentials of which Laozi spoke, also expressed as “mianmian ruocun” (the breath continuous, long and subtle, seeming to exist and yet not exist). Confucius speaks of “opening the door is called Qian, closing the door is called Kun.” The sage thereby washes the mind of thoughts, gathering and concealing the mind-spirit in a quiet and secluded depth. This constitutes the three essentials of which Confucius spoke, also expressed as “wanglai buqiong” (circulating back and forth without exhaustion). The Buddhist school speaks of the methods of the peak, of warmth, and of forbearance, which are the three essentials of Buddhism, also known as “the three carts of the burning house” (using three kinds of vehicles as a metaphor to guide sentient beings out of the bitter realm of affliction). The various schools differ in their statements of the “three essentials” because they have not received orthodox transmission. If one abandons these three sagely teachers—Laozi, Confucius, and Śākyamuni—and instead follows deviant and crooked doctrines, how can one then escape the bitter realm of affliction and reach a boundless, unending state?

General Discourse on the Three Passes

Taking Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) as the three passes constitutes the three passes of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation; taking form, Qi, and Shen as the three passes constitutes the three passes of Waidan (external alchemy) cultivation; taking the nose, hands, and feet as the three passes constitutes the three passes that encompass both inner and outer elixir methods.

General Discourse on the Nine Tripods

[The original text here retains only the few characters “zhi xin wei,” meaning to point to the heart as..., the spoken content is incomplete.] Taking form, Qi, and Shen as the three passes constitutes the three passes of Waidan (external alchemy) cultivation; taking the nose, hands, and feet as the three passes constitutes the three passes that encompass both inner and outer elixir methods.

The heart is compared to the Nine Tripods because it communicates above with the seven orifices and below with the two yin. The saying “containing the body of all phenomena, not hanging even a single thread” means that the heart can encompass all things yet remains free of even the slightest attachment.

The Crimson Palace (the region where the heart is located) is compared to the Nine Tripods because it communicates above with the seven sections and connects below with the two kidneys. The saying “the Three Pengs depart from the yin-containing dwelling, and the myriad nations come to pay court at the palace of the Red Emperor” means that the Three Corpses (the three spirits that Daoism describes as residing in the human body and capable of hindering cultivation) leave the place of turbid yin, while the primordial Qi (vital energy) from all directions gathers in the palace of the heart’s Shen (spirit).

The Secret Door is compared to the Nine Tripods because it contains essential cultivation keys such as “three-one and six-gui.” The Mud Altar (the upper Dantian (energy center) in the head) is compared to the Nine Tripods because it houses the Nine Palaces of Heavenly Spirit (the nine spirit palaces of the head). These two interpretations mean that by cultivating in this way one can transform body and mind into something as firm and vigorous as the Qian of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams); whether remaining hidden or ascending in flight, everything is ultimately governed by the heart.

The zi hour is compared to the Nine Tripods because jia, ji, zi and wu all belong to the number nine according to numerological calculation. The saying “just as the first yang begins to stir, throughout the long midnight watches” refers to the moment at midnight when yang Qi first begins to arise. A month is compared to the Nine Tripods because there are nine returns within one month; all change is directed by the heart. The zi hour is likewise compared to the Nine Tripods because jia, ji, zi and wu are all numbered nine, precisely the time of midnight when the single yang first stirs. A month is compared to the Nine Tripods because one month contains nine returns.

A year is compared to the Nine Tripods because there are nine cycles of refinement in one year. The saying “one return per month constitutes one cycle; nine cycles in a year are the same as nine returns” means that each monthly return counts as one cycle, so nine cycles in a year equal nine returns. Three years are compared to the Nine Tripods because one year refines three “xing,” yielding nine in three years. The saying “from three leads only one lead is obtained, and the golden fruit and immortal peach already reveal their form” means that from three portions of lead only one is refined, and the traces of the Golden Elixir (jindan) already appear. Nine years are compared to the Nine Tripods because one elixir is refined each year, producing nine elixirs in nine years. The saying “each year a child is born, and every one can ride a crane” means that each year one elixir is completed, and each elixir can help a person attain the Dao (the Way) and become an immortal.

Ode to Breaking Delusions of the Yin Fu Jing (scripture/classic)

Utmost joy leaves nature with surplus: The benevolent have no worries because original nature is not deficient; the wise are often joyful because original nature has no remainder. If one does not cling to the pursuit of pleasure, joy arises of itself; if one simply follows the passions in seeking extreme delight, original nature instead becomes stagnant.

Utmost stillness brings integrity: Reaching extreme stillness enables clarity unstained by selfish desire. Stillness can accomplish benevolence, while movement arises from wisdom. If one merely chases after external praise…

By remaining quiet and holding firmly to composure, one may accomplish benevolence and De (Virtue/Power). When action is taken, one relies on wisdom. If one merely pursues the peripheral details, the quietude of temperament returns to the root. Concentrating on seeking stillness yet failing to achieve it instead gives rise to a mind of reproach and demand. To cut off even a single root of greedy pursuit of profit constitutes integrity.

Commentaries on the Yinfu Jing are numerous, and all of them falsely borrow the names of sages and worthies in order to win the confidence of those of shallow insight. Yet the various schools differ in what they see, each possessing its own merits and shortcomings, which in turn readily misleads those who seek to study. Therefore I have selected the relatively lucid material from among them and composed two verses of praise, so as to enlighten later generations. Those who read them will surely be able to grasp something of their meaning.

Collected Verses of the True Instructions of Ancient Immortals

Even between father and son transmission cannot be undertaken casually. Precious things throughout the world are cherished by everyone; gold, jade, and treasures are never given away lightly. Even when passed to sons and grandsons, the Dao (the Way) is not something that can be transmitted merely because one wishes it; without understanding the principle within, genuine transmission is impossible.

The work of cultivation is as arduous and perilous as the celestial configuration between the Dipper and Ox lodges.

The Great Dao has been transmitted from antiquity and emphasizes Wuwei (non-action); this does not mean that sitting motionless is nothing more than sleeping in peace.

Why speak so unnaturally of remaining on guard at every turn and worrying over dangers, as with the celestial images of Ox and Dipper?

One searches for the inner contents inside a painted bottle. If the exterior of the bottle is daubed with cosmetics so that it resembles a beautiful jade gourd, does that mean it truly possesses spiritual nature?

In the Crystal Palace, Chang’e reveals an emerald hue; a pear blossom like a plum flower reflects the tomb of the white rabbit.

Those of inferior capacity will laugh aloud upon hearing this.

Those of superior capacity remain modest and cautious, understand the principle of creation, and can grasp the intention of the True Person from a single sentence.

Inferior horses and stupid donkeys receive only severe whipping; only when the reins are released do the reins themselves become a laughingstock.

(The following lines of text are fragmentary, and their meaning is difficult to connect coherently.)

The Perfected Person Bai of Ziyang once presented a poem to Vice Minister Zhao that read: “Mercury and lead are not to be taken from within one’s own body; dragon and tiger ought to be sought beyond what is expected. Once these true mechanisms of creation are comprehended, why worry about not understanding the essentials of refining the elixir?” These lines accord precisely with the principle of “solitary yin” spoken of by Perfected Person Ziyang, and so they are recorded here together.

I advise you that there is no need to slay the three corpses (the three corpse-worms within the body of which Daoism speaks, or the desires that hinder cultivation); one need only cut off greed, anger, and ignorance. Dwelling in the inner court of the Six Desire Heavens (the heavens of the desire realm spoken of in Buddhism), diligently cultivate for ten months and nurture the infant (a metaphor in Neidan (internal alchemy) for the condensation of inner Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy)).

After ten months the fetus is delivered and the infant is swallowed into the mouth; it can penetrate sinews and bones, enabling one to fly and travel afar. In this way one proceeds directly to Primordial Heaven (the heaven in which the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning of Daoism resides), and one’s lifespan equals that of heaven and earth.

Heaven and Earth last long, without ever coming to an end; the myriad things continually change their forms, yet people often fail to notice. Stars sometimes recede from view, dragons and snakes too may arise, yet the fundamental root of Heaven and Earth remains ever one, never stirring even a fraction.

Alas that people of the world see only the obvious distinctions, always talking of the lofty and the mysteriously remote. They seek long life only to turn instead toward death—such things are seen everywhere; they take rebirth by relying on plants and trees, yet claim they have already attained extinction.

This crucial principle was handed down by the sages of antiquity. Confucius (Zhongni) thrice snapped the leather thongs that bound the bamboo slips, still seeking the principle within. It is nothing other than the Dao (the Way) of Qian and the Dao of Kun (the laws of the operations of Heaven and Earth, Yin-Yang); one must seek it between Heaven above and Earth below.

The Dao of Qian and Kun is nothing else; ultimately it is a state of profound unfathomability and elusive obscurity. True Jing (essence; the authentic Jing and Qi [vital energy] spoken of in cultivation) and phenomenal forms meet and conjoin in the darkness, condensing in the Yellow Palace (an inner site for refining Jing and Qi, often associated with the Dantian [energy center]), gradually forming an undifferentiated state.

This undifferentiated state congeals into form, which the text calls “Shi Bohua”; its efficacy depends entirely on the Purple River Cart (a Neidan [internal alchemy] term referring to the force that carries and circulates Jing and Qi in the process of cultivation). What shape is the Purple River Cart? It is like a purple snake in the mud at the bottom of a well.

The six applications of cultivating truth (six ways a practitioner applies effort in everyday life) may be described as follows. At dawn, in the middle of the night the cold spring surges, as if thunder were rising from beneath the earth; diminish the Yang aspect and increase the Yin aspect, thereby settling the spiritual embryo (the inner Jing-Qi formed in cultivation). Every morning drink a pot of phoenix marrow (a metaphor for precious refined essence), planting in the seabed of the body a flame like a red lotus.

At dusk, at noon the Gou image appears (a hexagram of Yin-Yang conjunction), the heavenly wind stirs; harmonize by means of martial fire and civil fire (the stronger and gentler degrees of heat in cultivation), needing only a brief moment of effort. Boil the turtle’s liver thoroughly and take eight liang to eat; the mountain spring is empty, the soil still, and by evening one enters the state of undifferentiated obscurity.

In walking, a solitary cloud leisurely leaves the mountain peak over the warm ground; a wild crane, weary in the vast sky, returns to its nest. Coming and going should be open and unobstructed; even if one is in a city of fire, there is no need to rush about in alarm as if striking a gourd.

In standing, the blazing sun rises into the sky, revolving without cease; its radiance scatters, as fine as points of stars. Cultivate Jing and Qi in a cold place so that metal-water (a Neidan term referring to Jing-Qi and its transformations in cultivation) condenses; sweet dew moistens the mountains, and plants and trees grow verdant thereby.

In sitting, cleanse the thoughts of the mind and gather in the inner secrets, not out of greed for ease; cultivation should be continuous and unremitting, most fearing interruption. Once water and earth are harmonized, the spirit tripod (a metaphor for the body-mind that refines Jing and Qi) stands settled at rest; sit upright like a lotus.

In lying down, silent and dim as if entering a dark place; yet one must remain awake and spiritually luminous, so that the practice tends toward completion. The sun sets over the western mountains, crows return to nest in the cassia tree; set down disturbances, still wandering thoughts, and dispel the invasion of drowsiness.

Ode to the Five Emptinesses

Obstinate Emptiness

Cultivating obstinate emptiness to the point of withered silence, as if even the spark of life has been severed; by day the mind holds no attachments, yet at night one still cannot rest in peace. The body is like a withered tree, the mind like cold ashes—what meaning does this have? Upon hearing of cultivating the Dao, one stubbornly insists that one already understands, and thus becomes stagnant and blocked.

Nature Emptiness

Reaching the realm of nature emptiness (the mind-nature empty and still, undisturbed by external things), the chest is spacious and the days leisurely; in movement one is as free as floating clouds, in stillness as steady as a mountain. If one merely lazily pursues obstinate emptiness, taking Wuwei (non-action) as the method itself; after hearing of cultivating the Dao one clings obstinately, and the path of practice will surely be difficult and winding.

Dharma Emptiness

Dharma emptiness (contemplating that all phenomena are empty) is largely like obstinate emptiness, yet even when there is action the inner mind remains quiet. Calculating hexagrams and the transformations of Yin-Yang according to months and hours, one seeks thereby to comprehend two thousand kinds of cultivation paths.

Non-Emptiness

True non-emptiness means that within emptiness and stillness there is still the work of cultivation: causing the primordial Yang to return and uniting with the Dao in quiet stillness. Yang Qi revives and Yin Qi recedes; one must purify it until unmixed, finally leaving only a bright pearl the size of a millet grain, symbolizing the condensed and luminous Neidan (internal alchemy).

True Emptiness

True emptiness possesses inconceivable wondrous functions, seeming to communicate with the movements of heaven and earth and as natural as the turning of the seasons. Night succeeds day, cold and heat alternate in sequence; these changes never cease, yet no one can see who is actually driving them.

Ten Precepts for Cultivating the Elixir

First Precept: Checking Evil

Do not allow evil thoughts to arise in the mind; they should be promptly removed so that the inner mind is clear and peaceful. Stay away from evil people and evil affairs; the breath is settled, the spirit tranquil, and the body naturally healthy and vigorous.

Second Precept: Promoting Goodness

Filial piety to parents, affection among brothers, and benevolence toward others are the sprouts of all goodness; one should also observe propriety and praise loyalty and righteousness. Rescue those in danger, support those in hardship, proclaim various good deeds, constantly respect the worthy, and take pleasure in practicing the Dao.

Third Precept: Punishing Anger

When the fire of the heart is vigorous, one should clearly observe and restrain it. Anger corresponds to the Wood Qi of the liver, causing wrath to grow. If one does not punish anger according to the teachings, the Five Thieves will run rampant and the mind of the Dao will be overturned.

Fourth Precept: Blocking Desire

The kidneys store Jing (essence) and are called the official of making strong. The temptations of sound and beauty are like a sharp blade, inviting disaster. If one does not cut off the root of sinking into pleasure, one will be swept away by the sea of desire and ultimately sink into ruin.

Fifth Precept: Forbidding Wine

Once wine enters the mouth it disturbs body and mind, as if igniting battle in the gallbladder viscera and heart chamber. True Yang leaks outward to the skin, hair gradually thins, and Jing-Qi continually declines.

Sixth Precept: Abstaining from Tea

If the Qi of plants and trees is allowed to dissipate freely, it will lead one toward ruin. Ripe woman

Even drinking only a small amount of alcohol still harms the Twelve Towers (the throat region in Daoist bodily mapping) together with the gallbladder chamber and heart chamber, throwing the body’s Qi and blood into disorder. True Yang (the yang Qi of the human body) then leaks outward through the skin, hair gradually thins, Jing (essence) and Qi grow weak, and the depletion continues without pause.

The sixth precept requires complete abstinence from tea. Even herbal substances can pierce the intestines, so one must not force them down; instead one should only rinse and wash so that turbid and cloudy Qi are cleared away. If a person can remain as undisturbed as a divine spirit and hold fast to a clear, lucid mind, the body will give off a sweet and fragrant Qi, like the pure source stored inside white stone.

The seventh precept is not to eat to fullness at dawn. There is no need to seek satiety when taking the morning meal. External pathogens such as wind, cold, heat, and dampness readily invade whenever the body is out of balance. Once cultivation has matured and the Qi mechanism of the three Dantian (upper, middle, and lower energy centers) is full and substantial, one need no longer crave the flavors of food; extra eating only wearies the teeth in vain.

The eighth precept is to keep the abdomen moderately empty in the evening. Nighttime meals should leave the stomach somewhat vacant so that the six meridians (the human meridian system) remain harmonious and unobstructed and the breath circulates freely. One extra mouthful merely congests the Qi mechanism, like smoke blocking a passageway; when the water channels are completely filled, water leaks away from the Weilu (the region near the lower end of the spine).

The ninth precept concerns a high couch. When sitting or lying, the bed mat should stand about three chi above the ground, moderately soft yet firm and secure. A bed that is too low allows ghostly Qi to invade the bones. Straw mats should be taken out frequently to air in the sun; one must not begrudge the trouble.

The tenth precept warns against a high pillow. A pillow that is too high is most unsuitable; a height of about three cun is enough, and it should not be too low either. The secret methods and profound meanings of cultivation are hard for ordinary people to grasp; only when one meets an immortal teacher who personally points them out can they be heard.

Among the precepts of good and evil that exhort people to cultivate immortality, filial piety without greed stands first. Filial piety is the foremost of all conduct, and the Dao of Wuwei (non-action) likewise takes it as primary; the orthodox tradition of Yao and Shun was transmitted precisely through this. If one greedily seeks profit and rank and rashly harms oneself, one turns away from the Dao, as far from the correct Way as heaven is from the abyss.

Fraternal respect without desire follows next. Serving elder brothers should observe the order of seniority and extend filial piety into fraternal duty; by practicing this one becomes a model for the world. If even a thread of selfish desire enters, discord and strife arise, even to the point of invading others out of resentment.

Forgiveness without jealousy is originally easy to practice; one need only keep the mind peaceful and broad. When the heart is calm and Qi settled, no other disturbances remain; harmonious Qi arises daily like the spring breeze.

Loyalty without overreaching requires complete devotion to ruler, teacher, and husband. Even a single grain of rice or a single strand of silk must be repaid from beginning to end. Understanding the root and knowing to repay kindness accords with the Dao; abandoning one’s duty and ruining one’s virtue instead invites misfortune. Even the sacred and divine may not necessarily attain this.

Filial piety toward parents, brotherly affection, treating others with forgiveness, and loyalty with trustworthiness are all the highest De (Virtue/Power); attaining the realm of the gods and sages is even more mysterious and inexhaustible.

These five great Daos (Ways) form the foundation of cultivating the Dao. When encountering restrictions or seasonal and temporal taboos, one must not act by force.

Possess wisdom without indulging in desires. The De of wisdom originally stands foremost among the five De; true knowledge consists in understanding the Dao. Once one sinks into lust, one falls into dimness and confusion, and thus Shen Gen is also discarded.

Observe propriety without stealing. Distinctions of high and low, elder and younger each have their proper bounds; differences of noble and humble, worthy and foolish likewise exist and must not be confused. One should constantly uphold the rites with reverence. If one seizes others’ property under pretexts such as festivals, this too should be regarded as theft.

Harbor benevolence without killing living beings. The De of benevolence is indeed the foremost of the five De. Goodness, harmony, and compassion can nourish all things. Pity, awareness, and yang qi all relate to the De of benevolence; grief, violent obstinacy, however, carry the aspect of slaughter.

Uphold righteousness without harming others. The five De are weighed with righteousness as the standard; only when actions are appropriate is there true benefit. Even a slight inappropriateness may injure another; the gentleman in planning and acting must consider with care.

Be loyal and trustworthy without hatred. Wisdom, propriety, benevolence, and righteousness are the sprouts of the great Dao; without loyalty and trust they can hardly succeed. Only by fully possessing the five constants does one truly obtain the root. Once hatred and suspicion arise, one falls into a state of degeneration.

Speak without ornate embellishment. The way of the human world values splendor, while the immortal way treasures simplicity and truth. Do not utter flowery and ornate speech. Though a glib tongue may please others, it risks causing one to lose the way of the immortals.

Do not utter words that wound others. The mouth and tongue indeed determine fortune and misfortune; a single remark can spark conflict or bring harmony. Evil words are best left unspoken; the Dao of Heaven has from ancient times also required retribution of good and evil.

Eat without seeking fullness. Diet can nourish Qi (vital energy), yet excessive attention to nourishment is not to be extolled. The foolish pursue satiety in eating, the worthy pursue hearing the Dao; one should attend to filling the Qi within the abdomen. Here “lead” is used as a metaphor for the inner Jing (essence) and Qi prized in cultivation.

Reside without seeking ease.

Living in comfort and ease is the most unsuitable condition for cultivating the Dao; one should meticulously gather in those unmanifested threads of thought.

Hold fast to inner centeredness and correctness, seek the essential principles of cultivation, and apply them continuously without interruption—this is the state Confucius (Xuan Ni) was in when holding the breath and regulating Qi (vital energy).

Do not spit when facing north.

In cultivating the Dao one should cherish Jing (essence) and Qi; even the act of spitting causes Jing and Qi to dissipate. The north belongs to Water and is the direction from which the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) generate and transform; spitting phlegm or saliva toward the north harms the hundred spirits.

Do not urinate or defecate when facing north.

Do not let urine defile the earth or offend the sun, moon, and stars; casually relieving oneself against a wall is highly inauspicious. Facing north is especially forbidden for this, because the north corresponds to the Qi of Heavenly Unity (Tianyi).

Do not casually kill turtles.

The turtle corresponds to the Wei Lodge, belongs to Water, and is the starting point of the generation and transformation of the Five Phases; it corresponds to a person’s left kidney, the place where the root of life begins. Killing a turtle without cause is highly inauspicious, and those who cultivate the Dao should especially refrain from this.

Do not casually strike snakes.

The snake corresponds to the Xu Lodge, belonging to Fire within Water; it corresponds to a person’s right kidney and performs the functions of securing and storing. Striking a snake without cause is highly inauspicious, and those who cultivate the Dao should especially refrain from this.

Eating beef is forbidden.

The taboos concerning cattle are clearly recorded in the classics. Killing cattle carries severe penalties as set down in the legal codes; eating much beef also brings evident retribution that can even reach the Heavenly Court.

Eating beef diminishes one’s allotted fortune and causes the radiance of Shen (spirit) to fade; the resulting misfortune will ultimately cause one to be entered into the registers of ghosts and spirits. Even hidden virtue accumulated like a mountain will be gradually worn away, and even the worthy and virtuous cannot be spared.

The Heavenly Emperor partakes of beef only once every three years; how could ordinary people casually presume to imitate this? Damage to reputation and loss of benefit may all arise from this; attracting epidemic disease or running afoul of the law may also occur because of it.

One should believe in cause and effect, cultivate blessings and virtue, and not remain long in ignorance through craving for the pleasures of the mouth and belly. Even living on coarse tea and plain rice, drinking water to get by, there is still something worth finding peace and joy in—why suffer year after year being deceived by the desires of the tongue?