《太上元宝金庭无为妙经》

Chapter One: Taixu

The Dao Jing says: The great Dao (the Way) has no fixed form, yet it unites with the void. Within the void all things are contained, and it sets the two fundamental forces of Yin-Yang in motion. This is called “Taixu” (the vast, boundless void). Thus, although the void appears to contain nothing, “being” arises from “non-being”; “being” produces the One, the One produces the Two, the Two produces the Three, and the Three produces the myriad things. This is called “Taishi” (the primordial state in which all things begin to take form).

Taixu is the state in which wondrous power operates; when this power operates, the myriad things arise from it. Taishi is the process of the transformation of wondrous power; when this power transforms, the myriad things take form from it. When the myriad things are generated they have no foundation on which to rely; when they take form it appears entirely spontaneous and without artifice. I do not understand how so utterly mysterious a principle is realized. Who can say that heaven and earth are vast yet do not follow this law?

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu, a goddess in Daoist legend) said: The great Dao is vast and boundless, encompassing heaven and earth, yet its traces cannot be seen. I wish to go beyond heaven and earth, observe the formless great Dao, enter the true void, and set in motion the most wondrous mysterious workings—how can this be achieved? Therefore, if a spiritual person wishes to observe the realm beyond heaven and earth, nothing is more suitable than formlessness; if they wish to enter the mysterious void, nothing is more suitable than wondrous transformation. The form that appears within formlessness, and the transformation accomplished by wondrous change, may be called the Dao.

Chapter Two: Miaohua

The Dao Jing says: Can the great Dao take action? It takes mysterious functioning as its own functioning. To observe the realm beyond heaven and earth, nothing is more suitable than formlessness; to enter the mysterious void, nothing is more suitable than wondrous transformation. The form that appears within formlessness, and the transformation accomplished by wondrous change, may be called the Dao.

Note: The original text repeats the heading “Chapter Two: Miaohua” at the end; the translation here follows the main body of the text.

Can the Dao (the Way) accomplish anything? The Dao takes subtle functioning as its functioning and takes authenticity and empty stillness as its substance. The living comprehend the principle of life from the Dao, and the dead also comprehend the principle of death from the Dao. Hardness and softness follow the Dao of Earth to form their respective qualities, while Yin and Yang emulate the Dao of Heaven and operate unimpeded. Thus the myriad things transform naturally without needing to inform one another, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) each develop in accordance with their own natures. All of this originates from the primordial Dao and accords with the laws of nature.

The sage comprehends the subtle principles of the Dao and uses them to observe the world. The world can transform naturally because people act in accordance with their own natures and allotted destinies. By observing the original mind of the operations of Heaven and Earth, one can comprehend the subtleties of the hearts of the people of the world. To understand the hearts of the people of the world is to gain the allegiance of the common people. The common people come and attach themselves like an infant nestling against its wet nurse. To establish standards for the world, the standards should come from inner realization.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu), a Daoist goddess, said: “Observe the world with a single heart, and the world appears as one; observe the world with the hearts of the many, and the world appears as many different hearts. Exhaust the mind in perceiving the hearts of the people, and the hearts of the people will settle; guard your own heart, and you will realize the original mind. Guard the original mind, and the entire world is then within your own heart. Each heart is subtle in itself, and transformation occurs naturally in the course of observation. Govern the world by Wuwei (non-action) so that the world does not fall into disorder; nourish and regulate the four limbs of the body so that they are at peace. If later generations can follow this, who then cannot peacefully return to the stability of the world?”

Naturalness, Chapter Three

The Dao (the Way) says: “That which is called ‘the Nameless’ is the realm of miraculous transformation; that which is born of Nature is the wondrous functioning of the Dao. All the wondrous principles under Heaven can manifest in forms and images; within them there are the transformations of Yin-Yang, there is cold and there is heat. The sage comprehends the Dao of Nature, models himself on Heaven and Earth, investigates Yin-Yang, accords with cold and heat, and circulates Qi (vital energy); men and women unite through Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit), and the swiftness or slowness of the four seasons changes accordingly.

Viewed from the Dao of Nature beyond Heaven and Earth, these are all merely ordinary matters. The sage comprehends the Dao of Nature, models himself on Heaven and Earth, investigates Yin-Yang, accords with cold and heat, and circulates Qi (vital energy); men and women unite through Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit), and the swiftness or slowness of the four seasons changes accordingly. Thereby the sage detaches from the mundane and enters the transformations of the sagely realm, attaining the state of miraculous transmutation, and is able to transform together with Heaven and Earth. The key employed by the Zhenren (Perfected One) lies in transcending the laws of physical form. The wondrous principle of the formless can cause the formless to transform, and the formless can also re-manifest as the formed. If one wishes to enter the formed from the formless, one must rely on the formed to realize it; all of this belongs to the Dao of Nature.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) said: “The Dao of Nature consists in refining and nourishing Qi (vital energy) and preserving the true nature, enabling a person to transcend the gate of life and death and enter the realm of utmost emptiness and non-being; then, with the nature of utmost Shen (spirit), it manifests in physical form, causing it to come and go in transformation, and to accord with the laws of circulating change, while observing the sage’s principle of according with the proper time. This principle still cannot be easily glimpsed from the surface.

“Since one has already transcended life and death and entered the realm of the formless and non-existent, why then re-manifest physical form? If one completely returns to Non-being, by what means does spiritual consciousness cognize? If one completely remains within the formed, by what means does spiritual consciousness transcend? The miraculous transformations of Nature encompass both complete Being and complete Non-being, the divine nature being perfect and not dispersing. Yet once manifested as a concrete physical form, how could its coming and going in transformation be constrained by material shapes? Therefore it is said: The sage leaves no traces of his passage, and the Zhenren likewise has no traces that can be sought.”

Taiwei Chapter Four

The Dao says: The Dao has an unspeakable aspect and a speakable aspect. The unspeakable Dao is vast and boundless; the speakable Dao appears limited. The unspeakable Dao can cause all things to live, die, and transform, enable the spirit to migrate, and allow wondrous functions to appear; the speakable Dao is that by which all things live, die, and transform and by which heaven and earth operate and create. Therefore the Dao grasped by the Zhenren (True Person who has attained the Dao) accords with the principle of Taiwei (here referring to the subtle and profound laws of the heavenly Dao), yet it cannot be explained by concrete forms. Since it cannot be described in words, one can only observe the signs presented by heaven and earth.

The heavenly Dao is at times short and pressing, at times long and extended. What is short grows still shorter, and what is long does not keep increasing forever. Since Taishi (the beginning of heaven and earth), days have gradually lengthened, people have gradually matured, years have accumulated, and all things have flourished; now, however, the ways of the world are short and pressing, human hearts are frivolous and thin, and the cycles of fortune are also waning and short. Heaven’s cycle of movement is three hundred sixty-five degrees (the measure used by the ancients to describe the motion of celestial bodies). The original text says “喊之则合，加之则弱,” whose meaning is unclear and may involve textual corruption.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu, a female immortal in Daoist mythology) said: “Taiwei is the law of the waxing and waning of the heavenly Dao.” Years increase and all things flourish; now the ways of the world are short and pressing, human hearts frivolous and thin, cycles of fortune waning and short. Heaven’s cycle of movement is three hundred sixty-five degrees. The original text again mentions “喊之则合，加之则弱,” whose meaning remains unclear.

The heavenly Dao gradually shortens and presses while the earthly Dao gradually lengthens; the ruler’s governmental affairs grow numerous and complicated, and the common people become poor and hungry. The heavenly Dao often seems to operate insufficiently, thus giving rise to destinies of graded variation: heaven long and earth short, heaven distant and earth near, Yang Qi (vital energy) weakening, Yin Qi reaching its extreme. One must constantly contemplate the Dao of Taiwei; therefore one must regulate Yin-Yang and observe the transformations of heaven, earth, and humanity.

Chapter Five: Spirit Wandering

“Spirit wandering” (shenyou) refers to the spirit-consciousness traveling through heaven and earth. It goes beyond the boundaries of the eight directions of the heavenly realms, reaching the extreme of the eight-yang qi (vital energy); stars array themselves across the heavens, and the Milky Way runs through them. Therefore the Taishang Yuanbao Jinting Wuwei Miaojing manifests into form according to the principle of the Five Movements. The Heavenly Dao follows the resonance of goodness and returns to non-being; this wordless mystery is the key by which the True Person grasps the true operation of heaven and earth. Thus the spirit-consciousness can roam the eight directions, transforming and moving among different realms.

The human spirit-consciousness must be fully attained through complete, harmonious, and settled cultivation. The wonder of spirit wandering is not something achieved by external protection; it is a natural principle. The Queen Mother of the West said: “I once received the wondrous method of spirit wandering from the Yellow Emperor. What is called spirit wandering is riding a fire dragon to roam the heavenly realms.”

The True Person’s spirit-qi is abundant and complete, Yin-Yang qi fully present, the physical form full and abundant, and the voice unlike that of ordinary people. With the fingers he opens the Heavenly Gate (Tianmen, referring both to the portal of heaven and to the pass through which spirit-consciousness enters and exits), releasing the light of the vermilion seal, and the spirit-consciousness then wanders forth of its own accord; afterward it returns through the portal, and the fingers are withdrawn from below. As long as the spirit-qi is complete, the spirit-consciousness can go out; when inner awareness perceives itself unconstrained, the spirit-consciousness separates from the body, the intention is directed toward the Heavenly Gate, emitting radiance, Yin-Yang qi fully present, the physical form abundant, the voice unlike ordinary people. With the fingers he opens the Heavenly Gate, releasing the light of the vermilion seal, and the spirit-consciousness wanders forth of its own accord.

It then returns through the portal, the fingers withdrawn from below. When spirit-qi is complete, the spirit-consciousness can go out; if one perceives inner unconstrainedness, the spirit-consciousness separates from the body, the intention points to the Heavenly Gate, emitting light from between the two eyebrows and the Yintang (the area between the eyebrows), and the spirit-consciousness can go out of its own accord. If one opens only the Heavenly Gate but does not open the Yintang, after the spirit-consciousness goes out it cannot return.

The seal of the Vermilion Palace (the imprint where the heart-spirit resides) is the heart. If only the spirit-consciousness goes out while the hun-soul does not, the seal of the Vermilion Palace still retains the hun-soul, so the hun-soul will not die, and the spirit-consciousness remains connected to the body.

Chapter Six: Directing Qi (Yuqi zhang, the chapter on riding the breath, Chapter Six)

The Dao (the Way) says: Qi (vital energy), the primordial life energy of which Daoism speaks, is something both with form and without form. When it gathers it forms a physical body; when it disperses it becomes wind; when it moves it produces transformation; when it congeals it becomes the myriad things. The True Person (one who has succeeded in cultivating the Dao) who wishes to ride Qi must nourish the Qi and use it to refine the bones. When the bones become light, the body is no longer heavy and sluggish. By accumulating Jing (essence) one preserves Shen (spirit); after Shen transforms, Qi can carry the body. The method of riding Qi first consists in making the body light and agile. To make the body light one must hold the thought of immortality, stop all laborious activity, and restrain desires such as thirst and greed. First the body is made light, then Qi begins to carry it; once the body's burdens have fallen away, Shen is preserved and Qi can naturally be ridden.

The Queen Mother of the West said: In the method of riding Qi, relying on physical effort alone is toilsome and difficult to succeed; only by letting Shen follow nature can it be attained. The ancients ingested Qi to lighten and strengthen the bones and took medicines to lighten the body, so that with light body and bones one could ride Qi, enter water without sinking and enter fire without being burned. This method of cultivation takes the taking of medicines and the cutting off of grains as primary; for the ingestion of Qi, a mind free of distracting thoughts is of the greatest importance. The True Person's body is light. The original text then says “身乃松相狭苓之类也”; the characters here appear to be in error and the meaning is hard to determine. What is meant by ingesting Qi is the ingestion and refinement of the Qi of the zi-wu Already Crossing (the Qi of Yin-Yang joining and harmonizing at the hours of zi and wu). Taking medicine is for the sake of bringing the body to a state of emptiness; with emptiness as the body one reaches the realm of which Qi is capable.

Taiyi Chapter Seven

The Dao says: Heaven is always clear and bright, the earth is always peaceful and still; this is all due to the functioning of Taiyi (the fundamental Dao shared by heaven, earth, and all things). Therefore, what is most precious in all affairs is having a beginning; only with a foundation can constancy be maintained. Unchanging constancy means there is neither arising nor ceasing; without arising or ceasing, heaven and earth will not suffer damage because of it, and thus it is called Taiyi.

Heaven possesses Taiyi, from which all things are generated; humans possess Taiyi, from which the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) operate. The “One” is the most refined essence of Heaven, neither turbid nor heavy, supremely clear and supremely numinous. It continuously generates yet remains constantly unchanging, therefore there is no arising or ceasing, nor does it harm heaven and earth, so it is called Taiyi. Heaven possesses Taiyi, from which all things are generated; humans possess Taiyi, from which the Five Phases operate. The “One” is the most refined essence of Heaven, neither turbid nor heavy, supremely clear and supremely numinous. It is the root of ceaseless generation, therefore the Four Images (the four forms produced by Yin-Yang and their transformations) are able to manifest.

The Queen Mother of the West said: Taiyi is the original source of all things. Nourish it and there is no end; employ it and it will never be exhausted. It is able to generate all things, it is the origin of primordial Qi, and it is also the foundation of the creative transformations of heaven and earth. If a person comprehends the wondrous principles of the Five Phases and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) (the symbolic system used by the ancients to explain the changes of heaven, earth, and all things), and is also able to realize Taiyi, they will understand that the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth are not secretly depleting themselves; all the surrounding changes are also in communication with the fundamental principles of one’s own being. Such a person is not plundered by military calamities, nor tempted by gain, and can be said to have attained the realm of the Ultimate One.

When the physical form attains the One, it will not become weary; when the spirit attains the One, it can be complete and full. Therefore, in cultivating Taiyi, at the outset one should observe it like watching the waters of a great river, allowing it to continue without interruption; when it fills the source of the heart, it is like the river pouring into the vast sea, surging endlessly, flowing into the Shenfu (the place where the spirit is stored and cultivated). In this way, the spirit is stabilized and the physical form is preserved; when the spirit is abundant, the physical form receives nourishment.

The Dao says: Wuwei (non-action) is not doing nothing at all; youwei means acting with purpose and relying on something. The spirit-consciousness can shift and transform, seizing a person’s true Qi (the innate primordial Qi); it can also mobilize the Qi of Yin-Yang, so that outwardly one does not feel hunger or cold and inwardly one does not cling to the rising and falling of the breath. Taking self-contentment and ease as the mind’s intention, and taking emptiness, nothingness, purity and stillness as the practice, this is called “Wuwei.”

The so-called Wuwei should mean not acting through deliberate fabrication, but taking the function of youwei as the foundation. Youwei has that upon which it relies, first relying on the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). All things between heaven and earth are accomplished through the labor of the many, and there is also the aspect of the sage who governs by hanging down his robes and folding his hands. Things that transform according to the Five Phases have the Four Images (Shaoyang, Taiyang, Shaoyin, Taiyin) to follow, while the formless and imageless realm is not constrained by these forms and images. “Hanging down the robes and folding the hands” means the sage does not personally attend to every matter yet can still bring peace and stability to the world; “without image” means the Zhenren (True Person) preserves the Shen (spirit), and the physical form naturally becomes secure and at ease.

Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West) said: “When cultivation and study reach the point of diminishing stray thoughts and desires, the Dao also attains the realm of Wuwei; this is the utmost of practice. In contemplation there is no fixed object that can be contemplated, in abiding there is no fixed place that can be abided in, in acting one is not attached to acting, in employing one is not attached to employing. Although heaven and earth are vast, one does not regard them as vast; although the transformations of Yin-Yang are subtle and marvelous, one does not cling to their subtlety.” When the Zhenren enters an extremely still and empty realm, it can be called Wuwei.

Therefore Wuwei still has a numinous and marvelous mechanism operating within it, and the mechanism never ceases; if this mechanism is lost, it will perish of itself.

Chapter Nine: Generating Shen

The Dao says: When the five stars gather in the Tianshi Yuan (an ancient asterism belonging to the Ziwei Yuan), a sage is born. When the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) combines with the Qi of the earth, the myriad things are thereby formed. Therefore the movements of heaven and earth all follow definite patterns.

Within the human body the five stars likewise gather in the Zhongfu (the spirit mansion inside the body), and from the most refined and outstanding Qi an inner sage is generated. The Five Phases combining with the earth’s Qi also form the myriad things. Because humans possess the Five Phases inwardly they too can form the myriad things; the patterns of heaven and earth’s movements are equally manifested in the human body.

When the Five Phases inside the body gather in the spirit mansion and the Yuhua (Jade Efflorescence, a sign that inner Jing [essence] and Qi have become manifest) appears, the Five Phases return to the center and come under the governance of the center. The so-called True Person is the authentic, unerring original nature within the human body. It bears several names: first Tai Xian (Embryo Immortal), second Zhen Xing (True Form), third Zhen Zi (True Child), fourth Tai Zhen (Embryonic True)—all referring to one and the same inner true spirit.

This true spirit can become its own physical form, can speak of its own affairs, knows all and understands all; it can enter and exit life and death and uphold heaven and earth, and is therefore called Shen (spirit). One who possesses such a true spirit is called a True Person.

The Queen Mother of the West said: The Shen can protect the physical form, foresee events, and preserve life without dying; it can enter and exit the Heavenly Gate, become the inner body gods of one’s own person, change with the physical form, and exist together with the body. This is the true spirit conceived in the embryo. Inside the body Kan and Li (the two trigrams that represent Yin-Yang) unite to form the embryo, and the embryo in turn generates inner and outer spiritual natures, so that one can be undying and leave the form, passing from the formless into formed life.

Yuhua Chapter, the Tenth.

The Dao (the Way) says: People in ordinary life have no fixed and unchanging thoughts, nor a bodily form that remains forever the same. Heaven and Earth likewise have times of movement and transformation as well as of stillness. Yet some things are able to endure for a long time because they have obtained “the One” (the fundamental unifying Dao of which Daoism speaks), and Shen (spirit) beings reside within them.

If a person clings to thoughts, they will cycle between life and death and come and go amid love and desire, so that the heart-Shen becomes scattered and difficult to manifest. If one can guard “the One,” preserve the true nature, and practice for a long time the way of stilling the Shen, then the heart-Shen can become manifest.

The Queen Mother of the West says: The human heart is the mansion in which the Thearch Lord dwells, and the Shen within it is called the Jade Flower Lord. If one stills the heart-Shen and cuts off stray thoughts, one will not be disturbed by dreams, sudden awakenings, or palpitations of the heart. By persisting in this practice over a long time, one can attune to the pivotal workings of Heaven and Earth, becoming thoroughly clear about both the affairs of rulers and the matters of ghosts and spirits, and thus become a sage whose inner cultivation is complete. The True Persons of antiquity took this as their teacher; they passed through unforeseeable perils and rescued the souls of the dead who had returned to the Yellow Springs. They all were able to ascend into the Three Realms, and could also probe the hidden darkness of Heaven and Earth and pursue the subtle traces of Yin-Yang; all of this was obtained through their own cultivation.

Shen beings are generated from the completeness of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the five fundamental forces that constitute all things. Amid transformation they ascend into the elixir chamber (the place where one cultivates Neidan (internal alchemy)) and sit in meditation at the southern extremity upon the Winding River. All the Shen of the Eight Stars and the Three Origins within the body must be paid homage day and night. If even one Shen does not receive homage, it is regarded as a disaster that has not yet occurred but has already taken up residence, and the name-register of the netherworld will thereby be erased.

Chapter Eleven: Combining into One

The Dao says: The Five Phases gather together, and husband and wife are paired. When husband and wife are paired, the true nature is accomplished. After ten months, gestation and birth begin, and one is born as a True Child. What is called a “True Child” is a person whose Shen and Qi (vital energy) are complete.

Chapter Eleven: Combining into One

The Dao (the Way) says: The Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) gathers together, and husband and wife pair with one another; when husband and wife pair, they are able to congeal the True. After ten months, the True Child begins to be conceived and born. The so-called “True Child” is the completeness of Shen (spirit) and Qi, that is, the inner true body. He can enter and exit beyond heaven and earth, reach the eight directional margins attained by the operations of creation, come and go throughout the entire celestial vault, distinguish the stars, tread upon the sun and moon, pass through clouds and rainbows, draw near the Heavenly River, collect the Jing (essence) from the source of the Galaxy, and then return into the various transformations; therefore it is called “uniting the body.”

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) says: The physical form contains within it that which is formless; the formless unites with the physical form, and therefore a person is able to attain long life. The physical form is vast because it is not limited by “having form”; the physical form is numerous because it is not limited by “having form.” Things that have form can be measured and can also be seen; the form of the formless, even if it transforms into hundreds of millions of bodies, is not considered numerous. The formless attaches itself to the formed, and the formed becomes its dwelling place; the formed attaches itself to the formless, and the formless becomes its master. That which is able to become the master therefore does not die.

Practitioners rely upon this body to traverse the stars, which means that this body can go out through the Heavenly Gate, arrive at the Ox Lodge and the Dipper Lodge, and then proceed to the Heavenly Market Enclosure (the name of an ancient asterism), thereby knowing matters of the world that have not yet taken place.

Chapter Twelve: Completing the Form

The Dao says: The way of long life without death is called “completing the form”; the way of completing the form consists in refining and nourishing the physical body. The True Person (one who has attained the Dao), being able to refine and nourish the Qi of the Five Phases so as to pair them with Yin-Yang and to cause Kan water and Li fire to intermingle, can restore vitality to the aging body, making the appearance like that of an infant. Thereafter the true Qi returns to the Dantian (energy center) and arises of its own accord.

If the bright true Qi rises to the Crimson Palace (the palace position of the heart), it transforms into one’s own radiance and pervades the entire body. When observing in the darkness at night, one sees the myriad spirits coming to pay homage, and the physical form therefore suffers no depletion.

The Queen Mother of the West says: Although the form is formless, it can enable a person to live long; although the Qi is without Qi, it can enable a person not to die. The so-called “form without form” means not confining the physical body as a thing that has form; the so-called “Qi without Qi” means that Qi is able to transform and generate the myriad things. The Qi of ordinary people dissipates and cannot transform, while the Qi of the True Person is able to transform and does not dissipate.

Chapter Thirteen: Kan and Li

The Dao says: Within Yin there is Yang, and that Yang is the utmost Yang; within Yang there is Yin, and that Yin is the utmost Yin. The north...

Yin contains Yang within it, and Yang likewise contains Yin. The North belongs to Yin, and its Shen (spirit) is Water. Water is capable of nourishing the myriad things; it is the origin of the primordial Qi (vital energy) and also the fundamental source of all Yang. The South belongs to Yang, and its Shen is Fire. Fire is capable of transforming the myriad things; it is the root of the physical body and also the locus where all Yin converge. Kan (Water) is able to safeguard the Jing (essence) and Qi so that they do not become depleted; Li (Fire) is able to settle the Shen, refine and cultivate the true nature, so that the heart-Shen does not grow dim. Those who fathom the subtleties herein are known as Zhenren (True Persons).

The Queen Mother of the West said: The Jing of Yin-Yang consists in Kan and Li. To settle the heart-Shen and set the original nature aright, one must begin by ensuring that the inner heart is not drawn along by external things. One must nourish and protect the Jing and Qi in order to make the primordial Qi secure and prevent its exhaustion. If Water is left to run freely, it will drain away; if it is obstructed and cannot pass, it will decay. If Fire is too intense, it will parch things dry; if it is modulated appropriately, it can give light. Thus the sage leads the Water Qi upward from the Earth Portal (the channel of Qi dynamics in the lower body), pouring it into the Niwan (the Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the head), whence it flows down into the Flower Pond (the place where the fluids of the mouth collect) and enters the Crimson Palace (the Neidan term for the cardiac region). He also attunes and nourishes the Fire of the heart so that the heart remains unbound by external objects, held in a condition of as-if-existing yet as-if-not, still and unmoving. Through prolonged practice of this kind, the Jing and Shen will not be lost.

The Fourteenth Chapter: On Copulation

The Jing (scripture) states: The boy of Kan and the girl of Li (Kan and Li standing for Yin-Yang) are joined in marriage under the auspices of the Yellow Dame (who represents the mediating agent that harmonizes Yin and Yang); the Mother of Metal and the Father of Wood (representing the two powers of Yin and Yang) serve mutually as go-betweens and bring them into communication. When the copulation of Yin and Yang is rightly achieved, one is able to maintain for a long time the condensation of Jing and Shen without their dispersal.

The “Kan man and Li woman” (using the water of the Kan trigram to symbolize the man, and the fire of the Li trigram to symbolize the woman) meet, with the “Yellow Dame” (huangpo, symbolizing the Earth that mediates and harmonizes from the center) acting as the go-between; the “Metal Mother” (jinmu) and “Wood Duke” (mugong, symbolizing the forces of Metal and Wood) also communicate with each other. The way of their union lies in the matching of the Five Phases (wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Once the Five Phases have gathered, Metal and Wood interact, allowing the Kan man and Li woman to encounter and unite; the Four Images (sixiang, the four images formed from Yin-Yang and their transformations) circulate and interconnect, as though in mutual accord; the gathering of the Five Phases represents their coordination with one another.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) stated that the meeting of man and woman should coincide with the “fifty.” This fifty refers to a man of thirty years and a woman of twenty, together corresponding to the matching of Heaven and Earth’s numbers. The man represents the Dao of Heaven, with Kan belonging to one and originally positioned with water; the woman represents the Dao of Earth, with Li belonging to two and originally positioned with fire. The scripture then proceeds by numbers to illustrate the circulation and matching of the Five Phases: when the number of Kan reaches three, Wood comes to link with Fire, causing some consumption of Fire; when the number of Li reaches four, Metal conveys the feelings of Water; when the number of Kan reaches five, the Yellow Dame guides it to ascend; when the number of Li reaches six, Water guides it to descend; when the number of Kan reaches seven, Fire ripens into union; when the number of Li reaches eight, Wood employs its root to embellish the Dao of Earth; when the number of Kan reaches nine, the Metal Mother arrives to join; when the number of Li reaches ten, Earth is used to match and take form. This is the sequential order of the Five Phases circulating back and forth. Concentrating the mind to visualize the spirit and qi, one reaches a state of pure genuineness, whereupon water and fire naturally reveal their numinous and wondrous functions.

This is the fifteenth chapter of the “Chapter on the Five Phases.”

The Five Wefts of Heaven (the orbital patterns of the five planets), the Five Meridians of Earth (the fundamental channels of the five directions), and the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) within the human body (the five mutually interacting transformative forces of Qi, or vital energy) all arise of themselves from nature. When the Four Images (the four states of Yin-Yang transformation) gather at the center, the Golden Elixir (Jindan, the concentrated essence formed through Neidan, or internal alchemy) reveals its radiance. Yin and Yang conjoin, Heaven and Earth as the Two Modes assume complementary forms, and only then do the movements of ascent and descent begin.

When the Qi of Metal becomes full it generates Water; Water in turn is produced through the transformation of Qi, and is therefore called “Qi-Water.” When Qi-Water stirs and rises it is Qi; when it stills and congeals into form it is Water. Water possesses great efficacy and is able to nourish the myriad things; thus Water is the essence of all things. After Water has taken form, Fire gathers; then the Dragon precedes and the Tiger follows, the Four Images unite as one, and they coalesce into the Five Phases.

The Queen Mother of the West said: “When Qi becomes still, Shen (spirit) is settled, and Kan and Li (representing Water and Fire, Yin and Yang) thereby take form. Once Kan and Li have formed, Metal and Wood differentiate; once Metal and Wood have differentiated, the Five Phases begin to circulate; once the Five Phases circulate, the Qi of the Center coalesces.”

In cultivation, Fire rises from below while Water pours down from above. When the Elixir is achieved, the tripod and furnace heat accordingly. A single day-and-night is made to correspond to one complete celestial circuit; the twelve double-hours correspond to the twelve months, which are further divided according to the seasons into the twenty-four solar terms. In this way one takes Heaven and Earth as model, arranges Yin and Yang, and follows the natural order. Therefore it is said that after three years of nourishing and refining the Golden Elixir one may become a True Person. Fire is advanced at the winter solstice, when Yang Qi is first generated, and withdrawn at the summer solstice, when Yin Qi is first generated; the advancing and withdrawing of fire are each regulated according to a measure of twelve liang.

The Dao (the Way) says: The two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang circulate upward and downward, rising and descending through the three palaces—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers)—after which the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) cooperate with one another and gather in Zhongzhou, the central region of the body.

For the Five Phases to unite, one must first take “Earth” as the foundation. Water is generated from Metal: Kan (Water) circulates, Dui (Metal) gives rise, and then Fire is set in motion. Fire is generated from Wood: Li (Fire) circulates, Zhen (Wood) leads the way, and then Water is set in motion. Without Metal, Water cannot take form; without Wood, Fire cannot circulate. The Huangdao (Yellow Path), the central channel of Qi circulation within the body, occupies the center, and it is here that the Qi of the Five Phases gathers.

The method of cultivation that attains “Earth” is to make the breath even and harmonious, regulating the watery Qi, and to settle the respiration and nourish the fiery Qi, so that the two Qi above and below do not separate from each other. In this way one can accomplish the three hundred and sixty meritorious works. Thereafter one enters stillness and concentration, and the method of longevity begins from here.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) says: The key to the way of nourishing life lies in attending to the root. For planting to yield a harvest, nothing surpasses choosing the right soil. What is called “attaining Earth” means that the three fields are stable and the Four Images (Sixiang) are in harmony. The three fields being stable means that the upper, middle, and lower Dantian are settled and unmoving, so that one contemplates the Qi of the Four Images—the transformations of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases—as it circulates of itself. This is called “attaining Earth.” Attaining Earth is the method of the Dao by which one becomes a Zhenren (True Person).

The functioning of the Five Phases can dissolve the five noxious Qi and the ten kinds of poison. The skin does not suffer from cold and hardship; the flesh does not ulcerate. Even when facing blades and weapons, one will not bleed; one does not bleed because the Shen (spirit) and Qi are settled.

Chapter Seventeen: The Three Officials (Sanguan)

The Dao says: In the upper part there is the Niwan (Mud Pill, the upper Dantian); in the middle there is the Shenfu (Spirit Mansion, the middle Dantian); in the lower part there is the Canghai (Azure Sea, the lower Dantian). These three palaces are the root of life and death, and all of them can affect a person’s living and dying. Even when facing blades and weapons, one will not bleed; one does not bleed because the Shen and Qi are settled.

The Dao says: In the upper part of the human body there is the Niwan (the upper Dantian located in the brain), in the middle there is the Shenfu, and in the lower part there is the Canghai (the lower Dantian). These three places are the keys to life and death and can all affect a person's survival. Those who seek longevity should understand and apply the Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) found there, together with the methods for cultivating them.

The Upper Origin Niwan is the source of Jing (essence) and Qi. When the Niwan remains settled, Jing and Qi will not dissipate and Shen will not scatter. The Middle Origin Jianggong (the site of the middle Dantian) is the dwelling of Shen. When the Jianggong remains settled, Jing and Qi will not rush away and Shen will not grow weary. The Lower Origin Dantian is the root of True Water. When the Dantian is left undisturbed, Jing and Qi will not leak and Shen will not perish.

The so-called “three deaths” are these: first, the leakage of Jing and Qi from the brain; second, Shen and Qi shifting into the kidneys; third, Jing and Qi being completely exhausted while Shen and Qi scatter. To make life last long, the upper, middle, and lower locations must always remain mutually supportive.

The Queen Mother of the West said: The upper Dantian is the gathering place of all Yang, where the most refined Yang Qi collects in the Heavenly Pool. The Heavenly Pool is the Dantian in the brain; it is also the root of life and the place where Yuanqi (the innate original Qi) gathers. If one wishes the spirit not to scatter, one should guard the Niwan and keep it settled; if one wishes the Niwan to remain settled, one should guard the inner mind. When the mind grows still, all things return to stability. Therefore it is said that refining and nourishing the Niwan with fire can hold Jing and Qi firmly so they do not leak; if fire Qi draws upon the Niwan and causes Jing and Qi to leak, Shen perishes along with them.

Chapter Eighteen of the Erqi Zhang discusses guarding the Niwan and keeping it settled. To do this one must guard the inner mind; when the inner mind is quiet, all things return to stability. Thus it is said that refining and nourishing the Niwan with fire can firmly secure Jing and Qi; if fire Qi pulls the Niwan and causes Jing and Qi to leak, Shen then perishes.

The Jing (scripture) says: The two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang circulate in harmony, and the Four Images (the four basic states formed by the transformations of Yin-Yang) contain a subtle radiance. The human body merges with the transformations of Qi; in the course of movement and repose, one lets Qi circulate through the body above and below, left and right, guiding Water and Fire in mutual interchange, thereby nourishing and refining the embryonic treasure of the Golden Elixir and taking Metal as the cauldron-furnace.

Here “Metal” refers to Qi; “Wood” is used for firing and refining, Wood denoting the power required for cultivation. The human body contains the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the Four Images, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), all of which arise naturally; the circulation of the Zhou Tian hexagrams likewise follows the numbers of nature. To guide Water and Fire by means of the two Qi of Yin-Yang, one must first attune the breath.

The Queen Mother of the West said: The two Qi refer to Metal and Wood. Metal is white in color and firm and majestic in nature, symbolizing the White Tiger, so lung Qi is called the “White Tiger”; Wood is azure in color and gentle and yielding in nature, symbolizing the Azure Dragon, so liver Qi is called the “Azure Dragon.” Without these two Qi, Kan and Li (the trigrams that symbolize Water and Fire) cannot be generated; if Kan and Li cannot be generated, Yin-Yang cannot unite.

Therefore one attunes the breath to nourish the Azure Dragon, causing it to circulate between the “Gates of Heaven and Earth.” The Heavenly Gate refers to the Niwan (a Neidan [internal alchemy] locus in the head), and the Earthly Portal refers to the Weilü (a Neidan locus at the base of the spine). One then accumulates Qi to nourish the Dragon: Qi accumulates and becomes Water, and from the Water the Dragon is born. The Dragon moves and the Tiger follows; Qi rises and descends, thereby guiding the circulation of Water and Fire.

The Dao (the Way) says: Heaven has the Five Movements (the circulation of the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)), and Earth has the Six Qi (the numinous energies paired with the Six Jia). They generate the myriad things and bring about the transformations between Heaven and Earth. If a person can understand the patterns of the movements of Heaven and Earth, they can seek longevity. To do this, one must first recognize the Qi within: Heaven’s Five Movements are the Qi of the Five Phases; Earth’s Six Qi are the spirits of the Six Jia. One who understands the Five Phases and the Six Jia, and who follows the movements of Heaven and Earth without arbitrarily taking from them, may be called a True Person. The so-called True Person is one who can follow the movements of Heaven and Earth and nourish the Qi of the eight seasonal nodes.

The directional positions of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) each correspond to the viscera: Zhen in the east belongs to Wood and is suitable for nourishing the liver; Li in the south belongs to Fire and is suitable for nourishing the heart; Dui in the west belongs to Metal and is suitable for nourishing the lungs; Kan in the north belongs to Water and is suitable for nourishing the kidneys; Xun in the southeast is suitable for nourishing the gallbladder; Kun in the southwest is suitable for nourishing the stomach; Qian in the northwest is suitable for nourishing the large intestine; Gen in the northeast is suitable for nourishing the small intestine and bladder. To nourish the body according to these correspondences is to follow the movements of Heaven and Earth; it is not stealing the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

The Queen Mother of the West says: Nourish Yang in spring and summer, nourish Yin in autumn and winter. Use water to nourish Yang, use fire to nourish Yin. The movements of the Five Phases contain the two Qi of Yin-Yang: when exhaling, Yin Qi is expelled; when inhaling, Yang Qi is taken in. Visualize and nourish the orthodox Qi of the Five Phases, causing Wood Qi to generate, Fire Qi to flourish, Metal Qi to fill, and Water Qi to flow and disperse. Following the coming and going of the breath, nourish according to a definite rhythm; this is also called ingesting the flourishing Qi of the eight seasonal nodes. With prolonged cultivation, one will cease to feel hunger and thirst.

Chapter Twenty of the Yufeng Zhang.

The Dao (the Way) says: Between heaven and earth there are the two qi (vital energy) of Yin and Yang. Their movements and transformations give rise to the cold and heat of the four seasons. Thus, when it is cold, Yang qi is stored away and Yin qi becomes manifest; when it is hot, Yin qi lies hidden and Yang qi rises. Heaven and earth undergo the changes of cold and heat, and human beings likewise experience sensations of cold and heat. The natural transformations of the seasons bring cold and heat at varying speeds, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly; yet the movements and transformations within human beings do not follow any regular pattern of the repeated alternation of Yin and Yang.

When Yin qi is manifest and Yang qi stored away between heaven and earth, the cold qi is often deep and heavy, and Yin dampness congeals, so that frost and snow frequently appear in winter. When Yin qi lies hidden and Yang qi rises, the qi of summer heat readily stagnates and congeals, so that sudden rains often come in summer, their force rushing urgently like a boiling surge. If a person can observe and accord with these changes, causing Yin qi to prevail over the summer heat and Yang qi to prevail over the cold, then they can ride the clouds and command the wind.

Chapter Twenty-One: Forgetting the Form

The Dao says: Forgetting the form is the realm attained when qi gathers together. Qi is the fundamental root upon which the physical form depends in order to function. Once a physical form exists, without qi it cannot survive. In nourishing the form, one should first regulate and nourish the qi. Once people possess a physical form, they are often instead constrained by the qi. Everyone takes qi as the root; if the form does not become a burden upon the qi, then one can cultivate the Dao. The True Person, although possessing a form, is able to forget the form—this is the genuine Dao.

What is called forgetting the form means refining and nourishing the qi so that qi unites with the physical form and one does not cling to external things. Therefore, after the qi has been refined, the spirit (Shen) and mind become settled. When the spirit is settled, the qi is pure and correct; when the qi is pure and correct, one is unaffected by cold and heat. Unaffected by cold and heat, the physical form is no longer constrained; when the form is unconstrained, one can forget the form.

The Queen Mother of the West says: The physical form is the dwelling place of qi, and qi is the means by which the spirit functions. When qi is abundant, the spirit is upright. When the inner true qi is abundant, the form no longer clings to the qi, and the qi is not constrained by the form. The marvelous point of cultivation lies in circulating the qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) at midnight, causing the qi of the entire body to rise and descend, as if returning to the chaotic, undivided state. After cultivating for three thousand days, the qi is able to leave the form, and thus one can forget the form. Leaving the form is the emergence of the spirit; the emergence of the spirit relies upon qi in order to move. Once the qi is set in motion, the physical form seems to transform into the formless.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Primordial Qi

The Dao (the Way) says: when the Qi (vital energy) mechanism is harmonious, illness will not arise; when the original Qi is sufficient, the original Shen (spirit) naturally becomes spiritually luminous. What is called regulating Qi means regulating the Qi mechanism that does not circulate smoothly in the five viscera and the four limbs.

If there is illness in the abdomen, one may coordinate this by gazing up and down: guide the Qi intention from the left toward the right, and from the right toward the left. Then bend the body forward and outward, flexing both hands and placing them below the heart, remaining there briefly. Once the Qi mechanism becomes unobstructed, the illness will improve of itself.

If the Qi strength of the five viscera is insufficient, one may face the five directions, visualize the colors corresponding to each direction, and draw them into the body, thereby causing the body to improve.

The method for making the original Qi complete is to visualize the site of illness while coordinating with gazing up and down, guiding from left to right and from right to left. Then bend the body forward and outward, placing the flexed hands below the heart and pausing briefly. After the Qi mechanism becomes unobstructed, improvement will follow. When the five viscera are insufficient, one may still face the five directions, visualize the corresponding colors, and take them into the body.

The method for making the original Qi abundant is to visualize the Qi rising from the original sea (the place within the body where original Qi gathers), causing it to circulate up and down throughout the body without cease. Persist in this for thirty days, and the body will naturally undergo changes. If one wishes to nourish the original Qi, begin with a small amount and increase it gradually, adding a little each day. After forty-nine days, the original Qi will fill the entire body. When the body is full and the Qi mechanism sufficient, the original Shen will naturally be upright and settled.

The Queen Mother of the West said: original Qi is nourished through the refining of Qi. First use intention to guide the Qi to circulate unceasingly from the Dantian (energy center) (the place of internal cultivation in the lower abdomen). Beginning at the start of the zi hour, circulate it three hundred and sixty times. At the start of the wu hour, then cause the Qi to circulate downward from the heart region, likewise three hundred and sixty times. In this way the original Qi can be nourished. What is called “one gong” here means one circulation.

Entering the Chamber, Chapter Twenty-Three

For cultivators seeking to nourish and protect the body, there is no better method than refining and nourishing Qi (vital energy); to refine and nourish Qi, there is no better method than settling the Shen (spirit) and thoughts; to settle the Shen and thoughts, there is no better method than entering a quiet chamber for cultivation. Cultivation in the quiet chamber is the method of nourishing Shen and stabilizing body and mind.

In winter one should maintain warmth and in summer one should maintain coolness; do not roast oneself with fire in winter nor expose oneself to wind in summer. In daily activities sit upright, and the quiet chamber is best oriented to the south. First prevent external pathogenic Qi from invading, and internal pathogenic Qi will naturally not easily arise. What is called regulation is making it so pathogenic Qi cannot invade, whereupon the body can remain stable.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu, a Daoist deity) said: The quiet chamber can be constructed six zhang square, with windows opened on the east and west sides, a door installed on the south, and the chamber one zhang two chi high. The sitting place should be spacious and comfortable, spread with a thick woolen blanket; in summer additionally spread a mat on top, and place small tables to the left and right. Arrange it so that it is convenient for sitting at ease with the feet hanging down, and also convenient for rising and everyday activities, so that the body does not become fatigued, and then set up curtains around all four sides.

The curtains should be cyan or white; do not use curtains of mixed five colors, lest they damage the eyesight over time. Beneath the eaves outside the door one should be able to see a bright white, so that the body can easily remain stable and the Qi is not easily damaged.

Chapter Twenty-Four on Ingesting Qi (the twenty-fourth chapter narrating the practice of ingesting Qi)

The Dao (the Way) says: Qi (vital energy), the fundamental vital mechanism that constitutes heaven, earth, and all things, is vast and numinously marvelous. It transforms and generates heaven and earth and nurtures all things. It has no visible boundaries, yet it exists within every single thing. It need not be carved, for all things naturally take form; it need not be supported, for all things naturally grow. When Qi gathers, it forms a solid body; when it disperses, it flows like the wind.

Heaven does not know that Qi makes heaven into heaven; earth does not know that Qi makes earth into earth; humans and all things likewise do not know that Qi makes them into humans and into all things. Ghosts, spirits, and the various phenomena between heaven and earth equally do not know that Qi makes them into ghosts and spirits and into the myriad phenomena. If one knows that all things arise through the transformations of Qi, how could one still not know from where Qi is drawn and used?

Heaven operates above, and humans accord with the seasons of heaven; heaven will not thereby seize a person’s lifespan. Earth bears all things below, and humans accord with the patterns of earth; earth will not thereby seize a person’s body. All things appear before the eyes, and humans accord with them, yet this will not thereby deplete their own Qi. Only those who can recognize Qi understand from where yang Qi is generated.

The Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu, a female immortal in Daoist legend) said: When Qi is in heaven, a single yang is generated at the winter solstice, and the myriad phenomena between heaven and earth all respond in accord. When Qi is in earth, a single yin is generated at the summer solstice, and all things likewise respond. When Qi circulates in the human body, at the beginning of the zi hour (around midnight) the various yins gather, and immediately a single yang is generated; this yang is born from true water, the place where Qi resides is the kidneys, and the kidney Qi must not be stirred recklessly. At the beginning of the wu hour (around noon) the various yangs gather, and immediately a single yin is generated; this yin is born from true fire, the place where Qi resides is the heart, and the heart Qi must not be stirred recklessly. Wherever Qi circulates, there one nourishes and preserves the Shen (spirit), corresponding with it.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Settling the Spirit

The Shen (spirit) of a person takes the heart as its dwelling, blood as its nourishment, Qi (vital energy) as its foundation, and the four limbs and five viscera as its servants. When the Shen remains in the body, it is like a dwelling that is occupied and thus possesses vitality. A dwelling with vitality can remain intact; without vitality it decays.

If a new house stands unoccupied, with doors and windows left open, dust and filth enter from all sides, pigs and rats damage the foundation, and birds pierce the roof, it will gradually collapse. If an old house stands unoccupied, with its doors already fallen, dust and filth piled inside, pigs and rats destroying the foundation, and birds tearing the roof, it is impossible for it not to be ruined, and it will soon crumble.

If a person’s Shen can be preserved and the Qi is also upright and harmonious, stability comes easily. The method of stabilizing the Shen lies in guarding the heart; guarding the heart lies in cutting off stray thoughts; cutting off stray thoughts lies in stilling desires. In this way the heart becomes upright, and when the heart is upright the Shen can be stable.

The Queen Mother of the West said: “The method of stabilizing and holding fast is to know peace and contentment, so that hunger and cold do not press upon one and one is not bound by delusive thoughts and attachments. Let the mind be harmonious and upwardly clear, and thereby nourish the inner heart. At midnight there is no need to sit in a proper kneeling posture; simply rest both hands level, allow the four limbs to rest comfortably, cut off delusive thoughts, and visualize oneself sitting within the heart. After practicing this for seven months the Shen and Qi will not age; the Shen is stable, the Qi upright, always like an infant, and spiritual brightness becomes naturally keen.”

Chapter Twenty-Six: Cutting Off Thoughts.

The Dao (the Way) says: The so-called “nian” is the thoughts and intentions that arise in the human mind. People often have desires; once the mind’s thought leaves the original mind, the Shen (spirit) will stir heaven and earth, exploring Yin-Yang, as if there is nowhere it does not reach. The so-called “having nowhere to go” is in reality also a desire. People give rise to desires from seeing and hearing, and by repeatedly habituating themselves to such desires, thoughts are formed.

Thoughts resemble a net in the void, vast and without attachment; the mind-spirit wanders along with the thoughts and cannot halt, the Shen cannot find peace, the Qi (vital energy) also becomes unbalanced, and the body is consequently restless. After a long time this will make a person’s Qi and blood weaken, bones suffer damage, sinews and strength decline, and Jing (essence) and Qi become exhausted. Such a person after death still cannot be transformed away; the hun and po continue to come and go yet cannot return to heaven to receive rebirth, and therefore become wangliang (ghosts dwelling in mountains, forests, and marshes).

Therefore the Zhenren cuts off deluded thoughts and conducts affairs without deliberate false action: he does not pursue or conjecture about the future in advance, but merely responds when things arrive and follows along when events occur; he does what can be done and ceases what cannot. Thus after death the hun-shen will not become wangliang.

The Queen Mother of the West said: When people generate various thoughts, if these are allowed to develop they may bring misfortune. If a person is completely without thoughts, awareness is also lost. Cutting off thoughts means not craving sounds and colors and avoiding having the Shen enslaved by desire. The cultivation method of the Perfected Person consists in guarding the inner mind so that it is not stirred by deluded thoughts.

The method of guarding the mind is: every morning after rising, arrange the clothing and cap, enter the room and sit facing south, sit quietly with hands folded, turn inward to contemplate one’s own mind, imagining it as clear as white jade. Practicing this for forty-nine days, the Shen will be able to settle.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Resting Desires

The Dao says: Reduce thinking and lessen desires, and heaven and earth will not be obscured; cease worries and forget clever schemes, and Yin-Yang can be harmonized. People in the world who wish to seek long life should first cultivate the inner mind. The method of cultivating the mind lies in being able not to act when wishing to act, being able not to move when wishing to move……

The classics hold that if a person can reduce miscellaneous thoughts and lower their desires, the regular patterns of Heaven and Earth will not fall into disorder as a result; if one sets aside worries and cunning calculations, Yin-Yang can then be brought into harmony.

All who wish to live well should first practice regulating the mind. The key to regulating the mind lies in being able, when a thought arises of wanting to do something, to choose not to do it; and when the mind-intention wishes to stir, to settle it into stillness. Even if one has not yet reached the complete realm of desirelessness and Wuwei (non-action), one should still avoid injuring oneself through reckless action. Therefore the Zhenren (True Person, one who has succeeded in cultivating the Dao) first nourishes the body and then nourishes the mind and Shen (spirit). Once the mind and Shen have been well nourished, one can possess desires without being dominated by them, and thereby understand the principles of all affairs under Heaven, thus becoming able to live long without dying; not only does one not die, but one also does not grow old.

The Queen Mother (Wangmu, a female immortal in Daoism) said: “If a person has a reckless mind, they will become ill; without a reckless mind, life can be preserved.” Understand what is unfitting and refrain from doing it. Although there is gnawing and depletion in Heaven and Earth, this does not change their overall integrity, and so a person too can avoid death. Understand unfitting matters and put a stop to them, then ghosts and spirits cannot encroach, and Heaven and Earth cannot take away a person’s life.

Therefore one should at midnight continuously guard the original Qi (vital energy), the source qi, within the Dantian (energy center), a location in the human body believed able to store and nourish Jing (essence) and Qi. If one can persist without interruption in the manner of the moon’s course, cutting off desires in the heart, and cultivate for seven days, brightness will appear and shine throughout the self. Understand the illusory nature of all things under Heaven, refrain from doing what is of no benefit, and the mind and Shen will naturally become penetrating.

The scripture further says: “The water, fire, and wind between Heaven and Earth, together with the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), combine to form the true substance. It is like something piled up in layers that looks up like a high peak; touch it and it scatters, strike it and it breaks. To wish to cultivate it to completion once again—how could that possibly be easy?”