《丹论诀旨心鉴》

The Cantong qi states that methods of elixir refinement are too numerous to count. From this it may be known that the key medicinal substances for refining the Great Elixir are only lead and mercury; mineral medicines such as sulfur and niter ought not be used. If the toxicity of mineral medicines is introduced into the lead and mercury, the elixir produced will possess great poison and prove fatal upon ingestion.

Mercury itself cannot directly confer longevity; there must also be the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang so that water and fire intermingle before the Great Elixir can be refined. If one uses mineral substances such as alum, sulfur, and niter to refine medicines, the toxicity after ingestion is extremely strong and over time will damage the body. They can even corrode copper and iron, and are still less suitable to enter the mouth. Alum is said to be able to kill tigers, which is sufficient to serve as a warning.

Some people, having learned only a little of the methods of elixir refinement, consider themselves rare in the world for their understanding and casually administer elixirs to others. As a result some people suddenly lose their lives, which is truly to be lamented. Thereafter people feel aversion upon seeing elixirs, saying that ingesting them causes sores, ulcers, and swelling. This is because those who do not understand the true methods misuse the elixirs, thereby causing the Golden Elixir to be slandered. Mineral medicines such as stalactite are best not ingested; if one, greedy for desire, forces them down and thus dies in vain, many such cases occur. One ought to carefully distinguish the natures of the medicines; if detoxification is required, first employ methods of purging and draining and ingest a decoction of fangji, mallow greens, and licorice so that the medicinal properties are gradually expelled, and only then may one ingest the Great Medicine.

The so-called Great Elixir is the mysterious and pure Qi of heaven and earth, and it is also what the assembled immortals consume. It encompasses the Four Images (the four relative forces of Yin-Yang, the four seasons, and so on) to take form, follows the Dao (the Way) of Qian and Kun (heaven and earth) in natural transformation, and coagulates into a reddish-purple elixir called the True Yang Elixir, the Exclusive Yang Elixir, or the Primordial Yang Elixir, also known as the Returned Elixir. How could such an elixir be refined with ease? Those who cultivate the Dao should cautiously guard it and transmit it to suitable persons so that the methods of the Dao will not be lost.

Elixir refinement accords with the creative transformations of heaven and earth, coordinates with the Three Powers of heaven, earth, and humanity, arranges the measures according to the hexagram images of the Yi, follows the seasonal timings of Yin-Yang transformations, and refers to the cycle of one year as well as the degrees of the movements of sun and moon in the refining. Ancient immortals are said to have refined elixirs and become immortal precisely according to this. Ordinary people who hear it may perhaps laugh greatly; the wise who hear it can comprehend it, coinciding with the original source of the Great Dao.

The author fears that he has not spoken clearly enough and therefore cites the Song of the Three Sage Perfected Ones as testimony and uses the Treatise on the Golden Elixir to elucidate its meaning, without repeating other theories. The Returned Elixir is refined following the movements of sun and moon, causing the medicines to return to their original essence and then returning to the original color of cinnabar, and is therefore called the “Returned Elixir.” Elixirs are divided into three grades: the True Yang Elixir is the superior, the Exclusive Yang Elixir occupies the middle, and the Primordial Yang Elixir is the next; the three are originally one body, differing only in rank, and all belong within the scope of the Great Returned Elixir. If one does not understand the profound mysteries therein, one should not discuss the specific methods of elixir refinement.

Using brine alone to boil and refine cinnabar, or merely refining and subduing mercury, is not advisable, because there is only Yin without Yang; long-term ingestion will damage the body and does not accord with the Dao of True Yang. There are also those who use minerals such as azurite and orpiment to subdue mercury, or combine realgar and orpiment to refine elixirs; these likewise are not suitable for ingestion. They are merely practices that have been passed around in circulation, not the excellent medicines transmitted by the sages, because the Eight Stones all contain toxicity. The Jinbi jing says: “Eliminate the five alums, do not use the Eight Stones.” The secret text further says: “Do not use medicines, use the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).” This is precisely the most important principle of elixir refinement.

Three liang of sulfur can subdue one jin of mercury, from which it can be known that the power of mercury is inferior to that of sulfur. According to this account, the power of one liang of mercury is equivalent to that of an ox, so that one liang of sulfur can subdue five liang of mercury, and the power of mercury remains inferior to sulfur. By this reasoning the Great Elixir (what Daoism calls the Golden Elixir [Jindan]) ought not to employ sulfur but true lead: five liang of true lead can subdue two jin of mercury, showing that the power of mercury is inferior to that of true lead. Thus it is Yin that subdues Yang, not Yang that subdues Yin; this is precisely the reversed aspect of the interaction of Yin and Yang.

Those who seek longevity, nourish the mind and cultivate authenticity will ultimately find it difficult to achieve anything if they cannot obtain the Great Elixir. Should one be fortunate enough to encounter this set of oral instructions, it must be because of accumulated blessings and virtue (De) that one is able to read this secret text. Yet if it is transmitted to an unsuitable person, the author considers that it would bring misfortune upon ancestors and descendants. In refining the Great Elixir the crucial point does not lie in the names of the medicinal substances, but in a profound understanding of the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), a clear grasp of the hexagrams of the Yijing, the ability to discern the cyclical changes of the solar terms, mastery of the degrees of the movements of sun and moon, and knowledge of how Yin and Yang interact. These are the essential secrets of attaining immortality and the very foundation that accords with the Great Dao (the Way). Mineral drugs such as the Eight Stones and the Four Yellows are by no means wondrous medicines for long life.

Lead and mercury constitute the root of the Great Elixir; they are also the root of the Five Phases and the principal medicines among the Eight Stones. The text employs the hexagrams of the Yijing to illustrate: the nature of Metal is clear and luminous, belonging to Yang, and symbolizes the single Yang line within the Kan hexagram; mercury is generated from cinnabar. The nature of stone is fiery and hot, belonging to Yin, and symbolizes the two Yin lines within the Li hexagram. The Metal contained within lead is the true lead. When Yin and Yang unite, Yang is like the sovereign and Yin like the minister; the floating of stone and sinking of Metal likewise refer to this. When sovereign and minister unite and floating and sinking are properly ordered, the medicines can be harmonized; this is the essential art of elixir refinement. If one does not understand the relationship of sovereign and minister, nor can distinguish whether the medicines are of like kind, even the expenditure of a thousand pieces of gold will ultimately fail to bring success. Only when one comprehends the way of sovereign and minister and understands the principle of the pairing of Qian and Kun with Yin and Yang does the art of the Great Elixir become clear.

In refining the elixir, lead is taken as the sovereign, capable of guiding the five viscera; mercury is taken as the minister, capable of eliminating the “Three Thieves” (a cultivation term referring to factors that obstruct practice), thereby enabling a person to penetrate to the divine spirit (Shen) and radiate light in all directions. The Xuaren Jue states: “Whether one uses lead or does not use lead, the Five Metals all arise from lead.” These words are extremely subtle. Lead is the essence (Jing) of the Five Metals and the medium by which the Seven Treasures are refined. The Great Elixir must correspond with Heaven and Earth; if the Five Metals all avoid the use of lead, with what then shall they be refined? The Wujin Ge speaks of taking the “Yellow Sprout” as the root. What is the Yellow Sprout? In what vessel is it refined? The Yellow Sprout is not lead, yet it cannot come into being apart from lead. Hu Gangzi asked with what it is refined, and further asked, if the Five Metals and Eight Stones are not used, whence comes the Yellow Sprout. Wei Sheng replied that to plant grain one must use millet seed: things of unlike kinds cannot produce the same fruit.

To refine with the Five Metals and Eight Stones would be as absurd as having foxes and rabbits give birth to horses, or sparrows give birth to phoenixes; it would be like mending a pot with glue or treating illness with wild kudzu. Things of different kinds can hardly be fused into one. To point gold one must use gold; to refine silver one must use silver. Only when the Yellow Sprout is obtained from lead can one understand the intimate place of this path. If the lead is true lead, it can unite with mercury as its minister; if the lead is not true, mercury cannot unite with it.

“White Tiger serves as the brain, Yellow Sprout as the root, Green-Waist Envoy, Red-Blood General”—here it is said that “green mercury” contains cinnabar, and that malachite is not to be used. Those who obtain this method should treasure and guard it; if it is divulged, the author believes it will shorten one’s life and bring disaster upon descendants. The Yinfu likewise records the master’s admonition: do not transmit it to those who are not of the same path, lest calamity be incurred.

If those who yearn for the Dao are utterly sincere in heart, they may communicate with the divine spirit and grasp the inner meaning, and only then will they realize how difficult the Great Dao is to seek and how rarely it is truly understood by people of the world. Many, though they study elixir-formula books with great diligence, achieve nothing, for two reasons: first, they have not met a true enlightened teacher who knows the essential secrets; second, their own comprehension is muddled, and they proceed by guesswork and random application.

The author relates that he once saw Sima Xiyi refining the Great Elixir on Mount Song; after the fire had already been burning for five months he went to inquire, yet the other refused to transmit the method. The author felt that to continue in this way would probably be a mere waste of time. Sima Xiyi further said that the Great Dao has three kinds, of which two must be watched by others, and therefore added realgar to the lead and mercury. The author considers this not to be the marvelous method of the Great Medicine, but merely conjecture from written words and self-devised experiment. Later he also saw Master Li Zixu adding sulfur to the two medicines, likewise saying that others were present to watch. The author believes that neither of these men truly understood the essential secrets, and he pities them: their original nature was impure, they took the wrong path, and in the end they wasted their entire lives. The phrase “there is a person watching inside” refers to the Wu-Ji ding (an alchemical term symbolizing the inner function of the central Earth position or of the furnace-cauldron itself); they failed to grasp this and followed the literal wording, so their efforts were in vain. Had they not met the author, one could only say that they and the Dao were mutually unsuited.

The Wujin Ge further says: “It is not that the medicine lacks efficacy, but that one fears the medicine used is not correct; it is not that the medicine lacks marvel, but that one fears the medicine is not genuine.” If a person of wisdom comprehends this, he is a true cultivator who has thoroughly penetrated the art, and need have no anxiety that the Dragon-Tiger Great Elixir cannot be completed. The saying “sun and moon in the hands, creation and transformation from the heart” refers precisely to this mastery of the transformations of Yin and Yang.

The Longhu Zhenwen states that the tiger is true lead and the dragon is true mercury; lead, through transformation, becomes the Yellow Sprout, and mercury, through transformation, becomes true mercury. True lead never dries up, true mercury never flies away. This true mercury is not the ordinary mercury of the world, but a substance that has been refined and transformed, stripped of its worldly nature. The Ma Ziran Gejue says: “When mercury is born, mercury dies; lead is formed by the numinous sprout; emerging into the world it becomes the Returned Elixir, which the deluded cannot understand. Mercury and ordinary mercury are not the same; the confused misuse it and the method goes astray; if one understands this true origin, one can transcend the ordinary.” Later students of the Dao will probably find it hard to meet a genuine master who can transmit the teaching.

The oral formula states: use eight liang of lead, which belongs to Yang, to Qian, and to the tiger; use eight liang of mercury, which belongs to Yin, to Kun, and to the Green Dragon; the two medicines can transform into each other. Lead originally possesses a Yin aspect as well: its color is black and it belongs to Water; yet within it there is also a single Yang. Mercury belongs to Wood, whose number is three; cinnabar belongs to Fire, whose number is two, and within Fire there is also Yin. Each medicine itself contains both Yin and Yang; only when they mutually restrain and harmonize can they become the supreme medicine. Lead and mercury are the true images of the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth; how could ordinary Eight Stones and Four Yellows be regarded as the Golden Elixir? The wise should ponder this carefully.

This is the method of the true jing and true mother transmitted by ancient realized persons and immortals, employing the hardness and softness of Qian and Kun to match dragon and tiger. Eight liang of lead belong to Qian, eight liang of mercury to Kun; one liang is divided into four parts, each part corresponding to one hexagram, so that one liang corresponds to four hexagrams. Eight liang correspond to thirty-two hexagrams; the eight liang of lead together with the eight liang of mercury correspond to the sixty-four hexagrams of the Yijing. Together they make one jin, symbolizing the three hundred and sixty days of a year; the three hundred and eighty-four zhu symbolize the three hundred and eighty-four lines of the sixty-four hexagrams. The ancient immortals observed the images of the Yi, caused Qian and Kun to unite, and thereby matched the solar terms, symbolizing the circulation of the entire heavens. Viewed in this light, how could ordinary Four Yellows and Eight Stones correspond to the image of the Qian hexagram?

The oral formula further says: “Yellow Sprout is one, mercury is two, Wood is three, Fire is two, Water is one, Metal is four, Earth is five.” This follows the image-numbers of Heaven and Earth. Yin cannot stand in isolation, nor can Yang. Another formula states that white metal is the sovereign; it is originally the black essence of Metal, dwelling in the West, and is the essence of Great Yang. The Jinbi Jing says that when silver is refined within lead, a marvelous substance spontaneously appears; when heated in the ash pool, lead sinks and silver rises, revealing a pure white treasure that can be refined into the Golden Yellow Sprout.

This Golden Yellow Sprout is also secretly called “Yellow Light,” likewise “Yellow Sprout,” and also “Autumn Stone.” “Autumn” belongs to the West; “Stone” is another name for the Dui hexagram. Its nature belongs to Yin; it is Yang within Yin, and is likewise the supreme medicine of longevity. The sprout represents the first arising of all things. Lead is originally black; after being refined by fire it turns yellow, hence the name Yellow Sprout. The King of Huainan called it Autumn Stone; Wang Yang, upon obtaining it, called it Yellow Sprout; the ancient realized persons called it the Returned Elixir.

Someone asked, “Why can these two substances become the Great Elixir?” The realized person replied: Metal within lead, after ninefold refinement, fully absorbs the qi (vital energy) of Water and Fire; mercury likewise fully receives qi within Great Yang. When both have completed the reception of qi within Yin and Yang respectively, the sage gathers them as the Great Medicine, places them in an earthen vessel, and causes Water and Fire above and below to rise and descend in refinement. Once completed, the medicines undergo a thousand transformations. The essential point is that the medicines must be of like kind and follow one another; when the dragon intones, clouds arise; when the tiger roars, wind is born—this is the manifestation of mutual resonance according to the Dao. Things of unlike kind cannot unite. If miscellaneous mineral drugs are mixed in and one vainly hopes to produce a treasure, even after exhausting long years there will be no success. These two medicines constitute the method transmitted by the ancient realized persons; even for a thousand pieces of gold they cannot be lightly transmitted. The principle of the Golden Elixir lies precisely here.

Cinnabar (the raw material of cinnabar used in refining mercury) is considered to be formed from the condensation of the solar Jing (essence) Qi (vital energy), endowed with the upright Qi of the sun; after being refined by fire, it changes from red to white. It is ranked at the head of the Azure Emperor (the deity of Wood De of the East) and is called “mercury.” This is a manifestation of Wood Qi being born from Fire, containing De (Virtue/Power) within and being numinous and wondrous. Lead originally transformed from black Jing substance and belongs to the Geng-Xin Metal position of the West; Metal generates Water, and Water in turn generates Wood. These two materials, lead and cinnabar, correspond to each other; if one is not a person of spirituality and De, how could one refine the elixir?

Ordinary people often say, “How could there be any principle that taking the Golden Elixir would confer immortality and agelessness?” I often feel regret for such talk. Since ancient times, Perfected Ones and sages have all sought longevity through cultivating elixirs; this matter has been transmitted for a long time—could one still disbelieve it entirely? People always cite the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han as examples, yet the numinous efficacy of the Great Elixir cannot save a person from self-inflicted calamities.

In the past, Liu Xuanmu served Master Wei and observed the refining of elixir for a year, yet because of delusive thoughts giving rise to doubt, he ultimately did not receive the transmission and died young. Xu Jingxiu, however, diligently cultivated De without cease day or night, received the elixir from his master, became an immortal and attained longevity, dwelling on Mount Taibai, and is said to have lived more than a thousand years. The difference between the two men lies in one giving rise to doubt and the other not doubting; it seems only a single step apart, yet the outcome is like being separated by ten thousand li. From this it can be seen that the disparity between attaining the Dao (the Way) and not attaining it is extremely great; these matters suffice as evidence for belief.

When spring arrives, the seasonal Qi moves, the myriad things receive the spring Qi, blossom and bear fruit; the fruits sense the seasonal Qi and ripen, to be eaten by people. Is this transformation not visible with one’s own eyes? That the five grains can sustain human life is also a matter visible before one’s eyes. How much more so the numinous and wondrous elixir, which is said, after being taken, to be able to transform the physical form of ordinary people and make them Perfected Ones.

Worldly people are often deluded and forget the matter of cultivating the Dao: they neither believe nor cultivate; even if they have the chance to meet one who transmits the Dao, they do not seek to learn, and thus vainly waste a lifetime, sinking into the karmic causes and effects of successive lives—truly a matter for regret. If one only covets prominence and wealth, is infatuated with sensual desire, and is entangled by fame and profit, in the end the physical form declines, life ends, and one suffers punishment in the underworld offices—how then could one attain longevity? If one harbors cunning in the heart, acts improperly, harms oneself as well as others, and seizes others’ merits to accomplish oneself, how could one encounter a true person who has attained the Dao and receive the transmission? Only by cultivating the mind-nature, stilling and settling the thoughts, gathering in the passions and desires, and returning toward the Great Dao is it possible to encounter one who transmits the Dao. If one slanders the virtuous of former generations and injures the innocent, how could one hear of the Great Dao?

Although the five grains are ordinary food that will decay, they can still nourish Jing and Shen (spirit) and sustain life; how much more so the divine elixir, which is said to possess mysterious and wondrous De efficacy, able to transform the flesh of ordinary people, shed the quality of illness and weakness, retain the complexion, and prolong lifespan. These principles can be understood from things before one’s eyes. I will not set them forth in exhaustive detail, lest the writing become cumbersome. The remaining essential points of purity, emptiness, and subtle wonder are all recorded in the golden slips.

Lord Xu, Master Wei, and Duke Chun’gan were all proficient in profound Daoist arts, figures of the immortal and spirit kind. Xie Xuanchong and Su Tang were also said to be immortals who took the elixir and flew aloft; the people of the world have all heard of them. In famous mountains and in the marketplace there are also often people who have transcended the dusty world mixing among humans, concealing their names; if one’s aspirations are not the same, how could one know of their deeds? Please regard these words with caution, do not easily leak them or discuss them lightly, otherwise it is slandering the Golden Elixir and the sages, and one may thereby incur deep and heavy karmic offenses.

The Cantong qi says: “Gold and sand are the rulers, endowed and harmonized with mercury.” That is to say, these two materials themselves possess spirituality. It also says that the medicines used in refining elixir correspond to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); white horse teeth, cinnabar, and the Yin-Yang pairing of the Mao and You directional positions are all related to the elixir method. Ancient books also speak of Huainan refining autumn stone, the Yellow Emperor refining golden flower, and separately discuss the relations of lead, sprouts, and cinnabar: true lead and true cinnabar, after being refined by subduing fire, can then combine into one body; according to the fire timing they are gradually refined into yellow sprouts.

These verse formulas also say that white medicine is born in the fire, the flower is red and mercury flows, minerals and elixir transform into each other; sayings such as “flowing pearl entering the body,” “the tiger swallows and eats,” and “Metal Lord” are all symbolic language in the art of elixir refining. From ancient times those who refine elixir have found it difficult to exhaust the laws of the transformations of lead and mercury; only when one understands the principles therein can the refining become numinous. Yin-Yang cannot generate and transform in isolation; when dragon and tiger (symbols of Yin-Yang forces such as Metal and Wood) meet, they intermingle with each other, like husband and wife uniting, and gradually transform into yellow sprouts. The fire timing changes with the seasons, and one nourishes according to the Earth position; if one refines the Purple River Cart (a term in elixir methods for a stage of elixir transformation or its product), it is regarded as evidence of becoming an immortal.

Once the method-formulas for cultivating the divine elixir are mastered, their application and success or failure then depend on the cultivator. If one does not obtain the method, one expends mind and Shen throughout the year, yet what is refined is only withered and decayed lead and mercury, ultimately laboring in vain. Amid Heaven and Earth, sun and moon, the divine medicine is called “Metal Lord”; Metal Lord refers to lead, originally hidden and stored within lead. If one does not understand this point and merely places mercury into lead, the golden flower that forms is not necessarily the true medicine, and one may instead waste effort. By thoroughly reading the Cantong qi and referring to ancient elixir scriptures for comprehensive understanding, grasping the principle of true lead, and continually cultivating, one may then see results.

Lead and mercury accord with the principles of Heaven and Earth and are refined into the Great Reverted Elixir; when the elixir medicine matures, the yellow sprouts naturally appear. Ancient Perfected Ones have spoken these principles; now having the chance to read them, one knows that the sayings of immortals and spirits are not deception. The elixir contains five-colored numinous Qi; after transformation and subjugation, after ten months it is like a fetus emerging from the womb, allowing people to observe it. O people of glory, wealth, and honor, after a hundred years you will eventually age and wither; why waste a lifetime in vain, muddled and unaware, only awakening when the Great Dao is about to be lost? Worldly words may be empty and floating, but the principles are not hollow. The dust of the Southern Mountains, accumulating year after year, can also pile into mountains; in the vast sea of suffering, life and death rise and fall like waves. The dwellings of ancient emperors and kings—what is there now worth lingering over?

The elixir fluid transforms in the furnace, and yellow sprouts gradually form. At first it is difficult to discern the form of mercury; when Yang Qi reaches its extreme flourishing, Yin fire begins to arise, the fire’s force gradually declines, Yang Qi condenses, and the elixir medicine then transforms into the Purple River Cart; after taking it, it is said one can attain longevity.

The process of the elixir medicine maturing is analogized in the verse formulas to the gestation of a fetus: in the first month, the white liquid has just congealed, like snow; in the second month, like milk, gradually congealing into a buttery form; in the third month, the medicine body is half-open, hanging down pearl-like things; in the fourth month, the two substances embrace and unite, like blood spots; in the fifth month, the medicine seems to fly and move, clinging to the mother body; in the sixth month, Yin Qi is completely extinguished, the color like gosling yellow, the form gradually becoming clear; in the seventh month, the medicine body continues to receive Qi; in the eighth month, the viscera seem about to form, congealing into golden color; in the ninth month, residual medicine pearls grow hair; in the tenth month, mother and child forms are distinct, about to separate. At this time the “mother” in the furnace is already weary, while the medicine has already taken form, the color still like snow. After lead separates from the placenta, the exterior is pure white like snow, and it must still continue to be warmly nourished in the furnace, called “suckling milk,” making the medicine body more rounded and full; thereafter according to the method-formulas one expels the toxic Qi. After the medicine matures it turns red, and after another sixty days of expelling toxins, it may then be taken. The entire process is again analogized to the growth of a fetus in the mother’s body, emphasizing that the elixir medicine needs to be nurtured according to stages.

I advise those who study the Dao that they must be meticulous and cautious, and not vainly waste time. The wondrous principles here cannot all be fully spoken, but the refining has an order, and there cannot be any error. As long as one refines the yellow sprouts and continually transforms according to the method, one can take it for longevity and turn white hair black. The elixir medicine is also said to be able to succor the orphaned and weak; those of humane De, in accord with the Great Dao and with predestined affinity, after receiving the transmission should persist in cultivation. Whether the transmission is appropriate depends crucially on the human heart and De conduct. If it is transmitted to those not in accord with the Dao, it may invite blame and calamity.

Refining elixir concerns the creative transformation of Heaven and Earth; it is not easy to master and cannot be transmitted casually. The ancients said that transmitting it recklessly would cause seven generations of ancestors to suffer misfortune. You must believe, without needing to doubt; only those of De conduct, with mind-nature penetrating and bright, may truly comprehend it. Today I solemnly instruct you: you must firmly remember these words and covenant with an oath of alliance.

The first return of Yang Qi is using fire beginning in the eleventh month; Yin Qi arises, continuing from the eleventh month to the fourth month; in the fifth month Yang Qi reaches extreme flourishing, one Yin begins to generate, and the operation of the elixir method accordingly turns. The furnace is set in the central Wu-Ji Earth position; within the medicine tripod, the upper and lower medicines interact with each other; one must cautiously seal and secure it, not allowing the medicine Qi to dissipate, and grasp the fire timing according to the seasonal nodes. Dragon and tiger chase each other, and the infant-like medicine body quietly generates; it is nurtured by the “mother,” the strength or weakness of the mother medicine will affect the child medicine, and the child medicine’s maturing also relies on the assistance of the mother medicine.

Qian and Kun represent Yin-Yang; the four images of Qian and the hexagram images of the Yijing constitute the gateway to understanding transformation; the sixty-four hexagrams can also be used to explain the process of elixir refining. Dragon and tiger unite, Water and Fire serve as intermediaries, Yin-Yang nurture the elixir medicine through day and night; the eight nodes (the eight seasonal nodes of the four seasons) shift, cold and warmth alternate, and yellow sprouts then gradually generate. The medicine daily matures, like a mother’s body sensing and bearing fruit, ultimately opening the true gateway; this set of methods should be cautiously stored away, and there is no need to speak much of it outwardly.

This Dao method is mysterious, wondrous, and minute; it cannot be spoken of lightly, for worldly people may ridicule and misunderstand it. Better to dwell in seclusion in towns or villages than to show the wondrous medicine to ordinary vulgar people, lest after seeing it they slander and discuss it. One must firmly remember, secretly store the method-formulas in a golden casket; the art of longevity is transmitted to true cultivators of the Dao, and their names will naturally be recorded by the heavenly officials.

The so-called Huandan (Returned Elixir) is an elixir that, when ingested, can confer immortality. From ancient times the immortals of heaven transmitted the method of refining the Huandan to the human world and entrusted it to the Yellow Emperor. After receiving it, the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven in broad daylight from Dinghu and became an immortal. There have been many immortals throughout the ages, and they will not be described one by one here.

When speaking of the Huandan, the materials employed are all precious medicines, including the Xuanzhu (Mysterious Pearl) within cinnabar, as well as gold, lead, mercury and other substances possessed of numinous properties. The Huandan naturally formed by the immortals of the upper realm is produced in mountains that face the sun and turn their backs to the shade. Cinnabar grows only in the south and never in the north. The so-called “natural Huandan” is conceived and formed by flowing mercury embracing the jing (essence) of gold. Where cinnabar occurs there is usually also lead and silver.

The natural Huandan requires four thousand three hundred and twenty years to be refined. Cinnabar is divided into yin and yang, female and male: the left is male and the right is female; above is cinnabar and below is zengqing (a mineral used in ancient elixir-making). They receive the yin-yang qi of the sun and moon, and after four thousand three hundred and twenty years the body of the elixir turns black, becoming the Huandan used by the immortals of the upper realm.

Practitioners of the lower realm refine lead and mercury and can complete the elixir in a single year. They begin applying fire from the eleventh month, at the time when “one yang first arises,” and the elixir is accomplished by the eleventh month of the following year. This imitates the Huandan taken by the immortals, celestial beings and sages of the upper realm. Practitioners follow the methods of the natural Huandan and, after a certain cycle, complete the elixir; upon ingesting it they attain longevity, undergo feathered transformation and share the same accomplishment as Heaven.

Someone asked: “Why can one year’s time be used to imitate the cycle of the Heaven-born Huandan?” The reply: “One day and one night in the upper realm corresponds to five years in the human world. A human year has twelve months and three hundred sixty days; each day has twelve double-hours, therefore one year comprises four thousand three hundred twenty double-hours, which exactly corresponds to the four thousand three hundred twenty years of the naturally formed Huandan.”

These methods were transmitted to the human world by the true immortals of the upper realm. Following the methods, in accordance with the jing-qi of the sun and moon and the transformations of the four seasons, the elixir is refined; after ingesting it one can extend the years, increase longevity and ascend to heaven as an immortal. Superior practitioners who accord with the principle undergo feathered transformation and ascend as immortals; middling practitioners become earthly immortals; lesser practitioners can still extend their years and live long. As for the specific methods of ingesting the elixir, there are separate specialized techniques.

Master Red Pine said: The essence of cinnabar has both white and vermilion-red forms. That which contains the nature of fire yet appears white is called the “Tiger”; that which is termed “Zhu” is the Fire Elixir. Mercury can be generated from within the elixir, and these three are originally one substance.

The White Tiger belongs to Metal and symbolizes the Qi (vital energy) of the West. It contains the auspicious signs of the five colors and also conceals the marvelous properties of eight kinds of minerals. Lead is the White Tiger, paired with mercury. Lead and mercury stand to each other as sovereign and minister, and they likewise correspond like Heaven and Earth, husband and wife, or mother and child. Their functioning is marvelous, unlike the so-called Three Yellows and not belonging to the category of the Eight Stones. When cultivated and prepared according to the laws of natural creation, they become the Returned Elixir (the elixir formed through refining).

I once encountered a Daoist and received transmission. Cultivating according to the secret formulas, I have already come into accord with those formulas and attained feathered transformation (the Daoist term for becoming an immortal). Therefore I boldly composed the following song-formula:

The marvelous arts are difficult to fathom;

people of the world do not understand lead and mercury.

Lead and mercury are the essences of Heaven and Earth;

Yin-Yang possess the power of Heaven and Earth.

Their efficacy returns to Wu and Ji (the central position of the Earth phase),

able to generate the nourishment needed by the myriad things.

The myriad things all rely upon the functioning of Earth;

Earth is the utmost of maternal power.

The mother nurtures all her children,

and the children likewise depend on the mother to grow.

The three things naturally intercommunicate and possess numinosity;

the two Qi of Yin and Yang are mysterious and pure.

The work lies in making the elixir furnace (the vessel used for refining the elixir) firm;

the key is to understand how hardness and softness complement each other.

Success or failure ultimately depends on the person,

determined by the person’s heart-mind intention.

When the heart-spirit is clear, the medicinal substances manifest numinous efficacy;

when the heart-spirit is confused, the principles of the medicines become unfathomable.

The highest Dao (the Way) resides in inner emptiness and stillness;

in the mysterious realm the wondrous principles never cease.

One of penetrating wisdom who grasps the root

will thereafter be able to spread wings and ascend into the clouds.

A song-formula in the Formulas of the Four Gentlemen of the Liang Dynasty says:

When lead and mercury combine they exert marvelous efficacy,

returning to the purport of the Great Mystery.

These principles all reside within the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water),

and are likewise incorporated into the wisdom of the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

The immortals have left the gateway leading to the Great Dao;

after ingestion it can cause a person to transform.

If one can obtain the gateway of true lead,

one can then share in the same marvelousness as nature itself.