《上洞心丹经诀》

The Scripture of the Heart Elixir of the Upper Cavern (Shangdong Xindan Jingjue)

The Shangdong Xindan Jingjue is included in the Zhonghua Daozang within the Taiqing Golden Elixir scriptures. Research indicates that it was compiled around the Tang-Song period. Its contents were mainly adapted from the Inner Chapters of the Baopuzi, the Yellow Emperor’s Nine Cauldrons Divine Elixir Scripture Instructions, and other works, and it is attributed to transmission by later descendants of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Perfected One. The complete work consists of three volumes; the base text comes from the Zhengtong Daozang, Dongshen (Cavern of Spirit) section, Arts category.

Shangdong Xindan Jingjue, Upper Volume

Transmitted by later descendants of the Taiji Perfected One

The Immortal Elder said: Anyone who wishes to attain the Dao (the Way) of the immortals must master the most essential methods of cultivation. The key lies in cherishing Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), circulating Qi, and ingesting the “Great Medicine.” Although there are several dozen methods for circulating Qi, the most important is “returning Jing to replenish the brain,” that is, transporting Jing-Qi to nourish and replenish the brain. Although there are more than a hundred methods of ingesting Qi, the core is “embryonic breathing,” namely cultivating a deep inner respiration like that of a fetus. Although there are over a thousand formulas for taking medicines, the crucial one is the “Golden Liquid Returning Elixir,” an important cultivation concept in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) and elixir refinement.

The oral instruction says: The several dozen methods of cherishing Jing-Qi and circulating Qi will not be listed one by one here. The most important is returning Jing to replenish the brain. It is best to practice after the zi hour and before the wu hour, the so-called “six yang” periods; practice after the zi hour and before the chou hour is also acceptable, or even better to wait until yang Qi begins to arise in the body. At that time enter a quiet chamber (a place for seated meditation), though one need not be restricted to any particular posture of walking, standing, sitting, or lying. The essential point is purity and unity both within and without, concentrating the mind and gathering the spirit so that the breath becomes soft and gentle, like that of an infant.

Then ignite the fire and circulate Qi starting from the “Jade Hall Tail,” moving upward along the two passes of the spinal column, passing through the “Three Mountains,” all the way to the “Jade Capital Mountain.” After prolonged practice one will naturally feel the brain becoming full. The scripture states that the wondrous gateway of the “Three Ones and Nine Chambers” lies precisely here. “Jade Hall Tail,” “double spinal-column passes,” “Three Mountains,” and “Jade Capital Mountain” are all names of bodily locations or energy passes in Daoist cultivation; “igniting the fire and circulating Qi” refers to using intention to guide the movement of Qi within the body.

The formula text says that there are more than a hundred methods of Qi (气) absorption practice, such as Yanbi Ai, Zhonghuang Xuanhuang, Hang Gan Lun Han, Zixia Qingya, Ju Ling Wang Shu, Lingye Qin Yan, and Jiucheng Wu Jing (the Nine Manifestations and Five Essences). All of these are methods of absorbing Qi. They are difficult to describe one by one, and the method of Embryonic Breathing (taixi, 胎息: regulating the breath until it becomes so fine and prolonged that it resembles a fetus breathing in the mother's womb) is in fact the essential key to Qi absorption practice.

At the beginning of practice, one should choose the Zhen (震) trigram hour to enter stillness and begin cultivation. One may also practice without regard to posture, whether walking, standing, or sitting, but body and mind must be pure, calm, and upright, both inside and out. Focus wholly on regulating the breath until it becomes gentle, like an infant's. Then visualize yourself as if dwelling in your mother's womb, with the breath emerging from the root of the Xuanpin (玄牝, the Mysterious Female, which Daoists regard as the source of life and the place to which the breath is tied), unbroken and continuous, as if present and yet absent. Practice for a long time, until you reach 13,500 breaths, each breath like that of an infant in the womb.

The scripture (Jing, 经) says that if one can keep the breath harmonized throughout all twelve double-hours and one hundred "ke" (quarter-hour-like divisions) of the day, then shallow attainment will straighten the bones, soften the sinews and vessels, and moisten the skin, keeping illness at bay and prolonging life. Deep attainment allows one to enter water without drowning and fire without burning, to shed the womb and change the bones, to appear and vanish at will and transform, to have a body beyond the body, and to unite with the Dao (道, the Way) in true realization. The path of cultivation lies in this.

These two essential formulas are the key points of Neidan (内丹, internal alchemy) cultivation, and their explanation is now complete.

The Immortal Elder says that there are hundreds and thousands of methods for refining immortality elixirs, so how could a beginner possibly master them all? Among them, the most important is the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir (Jinye Huandan, an elixir produced by refining metallic substances). Of all those throughout history who attained the Dao (Way) and became immortals, none failed to pass through the cultivation of the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir.

The Golden Liquid Returned Elixir belongs to Waidan (external alchemy, the refining of elixirs in a furnace and cauldron outside the body). Among the methods of the ancient sages, there is one Golden Liquid Returned Elixir that brings being forth from nothingness, and it ranks as the highest of all. This was a secret method transmitted from mind to mind among the sages of high antiquity. No written record of it was left, and it was guarded with the utmost secrecy. It cannot be understood by ordinary people, nor can beginners hope to complete it. The furnace, the ao vessel, the cauldron, and other apparatus, as well as the gathering of the ingredients and the application of fire, must never be carelessly disclosed in speech or writing. Once this elixir is perfected, it is said that a person's entire dwelling may ascend to heaven together with the household. Its transformations are so wondrous that who could ever measure them fully?

Next comes the Nine-Cauldron Flying and Subduing Golden Liquid Returned Elixir. "Nine-Cauldron Flying and Subduing" refers to the Waidan method of refining and transforming substances by means of nine cauldrons. This too is a secret method passed among sages, transmitted by word of mouth, and writing cannot convey it in full. It involves taking the Mysterious Yellow Efflorescence, preparing the Six-One Mud, coating and sealing the earthen vessel, and securing the divine furnace. One then prepares the Flowery Pool, brings forth the Divine Water, brews the Spring Wine, and harmonizes the Left Flavor, while also gathering the ingredients and mastering the timing of the fire, and completing the stages of flying, subduing, and returning the Golden Liquid. Only Daoists and Perfected Ones (zhenren) of profound conduct can refine it; foolish and vulgar people cannot obtain this method.

The Heart Elixir formula treasured by the Immortal Elder Yuji, recorded in the Taishang Shang Dong Xian Jing (Scripture of the Immortals of the Upper Cavern of the Most High), belongs to the second-tier methods of the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir. The ingredients it uses are of the first-grade potency found in the Nine-Cauldron method, and are also the finest of the Eight Minerals. If one prepares and refines it according to the method, even a foolish and ordinary person can obtain this elixir.

The formula for this “Heart Elixir” now treasured by the Immortal Elder (an honorific for immortals) is recorded in the Taishang Shangdong Xianjing (Jing, the Scripture of the Immortals of the Highest Cavern of the Most High). It is another method for refining the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir. The medicinal ingredients employed belong to the superior quality within the Nine Cauldrons elixir methods and are also ranked among the highest grade of the Eight Stones (the eight categories of mineral materials in Daoist alchemy). It has a fixed method of preparation; repeated refinements follow the same procedure without mixing in other materials, using only this one precious ingredient. After nine refinements the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir is completed. The scripture states that after ingestion one may undergo a transformation of body and bones and then ascend in flight. The stages of cultivation are clearly set out, able to guide the practitioner to become a true immortal and rise to Taiqing (the highest heavenly realm in Daoism). Although it follows a different path from another Golden Liquid Returned Elixir known as “creating something from nothing,” the effects are the same. This method is called a simple yet exquisite gateway within the Ultimate Dao, a rare immortal formula seldom found in the world.

The Immortal Elder says that when transmitting this method one should choose an auspicious day of flourishing correspondence, first fast and bathe, then set up a ritual altar, placing the spirit tablet of the Most High (Taishang, an honorific for the supreme deity in Daoism) upon the water in a place rarely visited by people. Incense is then burned and a report made, declaring the wish to transmit the Dao of longevity and to pass this method to so-and-so (a designation for the recipient).

The Immortal Elder said: When transmitting the methods of the Dao (the Way), choose an auspicious day of wangxiang flourishing correspondence. First fast and purify, then bathe, set up an altar, and place a seat for the Shen (spirit) tablet of the Most High upon the water’s surface in a location without people. Burn incense and report that one wishes to transmit the Dao of longevity to a certain person; next place the elixir Jing (scripture/classic) and the covenant tokens upon the table as proof of the oath, arrange the Shen tablet to indicate that the Dao is now to be received, then face north and prostrate on the ground for a time. If the weather is clear and windless, the method may be received. Master and disciple together drink the blood of a white rooster to swear the oath, after which the tokens are cast into the water.

Among the myriad people of the world, those without immortal affinity will never behold this way of the inner and outer Golden Fluid Reverted Elixir (jinye huandan, a Daoist alchemical term related to the Golden Elixir). Thus my teacher said that in one generation those who obtain this method number no more than two or three. He also said that within the eight directions, how many know this secret? It is difficult to hear of, those who truly obtain it are few, and it may be transmitted only after an oath. The medicine of the long-lived immortals is extremely mysterious and precious, not to be given lightly even if worth ten thousand gold, and must go to a person of worthy De (Virtue/Power). The transmitter must pass it to only one person within a hundred years, swearing with blood before it may continue. If one violates the promise to the Perfected Person and leaks the secret method, the Celestial Emperor sends down punishment, forever cutting off the path of cultivating immortality. The Immortal Capital of Great Mystery confuses the mind and Shen of the oath-taker; if one thereby fails and dies, the Immortal Lord has made the Shen dull and the learning unsuccessful. The Great Director of Records of the Three Heavens reduces the lifespan, the Director of Destinies reduces the years, causing undertakings to fail, with punishment in the Metropolis of Great Mystery.

The Immortal Elder said: Those who wish to refine and compound the divine elixir should go to deep mountains and great marshes or to remote empty places without human traces. If one refines it among crowds, lifespan and years are reduced, undertakings fail, and punishment follows in the Metropolis of Great Mystery.

The Immortal Elder further said: Those who wish to refine and compound the divine elixir should go to deep mountains and great marshes or to remote empty places without human traces. If refining among people, enclose the site with high walls and thick barriers so that it cannot be seen from inside or outside; this too is permissible. Companions should not exceed two or three. Before refining, first fast and purify for seven days, bathe with five kinds of aromatic substances, and maintain purity of Jing (essence) and cleanliness; do not associate with those from households with pollution, mourning, or marriage affairs.

The Immortal Elder said: If one wishes to purchase the medicines for refining the spirit elixir (the drugs used in Daoist alchemy), one must first fast for seven days; bathe on zi and chou days, and buy them on a zhi day. One should sit in the direction of the monthly De (Virtue/Power, an auspicious direction according to the arts of selecting auspicious days) and not dispute the price with others.

The Mysterious Woman said: The fifth day of the fifth month is the most auspicious for refining the medicine, and the seventh day of the seventh month may also serve as a starting point. Jiazi days, Dingsi days, together with kai days and chu days, are suitable for the work of refining; Jiashen, Yisi, and Yimao days come next. The following days must be avoided when refining the medicine: Wuchen and Jisi days in spring; Dingsi, Wushen, Renchen, and Jiwei days in summer; Wuxu, Xinhai, and Gengzi days in autumn; Wuyin, Jiwei, Guimao, and Guiyou days in winter. Moreover, days of monthly sha, zhi tianji, the four meng, collection in the zhong and ji months, as well as Renwu, Bingxu, Guihai, Xinsi days, yuejian days, and the first and fifteenth of each month, are all inauspicious and must not be used to light the fire and compound the spirit elixir.

In the process of refining the medicine one must be cautious, avoiding association with the foolish people of the world and not allowing jealous, talkative, quarrelsome individuals or those who do not believe in the Dao (the Way) to learn of the matter; otherwise the spirit elixir will not succeed. Once the spirit elixir is completed, the person can become a Zhenren (one who has attained the Dao), able to ascend to heaven or enter the depths, with transformations beyond prediction, and even the entire family may become immortals, far more than a single person.

Worldly people begrudge their wealth and refuse to refine the elixir, placing their trust instead in medicines of plants and trees. Yet plants and trees buried in the soil will decay, boiled they will rot, burned they will scorch; unable even to preserve themselves, how could they grant a person immortality? Medicines of plants and trees can cure illness and replenish Qi (vital energy) and strength, but they cannot deliver a person from death. The returned elixir (Huandan, the refining of the elixir in quest of returning to the origin and recovering the true) is the crucial key to the ultimate Dao, and is not something ordinary mortals commonly have the chance to hear.

Among Heaven and Earth, human beings are the most precious. A person's lifespan is limited, and aging soon brings death; only by being skilled in nourishment and regulation can life be preserved. Life is worth cherishing, and death is to be feared. Therefore, what Daoists most treasure and most secretly transmit is nothing that surpasses the methods of longevity; and among the methods of seeking longevity, nothing surpasses the Way (Dao) of the Divine Elixir (the cultivation method of refining the Divine Elixir in order to attain longevity). If this path could not enable people to live long, then from ancient times there would never have been any cases of longevity. Life is held in one's own hands, and the benefits gained are indeed great. In terms of nobility, even being enfeoffed as a duke or marquis cannot compare with longevity; in terms of weight, even being granted a fief does not equal a hundred years of life.

Human life amounts to no more than some thirty thousand days. In childhood one is ignorant and unaware; in old age even pleasures become dull and flavorless. After subtracting childhood and old age, the days when body and mind are at peace and one can laugh number only eight or nine thousand, passing in the blink of an eye like a flash of lightning. Nowadays those who can live to a hundred years are fewer than one in ten thousand; even those who reach a hundred are often troubled by worries. Therefore, superior cultivators of the Dao first devote their efforts to the matter of longevity. Once this is accomplished, one may do as one pleases: it is not necessary to undergo feathered transformation (attaining the Dao, becoming an immortal, and ascending in flight); one may also remain in the human world to enjoy life, living as long as Pengzu or enjoying high longevity like Shaojun. One can still raise a wife and children, hold official office, without violating the order of human ethics, and without losing the pleasures of worldly life—this is truly a fine thing.

The human body is easily harmed yet difficult to nourish; the causes of damage to the body are not of one kind only. Excessive restraint and depletion of the body, violent agitation of body and mind, will cause the Shen (spirit) to become anxious; frequent expenditure of Jing (essence) and energy will also weaken the Qi (vital energy) and blood. Body and mind are subjected to torment, the harmonious state is injured; improper diet, excessive labor, plus facing the wind or lying on damp ground, and illness may then break out from the depths of the body. Only at that point does one entrust one's life to herbs and plants as medicine, or place hope in sacrifices and prayers for aid—this is like digging a well on a height to quench thirst, or excavating a pit in rocky ground to seek food. What can herbs and plants remedy? How can the power of ghosts and spirits save one?

If life and destiny could truly be prolonged by herbs and plants, and if illness could truly be eliminated by sacrifices, then physicians would all attain longevity, and shamans would never fall ill. Therefore the Jing (scripture) says that nourishing life does not lie in sacrificing to ghosts and spirits, nor in repeatedly making oaths and prayers; the crucial point lies in the Divine Elixir. To understand this path is not easy, and truly to cultivate it is even harder. Those who study the Dao often start out few and retreat in great numbers; many compete to claim they know it, but those who can persist to the end are few. It is like digging a well yet not reaching the spring, ending only as a dry well. The Way of longevity is rare to hear of, yet even rarer is to put it into practice after hearing it; and after practicing it, rarer still is to persist to the end. Without the highest powers of discernment, one cannot see it clearly; without the greatest diligence, one cannot complete the learning.

If the Way of longevity were easy to obtain, Emperor Wu of the Han would already have obtained it when he encountered Shaojun; if it were easy to comprehend, Liu Xiang (the Han dynasty scholar) would already have comprehended it when he consulted the Zhenzhongshu (Pillow Book). The Yellow Emperor once climbed Kongtong Mountain to seek the Great Dao, while Yu of the Xia sealed the golden slips recording the methods of the Dao within a jade casket. Some, after their merit was accomplished, ascended in flight; some, after the Dao was completed, became immortals and departed. These events all have old accounts and records, and the longevity methods transmitted by earlier generations of Dao cultivators indeed have their origins. If one does not apply oneself with concentrated diligence, and only studies various heterodox miscellaneous arts, it will ultimately be of no benefit. The opportunity to cultivate the Dao must not be missed, and one cannot procrastinate; among all activities in the human world, only longevity is most worthy of being valued. Once the Divine Elixir is refined to completion, one can endure as long as Heaven and Earth.

The Immortal Elder said: When people of the world refine lingsha (the elixir produced from cinnabar), they ordinarily first extract mercury from the cinnabar, then blend in sulfur, compounding them in a ratio of two to eight to produce lingsha. After lingsha has undergone one turn (a single cycle of refinement), those who have achieved accomplishment in cultivation may ingest it and thereby communicate with the numinous, which is why it is called “lingsha”; ordinary people who take it can be cured of various diseases. If it is refined through nine turns, it is called the Returned Elixir (huandan). When it is refined according to the method and ingested, one can also transform the physical form and ascend in flight as an immortal. Sulfur belongs to Fire and is called “Fire Conveyance”; when it interacts with the qi (vital energy) of the sun, this elixir is generated.

Cinnabar is pure in color and belongs to the color of the south. It gathers the true jing (essence) of the sun and contains the most marvelous power between heaven and earth, ranking among the highest grade of immortal medicines. Cinnabar contains sulfur and mercury within; only when it is refined through nine turns according to the immortal formula does it become true lingsha. After a practitioner ingests it, it is said that before long they can ascend as an immortal, flying up to Taiqing (Grand Purity, the highest heaven spoken of in Daoism); its efficacy is beyond words.

Secret Formula of the Taiyi Heart Elixir of the Upper Cavern

According to the Bencao (Materia Medica), cinnabar is sweet in flavor, slightly cold in nature, and non-toxic. It is primarily used to treat various illnesses of the five viscera, nourish the shen (spirit), stabilize the hun and po souls, increase primordial qi, improve vision, and open the blood vessels. It can also relieve vexation and wasting-thirst, replenish jing-qi (essence and vital energy), moisten the complexion, and expel evil spirits and malicious ghosts. It treats being struck by evil, intestinal pain, toxic qi, scabies, and various sores. Taken over a long period, it is said to enable one to communicate with the divine, confer agelessness and lightness of body, and ultimately become an immortal.

According to the recipes of the immortals, the “Huan Dan Jin Ye” (Returned Elixir Golden Liquid, a medicinal pill from Daoist alchemy) is refined. After it is ingested, the “Three Corpses and Nine Worms” (sanshi jiuchong, which Daoists hold dwell within the human body and impede cultivation) in the abdomen perish, and all the various diseases of the body are cured. White hair turns black once more, fallen teeth grow anew, and a person can revert to youth, extend years without dying; upon attaining immortality one can further slough off the old body, alter one’s form, and at high noon leave no shadow upon the ground.

Taken for the first time, it grants a lifespan of one hundred years. With each successive zhuan (stage of refining or ingestion), longevity increases gradually: three zhuan yield three hundred years, five zhuan five hundred years, seven zhuan one thousand years. When the nine-zhuan elixir is achieved and the merits of cultivation are complete, ingesting it enables one to fly up and become a xian (immortal). In the past Li Shaojun is reported to have lived several hundred years; Yin Changsheng lived four hundred years and still traveled the commanderies accompanied by his wife and children. In ancient times more than eighty families ascended as entire households after cultivation, while those who rose into the sky in broad daylight are beyond counting. Such statements have long been corroborated by numerous proofs.

The Xianfang says: In all cases when one first compounds the medicine and kindles the fire, a sacrifice must be set out beside the furnace. The offerings comprise five sheng of superior white wine, three jin each of dried beef and dried mutton, three sheng of yellow-millet rice, three sheng of large jujubes, one dou of pears, thirty boiled eggs, and three carp each of three jin. The offerings are distributed upon three offering tables, two bowls on each.

At the sacrifice one bows twice and utters the prayer: “This humble minor omen servant so-and-so sincerely reveres the Great Dao Lord, Lord Lao and the Lord of Great Harmony. This humble minor omen servant so-and-so single-mindedly clings to life and delights in the Great Dao, repeatedly refining the divine elixir, and earnestly begs the various divine lords to grant protection so that while the elixir is being refined it neither flies away nor suffers loss but can all be fire-subdued and brought to completion. May the medicines be properly refined, able to transform at will, and every metal be subdued and transmuted. After taking the elixir one attains immortality, presents oneself at the Purple Palace (the abode of the Heavenly Emperor), enjoys endless life and becomes a Zhenren (True Person).”

Thereupon the wine rite is performed; one rises and bows again. When the rite is finished, oranges, pomelos and other red fruits together with trees are further offered. After these ceremonies have been completed, one proceeds to compound the medicine and kindle the fire according to the prescribed method.

Xin Dan

Superior-grade cinnabar should be selected for its bright scarlet color and crystalline brilliance, in pieces roughly the size of a bean stalk. The quantity need not be fixed; another view holds that preparing about one and a half jin is sufficient.

Boil the cinnabar with “rootless grass” (that is, purple-backed duckweed). Proportion the duckweed according to the weight of the cinnabar and decoct it into a concentrated liquid, using enough water to soak the cinnabar for fourteen days. Soak the cinnabar in this medicinal water for fourteen days, warming the herbs and the liquid each morning before continuing the soak. Throughout this period use only the originally decocted liquid and do not add water. When the allotted days are complete, discard the liquid, sun-dry the cinnabar, and place it in the “spirit chamber” (shenshi), a vessel for holding the medicinal substance.

To make the spirit chamber, take eight fine eggshells, soak them in vinegar, lightly scrape away the outer skin, and open a small hole at the top about the size of a little fingernail. Slowly pour out the white and the yolk, then wash the shells and drain them dry. Next grind superior capital ink (ink produced in the capital) into a thick ink, pour it into the eggshells, and rotate them so that both interior and exterior are evenly stained black; then dry them over a gentle fire. If the color is not sufficiently black, repeat the inking and drying as before; three coats are especially good. This is the so-called “Kunjian paper method.” Select four of the better-quality eggshells to contain the medicine and use the remainder as lids. With a cobbler’s needle, pierce seven holes evenly around each of the four medicine-holding shells, symbolizing the seven orifices of the heart. Coat the four eggshell lids with ink in the same way. Eggshells are originally white; according to the scripture, white is unsuitable for housing the spirit (Shen). Only after they have been dyed black do they become fit for storing it, and for this reason they are called the “spirit chamber.”

Finally, set the spirit chamber upon incense, fumigate it with precious and pure incense, and perform the rites of prayer, blessing, incense-burning, and invocation.

First place the spirit chamber (the vessel for holding the elixir) upon incense and fumigate it with precious incense while offering prayers and vows to express reverence. After the incense has been burned, perform the bows again as previously described. Once the incense smoke has filled the spirit chamber, pack cinnabar into it, making sure it is completely full; if it is not filled to capacity, the fire’s power will be insufficient. After packing, coat both the outer side of the spirit chamber’s mouth and the inner side of the lid with egg white, cover it tightly, and then seal it with the medicinal materials described later. All four spirit chambers are filled with medicine and covered according to this same method.

The method for preparing the Jade Lung Medicine used to seal the spirit chamber is as follows. The formula states that beneath the cinnabar there is a white substance, and upon this white substance there is a white “jade favorite” (a jade-like appendage). The medicinal materials used for sealing the spirit chamber and for making the seed-earth vessel are all white and shaped like the jade-like part next to the cinnabar; this relationship resembles how the pericardium envelops the heart in the human body. Crush lime into powder, sieve it finely, and soak it in very sour fermented liquid for seven days. Pour off the water, dry it in the sun, and crush it into fine powder again. Take half a catty of clean lime and half a catty of raw pishi, crush them separately and sieve them into fine powders. Mix these two materials with water decocted from alum and use the mixture to seal the spirit chamber. After the sealing is completed, place it into the Five Phases Jade Vessel (a container prepared according to the Five Phases method).

The method for making the Five Phases Jade Vessel is as follows. This jade vessel symbolizes the jade favorite. Take five catties of pishi, break it into small pieces, and wrap it in paper bags and silk cloth. Then take half a catty of processed niter, a small amount of salt residue, and one tael of crude niter, and mix these three materials in concentrated vinegar. Suspend the wrapped pishi in the vinegar and boil it for seven days; approximately five or six bottles of vinegar are required for the boiling. After seven days, remove the pishi and dry it in the sun. Separately take two taels of processed niter. To prepare processed niter, combine two catties of soapberry pods with each catty of niter and calcine it over a fierce fire so that the niter loses its original activity. Then take two taels of refined material and two taels of processed sand.

Combine the aforementioned Jade Casket medicines (the medicinal materials used for elixir refinement) totaling five jin and six liang, and pound them into a fine powder. Take a sand pot large enough to contain the materials to serve as the “earth cauldron” (tufu); first place a scoop of Xuanjingshi (a mineral material used in elixir refinement) at the bottom of the pot, then load four portions of the Jade Casket medicine and spread it evenly. Place the four “spirit chambers” (shenshi, the small chambers arranged within the elixir-refining vessel) in the center and cover them with Jade Casket medicine. Once filled, pack the remaining spaces with Xuanjingshi and seal the mouth of the pot with mud, then cover it tightly with a porcelain dish, taking care that the seal is complete and no gaps remain, lest the fire timing be affected. Bind it securely with eight iron wires and twist the excess wire into a knot about two fingers high. Next apply a thin layer of mud about one fen thick to encase and protect the porcelain dish and the iron wires. When this is finished, place the vessel in the ash furnace to be warmed and nourished by fire.

The Five-Five Zhou Tian Fire Method. The oral formula states that ten months constitute one stage, symbolizing the gestation of the fetus in the womb. The latter five months belong to the earth number, so five times five yields twenty-five, representing the fullness of earth qi. In the refining process the fire for the first ten months uses one liang four qian; the following ten months uses one liang six qian; and the final five months uses two liang one qian.

After the Zhou Tian fire cycle is complete, proceed to supplement the fire, making up only for the days lacking in the short months, because those days correspond to the period of one lunar revolution.

The Fire Supplementation Method. This is carried out in a flat-bottomed ash furnace. Replace the support with an iron frame and set the elixir cauldron upon it, the frame legs four cun high. For the morning fire use seven qian per strand, three strands totaling two liang one qian, and apply the fire when the frame legs stand three cun high. For the evening fire use eight qian per strand, three strands totaling two liang four qian. Raise the elixir cauldron to a height of four cun so that the flying fire stands level with the upper iron wires.

The Fire Strand Method.

Use iron wire to make six mesh boxes, used separately in the morning and evening. Each mesh box measures one cun in width and one and a half cun in length, and is fitted with a lid. Each time a new mesh box is inserted, the old one is removed; overnight fire must not be retained for further use.

Fire is added according to the prescribed supplementary months and number of days. Once the fire has reached the proper intensity, the furnace is opened and the elixir kettle (the vessel used in refining the elixir) is taken out. The iron wires are cut, the porcelain dish is moved aside, and the four divine chambers (containers in which the elixir is placed) are removed. The divine chambers are then sawn open to extract the cinnabar inside. These chambers are ordinarily as hard as porcelain tiles and very difficult to saw. First a semicircular hollow is carved in a piece of wood, just large enough to hold half of a divine chamber; the chamber is then set in place, pressed down gently to stabilize it, and sawn slowly back and forth. After the cinnabar has been taken out, it is bathed in medicinal water so that the elixir fire may recover its activity and its original Qi (yuanqi) may be nourished.

Bathing the Elixir and Replenishing Qi Medicinal Water Method

Take one liang of dried mountain grape seeds; if fresh seeds are used, take four liang and pound them to extract the juice. Add four liang each of rock oil and camphor oil, mix thoroughly with the grape juice, and take a little more than half a bowl. Heat the medicinal water and pour it into water; the water will boil. When the sound of boiling ceases, allow it to cool, then take it out for testing the elixir.

Testing the Elixir Method

Take one liang of red copper, place it in a crucible and melt it into molten copper. Drop in half a qian of the elixir so that the copper is transformed. Next take a piece of crude niter (unprocessed saltpeter) about the size of a green plum and place it in the elixir-sulfur mixture. If sulfur is present, its vapor will turn the transmuted copper black. At this point take a piece of wall clay and stir it with tongs so that it absorbs the sulfur vapor, continuing until the copper liquid becomes clear and bright like water, then pour it out.

If the copper liquid is still not clear, add crude niter and wall clay again in the same manner until the liquid is clear, then pour it out. Eight parts of treasure of genuine, pure color are thereby obtained, and no further “mother” need be added. If transmutation reaches this degree, the spiritual efficacy of the elixir has already manifested; this is the Nine-Turn Elixir Mother. Although the elixir body possesses spiritual efficacy, it still must not be ingested. It may be used only as kui (a medicinal base for subsequent refining) in the further elevation and refinement of the Nine-Turn Elixir. Nor should it be used to transmute too many other substances, lest the elixir mother be wasted and the subsequent nine-turn work be hindered.

According to the formula books (texts that record medicinal recipes), copper can repair fractures in the human body. After ingesting medicines made from copper, the medicinal potency reaches the site of the fracture, making the bones as firm as if they had been reinforced with sinew and lacquer. Therefore, when refining the Nine-Turn Elixir, one must not use large amounts of copper as a transmuting agent, lest the elixir mother (the fundamental material of alchemy) be wasted in vain and the successful completion of the Nine-Turn Elixir be hindered.

On Testing the Elixir

According to the formula books, copper can repair human bone fractures. After taking copper-based medicines, the potency reaches the fracture site, making the bones as solid as if overlaid with sinew and coated with lacquer, even as hard as metal and stone. Using copper to test the elixir can transmute the copper into a supreme treasure. This may well be what the immortal formulas call the way of changing bones. If the medicines are gradually raised, refined, and transformed, then ingested after nine turns, the bones will probably transform into immortal bones as clear and cold as jade.

The Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Perfected One Says

There are three hundred and sixty kinds of jade and mineral medicines, with cinnabar (zhusha) ranked first among those of superior grade. The ancients regarded it as an important medicine for nourishing nature and life, cultivating immortality, and attaining longevity. The immortal formulas contain more than one method for refining and ingesting cinnabar: some use wine, some vinegar, some lacquer, some honey. As long as the method is appropriate, all of them can serve to nourish life, seek immortality without death, and become a divine immortal.

In general, after fire-subduing (refining with fire so that the nature of the medicine is transformed) to produce Golden Fluid, then refining through nine turns into the Returned Elixir, this is the most outstanding among all the methods. Ingesting this elixir, if one wishes to become an earthly immortal, one can enjoy a lifespan of tens of millions of years; if one wishes to become a divine immortal, one can pay homage to the Golden Mother (Queen Mother of the West), visit the Wood Duke (King of the East), receive the immortal registers and charts, ascend the Numinous Terrace, and live forever without dying. Ingesting this elixir can also change the bones to become immortal and fly aloft; if one wishes to become a heavenly immortal, one can roam freely at Yuluo Xiaotai and serve the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) in the Three Pure Realms (the immortal realms inhabited by the honored deities of Daoism).

Only those who possess immortal bones can encounter this method; only those of virtue can meet a true master. When encountering such a transmission, do not treat it lightly or with insult. If one does not fully observe the oral instructions, one will wastefully expend the furnace, cauldron, and materials, even invite condemnation, and finally die, departing from the mysterious path of the immortal Dao. This is a calamity one has brought upon oneself, so whom else can one blame?

There are three hundred and sixty kinds of plants in all, and Huangjing is ranked first among those of superior grade. It can nourish body and mind and sustain life; it is said to confer immortality, and is a numinous herb of the immortals. When one examines the properties of plants, metals, stones, and all things in the world, whatever is endowed with yin Qi (vital energy) contains poison and can cause death, while whatever is endowed with yang Qi (vital energy) can confer life. Huangjing grows on the southern face of mountains and receives the Jing (essence) of the sun; Gouwun (a poisonous plant) grows in the northern shade of mountains and receives the Qi of Taiyin, so it brings rapid death. Its toxicity is intense enough to sever the intestines and stomach inch by inch, and its yin poison is especially dreadful.

Cinnabar (dansha, or zhusha) receives the true Jing (essence) of the sun and the orthodox Qi of fire. Its color matches that of the sun and its efficacy is close to that of Huangjing; it is the quintessence of yang Qi, so what doubt can there be? The crow within the sun indicates that yin is also concealed there; the mercury within cinnabar likewise indicates that yin is concealed within it. After nine-turn refining it becomes the Jinye Huandan (the elixir produced by repeated refining), a purely yang substance. Where cinnabar is generated there is jade chong above and a jade forest below, revealing its preciousness in the creative transformations of nature.

From the Shangdong Xindan Jingjue, upper and middle volumes. Hand-recorded by a descendant of the Taiji Zhenren (True Person of the Supreme Ultimate). The Immortal Elder said: The preciousness of the Cantongqi (Daoist alchemy classic) may be seen precisely from this.

The Immortal Elder said: The Cantong qi states, “To plant grain one must use grain seeds; to hatch a chicken one must use a hen’s egg. Sparrows and swallows cannot produce a phoenix, nor can foxes and rabbits suckle a colt.” These few sentences have already fully articulated the principle.

Human beings, by according with the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases, form their physical bodies; by reversing the process in cultivation, they can become Perfected Persons. Only by observing the Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases does one know that the human body comes from this. Yet the most precious thing in the body is Shen (spirit). Shen manifests as heat in Heaven, as fire on Earth, and as the heart-spirit within the human body. The heart is the root of the Dao (the Way) and also the orthodox method upon which the cultivation of immortality is based.

Nowadays, taking cinnabar as the medicine and subjecting it to nine transmutations produces the “Golden Liquid Returned Elixir,” which is precisely the embodiment of this principle. If one can comprehend the principle therein, one cultivates the externally refined Returned Elixir and takes it according to the method; simultaneously, in internal cultivation, one seeks the Mysterious Pearl in the Vermilion Waters and coagulates the Returned Elixir within the Yellow Court, so that both Neidan (internal alchemy) and Waidan (external alchemy) are accomplished. After nine transformations, one can unite with the Dao and become authentic in an instant.

That which is refined internally is the Yin Elixir; that which is refined externally is the Yang Elixir. When the Yin Elixir is achieved, one can prolong one’s lifespan; when the Yang Elixir is achieved, one can ascend to Heaven. Therefore, those who cultivate the Dao, having obtained Neidan, are able to extend their years; only upon obtaining Waidan can they ascend to Heaven. If the Neidan has already been completed but the Waidan has not taken effect, or if the Waidan has already been accomplished while the Neidan is not yet cultivated, one cannot ascend to Heaven.

The “Three-Ones Nine Chambers” that I transmit is the essential secret of internal cultivation; the “Returned Elixir Golden Liquid” is the supreme method of external refinement. Diligent cultivation will lead to accomplishment. The disciple then kowtowed once more to receive the instruction and vowed to keep the secret throughout his life.

The Immortal Elder said: If one wishes for longevity, mere arduous self-cultivation will not suffice without obtaining the divine elixir and golden liquor, the numinous medicines of Daoist alchemy. Breathing techniques of exhalation and inhalation, daoyin exercises that guide and stretch the limbs, the expulsion of turbid Qi (vital energy) and inhalation of fresh Qi, together with the ingestion of herbal medicines, can only extend the lifespan and ultimately cannot prevent death. By ingesting the divine elixir, however, one may attain the Dao (the Way) and become an immortal, transcend the mundane world, coexist with heaven and earth, and shine together with the sun and moon. While seated one can see ten thousand li into the distance and can command ghosts and spirits. The entire family may ascend into the void, fly without wings, ride upon clouds and drive dragons, and travel back and forth within Taiqing (the clear and empty heavenly realm spoken of in Daoism). In the space of a moment one can journey to the farthest reaches of the eight directions, unhindered by rivers and unafraid of any poison.

As for herbal medicines, they too are said to enable one to ascend into the void, fly without wings, ride clouds and drive dragons, travel within Taiqing, roam the eight directions in an instant, remain unobstructed by rivers, and fear no hundred poisons.

Herbal medicines can treat diseases but cannot confer longevity. Medicines of metal and stone can help extend one's years and can also drive away various pathogenic Qi (vital energy). Herbs themselves are weak, brittle and soft, unable to endure long preservation: boiled they rot, buried they decay, burned they turn to ash, and left long they wither. If they themselves cannot remain firm, how can they make a person firm? If they themselves cannot survive long, how can they make a person live long?

Cinnabar (dansha, also called zhusha) is a marvelous type of stone, regarded as a superior medicine. Its grain is fine and dense, its color a lustrous red, its texture firm. Through long accumulation and transformation, the longer the time the more subtle the changes of refining become. It can volatilize and be ground into powder; it can also be refined into essence, congealed into a snow-like form, and further transformed into true mercury and the Returned Elixir (huandan, the elixir produced through refining). It can endure fire-refining and can also be transformed into liquid. Even if dissolved it need not be depleted; even if buried it need not be damaged. Its numinous mysteries are inexhaustible. Yet only by mastering the key methods can one possibly preserve life; improper methods will instead damage one's lifespan.

Some people, seeing that the Bencao states cinnabar is non-toxic, assume it will not harm people, yet they do not know that mercury issues from cinnabar and that mercury is highly toxic. Thus it is said that mercury is the Jing (essence) spirit of cinnabar, transformed from it. Since the mercury at the extremity is toxic, how could the source cinnabar be entirely without toxicity? Those of shallow knowledge have short sight; they do not ponder the great matters concerning the long-term of nature and life, and once an error occurs it cannot be recovered. Therefore the ancients were deeply wary of this, holding that to eliminate disaster one must start from the root; before refining the Great Elixir one must first boil and refine the cinnabar.

Although the various refining methods follow different paths, their purpose is the same: all are to make the medicine subdue fire (fuhuo, stabilize it through refining). Refining need not be constrained by a fixed number of days, nor should it limit a person's effort; this matter emphasizes patient nurturing and refining, and one should not be hasty for success.

Some, seeing that cinnabar is a stone, say that all stones turn to ash when burned, so how could cinnabar alone remain untransformed. They do not know that cinnabar is red yet produces white mercury; this change of color and form itself suffices to illustrate the principle of transformation. Refining cinnabar into Golden Liquid (jinye, the liquid medicine obtained from elixir-making) is like earth meeting water and becoming slurry. Gold lies at the mountain's foot, while cinnabar often abounds on the mountain; cinnabar continually transforms and ultimately reverts to gold, returning to its original substance, which is not strange.

In former times there was Li Shaojun of the Han dynasty, said to have lived several hundred years. He had no other abilities except using cinnabar to make the Returned Elixir, sometimes transforming the Returned Elixir into gold and making vessels of gold to hold food; he ate these foods to nourish the body, allowing the medicinal power to gradually permeate the intestines and stomach and circulate through the Qi and blood of the whole body, relying on the solidity of metal and stone to extend life. When serving Emperor Wu of Han he did not fully reveal the truth, presenting only methods of prayer, sacrifice and heterodox arts, without reporting the orthodox secrets of the Returned Elixir and Golden Liquid. Later summoned to court he died soon after, and Emperor Wu missed him because of this. From this one knows that the methods of transforming and refining cinnabar, as well as the marvelous uses of Golden Liquid and Returned Elixir, are said to enable a person not to age or die, and may be called the supreme Dao (the Way).

The Immortal Elder said: Once cinnabar has been repeatedly refined and formed into an elixir, it can not only be ingested in pursuit of longevity but can also be used for bathing, rendering one immune to the invasion of worldly diseases and making it difficult for all manner of calamities to inflict harm. This method derives from the secretly preserved hidden writings of the Jade Emperor (records kept secret and not publicly disclosed); they state that a person can become ageless and deathless—truly a most excellent method.

The Immortal Elder further said: The art of cycling and refining cinnabar is not limited to ingestion for the sake of longevity; it may likewise be employed for bathing. This method originates from the Jade Emperor’s secretly stored hidden texts, which people of the mundane world cannot possess. Unless one is a person whose fate has been endowed with immortal affinity, one will ultimately never see it. I leave behind this oral formula in order to inspire later generations of cultivators of the Dao (the Way). Those who obtain the oral formula must receive the teaching according to the established rules of transmission; they must not treat my admonitions lightly, nor pass the formula on to unsuitable persons. If it is given to someone who ought not receive the teaching, or if the recipient fails to meet the necessary conditions, the cultivation will not succeed; even after studying the immortal Dao through ten thousand kalpas, one will never achieve realization.

The scripture further states: When receiving a dharma formula, one must not leak it casually. Transmission of the teaching requires selection of a wangxiang day (an auspicious day suitable for action), the establishment of purification fasting, and the setting up of an altar. Master and disciple stand together before the altar, burning precious incense day and night, presenting memorials to the Celestial Emperor to pray for their wishes, and registering the names of the longevity medicines. The disciple should report: “I, so-and-so, have from childhood been devoted to the great Dao of longevity; throughout ten thousand kalpas I have constantly received the blessings of the Dao. Now, having been granted permission by sagely grace and further by the master’s compassionate kindness, I am allowed to receive this dharma formula. I dare not of my own accord consent to receive the teaching, and wish to report this matter in full to the August Lord.” The master should likewise report: “Disciple so-and-so seeks the Dao without cease day or night; I wish to transmit a certain dharma formula to him, but dare not decide on my own, and wish to report it in full to the August Lord.” In this way they sincerely perform the rites for seven days and seven nights. Afterward they burn incense, ascend the altar, swear an oath by drinking blood, and cast the separated golden rings into a rushing stream; then they request the master to transmit the Golden Elixir of the various spirits. If oral formulas, diagrams and registers, or similar materials are being transmitted, they too are handled according to the same ritual. Should the rules of transmission not be observed, neither the master’s nor the disciple’s cultivation will succeed. This is a secret formula belonging to the Golden Fluid Returned Elixir (the Neidan (internal alchemy) method of producing the Returned Elixir by means of Golden Fluid).

Master Huqiu said to Immortal Ge: “Your allotted destiny belongs to the immortal stars; your name is already recorded in the immortal registers, and in the future you will succeed to my lineage of the Dao (the Way). I therefore now transmit to you the formulas of the Golden Elixir (Jin Dan) along with the methods of cultivating immortality. You must cultivate and apply them according to these methods. If you wish to transmit this method, you must first confirm that the recipient is not a person of unstable resolve who covets worldly gain. In transmitting it, blood must be smeared, a ring divided, and an altar erected for the swearing of an oath; it must never be given casually to others. If it is transmitted to an unsuitable person, one’s own name will be struck from the register of blessings, and calamity will extend to one’s descendants. Be most cautious and do not transmit it rashly. This is a divine elixir secret formula of inestimable worth.”

The Secret Formula of the Nine Transformations of the Divine Immortals. The formula text states that whenever one refines a transforming elixir, a sacrificial rite must be performed before the alchemical furnace. The method of the sacrifice is given in the preceding text; the procedures for preparing the medicine, lighting the fire, and conducting the sacrifice remain the same for all nine transformations.

The Method of the First Transformation. The formula text states: for every liang of raw cinnabar (unprocessed cinnabar), four liang of fire-subdued cinnabar (cinnabar processed by fire methods) may be used to enclose and nourish it. The four liang of raw cinnabar used in the first transformation must be enclosed with one jin of fire-subdued cinnabar serving as the kui, that is, the material that surrounds and nourishes the raw cinnabar. When raw cinnabar encounters fire-subdued cinnabar it is like a cat encountering a mouse or a sheep encountering a tiger: it submits to the nature of the fire-subdued cinnabar and ceases to be restless.

Select three liang of cinnabar that is bright red in color and the size of soybeans, and soak it for seven days in Chongshan grape water. Soak it daily in warm water, then pour off the water and dry the cinnabar in the sun.

Fashion a box of talc whose walls are about three qian thick and which can hold more than twenty liang of material; the box may be made slightly larger. First spread a layer of processed cinnabar on the bottom, then a layer of raw cinnabar, alternating in this manner one layer of processed cinnabar and one layer of raw cinnabar. After filling, cover the uppermost layer with processed cinnabar and pack the box so that the cinnabar surface lies flush with the mouth. Place the lid so that the cinnabar presses tightly against it.

Seal the closed box firmly with mud. The ancient method used gypsum, which was difficult to open; mud sealing is easy to open. Because the cinnabar vessel (the container that holds the cinnabar for refining) has already undergone fire-subduing, the contents will not fly off even if left unsealed, so mud may be used. Following the ancient gypsum method is nevertheless preferable, provided the seal is opened slowly. Bind the box tightly with eight iron wires whose ends are twisted into a knot about two fingers high. The procedure is identical for all nine turns.

Method of Setting up the Furnace for Turning the Elixir

Make the furnace base of wooden boards, nail bamboo around the sides as a frame, and weave bamboo strips to form the body. The body is a straight cylinder, about one chi wide, with walls one cun thick, a mouth nine cun across, and a height of one chi one cun. An iron stand with legs three cun high is placed inside; the medicine box rests on the stand and is covered with ash to regulate the fire. The same furnace is used for every one of the nine turns.

Fire Timing of the First Turn: One Liang Four Qian

None of the nine-turn refinements requires additional fire midway. Each turn lasts twelve months. When the period is complete, open the vessel and remove four liang of cinnabar; the remaining one jin of the cinnabar vessel is unused. The resulting “numinous elixir of the first turn” may be used for transmutation or ingested according to the prescribed dosage.

Method of Ingesting the First-Turn Elixir

Grind one qian of “one-cycle fire-subdued cinnabar” into an extremely fine powder, add half a ge of milk from a woman whose firstborn is a son, and place the mixture in a silver cup. Set the silver cup in hot water and slowly cook it over a gentle fire until done; then add a little wheat flour, stir it into a paste, and roll it into pills the size of soybeans.

Make a small pan from bark paper, suspend it over a slow fire, and stir-fry with a small silver spatula for one shichen. While frying, the paper pan must not be burned through; if the paper scorches, quickly replace it with another paper pan and continue frying until the pills are dry. This is done in order to dry the pills by borrowing the power of fire.

When taking the medicine, swallow it with a decoction of ginseng. At the fifth watch, when day is about to break, stand facing east and ingest it. After about half a shichen the body will become extremely hot and the mouth dry, so nine large vats filled with water should be prepared beforehand. One should immediately sit in a water vat; if one still feels hot, move to another vat of cold water, and repeat in this way. If all nine vats of water have been warmed by the body’s heat, wait until the heat recedes and the body cools. After one day the skin will slough off entirely, and the beard, eyebrows, and hair will also fall out and then grow back; an old person will be restored to youth, like a cicada shedding its old shell. Repeated doses have different effects, as detailed in the Jing (scripture). If one possesses the Neidan (internal alchemy)—the elixir formed by cultivating the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) within the body—water is unnecessary; one need only wait until the heat recedes and the body cools. After one day the skin and hair will slough off and regenerate, restoring an old person to youth, like a cicada molting. Repeated administration yields various effects, as the Jing explains.

The commentary states that before taking this one-cycle elixir, one must truly resolve to seek immortality, harbor no doubts whatsoever in the heart, and have already achieved success in Neidan cultivation with abundant brain marrow; otherwise it must not be taken lightly. Those of restless temperament or a suspicious mind who take it will instead bring disaster upon themselves. The reason is that ordinary people have not cultivated Neidan, so their brain marrow is depleted and insufficient; after taking the elixir, the Jing and Qi of the bone marrow are damaged and the body becomes even more withered. If doubt remains in the heart, once heart-fire is aroused it will scorch the entire body like smoke and flame, beyond any rescue. Therefore, when the nine-cycle elixir is completed, an ordinary person who takes it will dissolve into fresh blood—can this statement not be believed? Although what is discussed here is the one-cycle elixir, those who take it must still be cautious. After ingesting the elixir one should also cultivate the essential methods of Neidan, sitting in meditation and jointly cultivating the inner and the outer, so that Neidan and Waidan (external alchemy) cooperate with each other and one attains chushen (a Daoist cultivation term for the departure of the Shen, or spirit, from the body). The methods are all here.

The secret methods of cultivating Neidan.

The Perfected One of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) said: The elixir chamber for refining the elixir must be kept clean, and precious incense should be burned frequently. The secret room should be sheltered from the wind, the light neither too bright nor too dark, and the arrangement of heights inside should be moderate. Strictly forbid all unclean and miscellaneous people from entering or leaving, such as the elderly and frail, the sick, those in mourning, the pregnant or those who have just given birth, those with body odor, those with incomplete limbs, the disabled and seriously ill, as well as monks and Daoists, idle people, women, and cats and dogs, none of whom should enter. It is best to select two punctual, intelligent, and sincere boys to attend. The existence of the elixir chamber should not be known to others, and one should not discuss practicing Neidan (internal alchemy), Waidan (external alchemy), or their methods with anyone. The scripture holds that if idle or unbelieving people learn of the cultivation, or if one speaks of it to them or practices in their presence, it will be impossible to achieve the immortal Dao.

Once the elixir chamber has been arranged, set up seats, tables, and a couch. The surface of the couch should be even so that the knees remain level; the pillow should be about four fingers high. The indoor dryness and humidity should be suitable, and the furnishings, clothing, and bedding should all be clean and laid thickly and softly. Food and drink, medicinal decoctions, tea, and wine should also be properly prepared, clean, and fully supplied. Strictly observe the taboos: avoid sexual intercourse and impurity, do not become intoxicated, overeat, or go hungry, and do not let joy, anger, worry, thoughts, or various wicked thoughts and delusions disturb the mind and spirit. Onions, garlic, and other strongly scented five pungents should also be abstained from. The scripture states that sexual intercourse and impurity will damage the elixir method and hinder cultivation, with consequences appearing very quickly.

Thereafter, one may sit quietly each day as one wishes, remaining in a state of joy. Body and mind should be fully relaxed and free of attachments: the inner mind remains undisturbed by the external world, and external things do not stir the mind. The mind should be like a bright, clean mirror that retains not a speck of dust, and also like clear water without the slightest turbidity.

Next, both hands form the grasping-firmness position (clenching the fists with the thumbs tucked inside the palms, traditionally used for seated meditation and regulating the breath), relaxing in the manner of an infant. The lips and teeth close gently, the tongue rests against the upper palate, and the breathing becomes fine, slow, and continuous. Direct the gaze inward to the tip of the nose, then follow inward from the nose tip to observe the navel. If one feels as though the pores throughout the body are leaping and stirring, producing a sensation of ease and pleasure resembling the delight of the union of male and female passions, this feeling may be taken as verification of the practice’s efficacy.

During practice one may sit cross-legged or with legs extended; one may sit, stand, walk, or lie down. The rising and falling of the breath remains the same in every posture, and the marvelous principle lies therein. When lying down, do not fall asleep, for once sleep is deep the Qi (vital energy) disperses. If one can remain without sleep day and night, that is best; if unable to do so, then sleep less and gradually reduce the amount of sleep.

Regular practice of embryonic breathing (taixi, a method of breath regulation and internal cultivation in Daoism) should be completed between the zi hour and the wu hour, and should not be carried out from the wu hour to the zi hour. The zi hour is approximately midnight, and the wu hour is approximately noon.

Regular practice of the “Taixi” (embryonic breathing) method, which regulates the breath to simulate the state of a fetus in the mother’s womb, should be completed between the zi hour and the wu hour and is not suitable between the wu hour and the zi hour. According to the ancients’ concept of Yin-Yang, the period from zi to wu is called the “six yangs,” when yang Qi (vital energy) grows; from wu to zi is called the “six yins,” when yin Qi increases, and practice at that time is held to bring no benefit.

When practicing Taixi one must abide in purity and stillness, concentrate the Shen (spirit) with undivided attention, close the nose, shut the eyes, and neither exhale nor inhale through the mouth, as if dwelling in the maternal womb. Beginners first inhale through the nose and mouth, then hold the breath, count silently to one hundred twenty in the mind, and afterwards exhale through the mouth. Neither inhalation nor exhalation should be audible to others, and one should strive to inhale more and exhale less. A goose feather may be placed on the nose, the standard being that it remains motionless upon exhalation. The silent count is gradually increased until, after long practice, it reaches one thousand.

The Jing (scripture) claims that once the method is accomplished it can restore youth to the aged and revive those on the point of death, and further enables one to evade epidemics, subdue snakes and tigers, pass in and out of water and fire, penetrate metal and stone, be free of hunger and thirst, prolong life and avoid death, and even blow Qi so as to reverse the flow of water and fire.

When practicing this method one should not eat much meat, raw vegetables, or rich, greasy, and savory foods; the Jing holds that these make the Qi overly abundant and thus difficult to hold. Anger must also be avoided, because anger disorders the Qi. The Jing regards these results as the verified efficacy of the Taixi method and enjoins disciples to treasure it. This is a cultivation technique transmitted orally from mouth to ear, not material ordinarily written in books; it must not be passed to unsuitable persons and should be kept in strict secrecy.

Subsequently, circulate the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) so that they ascend from the Weilu and Jiaji into the brain. The Weilu acupoint is located at the nineteenth vertebra, and the Jiaji is situated below the twelfth vertebra. When replenishing the brain, first tilt the head backward and tightly close the Dazhui acupoint (at the third vertebra on the nape of the neck) to prevent the Qi from passing through; then tightly close the Jiaji to prevent the Qi from passing through. The Dazhui acupoint is termed the “Upper Pass,” and the Jiaji acupoint the “Middle Pass.” Thereafter, gradually release them so that the Qi ascends together until the brain is completely filled. After the brain is full, the Elixir flows down from the Xuanying (an acupoint near the throat), possessing a sweet flavor and a fragrant aroma; at this moment the Neidan (internal alchemy) is accomplished.

After long periods of cultivation, certain confirmatory signs will appear: at times one feels as though the body is seated in the steaming heat of cooking rice, so intensely hot that it is difficult to endure, yet after a short while it somewhat abates; at other times the four limbs as well as the interior and exterior of the body become as cool and clear as ice, after which they return to a state of harmony. Upon reaching this stage, one should neither become alarmed nor cling to these sensations. Subsequently there are additional methods of practice, the exquisite details of which are to be transmitted in person by the master through oral formulas.

The method of entering Taixi (fetal breathing, a state of cultivation in which the respiration is deep and faint, resembling that of a fetus in the womb) is to apply the technique of “Returning Wind Mixing,” causing the Jing to unite with the Shen (spirit), the Shen to unite with the Qi, and the Qi to unite with the Zhen (the True), so that they mix and congeal into the Divine Elixir; after one hundred days the Elixir is formed. When one has cultivated the Neidan to the point that the brain is filled, one should practice the way of “Silently Paying Homage to the Supreme Lord in the Three Ones and Nine Chambers” (an inner liturgical method of silently visualizing and paying homage to the Supreme Lord). When the merit and practice are fully accomplished, one will receive a celestial decree, and the time of flying ascension will then be determined.

Second Transformation Method

After the Elixir has been accomplished, when cultivating the Neidan until the brain is filled, one should practice the way of “Silently Paying Homage to the Supreme Lord in the Three Ones and Nine Chambers.” When the merit and practice are fully accomplished, one will receive a celestial decree, and the time of flying ascension will then be determined.

Second Transformation Method

The oral formula states that the methods of immersion bathing, charging the medicinal ingredients, sealing and securing, the elixir furnace, as well as the procedures of the nine transformations, are all identical to those of the first transformation method and will not be explained item by item in what follows.

Take one liang of cinnabar and combine it with four liang of fire-subdued cinnabar obtained from the first transformation, then reload and refine it; the raw cinnabar and the processed cinnabar together amount to five liang. Employ a talc box capable of holding more than five liang of medicinal substances, fill it completely with the substances, seal it securely, and refine it in accordance with the fire timing.

The fire timing for the second transformation is one liang and six qian.

The fire timing for each transformation is calculated on the basis of three hundred and sixty days; this applies equally to all nine transformations and will not be restated later.

The foregoing second transformation employs yin numbers and is not to be ingested. The same holds for the fourth, sixth, and eighth transformations; subsequent transformations are to be treated accordingly.

Third Transformation Method

Take one liang, one qian and a half of cinnabar and combine it with five liang of fire-subdued cinnabar obtained from the third transformation, then refine it according to the established method; the raw cinnabar and the processed cinnabar together amount to six liang and two qian. Use a talc vessel. The procedures for all later transformations are the same as this one and will not be itemized again hereafter.

Take one liang and one and a half qian of cinnabar and combine it with five liang of fire-subdued cinnabar refined in the third turn. Process the mixture according to the prescribed method to obtain a total of six liang and two qian of raw and cooked cinnabar. Place this into a talc box large enough to hold more than six liang, two qian and a half, fill the box completely, and then seal it shut.

The fire for the third turn uses two liang and one qian of charcoal.

To take this third-turn divine elixir, follow the earlier method by mixing it with a man’s milk into a paste, forming pills the size of black beans, and swallowing them with ginseng decoction. The scripture states that after ingestion one may live to three hundred years, the yang Shen (spirit) can leave the body to travel, ranging across the four seas, associating with immortals, attended by jade maidens, and able to command ghosts and spirits. If used to transmute other substances it can be refined into Danyang, causing a person to change bones and shed the mortal shell; it may also be employed to refine mercury.

For the fourth turn, take one liang and five qian of cinnabar and add six liang, two qian and a half of fire-subdued cinnabar obtained from the third turn, making a total of seven liang and seven qian. Place this in a talc box that holds exactly seven liang and seven qian, fill it, seal it, and then heat it according to the fire regimen.

The fire for the fourth turn uses two liang and eight qian of charcoal.

The scripture notes that the elixir of the fourth turn is not taken internally but may still be used for transmutation.

For the fifth turn, take one liang and nine qian of cinnabar and add seven liang and seven qian of fire-subdued cinnabar refined in the fourth turn, totaling nine liang and six qian. Place this into a talc box large enough to hold more than nine liang and six qian, fill it completely, seal it, and heat it according to the fire.

The fire for the fifth turn uses one liang and eight qian of charcoal.

Take the five-turn spirit elixir described above, using the same method as before: form the true cream into pills the size of small beans and swallow them with a frankincense decoction. The scripture states that after taking it one may enjoy a lifespan of five hundred years, will not drown in water, will not be burned by fire, and both body and spirit will attain a wondrous state, being enrolled among the ranks of the immortal officials.

If this elixir is used to project upon one jin of fire-subdued cinnabar, it can transmute four liang of mercury; the resulting product is called the “Jade Trees of the Jasper Grove.” One may then take a portion of this jasper-grove mercury treasure and place it in the reaction vessel (the sealed container used for enclosing and refining elixirs) to continue nourishing cinnabar through further turns. This stage is called “Jade Grade.” It can be used to transmute mercury only once or twice at most; otherwise the elixir will be damaged.

Method of the Sixth Turn

Take two liang and four qian of cinnabar, then add nine liang and six qian of five-turn fire-subdued cinnabar, and load them into the vessel according to the prescribed method. Raw cinnabar and processed cinnabar together amount to twelve liang. Select a talc box with a capacity slightly greater than twelve liang, fill it, close the lid and seal it firmly, then heat and refine according to the method.

Fire phasing of the Sixth Turn: two liang eight qian.

The foregoing account of the sixth turn is the same as in the preceding text.

Method of the Seventh Turn

Take three liang of cinnabar and add six-turn fire-subdued cinnabar, raw cinnabar and processed cinnabar together amounting to twelve liang. Select a talc box with a capacity slightly greater than twelve liang, fill it, close the lid and seal it firmly, then heat and refine according to the method.

Fire phasing of the Sixth Turn: two liang eight qian.

The foregoing account of the sixth turn is the same as in the preceding text.

Method of the Seventh Turn

Take three liang of cinnabar and add twelve liang of six-turn fire-subdued cinnabar, place them in a talc box with a capacity slightly greater than fifteen liang, fill it, close the lid and seal it firmly, then heat and refine according to the method.

Fire phasing of the Seventh Turn: two liang one qian.

After the cinnabar has passed through seven turns, the scripture says it may be formed into pills with fermented wine, each pill the size of a bean, and taken with an aucklandia decoction. After taking it one may enjoy a lifespan of a thousand years; there is no need to enumerate all its effects one by one.

If copper coins, lead, or tin are placed in the reaction vessel and refined, they can all be transformed into superior white silver. If realgar, sulfur, calomel, arsenolite, or numinous cinnabar are placed in the reaction vessel, they too can all be fire-subdued without dispersing or being lost, and may be placed separately in different reaction vessels for continued refining. If the scattering powder is formed into pieces the size of beans, it is said that one liang of mercury can be congealed into silver; if the Three Yellows are introduced, red gold can be refined. The scripture cautions that these materials should not be expended casually; they should only be used to verify the efficacy of the elixir.

Method of the Eighth Turn

Take three liang and seven qian of cinnabar together with fifteen liang of cinnabar that has undergone the seventh cycle of fire-subduing treatment, and place them together into a vessel according to the prescribed method, for a combined total of eighteen liang seven qian of raw and processed cinnabar. Select a talc box whose capacity is slightly larger than eighteen liang seven qian, fill it completely, seal and tightly close it, then heat it according to the specified fire control.

The fire-control quantity for the eighth cycle is two liang. Take eighteen liang seven qian of the processed cinnabar and load it into a talc box of slightly greater capacity than this weight; after filling, sealing, and tightly closing, proceed with heating. The fire for the eighth cycle is two liang seven qian, following the same method as above.

For the ninth-cycle method, take four liang six qian of cinnabar together with eighteen liang seven qian of cinnabar that has been processed through the eighth cycle of fire-subduing, and according to the prescribed method place them into a talc box whose capacity is slightly larger than twenty-three liang three qian, loading the raw and processed cinnabar each as specified. Fill the box, seal and tightly close it, then heat it. The fire control for the ninth cycle is one liang six qian.

After the elixir has completed nine cycles it is also known as the Purple Golden Sprout. For ingestion it is formed into millet-sized pills using dragon paste, which here refers to dew collected from mulberry trees. One pill is taken at a time: first soak the pill in well-spring water for three days, then swallow it with water freshly drawn from the well.

When refining according to the nine-cycle method, the elixir is to be placed in the natal directional sector of the person who will consume it as well as the wangxiang directional sector. An altar field is set up in accordance with the scripture, a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) offering is performed, and purity together with fasting is maintained. Lingbao talismans are placed in the five directions, twelve spirit talismans at the chen positions, and eight numinous talismans in the eight directions, while the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Door are covered. After passing through the Floral Canopy and entering the midst of Yin, a Tianxin day and Tianxin hour are selected to place the elixir into the Nine Palaces. The compounder of the elixir watches over the furnace in the Central Palace, first determining the solar odd-combination and then seeking an opportunity to emerge from the palace. Once the elixir is completed, ingesting it in millet-sized amounts enables one to fly aloft and become a True Person. The scripture states that this method should be kept secret and not transmitted.

The scripture further says that if someone is about to die, placing one pill in the mouth and washing it down with water will restore life; animals that died in the sixth month, with this medicine inserted into the abdomen, will not decay even through the entire summer, and this is offered as proof of efficacy.

If the Nine-Times-Transmuted Divine Elixir is used to refine the Three Yellows Elixir intended for flying ascension, its efficacy is the same as that of the Yellow Emperor’s Nine Tripods Flying Elixir. When refining it, set up the altar according to the method given earlier and maintain ritual purity, then install a turtle-shaped furnace arranged according to the Nine Palaces and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The upper part of the furnace must correspond to celestial phenomena; the lower part must follow the configuration of the earth. Place the Three Yellows upon cinnabar, cover them with the heavenly disk, then apply fire above and water below to steam and refine the ingredients, causing the medicinal substances to volatilize; afterward sweep up the condensed Mysterious Frost. Swallow a single grain of this medicine the size of a millet seed, and purple clouds will arrive to accompany you, so that you fly aloft in an instant. If it is used to transmute physical substances, one grain of the medicine can turn five liang of dry mercury into gold. Having reached this stage, how could one still be bound by worldly profit? What is described here is the generative transforming power of the medicinal substances.

Next is the method for compounding the Golden Fluid Returned Elixir. According to the scripture (Jing), taking one liang enables one to ascend as an immortal. If for the time being one does not wish to leave the human world and only wishes to remain among people as an earthly immortal (an immortal who attains long life while dwelling in the world), then observe purification fasting for one hundred days and take half a liang, and transformation will take place.

After the Golden Fluid Returned Elixir has been compounded, according to what the scripture says, taking one liang enables one to ascend as an immortal. If for the time being one does not wish to leave the human world and only wishes to remain as an earthly immortal, then observe purification fasting for one hundred days and take half a liang; one will then live without dying, remain unharmed by all manner of disasters and poisons, and may also marry and have children. If one holds official office, one may act according to one’s own will without restriction. Later, should one wish to ascend to Heaven, observe purification fasting once more and continue taking the elixir until the cumulative amount reaches one liang, whereupon one may fly aloft. All who wish to ascend to Heaven must first abstain from grain and ordinary food for one year, and only then take the medicine. Furthermore, when the divine elixir and the great medicine are taken according to this method, following the number of days of ingestion prescribed by the scripture, the body will become light and rise to Heaven; if half the amount is taken, one may live without dying and become an earthly immortal. Of this there is no doubt.

Shangdong Xindan Jingjue (Scripture and Instructions of the Heart Elixir of the Upper Cavern), Middle Scroll

Shangdong Xindan Jingjue (Scripture and Instructions of the Heart Elixir of the Upper Cavern), Lower Scroll

Personally composed in his own hand by a successor-grandson of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) Perfected One.

The Huangdi Shengji Jing records that in the first year after the Yellow Emperor took the throne, on the yin month and yin day, he observed a purification fast at Shou Mountain. Fang Ming, Mu Li and others accompanied the Yellow Emperor to Juci Mountain to pay homage to Dayuan Jun. Dayuan Jun bestowed upon the Yellow Emperor twelve volumes of the Shenzhi Lingtu and nineteen chapters of the Jinyin Fang.

The Yellow Emperor later ascended Wangwu Mountain, opened a stone casket and withdrew a jade casket, obtaining the Nine Cauldrons Divine Elixir together with the method of refining elixir by means of flying snow and furnace fire. He also visited the August Person on Emei Mountain to inquire about the Dao (the Way) of the immortals. The August Person said: “Do you not know? Heaven possesses the Mysterious One, which is born of the right yang and is named Flowing Pearl; it is the gate of all wonders. Obtain it and cultivate it, and you may live long, ride the clouds and fly aloft, and present yourself at the court of the Jade Emperor.” The Yellow Emperor bowed in thanks and received the method. He then cast a golden cauldron at Jing Mountain, refined the Flowing Pearl Great Return Divine Elixir, and transmitted the method to later generations. Later the Yellow Emperor ingested the elixir at Dinghu and ascended; at that time there were seventy-two ministers, and those among them who ingested the divine elixir likewise rose to heaven with him.

The Yellow Emperor feared that the Dao of the Golden Elixir (jindan) would be lost, so he first transmitted it to Yuanzi and instructed him to pass it onward to later generations. He cautioned that this method of the Dao is of the utmost importance and must be given only to persons of worth and De (Virtue/Power); if transmitted to unsuitable people it would instead invite disaster. Later Yuanzi transmitted it to Shushanzi. Thenceforth the method of the Dao passed from the sagely and enlightened to the sagely and enlightened, from those of worth and De to those of worth and De, from the benevolent and generous to the benevolent and generous; those who attained the Dao became innumerable. Heaven cherishes humankind, yet if a person’s mind-nature does not accord with the Dao it remains extremely difficult in the end to complete the cultivation.

The Taishang Neidan Ge (Song of Supreme Internal Alchemy)

The Jing (essence) of true lead exists within chaos, earlier even than the appearance of heaven and earth. After chaos differentiates, the Four Images (the four basic states of Yin-Yang transformation) take form and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are established. The cultivator obtains the root of heaven and earth, lays the foundation of nature and life, attunes the self to the rhythms of cold and heat, and cultivates at ease in the Elixir Terrace (the realm or location of Neidan (internal alchemy) practice). After ten months the elixir matures, just as a fetus is born. Once this Mysterious Pearl (a metaphor for the inner elixir of Neidan) is obtained, the Shen (spirit) naturally descends.

The supreme and unsurpassed Dao (the Way) takes the preservation of true nature as its foundation, takes the three grades of principles as its criterion, takes “the One” as its measure, and takes uprightness as its De (Virtue/Power). Therefore, the refining of the golden liquid is regarded as a wondrous art. The realms of mystery, purity and stillness, and emptiness can all be attained by means of the Golden Talisman (a talismanic formula related to elixir refinement). The practitioner can travel through the Nine Darknesses (the deep netherworld), enter the realm of the underworld, come and go through the void above and below, and ascend by the power of the spirits.

Thereupon, the scriptures Taiqing Bafu Jing (Scripture of the Eight Talismans of Greatest Clarity), Taiqing Guantian Jing (Scripture of Observing Heaven of Greatest Clarity), Jiudu Jing (Scripture of the Nine Capitals), Shendan Jing (Scripture of the Divine Elixir), Jinye Jing (Scripture of the Golden Liquid), and others were transmitted to Xi, and the secret methods of eight refinements and nine circulations, the reverted elixir, and subduing the fire were conferred. These names point to the talismanic scriptures, elixir scriptures, and fire-timing formulas of elixir refinement; “subduing the fire” is a term for regulating the fire timing in the burning and refining of the elixir.

The oral formula says: The golden liquid reverted elixir, immortal blossoms and flowing pearls. Once accomplished, one can fly high among the rosy clouds and soar up to the celestial mounds. The yellow and red substances can soon be refined. When the male and female substances are mixed with pearls, they can transform and rise, and thereby one obtains the traveling kitchen (the miraculous ability of having food and drink supplied along the way).

This formula of practice concerns the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir (the Daoist method of ingesting and refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan), in pursuit of a return to the origin and recovery of authenticity). The scripture says that the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir is also called “Immortal Flower Flowing Pearl.” After ingesting it, one can soar among the clouds and mists and ascend to the heavenly realms. The yellow and red medicinal substances used in making the elixir can be prepared quickly; “male-and-female scattered pearls” is likewise a name for the elixir. After consuming it, one can rise into the void and transform, even obtaining “traveling provisions” (food and drink that accompany one wherever one goes). Numinous beings and jade maidens will roam together with the practitioner, entering and leaving the heavenly realms without obstruction, in harmony with the Dao (the Way) of Heaven. The essence of the elixir condenses like frost and enables one to ascend and descend in transformation. The practitioner should proceed with reverence and caution, and will in the end roam in the immortal capital. This is the essential formula of Golden Liquid cultivation.

The scripture further says that mercury, cinnabar, niter fluid, flowing pearls, and the like are used to refine the divine elixir. Upon taking one “knife-point” (an ancient implement for measuring extremely small amounts of medicine, also referring to a minute dose), one can soar to the heavenly palaces. Once the elixir is complete it can also be made into gold and used for eating vessels; in this way one can become a divine immortal. If one truly wishes to become an immortal, one should first ingest the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir and visualize and hold its Shen (spirit) (concentrating, by visualization and inner guarding, on the elixir’s Shen and Qi (vital energy)), and only then can one ascend to heaven and become a True Person.

If one does not ingest the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir, one can only endure suffering, afflicted by cold-dampness, pathogenic wind, and the attacks of ghosts and demons; even the Director of Destinies (the deity who governs human lifespan and fate) cannot save one. Those who cultivate the Dao should be diligent. In daily life one should take care to keep warm, eat somewhat less, regulate diet and daily routine according to bodily comfort, and guard emptiness and stillness. Upon reaching the state of vacuous nothingness and naturalness, ghosts and demons cannot inflict harm. When a person’s allotted lifespan comes to an end, they will still die of themselves, because if the body is not firm and is without Shen and Qi, they will, like the myriad things, gradually age, wither, decay, and die. The scripture concludes that if one brings calamity upon oneself, demonic specters will put one to the test, fierce beasts will injure people, and snakes and insects will bite and sting them.

In former times, the Daoist Zuo Yuanfang devoted himself to quiet cultivation on Mount Tianzhu and received a spiritual response in which a divine being descended and transmitted to him the Immortal Scripture of the Golden Elixir (Jindan xianjing). Later, amid the great chaos at the end of the Han dynasty, Zuo Yuanfang had no opportunity to refine elixirs and therefore took refuge in Jiangdong, resolving to seek famous mountains in which to cultivate the Dao (the Way). He first transmitted the Scripture of the Divine Elixir (Shendan jing) and related texts to his disciple Ge Xianweng, and then to his disciple Master Zheng.

Master Zheng’s household was poor and he lacked the funds to purchase the medicinal ingredients needed for elixir-making. Ge Hong, Master Zheng’s disciple, served his teacher with great diligence, and so an altar was established at Mount Maji. Master Zheng transmitted the elixir scriptures and various oral instructions to Ge Hong, saying: “I follow the admonition of my late teacher, Master Zuo: the divine elixir must not be refined in ordinary small mountains. Small mountains have no orthodox spirits; they teem with tree sprites and goblins, thousand-year-old creatures, and ghosts and demons that subsist on blood sacrifices. These beings carry heterodox Qi (vital energy) and give no thought to the practice and accumulated blessings of those who cultivate the Dao; they only seek every possible way to harm them.

“A cultivator of the Dao who has purified himself through fasting and ritual abstinence may still protect himself by means of techniques, yet ghosts and demons can nevertheless destroy the elixir being refined. Even now, when preparing the excellent medicines and fine ointments of physicians, one does not wish them to be seen by chickens, dogs, women, or children; once they have been seen, they may lose their efficacy in use. Dyed colored fabrics subjected to a malicious gaze will likewise fade. How much more, then, the great medicines employed by immortals for longevity? Ancient Daoists who compounded divine medicines always entered the remote, unfrequented regions of famous mountains and never remained in ordinary small hills; this is the reason.

“According to the immortal scriptures (xianjing), mountains suitable for concentrated quiet contemplation and the refining of immortal medicines include Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Huo, Mount Dan, Mount Songgao, Mount Shaoshi, Mount Taibai, Mount Zhongnan, and others. These mountains all contain orthodox spirits as well as earthly immortals, and they also produce zhi herbs that can help a person avoid great disasters; they are not merely suited to alchemy. If a person who has attained the Dao ascends such a mountain to cultivate, the mountain gods will certainly assist him and confer blessings upon him, and the immortal medicines he refines are certain to succeed.”

The larger a mountain, the stronger the spirits dwelling within it; the smaller the mountain, the relatively weaker those spirits. Anyone who enters the mountains without protective methods risks harm: one may fall ill, be seized by fright, or suffer puncture wounds; one may hear strange sounds, encounter abnormal events, or witness unusual visions; a great tree may topple without wind, rocks may fall for no reason, or, in a state of confusion, one may rush wildly and tumble into a gorge. Fierce beasts and venomous snakes may also injure people, so the mountains must never be entered lightly.

One should enter the mountains on days when the four seasons are vigorous and the heavenly stems and earthly branches stand in a mutually generating relationship, as these are regarded as relatively auspicious. When entering mountains lying in the direction governed by the Eastern Peak, avoid Jia, Yi, Yin, or Mao years or months; when entering those of the Southern Peak, avoid Bing, Ding, Si, or Wu years or months; for the Central Peak avoid Wu, Ji, Chen, Xu, Chou, or Wei years or months; for the Western Peak avoid Geng, Xin, Shen, or You years or months; for the Northern Peak avoid Ren, Gui, Hai, or Zi years or months. All mountains located in these peak directions observe the corresponding taboos by avoiding those years and months.

The Lingbao Jing (a Daoist scripture) states that one should choose “Protecting Days,” “Righteous Days,” or “Dedicated Days” for entering the mountains, considering them greatly auspicious; selecting “Controlling Days” or “Attacking Days” is believed to place one’s life in peril. “Protecting Days” are those on which the heavenly stem generates the earthly branch, for example Jiawu or Yisi; “Righteous Days” are those on which the earthly branch generates the heavenly stem, for example Renshen or Guiyou; “Controlling Days” are those on which the heavenly stem overcomes the earthly branch, for example Wuzi or Jihai; “Attacking Days” are those on which the earthly branch overcomes the heavenly stem, for example Jiashen or Yiyou; “Dedicated Days” are those on which heavenly stem and earthly branch belong to the same of the Five Phases and stand in mutual harmony, for example Jiayin or Yimao. These prescriptions rest on the generating and overcoming relationships among the stems and branches.

When entering a famous mountain one may choose a Jiazi day or an “Opening-and-Expelling Day,” cut five-colored silk into lengths of five cun each, hang them upon a rock, and pray for the fulfillment of one’s wishes. The scripture further states that one should enter famous mountains at the Gui hour, called “Heaven’s Heart Day,” in the belief that this enables one to attain the Dao, become an immortal, and transcend the mundane world.

Selecting auspicious days for entering the mountains includes Jiazi, Jiawu, Jiayin, Yihai, Yimao, Yisi, as well as Bing hours. These are called “Tianxin days” (Heaven’s Heart days, auspicious days suitable for entering the mountains to cultivate the Dao), and the scripture says that entering the mountains on these days one will surely attain the immortal Dao and transcend the mundane world.

There is another set of auspicious days for entering the mountains: Jiazi, Jiawu, Jiayin, Yihai, Yimao, Yisi, Bingxu, Bingwu, and Bingchen, all of which are days of great auspiciousness, said to allow one to cultivate the Dao safely and smoothly.

The inauspicious days in long months (thirty-day months) are the third, eleventh, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-fourth, twenty-sixth, and thirtieth; in short months (twenty-nine-day months) they are the first, fifth, thirteenth, sixteenth, and twenty-eighth. Entering the mountains on these days will subject one to tests by the mountain gods, making it difficult to realize what one seeks and hard for one’s undertakings to succeed. The scripture also says that these days are not only to be avoided by Daoists; ordinary people entering the mountains will likewise find them inauspicious and easily encounter tigers, wolves, and poisonous insects.

When entering the mountains one should also know the “Six Jia Secret Formula” (Liujia mijue, a method using the concepts of the Six Jia and other spirits to ward off evil). The nine-character true words mentioned in the scripture are: “Lin bing dou zhe jie zhen lie qian xing.” It is said that silently reciting these nine characters can drive away evil, constituting a simple yet important method.

In addition, there are monthly taboo days for entering the mountains: the Wu day of the first month, the Hai day of the second, the Jia day of the third, the Wu day of the fourth, the Xu day of the fifth, the Shen day of the sixth, the Jiazi day of the seventh, the Jiawu day of the eighth, the Yin day of the ninth, the Chen day of the tenth, the Yi day of the eleventh, and the Chou day of the twelfth. In the scripture, the months from the first to the tenth together with their taboo days are listed once again.

In high antiquity, people entering the mountains to refine elixirs and seek the Dao would first purify their body and mind, carrying the Sanhuang Wen (Writings of the Three Sovereigns, a legendary Daoist classic for summoning gods and driving away evil) and the Wuyue Zhenxing Tu (Charts of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains, diagrams depicting the topography of the Five Peaks used in Daoist cultivation). They would summon the mountain gods according to ritual, consult the registers of ghosts and spirits, and summon the local earth gods and the spirit officials of mountains and marshes to inquire about conditions. The scripture holds that thereby one can distinguish the strange phenomena in plants, trees, mountains, and rocks, as well as the spirits of mountains and rivers, so that they dare not come to disturb; various evil things will also hide themselves of their own accord. When the Yellow Emperor traveled eastward to Qingqiu, paid respects to Master Zifu and obtained the Sanhuang Wen, using it to summon the host of gods, this refers to just such a practice.

When entering the mountains to refine elixirs, if one wishes to avoid the various gods and ghosts in the shrines and temples of mountains and rivers, the most essential thing is to use Fulu (talismans and registers). The great medicines refined by the immortals also rely on the power of Fulu to drive away evil and provide protection. The scripture lastly mentions the relationship between talismanic methods and Laozi, but the relevant wording is incomplete in meaning.

When entering the mountains to refine elixirs, and wishing to avoid the hundred spirits and demons of the mountains, rivers, and temples, Fulu (talismans and registers) are the most important tool. Even the great medicines refined by immortals rely on the power of Fulu to drive off evil and guard them. The methods of Fulu are said to have been transmitted by Laozi to divine beings. Today, few people who use Fulu see them work. This is because many errors and omissions crept in during copying, and because the users' faith is not firm, so they apply the talismans in vain. Nevertheless, the key to seeking long life still lies in refining the elixir; one cannot become an immortal by Fulu alone. Yet Fulu must not be discarded, for they can drive off ghosts and ward off evil, providing step-by-step protection for the work of elixir refining.

Talisman for Entering Famous Mountains and Summoning the Lord of the High Mountain

Before using this talisman, one must fast for ten days in order to summon the Lord of the High Mountain (the spirit of the mountains), and to banish the threat of tigers and wolves. Write the talisman in cinnabar on silk one foot and two inches long. While writing, one must not stop the brush midway, nor speak. When finished, burn incense, and at night, in a quiet room, put on new clothes and summon the spirits according to the direction of the monthly establishment (the direction determined by the month).

When using the talisman, write the large characters on both sides of the chest, compose the mind, and concentrate on visualizing the form of the spirits within the talisman. At the same time, summon the Liujia Duty Officers (the divine generals of the Six Jia) and the Jade Maidens, and write down their names. Look up and contemplate their forms, then imagine yourself standing beyond the eight directions. Visualize the guardian spirit as five feet tall, dressed as described in the Liujia Jing (Scripture of the Six Jia).

This mountain-climbing talisman is said to have been used by the immortal Chen Anshi when he entered the mountains. On a jiayin day, he wrote the talisman on white silk, and at night, facing the Northern Dipper, made offerings of wine and dried meat and announced his own name. He then placed the talisman inside his collar to drive off evil spirits, the hundred ghosts, aged creatures that have become demons, tigers and wolves, and venomous insects. The talisman may also be placed on a table, facing the Northern Dipper.

There is another version of the talisman in which the strokes and dots differ slightly. The method of use is the same as above, and the effects are no different, so both forms of the talisman have been preserved.

This type of talisman (Fulu) should be drawn with cinnabar on silk. Each talisman is prepared separately and worn tied behind the elbow, men wearing it on the left and women on the right. It may also be drawn on a white silk ribbon and worn. One may likewise place one in each of the four directions of the dwelling. When relocating, someone should first be sent to take the talismans down. This is an extremely powerful spirit talisman and must not be transmitted casually.

This talisman is also used for climbing mountains and possesses the same efficacy as previously described. It is the Thirty-Nine True Secret Talismans of Lord Lao’s Yellow Court (Laojun Huangting Sanshijiu Zhen Mifu). It can likewise be drawn on a white silk ribbon for wearing, or one placed in each of the four directions of the residence. When moving, first have someone remove them. This spirit talisman must not be transmitted indiscriminately.

This talisman is used for mountain climbing, with the same efficacy as before. It is the “Thirty-Nine True Secret Talismans of Lord Lao’s Yellow Court.” It can drive away the hundred ghosts and is also employed in the refining of immortal medicines. When preparing medicines, one must choose a site deep in a famous mountain where neither people nor livestock come and go, dwelling amid rushing streams, massive rocks, and caves. If no caves are present, a chamber may be built in an uninhabited deep forest, provided it is near a water source. If the location fails to meet these conditions, divine medicines should not be refined there. In great mountains lacking swift currents, water that flows westward is also acceptable.

Once a dwelling has been selected in the mountains, the talisman may be written with cinnabar on cypress-wood boards so that it covers the entire surface of each board. The boards are then placed at the doorway and in the surrounding corners, as well as along the paths of daily travel, spaced fifty paces apart, in order to drive away all manner of spirits and goblins.

This talisman is used to avoid wolves and tigers. The method of making and relocating the wooden boards is the same as described above and may be used to drive away mountain spirits and goblins.

The scripture states that those who cultivate the Dao frequently move about in mountain forests, yet these forests are also the haunts of tigers, wolves, venomous snakes, and various spirits, goblins, and demons. Without strict precautions one may suffer harm, which would also impede the refining of medicines.

Talismans for Warding Off a Hundred Snakes and Repelling Tigers and Wolves

These two spirit seals are to be carved from the heartwood of jujube, two inches square. After carving, an offering is set out, two bows are performed together with a prayer of petition, and they are then worn; they are said to be highly effective.

This is the “Seal of Instruction of the Jade Maiden of the Yellow-Headed Vermilion Palace Simple Chamber,” which causes tigers and wolves not to dare approach and is also used to drive them away.

These two spirit seals should be carved from the heartwood of jujube wood, two inches square. After they are carved, a sacrifice is prepared, two bows are made with a prayer, and they are then worn; they are reported to be very efficacious.

This seal was conferred by the “Jade Maiden Slip Chamber of the Yellow-Headed Vermilion Palace” (the Jade Maiden Slip Chamber within the Yellow-Headed Vermilion Palace, or a reference to the dwelling of spirits). It can drive back tigers and wolves so that they dare not approach. One may also draw it as a talisman with cinnabar, swallow it, and then enter the mountains; it is said this will keep tigers and wolves at bay. It may likewise be used as a seal. This method also appears in the Yutai Jing (Jade Embryo Scripture).

This talisman can drive away ghosts. When refining medicines, hanging the talisman on all four sides can subdue every kind of ghost and sprite; it is said the effect is remarkable.

In one manuscript seven curved lines are drawn in the center of the talisman while the rest remains the same; it is unknown whether this is a copyist’s error.

This Mountain Dwelling Talisman is painted on a cypress-wood board and placed at the four corners of the door; it is said that tigers and wolves will then not come near.

The three talismans above are all written with cinnabar.

There is a manuscript of the “Tun Talisman” in which the lower part of the talisman is shaped like the character “tun.”

This Opening-the-Mountain Talisman uses the thousand-year-old lei (a plant legendary for driving away ghosts and subduing sprites) as the medium for presenting petitions to the spirits. It is one chi two cun in length; the talisman is then drawn upon it with cinnabar and placed over a large stone. It is said that the mountain gates of famous mountains will open, precious scrolls will appear, and gold and jade will become visible. The thousand-year-old lei is also called “Heavenly Compassion”; it is shaped like a mouse’s ear and can drive away ghosts and subdue evil sprites.

When constructing an elixir house (a building used for refining elixirs) in a secluded place deep in the mountains, bells should be hung at the four corners and ghost-expelling medicines and ghost-expelling talismans prepared and placed on all four sides before one may begin refining medicines. Otherwise ghosts and spirits will siphon away the essence of the medicines or cause them to change; therefore talismans must be used to suppress and ward them off.

The method of preparing the ghost-expelling medicine is to take bright cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, musk, aconite, white rice, ghost mortar, and ghost arrows, two portions of each, form them into honey pills, and carry them on one’s person.

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor obtained the elixir scriptures from the Mysterious Woman (Xuannü) and also consulted the August Person on “True Unity” (Zhenyi, the fundamental true Dao of Daoism). Therefore it is said that the only immortal formula for seeking longevity is the Golden Elixir (Jindan); if one wishes to preserve the physical form and ward off evil, the Way of True Unity is of the greatest importance, and the ancients especially valued it.

The immortal scriptures say: “The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir Scripture and the formula for Guarding the One are both stored within the Five Cities of Kunlun, kept in jade boxes, sealed with golden tablets, further sealed with purple fungus, and stamped with the Central Seal.” This was probably the method by which the sages of high antiquity treasured and secretly transmitted it. When bodily illnesses have not yet been cured, the divine elixir has not yet been refined, lifespan has not yet been stabilized, and evil spirits have not yet been expelled, the Way of Guarding the One cannot be unknown. Entering the mountains to cultivate Guarding the One, the hundred poisons dare not approach; there is no need to employ various other arts, for the hundred evils will recede of themselves.

Method of Constructing the Elixir Chamber

First select a quiet place in the deep mountains, beside water, or by a cliff, where no traces of humans or livestock are seen. Place talismans and registers (Fulu) and seals in front of the elixir chamber and the ritual altar. The elixir chamber is twelve paces in both width and length and one zhang four chi in height, with a door on the south side, and there must be water flowing eastward in front of the door. Arrange the interior according to the positions of “sun in the east, moon in the west,” and plaster both inside and outside with fragrant mud; affix one Master Elixir Talisman to each of the four walls. Inside the chamber, set up representations of the Five Sacred Peaks and the Three Terraces. Additionally construct a tiered altar beneath the west wall, placing various medicinal herbs, the catalog of divine elixir scriptures and formulas, and displaying the related items upon it. In this way the “Messenger of Living Medicines” will stand guard, and the myriad spirits cannot encroach.

Methods of Protection and Expelling Evil When Compounding the Elixir

Whenever one intends to compound and refine elixir medicines, first establish the elixir chamber in the mountains, then summon the mountain deities and inquire whether the site is suitable; only after obtaining permission may one proceed securely, and it is said that this way nothing will go amiss. The specific methods are listed below; all the methods described hereafter are the talisman techniques used by the immortal elders.

After ten days of fasting and purification, write the elixir talisman on yellow silk one chi in length in the mountains, summon the Lord of the Central Peak, explain that one intends to refine the divine elixir, and use the talisman characters to request the relevant protocols.

On the days when Laozi refined the divine elixir, write the talisman with cinnabar on white silk eight cun long, place it in a red pouch, and tie it in front of the chest. Those who wish to ingest the elixir should wear this talisman seven days in advance; it is said that this enables communication with the spirits and the ability to command them. This talisman is named the “Taiyi Eight-Cun Plain Talisman.”

Those who compound the elixir, upon ingesting this talisman, can open their heart-mind and Shen (spirit). When ingesting it, do not allow the talisman to become soiled or offended. Those who wish to ingest the elixir should welcome and ingest this talisman for seven consecutive days, after which they will be able to communicate with the numinous and command spirits. This talisman is named the “Taiyi Eight-Inch Plain Talisman.”

Those who compound the elixir, upon ingesting this talisman, can open their heart-mind and Shen (spirit); it must be treated properly and must not be soiled or desecrated.

When refining the Divine Elixir described in the Taiqing Divine Elixir Precious Jing (scripture), one must condense and refine the Eight Stones (the eight minerals used in alchemy), cause the Five Radiances and Seven Luminaries (symbolizing the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars) to appear, and use the Mysterious Official’s Precious Stabilizer (the ritual treasure that guards the place of elixir refinement) to restrain and control the Fire Spirit. After nine transmutations, the elixir condenses into Jing (essence) and ultimately ascends into Taiqing (the clear and luminous immortal realm spoken of in Daoism). When the prayer is completed, place the talisman in a cyan brocade pouch and tie it around the neck. This talisman can restrain the stone Jing (essences), prevent them from dispersing and fleeing, cause the frost Qi (vital energy) required for alchemy to become abundant, and the divine radiance to condense.

The “Talisman for Repelling Harm” is to be written with cinnabar on white paper, three inches in width and four inches in length, and thrown into the furnace, thereby suppressing the spirits. During the process of elixir refinement, one should frequently visualize the divine light descending upon the elixir materials, the various deities arriving, and the immortals and jade maidens appearing. In this manner, once the Divine Elixir is completed, the ghosts, demons, and malevolent influences of heaven and earth will be unable to harm the alchemist.

The Jing (scripture) states that those who wish to refine the Divine Elixir, transform the Five Stones, and produce the Five Metals must first pay homage to the Heavenly Sovereign Dao Lord and receive the Five Shen (spirit) Talismans. Thus the Five Stones and Five Metals will transform according to one’s will and vie to manifest their Jing (essences).

When performing the rite of the Green Emperor Talisman, one should choose a Jia day or Yi day, spread white thatch to form a mat three feet in length, then take a piece of cyan silk fabric one zhang and two chi in length and spread it upon the mat, preparing two cups of wine and two strips of dried meat. Using cyan silk as the writing surface, write the talisman in ink, two inches wide and seven inches long, and place it upon the mat. Then offer the prayer: “On this auspicious day and favorable hour, the humble omen-official, your servant so-and-so, bows twice and respectfully receives the Green Emperor Shen (spirit) Talisman of the Supreme Sovereign Dao Lord.” After the prayer, bow twice more, burn the talisman, and ingest it. A corresponding talisman diagram appears here; errors and omissions easily arise when copying it, so it must be carefully verified.

The ritual for the Red Emperor’s divine talisman is to be held on a Bing or Ding day. First spread a layer of white thatch three chi long, then cover it with a piece of deep crimson silk one zhang three chi in length, and prepare two cups of wine together with two pieces of dried meat. Write the talisman in cinnabar; it is two cun wide. Once written, place it on the grass mat and recite: “On this auspicious day and favorable hour, I, your humble servant the minor omen-bearer Xuan, kowtow twice and respectfully receive the Red Emperor’s divine talisman of the Supreme Sovereign Dao Lord.” Then kowtow once more, burn the talisman, and swallow it.

The ritual for the Yellow Emperor’s divine talisman is to be held on a Wu or Ji day. Use three chi of white thatch as a cushion, spread yellow silk over it, and prepare two cups of wine and two pieces of dried meat. Employ vermilion as the background color of the talisman and write its graphs in purple; the talisman is three cun wide and seven cun long. Place it on the mat and recite: “On this auspicious day and favorable hour, I, your humble servant the minor omen-bearer Xuan, kowtow twice and respectfully receive the Yellow Emperor’s divine talisman of the Supreme Sovereign Dao Lord.” Then kowtow again, burn the talisman, and ingest it.

The scripture next records the Yellow Emperor talisman method a second time: choose a Wu or Ji day, lay three chi of white thatch as a pad, cover it with yellow silk, and prepare two cups of wine and two pieces of dried meat; use vermilion as the ground and purple for the graphs, the talisman measuring three cun wide and seven cun long. Place it on the mat, recite the formula for receiving the talisman as before, kowtow again, burn it, and swallow it.

The talismanic graphs employed in the several methods above stand far apart from one another; taken together they actually form a single talisman and must be carefully collated.

The White Emperor’s divine talisman is performed on a Geng or Xin day. Use three chi of white thatch as a cushion, cover it with white silk, and prepare wine together with two pieces of dried meat. Use green as the background color and write the graphs in cinnabar; the talisman is seven cun long. After writing, place it on the pad and recite: “On this auspicious day and favorable hour, I, the omen-bearer your servant Xuan, kowtow twice and respectfully receive the White Emperor’s divine talisman of the Supreme Sovereign Dao Lord.” Then kowtow again, burn the talisman, and swallow it.

The Black Emperor’s divine talisman is held on a Ren or Gui day. Use three chi of white thatch as a cushion, cover it with black silk, and prepare wine and two pieces of dried meat. Use black as the background and write the graphs in cinnabar; the talisman is two cun wide and seven cun long. Place it on the pad and recite: “On this auspicious day and favorable hour, I, your humble servant the minor omen-bearer Xuan, kowtow twice and respectfully receive the Black Emperor’s divine talisman of the Supreme Sovereign Dao Lord…” Then kowtow again, burn the talisman, and ingest it.

The combinations Bing-Ding, Wu-Ji, Geng-Xin, and Ren-Gui select the ritual date according to the heavenly stems. Red, yellow, white, and black correspond respectively to the divine emperors in the cult of the Five Directions and Five Emperors. White thatch, silks, wine, and dried meat serve as the ritual offerings; “kowtow twice” means performing the obeisance twice; burning the talisman and swallowing it is the method of ingesting Fulu (talismans and registers) used in the rite.

After drawing the talisman, perform two further bows, then burn it and ingest it.

The Five Emperor Divine Talismans mentioned earlier, together with the four talismans that follow, contain the character “Xuan” written in their talismanic graphs; these mark the taboo name used by the Immortal Elder when he received the transmission. Two copies of each talisman must be prepared: one is burned and ingested, the other worn on the head. When practicing the arts of the “Bianhua jia” (Transformation School) and making ready to refine elixirs, these talismans are to be written ten days in advance.

The Great Elixir is the Jing (essence) of gold and fire, a treasure held dear by the Zhenren (Perfected Ones) who have attained the Dao. Ingesting it enables one to become a divine immortal, transform the physical form, live without aging, command the hundred spirits, and ascend to Taiqing (the high heavenly realm of Daoist teaching). Worldly people know only the chapter titles of the elixir Jing (scriptures) and remain ignorant of the taboos of compounding and refining; even if they obtain a formula they may still fail to produce it, and this is why.

Refining the Divine Elixir involves five avoidances, three prohibitions, four corruptions, and six fears. Should these taboos be violated, the Jing-Qi (essence and vital energy) of the elixir dissipates, its numinous florescence falls, its Shen (spirit) light sinks, and its frost-smoke is damaged; ingestion then brings no benefit, so the greatest caution is required. The Zhenren therefore asked what these taboos specifically are.

The Mysterious Master replied: “Among the five avoidances, the first is that compounding the ingredients and lighting the fire must not fall on a death day of the Five Stones. The death days of the Five Stones are the Renchen day in spring, the Guisi day in summer…”

The Xuan Master replied that there are five taboos in the refinement of elixirs. When compounding the medicines and lighting the fire for the alchemical work, one must not encounter the death days of the five stones, taboo days divided according to the seasons: the Renchen day in spring, the Guisi day in summer, the Bingxu day in autumn, and the Dingchou day in winter. The scriptures hold that using mineral drugs on these days causes the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) within the stones to decline; even if the medicines are combined, they confer no benefit. When purchasing or preparing the divine medicines, or discussing the matter of elixir refinement, one should avoid the birth days of the five evils: the Renyin day in spring, the Guisi day in summer, the Renshen day in autumn, and the Guihai day in winter. The texts state that if one enters the mountains to compound the divine medicines on these days, success is hard to achieve, the spirits withhold their protection, and evil ghosts moreover inflict damage. When entering famous mountains to refine the divine elixir or gather zhi herbs, one must avoid the injury and severance days of the five marchmounts: the Gengyin day in spring, the Guiwei day in summer, the Bingshen day in autumn, and the Dingchou day in winter. According to the scriptures, entering the mountains on these days allows the spirits to seize a person’s hun and po, damaging the elixir and also inviting illness and injury to the body. The furnace, cauldron, and sealing clay for the divine elixir should be prepared while avoiding the days when heaven opens and the earth breaks: the Bingxu and Bingchen days in spring, the Xinwei and Xinchou days in summer, the Renchen and Renxu days in autumn, and the Guiwei and Guichou days in winter. The scriptures say that making the elixir furnace and medicine cauldron on these days causes the elixir chamber to open of itself, the Jing-Qi of the stones to dissipate, and the elixir to spoil. In elixir refinement there are also days that men and women must each avoid: men taboo the third day of the seventh month and the Jiayin day of the seventh month; women taboo the seventh day of the first month and the Gengshen day of the first month. The scriptures call these four days the times when the stone Jing battles and unites with ghosts, holding that if one kindles the fire on these days, the elixir Jing cannot function, the spirits will not respond, evil ghosts will seize the opportunity to enter, and the result will be ominous failure. These are the so-called five taboos. Among the so-called three avoidances, the first taboo is that if one weeps during elixir refinement yet continues the work and lights the fire, the elixir Jing cannot take effect, the spirits will not respond, evil ghosts will enter, and the affair will likewise end in ominous failure.

There are three taboos in elixir refining. When compounding the elixir one cannot weep or be sorrowful, one cannot offend the “assassin-thief” names that the elixir taboos, and one cannot encounter inauspicious mourning, decline, filth, death or childbirth. Violating these taboos causes the stone Jing (essence) to congeal, the Five Flowers to lose their luster, and the refined elixir to become poisonous, so that ingesting it may be fatal. When the eight-stone elixir is being refined, if the alchemist weeps from inner sorrow or finds themself amid mourning or impurity, they cannot take part in elixir-furnace affairs.

In addition the elixir has taboos of the “assassin-thief evil ghosts” sort. On the day the elixir is compounded and the fire is lit one must carefully avoid the particular names mentioned in the scriptures and must not call them. If they are violated, it is said that ghost soldiers will burst in, the Shen furnace will shatter, and the Jing (essence) of the elixir will disperse.

Elixir refining has four causes of failure: the place lacks elixir Qi (vital energy) and is therefore not a numinous site; the Shen medicine is seen by a person of jealous heart and unkind gaze, which is said to bring ghostly misfortune; the companions are unsuitable; and one comes into contact with strongly odorous foods such as the five pungents or burns the hair of chickens and dogs. These are especially to be avoided when refining the eight stones.

Elixir refining further has six fears. At the beginning of sealing the medicine and lighting the fire one fears wind, rain, thunder and lightning; on the compounding day one fears hearing the sounds of summoning hun souls and calling po souls; two items are missing from the original text; one also fears hearing sorrowful weeping and seeing bloody or filthy things. The scripture regards hearing or meeting these as startling the Shen Jing (spirit essence) and injuring the ling Qi (numinous vital energy).

The Xianfang states that when ingesting the first elixir, the Nine-Turned Flowing Pearl (Liuzhu Jiuzhuan), together with the Elixir Flower (Danhua), one should choose the dawn of a Jiazi day, face the sun and bow twice, then kneel to swallow a dose the size of a millet grain or foxtail millet grain. After taking it one becomes a divine immortal and ascends to the Nine Heavens. Ingesting only half a grain of that size produces an earthly immortal: fire cannot burn one, water cannot drown one, no calamity can harm one, and weapons cannot injure the body. One may transform at will, come and go without obstruction, command ghosts and spirits, and live as long as Heaven and Earth. If one wishes to leave the human world, another half-grain dose brings immediate ascent to Heaven.

To deliver ordinary people, swallowing a dose the size of a small bean enables immortal ascent that very day; half a small bean yields an earthly immortal. Given to the six domestic animals in a dose the size of a soybean, they immediately ascend to Heaven. Thus a crow that obtains the elixir becomes a phoenix, a beast becomes a qilin, a snake becomes a dragon, a ghost becomes a spirit, a woman becomes a jade maiden, and a man becomes an immortal.

Mix snake fat with the elixir to form four pellet-sized pills and bury them at the four corners of a dwelling; the house transforms into a red dragon that carries the entire residence seven thousand chi into the air, then turns into gold and jade, traveling wherever one wishes.

Burying a single pill the size of an egg yolk, near or far, causes rivers, mountains, and forests within a thousand li, even down to the Nine Springs, to ascend to Heaven as well.

Take one jin of firm, finely textured yellow earth, pound it fine and sieve it, boil it three times in boiling water, then add one zhu of elixir, stir thoroughly, and continue boiling until the moisture is gone; the yellow earth turns into gold.

The Immortal Elder said: After various elixirs have been refined and ingested, people's responses generally fall into three grades of upper, middle, and lower. Those of the upper grade can ascend to authenticity and become immortals within seven days of taking them; those of the lower grade attain immortality after seventy days; those of dull aptitude require a year after ingestion to become immortals. If the mind is utterly sincere, even daring to ingest a daogui (an extremely small quantity of elixir) all at once will cause temporary death lasting about half a day, after which one revives as if awakening from sleep. This is the situation when the efficacy of elixir refining reaches its utmost. One must follow the elixir formula, taking as the standard a quantity the size of half a grain of millet.

I have heard that those who study the Dao (the Way) yet fail to succeed do so for eight reasons. Some happen to understand only a single matter and consider it sufficient, toiling over the furnace and tripod to refine elixirs until their hair turns white without achieving anything. Others, though they encounter a marvelous elixir formula, regard it as untrue and continue seeking everywhere, never finding it even at life's end. Still others cannot distinguish the true from the false and, lacking a teacher's transmission of the secret instructions, remain hesitant in mind and waste their time in vain. Some rely on their own cleverness, look down upon those who understand the methods of cultivation, and consider themselves already to have attained the Dao, yet they have not wholeheartedly grasped their teacher's teachings. Genuine elixir formulas and secret instructions being difficult to encounter, some suppose them hidden in famous mountains and risk their lives in search of them, thereby harming their own lives. Some lack in their households the mineral medicines needed for cultivation and are pressed by hunger and cold; even if they obtain an elixir method, it is as if they had not obtained it, for they know it but cannot put it into practice. Some lack single-minded concentration and accumulated resources; though a clear-sighted teacher has already come to their side, they refuse to act because of doubts. Finally, some encounter teachers of shallow insight and insufficient ability who, begrudging their limited knowledge, refuse to transmit all that they know.

The scripture warns: Do not suppose that because the methods of the Dao do not consist in multiplicity, you may take what you have forcibly fabricated yourself as precious secret methods, mistaking them for the true methods of the Dao, and end up like one waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit, laboring in vain.

The Immortal Elder said: In refining elixirs one should pursue cultivating the Dao and nourishing authenticity, and not covet worldly profit and glory. If one refines Huangbai (using alchemical arts to produce gold and silver), even the spirits will not offer protection; ghosts and spirits will secretly inflict harm, inviting disasters that lead to premature death or sudden calamity and thus diminish one's lifespan. One must be deeply cautious and not casually transmit elixir methods to unsuitable people; nor may they be easily leaked to those who are not of like mind and purpose, otherwise disasters and punishments will indeed be incurred.

The Xianjing (Immortal Scripture) says: For one who has a place in the immortal registers, if anyone plots to harm him, the plotter will die; if anyone offends him, that person's entire family will be destroyed; if anyone hates him, that person too will perish.

Shangdong Xindan Jingjue, Lower Volume.