《存神固气论》

The Status of the Furnace and Cauldron

The beginning and end of the Four Images (the basic factors that constitute change, such as Yin-Yang and the firm and the yielding), as well as the generation of the myriad things, all depend on the Wu-Ji cauldron (the furnace-and-cauldron image in which Wu and Ji stand for Earth). Only after the fire of Wu and Ji is set in motion can the myriad things be generated. For this reason, the Perfected Person (one who has attained accomplishment in cultivating the Dao) comes to understand the wonderful principle of creation and transformation. This understanding arises from the stirring of Qi (vital energy) produced when Metal and Wood restrain one another, and from the rising and falling of Water and Fire as they reach Jiji (Already Crossed, the harmony of Yin-Yang). Through this principle, things keep their vitality without perishing, and life continues to generate life without end.

The Inversion of Yin-Yang

Yin-Yang are things that seek one another and depend on one another. Li belongs to Fire, and without the moderating influence of Water it becomes dry. When dryness reaches its extreme, it must be moderated by Kan. Kan belongs to Water, and without Fire it congeals into ice. When cold reaches its extreme, it must be moderated by Li.

The Li palace (the direction or inner position symbolized by the Li trigram) receives blood and stores lead. This shows that Yang contains Yin, so it does not become scorching but remains clear and cool. The Kan palace receives Qi and stores mercury. This shows that Yin contains Yang, so it does not freeze but remains warm. Although Li contains lead, once the blood stirs, fire arises, and the lead is transformed into mercury along with it. Although Kan contains mercury, once the Qi stirs, water arises, and the mercury is transformed into lead along with it.

Thus, one who knows only that Kan belongs to Water does not know that mercury-Qi is hidden within it. One who knows only that Li belongs to Fire does not know that lead-blood is hidden within it. When the Qi mechanism stirs and transforms, lead and mercury naturally rise and fall and seek one another. From this, the Perfected Person grasps the principle of the inversion of Kan and Li.

The Old and the Young in Yin-Yang

Once the count passes thirty-two, Yin and Yang gradually grow old. When Yang grows old, the dark Qi weakens, and it must be moderated with the help of Young Yin. When Yin grows old, the blood and Qi weaken, and they must be moderated with the help of Young Yang.

Old Yin turns and gives birth to Young Yang, just as the Kun hexagram is followed by the Fu hexagram. Old Yang turns and gives birth to Young Yin, just as the Qian hexagram is followed by the Gou hexagram. Metal and Wood represent the old of Yin-Yang, and what they produce by restraining one another is Young Yin and Young Yang. In the human being, Qian and Kun represent the old, while Gen and Dui represent the young. Yet the "old" and "young" spoken of in the processes of creation and transformation are not limited to this one scheme of correspondence. From this, the practitioner can grasp the meaning of skillfully employing the changes of creation and transformation.

Water and Fire Seek One Another

Water meeting fire, and wood meeting metal, belong to Old Yin and Old Yang within Yin-Yang (阴阳). Things that overcome one another yet can still give rise to transformation belong to Young Yin and Young Yang. In the body, Qian and Kun (names of trigrams in the Bagua, here referring to Old Yang and Old Yin) are "old," while Gen and Dui (also trigram names, here referring to Young Yang and Young Yin) are "young." The "old and young" spoken of in the context of creative transformation is not limited to a single situation. One who understands the principle behind this can grasp the meaning of skillfully employing transformation.

Water and Fire Seek Each Other

When water meets fire, it can receive qi (气); having received qi, life is able to arise without drying up, and so it does not flow outward and disperse. When fire meets water, it can take form; having taken form, vitality is preserved without being extinguished, and so it does not fly upward and scatter. When true water seeks true fire, Yin qi is abundant and Yang qi is scant, and it becomes lead. When true fire seeks true water, Yang qi is abundant and Yin qi is scant, and it becomes mercury. Mercury must seek lead, and so it descends to act upon the Kan position; lead must seek mercury, and so it rises to act upon the Li position. Kan and Li are trigram names in the Bagua (八卦), and in the terminology of Neidan (内丹, internal alchemy) they are often used to stand for water and fire.

Between the rising and the descending, Wu and Ji (heavenly stems belonging to Earth, here referring to the force that harmonizes water and fire) hold everything together, causing water and fire to blend, cling to one another, and congeal into transformation. One who has attained the Dao (道) knows how to harmonize Yin and Yang, and by this means causes jing (精, essence) and qi to revolve and increase, skillfully drawing upon the principles of creative transformation.

Metal and Wood Punish Each Other

If metal did not restrain wood, wood could not receive qi; wood, having received qi, gives rise to fire. If fire did not restrain metal, metal could not receive qi; metal, having received qi, gives rise to water. Use metal to summon metal, and when metal is stirred it can overcome wood; use fire to summon fire, and when fire is stirred it can overcome metal. Once water and fire have been brought forth, one summons with harmonious qi, and in seeking one another they give birth to the myriad things. That one who has attained the Dao causes the water and fire within the furnace to meet of their own accord is because such a person has grasped the fundamental principle by which all things are produced.

Note: the original text contains a repeated passage here, from "use metal to summon metal" to "once water and fire have been brought forth, one summons with harmonious qi." The above has been merged and translated according to its meaning.

The Five Phases Return to Their Source

Such is the pattern of all things: those that return to the mother have deep and firm roots and can endure; those that scatter into offspring, branches, and leaves may flourish for a time but must in the end wither and decline. The withering of the offspring and the weakening of the mother result from the Five Phases (五行, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) moving in their ordinary sequence; long life and lasting vision result from the Five Phases moving contrary to that sequence. One who has attained the Dao applies the marvelous power of transformation in the Central Palace (a Neidan term for the harmonizing position within the body), and when the work of transformation is complete, causes the child to hide within the mother's womb and the mother to hold the child in her embryo, producing the image of "the dragon emerging from fire, the tiger born from water." This speaks of the principle by which the Five Phases run in reverse and return to their origin.

Note: the closing phrase "the ruling qi flourishes, one Yuan" is unclear in meaning. It may result from a copying error or a textual lacuna, and no reliable interpretation can be offered on this basis.

Fire, when it first arises, is at the peak of its Yang qi (Qi, vital energy); water, when it first arises, is at the peak of its Yin qi. As Yang qi keeps growing, it must decline once it reaches midday; as Yin qi keeps growing, the moon must wane once it is full. Flourishing qi gradually fades, so those who have attained the Dao (the Way) know how to halt the flourishing qi within the furnace and keep it from reaching decline. In this way, it is as if spring never turned to autumn, the sun never passed from its rising to its zenith, and blossoms never went from full bloom to withering.

Adding the Fire Phases

Jing (essence) is the root of qi, but Jing cannot circulate by itself; it relies on qi to move it. Qi is the root of Shen (spirit), but qi cannot circulate by itself; it relies on Shen to move it. This is what is meant by saying that "True Lead" (a term in cultivation practice used as a metaphor for Jing and qi) can give rise to "Spirit Fire" (a metaphor for the working of the intent of the spirit), and that Spirit Fire in turn can subdue True Lead. One who has attained the Dao uses Shen to move qi, and qi naturally settles and is not dissipated; one uses qi to move Jing, and Jing naturally settles and does not leak out.

So long as Jing, qi, and Shen do not depart from the fire phases in the cauldron (huohou, a metaphor in Neidan, or internal alchemy, for the timing and measure of regulating the breath and carrying out the refining), they open the gate of vitality. Once they depart from the fire phases, they fall into the gate of deathly stillness. Those who have attained the Dao transmit the methods and formulas but do not transmit the fire phases, because in the process of gathering in and refining, when to add fire and how to adjust it depends entirely on fine discernment. This application of the fire phases is a most wondrous skill, and it cannot be fully conveyed in words.

The Dragon and Tiger Pivot

The qi of Heaven and Earth blends and circulates, and so the "pivot" (the critical point where qi enters, exits, and transforms) is first established at the Profound Ultimate (the deep and hidden root). The entering, exiting, and regulating of qi proceed from here, and primordial qi can then continually generate and transform. When a person receives Jing and qi from their parents, the pivot is already complete.

Primordial qi arises from this root, and this root in turn depends on primordial qi for its nourishment. Thus, between each exhalation and inhalation, the breath continues without a break, seemingly present and seemingly absent. Once Jing and Shen have united and brought forth an inner spiritual being, one should harmonize the Dragon and Tiger (Neidan terms for the opposing Yin and Yang qi within the body), draw in the qi of harmonious balance (evenly tempered primordial qi), and nourish it. In this way, the embryonic qi (the Neidan term for the qi of inner generation and transformation) will naturally change and grow, producing life without end.

Emotions, Nature, Movement, and Stillness

Among the transformations of the myriad things, there are four aspects that cannot be escaped: life and heart-mind, nature and emotion. Whatever has life must have a heart-mind; whatever has a heart-mind must have a nature; and whatever has a nature must also have emotion. Nature inclines toward stillness and stability, while emotion arises when external things stir it and call forth a response. When such a response occurs, the Yin-Yang (阴阳) qi (气) must unite.

When the two qi unite outwardly, the Dragon and Tiger (alchemical terms often referring to two opposing forces, Yin and Yang) scatter outward, and lead and mercury (Neidan terms, often standing for the essence and qi within the body) leak away. When they unite inwardly, the Dragon and Tiger follow one another, and lead and mercury coalesce within. This inward coalescence of lead and mercury is the result of the transformation of qi. Thus, when qi enters the body, it is called "life"; and that which is the root allowing life to flow through unimpeded is called the "Dao" (道, the Way).

One who has attained the Dao uses the Dao to govern the emotions. In the hazy, undivided moment when the Yin-Yang breaths blend together, such a person can abide in the Mysterious Embryo (the inner embryonic breathing or elixir embryo spoken of in Neidan, 内丹, internal alchemy); in the midst of the indistinct and elusive, such a person can gather in the images of the myriad things. From this arises the practice of becoming one with the Dao, with form and spirit both reaching a wondrous state.

Dividing the Body: Form and Transformation

What comes from "form" is generated within Yin-Yang; what comes from "transformation" goes beyond Yin-Yang. A life generated by Yin-Yang may preserve its physical form and endure in the world for a long time, so even within what seems useless there is something useful. What is meant by "useful" is obtaining the creative power of transformation within the changes of Yin-Yang.

What goes beyond Yin-Yang has the path of the spirit ascending and of nature and life being transformed. Therefore, within cultivation that involves action there is also Wuwei (无为, non-action); only by reaching Wuwei can one transcend the world of form. Cultivation has its order: one must first refine and transform the physical body, then change its form, and only then can one depart from the body of generation and transformation and go further to perfect a state that is marvelous and purely Yang. To seek sudden transcendence without any order is a principle never heard of.

The True Meaning of Embryonic Breathing

People commonly say that the embryo is formed from condensed qi, and that qi in turn rests upon the embryo. Yet can embryonic breathing be achieved simply by keeping shen (神, spirit) and qi from dispersing and practicing breathing for a long time? This has not yet grasped the true essence of embryonic breathing. Without understanding its real meaning, one who merely stays long in empty stillness may spend an entire life as nothing more than someone who indulges in seated meditation and drowsiness, far from the goal of nurturing the elixir, forming the embryo, and prolonging life.

Moreover, the principle of generation and transformation is this: Yang alone cannot give birth, and Yin alone cannot bring completion. Those who have attained the Dao say that nurturing the Sacred Embryo is for seeking the path of transcendence; Kan and Li (坎离, trigrams of the Bagua, 八卦, representing water and fire, often standing for Yin and Yang) and lead and mercury cannot stand isolated from one another. Without the union of Dragon and Tiger, and without establishing a pivot at the mysterious root, how could the harmonious primordial qi be made to settle, and how could embryonic breathing truly be formed?

If cultivation pursues only stillness and non-action (Wuwei), it is like a furnace whose ashes have gone cold or a tree withered to a husk: the fire has no wood to rest upon. Even if the Yin-Yang (yin-yang) essence and Qi (vital energy) in the body gather, they are merely heaped up like clods of earth and dust. If they cannot be made to interact, they cannot nourish the Sacred Embryo (the inner "elixir embryo" formed in cultivation), and no path to transcendence can be found. Kan and Li, lead and mercury (terms in Neidan, or internal alchemy, symbolizing Yin-Yang and the essential energies), cannot be separated from one another. Without the meeting of dragon and tiger (symbolizing the union of the two Qi of Yin and Yang), and without establishing the crucial pivot at the Mysterious Apex, who could retain the Qi of Primal Harmony and let the Sacred Embryo settle and grow?

If one merely lets the furnace ashes die out and the tree wither, the body may coalesce like a clod of earth, yet the spirit stagnates like dust. Then Metal and Water (terms in Neidan symbolizing the corresponding essences and energies) have no way to arise, and the Four Images (the four states formed by the transformations of Yin-Yang) have no way to be put to use. In that case the elixir becomes a useless thing, and the furnace and cauldron (the vessels used in alchemy, here also meaning the body and mind in cultivation) are nothing but empty shells. Because one cannot abide in the Mysterious Embryo of deathlessness, one sinks into deathly stillness; because one cannot grasp the subtle, numinous mechanism of creation and transformation, one is bound to stubborn emptiness (a rigid, stagnant void).

The one who has truly attained the Dao (the Way) perceives and employs the "Five Thieves" (a Daoist term for the forces taking part in the transformations of creation). Such a person can ride the fire dragon and straddle the golden tiger (symbolizing mastery over the two Qi of Yin and Yang), as though holding the universe in hand and letting the myriad changes arise from within. In the end, form and Shen (spirit) both reach a realm of subtle transformation, roaming freely in the highest wondrous realm. How could such a person merely speak of emptiness and stillness, dwell in a withered state, and in the end perish together with dust and clods of earth?

The Method of Wondrous Form and Spirit

Seek the Dao inward: nature is the heart, and life is the kidneys. One who understands cultivation uses nature to return to life, so that the inner roots of body and mind are joined.

Turning inward to seek, what is called "nature" (xing) is the heart, and what is called "life" (ming) is the kidneys. One who understands this principle uses the cultivation of nature to nourish life, joining kidney Qi (vital energy) with heart Shen (spirit), so that the Five Qi respond to one another and finally gather and return to Wu-Ji (Earth). This is precisely what Lord Wei meant by the "Three-Five-One."

The Yi (Book of Changes) calls this principle the "Three-Five-One." The generative order of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is reversed, so that Fire produces Wood and Water produces Metal. Calculated by the generative numbers of the Five Phases, Water is one and Metal is four, which together make five; Fire is two and Wood is three, which together also make five; and the number of Earth is likewise five. This is the "Three Fives." Gathering them into one is why it is called the "Three-Five-One." The Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture) says: "The Five Phases push upon one another and all return to the One." Seen in this light, is Lord Wei's meaning not perfectly clear?

When students grasp this, they can understand the meaning of breathing and also experience the "essence of the sun's light." The essence of the sun's light is cinnabar, which is the Great Medicine (the key substance in Neidan, or internal alchemy, practice). Since ancient times, those who have cultivated nature and life have achieved transcendence by relying on the Great Medicine.

However, one who understands only the cultivation of nature without cultivating life will cling to emptiness and stillness and lack transformation. Hence Master Zhongli said: "If one cultivates only true nature and not the elixir, in time one will mostly be unable to meet change." One who understands only the cultivation of life without cultivating nature will lose mastery over the physical form. Hence Lord Mao said: "If one only knows how to circulate Qi and make the Qi dynamic flourish, one is an immortal who has attained the Dao (the Way)." From this we know that nature and life cannot be cultivated one-sidedly. Cultivating nature requires using the Dao to preserve the Shen (spirit), while cultivating life requires using technique to prolong the physical form. When the Dao and technique complement each other, nature and life can unite. The Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace) says: "Spirit is preserved through the Dao; the body is prolonged through technique." This too serves as evidence.

Even upon encountering these methods of cultivation, one must not begin practice immediately. One must read widely the scriptures and verses of immortals, ancient and modern, and clarify their principles until nothing remains unclear. Only then can doubts be dispelled.

Chapter on the Central Source (Zhongyuan Pian)

I once read in the Taigong Commentary on the Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talismans): "There are over a hundred techniques of the Golden Elixir (金丹, Jindan, the core of Neidan, internal alchemy), but the key lies in the Divine Water and the Flower Pond (Huachi)." At the time, I did not understand its true meaning. Later, while traveling on Mount Tai, I heard a Confucian scholar chanting: "How clear and expansive are Heaven and Earth! The Way of Yin-Yang can be perfected. The Flower Pond and the Divine Water lie wholly in the essence (Jing) of the Dragon and the Tiger." I stepped forward and asked him about it. His surname was Piao and his courtesy name Yuangui, and he said:

"Where do flowers come from? Among green leaves there are red blossoms. Who can dye them with color? What could compare to the gentle subtlety of creation itself?"

I still did not grasp it. Piao Yuangui went on:

"Why is stone hard? Why is water soft? Hardness and softness wear against each other, yet who is willing to study this principle? The nature of stone belongs to earth, while water is moist and flowing. How would people know that what they seek is the tender sprout?"

He then explained: "'Hua' means flower, and a flower is transformation. Transformation is like red blossoms opening among green leaves. Who can dye them? What could compare to the gentle subtlety of creation? When I say 'Hua' here, I also mean the transformation born of fire, while 'Chi,' the pond, refers to water. So the 'Flower Pond' describes the alternation of water and fire. Water and fire are like the clear and bright qi (Qi) displayed in the movements of the sun and moon. They are able to generate the myriad things and are the most numinous power in the world.

"All things turn their backs to Yin and face Yang, and so they take form. Where do flowers come from, and where do they bear fruit? A flower receives Yin qi and grows its branches and leaves, then embraces Yang qi and forms its fruit. Within the fruit lies the seed kernel, and when the seed is left behind, it can go on to bear new life. Human beings are the same: our nature and temperament gradually take shape in the mother's womb, until at last a human body is formed.

"The Golden Elixir accords with the profound movements of the sun and moon and is the root of the generation of all things. The rising and falling of Dragon and Tiger, the interplay of water and fire, and the seasons of the four times of year all correspond to it, and so one can attain long life through it.

"It is also said: lead is the Azure Dragon, the beginning of the Dao (the Way); mercury is the White Tiger, the essence of the Dao. By cultivating them, you bring yourself into union with the sacred Dao. What is spoken of here is not the lead and mercury of the ordinary world; it is enough to understand the root. Mercury is born from cinnabar, and gold comes from lead. This path of cultivation accords with the will of Heaven above, the patterns of Earth below, and the essence and qi of the human being at the center, and its transformations are beyond measure."