《元阳子金液集》

True Yin and True Yang are the genuine Dao (the Way); they lie right before the eyes and need not be sought in distant places.

Worldly practitioners of elixir-refining burn and smelt medicinal substances year after year. When they sometimes see the drugs take on a cyan or yellow hue, they fancy they have succeeded in producing a fine medicine.

What is called “True Yin” the sages simply identify as the northern Ren-Gui Water, which occupies the foremost place among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Yinjun states that the true Qi (vital energy) of the north is termed the “River Chariot,” while the Qi of the eastern Jia-Yi is able to generate “golden sand.” These expressions all point to one and the same reality: that which stands at the head of the Five Phases. An oral formula declares that the north contains water and that within the water there is metal; metal is able to restrain water. The metal within the water is known as Geng-Xin metal, and its hexagram image belongs to the Kan palace (representing water).

What is called “True Yang” is the southern Yinghuo planet (Mars). It is born from the Jia-Yi Qi and lodges in the Bing-Ding direction. Suirenshi is able to make it shine; transforming from the raw to the cooked, it is called the Jing (essence) of the Great Sun. Its hexagram image belongs to the Li palace (representing fire), and within it are contained sand and mercury. Ordinary people do not know the principle involved and fail to grasp what these statements refer to; they therefore take all manner of miscellaneous materials together with cinnabar and mercury and set about refining them, wrongly supposing this to be the supreme elixir. Now and then, upon observing a cyan or yellow color, they claim that the elixir has been excellently refined.

Those who aspire to seek the Dao ought to follow the proper methods and refrain from depleting the heart and Shen (spirit); only then can they come to understand the Dao.

If one but knows how to obtain the true “Yellow Sprout” (a symbolic term in the practice of Neidan (internal alchemy)), and if a person is able to ingest it, then one may enjoy long life without growing old.

Those who aspire to cultivation must understand the laws that govern it. To act in accordance with those laws is to accord with the pivotal mechanism by which Heaven and Earth operate. Turning the analogical images and grasping the advance and retreat of the fire phases are like strung pearls or matched jade discs: at times they gather, at times they disperse, coming and going, entering and exiting, penetrating inside and outside, responding to one another without the slightest error. If one can observe in good time and seize the moment, the medicine of utmost Jing (essence) can be refined.

An ancient formula states: “Error lies in extraction and replenishment; what is obtained lies in receiving the radiance.” When it is obtained and refined into a treasure it is called the True Yellow Sprout. This is not something manufactured by processing several materials; it is the condensation of the essences of Heaven and Earth together with subtle Qi (vital energy). The essentials are extremely difficult to grasp, hence the saying: “Do not expend the mind-spirit (Shen); one ought to seek the Great Dao (the Way).”

The Yellow Sprout is not the lead of the ordinary world;

vain labor of the spirit yields no result in the end.

Time is wasted until the hair turns white,

and where then can one leisurely seek Chisongzi?

What is called the Yellow Sprout is neither the black lead of the mundane world nor a product obtained by firing yellow minium. It issues from within the Great Yang, is born of emptiness and non-being, returns to the Central Palace (Zhonggong, a Neidan term for the central site of cultivation and nourishment within the human body), and occupies the position of the Yellow Emperor. The Daodejing describes it as “appearing like the dust of a bright window,” that is, its form resembles motes floating before a sunlit pane. It is therefore not an object belonging to ordinary households. The Huainanzi (here referring to legends associated with the King of Huainan) and Chisongzi (a legendary immortal) knew its mystery. An oral formula says: “The King of Huainan refined the Autumn Stone, summoned the Yellow Emperor, and obtained the exquisite Golden Flower; besides this there is no other path.” If a person of aspiration does not know this true secret, an entire lifetime will be spent in vain until the head is white. One must therefore receive it from the teacher close at hand; the “teacher” spoken of here is precisely the oral formula.

Divine Water and the Flower Pond are rare in the world;

their transmission is not permitted to common knowledge.

Ordinary lead and mercury of the world must still be borrowed,

similar substances serving as a disguise so that no suspicion arises.

Terms such as Divine Water, Flower Pond, Yellow Emperor, and Golden Flower are all technical vocabulary of Neidan (internal alchemy). The original text presents the True Yellow Sprout as the condensation of the Jing-Qi of Heaven and Earth and stresses that it is not a physical substance such as the lead or mercury of the ordinary world.

The “Divine Water Flower Pond” is the essence of fire generated from the sun, which immortals take and use, and thus it is called the “Divine Water Flower Pond.” Its essence condenses into a white substance like horse-tooth saltpeter that has not yet been refined with fire. After it is refined, it is called the “Golden Liquid Flower Pond,” also known as “True Lead” or the “White Tiger.” When one has cultivated to this stage, mercury no longer presents a black appearance. As for the moment to cease the fire, the corresponding sensation is extremely close at hand and must be determined by oral formulas; it cannot easily be taught through written words.

Immortals take black lead and mercury and employ divine talismans to make them appear like white snow, lest others become doubtful. Yet if one merely uses black lead and mercury, this is not the true method. Even upon meeting an eminent Daoist priest and following him all day long, one may still not be in harmony with the Dao (the Way), and thus this secret will never be transmitted in the end. These remarks are made so that people of the world may awaken to the principle within. If a person’s innate nature does not correspond with the Dao, the sages nevertheless do not wish the methods of the Dao to be lost to later generations, and therefore they often transmit them to only a single person once every two or three hundred years.

Those who study the Dao should accumulate abundant hidden De (Virtue/Power) (performing good deeds silently without seeking fame), and when they visit a teacher of the Dao they should honor him as they would their own parents, remaining constant from beginning to end and never begrudging the labor. Only when these conditions are met may one receive the transmission. The Cantong qi Jing (scripture/classic) says: “They have merely the empty reputation of loving the Dao, yet possess no aspiration to refine the elixir. At the least inconvenience they give rise to heavy resentment. Such people remain far from the Dao.”

The Azure Dragon pursues the White Tiger, and the White Tiger follows the Azure Dragon in turn; when the Red Bird comes together in union, their cries answer one another.

Harmonize the Qi (vital energy) and circulate fire in the Li Palace (the direction among the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) that represents fire); when cinnabar enters the abdomen, the body of itself becomes filled with vitality.

The Green Dragon refers to Wood, positioned in the East and corresponding to Jia and Yi, with the hexagram image of Zhen. Contained within it is the Qi (vital energy) of Li Fire, the essence of the sun, possessing the imagery of a crimson bird. Its nature is fierce and rapid, and the sages call it “mercury” (a Daoist term of cultivation and refinement, often referring to substances that possess flowing and transformative qualities).

The White Tiger refers to the Metal spirit of the West, situated at Geng and Xin and corresponding to the Dui hexagram. This Metal has no fixed form and is born in the Water represented by Ren and Gui of the North. After being refined through calcination, it no longer appears black and is called the “White Tiger,” also known as “Golden Liquid” (a Daoist term of cultivation and refinement referring to the perfected essence).

The Golden Liquid is able to overcome the Wood of Jia and Yi in the East. When the two interact, they produce sounds of astonishing vibration, their brilliance sparkling like the stars. At this time they meet and fuse, taking on a form like colored glaze; before they have met, the color remains a congealed white. Only after the Golden Liquid has swallowed the essence of Wood does the color change to the cyan of Jia-Yi Wood, and it is then called the Green Dragon.

One must regulate the breath and circulate the fire phases so that they arise in accordance with the Li Palace. Beginning from the single Yang line of the Fu hexagram (the hexagram that symbolizes the first stirring of Yang Qi), the process proceeds in sequence, cycling round and round like a string of pearls and jade, now gathering, now dispersing, communicating back and forth, entering and leaving without a fixed abode. Should an error occur in the timing of this circulation, it will recede and prove unable to continue; however many years may pass, success will ultimately remain impossible.

The Cantong Qi states: On the third day the moon rises from the Geng direction, its shape like a hook; on the eighth the first-quarter moon stands straight as a taut cord; on the fifteenth the moon is full, resembling the form of the Qian hexagram; from the sixteenth it gradually wanes; by the twenty-third it has become the last-quarter moon; on the twenty-seventh the moon disappears. Hence it is called “extinguished and submerged.” All these dates and temporal degrees must be committed to the oral formulas.

The sun first rises at Peach Mountain in the East; when its light shines upon the Central Plains, this corresponds to the You hour, that is, the time when the cockcrow is about to cease. The three double-hours of Xu, Hai, and Zi are the period when the cock’s crowing has completely died away. Ordinary people hear only a few cries of the rooster and do not understand the three hours spoken of here. If one can grasp the “cock method” (the method of telling time by the crowing of the cock), one will be able to correspond with the movements of Heaven.

When the moon first appears, there are three days of change both before and after it; the truly luminous days number only twenty-four. If those who study the Dao do not comprehend this essential point, even a lifetime of diligent practice will prove futile, and they will never find the entrance.

The profound principles of cultivating the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are difficult to comprehend; the Dragon and Tiger (Yin-Yang symbols in alchemy) lie hidden within the Kan and Li trigrams of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

There are many methods for refining the reverted elixir, but the most exquisite key lies in mastering the secret of the Golden Flower Pool (Jinhuachi).

The so-called Five Phases are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. What is called “the dragon hidden” means that the dragon is concealed within Kan and Li. The Li trigram is formed of two yang lines and one yin line, empty in the center so that it can contain the “dragon.” Here the dragon stands for fire, and fire in turn stands for mercury, also called the Maiden (Nü). If it meets the White Tiger it can be impregnated; after ten months the embryo ripens and is generated of itself, and white metal is produced from water.

The Kan trigram is formed of two yin lines and one yang line; metal is hidden in water and does not show its shape. There is only one method of extracting it, namely True Lead. This refers precisely to the two natures of water and fire—that is, Yin-Yang—and there is no other actual substance. The Yinfu Jing (scripture) states that although methods of refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan) are many, the crucial secret lies in the Divine Water Flower Pool (Shenshui Huachi).

The poem says: The dragon fire within Li is set in motion and bursts out in golden sparks; in the secluded depths brilliance is stored, gathering Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). It accords with the four seasons and generates and nourishes the myriad things; circulating through three years, it can protect longevity. Emerald waters dissolve and cloudy Qi soars; fire refines the golden flower, returning the breath to purity. Once the Flower Pool is refined, when the tiger is met one takes hold of advance and retreat according to the seasonal periods, and it turns into a yellow and light elixir. This secret has already been set forth quite clearly.

Cinnabar was never originally red; when correlated with the four seasons and directions it occupies the southern position.

The Flowing Pearl (liquid mercury) is unstable by nature; if one understands its root, one knows it is like the Autumn Stone.

The cinnabar mentioned here is in reality only this one substance, white metal; it was never originally red and is assigned to the south according to direction. The Flowing Pearl is mercury in motion, whose nature is violent and hasty; it must be controlled by the Autumn Stone (an alchemical substance used to subdue mercury) before it can be made stable. The Autumn Stone possesses the five flavors—bitter, pungent, sour, sweet, and salty; with all five tastes complete it can therefore display the five colors. An ancient song says: “One substance contains five colors, becoming the lasting fortune of the immortal.”

The Solar Soul and Lunar Splendor (respectively symbolizing the essences of sun and moon) are two authentic Qi (vital energies) that conceive and nourish the elixir embryo, naturally revealing the marvelous. When the transformation is about to be completed, you yourself will see it: it clearly and distinctly turns into a luminous substance.

When the transformation is about to be completed, you will naturally see it with your own eyes: it clearly turns into a fine powder like floating dust on a window.

“Solar Soul” refers to the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the sun. It is born from Wood; within Wood there is Fire. Fire transforms and becomes Earth; Earth is the son of Fire, and is therefore called “Five Phases (wuxing) Fire.” The transformation of Fire into Earth is the supreme treasure medicinal substance—this is known only to sages. “Lunar Radiance” is white gold, also called the “Jade Rabbit,” born from Water. The oral formula states: Lunar Radiance belongs to Kan (one of the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams, symbolizing Water); it moves of itself through emptiness. Only when it is moistened and watered can one obtain the ultimate Jing. The Jing-Qi then becomes capable of transformation, resonating with the original substance, and will at any moment display its numinous marvels. It resembles frost flying through a gorge, white and condensed like snow; its essential body coagulates and is renewed, like the stars in the night sky. If one refines the true Yin, just after the Tiger, the Wood Dragon can then meet and unite with it, each matching the other.

This refers to using a single substance of white gold as the Qi within the ding, coordinated according to the changes of the upper and lower lunar quarters. The eighth day is the upper quarter, when Metal amounts to half a jin and occupies the “Ding” position. By the fifteenth day the Qian body is formed and the moonlight is full. The twenty-third day is the lower quarter; according to the numbers of three and five, Water amounts to half a jin, totaling sixteen liang. One liang contains twenty-four zhu. This sums to three hundred eighty-four zhu, corresponding to the three hundred eighty-four lines, that is, the sixty-four hexagrams, with each zhu corresponding to one line. A year has three hundred sixty days plus the twenty-four solar terms, corresponding to the great numbers of the heavenly Dao (the Way); this is called the “Heavenly Talisman.” The ding corresponds to the upper and lower quarters, that is, Qian and Kun, and is able to generate and nourish the myriad things.

The Yin Fu (a Daoist classic) says: “There is a marvelous vessel, fashioned by taking Qi; from this the ding begins to give birth to the ten thousand phenomena.” The Jin Bi (referring to Daoist alchemical classics of the Zhouyi Cantong Qi type) says: “The spirit chamber is the crucial key to the elixir, not the five metals of the mundane world.” Once the elixir is completed, its form resembles the floating dust on a bright window. After it is ingested, it penetrates the upper, middle, and lower three Dantian (energy centers—the three cultivation sites within the human body according to Daoism). Therefore it is said that after the Yellow Emperor obtained it, he first stabilized the Three Officials (important sites or offices within the body according to Daoism) and then governed the realm under heaven. From ancient times all sages have ingested this medicine and thereby attained the Dao and long life; no other medicinal substance can take its place. Those who aspire to cultivation should practice in accordance with this.

The school of lead and mercury cannot be followed in this manner; the secret of the Golden Elixir (jindan) is something even sages may not fully know.

Do not use the principles of ordinary lead as spoken of in the mundane world to infer all things. Since ancient times the sages have ingested this medicine and thereby attained the Dao (the Way) and long life; besides this there is no other medicine. Those who resolve to cultivate the Dao should practice according to this.

The theories of this school of lead and mercury are unreliable, and even the sages may not necessarily know the secret of the Golden Elixir (jindan).

Do not take the ordinary lead and ordinary mercury spoken of in the mundane world in order to infer the cycling of years, the advancing and withdrawing of fire timing, and then argue with one another.

What is called “lead” refers to the water of the north, which is the beginning of the Five Phases (wuxing), numbered as one and colored black. The oral instruction says: “The jing (essence) of the Black Emperor of the North has no fixed form throughout the body; if it encounters the thing of the ‘three households,’ the young maiden will at that moment be astonished.” This thing is called “true mercury.” Lead is born in water and combines with the qi (vital energy) of the Li trigram. The Qiantong Jue says: “Metal does not reveal its form; mercury does not reveal its function until used.” The sages, by means of oral instructions and symbolic images, take as model the qi of mysterious darkness, causing it to condense into a subtle substance and become a sagely medicine that can remain in the world.

What is called “ignorance” here refers to autumn stone, also called white gold. It can flow and can lubricate, and therefore is not an ordinary thing, nor something produced in the world by ordinary methods. Those resolved to cultivate, if they wish to refine the supreme medicine, do so most subtly by not using cinnabar and mercury. Here it originally speaks only of this single ingredient of white gold, using it to retain the qi of mysterious darkness; white gold and mercury are the true secret transmitted by the sages.

The two things born of Heaven match together in the midst of emptiness, being to each other as wife, as son, and as husband.

“Three” is also like this. Here it originally speaks only of this single ingredient of white gold, using it to retain the qi of mysterious darkness; white gold and mercury are the true secret transmitted by the sages.

The two things born of Heaven match together in the midst of emptiness, being to each other as wife, as son, and as husband.

The gate of three and five consists only of the sun and moon, which can distinguish the positions of Mao and You and take this as the starting point.

“Ordinary lead,” “true mercury,” “white gold,” “three households” and the like are all terms of elixir alchemy; the original text does not explain their specific referents, and the sentence concerning “three households” is also rather obscure, therefore the foregoing retains the original wording.

The two fundamental things generated by Heaven and Earth are the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang. The sages deduced the fire timing according to the operational laws of Heaven and Earth (the method of mastering fire intensity and timing during elixir refinement), therefore “probing the fire” is also an alternative name for fire timing. The subtle and mysterious Qi condenses into substantial form, becoming the supreme medicine, which is the essence of the sun and moon. The sun is like the husband, the moon like the wife, and the elixir like their child; this child is the crystallization of the sun and moon’s essence. If a person ingests this essence, they can share the same longevity as the sun and moon.

“Three-Five” refers to the numbers of Earth and Wood: three belongs to Wood, five belongs to Earth. Fire is hidden within Wood, and when fire refines and transforms it becomes Earth; this is called the supreme medicine. When the elixir is ingested into the Central Palace (a term in internal cultivation referring to the central position in the body), one can distinguish Mao and You. Mao belongs to Eastern Jia-Yi Wood, its position related to Bing-Ding Fire; You belongs to Western Xin Metal. Metal is in Water; after calcination it condenses into white and can absorb the Jing (essence) of Wood, thus forming the relationship of Metal overcoming Wood.

The “beginning” starts from the Fu hexagram (the hexagram in the Yijing symbolizing the initial arising of Yang Qi): the Yang line first appears, moves to the Li Palace, and then conceals itself in the Kan Palace. The sun first rises at Fusang (the legendary divine tree of the East), proceeds upward to the Dui Palace, and finally sets in the West. At this time the Yang lines gradually decline while Yin lines flourish, called “extinction and submersion.” These numerical principles and transformations are difficult to explain clearly; since ancient times, no cultivator of the Dao has been able to know them completely. The key lies in the oral formulas transmitted from master to disciple, which are difficult to write in books for transmission; this is called the “Heavenly Talisman,” and it is the “God of Great Killing.”

Endowed with innate natural nature, one nurtures the supreme Shen (spirit), and the harmonious blending Qi condenses to form the body. What is called wealth and honor exists only because the heart harbors five-colored essence; when one understands in the heart how Lead and Mercury (alchemical medicines symbolizing the interacting forces of Yin-Yang and so on) combine, one can cause them to unite into the elixir.

The supreme and wondrous elixir is refined from the qi (vital energy) of clarity, stillness, and harmony. Gold is used to nourish mercury so that the formed and the formless unite. When being and non-being come together, this is called the Dao (the Way). The formed side is called the Tiger, the formless side the Dragon. Perfected Tao said: “Cultivate emptiness, then refine cinnabar; refine the cinnabar and in the end it unites with the Great Dao.” An ancient oral formula states: “When a thing manifests five colors, it can become an immortal’s blessing and fortune.” This refers to one and the same white gold: in the course of refinement it displays five colors, its radiance so bright it dazzles the eyes; after calcination brings it to completion, its precious light becomes visible. Perfected Tao cultivated the treasure and completed the treasure, discerning and cherishing that precious light; the worthy thereby attain the Dao and are called Zhenren (Perfected Ones).

Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth, also denoting the upper and lower parts of the alchemical apparatus) cannot avoid each other. Those intent upon cultivation have always known that the essential point lies between Heaven and Earth.

After ten months of nourishing refinement the elixir matures and mother and child separate; when has a worthy person ever needed to circulate the breath again?

The “Qian-Kun” spoken of here refers to the upper and lower furnace vessels: the lid above symbolizes Heaven and contains half a jin of gold; the furnace base below symbolizes Earth, its gold arranged according to the numbers three and five. The total in zhu units is three hundred eighty-four, equivalent to one jin, and thus it is called Qian-Kun. With the furnace sealed above and below, Water and Fire naturally interpenetrate and refine each other, and the wondrous jing (essence) and qi appear; at this moment they must not be disturbed or allowed to disperse. When the ten-month term is fulfilled the elixir spontaneously congeals into form and substance—why then deliberately circulate the breath? Once the elixir is complete and its body fully formed, it is placed inside the “Great Geng Container” and made to undergo the process of circulating with the Red Crow; after three years of this operation the work is finished. Those who ingest the elixir enjoy a longevity coextensive with Heaven and Earth; what further need is there to circulate the breath?

Xuanhuang is profound, obscure, and unfathomable, impossible to distinguish; the gates and inner principles of lead and mercury are likewise difficult to bring to light.

Ordinary people do not grasp its root. If one carefully observes the ultimate principle of cultivation, it will naturally become visible.

“Xuanhuang” is the original body of the medicinal substance. It has many names. Those who study the Dao (the Way), if they cannot distinguish the true and false paths of lead and mercury, should not casually discuss its origins. The key to studying the Dao lies in deeply comprehending Yin-Yang and carefully observing the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); thus one can naturally perceive the principles within.

People of aspiration transmit this method of the Dao among themselves, yet even between teacher and disciple it is rare to meet. Even if one encounters someone who transmits it, one may not truly comprehend the matters involved, and one cannot seek it merely through personal conjecture. Some, although they study the Dao, are enthusiastic only about smelting gold and silver and never pursue the way of longevity and remaining in the world. Others say that no one in the world knows this Dao at all. Holding such thoughts, one is far from the true Dao.

The infant-like state of complete undifferentiation and lack of illumination is difficult to realize by oneself. If one merely expends mental energy in vain, one obtains only empty speculation and bitter toil.

If one understands the teachings of the sages, one can clearly see the path leading to the heavenly realm.

Foolish and deluded thoughts must not be clung to. If one turns to cultivating with other things, one will only vainly expend spirit and mind, resulting in empty speculation and bitter toil.

If one understands the teachings of the sages, one can clearly see the path leading to the heavenly realm.

If the mind harbors foolishness and confusion, one cannot grasp the essentials. One then takes other things to cultivate and seek the ultimate Dao; no matter how many years and months are spent, one will ultimately not succeed, only vainly laboring the spirit until old age. If one can comprehend the words of the perfected person (a high adept who has attained the Dao) and cultivate according to the principles therein to achieve results, then what difficulty is there in ascending to heaven?

Three and four dwell together in one chamber; one and two form a husband and wife.

One must rely on a good matchmaker to bring the two together, so that they interact with each other and their feelings become intimate.

“Three” refers to the Wood Shen (spirit), “four” to the Metal Shen (spirit). The two substances of Wood and Metal unite according to the way of husband and wife; mercury enters the gold, and they dwell together in one chamber, but a good matchmaker is still needed. Here the “good matchmaker” refers to the southern Bing-Ding Fire Shen (spirit) (using Bing and Ding to represent the Yin-Yang attributes of Fire). Without understanding this key point, one will only suffer in vain.

Gold sinks and stone floats; the changes of floating and sinking are dim and difficult to distinguish, and their properties are hard to recognize. If deluded people do not understand the principles within, it is even harder to approach it, often wasting many years.

To know when the numinous medicine is refined to completion, the Yang number must ultimately return to the nine transmutations (a Daoist alchemical term referring to repeated refining up to the ninth stage).

The principles of gold sinking and stone floating are not understood by people of the world; deluded people find it even harder to draw near. After nine transmutations of refining and transformation, reaching the extreme of the Yang number, the elixir will shine with red-purple radiance that dazzles the eyes; this is called the “Great Return Elixir.” How could this be an easy thing to accomplish? Once the heavenly mechanism is revealed, one can achieve the way of immortality.

The transformations of Yin-Yang (yinyang) are profound, hidden, and difficult to perceive clearly. The Azure Dragon and White Tiger serve as symbols in the alchemical arts; ordinary people fail to grasp their significance, and those who remain confused find it even more challenging to draw near. After nine cycles of transmutation, reaching the utmost of yang numbers, the elixir's radiance appears in hues of red and purple, as if its light illuminates all around, and it is known as the Great Reverted Elixir. This is by no means easily attained; once the crucial key of alchemy is disclosed, the elixir can be successfully refined without scattering away.

The transformations of Yin-Yang are deep and secretive, hard to fathom; the Azure Dragon and White Tiger mutually restrain one another.

As the years progress, the substances of Yin and Yang continually transform and illuminate each other; the White Tiger constrains the Azure Dragon, causing the Azure Dragon to gradually weaken.

The Dao of Yin-Yang is exceedingly difficult to trace to its roots. Should one place faith in a variety of differing methods, ultimate accomplishment remains elusive. Once the configuration of Dragon and Tiger has been refined, the two cooperate and intermingle. The White Tiger restrains the Azure Dragon, and they hold each other in mutual embrace. Mercury originally seeks to fly off and disperse, yet is bound by water; unable to depart, the mercury can then condense into a precious elixir.

Qian represents Heaven and Father, Kun represents Earth and Mother; the south is the Vermilion Bird, the north the Dark Warrior.

After prolonged refinement, they all ultimately transform and return to Earth. Where, then, might people of the present day seek the Dragon and Tiger?

Qian symbolizes Heaven and Father, Kun symbolizes Earth and Mother; here this refers to the ding vessel fashioned from white gold, the container employed in alchemy. The Vermilion Bird of the south is the spirit of fire, also termed lead. Upon completion of the cultivation, all substances revert to Earth; this constitutes the principle underlying the breathing and circulation of Dragon and Tiger.

Three substances merge into one, together forming the foundation of alchemy; the essences of sun and moon frequently shine within.

After passing through the Three Flowers—the changes of fire timing in Golden Elixir (jindan) cultivation—the golden liquid condenses once more. Completing the nine-cycle refinement requires the application of prolonged effort.

The “three persons” denote the three substances of water, fire, and metal. Their shared root lies in the essence of the sun and the essence of the moon; these solar and lunar essences come and go, illuminating the interior of the elixir ding, remaining within the vessel, transforming, and returning to the Kun chamber—an alchemical term for the section of the furnace ding that receives and concentrates the medicinal substances. “Three Flowers” is an alternative designation for fire; once the golden liquid is achieved, it must not be discarded. Water, fire, and metal interpenetrate one another, and after sufficient years have elapsed, the elixir will be formed.

The inherent nature of the Azure Dragon pertains to the east, matching with Qian and Kun, and occupying the Zhen position, the eastern direction among the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

Once the White Tiger has thereafter joined in union with the Azure Dragon, how could the flowing pearl—another name for mercury—fail to follow in its wake?

The Azure Dragon (Qinglong), symbol of the eastern Wood Qi (vital energy), corresponds to the eastern Jia-Yi Wood. It occupies the Zhen position, bears the number three, is colored azure, and governs the three months of spring. It represents the Yang Qi of mercury, which enables branches to grow and flowers and trees to flourish. When the Yang Qi of Heaven descends and earthly Qi rises from the Zhen position where Heaven and Earth intersect, the Wood Qi contains its governing force, and this is called the Azure Dragon.

The White Tiger (Baihu), symbol of the western Metal Qi, is the spirit of the Seven Killings and is able to restrain the Wood Qi. The Wood Dragon wishes to depart but is constrained by the Metal Qi and cannot go far. This Wood Dragon is true mercury. As soon as the Fire Qi is set in motion, it is gradually gathered in and returned to its original position, and this is therefore called the returning elixir. This describes the principle of Metal and Wood returning to each other.

When the Azure Dragon and White Tiger are cultivated to the fifth revolution, their power grows still stronger, and a fragrance like chrysanthemums gradually arises in the furnace.

The present is precisely the time for cultivation; one should not be distressed by the length of the years.

Those who cultivate the Great Elixir must resolve to practice in the quiet of mountain forests, cutting off ordinary cooking and diet, concentrating their thoughts day and night, and acting strictly according to the appointed times without error. Regardless of gain or loss they spare no labor, hoping only that the elixir will be successfully refined. When the elixir furnace nears completion, auspicious signs appear and the fragrance is like that of chrysanthemums.

To know why cinnabar is the Jing (essence) of Wood, one must move it to the western position so that it unites with the Metal Qi.

Where can ordinary people seek its traces? It lies in the indistinct and also in the profound and unfathomable.

Cinnabar is originally the Jing (essence) of Wood. The “Jing” (essence) spoken of here is the black portion within the Li trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and thus it is called mercury. “Vague and indistinct, there is something within; dark and obscure, there is Jing (essence) within” describes its seeming presence and absence, its subtlety and unfathomability; the meaning is profound and the origin difficult to trace.

Those who awaken to the Dao (the Way) are like finding again a path from which they had strayed; those who have lost their direction find the return path no easy matter.

The three circulate and ultimately unite in a single root; has human nature ever departed from its ancestral origin?

Here the “three” refer to the three elements of Water, Fire, and Metal. Their circulation ultimately issues from one source, a principle that only sages can understand.

One person originally possesses it, one originally does not; the “Jin Gong” (an alchemical term, often denoting metal or yang medicinal substances) serves as wife, while the “Qinglong” (Azure Dragon, often denoting wood-nature or yin medicinal substances) serves as husband.

The profundity and mystery within cannot be fathomed. Those truly aspiring to this Dao (the Way) would never casually reveal the secret formulas.

The so-called “one who has it” is the Jin Gong; the so-called “one who lacks it” is the Qinglong. This concerns matters of great depth and difficulty, unsuitable for beginners to hear discussed or described. Learning this art requires diligence and assiduous effort, single-minded concentration to the point of self-forgetfulness, disregard for hunger and sleep, fearlessness of toil, and careful discernment of the master’s intentions. Even if one meets an accomplished cultivator and listens to explanations all day, if one’s own root-nature does not accord with the Great Dao, how can one succeed in the cultivation?

Aspirants who have not yet attained the Dao also feel greatly lost; once they have attained it and seek someone to transmit it to, they often find it hard to encounter even one person in ten thousand. Those who have learned these things should not seal away the Great Dao. Yet later students grow arrogant in their hearts, seeking only gold, silver, and treasures that can succor the people of the world, while never seeking the medicine that can save xingming (nature and life). Such people are truly pitiable, wasting their entire lives in vain.

Some claim that no such method of the Dao exists in the world at all, because their Zhengqi (upright Qi, vital energy) is impure and mixed with Xieqi (deviant Qi), thus remaining separated from the Dao. This collection of oral formulas comprises thirty verses; every line is of elegant expression, every character manifests the principle. I shall tentatively provide annotations according to my own understanding. Certain contents recur in the text, actually pointing to the same root source; they serve to make clear that cultivating the Great Dao does not require the use of mercury, cinnabar, or tangible five metals and similar substances. The foundation of the true medicinal substance is not those things of the mundane world. Later students should carefully contemplate the principle herein: the Dao does not depart from the various symbols. To serve as a loyal minister and filial son yet fail to seek the true Dao is truly a cause for sorrow.

The mysterious heaven pairs with the vast and thick earth; yang Jing-Qi (essence-vital energy) unites with yin Jing-Qi, as if man and woman dwelling together in one chamber. The white liquid within the furnace transforms according to the phases of the moon; those of that time who ingested it experienced clarity and brightness of mind and Shen (spirit), with the body becoming cool, settled, and concentrated.

The truth of the mysterious heaven and yellow earth is truly a cause for sorrow.

The mysterious heaven pairs with the vast and thick earth; yang Jing-Qi (essence-vital energy) unites with yin Jing-Qi, as if man and woman dwelling together in one chamber. The white liquid within the furnace transforms according to the phases of the moon; those of that time who ingested it experienced clarity and brightness of mind and Shen (spirit), with the body becoming cool, settled, and concentrated.

Note: In the original text, passages such as “xin zi pen yo wo man” are suspected to contain scribal errors, and several sentences are repeated; the foregoing is a coherent interpretation based on context.

The mysterious black and yellow substances between heaven and earth refer to the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang. A man’s Jing (essence) is called “mercury,” and the white liquid is called “gold.” Combining them together is termed “yellow-white,” which takes a shape like a chicken. Placed in the cauldron and refined by fire, the color changes and an elixir is formed. After a person ingests it, it is said that the three corpses (spirits that Daoism describes as dwelling in the human body and harming people) and the nine worms can be eliminated, so that the person remains uncontaminated by evil; such a person is called a Zhenren.

Metal and Wood mutually overcome each other; who can determine the root of this? The transformations and cycles of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) naturally have points of mutual interconnection.

People of the world all conceal yin fire and white substances; who can recognize the yellow-sprout lead within them?

Metal can overcome Wood, Fire is hidden within Wood, and Fire can dissolve Metal. The Five Phases appear to transform in reverse, yet they can also fulfill one another. From the zi hour to the wu hour is the process of mutual generation; from the wu hour to the xu hour is the process of mutual overcoming. These connected and opposing transformations are all contained in the orally transmitted formulas.

The lead and mercury of the world do not depend on each other. Those truly dedicated to cultivation have long known that their root lies in Kan and Li (Kan and Li of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), which respectively symbolize Water and Fire).

The worthy conceal the secret formulas in their hearts, unseen by outsiders. The secret cultivation methods of the Huainan school have their key in the Huachi (a Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) term referring to the location of Jing and Qi during cultivation or related sites).

The lead and mercury spoken of by people of the world, whether or not they correspond in the viscera, is another matter: what is ingested will be expelled along with the dregs and can never enter the Dantian (energy center). The Huachi referred to here is the spirit water. In the secret texts Huachi means white metal; this is not recorded in the recipe books, and the secrets are transmitted only in the heart. The method of bathing must be passed on orally and cannot rely solely on external techniques. When the yang numbers reach a certain stage, they must still be turned into yin. What is called “gold-body mercury” refers to the spirit water; it does not mean that it takes the form of mercury. Refining the medicine requires thorough knowledge of the secrets; without a teacher’s transmission, one should not rashly put it into practice. If the method of spirit water is not transmitted, the elixir will fly away year after year.

When the nine-cycled elixir is completed, the year’s end is nearly upon us. Opening the furnace and cauldron, one suddenly sees the medicinal flowers in vivid red.

After Water and Fire have transformed, both become Earth. Where then are people of today to seek Jin Gong (the personified designation of Metal)?

On the day when the yang numbers reach completeness, the furnace and cauldron are opened; the elixir has the form of morning clouds, colored red, scarlet, and yellow, and returns to the central palace (the central position in the human body or the alchemical system). By this time both Water and Fire have transformed into Earth.

The transmitted secrets of lead and mercury are known to few in the world. The elixir is as solid as cinnabar, covered on the outside with a white like snow.

It is faintly present right in your home; you see it every day yet do not know what it is.

The mercury-sand spoken of here is not red. What the ancients called “white cinnabar,” also known as “white horse-tooth sand,” actually refers to the true Metal of the West.

After the returned elixir (the Neidan (internal alchemy) formed through refinement) is ingested, a person will feel the body become light and unencumbered; it can also eliminate chronic illnesses and dispel pathogenic Qi (vital energy).

From then on, greed and attachment no longer taint the mind and Shen (spirit); it can also transform ignorance, so that one is no longer drawn by worldly passions. The scripture further states that this elixir is called “white cinnabar,” also known as “white horse-tooth sand”; yet what it truly designates is the Metal of the West.

When the elixir reaches the state of utmost purity, the Three Corpses (the spirits that, according to Daoism, dwell in the human body, giving rise to desires and depleting vitality) perish together, so that the person remains uncontaminated by external things and becomes what is called a True Person.

Whoever can comprehend that the numinous elixir arises from within the mundane world can cause the Three Flowers to gather and become intimate with the Dragon. Here “Three Flowers” refers to Fire; if one can circulate and harmonize them, the Green Dragon will be generated. The scripture employs the inversion of generation and overcoming among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to describe the transmutations of elixir refinement: the Dragon appears from Fire, while the Tiger is generated in Water. Silver is cast into water, then water into silver; silver and water transform into each other and become mercury.

The scripture concludes with a warning: look at those who have refined elixirs before and after; already thousands upon thousands of people have gone astray because of this.