《吕纯阳真人沁园春丹词注解》

The Seven-Returning Elixir: here the “seven” is the number of Fire. In refining the elixir, one first casts the red into the black so that the medicinal ingredients may be generated; once the ingredients have been generated, one then advances the fire to refine and transform them, turning black into red until the elixir is finally formed, and that is why it is called the Seven-Returning Elixir. This does not mean a span of seven double-hours from the Yin hour to the Shen hour. Zhang Ziyang in the Wuzhen pian says: “The Metal Lord was originally the son of the East, sent to the western neighbor to lodge his body and be born; recognize him, call him home to raise and nurture, then let him form a marital bond with the maiden.” That is precisely the meaning.

In cultivating the elixir method one must first refine the self and await the time. “Refining the self” means cultivating mind-nature and gathering the heart-spirit; “awaiting the time” means waiting until the moment is ripe. The “Far Roaming” chapter of the Li Sao says: “Do not disturb your hun and po souls, they will naturally return to stillness; the single Qi is profound and numinous, appearing at midnight; maintain emptiness and quiet to await it, do not act ahead of the natural transformation.” This is what is meant by refining the self and awaiting the time.

The essential point is to withdraw the gaze and restrain the hearing, keep body and mind quiet and motionless, and concentrate the spirit in the Great Void (the vast, empty, still realm), leaving not a trace of stray thought. Before long the Shen (spirit) enters the Qi (vital energy), Qi and Shen unite, the True Breath (the inner state of regulated respiration) settles of itself, and spiritual illumination appears with it; the whole process takes but a moment. Shao Kangjie in the “Hymn of the Pre-Heaven” says: “If one asks about the Pre-Heaven there is not even a single word; only when one reaches the Post-Heaven does one need to apply effort.” The elixir method is the same: gathering the medicine in the Pre-Heaven state must follow nature and proceed by Wuwei (non-action); advancing the fire in the Post-Heaven stage requires action. The two cannot be treated as identical.

Precisely when the single Yang first begins to stir,

Bai Ziqing in the Zhuyu Collection: Song of the Elixir Marrow said: “Refining the elixir does not require specially seeking the winter solstice, because one Yang naturally arises within the human body.” How, then, does one know that the one Yang within the body has already arisen? It is roughly in the instant of a snapping finger’s sound, when the Xun Gate (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term referring to the aperture where the Qi (vital energy) mechanism is activated) suddenly opens and the mind-spirit feels a sense of trance.

At this time, one must use the “Hao Yue” to stir it and refine it with fierce fire; thereupon the “Zhenqian” (a Neidan term referring to the true Yang Qi spoken of in cultivation) emerges from the Kan position (symbolizing the place within the body where Yin contains Yang). The He Che (a Neidan term referring to the process of circulating Qi throughout the body) then immediately begins to operate, not daring to pause, conveying it to the peak of Kunlun (a Neidan term often referring to the crown of the head or the place reached by the Qi in cultivation). Only then can the Huandan (a Neidan term referring to the elixir obtained through cultivation) be refined.

Shao Kangjie in the Poem of Trance said: “In the midst of trance, Yin-Yang have just begun to transform; heaven and earth seem suddenly to reverse. In that instant there is a marvelous scene—how could words ever fully describe it?” Without a thorough understanding of the principles of Yin-Yang creation, who could possibly comprehend these things?

The night has grown deep, and the dripping of the water clock stretches on...

“Zhongxiao” refers to the zi hour in the middle of the night. The Zhouyi Cantong Qi states, “Containing the primordial in Xu and Wei, sowing Jing at zi,” which conveys precisely this meaning. The text also says, “Between the last day of the month and the new moon the tallies join and proceed.” Here “zhong” indicates the time just before the zi hour at midnight on the thirtieth day of each lunar month, at the juncture when one month ends and the next begins. If a full month is scaled down to a single day, the period just before the zi hour every day likewise corresponds to this transition between last day and new moon, and need not be restricted to midnight of the thirtieth. The Wuzhen pian already makes the point clear: “Sun and moon meet once every thirty days; substituting hours for days models the divine work.”

“Lou” denotes the dripping leak, that is, the water-clock clepsydra used for timekeeping. There is an inner and an outer dripping. The dripping within the body refers to the coming and going of the breath. The Fuming pian (a Neidan (internal alchemy) work by Xue Zixian) says, “This mind is like fire in chaff ashes; sitting in stillness one hears the sound of dripping,” describing how, during quiet sitting, one seems to hear the movement of the breath inside the body. The dripping outside the body is the night-watch water clock, the timepiece the ancients used to announce the hours.

Some people are puzzled that the Wuzhen pian says “Great hermits dwell in courts and markets; do not go into the deep mountains to keep lonely stillness,” yet lamps and water clocks are hard to find in the deep mountains. Others quote Chen Niwan’s Cuixu pian in objection: “If one claims the marked water clock cannot be trusted, one has not grasped the mysterious mechanism and the medicine is not yet complete.” The same text also remarks, “By day observe the earth gnomon, by night gaze at the marked water clock” (timing by the sun’s shadow in daytime, by the water clock at night), which appears contradictory. In fact, in the early stages of practice, when the work is not yet mature, deviations can easily arise, so the water clock is needed to calibrate the hours. Once the practice is mature and the elixir seed has formed in the Dantian (energy center), Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) stir at the proper time; when the moment arrives the mind-spirit knows of itself. Even if one is asleep one becomes aware spontaneously, without needing anyone to blow to awaken one, and still less needing a water clock to keep time.

“Lou yong” means that the water drops succeed one another without a break. Analogized to the body, it means letting the true breath continue in an unbroken, continuous stream, never allowing interruption, just as water drips unceasingly from the leak.

“The lead cauldron is warmly glowing, its light penetrating the curtains” means that the lead cauldron (the bodily location used in Neidan (internal alchemy) as a metaphor for the place of elixir refinement) is warm and bright, its radiance shining through the curtains.

Here, “lead” refers to the medicinal substance used in elixir refinement, and the “cauldron” refers to the lower Dantian (energy center)—the lower abdomen of the human body, known in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation as the elixir furnace. As the zi hour approaches, Yang Qi (vital energy) quietly begins to sprout in the lower Dantian, producing a sensation of warmth. “Curtains” refers to the eyes: lowering the gaze downward is like letting down a curtain, and they are therefore called “curtains.” When there is medicine in the lower Dantian and Yang Qi rises, penetrating to the space between the two eyebrows, one feels light emanating there. This is like lighting a candle in a room so that the candlelight illuminates the window; the source of the glow is the candle flame, not the window itself. If, upon suddenly seeing this sight, one is startled and delighted, the thoughts of the mind will waver, the Shen (spirit) will scatter, and completing the Neidan will become even more difficult.

“Creation racing forth” refers to the initial stage of Yin-Yang alternating transformation, when Yang Qi is about to be reborn. At this time, the oral formula states, “the jade bell is struck once, the jade caverns open as a pair,” and the Fuming pian likewise uses “both sides rise together, totaling one jin” to describe the Qi mechanisms of both sides ascending in unison.

“Tiger and dragon copulating” is a symbolic expression in Neidan technique, referring to the mutual resonance and union of the two Qi of Yin and Yang. The Cantong qi says that the dragon calls to the tiger, the tiger inhales the dragon’s Jing (essence), and they swallow and take each other in. In elixir refinement, the key lies in keeping the mind-spirit interdependent with the breath, so that the Shen congeals and becomes still, the breath gathers, and Yin and Yang unite to form the medicinal substance. Chen Chaoyuan’s Yuzhi shu says: “If Xuan and Huang remain two and do not copulate, how can Yang fly forth from below Kan?” This means that if Yin and Yang stay separate and do not unite, how can Yang Qi then issue forth from the Kan position? Therefore one must wait until Yin and Yang have united and the medicinal substance has formed in the Dantian before one may proceed with the work of “advancing the fire.”

“The work of advancing the fire at Ox, Dipper, and Danger” indicates that the cultivation practice of advancing the fire is associated with the stellar lodges of Ox, Dipper, and Danger; the original text does not further explain the specific meaning here.

“Niu, Dou, and Wei” refer to the directional positions that correspond to the operation of fire timing (huohou) within the human body. Here it is said that the practice of advancing the fire begins at the zi hour and is transferred at the yin hour. This is like Heaven and Earth gestating the myriad things: the myriad things are conceived at the zi hour and born at the yin hour. The Cantong qi says: “Begin from the northeast, the quarter where Ji and Dou reside, then rotate to the right; as the moon-wheel turns, the myriad things sprout into life.” The Cuixu pian says: “There is a path on which mother and child separate at birth; the marvel lies among the lodges of Wei, Ji, Dou, Niu, and Nü.” These statements share the same meaning.

Some take “Niu, Dou, Wei” to mean “you dou wei” (“as if struggling in peril”), and they cite the line from the Wuzhen pian, “Grasp it with both hands and compel it to fight to the death,” as an explanation. This too is one interpretation.

“Upon the Winding River one sees the moon’s radiance gleaming and vying,”

The Cuixu Pian says: “On the road to the southwest, the moonlight is bright; the great medicine also arises from here. Remember a line from an ancient poem: Over the winding river, a magpie bridge spans.”

Ancient immortalists regarded the human small intestine as having nine coils and twelve bends, hence naming it the “winding river”; later people also called the area between the nose and mouth the “winding river.” Both explanations hold. The Cuixu Pian further employs “on the southwestern road” to clarify this statement, doing so with exceptional thoroughness.

The southwest belongs to Kun of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and Kun symbolizes the abdomen. When the elixir forms in the Dantian (energy center) (the site of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation in the lower abdomen of the human body), the Qi (vital energy) of the intestines rises upward, reflecting in the eyes to manifest brightness. Therefore, the stretch from the eyes to the navel seems empty, luminous and white, glittering with moonlight.

What is called “a crow flies” refers to the conjunction of the two Qi of Yin-Yang in the human body: Kan and Li combine, the two Qi condense into a drop of dew that flies down into the Dantian. Chen Xiyi (Chen Tuan)’s Zhixuan Pian says: “A crow flies into the cassia palace.” The Cuixu Pian says: “The red lotus holds the medicine, dew pearls condense in jade green, flying down to the flowery pond, dripping drop by drop.” The Huanyuan Pian of the Zhuyu Ji says: “If a person can understand this principle, one point falls into the yellow court.” Bai Ziqing’s verse says: “Now I have seen through the golden crow flying into the toad cave.” These expressions all mean the same thing.

At that time, one drinks the daogui oneself (in alchemical practice referring to a small quantity of elixir, also figuratively the medicine obtained through Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation).

The “fangcun bi” mentioned in medical texts, also called “daogui,” originally both refer to an extremely small quantity. “Daogui” is simply that tiny bit on the tip of a knife. Some interpret “dao” as gold and “gui” as two “earth” characters joined together; this is merely a strained pursuit of novelty, not a proper explanation.

What is called “self-drinking” means that in cultivation the mechanism of Qi (vital energy) circulates throughout the Three Palaces, then descends and enters the mouth. This has the same meaning as the line in the Wuzhen pian: “When the embryo is delivered and enters the mouth, the body attains sagehood.” Some people wonder why, if the embryo has already been delivered, it must still enter the mouth, and therefore conclude that the elixir comes from outside the body, even taking the swallowing of external substances as the practice of alchemy. This strays far from the Dao (the Way).

Does not the Cuixu pian say: Seeking and cultivating takes not even a moment, and the subtle unified Qi (vital energy) then penetrates the Three Passes; as Qi flows back and forth unceasingly among the Three Passes, a white vessel leads straight to the Niwan Palace (a key cultivation point in the head). Above the Niwan Palace sits a Purple-Gold Cauldron, within which is a mass of purple-gold substance that transforms into jade fluid flowing into the mouth—fragrant, sweet and refreshing, spreading across the tongue. Could this possibly be something coming from outside oneself?

And who would believe that one can nurture the “infant” (the inner accomplishment spoken of in Neidan [internal alchemy]) within emptiness and non-being?

The great Way of the Golden Elixir (jindan) appears extremely simple: generating “being” from “non-being” and nurturing the infant. Tears, saliva, Jing (essence), fluids, Qi (vital energy), blood and other liquids can serve only as aids and as the ladder of cultivation; they are not the Golden Elixir itself. Those who study the Dao are often limited by narrow understanding, taking the first explanation they hear as settled truth and unwilling to investigate the elixir scriptures further. Even if someone who grasps the principle wishes to explain it thoroughly to them, who would be willing to believe?

The Cuixu pian says: “A strange affair that makes people laugh at the urn-returner; now even a male brother can become pregnant. One’s own Jing (essence) and blood conjoin of themselves—the husband and wife wrapped within the body, how wondrous!” Here “husband and wife” is merely another name for Yin-Yang, not actual relations between man and woman. Some people stubbornly cling to the idea of “patching bamboo with bamboo,” believing one must use a person to replenish a person, and thus devote themselves exclusively to the so-called “Three Peaks heterodox arts.” How then could they believe that the Golden Elixir is the Dao of purity, stillness and Wuwei (non-action), able to generate being from non-being?

Distinguishing the clarity and turbidity of the water source, …

Regarding the discourse on the clear and the turbid, I have already analyzed it. There is one view that uses substances of the human body to replenish the human body, focusing exclusively on the heterodox arts of the Three Peaks; how then can one believe that the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is the Dao of purity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), and that it can actually generate the real from the empty void?

Distinguishing the Clear and Turbid of the Water Source

Regarding the sayings about the clear and the turbid, I have previously analyzed them. One view holds that Heaven is clear and Earth is turbid, formed by receiving the Qi (vital energy) of generation and completion. Another view speaks of taking the clear and discarding the turbid, and the principle involved is even more profound and mysterious. Now, when we come to the clear and turbid of the water source, we distinguish it from the two characters “water source.”

Heaven generates Water as the first, and Water’s position is in the North. The Qi of Water returns, flows, and gathers together, and thus it is called the “water source.” The Cuixu Pian (a Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) text) says, “Urge all the hundred meridians to return completely to the source,” and this is precisely what is meant. Water above is called clear, water below is called turbid. At first, above and below interpenetrate and mix into one; over time they gradually congeal and settle, gradually becoming clear. Once the water has clarified, the supreme joy within also manifests. Liu Haichan’s (a Daoist Neidan master) Huanjin Pian saying “the water clarifies and congeals into amber” expresses exactly this.

As for the saying about “retaining the clear and discarding the turbid,” that belongs to another layer of meaning. When I annotated the Cantong Qi (a Daoist Neidan classic), I already explained the situation described as “the physical form becomes ashes and earth, appearing like dust beneath a bright window,” so I shall not repeat it here.

The Interval of Wood and Metal

Within the human body there is something divided into two parts: that which floats above belongs to Wood, that which sinks below belongs to Metal; one in the east and one in the west, and therefore it is called the “interval.” If one can grasp the pivotal mechanism of the Dipper handle’s turning and cause them to circulate up and down following the Qian Dao (the operation of the Heavenly Way), like the turning of the Heavenly River, then the nature of Wood will draw close to Metal, and the sentiment of Metal will also cling to Wood; the Qi of Punishment and De (Virtue) can then unite and no longer remain separated.

Some people consider that causing the light of the two eyes to meet in the center is what is meant by Metal and Wood no longer being separated. This too is one view. However, examining the matter according to the Cantong Qi and the Wuzhen Pian (Daoist Neidan classics), what is referred to by “the interval of Metal and Wood” is probably a situation inside the body, not the two eyes on the outside.

If this matter had not been pointed out by a master, how could one know the principle within?

The Wuzhen Pian states: “Even if your intelligence surpasses that of Yan Hui and Min Ziqian, without the guidance of a realized person you must not force yourself to speculate.” What the elixir scriptures discuss sometimes uses concrete things to illustrate a principle and sometimes employs metaphor to convey a meaning. One and the same idea often appears under different names. When students first read these texts they frequently find the content vast and hard to grasp, as if gazing out over the ocean and not knowing where to begin.

With regard to the Five Phases (wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the elixir scriptures sometimes speak of Metal and Wood, sometimes of Metal and Earth, Water and Fire, Metal and Fire, Metal and Water, Wood and Fire, or Water and Earth. The names shift in many ways and easily leave one bewildered; they are indeed not easy to understand.

The essential purport of the Dao (the Way) is deep and subtle. The crucial points of the path of the elixir, that is, of Neidan (internal alchemy), are two: first, “jiaogou,” and second, “jinhuo.” Here “jiaogou” refers to the union of Yin and Yang Qi (vital energy) in the course of practice, while “jinhuo” means employing the fire-timing in a definite sequence so as to advance the inner refinement. Although these two have an order of before and after, they ultimately form one complete body of cultivation work. Xiao Zixu, in the Jindan Dacheng Ji (Great Collection of the Golden Elixir), said: “The work within the moments is still more wondrous and marvelous,” and this is precisely what he meant.

The mystery in all this is truly profound and hard to fathom.

The celestial mechanism is deep and far-reaching.

The heavenly mechanism refers to the Zi hour at midnight (from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.), when Yang Qi (vital energy) first begins to stir. When the heavenly mechanism is about to arrive, if the practitioner can set their own inner mechanism in motion to respond to it, then Heaven and humanity will be activated together, inner and outer corresponding, congealing into the elixir. Although the moments of interchange of the Qi mechanism in the twelve double-hours of a day can all be used for practice, the ancient immortals particularly selected the time of the midnight Zi hour when Yang Qi first stirs, because at this time the sun has traveled to the north, and the Qi in the human body also arrives at the Weilu Pass (the aperture at the end of the spine), corresponding precisely with Heaven and Earth. What is meant by “stealing from Heaven and Earth and seizing creation” refers exactly to this opportunity. By the Chou hour, the position of the sun’s movement has already shifted, and the Qi of the human body has already passed the Weilu; by the Yin hour, the sun has already risen above the earth, and the Qi of the human body has already passed the kidney hall. These times are unsuitable. The Yuzhi Shu states: “In all elixir refining, one must raise the fire following the rising of Yang Qi at the Zi hour; only then will the firing be vigorous. If the fire is raised at other hours, the firing will be incomplete.” These words have already fully expressed the principle.

However quickly one begins the work of cultivation, it is still too late.

“Beginning the work” refers to gathering the Shen (spirit) and intent of the entire body into the Tiangu point (the place of concealment for spirit-intent in the techniques of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy)) when starting the cooking and refining, not allowing it to dissipate. This does not mean actually seizing hold of anything. Some people become fixated on the two characters “beginning the work” and forcibly combine them with the saying in the Wuzhen pian “seize it with both hands and make them fight unto death,” and thus they clench their fists with force, or cover the ears and nose, or rub the waist and abdomen, or use the thumb to press the center of the palm and the middle finger to press the navel. Is this not labor in vain? “However quickly one cultivates, it is still too late” means that time flies by rapidly, and what is precious in cultivation is acting in good time.

The path to Penglai depends on the completion of three thousand meritorious deeds before one can tread the clouds and return alone.

The so-called “completion of three thousand practices” refers to nine years of cultivation, amounting to roughly three thousand days. Throughout this period one must accumulate merit, cultivate De (Virtue/Power), and practice good deeds; during the twelve two-hour periods of each day, one must not for even a moment let go of the mind intent on cultivating the Dao (the Way). Liu Xugu in his Huandan Pian (Treatise on Returning the Elixir) says: “To accomplish the great work requires three thousand days; the marvelous functioning without any deficiency lies in the twelve hours.” This is precisely the meaning.

The methods of elixir cultivation follow a definite sequence: the elixir embryo can form in a mere instant, after a hundred days its efficacy appears, at the completion of one year the elixir embryo is fully formed, and after nine years meritorious practice reaches completion. Each stage has its corresponding process; it is not a matter of meeting a master today and becoming an immortal tomorrow. After one year of cultivation there can be a minor achievement, while nine years bring about major transformations: first changing the Qi (vital energy), then the blood, vessels, flesh, marrow, sinews, bones, and hair, and finally transforming the physical body. After nine years and nine successive transformations, all yin Qi is refined away and converted into pure Yang; only then can one transcend the mundane world and ascend as an immortal through feathered transformation.

Zeng Zhiyou’s Jixian Zhuan (Collected Biographies of Immortals) records Chen Chaoyuan’s admonition to the world: those who perform good deeds receive blessings, and those who accumulate hidden De will see their descendants flourish. Not wasting Heaven’s resources, not condoning theft, and not undermining orthodox teachings constitute performing good deeds; rescuing those in peril, aiding the injured and sick, offering help when others face urgent difficulties, and not harboring thieves constitute accumulating hidden De. Failing to do good or accumulate hidden De makes it easy to fall into evil paths. Chen Chaoyuan originally addressed these words to ordinary people of the world; how much more should they apply to those cultivating immortality.

Generally speaking, if one wishes to cultivate the immortal Dao, one must first cultivate the human way properly; if the human way is not well cultivated, the immortal Dao remains far distant. The Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality) also states that there is both ease and difficulty in cultivating the great medicine, the crucial factors lying in oneself and in the timely opportunity granted by Heaven. If one does not accumulate good deeds and practice hidden De, one will readily be troubled by Wei demons (demonic obstacles that obstruct and test the practitioner in the course of cultivation). How can a cultivator of the Dao use the doctrine that “my fate is in my own hands” as a pretext, and fail to treat the accumulation of merit and performance of good deeds as a matter of primary importance?

Alas, when three thousand merits and De are fully accumulated, one can become a Daluo immortal; when eight hundred meritorious practices are completed, one can become a guest of the Daluo immortals. We fellow practitioners of the Dao should all strive diligently.