《丹房须知》

I once encountered the Way of the immortals and came to understand that no matter how much daily merit and practice one accumulates, in the end one cannot do without the Great Elixir—the medicine or the state of attainment sought through alchemical cultivation. From ancient times to the present, those who have attained the Dao (the Way) number far more than ten thousand. Some, by the merit they have accumulated in this life, have moved accomplished masters and so received the numinous elixir in person. Others, by the wholesome causes they planted in previous lives, have encountered the true instructions for cultivation, practiced them themselves, and left writings to inspire later generations. These writings do not cling to surface wording but embody the principles; they explain them again and again, having already done their utmost to speak comprehensively. If someone is able to come upon such a classic, it is by no means a matter of chance.

When one meets an accomplished person, the true instructions ought to be transmitted to him; if the person one meets is not suitable, they cannot be taught at random. With classics and oral formulas at hand, everyone has the possibility of cultivating; whether one is wise or dull is not what matters. What matters is whether one is a “Perfected Person”: his words and deeds accord with the immortal Way, and upon reading the books of the sages he can grasp the principles they contain, just as Cook Ding carved an ox and Jiufang Gao judged horses—once he has seen with his own eyes, he can take hold of the Dao within. Such a person is precisely the one who must be taught.

As for those who are unsuitable, their words and deeds run counter to the principles; they have not yet understood the books of the sages, yet they already cling to their own views. As Laozi said: if something can be offered up to a ruler, there is no one who would not offer it to the ruler; if it can be presented to one’s parents, there is no one who would not present it to one’s parents; if it can be passed on to descendants, there is no one who would not pass it on to descendants. But even if one wished to transmit it to such people, could it really be transmitted?

In my youth I admired the elixir Way and sought teachers everywhere, yet I often ran into books fabricated by fangshi since the Qin and Han dynasties—like the blind leading the blind—and I suffered no small loss. In my later years I met Master Huainan Wang and received from him the transmission of the Jinbi Jing (Scripture of Gold and Azure). Thereafter I visited famous mountains, surveyed the numinous traces, and took the contents of the scripture to corroborate them with the sages, finding that it did not violate the Way of the sages, that it accorded with the Great Dao, and that it left no doubts.

I therefore gathered the essential meanings of the various schools and composed a book to point the way in cultivation; its contents may be called both profound and clear. Still I feared that those who study the Dao might not grasp them, so I further included true lead and true mercury (alchemical terms for the key medicines used in elixir work, or their corresponding inner elements), bathing in the Floriate Pool (the nourishing of the medicines or of body and mind in the course of the work), the emblematic images of the tripod and furnace (using the ding-lu and their symbolism to set forth the method), and the sequence of fire phasing (the grasp of timing and steps in the alchemical process). Where the various schools differed in what they said, I investigated and explained the principles so that they might confirm one another. I have therefore called this book Xuzhi (What One Must Know). Everything in it comes from the transmissions of the ancients; it is not something I have invented out of thin air. May those who share my aim, when they open this book, all gain some understanding.

Written on the Zhongyuan day of the guiwei year of Longxing.

Selecting Companions

The Cantong Lu states that those who cultivate must know astronomy above and geography below, thoroughly understand the transformations of Yin-Yang (yīnyáng), deeply study the hexagram images, and also grasp the flourishing and decline of the solar terms, the changes of the hours, the advance and retreat of the fire phases, and the principles of the cauldron and furnace. Only then can they comprehend the dragon-tiger dharma-images (the method of using dragon and tiger to symbolize Yin-Yang, lead and mercury, and other elements of elixir refinement) and recognize the way of the utmost truth of lead and mercury (an alchemical term referring to the key substances and laws involved in refining the elixir). At the same time, one must inwardly understand the Dao (dào) and De (dé), treat others with kindness and compassion, so that one’s mind accords with the elixir way and thus naturally attains the genuine realm. From this it is clear that the safeguarding and practice of elixir refinement cannot be mastered overnight.

Whenever the elixir is refined, three practitioners of pure stillness and empty mind must participate together, sharing one heart and making a vow, hoping only that the elixir will be completed. Before beginning the work, they must first fast and observe precepts, then set up a Zhaijiao (zhāijiào) ritual to sacrifice to Heaven, praying and giving thanks to the azure sky. One person takes charge of the cauldron vessel, adding and changing water and fire; another takes turns regulating Yin-Yang, calculating the changing hexagram images, and controlling the advance and retreat of water and fire according to the seasonal periods. The tasks shared among the three must admit not the slightest error.

Perfected Ye said that even at midnight someone must keep watch, and the three together pray with sincerity. Although each manages a separate duty, they must still rotate immediately in an emergency; at night they take turns resting. Because elixir refinement cannot cease day or night, and the days, months, hours and moments stretch long, there is concern that those cultivating the elixir will grow weary and weak from prolonged labor, thereby delaying the work.

Selecting the Site

The Cantong Lu states that when preparing to cultivate, one must first choose the location. A place of blessing and virtue, with auspicious years and months, and moreover clean and pure, is required before cultivation may proceed. Ancient tombs or temple ruins, abandoned wells, broken stoves, sites of warfare, and filthy places after a woman has given birth are all unsuitable for cultivation. True Lord Yin said: “If the place is not suitable, one cannot cultivate there.”

The Elixir Chamber

The Huolong Jing states that one should select the direction in which the vigorous Qi (vital energy) of the year is located. Sima Ziwei annotated that the chamber for refining the elixir ought to be built in this direction. Once a suitable location has been chosen, a quiet and secluded chamber should be constructed; it should be neither too large nor too high. Although the building may be tall, it must not leak wind from every side; the interior should be bright yet must not leak water. The terrain is best situated on high ground without appearing abrupt or isolated. In the surroundings one should hear neither the crowing of cocks and barking of dogs, nor sounds of weeping, flowing water, or carriages and horses, and the site must not be near places where punishments are inflicted or lawsuits are heard. Mountain forest cottages and quiet rooms within palaces and temples may all be used as places for elixir refinement.

Prohibiting Defilement (Fourth)

Qingxiazi said that the elixir chamber should face east and that women, Buddhist monks and nuns, chickens, dogs, and similar beings must not be allowed to enter or even to see it. Incense should be burned throughout the year so that the fragrance never ceases. Before entering the chamber one should change into clean new shoes and clothing and should not eat foods of strong odor such as onions and garlic. The Cantong Lu says that fragrance should always be maintained in the elixir chamber and that one should report to the Higher Perfected (Shangzhen, the perfected beings and deities worshipped in Daoism); one should eat only vegetarian food and must keep oneself clean and solemn.

The Elixir Well (Fifth)

The Cantong Lu states that even after a good site for elixir work has been selected, one must still seek a suitable elixir well. The elixir well is an important facility in alchemy; replenishing and exchanging water and fire day and night, as well as measuring time with a drip water-clock, all depend upon it. After the ancient immortals had ascended to heaven, elixir wells remained at the places they left behind, thereby indicating how essential the elixir well is to the alchemical process.

Once the elixir well has been completed, defilement must be prevented. After the water vein has become stable, accumulated impurities in the well should be washed away; the well mouth is then left open to the sky so that it may receive the illumination of the stars and moon. Only when the water quality has stabilized and the color of the earth on the well walls has settled may water be drawn. If a solid layer of stone lies at the bottom of the well and the spring water is clear, white in color, and sweet in taste, this is what is called “water of the Yang vein,” suitable for use in refining the elixir. If green mud or black earth is found in the water, the spring appears yellow or tinged with red, and the taste is astringent with a metallic, fishy odor, this shows that the water veins are mixed and that the Qi of Yin-Yang is stagnant, making the well unsuitable for alchemy.

The Huolong Jing says that fresh water must be used for elixir work. Immortal Elder Ge said that spring water should be drawn in advance and kept in reserve; it must not be mixed at will with water taken from other places. If there is clean spring water in the nearby mountains, there is no need to seek other sweet water, yet this spring water must not be mixed with water that others draw for everyday use.

Fetching water (sixth): Immortal Ge said that spring water should be collected and kept in reserve; it must not be mixed with water drawn for everyday use. If clear springs are found in nearby mountains, there is no need to seek out especially sweet water; the collected spring water likewise must not be blended into water used by people in daily life.

Fetching earth (sixth): The Huolong Jing (Fire Dragon Scripture) records Immortal Ge’s statement that the earth used for the vessels, jars, and furnaces in elixir refinement must all be clean. Master Sima said that ordinary earth cannot be used when constructing the spirit chamber (the sealed room employed for alchemy). Earth should be sought in places never trodden by people since ancient times, or in cavities among mountain rocks. Only soil that tastes neither salty nor bitter, is yellow in color, hard in texture, and unlike ordinary earth may be used.

Making charcoal (seventh): The Huolong Jing records Immortal Ge’s instruction to fire charcoal wood in a clean kiln, then pound it repeatedly with mortar and pestle, mix in glutinous rice, form the mixture into pellets the size of chicken eggs, and dry them in the sun for later use. First stoke the furnace until the fire is vigorous, heat the charcoal pellets until they glow red-hot, then add them gradually to the furnace according to the required weights. If one liang is used per hou (a timing unit employed in elixir refinement), the full needed quantity should be added throughout the day and night. The characters “fan jian” in the original text are unclear in meaning and may contain a corruption.

Adding water (eighth): The Huolong Jing, according to Master Sima’s annotation, advises heating water in new ceramic tongs, cauldrons, and similar vessels; the temperature should remain close to that of the human body and the water should be added slowly; cold water must never be introduced. Master Huang’s Jinbi Jing (Golden Jade Scripture) states that adding water requires mastery of the fire timing and an appropriate quantity. After the upper water ding (the water-holding vessel in the alchemical apparatus) receives heat, it need only be kept warm; the water must not be allowed to boil, lest errors occur.

Combining incense (ninth): Qingxiazi said to take half a jin of jiangzhen incense, five liang of danshen, four liang of suhe incense, four liang of old wutong root, four liang of white sandalwood, half a jin of agarwood, and a little white gum incense, and combine them to prepare the incense.

In the original text the passage headed “fetching water six” and the heading of “fetching earth six” appear to suffer from textual confusion; wording from the adding-water section has also been mixed into the middle of the combining-incense passage. The present rendering therefore follows only the wording as it now stands.

Mix the above seven materials evenly with honey and form them into nine pills the size of pellets. Fire and refine only one each day.

Altar Configuration, the Tenth

The Cantong lu states: An altar is established beneath the furnace. The altar is divided into three layers, each layer into eight sides, with eight gates opened.

Correct Opening of the Eight Gates of the Dragon-Tiger Elixir Platform

Yunzi said: On the south side of the altar, one chi distant from it, bury one jin of raw cinnabar (unprocessed cinnabar), mixed with a five-cun length of thread and vinegar. Bury one jin of lime on the north, one jin of raw iron on the east, and one jin of white silver on the west. Hang an ancient mirror three chi above the medicinal cauldron. Arrange lamp-dishes according to the positions of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions and the Five Stars before the lamps, and set out a pure sword. Place a basin of unused well water in front of the furnace and replenish it every seven days.

Then take a peach-wood board and set an incense burner upon it. Arrange all these things accordingly, adding water day and night and keeping watch until the elixir work enters the fourth transformation; at that point the elixir can communicate with the spirits.

To prevent demonic influences from invading, remain calm while keeping watch and recite this prayer:

“I respectfully announce to the Xuanyuan Emperor (the Daoist honorific for Laozi) and Taishang Laojun: May the movements of heaven and earth accord with one another; may the host of demons neither invade nor offend my medicinal substances. May Qian Gong ward off evil and protect my person. Iron is buried in the east, fierce fire in the south, people are concealed in the west, Hu people are stationed in the north, and a mirror is hung above; thereby the Five Phases (Wuxing) are matched so that ghosts and spirits cannot approach and the place remains at peace. May the Zhenren protect me and render the ultimate Dao firm and unchanging. Hasten, hasten, in accordance with the statutes and ordinances!”

Method Thirteen of Gathering Lead

The Huolong jing states: Zhouyu (original text thus; identity unknown) has a white beard and white hair; Yuangong (identity unknown) likewise has hair already snow-white. This substance is not refined by ordinary fire; it is a naturally born divine object whose form cannot be fully described. Seek its pure and moist condition; these are the two methods… In the later portion of this section, at the “lead thirteen method,” the text appears to contain errors and omissions, and the original meaning is incomplete.

The Huolong Jing (Fire Dragon Classic) states: “Zhouyu’s white whiskers, Yuangong’s plain hair.” These substances have not been subjected to ordinary fire refining; they are innately numinous and extraordinary things that cannot be described exhaustively one by one. Seeking pure and moist materials constitutes these two methods.

“Zhouyu” refers to the White Tiger, that is, naturally formed white silver whiskers; “Yuangong” refers to black stone that conceals the essence of silver within it, shaped like whiskers and hair and called “Old Man’s Beard.” Unrefined by fire yet damaged, it is naturally generated silver. Only as a last resort does one employ that pure, moist, unprocessed material, casting it into the great sea and extracting eight liang.

The explanation says: For every fifty liang of silver, refine for one day and extract ten liang of essence, which is then used to refine the Golden Flower. Employing a crescent-moon furnace (Yanyue lu, an alchemical furnace shaped like a crescent moon), repeatedly heat and refine until the boiling surface in the furnace becomes clear, then add two liang of White Tiger and melt it after a brief interval. A substance resembling mica will appear, yellow in color, crystalline and luminous. After removing it with an iron spoon, add another two liang and continue in this manner until ten liang have been introduced, finally yielding eight liang of purified substance. This is called “Water Tiger,” also known as “Yellow Sprouts” (Huangya) or “Golden Flower.”

Lord Lao said: “Turning from red to black is genuine cultivation.” These are the three methods spoken of.

The Cantong Lu states: In gathering and refining Yellow Sprouts, one should choose the time when Metal Qi (vital energy) is abundant, beginning with the White Dew season. This means that when Metal Qi is complete and full, and moonlight is as plentiful as toad-light, the moment is right for alchemy; therefore the work of refining commences from the eighth month.

Perfected Lord Xu said: “Nourish the child in winter, begin operations in the eighth month, and obtain Yellow Sprouts by means of the Nine Cauldrons. Within the tenth month, the crucial point lies entirely in harmonizing Water and Fire so that Yin-Yang each occupy their proper positions; in this way numinous sprouts will naturally be generated.” If Water and Fire are unbalanced, leaden impurities will invade the numinous sprouts, rendering them unusable. The numinous sprouts must also receive sufficient Qi; if the Qi is insufficient, the elixir will not congeal.

Diagram of Extracting Mercury.

Ge Xianweng said: When refining flying mercury (mercury obtained by heating so that it rises and then condenses), the wooden stand under the furnace should be like a bed, four chi long; it can also be made as an ao-shaped wooden stand with wooden legs more than one chi high, in order to isolate it from the earthly Qi (vital energy). The vessels are a round dish and a cauldron holding about two dou, and the fire must not be allowed to go out. On the bed-like stand place another ao-shaped frame eight cun high, sized to match the cauldron.

The Huolong Jing says: When flying mercury is refined from beneath the cinnabar, a small amount of white sand is also excellent. If hardwood is used as fuel, one day and one night of firing will suffice; there is no need to burn for three nights. Any portion of the cinnabar residue that has not yet flown out may be kept and refined further. If the sand has not issued from the “Xigui Chen” (the original wording here is unclear and may refer to the source of the mineral sand or a directional matter), yet it appears bright and lustrous, it may still be called “true mercury.”

The commentary states: The lid of the ding must be sealed tightly and the firing continued for three nights without interruption. Any unflown portion remaining in the cinnabar residue may be reserved for further refining. If the sand did not come from the “Xigui Chen” but looks bright, it may likewise be termed “true mercury.”

The commentary further states: The lid of the ding should be sealed firmly with mud so that no Qi leaks out; a black tube is then attached to the lid to lead water into a basin placed on the lid, thereby minimizing the escape of mercury as far as possible.

The Cantong lu states that to refine the Reverted Elixir one must have a suitable ding vessel. The Hunyuan jing (scripture) says: “Kan and Li are the medicines; Qian and Kun are the ding.” When these four work in concert they are called the tuoyue (bellows), referring to the functions of fanning the fire and driving transformation. Qian symbolizes Metal and Kan symbolizes Earth; because Earth generates Metal, the vessel is called the Golden Ding (jinding). The Golden Ding spoken of here is not a cauldron made of metal, but the vessel in which the elixir is placed.

Once the ding vessel is complete, the ten thousand things can transform and be generated within it. The ding symbolizes the Central Palace (the middle position). The Central Palace belongs to Earth, and Earth generates and nourishes all things; therefore elixir refinement employs a ding made of earth. Yin Zhenjun said, “One should seek the ding vessel from the Central Palace.” This means that a ceramic ding should be fired from ordinary clay. The inner body of the ding is likewise made of clay; its length, height, and width are fashioned according to practical need. If the ding is too wide, the Qi (vital energy) of Water and Fire cannot readily condense; if too narrow, that Qi cannot circulate freely. Neither is suitable.

Having the ding, one must still set up a furnace. The furnace is the outer space that contains the ding. A ding without a furnace is like a person without a house or city walls, unable to dwell in peace. Thus the furnace is used both to seat the ding and to gather and concentrate the fire Qi.

Master Sima said: After Immortal Ge (Ge Xianweng) obtained the oral formula, I constructed a fire ding of clay. I took pulverized shards of Poyang porcelain as white clay, mixed it evenly, placed it in a mortar and pounded it ten thousand times, then formed it into an egg-shaped ding one chi two cun in height, fitted with a lid, and placed the medicinal substances inside. I then sealed it with mud according to the method. Inside the ding I set a sturdy earthenware basin as a base to hold the medicines. I placed the ding into the earthenware basin to about one-third of its depth, enclosed it inside and out with a medicinal furnace, sealed it with mud according to the method, and once the mud had dried, set it upon the furnace.

The medicinal mud, section fourteen. Grind the following ingredients to powder, take one liang of each, mix with water, and use. This is called Six-and-One Mud (liuyi ni). A note states that if honey is used as the binder, the seal will be even tighter and less prone to leaking Qi. The original lists these ingredients: yellow earth, clam-shell powder, lime, red bole (chishizhi), and shiling. The original, however, refers to “the six ingredients given above,” while only five are actually listed; there may be an omission or a textual corruption.

The Weiji Furnace.

The collated authentic text writes “Jiji Ding’ao.” This refers to the vessel that Wei Boyang called “the steaming kettle as if a spirit.” Qingxiazi said: After constructing the furnace according to the pattern and installing the ding, fire is kindled beneath the furnace wall; yet before lighting the fire, one must first perform the sacrifice to the furnace.

When sacrificing to the furnace, prepare three jin of clear wine, twelve jars of deer jerky, one incense burner, and twelve portions of seasonal fresh fruits.

After the furnace sacrifice, hold the invocatory text and recite:

“Lofty Heaven above, substantial Houtu below, you give birth to and nourish the myriad things, causing them to flourish. The sage grasps the pivotal mechanism and transmits the fundamental essentials. The emperor makes the ding vessel firm, and the Mysterious Maiden descends before the furnace. Harmonize Yin-Yang so that the precious bait is refined to completion. The divine light of Three and Five appears, and evil spirits fear and withdraw. The lads who tend the furnace fire, the generals who guard the fire timing, the Six Jia spirits who command the troops, as well as Chiyou, all come to protect the true Dao. On such-and-such month and day, disciple so-and-so sincerely presents this offering. We respectfully invite the herbal immortals of the grotto palaces of the Perfected Ones to join in quietly and silently circulating and transforming, receiving the offerings, which must not be treated lightly. We bow once more.”

“Warm Nurturing Fifteen” is the title of the following section, meaning to carry out nourishing refinement with gentle fire for fifteen.

The Immortal Ge said: Before the medicinal ingredients are formally refined, they must first be processed by the method of warming and nourishing, a step of the utmost subtlety and profundity. If the primordial Qi is to be properly conserved and nourished and the medicinal properties are to develop to fullness, the treatment must be carried out with complete accuracy. The slightest error will cause the work to fail in an instant, and it is from this that the distinction between the immortal and the ordinary person becomes evident. How could one not proceed with the greatest caution?

The concrete procedure is as follows. A pestle and mortar made of hard stone or jade are used. Eight liang of each of the two medicinal substances are placed in the ding so that they may interact with one another. They are ground three thousand times while facing east. After grinding they are gathered into a mass called the “Embryonic Radiance of Primordial Beginning,” which symbolizes the condition that existed before heaven and earth had yet manifested. They are then nourished with a gentle fire so that the medicines assume a state in which their wondrous nature lies latent within.

The medicinal mass is next placed in a lidded earthenware vessel and sealed with ritual lute (fa ni). Once the lute has dried, the vessel is set in an ash pit and warmed and nourished for seven days by alternating gentle fire (wenhuo) and fierce fire (wuhuo). When it is taken out the medicine should be purple; if the color or the weight does not meet the required standard, this indicates an error in the regulation of the fire. A second ash pit, in which the gentle and fierce fires have already been properly adjusted, is prepared and used to continue the warming and nourishing for twenty-one days, during which the process must not be left unattended even for a moment. For this reason, when the elixir is being refined at least three persons must take turns watching over the warming and nourishing.

When the warming and nourishing is finished, the medicine is ground once more and placed in the ding. First, yellow earth is packed firmly into the bottom of the ding to form a foundation two cun four fen thick, symbolizing the twenty-four qi. The two medicinal substances are then positioned in the center, after which the fire is applied.

“Zhongtai shiliu” appears to be the heading or sectional marker of the following passage. The original text contains repeated phrases, and graphs such as “yuanhei” and “lingchu” may be corrupt; the foregoing is a coherent interpretation based on context.

Master Qingxiazi said: When the medicinal substances are placed in the cauldron (ding), the process is like a hen hatching her eggs, an infant growing in its mother's womb, or fruit ripening on a tree. As long as the substances receive a full measure of "black" (hei, a term from Daoist alchemy referring to the key qi dynamic or operative force needed for cultivation and refining) without letting it leak out, they will ripen naturally. Once the substances enter the central embryo (zhongtai, the space within the cauldron where the substances are refined), it is essential to seal it tightly so that the true "black" does not escape.

The scripture adds: Seal the central embryo well, so that the action within it does not leak out, and transformation can occur in the blink of an eye. Once the central embryo is formed, its shape is round like Heaven and Earth, and when closed it resembles Penghu (the legendary immortal mountain). It is sealed finely and closely, so that the wondrous workings of transformation can proceed within.

The Jinbi Jing (Scripture of the Golden and Jade-Green) says: The forms of the furnace and cauldron take their model from images symbolizing Heaven and Earth, and the sealing must be thorough and secure. The various parts must work together and also restrain one another in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong. In his commentary, Huang Zhenjun (the Perfected Lord Huang) explains that the furnace and cauldron are like a spirit chamber (shenshi, a vessel used in alchemy to contain and transform the substances), in which substances such as lead and mercury restrain one another layer by layer. Thus, the furnace gathers in the fire's "black" to restrain the embryo, the embryo gathers in the fire's "black" to restrain the lead, and the lead in turn uses the fire's "black" to restrain the mercury, each level subduing the next in succession. The vessel must be perfectly round and tightly sealed so that the process of cultivation and refining proceeds safely and without mishap.

Ru Yunzi said: When starting the fire, take seven pieces of solid stone, heat them until they glow red throughout, quench them by pouring vinegar over them, and throw them into the chamber where the medicine is refined. Shortly afterward, take seven south-facing branches from a peach tree and seven from a willow tree. Wash the hands, burn incense, and with concentrated, devout attention offer a prayer to comfort and settle the various Shen (spirit) officials. The prayer reads: “Disciple of the Great Dao (Dao, the Way) so-and-so respectfully announces to the Mysterious Origin Emperor Taishang Laojun. Now cultivating the supreme Dao, I wish to invite the immortal banners and numinous officials to descend, so that the local earth of this place may be at peace, inner demonic obstacles may not come to disturb, and outer evils may not come to invade, allowing the Great Medicine to be refined soon and granting eternal protection for longevity. I hereby respectfully take my leave.”

After the prayer is finished, wait until the midnight hour of zishi to start the fire; do not let women, chickens, or dogs see it. When lighting the fire use five liang of charcoal, burn it until red-hot, place it in the furnace, and cover it with ash; do not delay until dawn. The ding should be the size of a chicken egg. The fire must be taken from the fire of the sun; next in preference is nanmu-wood fire. This is the worldly decaying fire, which may be used for nine years; no other fire is permitted. This fire is called “long fire water fire.”

The commentary states: the fire interval begins on the wu day of the first month, the water interval on the xu day of the first month; both proceed in reverse according to the six yang chen. The chen day is the starting day for refining the elixir; the days of tidal birth are especially taboo, as are the days jiaxu, jiawu, jiachen, jiayin, and jiazi.

Bathing Eighteen

The elixir formula says: mao days and you days are “bathing” days. Every school grinds three thousand times in a bowl. This method is extremely subtle and mysterious; only those who have attained the Dao can master it.

Pressing Stone to Stabilize

An ancient song says: “The girl wears green clothes, the gentleman is draped in white silk. When it is seen it cannot be used; when it is used it cannot be seen by others.” This passage appears to be quoted from Cui Gong’s Ruyao Jing; the original text is fragmentary at this point and later repeats “pressing stone to stabilize,” so the precise referent cannot be determined from the surviving wording.

Here “starting the fire,” “bathing,” and “pressing stone to stabilize” are all specialized terms of the elixir method; the original describes the use of fire in the elixir furnace, the selection of days, and the ritual procedures.

An ancient song says: “The maiden wears a green robe, the young gentleman is draped in white garments. When you see it you must not take it; when you take it you must not let others see.” The Cui Gong Ru Yao Jing says: “Grind the ‘dragon’ until it is as fine as powder; draw in the ‘tiger,’ and the two naturally unite.” The Can Tong Lu says: “Mao and You each have two-eighths; this is the gate of dead darkness.” The first two-and-a-half days belong to Mao, the latter two-and-a-half days to You. In refining the elixir it is especially forbidden to add water or apply fire during this period. Therefore these principles are said to be profound and subtle, difficult for ordinary people to fathom, and may be called sacred principles. Without understanding them, how can one speak of elixir refinement?

Fire Timing Nineteen

Ancient methods state that elixir refinement requires only ten months. Thus Qingxiazi said: “I have never heard of anyone who, after conception, is born only after three years.” Some speak of three years because the concrete methods of operation differ; the underlying principle remains the same. There is no fixed standard for the intensity of the fire, because elixir furnaces vary in size and the medicinal substances in quantity. The key is to weigh carefully the transformations of Yin-Yang during the operation, allowing not the slightest error. Therefore when True Lord Huang annotated the Jinbi Jing he thoroughly revealed the essentials of fire timing. Fearing that later students would still treat the matter lightly, True Lord Huang left a verse: “Things are slighted because they go unrecognized; the more mysterious and profound the words, the more readily they are despised. Last night I leaned on the railing and sighed at length: for whom does the autumn moon shine?” Alas, the sages’ intention and effort in saving the world are so deep. It is only those of shallow blessing who abandon themselves and lose the correct path through heterodox views. How truly lamentable.

Opening the Furnace Twenty

The Can Tong Lu says: From the beginning of the tenth month until the fourth month belongs to the Yang ding; the furnace fire proceeds in the sequence of leftward rotation.

The lunar phases of first quarter, full moon, dark moon, and new moon mark successive stages in the moon’s cycle and are also used as metaphors for changes in the firing process of elixir refinement. In the early morning, within the originally hidden and dark po of the moon (a concept linked to its shadowed side), hun (linked to its luminous side) begins to arise and the moonlight gradually brightens; this is the first quarter. After the first quarter, hun becomes dominant while po continues to function; hun then generates further hun, so that brightness keeps increasing until the full moon. At the full moon, po begins to arise within the bright hun and the moonlight gradually dims; this is the last quarter. After the last quarter, po becomes dominant while hun continues to function; po then generates further po, so that the moonlight keeps receding until the dark moon. Over the course of a month, hun and po alternate in a regular, reciprocal cycle. Master Huang employs these lunar changes to illustrate the firing process of elixir refinement, and the underlying principle can therefore be grasped from them.

The Cantong lu states that the period from the fifth to the tenth month belongs to the yin cauldron and proceeds in a rightward sequence. When the elixir reaches its most arduous and depleted stage, one must not leave the medicine chamber even for an instant but must listen intently for the “dragon’s roar” (a sound or sign that marks shifts in the firing process). Once this peak of yang Qi (vital energy) has passed, the elixir is no longer in danger. By the tenth month the sunlight is complete, yang Qi returns to the kun position (kun symbolizing yin), and the elixir is accomplished: its color turns a lustrous purple-gold. After nine transmutations it becomes pure yang, and the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is fully sufficient.

Ru Yunzi said that when the cauldron is opened to retrieve the elixir one must fast and bathe, don Daoist robes and a star crown, face south, kneel while lifting the medicine furnace, burn incense to purify the body, and pray devoutly, inviting the Great Dao Heavenly Worthy, the Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun), and the various Upper Saints and True Lords of the ten directions to descend. The prayer runs, in essence: “Disciple of the Dao so-and-so, the work of the elixir cauldron is complete and accords with Qian and Kun; yin winds have dispersed and solar splendor shines brightly; the body has transformed into pure yang, dragon and tiger protect this form; we ascend to the Purple Palace and leave the dusty world forever.”

When the cauldron is opened to take the medicine, women, chickens, and dogs must not be allowed to see it. The white substance that flies from the cauldron is the Purple Gold Elixir, the red is the Dragon-Tiger Elixir; what is obtained around the cauldron is the Great Elixir; the white, fish-scale-like substance in the center is called Divine Talisman White Snow.

(The original text after “ingest twenty-” and the following sentences is fragmentary and repetitive, so the complete content cannot be determined.)

According to Ru Yunzi, Bing yellow wax is formed into small pellets, sealed, and soaked in eastward-flowing water for twenty-one days in order to eliminate the fire toxin. The pellets are then placed in a bamboo tube, buried in rice, and steamed for one shichen to eliminate the water toxin. After this processing, the medicinal materials are boiled into a juice and formed into pills the size of sesame seeds, which are used in the mountain offering.

The terms “eliminating fire toxin” and “removing water toxin” refer to methods of treating medicinal substances during alchemical preparation; “one fu period” denotes one shichen. The original text is incomplete at this point.