《太上修真体元妙道经》

In the beginning, the myriad things were blended into one undifferentiated whole, and Heaven and Earth had not yet revealed their forms. At that time, all was contained within chaos, the myriad things hidden from view and unseen; it was dim and not yet bright, and the three roots of generation were also concealed without manifestation. It seemed like Qi (vital energy), yet it could not be named Qi; it appeared to have an image, yet it possessed no form. It was merely a chaotic unity, resembling a thing yet not resembling a thing, existing in a state of primal simplicity that remained undivided.

Its configuration transcends the resemblances and classifications of ordinary things, encompassing the four directions and containing the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. A sharp knife cannot split it, and a massive club cannot pound it into pieces. The Three Realms of Taiqing (the three pure realms spoken of in Daoism) appear as if stored within a mustard seed, remaining unmanifested; the ten thousand kinds of things in the human realm are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, impossible to enumerate. All varieties of Qi are contained within it, its form resembling an egg. If one were to divide it internally into the Two Modes of Yin-Yang, then where would Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) reside? If the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is stored within it, then from where does Water arise? This is like gold hidden in sand or jade contained in stone: without mining and washing, how can they be distinguished from one another?

Thus, once the primal simplicity of chaos differentiates, Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) unfolds; after forms take shape, the myriad things and phenomena accordingly appear. The vastness, hiddenness, profundity, and subtlety of the Dao (the Way) are all like this. The so-called “Dao” is that which contains the true inherent nature within itself.

The mnemonic verse states: Without physical body and without image; without odor and without sound. When Heaven and Earth have not yet divided, how am I to name it? It is dark like an uncarved jade, blended and at peace. Such wondrous functioning is precisely the principle of the Dao’s operation.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Two: Differentiation of Primal Simplicity and Manifestation of Form.

When Heaven and Earth had not yet been opened and the ten thousand things had not yet taken form, an undifferentiated mass of Qi (vital energy) coalesced together, and neither movement and stillness nor Yin-Yang had yet appeared. The Qi that wished to rise still could not ascend, and the ten thousand things were about to begin generation but had not truly started. Clarity contained chaos, and chaos also harbored clarity, with no definite boundary that could be pointed out. It was dim and heavy, like thick smoke obscuring vision, or like mist spreading and covering the water's surface.

The so-called "hun" is the state in which Yin Qi is about to dissipate and Yang Qi is about to rise and soar; the so-called "ji" is the stage in which Yang Qi is about to flow freely and Yin Qi is about to differentiate. Therefore, without having undergone the extreme of chaos and transformation, the ten thousand things can hardly generate and change. Those who comprehend the Great Dao (the Way) should silently experience this process.

The formula says: The two Qi of Yin and Yang are chaotically mixed; the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity have not yet differentiated, and within this the ten thousand things are already contained, only that the ten thousand things wish to appear but still have no form. Only when transformation reaches the extreme can the ten thousand things be generated through change; without being activated, the ten thousand things cannot settle. After generation there continues to be transformation, and within transformation there is new generation; opening and closing in cycles, the gate shuts and opens.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

One Qi Divides into Three, Chapter Three

The Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity have not yet differentiated, and within this the ten thousand things are already contained; the ten thousand things are about to appear but still have no form. Only when transformation reaches the extreme can the ten thousand things be generated through change; without being activated, the ten thousand things cannot settle. After generation there continues to be transformation, and within transformation there is new generation; opening and closing in cycles, the gate shuts and opens.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

After Qi (vital energy) condenses, at first it is an undifferentiated whole without distinctions; differentiation begins from within it. The clear and light Qi rises, while the heavy and turbid Qi sinks; the unbiased portion gestates in the middle. Therefore the myriad things begin to transform from the center, and when transformation reaches its extreme they differentiate. This differentiation is as swift as throwing water into a raging fire, or like splitting an egg with a sharp knife.

Once the Qi disperses, the clear and light portion rises; as the Qi circulates and agitates it transforms according to its clear and light nature. Clear Qi belongs to Yang and is called Heaven; turbid Qi stagnates, becoming thick and heavy, condensing according to its turbid nature, belongs to Yin and is called Earth. Heaven is symbolized by the utmost flourishing of Qian (the trigram in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) that symbolizes Heaven and Yang), with Yang Qi advancing vigorously without cease; Earth is symbolized by the utmost flourishing of Kun (the trigram that symbolizes Earth and Yin), with Yin Qi stagnating thickly and heavily, able to generate the myriad things. After the two Qi separate, what then is the human? Clear Qi is the root of Heaven, turbid Qi the source of Earth; the refined and outstanding Qi between Heaven and Earth manifests in all kinds of things, which thereby take on form; from this arise living beings that contain spirit, and the appearance of humanity also begins here. To understand the origin of the two Qi and the beginning of the human Way, one should seek it in the place of central harmony between Heaven and Earth.

The secret verse says: The primordial One Qi begins to differentiate, and the two forms of Heaven-Earth Yin-Yang take shape accordingly; between Heaven and Earth there is also the human Way, encompassing the myriad kinds of sentient beings. I and Heaven and Earth are originally one body; why separate myself from Heaven and Earth? The transformation of the Dao (the Way) lies right here; returning to the Dao, one can understand the principle within it.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Four: Opening of Qi and Signs of Images

The initial One generates the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; from the Three Powers the Four Directions are formed, namely East, South, West, and North; the Four Directions further differentiate into the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), namely Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Why is this so? Here water is regarded as the “One.” At the time when Heaven and Earth had not yet differentiated and the myriad things had not yet taken form, the whole was purely of Yin nature; after dispersing it transforms into Qi, therefore Qi generates further Qi within itself, and Qi then generates humans. The root formed by the layered transformations of Qi is water: water generates Wood, Wood transforms into Fire, Fire returns to Earth; Earth is the Qi that will later sink and congeal. Hence nourish

Born of Metal. Metal is the stage at which the Five Qi (wǔqì, the five primordial vital energies constituting all things) reach the extreme of their circulation. Arriving at this point they can develop no further, and so transform into rain, dew, frost, and snow, which also portends their coming transformation into Water. Therefore, if one infers the transformations of the Five Qi in reverse, Metal is taken as the mother of Water, Earth as the father of Water, and Fire as the ancestor of Water. Why is this said? Because sunlight reflecting on the surface of water produces rippling light, and the moon likewise manifests its radiance.

In the discourse on the Five Qi, why is Water listed as the starting point and corresponding to the kidneys? A person in the fetal state is like Heaven and Earth in chaos, not yet differentiated. Yet why is it also said that Earth ranks first and Fire second? As soon as the infant is born, the Heavenly Gate (tiānmén, the portal at the crown of the head, here referring to the upper orifices of the body) opens, while the Earthly Door (dìhù, the portals of the lower body) remains frequently closed; speech begins only at the age of three. In the discourse on the Five Qi, why is Water again taken as the beginning, corresponding to the kidneys? A person in the womb is like the undifferentiated chaotic state. Yet why is it also said that Earth ranks first and Fire second? Upon birth the Heavenly Gate opens, the Earthly Door is often closed, and speaking commences at three years of age. Born of the worthy (original text thus; meaning unclear).

And why is it not Water ranking first, Wood second, Metal third, and Fire fourth? Those who cultivate authenticity should turn their gaze back upon themselves. The essential purport of the Yinfu (here referring to the principles revealed in the Yinfu Jing) is all contained herein.

The oral formula states: After the One Qi (yīqì) disperses, Heaven, Earth, humanity, and the myriad things thereby come into existence. The Five Phases (wǔxíng, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the four directions are all discussions of the transformations of Water, Wood, and the like. Breath resides in the abdomen in a state of undifferentiated chaos. To embody this waxing and waning is the gateway to the superior methods of the Dao.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Five: Myriad Phenomena Containing Transformation

After the Two Qi (èrqì, the two vital energies of Yin and Yang) generate and transform, the clear Qi circulates and the turbid Qi is set in motion; thus Qi has ascent and descent, the myriad kinds have growth and decline, flourishing and withering, and worldly affairs have succession and extinction. The Five Qi each occupy one direction: occupying the east it is called Qingyang (Azure Yang), occupying the west Baicang (White Storage), occupying the south Zhuming (Vermilion Brightness), occupying the north Xuanying (Mysterious Essence). Qi disperses and then coalesces, the myriad things return to unity, hence the center is called “yang.” The Four Qi correspond respectively to the four seasons and four directions; the Qi of each direction operates for three months, all of which contain Earth Qi. However (the original is interrupted at this point).

The original text contains multiple repetitions and breaks off at the end; the phrase “born of the worthy” is also difficult to determine in meaning from the existing wording.

Earth takes as its foundation the bearing and support of all things. All things grow from Wood Qi and are nourished by Water Qi. When Metal Qi becomes vigorous they wither; when they meet Fire Qi they dry up. Even when repeatedly cut down, the life force never ceases; even if it is interrupted for a time, it grows again. This is because the transformations of the four seasons all contain Earth Qi.

Yellow flowers appear in spring because Wood contains Earth Qi, corresponding to the Earthly Branch Chen. Yellow flowers flourish in summer because Fire contains Earth Qi, corresponding to Wu. Yellow flowers burst forth in autumn because Metal contains Earth Qi, corresponding to Shen. Yellow plants sprout in winter because Water contains Earth Qi, corresponding to Hai. The Earthly Branches are an ancient set of symbols used to mark times, days, and directions.

Nothing is left outside the Five Phases, the five Qi, the five signs, and the five directions, and nothing is generated or transformed except through them. Eastern Yin belongs to Wood, yet it is also where Fire first begins to arise. The western position of Metal lies at Si, yet it still holds the residual Qi of Fire. Configurations dominated by Water contain Fire and Earth within them; those dominated by Fire store the Qi of the upper regions as well. The various Qi generate and overcome one another while simultaneously encompassing and transforming each other.

Thus a seed first possesses a single kernel, then puts forth two sprouts; next it grows three sheaths, four leaves, five branches, and six stems, then opens seven flowers, forms eight fruits, and produces nine seeds, finally withering at the tenth stage. This corresponds to the numerical principle: “Heaven generates Water with one, Earth completes it with two; Heaven generates Wood with three, Earth completes it with four; Heaven generates Earth with five, Earth completes it with six; Heaven generates Fire with seven, Earth completes it with eight; Heaven generates Metal with nine, Earth completes it with ten.”

In cultivating the Dao one must take the single Qi as the guiding thread and hold fast to the One. All change from one to ten is contained within this One and arises naturally in silence and Wuwei (non-action). This is the meaning of “Taiyi containing the True” (the Supreme One encompassing the authentic Dao). Those who cultivate authenticity should grasp this principle and practice in accordance with it.

The mnemonic verse says: From the One, three is generated, and the myriad phenomena are contained therein. Between Heaven and Earth it operates without pause; Yin and Yang cycle and revolve in the obscure and subtle. A single point of ancestral Qi (the original vital energy of all things) can set the four seasons in motion. If one can comprehend this, one can move in concert with the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Six: Transforming Emptiness into Solidity

That which is empty, floating, and without roots still has its origin; within nothingness there is also a beginning. These arise from the dispersal of the one Qi and the intermingling of the five Qi. The emptiness above is formed from clear Qi and is therefore called “the vast expanse”; the solidity below is from turbid Qi…

The original floating state of the myriad things has no traceable origin, yet within emptiness there is its source. All of this arises from the differentiation of the One Qi (Yiqi, the primordial vital energy of the cosmos) and the mutual intermingling of the five kinds of primordial Qi. The emptiness above is formed through the transformation of clear Qi, and is therefore called Liaokuo (the vast expanse); the substantial forms below are generated through the condensation of turbid Qi, and are therefore called Yuedu (the great mountains and rivers). Thus there is Yang within emptiness and Yin within substance.

The hour of Zi belongs to emptiness, while the hour of Wu belongs to substance. At the Wu hour Yin Qi rises and fire Qi reaches its peak of vigor, so it belongs to substance; at the Zi hour Yang Qi begins to emerge and water Qi reaches its peak of vigor, so it belongs to emptiness. Without emptiness one cannot recognize substance; without substance one cannot comprehend emptiness.

Earth originally belongs to substance, so why is it not seen to manifest among the twelve dual-hours? Primordial Qi originally belongs to emptiness, so why can it generate the Three Pure Realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three layers of pure heavenly realms spoken of in Daoism)? Seeking the substantial from emptiness is relatively easy, but returning from the substantial to emptiness is difficult.

The wind, rain, frost, mist, and cloudy Qi of the heavens sometimes gather and sometimes disperse; this is the manifestation of emptiness and substance beginning to transform into one another. The mountains and seas, forests and trees, and crops of the earth are all substantial, so why do the seas dry up and the rivers run dry, why do mountain peaks collapse and the earth shake? This too is a manifestation of the mutual interaction and transformation of emptiness and substance. From non-being to being is emptiness turning into substance; from being to non-being is substance turning into emptiness.

A person originally receives life through the mutual stimulation of the parents’ nature and feelings, ultimately forming a distinct and concrete physical form; this is emptiness turning into substance. Once the five desires (the five sensory desires) arise, a person’s original authenticity is lost; thereafter seeking to recover the original root of nature and feelings becomes extremely difficult. This shows that seeking the substantial from emptiness is easy, while returning from the substantial to emptiness is hard. Therefore those who study the Dao (the Way) take the Xiantian (the primordial state unaffected by later desires and physical form) as the foundation of cultivation, precisely in accordance with this principle.

The secret verse says: From emptiness arises primordial Qi, and primordial Qi then generates all kinds of things; substance is produced from things of like kind, accumulating in succession, until one grows weary from the burden of substance. To seek substance from emptiness, though difficult, remains possible; if substance accumulates to excess it forms a solid state that even water and fire cannot damage.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Seven of the Xingqing Huayu Zhang (Chapter on the Transformation and Nurturing of Nature and Feelings).

After Qi (vital energy; 炁, the ancient term for qi) differentiates, the myriad phenomena then become manifest: in high places there are the sun, moon, stars, wind, thunder, and lightning; in low places there are mountains and rivers, plants and trees, birds and beasts, and insects. In the beginning the myriad things have no nature or emotion. When the mechanism of Qi is set in motion they respond, and thus generate feelings. As soon as emotional thoughts stir, the innate nature also reveals itself. Plants and trees respond to the Qi mechanism and grow lush and flourishing; in the deep waters there is likewise response to the Qi mechanism and transformation. All of these arise from Yin generating Yang.

Once the myriad things possess nature they generate desires; once they have desires they generate emotions. Plants and trees originally have no nature or emotion; when the Qi mechanism is activated they respond and thus generate emotions. Once emotional thoughts stir, nature likewise becomes manifest: plants and trees therefore grow luxuriantly, and aquatic things respond to Qi and transform. They all generate Yang Qi from within Yin.

When the winter solstice arrives, the nature of plants and trees is fulfilled: willows still grow as willows, flowers bloom once more, and insects begin to stir and undergo transformation. All of this is initiated by the winter solstice. The winter solstice is the extreme point of winter; among the twelve earthly branches it belongs to “zi,” and the zi hour represents the first arising of a single Yang. In hexagram images this is called “Fu” (the Return hexagram in the Book of Changes, meaning return and revival). From this point onward the natures and emotions of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things gradually interpenetrate.

The myriad things are thus, and human beings are no exception. From the crown of the head to the heels, the bones, hair, Qi and blood, as well as the movements and the openings and closings of the body, all communicate with Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. Therefore, from subtle and tenuous emotional responses human beings then manifest their true nature. Once emotion and nature connect they induce transformation, forming states that have blood, have pearls, have lumps, and have fetuses; this is called “ren” (gestation), belonging to the initial stage of Water.

Thus it is that Yang is generated from within Yin, not that Yin is generated from Yang. The functioning of the Dao (the Way) is able to transform emotion and nature into the great medicine of cultivation; only one who understands this can be said to be skilled at embodying the Dao. Viewed in this way, the emotions of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, as well as the nature possessed prior to being conceived by father and mother, appear as clearly and distinctly as when one opens a mirror and sees one’s own countenance.

In the beginning there was only a single Qi (vital energy), the primordial Qi. It differentiated into nature and emotion; when it dispersed, it gradually grew dim; when it gathered inward, life arose from it. Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—the Three Powers—originally all issued from the One. There is no need to set up a separate external measure; one need only seek mutual resonance and correspondence among them, and the original substance of the ten thousand things will naturally become complete and lucid.

Chapter Eight: The Qi of the Sun, Moon, and Stars

The pure Yang Qi rises toward the left, the pure Yin Qi descends toward the right, and the Qi conceived and nurtured in the center hangs suspended in the middle. Qian (symbolizing Heaven and Yang) transforms and differentiates; one of these transformations produces the ten suns, that is, the sun. The scripture further says that Yang alone cannot accomplish creation and transformation, so nine of the suns sink down while one bathes; once the nine have descended they become six. Six represents Yin, and from this Yin begins to be generated. Therefore the radiance of the moon must borrow the light of the sun.

Outside Mount Sumeru (the high mountain of ancient cosmology), on the left side of the vast sky, the sun and moon revolve. The moon always fails to catch up with the sun, probably because it belongs solely to pure Yin. Qian possesses the brilliance of the sun, while Kun (symbolizing Earth and Yin) conceives and nurtures the moon; this speaks of Yin containing Yang within it, and of Yang clinging to Yin.

The sun has its rising and setting, its ascent and descent: at first it rises from the horizon as if emerging from water, then it climbs into the sky and illuminates the ten thousand things. It can illuminate only the day, not the night. The moon, by contrast, has its phases of darkness, new moon, first and last quarters, and full moon, as well as waxing and waning, rising and sinking; this is because the moon must rely on Yang Qi and is therefore always incomplete. It moves more slowly, completing a cycle in about thirty days, and cannot shine every day as the sun does. This is the regular pattern of the movements of the sun and moon.

Why is it that the sun’s radiance is so powerful it can illuminate all external things, yet cannot shine into an inverted basin? Because the bottom of the basin has no opening. What is called an “opening” is the place where transformation is opened and activated; that which can open transformation and manifest the myriad phenomena is the stars. The stars are also produced from the Qi of the sun and correspond to the human realm. The sun primarily circulates Yang Qi, the moon primarily circulates Yin Qi; what drives the alternation of the four seasons, the cycling of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and coordinates the movements of the Seven Regulators (the sun, moon, and five planets of antiquity) is the stars.

Yet the resonances of the stars are not fixed; they differ from one another and are easily subject to change, so the Northern Dipper is used to unify and govern them. The positions of the stars may shift, but the Northern Dipper cannot be arbitrarily moved. Day and night the stars hang high in the heavens, bright and visible. They cannot be compared with the sun, probably also because the stars are merely residual Qi, of uneven nature and easily changeable. Therefore the movements of the sun and moon follow a regular pattern, while the stars have no fixed, unchanging state.

At the beginning of the Primordial Origin, the one Qi divided and distinguished itself, and from this Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and the sun, moon, and stars appeared. The three Qi mixed together and returned once more to unity; this is the Dao (the Way) of Prior Heaven.

The formula says: Heaven possesses vast and luminous Jing (essence) Qi (vital energy); the moon nurtures a grand numinous Qi. Heaven and Earth conjoin above and below, conceiving elegant Qi from which the stars are generated. Heaven governs the transformations of Yang Qi; Earth oversees the movements of Yin Qi. Heaven, Earth, and humanity—the Three Powers—all emerge from a single Qi, and the myriad things are generated thereby.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Nine: Silently Contemplating and Manifesting the Form

A person first enters the world through emotion; after marital union, the physical forms of male and female are thereby constituted. Human life originates from the Qi of the Five Phases (Wuxing), endowed with the dual Qi of Yin-Yang from Heaven and Earth. Therefore, before birth, one dwells in the mother’s womb, drinking the mother’s blood and receiving nourishment from the fetal envelope: both hands covering the eyes, both feet curled against the chin. When the mother inhales, the fetus inhales with her; when the mother exhales, the fetus exhales with her. Every movement and stillness causes the mother’s body and the fetus to respond to each other. At that time, what did the fetus know, and what could it understand? It was merely that the Qi of Heaven, the Qi of Earth, and the Qi of the human body blended and intermingled, with only a single breath remaining.

When the fetus is born, it is as if Heaven and Earth are overturned; the mother’s body is startled and the fetal envelope ruptures. The fetus is like one who, climbing a high mountain, loses footing and falls, hanging head-downward with feet spread, and is finally born. After birth, with a loud cry, one forgets that single breath of the womb. Thereafter people live according to their inherent nature and passions, finding it difficult to preserve that former state any longer. The breath of the womb could originally be recovered and held once more; still more, the infant then nourishes body and mind with milk, lures the eyes with clever playthings, stirs the emotions with love, and enslaves the Shen (spirit) with desire. In this way one gradually becomes isolated from the original beginning, generating all sorts of gaps, and can no longer preserve that single breath of the womb. Those who study the Dao (the Way) should carefully contemplate this chapter and seek from it the essentials of cultivating the Dao.

The formula says: Life arises from chaos and then forms embryonic pregnancy; the seven emotions and six desires should ultimately all return to stability. In the coming and going of respiration one should recover the original true nature. Embryonic breathing, embryonic breathing, resides in the Dao.

The formula further says: Life arises from chaos and then forms embryonic pregnancy; the seven emotions and six desires should ultimately all return to stability. In the coming and going of respiration one should recover the original true nature. Embryonic breathing, embryonic breathing, resides within the mysterious female of the Dao (what Daoists call the root of generation and transformation).

The Dao (the Way) is the word for the fundamental origin of all things, yet it has no fixed name. Heaven never speaks, yet the myriad phenomena operate and transform thereby. In the beginning, all things contained within the primordial void the Marvelous One (the unified origin before the myriad things were differentiated); within the Three Qi (vital energy) of the primordial beginning, the primordial origin, and the primordial extreme, they gradually melted and fused, after which Heaven and Earth, the Two Modes, were distinguished and separated.

The Three Qi are the primordial beginning, the primordial origin, and the primordial extreme. Without an extreme point, the original essence would transform; without transformation, forms and images would not become manifest. Forms and images are the foundation of all categories of things and the basis from which the myriad things arise. Forms transform to produce the Four Extremes; when the Four Extremes divide, there are Heaven, Earth, and the four directions. Yin-Yang, cold and heat, flourishing and withering succeed one another, waxing and waning according to their different kinds.

Therefore the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) arise through transformation from the One Qi: Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal. The laws of growth and transformation thus come into being. Once the myriad things have appeared, they must return to Nonbeing; Being and Nonbeing cycle and transform, giving rise to states of flourishing vitality, rest, and decline, as well as submersion, concealment, and manifestation, and from this they receive nourishment. When nourishment accumulates deeply, generating Qi is produced. Generating Qi is not ordinary Qi; once Qi begins to generate, the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity thereby originate, with humanity situated in their midst.

All things begin from the One Qi and ultimately disperse into myriad transformations. Therefore human emotions and dispositions, together with joy, anger, likes and dislikes, also gradually unfold like branching vines, giving rise to parents, husbands and wives, men and women. Starting from the extreme of the origin, they ultimately transform into various things; the myriad kinds form their respective images, arising from chaotic unity and spreading into the myriad beings. Is this not the operation of the Dao?

Chapter Ten: Jia and Geng Corresponding to the Numbers

Qian (representing Heaven and Yang) takes Jia as its head; Kun (representing Earth and Yin) corresponds with Geng.

Jia (the first of the Heavenly Stems, here representing Wood Qi) is generated by Water, and thus corresponds to the East; Geng (the seventh of the Heavenly Stems, here representing Metal Qi) is the mother Qi of Water, and thus corresponds to the West. Although the West belongs to the Qi of austere killing, the Shen position still contains Water and Earth. Therefore, although the Geng Qi of the West has an aspect of austere killing, it can promote the growth of Jia Wood in the East; Jia Qi is located at the Yin position, which is to say that Jia Qi manifests within three days.

The three days of Jia Qi are arranged later, and the three days of Geng Qi are arranged earlier. This is because Jia combines with Ji, and Ji contains Earth Qi, and so can form “the intersecting peace of the three Yangs” (a state in which Yin and Yang are in harmony and Yang Qi intermingles). Geng combines with Yi; within Yi there is Wood, and within Wood there is Fire. Fire is able to subdue Geng Metal, yet does not harm Water Qi.

The profundity of the sagely Dao (the Way) lies in this: when Jia occupies the Zi position it is the “Seal.” “Seal” has the meanings of uprightness and of beginning. Beneath the Zi position there is Water, and Water can generate Wood, so Jiazi is regarded as the starting point; it reaches its terminus at Xu, because Xu is the storehouse position of Fire. To speak of Jia one must necessarily mention Geng, because Geng is the mother of Water; within the Shen position there is Earth, Earth can generate Metal, and by Chen and Si, Metal Qi declines and is cut off, because Fire Qi restrains Metal.

Those skilled in cultivating the Dao will, before the three days of Jiazi, Jiachen, and Jiawu, coordinate with the corresponding Qi (vital energy) mechanisms of the three days Gengzi, Gengchen, and Gengwu, concentrating the Shen (spirit), quietly nourishing, regulating the breath and storing up Qi. From the hour of Zi to the hour of Chou, and then from Chou to Yin, the mind is not stained by even a trace of stray thought, the body is settled as firmly as an iron wall, and the breath is evened so that respiration is peaceful. In this way the pairing of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches corresponds simultaneously with one’s own Qi, and the path of cultivation of the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity is naturally complete.

The oral formula says: Jia days are paired with Geng days according to the later-and-earlier sequence, so that the Qi of austere killing may have that by which it is stored and nourished; according to the hours, one employs the Qi of Heaven and Earth of these days. In the mind there is neither holding thoughts nor giving rise to wild imaginings; the breath is fine, long, and even. The waxing and waning changes of the circulation of the Celestial Circuit then gradually become manifest, and a scene of round brightness like the moon arises in quiet sitting.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Eleven of the Cunxi Yangzhen Zhang (Preserving the Breath and Nourishing the True).

Heaven has orifices, and thus wind is generated; Earth has orifices, and thus water flows forth. The orifices of Heaven are difficult to perceive, while those of Earth are relatively easy to observe. Once an orifice opens, wind arises with it; once it closes, Qi (vital energy) is blocked. The orifices of Heaven and Earth are the profound mystery of the generation and boundless transformation of all things. Heaven and Earth can open by means of these orifices and also come to rest by means of them; when the orifices cease, earthly Qi cannot ascend, and heavenly Qi can then descend.

Beginning from the zi hour (midnight), the heavenly orifices open and the Qi, being clear, descends; beginning from the wu hour (noon), the earthly orifices close and the Qi, being turbid, ascends. Thus the movements and transformations between Heaven and Earth are like a bellows that opens and closes. “Tuoyue” means precisely this opening and closing: Heaven takes the zi hour as its “tuo,” and Earth takes the wu hour as its “yue.” Human beings govern this process through respiration. Calculated according to the cycle of day and night, the breath circulates more than twelve thousand six hundred times, corresponding to the numbers of Qian and Kun. Those who understand the Dao (the Way) are able to nourish themselves through breathing; those who comprehend the mechanism of the orifices can cultivate the authentic without forced effort.

The oral formula states: At the fourth watch the Qi of Heaven and Earth intermingle, all things unfold and become manifest, then subsequently contract and conceal themselves. The circulation of water and fire proceeds of itself, without any need for deliberate exertion of intention. The nose has two orifices that correspond exactly to Heaven and Earth, without the slightest discrepancy. If one can calmly concentrate and nourish at this moment, it is as if scooping the bright moon into the palm of one’s hand.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Twelve: Attaining the One and Completing the Dao

“The One” is the original Qi of the myriad phenomena, the foundation of Heaven and Earth, and the essential principle for the cultivation of the human heart-mind.

The “One” is the ancestral Qi of the myriad phenomena (the fundamental Qi that generates all things), and is also the root of Heaven and Earth as well as the most important key of the human heart-mind. Heaven possesses regularity because of the “One,” Earth generates the myriad things because of the “One,” and humans stabilize their emotions and will because of the “One.” If one cannot use the “One” to unify and govern body and mind, a person will scatter among the multitude of affairs, the heart-spirit will be obstructed, and thus one will be unable to see the original root.

When Heaven obtains the One it becomes clear and bright; when Earth obtains the One it becomes peaceful and tranquil; when humans obtain the One their De (Virtue/Power) becomes fragrant and excellent. When body and mind are unified in the One, conduct is upright; when a family is harmonious in the One, the household can be orderly; when the inner heart is unified in the One, there is no confusion; when conducting oneself in the world unified in the One, things proceed smoothly; when thoughts are unified in the One, the Qi of Yin-Yang is harmonized; when intentions are unified in the One, deviant thoughts recede far away; when original nature is unified in the One, passions and desires do not arise recklessly; when primordial Qi (the fundamental Qi of life) is unified in the One, breathing is naturally even and stable; when breathing is even and stable, water and fire can interpenetrate and nourish each other, and the Qi of Heaven and Earth can be harmonious and peaceful. From this we see, how can one not guard the “One”?

The oral instruction says: “The One is the primordial Qi of the Dao (the Way), and the primordial Qi is also the root of the ‘One.’ If a person wishes to attain purity and stillness, they should seek it within the ‘One.’ Perhaps in an unnoticed moment one suddenly sees the gold in the water (a metaphor in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation for the subtle true nature or the elixir). Having obtained the ‘One,’ one must thereafter forget even the ‘One,’ so that the Shen (spirit) can dwell peacefully in the true realm.”

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Thirteen: Obtaining the Image, Primordial Image

The original source of the Dao cannot be completely expressed by words, nor should one cling to words. Dao-Qi (the primordial Qi generated by the Dao) condenses to form images; obtaining Dao-Qi, forms appear as various things. One should know that the myriad things form categories from Qi, and from categories manifest as specific images. Although writings in chapters can express things skillfully, it is better to grasp directly the true essential meaning, clearly discern the images of things, and observe their transformations.

Yet transformations have their own principles, and writings in chapters also have an expressive function. Therefore it is said: “Those who truly excel at comprehension need not speak much; those who are voluble and eloquent may not necessarily understand.” This is like the fish in the well; who can glimpse the full picture from the bottom of the well? If one wants to know the delight in the water, perhaps one should ask the fish; this is precisely the meaning.

The oral instruction says: “When first entering the gate, one does not yet understand the ‘image’; only upon seeing the image does one know what it refers to. Recognizing the image is the entrance into the principle; why cling to words? Once one clings to words, one will instead forget the original intention; it is like poling a boat yet not traveling far. Those who are not well-versed may, on the contrary, accidentally encounter the true meaning within the Dao.”

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Fourteen: Nurturing Shen, Gathering the Black

To nourish Shen (spirit), one must first nourish the heart-mind; to refine Qi (vital energy) (cultivating the primordial Qi within the body), one should first allow the breathing to become calm and even. Shen arises from the heart-mind, which is the dwelling place of Shen; Qi is the root of the breath, and the breath is driven by Qi.

Those skilled at nourishing the heart-mind make its inner state lucid and pure, like a clear deep pool reflecting the moon; they also make it still, like an empty valley with no echo. In this way the inner realm remains unperturbed and external things do not encroach. Thoughts sink like an iron lump to the bottom of water and cease to float; the nature of mind is like the Great Void, attached to nothing. When stillness and depth reach the point of no distinction between outer things and the self, Shen naturally becomes clear and bright, and Qi naturally condenses. Shen and Qi unite and congeal; Qi clings to Shen and abides. At such a time one is not even aware of the breath coming in or going out.

The oral formula says: Begin by regulating the breath, and in the end obtain the condensation of Qi; Qi and breath each rest in their proper place, both outer things and the self are released. Neither movement nor stillness is any longer a concern, and only then can Shen dwell in peace. The foundation lies in nourishing the heart-mind, allowing not even a single stray thought to arise.

The foregoing was transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Fourteen: Nurturing Shen and Coagulating the Black

Chapter Fifteen: The Transformation of Shen in Entering and Exiting

The function of Shen (spirit) is not something deliberately fabricated. It begins with regulating and nourishing the mind-spirit and ultimately becomes manifest through preserving and cultivating primordial Qi (yuanqi, the original vital energy inherent in life). It is like images reflected on a surface of clear water, or like a bright mirror revealing a person’s features.

If one seeks it with a mind of attachment, it cannot be found. If one seeks it with the original mind (the natural, unattached mind), it feels even more elusive and ungraspable. What then is to be done? The essential point is that Shen is precious when it remains settled and undisturbed, and the mind does not cling to thoughts or deliberations. Guard the mind as still as a stone; act as unassuming as a simpleton who displays no cleverness. Do not speak, do not listen, let no thoughts arise, and do not allow the temperament to follow the flow of external things.

This is like turbid slurry that has only just begun to clarify: the clear liquid naturally rises to the top while the sediment sinks below. When no wind arises, the leaves remain still of their own accord. The practitioner no longer inquires what heaven and earth are, nor tries to distinguish what the self truly is. One enters a profound and desolate realm, as if dwelling in chaos, like Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) before it has differentiated, before heaven, earth, humanity, and the myriad things have appeared. Suddenly a spark of numinous light shines forth of itself, as if light has entered an empty room. All of this arises spontaneously in a state of no-mind; it cannot be produced by the intentional use of the mind. Therefore the coming and going of Shen has no fixed location, and its transformations appear according to the circumstances in which one finds oneself.

A secret instruction says: The Dao (the Way) cannot be limited by names; the mind must forget the mind that clings to “one’s own mind.” Only when, in a single moment, one no longer distinguishes anything at all will one hear the echoes in an empty valley. Water and fire are not matters of deliberate manipulation; the transformations of Yin-Yang arise of themselves within. When sitting in stillness, abide in the profound, chaotic, and fused state, and the transformations of Shen will appear in succession.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Sixteen of Dispelling Delusions and Guarding the One.

Between the Dao (the Way) and the myriad things, and between the myriad things and the Dao, the gateway of entry begins with forgetting external forms. There are three thousand six hundred minor paths of cultivation, yet from these arise eighty-four thousand great confusions. People often rush after strange and marvelous arts, and thereby delay their search for what is genuine. Of the countless thousands who come seeking to study, almost none succeed in attaining the Dao. This is because they cling to appearances that confuse and mislead, and fail to recognize the true essentials.

People commonly say that dragon and tiger constitute the foremost content of cultivation; this is incorrect. Taking the Golden Elixir (Jindan) or red medicine as the secret formula is also incorrect. Regarding phoenix marrow, crow spirit, jade stamens, golden flowers, cinnabar-lead, or black mercury as the key is likewise incorrect. Identifying the heart and kidneys as water and fire, the spleen as earth and the liver as wood, or treating the swallowing of saliva and the ingestion of breath as the work of cultivation—none of these is correct. Facing the sun at dawn, gathering lunar radiance at night, uttering sounds in the mountains, long howling in the groves, rinsing the mouth with spring water, reclining upon stones to cultivate, swallowing rosy vapors by day and gazing upward at the stars by night—none of these is the Dao. The dragon and tiger, Golden Elixir, cinnabar-lead, black mercury and the rest listed here are all common symbols or technical terms in Daoist cultivation.

Those who study the Dao frequently fail to investigate the root and instead pursue the branches. They do not realize that before Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate)—the undifferentiated origin of the myriad things—had yet taken form, and before humans and the myriad things had separated, where could such names and methods have existed? The fundamental essentials of cultivation are truly upheld by scarcely a few among hundreds of millions. Is this not a case of growing ever more confused the more one studies, and straying ever farther the farther one proceeds?

The oral formula states: Dragon and tiger are not the Dao; swallowing saliva is not the work. Rosy vapors are not obtained by gathering the sun; marvelous transformations do not belong to the wind. Who has ever truly recognized the ancestral Qi (Zuqi), the primordial energy of the myriad things? Who can fully fathom the genuine purport? If one simply recognizes the true essentials in the present moment, one can penetrate the three realms (the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm).

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Yuan Shui Yuan Huo Zhang, Chapter Seventeen: Cloud Tripod.

Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) encompasses all phenomena by means of Qi (vital energy), the fundamental force that constitutes Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. Heaven and Earth likewise differentiate into the clear and the turbid through Qi. All things first condense from obscurity and darkness, then ultimately return to the transformations of Qi, dispersing and each returning to its corresponding direction. Therefore things that reside in the west are stimulated by the Qi of the Metal category.

The character “water” refers to the original Qi of Heaven and Earth; the character “fire” likewise refers to the Qi by which Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) gestate and give birth to all things. Formless Qi thus transforms into formed objects. In winter Qi lies hidden and contracts; in summer Qi unfolds and generates. It enters the Yang aspect while revealing the Yin aspect, remaining latent in Yin and flowing unimpeded in Yang. Human Qi is also one of the fundamental sources of Qi.

Therefore those who study the Dao transform Qi by means of Qi so that Qi may be preserved and nourished. Through breathing, exhaling and inhaling, regulating the breath and circulating Qi, transformations occur. Taking water as water and fire as fire is not the Dao spoken of here; only if one can nourish Qi with Qi will the functions of water and fire become apparent. Water and fire refer to the transformation from the formless into the formed. At the outset of cultivation one should not deliberately distinguish morning from evening or dawn from dusk, nor cling to the entering and exiting of Qi; only then does it accord with the essential method.

Hence those skilled in cultivating the Dao use Qi to guard the One and nourish Qi with Qi: water naturally rises from within the body and fire naturally descends from within, without any need to manifest these changes outwardly. This must be deeply contemplated and realized.

The formula states: Within the one Qi, Yin and Yang intermingle and Metal and Wood arise of themselves; it is originally not the water and fire of the ordinary world, and the myriad phenomena each preserve their true nature. Qi is the beginning of all things, and all intermediate transformations return to the marvelous; having already approached the other shore, there is no longer any need for oars—one need only follow the transformations of Kan and Li (water and fire, Yin-Yang).

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Eighteen of the “Chapter on Guarding the One and Generating Shen (spirit).”

The cloudy Qi (vital energy) of the heavens is clear because the sky is lucid; the earth is quiet, and the grasses and trees likewise appear spiritually alive. If a person can cultivate according to this principle, the Qi of Yin-Yang will meet and fuse together.

A pool of clear water can reflect the stars, and a spiritually luminous hun-shen can discern good and ill fortune; this is because the mind-spirit remains unscattered, quiet and lucid, not because one deliberately and falsely clings to anything. Later students often cannot brush the dust from their minds, yet they eagerly show off their words, thus forgetting to guard Qi through speaking, and depleting Jing (essence) through the loss of Qi. They treat cleverness and clumsiness as skill in handling all affairs, and treat remembering much as wisdom, with the result that they cannot guard the pure unified Qi and so lose the marvel of Yin-Yang intercourse.

Those skilled in cultivation gather the mind-spirit through stillness and replace cleverness with rustic simplicity; they clear away distracting thoughts so that the inner mind becomes lucid; they nourish original authenticity in silence and present themselves with unadorned simplicity. In this way heaven naturally becomes clear and earth tranquil, Qi returns to unity, and Shen (spirit) likewise grows luminous. At that time, without using Fulu (talismans and registers) one still attains the effect of Fulu, without using incantations one still offers admonition; though one does not deliberately seek Shen, spiritual beings still offer protection. Evil influences recede and disperse, strange phenomena hide away, the household is peaceful and human affairs harmonious. Relying on silence, one cuts away improper evil. This pure, unified original Qi is precisely the essential secret of guarding the One and embracing the Origin. Why must one deliberately distinguish dragon and tiger or discern turtle and snake? (Dragon and tiger, turtle and snake are terms often used in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) to analogize Yin-Yang and related cultivation elements.)

The oral formula says: Let every thought return to the Dantian (energy center), gather the mind’s thoughts and firmly guard them; do not cling to the five colors or other external things, and within the inner mind the original heaven and earth will naturally appear. There is no need to pursue deliberately the mutual aiding of water and fire so that they cook and refine in the golden cauldron; from morning till night, continuously cultivate Neidan with Shen and Qi in the Dantian.

Here “Dantian” is the bodily location in Daoist cultivation where Jing, Qi and Shen are stored and nourished; “golden cauldron” and “cooking and refining” are metaphors of Neidan practice describing the condensation of Shen and Qi.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Nineteen: Shen and Qi Forming the Embryo

In the heart there is Shen, in the Qi there is Qi. If the heart is disturbed, Shen is hard to keep lucid; if Qi surges and agitates like water and fire, Shen and Qi are hard to condense. Cultivation should stabilize the mind-spirit and unify the breath, refining and nourishing Shen and Qi in the Dantian day after day until they condense into an embryo.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Nineteen: Shen and Qi Forming the Embryo

Within the heart there originally exists Shen (spirit; here referring to a person’s spirit and consciousness), and within Qi (vital energy; the life energy spoken of in Daoism) there also exists Qi. When thoughts stir and disturb, Shen is no longer clear and bright; if Qi is depleted, the Qi within the body will weaken. Rather than drawing Shen toward the crown of the head, it is better to allow Shen to dwell peacefully within the body; rather than deliberately exhaling Qi in order to retain so-called true Qi, it is better to nourish Qi and store Qi. Shen is formed through the transformation of Qi; without Shen, Qi cannot remain, and thus Shen and Qi are like mother and child, like heaven and earth, and cannot be separated even for a moment.

Those who excel at cultivation allow Qi to become naturally stable within the body. This so-called stability is not something produced through deliberate effort, but rather: when the breath is drawn out long and fine, Qi naturally condenses; when Qi condenses and the breath becomes even, Shen naturally comes to rest. When first entering stillness, it resembles a small child falling asleep; after sitting quietly for a long time, the body in turn resembles a weary person lying down to rest. From the legs to the navel, and then from the waist upward, there is no need to pursue anything with deliberate intent. Thoughts sink ever so slightly, and the breath becomes so faint and weak that it seems about to cease. At this stage, how could the practitioner of the Dao even become aware of their own Shen?

Those who understand this transformation—who would still cling to the “embryo”? The “embryo” here is not the fetus produced by the union of man and woman, but rather the inner foundation formed by the condensation of primordial Qi. The essential point of cultivation is to set life and death aside in the presence of Hongya, to forget the body as though it were grass or trees, and to let the mind become completely still like cold ashes. One is unaware of having a self and unaware of having a body. After a while, once the miscellaneous thoughts resembling the sound of wind and the feeling of rain have subsided, the breath seems to vanish; at that moment Qi naturally becomes stable, Shen naturally becomes spiritually luminous, and the “embryo” naturally coagulates.

If one is able to sit in stillness in this manner at night, yet during the day the mind is disturbed by scattered thoughts, what then is to be done? One need only comprehend the essential meaning contained in the oral formula, and understanding will come of itself.

The oral formula says: I employ the mind yet am not dominated by the mind; the mind is pure, empty, and luminous. Each thought is placed in the Dantian (energy center; the site of cultivation in the lower abdomen), and then even this application of the mind is released. The eyes and ears no longer pursue seeing and hearing; although there is a mouth, it is as if mute and does not speak. Let this point of spiritual luminosity be like the Great Void (the vast and boundless emptiness), allowing the clamor of external speech to arise as it will.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Twenty of the “Cultivating De and Aiding All Beings.”

Benevolence is the root of De (Virtue/Power), and De in turn is the foundation for cultivating the Dao (the Way). Without benevolence, one is not worthy of discussing the Dao; lacking De, one is likewise unfit to speak of the principles of the Dao’s transformations.

Many practitioners single-mindedly pursue longevity and wish never to die, yet they do not understand what longevity and deathlessness truly are. They think only of surpassing others through their own actions, using clever words to conceal themselves and deceive themselves. They do not possess the quietude of the mountain forests, yet they enjoy putting on the appearance of reclusive cultivation. They claim not to seek profit, yet they hope to receive the immortal cranes of heaven. Good deeds have not yet been performed, while evil deeds are already fully exposed. This is like holding prayer beads in one’s hand while going to court against someone, or setting up an altar to perform a Zhaijiao (purification ritual) only to use it to strike others. Such people are not worth discussing the Dao with.

Those who can truly put cultivation into practice go to the rescue when they see others in danger, offer support when they see others in hardship, and pull others up when they see them trapped in difficulty. They regard others’ suffering as their own, and when they see unwholesomeness in others they seek to transform them. When they encounter a beautiful woman they give rise to no selfish thoughts, and they uphold the true Dao with the same sincerity they bring to their own faith. Upon entering the gate of the Dao they practice the Dao; when they see their own evil karma they strive to remove it. Thereafter they are frugal toward themselves and generous toward the many; they do nothing that harms harmony within or without, and they hold a heart of reverence for their parents. They themselves remain plain and simple, yet they allow others to receive abundance and benefit. When these things are accomplished and used to seek the true, the truth will respond; when used to cultivate the Dao, the work of the Dao will be fulfilled. In this way one can also bring benefit to descendants and deliver the nine generations of ancestors. Is this not beautiful?

A secret verse says: The Dao takes De as its root; only with De can one understand the Dao. Heaven and Earth transform and generate the myriad things through great De, and sages and worthies are likewise accomplished thereby. There is only one true and authentic path leading to longevity; what is called deathlessness is the Dao. The four characters Dao, De, nature (xing), and life (ming) have meanings that are perfectly clear.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Honor the teachers and elders; remember the ancestral masters with gratitude. Only by possessing De can one understand the Dao. Heaven and Earth transform and generate the myriad things through great De, and sages and worthies are likewise accomplished thereby. There is only one true and authentic path leading to longevity; what is called deathlessness is the Dao. The four characters Dao, De, nature, and life have meanings that are perfectly clear.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Twenty-One of Honoring the Teacher and Thanking the Ancestral Masters.

Before Heaven and Earth had yet taken form, the original Qi (vital energy) of Heaven, Earth, and humanity could not be made manifest. If the Dao (the Way) is not established, how can one comprehend the root of parents and all classes of living beings? Therefore there is first a root before there can be branches and leaves, a source before there can be flowing streams. Were it not for the Taishang (the honorific for the supreme deity in Daoism) revealing the Great Dao through transformation, and were it not for Laojun (Taishang Laojun, usually referring to Laozi) establishing the teachings, how would people know to follow the ritual principles of cultivating the Dao?

If one possesses the Dao yet lacks the opportune circumstances, even upon encountering the Dao it will appear distant. If one has the opportunity yet lacks a master, even meeting the Dao one cannot understand it. Searching widely through elixir books (Daoist scriptures on cultivation and refinement) is inferior to obtaining the essential secrets of practice from a master; visiting many extraordinary persons is inferior to returning to oneself and guarding the original mind. Thus those who merely point to the surface will only confuse others; those who can truly transform a person constitute the orthodox Dao; those who personally put it into practice are the ones walking the Dao.

Hence one must not forget the ancestral masters, nor treat the teacher with negligence. The accumulated merit of the ancestral masters can bring prosperity to later generations. If the teacher does not illuminate the Dao, the root and source will remain obscure. In cultivating the Dao one must concentrate with De (Virtue/Power) as the foundation, revere the ancestral masters, regard the teacher with a heart of reverence, constantly maintain this, and never depart from it.

A secret saying states: The original Qi is the ancestral source of the one Dao; a single utterance of Dao teaching constitutes the transmission of the Dao. The Qi of the ancestral source must not be held at a distance; the verbal instructions of the Dao should be comprehended morning and evening. If later generations are fortunate enough to encounter these, it is because of the hidden De (good deeds that seek no reward) accumulated by their parents. One must still carefully examine this within oneself, understanding that all of it derives from the transmission of ancestral masters and predecessors.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

Chapter Twenty-Two of the Yi De Bu De Zhang (Chapter on Having Obtained and Not Having Obtained).

Without having personally traveled the vast seas, one cannot understand how treacherous the winds and waves truly are; only by climbing Mount Tai does one come to revere the precipitous heights of its summit. What at first seems easy and is thus overlooked, in the end proves difficult to put into practice.

The Dao (the Way) encompasses Heaven and Earth, while humanity stands alongside them as one of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity). People spend their days in a daze, yet fail to grasp the profound mysteries of the Dao. Those who first encounter the Dao often assume they can surely dwell among the clouds above and reach the depths of abysses and gorges. This is like those who cling to their narrow views, or like the frog at the bottom of a well seeing only a small patch of the water's surface.

The Dao is vast and boundless, beyond all measure; it is subtle, hidden, and profound—who can fathom it to its very depths? This Jing (scripture) offers only a slight revelation within its limited chapters. There is no need to deliberately journey far into the mountains and forests in search of strange wonders, nor to roam about seeking scriptures or visiting extraordinary persons. Heaven and Earth are like a single gourd, within which Dao, De (Virtue/Power), and the myriad things are all fully contained.

Even if one has already gained some understanding and attainment, one must constantly maintain the attitude of not yet having caught up. If one has not yet attained it, do not look down upon those who come later, do not neglect later learners, do not slight the various Jing, and do not forget the foundations of the ancestral masters. The Dao is only provisionally called by the name “Dao”; do not claim to have already attained the Dao. True “attainment” is in fact non-attainment; only by realizing non-attainment can one be said to have lastingly attained the Dao.

The formula says: Yearn for and contemplate the Dao as one longs for a drink when thirsty; seek and inquire morning and evening. If one truly possesses the capacity and affinity for cultivating the Dao, one will encounter Dao and De. Constantly feeling in the heart that one has not yet caught up—this is genuine attainment. One should guard against self-satisfaction, for excessive complacency may instead invite setbacks.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings

Chapter Twenty-Three: Saving the Living and Delivering the Dead

The Dao transforms and nurtures the myriad things by relying on De. Arouse the mind that seeks the Dao as one longs for water when thirsty, contemplating and seeking morning and evening. If one truly has the capacity and affinity for cultivating the Dao, one will encounter Dao and De. Constantly feeling that one has not yet caught up is genuine attainment; one should refrain from self-satisfaction, lest it instead lead to setbacks.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings

The transformations of the Dao (the Way) are manifested through De (Virtue/Power). De gives rise to sincerity in a person, and sincerity in turn becomes reverence. Once reverence arises, the hundred spirits come to protect one. Therefore, by preserving and nurturing this Dao, one is guarded by divine spirits; by cultivating the Qi (vital energy) within it, one can accomplish true nature.

A light exhalation can transform into auspicious clouds of Qi; a gentle breath can become rain and dew. Employing it, one can return people to Nanchang, the Daoist realm of longevity and ascent to authenticity. Through refinement and deliverance, one can rescue souls long submerged in the underworld, stagnant and unable to emerge. These functions do not rely on Fulu (talismans and registers) or incantations, nor on the dispatching of spirits or divine generals, nor do they come and go from outside. They are originally one Qi, one mind, one silence, and one guarding; they are Dao and De, and they are one's own self.

Used to aid the living, illnesses can be healed; used to deliver the deceased, the departed can be transformed and ascend. Its power is so vast that, apart from the Dao, what else can accomplish this? It is so precious that one should earnestly guard it and earnestly put it into practice!

The secret verse says: Thought is the Dao, and the Dao is also the talisman. Ghosts and evils all recede and disperse, and even the underworld can revive. I take silently performing the Zhaijiao (purification ritual) as the method, and Heaven will naturally respond. Relieving the living and delivering the dead—these two things, when carried out, are as natural as making a fist and opening the hand.

Transmitted by Master Renshou of Meishan of the Tongxuan Three Teachings.

The Perfect Completion of the Great Scripture, Chapter Twenty-Four

Merit and virtue lie in practice, moral conduct lies in cultivation, and the Dao lies in application. The purport of this scripture enables people to understand the Three Realms (the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the formless realm), to penetrate the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), to deliver the nine generations of ancestors, and to transform and nourish all beings. That which possesses these functions is this scripture.

This scripture previously encountered three calamities: the first time, in the year of Jiashen, it sank into the great waves and, after drowning, could not reemerge; the second time, in the year of Dingyou, it transformed into raging flames and was burned to ashes. Thereafter the scripture descended once more, but the wording was already different and the meaning somewhat scattered, like lumps of earth mixed with fine jade. Although the scripture later descended again, it long experienced drifting and burning. Now it is transmitted once more because someone holds a heart of reverence, honoring and cherishing it, so the scripture has been annotated and transmitted into your household.

You should follow, keep, treasure, and revere this scripture, so that merit, cultivation, Dao, and De are all perfectly complete, and thereby you may ascend to authenticity. Do not casually show the scripture to unsuitable people; violating this precept brings extraordinary retribution. The precepts here must not be taken lightly.

The ancestors had long accumulated De (Virtue/Power), and so their descendants were able to follow the true Dao (the Way). After the true Dao descended among humankind and was widely transmitted, it still ultimately depends on you yourselves to cultivate and bring it to completion. Diligence is the essential work of cultivation, while compassion and filial piety form the root of moral character; when the cultivation of Dao and De is perfected, the entire family will be blessed with good fortune.

This Jing (scripture) was composed through spirit-writing by the Polar Thunder Peak Teaching Master, the Primordial True Lord who is the embodiment of the Golden Palace (a venerated Daoist deity), out of compassion for sentient beings who have lost their original nature and have not yet understood the gateway to cultivating the Dao. It was written at the home of Liu Yuanrui, a devotee of the Dao. The deity originally intended the teaching to be widely circulated. Liu Yuanrui did not grasp the deity’s intention, secretly handing the original manuscript received through spirit descent to persons of reputation and status before concealing it in a chest, so that its profound teachings remained unelucidated.

After Liu Yuanrui’s passing, the copy preserved in his household was discovered and treasured by Zhengguan. Zhengguan had it carved on wooden blocks and printed, hoping to spread it throughout the world so that those who study the Dao and cultivate authenticity might comprehend its wondrous principles and realize this karmic affinity. Zhengguan further worried that later copies of this true Jing would render the cursive celestial script hard to recognize and difficult for ordinary people to understand; if characters were miswritten, or wrongly added or omitted, he hoped that those of clear understanding would correct and verify them.

This colophon was written on an auspicious day in the last month of summer of the Xinyou year of Jingding (the second year of Jingding in the Southern Song dynasty, 1261), carefully recorded by the Daoist disciple Dong Zhengguan.