《大丹篇》

The Golden Tiger (here referring to the lead and mercury used in elixir compounding) is the foundation for refining the Reverted Elixir (Huandan, a term in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) or Waidan (external alchemy), here referring to the elixir itself). The so-called “Golden Tiger” is not the name of two separate substances, but a designation for lead and mercury. Lead is black in color, belongs to the Water of the north, and its number is one, hence the saying “to know the One is to comprehend all things.” The Qi (referring to the Daoist alchemical classic Zhouyi Cantong Qi) states that lead contains the five colors, corresponding to the five directions; it also says “three yellows and one black, death cannot even be sought.” “Three yellows and one black” is the name of the numinous elixir. If one can cultivate the Dao (the Way) of the “Three-One,” there is hope of becoming a flying immortal. “One” belongs to Water, “Three” belongs to Wood; the mercury within lead sand appears cyan.

It is further said: After the Golden Elixir (Jindan) has been refined, the fire poison must still be removed. If the fire poison is not removed, ingestion will produce sores in the mouth and nose, the oral cavity will constantly feel burning hot, and the cheeks will feel as if scorched by fire; therefore it must first be processed. First take the sap of the paper-mulberry tree, and roll the elixir into pellets the size of sesame seeds; then wrap the pellets in jujube pulp and place them in a bag of raw silk. Dig an earthen pit about one chi five cun deep, line it layer upon layer with clean paper, place the medicine bag inside, cover with moist earth, and leave it for seven days. Upon removal, suspend it in a well three to five chi above the water surface for three days, allowing the Qi (vital energy) of the cold spring water to remove the medicinal toxins. Afterwards place the medicine in a vessel and set it under the dew of seven clear nights, using the Qi of the Heavenly River (an ancient designation for the Milky Way or nocturnal dewy vapors) to continue detoxifying. If the elixir still produces a reaction, decoct licorice root until thick, strain out the dregs, and have the user sip it slowly day and night; this can relieve the fire poison.

Taiyi Yinjun said: The Golden Fluid Flower Elixir (Jinyi Huadan, a Daoist alchemical term) can enable a person to obtain feathered garments and transform into an immortal, undergoing inexhaustible transformations without any need for doubt. This is an important method of cultivation for the highest immortals.

The Longhu Shangjing further says: “Cinnabar is the essence of Wood; only when it obtains Metal can the two unite. If one wishes to seek longevity, mercury must be refined and transformed; if mercury cannot be successfully refined, the effort is simply wasted. The child of cinnabar-Wood is fashioned by Metal; Water is its mother, and Earth protects it like an embankment. The method of ascending in flight to become an immortal need not wait for a particular time; the efficacy of the reverted elixir lies precisely in this. If one can comprehend the principles of the Great Dao (the Way) and master the seasonal nodes corresponding to the pitch-pipes together with the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang, then the arts of the yellow and the white will succeed.”

The Jinbi Ge of Huangniu Mountain says: “When Water and Fire are paired by themselves and circulate back and forth, they generate fine cloudy Qi.” This refers to the sevenfold repeated refinement of cinnabar. Mercury is the pure form of yin Qi and is able to make the myriad things grow. Therefore yang Qi is restless while yin Qi is still; to abide in stillness is the Dao of longevity without death. The scripture says: “Heaven’s color is dark black, earth’s color is deep yellow; obtaining and ingesting it is the method of longevity and immortality.” It also says: “The White Tiger holds the Red Dragon, one flying and one hiding; a single substance runs through the five colors and forever becomes the blessed fortune of the immortals.”

The methods of refining elixirs from metals and minerals contain many secrets. People of the world lack wisdom and do not understand the principles involved, and therefore cannot make manifest the marvels of the great elixir of lead and mercury. Ordinary and benighted people are many, those who covet profit are also many, yet those who truly succeed are few. For this reason the hidden writings of the Heavenly Dao must not be lightly disclosed. Gentlemen who love the arts of the Dao, and those who seek worthy Perfected persons, ought to contemplate these principles further.

The mother of cinnabar is mercury. It is the essence of the moon, born from yang Qi, following the seasons of Heaven and occupying the position of minister, able to assist the human body in attaining longevity. Cinnabar belongs to the south and, among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), belongs to Fire. Fire is the son of Wood, the grandson of Water, and the mother of Earth. Therefore earth and stone are regarded as the hun-soul of cinnabar.

Yang medicines are divided into seven kinds; among them are metals and minerals, including white mineral, realgar, orpiment, arsenic, sulfur, and azurite, and so on. Yin medicines are likewise divided into seven kinds, including metals such as gold, silver, lead, and tin, as well as minerals such as niter and mirabilite.

The Longhu Sanfu Jiantong Youwei Huohou Huangya Ge says: …

After the Black Dragon transforms, the Red Dragon arises. The Yellow Shen (spirit) wraps it in a glue-like substance, causing the watery liquid to become clear and luminous. Immortals call this material “Lizhi Stone.” Only after a hundred refinements does it recover the shape of a snake. The yin merit it contains shines with a crystalline and vivid luster; when struck it emits a sound like a qing in the stillness. By observing the golden radiance in the ding one perceives the heavenly Dao (the Way) symbolized by the Qian hexagram. Water and Earth mutually restrain each other, mixing to form the qi (vital energy) of Jia and Geng. The dragon hides while the tiger is constrained, yet still refuses to rest in submission; the two breaths circulate unceasingly within Bing and Ding. Only at the Three Yang Jiazi is the physical form considered refined. After a thousand washings and ten thousand smeltings the flowing yellow substance becomes light and numinous.

Liu Zhenren’s Song

Ninefold passes are set upon the Three Mountains ding. The maiden dons her visage, gazing inward from the outer layer. If one can use Xuanwu to subdue the White Tiger, after three days and three nights the elixir condenses of itself. Boil and refine it with spirit-water so that it recovers its original color.

Another song says: One able to employ Water and Fire makes son and mother sit facing each other. When the sixty hexagrams are completed there is a full load of gold. The ancients did not regard a pack-load of gold as valuable; it was enough merely to ingest the elixir.

Nine Heavens True Lord’s Seven Songs of the Great Elixir

Heaven and Earth take xuan and yellow as images, relying upon the white of lead. The Shen chamber (the vessel in which medicinal substances are placed during elixir refinement) corresponds above and below and never departs from the original source. To grasp the principle within is to attain the Dao; to misunderstand it is to go astray. What ding is this ding? What medicine is this medicine? Is what is refined the Four Images (four mutually coordinating substances or forces) or the Five Shen (the spirit-qi corresponding to the Five Phases)? Although substances of different categories are originally unlike, they can still cooperate by means of the mother-son relationship. Yellow Sprout (the key substance generated during elixir refinement), though said not to rely on lead, is nevertheless refined within lead. Intelligent people should consider this carefully in order to know whether the Dao can be learned. If Yellow Sprout sand is not obtained, even if the work is completed there will ultimately be error.

Golden Lord is sinew and marrow, the finest medium among the Seven Treasures. The Granny Maiden guides the sand into it, settling the xuan-yellow qi and causing Shen and po to return to their places. Why trouble to inquire of those who seek the Dao? In this way one may proceed to Penglai unassisted.

Sun and Moon naturally intersect, the Qian and Kun hexagrams join together. The Central Palace serves as covering and support, white liquid wrapping in successive layers. Gold and mercury are like husband and wife; Water and Fire combine with each other. To alter the nature of Yin-Yang, first apply gentle fire then fierce fire in attunement and refinement. Provided one knows how to guard the original source, one may ride a crane and ascend into the cloudy heavens.

The Jing (essence) of Xuanming (deeply hidden in the netherworld and regarded as the quintessence of alchemical raw materials) is conceived by Heaven. To refine the white stone, first remove the sand grains and impurities from it. Repeatedly and arduously refining the Jing of Xuanming will cause a purple luster to appear; then throw the white stone into the sand and leave it overnight. Take two parts of water and add them as the foundation of the medicine; the medicine thus refined is stored in the mercury chamber (the vessel or furnace chamber used for refining mercury), whose wondrous functions ordinary people cannot grasp, and it can even be said to enable one to ride a crane and ascend into the clouds.

The Jing of Xuanming is conceived by Heaven. To refine the white stone, first remove the sand grains and impurities. Repeatedly and arduously refining the Jing of Xuanming, a purple light will appear; throw the white stone into the sand and leave it overnight. Adding two parts of water as the foundation allows the medicine to be refined and stored in the mercury chamber, which ordinary people cannot obtain. Then apply Bing and Ding (the heavenly stems representing Fire in the numerology of the Five Phases) for the refining, operating when the northern lunar mansion moves to the corresponding position; the days and numbers used follow the numerological arrangements of “three-six.” Subtracting a portion according to the number of three-six makes the medicinal nature even more numinous. The Yellow Sprout (Huangya, a term in elixir alchemy for the alchemical medicine or the nascent elixir substance) responds to this influence and becomes Golden Jing. If this item is combined with the River Cart (Heche, a Neidan term often referring to the pathway or motive force of the circulation of Jing and Qi within the body), it still returns together with the River Cart to the north. The immortal medicine is most exquisite and extremely difficult to obtain; it is said to treat many kinds of diseases and can even turn white hair black. Avoid eating blocked fish and turtles; it is especially antagonistic to fupen (a plant name or related medicinal name).

The Flowing Pearl (Liuzhu, an alchemical term referring to a flowing and changeable form of the medicine) will fly away of itself upon encountering fire, and only the Yellow Sprout can subdue it. When gold enters fierce fire, its color does not change; natural transformation has its own timing. The Vermilion Child (Zhuer, a designation for a medicine in elixir formulas) has a bright exterior and simple nature, concentrating on sharing a chamber with the Lead Flower (Qianhua, an alchemical term referring to the transformed form of lead-type medicines). The key to Yin-Yang transformation lies in unification; the reader should carefully comprehend this and not neglect it. First throw the medicine into water, then into fire, and the liquid of Xuan-Huang (the liquid obtained from refining black and yellow medicines) will transform into elixir. After it is successfully refined, the body seems to grow feathered wings, becoming one of the Nine Immortals; five-colored radiance appears, with inexhaustible transformations. At this point, one can naturally rejoice.

Yellow Dragon and Black Lead, thirty jin each, refined by fire without flying away, are the most divine medicines. The northern white stone must be selected to be extremely even so that it can be refined clean and free of dust. The Maiden of the River (Heshang Laonü, a designation for a medicine in elixir formulas) must be pure and true, not fleeing upon encountering fire, like ruler and minister keeping to their positions. If one still cannot refine it into a great vessel, one is merely a person of small capacity; after ninety-one days, yellow silver will appear. Realgar encountering fire without flying away is most divine. The northern white stone must be selected evenly so that it can be refined clean and free of dust; the Maiden of the River must be pure and true, not fleeing upon encountering fire, like ruler and minister keeping to their positions. If one still cannot refine it into a great vessel, one is merely a person of small capacity; after ninety-one days, yellow silver will appear. Realgar, after being refined and fire-subdued, causes the black water to naturally transform into gold.

In the Great Elixir Golden Liquid Instructions of Perfected Lord Li of Jingnan, Li Jun, named Tuo, was a disciple of Perfected Lord Sima of Jiannan. Zhang Jun, named Tao, was fond of mysterious classics, admired the arts of the Dao from a young age, lived in the world for more than four hundred years, and later ascended and departed (the Daoist term for a cultivator leaving the world to become an immortal).

The True Lord said: “Liang has no head, the cauldron has a bottom; when the two things meet, they naturally unite as one.”

“Liang has no head” refers to Gen. Gen, one of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), symbolizes the mountain and here indicates substances that generate naturally in the mountains. “The cauldron has a bottom” refers to Metal, that is, True Lead that has not yet left its mother ore. Lead contains the five colors and belongs to the Metal within northern Water. Metal is a yang substance; after prolonged refining, lead naturally transforms into gold. When the two things meet, they naturally unite as one.

The “silver” spoken of here is the silver of mercury generated in northern Water, not the silver among western gold and silver. Western silver is a refined product occupying the position of the White Tiger, also known as the crude silver commonly found in the marketplace.

The Qiantong Jue forbids the use of this silver: it may only be used to fashion utensils and cannot be employed in elixir refining. One should take the silver that generates naturally in the mountains and use it directly without prior refining; this is the fundamental material for refining the Great Elixir. Therefore the Qiantong Jue states: “The ancients did not set up a stove to refine silver, but took the natural minerals from the ore and used them directly.” This means True Lead is contained therein; the True Lead referred to here is silver.

The book further states that True Lead is formed by the coagulation of red silver cinnabar and can serve as the starting material for elixir refining, used to transform Yin into Yang. Do not first refine mercury; instead, place both cinnabar and lead into the tripod and refine them with a cow-dung fire. They will fuse of their own accord inside the vessel, forming the Returned Elixir.

The Cantong Qi says: “Red and black penetrate the exterior and the interior.” This is the highest method. It means taking only the silver that generates naturally in mountain caverns and using it as the fire-medicine seed for elixir refining; this is the orthodox method, known as the “Heaven-born Ya.”

The song says: Do not destroy my cart, otherwise I will be unable to return home. If one uses fire and smoke to refine away the lead, this is called destroying the cart. Once the body of the cart is destroyed, the medicinal substances cannot settle and stabilize; it will also lose the meaning of the “Kan male” in the northern Kan trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and the elixir method cannot be established.

Here only silver is taken for use; it is the number of the true one water (“true one water number” is an alchemical term referring to the numerical principles corresponding to water and yin). It is also the Jing (essence) of the moon and the soul of the earth, also known as the silver of “lead-bearing silver.” Silver belongs to water, generated naturally, like the essence extracted from ore.

“Rili” is cinnabar. Cinnabar is also a substance naturally generated by heaven and earth, ranking first among the seventy-two minerals, and is the sovereign of the medicines of longevity. It is also called “solar Jing (essence),” capable of transformation and generation. The south belongs to fire; the fire number is two, containing one yin within it, and is therefore called “female.” Cinnabar from Chenzhou and Jinzhou is of the highest quality and should be used raw.

The treasures of the sun and moon, heaven and earth, are the root of the immortals’ feathered transformation (attaining the Dao and becoming immortal), and also the foundation upon which those aspiring to cultivate the Dao rely. If one cannot grasp the principles therein, one cannot awaken to the Dao.

The song further says: Do not destroy me, so that my nature and life may be preserved.

There is also a verse that says: “The sun and moon alternate in their courses, and cinnabar and lead join together in the furnace.”

Here “sun and moon” refer to the Kan and Li trigrams of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), which symbolize Water and Fire. The essential nature of the medicinal substances is that Yin-Yang mutually impel one another and spontaneously conjoin. What is called “cinnabar” is that which is generated by Wood, with mercurial Water stored within it. When it turns toward the southeast, it becomes the “dragon,” corresponding to the Zhen trigram.

In cultivation there is no need to add other medicinal substances; one directly employs Water and Fire to subdue and refine. The “subduing” spoken of in the Jing (scripture/classic) means Yin subduing Yang: Yin is placed above and Yang below, so that Water and Fire interpenetrate. The solar and lunar Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), together with the hun and po souls symbolized by Kan and Li, seek union with each other; this is the moment when Water and Fire meet. Water and Fire serve as media for one another and cooperate: Yin takes Water as its medium, Yang takes Fire as its medium. When mercury is transformed into Yang, the flowing pearl (an alchemical term referring to the pearl-like product formed from refined mercury) is obtained, yet one must still guard it with care.

If one employs fire to circulate and refine, causing the medicinal substances to flow through the Six Voids (which symbolize the directions and spaces between heaven and earth), one must grasp the fire timing according to the transformations of the six trigrams. On the third day the Zhen trigram is set in motion; after “three fives complete De (Virtue/Power),” the body of the Qian trigram is formed and the three Yang are complete. By the sixteenth day it turns to the Xun trigram, and one Yin appears. The twenty-third day is the last quarter of the moon, when Yin qi increases further, forming the Gen trigram. On the thirtieth day it concludes with the Kun trigram: the three Yin are complete and return to Earth.

The Reverted Elixir (the elixir produced through fire-timing refinement) from beginning to end comprises the pairing of two trigram bodies. The Jing uses the phrase “in the northeast one loses companions, in the southwest one gains companions” to explain the pairing of Yin and Yang in direction and transformation, indicating that Yin and Yang intermingle with each other from start to finish.

When cultivation reaches the Purple Palace (here referring to the southern Nine Palaces), it is called “the person leaving the world.” The Jing says that mercury comes from the south and appears purple upon reaching the north; western quicksilver, after being refined by circulating fire, returns again to its western original position. When the elixir displays a purple color, it is called the Reverted Elixir; ingesting it allows one to soar to heaven, and therefore it is said “the person leaving the world.”

The Qiantong Jue says: “Gold powder and realgar, vermilion mercury water, placed in a silver pot and turned and refined repeatedly several times—this is what is meant.” If one does not understand the relationship of fire with lead and water, even knowing many methods will be of no use. The so-called “fire aid” means that fire refines the mercury, while water conceals its treasures. If a person does not understand the relations among lead, mercury, water, and fire, even if a great many elixir medicines are refined, they cannot become the treasures of one’s own person.

In the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), Metal overcomes Wood, and Wood upon being overcome generates Fire; Fire overcomes Metal, and Metal upon being overcome generates Water; Water again generates Metal. In cultivating the Great Elixir one must employ the mutual generation and mutual overcoming of the Five Phases.

The Jinshi Lingtai Jue says: This is the principle by which Heaven and Earth operate naturally. Yin-Yang, Kan and Li (symbols of the sun and moon and of water and fire), the sun and moon, the hard and the soft, and the attributes of day and night all correspond to one another and mutually restrain one another. In accordance with a definite standard of weighing and balancing, the hard and the soft alternate, Yin and Yang generate each other, and change is inexhaustible; thus above it matches the sun, moon, and stars of Heaven, and below it corresponds to water, fire, and metal. Therefore the sage follows the heavenly Dao (the Way), understands the principle of transformation, and enables the myriad things to come into being and grow. Those who sincerely seek the Dao and genuinely love learning may observe from this the natures of metals and stones; those whose learning is shallow, whose views are narrow, and whose minds are benighted should not seek to study this path.

The Peng Zhenjun Ge says: The nature of water is to flow downward and moisten the myriad things; the nature of fire is to burn upward. Water and fire are like husband and wife, sometimes weak and sometimes strong. If they are staggered like the Shen and Shang stars, one bowing down and one looking up, and one cannot devise a way to harmonize them, then after a long time it will be hard to maintain.

The Shuzhong Jing says: “Mercury” is another name for the “Granny Girl”; “sand” is the most precious part within the lead. Pairing the sand with the mercury is the essential secret of this art of elixir refinement. Lead contains sand and mercury, just as if there were a person inside, possessing feeling and nature. The original text then goes on to mention “looking up” as well as “if no embankments or defenses are set up, over time one feels it difficult to nourish,” and the meaning of the text seems to have a gap; the general idea is still that if water and fire cannot be harmonized and there is no protective restraint, they will in the long run be difficult to sustain.

The Shu Zhong Jing states that mercury is also called “Lao Nu,” and that sand is the most precious part within lead. Using sand and mercury to refine lead is the true secret of elixir alchemy. Lead contains sand and mercury within itself, just as a person possesses qing (emotion) and xing (nature). Mercury is not something foreign to the human being; sand and mercury belong to lead itself and are not alien substances mixed in from outside.

The so-called “Dao of the Three-in-One” (the path of cultivation that unites three elements into one) requires that qing and xing first be harmonized; only then can one return to the true Dao (the Way) and restore one’s original position. The art of the Golden Fluid uses metal to nourish water and thereby return to the origin and revert to the source. If other substances are used for the refinement, qing and xing cannot be brought into harmony. Therefore the Cantong Qi says: use the name to determine qing, use the written character to express xing; only when metal returns to its original source can the process be called Huandan, the Returned Elixir (the elixir method of returning to the origin and restoring the original state).

It further says that qing governs inner regulation, and one must establish and stabilize the inner foundation; xing governs outer command, and one must fortify the outer boundaries as firmly as city walls. From this it is clear that mercury symbolizes the qing-nature of lead, while Yuanqi (primordial Qi, original vital energy) is the root of the human being. Metal governs the outer and therefore symbolizes “xing”; mercury governs the inner and is therefore called “qing.” Using metal to constrain mercury speaks precisely of the principle of harmonizing qing so that qing and xing unite; containing and nourishing Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), and preserving Jing and Shen (spirit), is the method of cultivating xing and uniting with the true.

It also says: “The dragon exhales and the tiger inhales its Jing; the two nourish each other and both are thereby fulfilled.” Here the dragon refers to Eastern Jia-Yi Wood, that is, the Qinglong (Azure Dragon); the tiger refers to Western Geng-Xin Metal, that is, the Baihu (White Tiger). The dragon symbolizes qing, the tiger symbolizes xing. That qing and xing depend upon each other speaks of the principle of their union and return to the original source.

A verse further says: “Gather in the self and collect the hun and po souls in order to replenish the tiger’s hunger and deficiency; when the tiger comes forth to devour, the Jingsui of the body is generated.” Here “Jingsui” refers to Jingqi (essence-qi) and Maiqi (vessel-qi). From this, the meaning of mutually corresponding respiration and reciprocal nourishment becomes clear.

It also sings: The sun-like flowing pearl (an alchemical term referring to a mercury-like substance) always seeks to leave the human body. When it at last obtains the golden flower (an alchemical term referring to a matching gold-like substance), the two interact and transform into a white liquid that hardens upon coagulation. The golden flower changes first, and after a short while the flowing pearl follows. The coagulated matter then disperses and dissolves into water, revealing patterns like horse teeth. Yang Qi (vital energy) accordingly flows in its proper course, and the natures of the substances naturally harmonize. From this it is clear that one must establish Qian and Kun (symbolizing Yin-Yang), circulate water and fire so that they accord with heavenly timing and match the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, and only then can the cinnabar elixir be successfully refined. Subtle expressions carry profound meaning, yet the principles of the great Dao (the Way) are simple and direct. Silver is the mother of the tooth and lead is its foot; once their fundamental relationship is understood, their application will not err. Cinnabar turns into gold and mercury into silver; the process is swiftly completed, and what results is the genuine substance that was sought. If one cultivates the elixir method without grasping the “Three-Five-One” (an alchemical term for the essential numerical correspondences of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), the gate cannot be entered; those who do grasp it must still seek within Kan (one of the Bagua or Eight Trigrams, symbolizing water and Yang within Yin). Yin and Yang are like one that gives birth and one that completes, each depending on the other; after transformation the cyan substance becomes of golden quality. There are no longer any external chains or dikes; both interior and exterior take the self as the spirit chamber (a metaphor in alchemy for the vessel that contains and transmutes the medicines). Once ingested it confers longevity and can also relieve poverty; its spiritual efficacy is realized in at most a thousand days.

It also sings: White horse-tooth (an alchemical term for a white medicinal or alchemical material) is matched with fine cinnabar according to the “two-eight” numbers (an alchemical ratio), blending the two substances. One must know the proper sequence of above and below and employ the Three Dukes (an alchemical term whose precise reference has varied historically) so that they transform into golden quality. There are no longer any external chains or dikes; both interior and exterior take the self as the spirit chamber. Once ingested it confers longevity and can also relieve poverty; its spiritual efficacy is realized in at most a thousand days.

It also sings: White horse-tooth and fine cinnabar are combined according to the “two-eight” numbers, blending the two substances. One must know the proper sequence of above and below and vigorously apply the Three Flowers (an alchemical term referring to transformations or combinations arising in the process). In this way all things may attain longevity and never perish—gentlemen should not boast of it.

Master Guigu’s “Song of the Nine-Cycle Golden Liquid Great Reverted Elixir” says:

Immortals do not employ ordinary medicines when refining the elixir. They take only the “divine chamber” (the furnace chamber for elixir-refining or the site of inner cultivation) as the foundation, and this divine chamber is formed of “gold.” Ordinary people seek the Great Dao yet never know its root, wasting gold and silver in vain to build furnace chambers. Qingxiazi said: Do not exhaust your wealth, nor reduce your household to poverty; if the true oral instructions are not obtained, elixir-refining cannot succeed.

Gold and silver, after repeated smelting, appear as lifeless matter, yet later they can be transformed into living medicines. The mysteries of creation cannot be separated from mercury; when Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) coagulate with hun and po, they form the golden-flower medicine. The transformation of the medicines never leaves the root of creation; to complete the reverted elixir one must employ Yin-Yang. Four liang and one jin unite as a single body, one Yin and one Yang matching each other. After seventy-two days a complete heavenly circuit is accomplished and the medicine is fully matured. Once mature it begins to circulate again from jia and yi (the first two of the heavenly stems, commonly used to mark directions and temporal sequences). Ingesting it brings long years and increased longevity. This is the exquisite essential formula of the immortal lineage.

Another song says:

My household possesses five things, of which three are known to very few. Originally they were one body; later they were distributed among the five directions.

The east, jia and yi, belongs to Wood, like the Green Dragon as elder brother; the west, geng and xin, belongs to Metal, like the Metal Maiden as consort. The south, bing and ding, belongs to Fire, Yin and Yang combining to form a pair; the north, ren and gui, belongs to Water, attaining their original nature they can keep themselves. The center, wu and ji, belongs to Earth, used to construct the foundation and nourish the treasure.

When fire is applied there is only one fire-timing; do not let others know. If water and fire cannot be harmonized, whether the transformation is consummated or ruined depends entirely on this. The first and second cycles settle hun and po; the third and fourth cycles bring the practice halfway; the fifth and sixth cycles make the Shen (spirit) light peaceful and secure; the seventh and eighth cycles follow the superior immortals; the ninth cycle communicates with the numinous marvel and ascends into the heavenly realm. The efficacy of creation is unfathomably profound; do not harbor doubts.

Minister Pei’s “Song of the Great Elixir”

The Great Dao has left the method of elixir-refining, causing people to purify their hearts and yearn for the immortal realm. Yin-Yang accomplish creation; water and fire condense into the “River Chariot” (a term in Neidan (internal alchemy) for the circulation of Jing and Qi). Lead and mercury must return to wu Earth; when the elixir furnace is opened the purple-gold flower appears. Afterward one must continue cultivation in the “Flower Pond” (a Daoist Neidan term referring to the place where Jing and Qi are nourished). This divine marvelous efficacy is unfathomably profound; do not harbor doubts.

Minister Pei’s “Song of the Great Elixir”

The Great Dao (the Way) preserves the methods of refining the elixir. Those who cultivate the Dao should purify their inner hearts and yearn for the immortal realms. Yin-Yang unite to generate the myriad things; water and fire are inter-refined, forming the “River Chariot” (a Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) term referring to the cultivation process of circulating Qi (vital energy)). Lead and mercury must return to Wu Earth (a term from the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); Wu belongs to Earth and is often used to indicate the power of harmonization). The elixir furnace opens, and the purple-gold flower appears. Thereafter one must continue to nourish it in the Flower Pond (a Neidan term referring to the saliva or related locations in cultivation), so that the spirit waters each return to their proper places.

Those who aspire to cultivate the Dao, having obtained these methods, must cherish and guard them, using them to stabilize nature and life and to cultivate the spirit chamber (the inner abode in cultivation where Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) are stored and nourished). People of inferior capacity often laugh secretly upon hearing this, while Zhenren (True Persons, cultivators who have attained the Dao) who hear it can stabilize their hun and po souls. By burning incense and offering reverence, all affairs may be concluded; people thereby resonate with Heaven and Earth and attain the quality of immortals.

Master Rong said: “If one encounters mysterious written secrets and the most essential medicines, they must not be transmitted lightly. Reckless transmission will cause calamity to extend to seven generations of ancestors; everyone should be cautious.”

The Great Elixir Chapter ends here.