《巨胜歌》

Composed by Liu Chong, Daoist master of the Shangqing School's Dadong rites (one who practices the Dadong Jing methods of the Shangqing tradition), styled Xuanmingzi.

The Three Chapters of the Perfected Master Tao says: "To take mercury for the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is the talk of deluded people; to believe that cinnabar can lengthen life is the error of those who do not understand the Dao (the Way). Mercury does not occupy its proper place among the Five Phases (Wuxing), and cinnabar is not the product of the union of Dragon and Tiger. To treat mercury as the key to refining the returned elixir (a term of alchemy for the finished elixir) is like planting rice in stone." Baopuzi knew thoroughly the secret methods of the two famous mountains and the origins of lead and mercury, and he explained them again and again with great clarity, yet the deluded went to their deaths without understanding.

The Hunyuan Jing draws on the principle of the Five Phases overcoming one another, and then speaks of their generating one another; in this way it illuminates the Dao of Qian and Kun. The Jinbi Jing speaks of Metal being joined with Earth, and the Cantongqi says the same. These scriptures cite their evidence plainly and give clear instruction. What is called Dragon and Tiger is the pivot of Yin-Yang (Yinyang) in motion and the hinge of creation and transformation. Though they are said to correspond to Kan and Li (Water and Fire among the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams), they in fact also represent Heaven and Earth. The firm overcomes the soft, the formless is turned into form, and each of the Five Phases returns to its own position in its proper season. Yin and Yang pair as east joins west; a single Qi divides, the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity stand together, the six lines of the hexagram take their order, and the Four Images (the four states of Yin-Yang transformation) are all complete. Only then can cinnabar be refined and subdued. This principle is profound and subtle, and few in the world can grasp it.

The Cantongqi says: "Build an embankment with Metal, and when Water enters it flows in peace. The number of Metal is fifteen, and the number of Water is also fifteen. At the furnace, fix the weights by the zhu and liang; the Water still has five parts in excess, of which three parts are not put in, and the remaining two are refined together with the Metal." These lines are the outline for making the Great Elixir, like grasping the pivot of the transformations of Metal and Water. People do not understand the principle within them; they only seek clever and strange interpretations and act on their own ideas. Without an enlightened teacher to guide them, they cling to the written words and study them in vain, and in the end they cannot comprehend. It is truly a pity.

An old song says: "Beneath the Beginning Azure, the Moon and the Sun each take half, rise together, and unite as one." The world does not understand this line. People merely refine and subdue mercury and cinnabar, or extract mercury from cinnabar and heat it by every method, until it turns to smoke and ash. How could it ever return to its original form? Is this not absurd?

The Taiyi says: "Two women live together, yet their hearts do not agree." This means that Yin and Yang each dwell in their own place. Kan in the north belongs to Yin and must be reversed to return to Yang; Li in the south belongs to Yang and must be concealed to turn into Yin. In the sun there is a crow, and in the moon there is a toad. The crow represents the Jing (essence) of Yin, yet it returns wholly to Yang, and so it is said, "bear a son, not a daughter"; the meaning lies here.

Fruit grows from a tiny sprout, gradually blossoms, and finally bears fruit. The fruit grows on the tree, but the tree does not know it; this happens of itself. The Diagram of the Taiyi says that wherever there are Yin and Yang, humans, birds and beasts, and plants and trees come into being. If mercury and cinnabar were produced only in Ba and Shu, then places that produce neither would have no humans, birds and beasts, or plants and trees. Reasoning from this principle, is it not foolish indeed?

Mercury and cinnabar have a natural source of formation that ordinary people cannot understand; they change in a thousand ways, and their principles and meanings can hardly be exhausted. The sages often used the names of metals and minerals to explain them. Why does Kan stand at the head of the seventy-two minerals? The song says: "There is no need for realgar; yellow will come of itself." This is what it means. If one truly used mercury and cinnabar, they would scatter and fly off at the first sight of fire, so how could they be kept? Even if one found a way to make them withstand fire and become hard substances, they by nature have no principle of growth and return, so how could one obtain the true elixir? If one likened them to mist dispersing, wind and rain flowing, and a hundred rivers converging, the meanings would contradict one another.

The scripture says: "Grasp the One, and all things can be accomplished." It also says: "Having attained the One, do not cling to the One." In the deep and dark there is Jing and Qi; in the vague and indistinct there is something real. Mysterious and again mysterious, this is the root of realizing the great Dao. These principles concern the workings of Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, and Wu-Ji (a designation for the Earth Phase). The subtlety of lead is truly hard to explain. The Cantongqi says: "It is like the stars in the heavens, and the hundred rivers all flow into the sea." The world cannot grasp this meaning. The Song of the Primal Lord says: "Within the five viscera, the weights and the patterns hold hidden mysteries; red salt and white snow can be matched as male and female. The true returned elixir is right here, only people do not know it." Therefore there is no need to ask others about cinnabar and mercury. From this we know that the myriad things are born of a single Qi, and the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are in turn nourished by the myriad things.

The song also says: "When a single black is lost, it is like broken tile." This speaks of matters within the elixir cauldron, and is not about any other principle.

In my youth I drew close to the teachings of the Confucians and Mohists, and in maturity I studied the Way of the Mysterious Gate. By chance, in the leisure left from seeking office, I recently attained the Dao of long life. Although I once held a civil post and briefly enjoyed the honor of wearing the red sash, I have devoted myself to learning and discoursed on the Great Elixir. I have explored its essentials deeply and pursued its subtle principles; I once met an enlightened teacher and received the crucial secret. These teachings are not empty, and so I have written them down to pass on to the worthy. I have composed ten Songs of the Great Sesame, which chant the mysteries of lead, mercury, and the Five Phases, in the hope that those who study the Dao after me will no longer be led astray.

Part One

Where do the Nine Cauldrons (jiuding; alchemical term for the vessels or methods by which the great elixir is refined) come from? All are born of the "One Black." Once the places of silver and lead are recognized, dragon and tiger will join of their own accord. The measures of zhu and liang must be adjusted against each other, and the River Cart (heche; Neidan term for the circulation of energy within the body) must have its temperament discerned. If one circulates in accord with the seasons, the Returned Elixir may be completed.

Part Two

Turtle and snake differ in form, yet lead and mercury come from the same source. Though the two maidens dwell together, a good matchmaker is still needed to tell which is the mother and which the child. The Three Flowers (sanhua; Daoist Neidan term for the cultivation elements of Jing, Qi, and Shen) allow them to unite, and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger answer one another. The Four Images (sixiang; the elements such as Yin-Yang that cooperate with one another) may serve as a support, and the Five Spirits should each have their own governance.

Part Three (the original has only one line here)

The lofty seat of honor can still be raised higher.

Part Two (repeated in the original)

Turtle and snake differ in form, yet lead and mercury come from the same source. Though the two maidens dwell together, a good matchmaker is still needed to tell which is the mother and which the child. The Three Flowers allow them to unite, and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger answer one another. The Four Images may serve as a support, and the Five Spirits should each have their own governance.

Part Three

The lofty seat of honor can still be raised higher, so why does the drifting figure look back to the left? Worldly people know only how to refine elixirs, but do not understand the path to immortality. The many minerals all return to the Kan Palace (Kan gong; the Kan position in the Bagua, often associated with water and lead), yet people do not realize these are merely borrowed names. When black and white cannot be told apart, the years pass in vain.

Part Four

It is said that water, earth, and metal, these three, can produce the great medicine. Borrowed Qi gives rise to one another in turn, and once generated, they refine one another. The Yellow Sprout (huangya; Neidan term for the first signs of the elixir's emergence) is not lead, but is born from within lead. "Juzhu" (as in the original; meaning unclear) has already merged with the West, while Wu and Ji (the designation for Earth) are cast aside like an empty bag.

Part Five

Two and eight unite to form two houses; the middle string can stand against the two-eight. From this one knows that between Heaven and Earth, Yin-Yang holds the pivot. The child is born of the mother, and the mother is in turn held in check by the child. One should nurture the infant-like Jing and Qi, keeping it gentle and yielding, guarding against its becoming too sharp or slippery. When the moon is full, the form gradually takes shape, and the drawing out and the adding in should also pause at the proper time. At the hour of Ren-Zi, one Yang arises, and it proceeds along the cycle until it is exhausted at the hour of Hai. If one understands the moment for transcending the mundane world, one will obtain the Divine Talisman and the White Snow (baixue; Daoist alchemical term for the efficacious sign or elixir attained through cultivation).

Part Six

The original text provides no body for this section.

Cultivating truth and refining the form require wholehearted concentration on guarding "the One" (a Daoist practice of gathering the spirit and holding to unity, so that body and mind return to oneness). If the mind is scattered and unsettled, errors easily arise in refining the elixir. First use the Qi (vital energy) of Ren-Zi to subdue the "Wrapped Hoof"; otherwise one will cling all the more to the "Sun of Fusang." One must cultivate from the realm of form and flavor to that of no feeling and no desire, so as to preserve the primordial, harmonious Qi of the prenatal state together with one's natural original nature. Do not search elsewhere for a suitable medium: Yin-Yang are like husband and wife, naturally complementing each other. From here on, the "Horse Tooth" surpasses even langgan (a beautiful, jade-like stone). The first quarter, the full moon, the last day, and the new moon (the days marking the moon's phases) each have their own pace of advance and retreat. Only through this does one learn how east and west determine the round and the square; let worldly people not rashly boast of marvelous arts.

Verse Seven

The "Water Mother" and the "Metal Father" are not easily told apart. Let them transform into a flowing elixir liquid, its luster turning ochre-red. If an outside breath reaches the "White Snow Palace" (a Neidan term for a particular place within the body), then the "Yellow Sprout" becomes harder still to fathom. Guard the passes firmly and keep it suspended between floating and sinking; and when the "Maiden" (a term from Daoist alchemy, often standing for mercury or Yin essence) laments, you must not doze off, even for a moment. (The final character of the original line is suspected to be corrupted or missing, so this sentence can only be understood according to the general sense of the surviving text.)

Verse Eight

The ancient poems and oral formulas were originally clear; it is only the deluded who force them into far-fetched readings. The Great Dao was never intricate or difficult, yet people recklessly mix and misuse cinnabar, mercury, and other alchemical materials. Those who do not grasp the meaning of "Red Blood" and "Green Waist" will spend whole days laboring only over "lead." How could the substance within lead be easily refined? Once that one Qi is lost, the thread is broken and can hardly be resumed. (The meaning of "Broken Blade" is unclear; following the context, it is read here as "broken off.")

Verse Nine

The Yellow Sprout is not lead; both of these things are born in the Dantian (energy center). If you wish to seek the "Method of the Great Sesame" (the method of elixir cultivation discussed in this text), lead and mercury must follow their natural course. Neither is an ordinary thing of the world, and neither differs according to whether a person is foolish or wise. The Sun Soul and the Moon Flower (the subtle Qi of the sun and moon, standing for the union of Yin and Yang): whoever understands the principle within them can attain immortality.

Verse Ten

The Daoist of the Great Origin was originally an immortal. He changed his name and came to the Central Capital to study the Dao (the Way) of naturalness. Worldly people refine their medicines and lose their way between metal and water; even after burning away all the Yellow Sprout, they still do not recognize lead. The mercury of western Shu is eagerly sought by everyone, yet at the touch of fire it quickly turns to smoke. If you can attain "the One," do not cling to "the One"; the subtle method is profound, and within its mystery lies a deeper mystery still.