《太上洞真凝神修行经诀》

This passage of the Jing (scripture) states that by grasping a single oral formula, one can comprehend the operating principles of heaven and earth, sweeping away heterodox delusions so as not to be confused by them. The key to cultivation lies in concentrating the Shen (spirit)—unifying the mind and settling the heart-spirit. Only after understanding this principle can one break free from the bonds of the mundane. This principle cannot be attained merely by reciting it aloud, nor by thought and deliberate action alone. It is neither simply the viscera, Jing (essence) and blood within the human body, nor what is commonly meant by the three fields, the meridians, or the breath. Through these statements the scripture emphasizes that what is refined is the precelestial Qi (vital energy)—regarded in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) as the original Qi that existed before heaven and earth were generated—and not merely a physiological substance.

In cultivation, one should regard heaven and earth as the tripod and furnace, allowing the Qi of Yin-Yang to harmonize with each other. The scripture uses terms such as “true lead,” “true mercury,” “golden crow,” and “jade rabbit” to symbolize the two forces of Yin-Yang and their conjunction and transformation. It further employs images from the Book of Changes—“Kan and Li,” “dragon and tiger,” and “Zhen and Dui”—to describe the waxing and waning and the circulation of Yin-Yang. The practitioner must grasp the changes of Yin-Yang according to the proper times, so that the two forces return to equilibrium within the body and condense into the elixir. It also uses images such as “the southern chronogram shifting into the northern chronogram” and “the golden crow flying into the palace of the jade toad” to speak of the inversion of Yin-Yang positions and their mutual blending. At this moment floating and sinking are attuned, Yin-Yang unite as one, as if one had mastered the movement of the Northern Dipper and the creative transformation of heaven and earth.

The scripture then describes the scene of the Neidan condensing: in the course of practice it is as if the sound of wind gradually arises and purple clouds take form; then clouds and mists surge and roll, and in stillness one seems to hear thunder. Images of dragon, tiger, tortoise, snake, and luan and phoenix intertwine, symbolizing the meeting of different forces. The Golden Lord and the Jade Maiden (in alchemy, symbols of the uniting Yin-Yang Qi) join as one, as if mother and child were reunited, ultimately causing Shen and Qi to return to the root and condense into the first true seed. The scripture states that once this seed is refined into the Dantian (energy center), the Qi of life can return to its original source.

Subsequently, the scripture indicates the stages of cultivation through periods of one hundred days, three hundred days, ten months, and the like, and uses expressions such as “irrigation by water and fire,” “tempering with Qian-yang,” and “tempering with the fire of wisdom” to describe the continuous process of regulating and refining the inner Qi, concentrating the Shen and guarding stillness. It portrays the light, thunder and lightning, wind and rain that appear in the process as symbols of inner transformation. Once the work is accomplished, one can return to the origin and restore the primordial, uniting with the Great Void; when gathered it takes form, when dispersed it transforms into Qi. The scripture also cautions that the method of the golden-fluid returning elixir (in Neidan, gold fluid and the elixir are metaphors for the fruit formed by the condensation of Jing and Qi) is profound and mysterious; without meeting an enlightened teacher one must not force the practice, and one must also maintain long-term conservative cultivation.

The latter half continues to discuss the conjunction of Yin-Yang, the regulation of fire phasing, and the formation of the Neidan. The practitioner must distinguish whether the elixir medicine is mature or still tender, and master extraction and addition (increasing and decreasing, regulating the Yin-Yang Qi in cultivation) as well as fire phasing. One regulates according to the changes of Yin-Yang, cold and heat, day and night, so that ascent and descent, advance and withdrawal, firmness and softness each attain their proper measure. The scripture holds that when wood and metal merge and true lead and true mercury unite, this is the condensation of the essence of heaven and earth. Through continuous refining and nourishing, one finally forms a body of pure yang (the ideal state spoken of in Daoism, in which yin Qi is exhausted and yang Qi is abundant).

Finally, the scripture depicts the scene after accomplishment: the spirit embryo (in Neidan cultivation, a symbol of the matured spiritual and vital original being) is completed; the practitioner sheds the embryo and exchanges the bones, returning to longevity. Auspicious Qi and colored clouds encircle them; a green luan and a white crane lead the way; jade maidens and golden youths present the decree; celestial immortals come to receive them; at last they mount the clouds and ascend into the Nine Heavens. These descriptions express the ideal realm pursued by Daoist Neidan cultivation: transcending the ordinary, leaving the mundane, and uniting in truth with the Dao (the Way).