《海客论》

Li Guangyuan, a seafarer, was a native of Bohai. He lost his parents early in life, yet his family had accumulated a vast fortune. By around the age of twenty, he was traveling by boat with fellow villagers, trading back and forth between Qingshe and the Huai region. Later he crossed the sea once more, and a Daoist traveled on the same ship. The Daoist asked him, "Who else do you have at home? How much wealth do you have? Why risk crossing the sea?"

Li Guangyuan answered, "I lost my father young, and my family has no shortage of brothers or wealth." The Daoist said, "If that is so, why brave the wind and waves just to earn a little more? The sea is vast and the billows surge. Should the boat overturn, fish and dragons may seize the chance to devour you. It is truly not worth it."

Li Guangyuan said, "I am not risking the sea for profit. I have come to see that everything in the world is like a dream, and a human life is like morning dew: it cannot last, and vanishes in an instant like lightning. Before the old graves have dried, new ones appear one after another. Gold and silver may cover the earth, but they mean nothing to the dead; jade piled high cannot hold on to a single life. So I set out across the sea, hoping to reach the Central Plains and seek out true men and masters of the Dao (the Way), in order to learn a method for prolonging life. I have never met the right person, and so I was preparing to return home. It was not for gain."

The Daoist said, "You are still young, at an age when people crave desire and glory, yet you admire the cultivation of truth and long for a longer life from an early age. This is a rare capacity. With such a gift, why worry that you lack an immortal's affinity or cannot ascend to the realm of the immortals?"

Li Guangyuan said, "I am only an earthworm, a common and lowly creature. How would I dare hope to become a dragon? I am like a little quail, no match for the phoenix. I do not dare seek great enlightenment. If I can learn a way to cultivate the body and extend my years, I will be content. If you, esteemed master, do not despise my meager talent and offer me some guidance, I will count myself most fortunate."

The Daoist said, "In refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan) and the great medicine, if one has not yet met a true master, it still captures the essentials to first learn how to preserve one's life and prolong one's years. The Golden Elixir lies within the human body; there is no other medicine. If you can keep away from sexual indulgence, expel turbid qi, purify body and mind, live simply and quietly, reduce distractions, and abide in stillness, then your primordial Qi (vital energy) will not easily scatter, and you may hope for long life.

"Primordial Qi is the fundamental energy that is blended into one within the body; it is the foundation of a person and the root of life. When the mind is settled, the Qi grows calm; when the Shen (spirit) is at peace, the Qi becomes concentrated. Therefore, the wise reduce quarrels and disputes over right and wrong and keep away from the temptations of sound and sensual pleasure. In regulating the breath, they do not let it merely disperse out through the nose, and they gather their thoughts inward. If the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers; the three places in the body that are spoken of in cultivation as seats of qi activity) can each receive their treasure, one can nourish life and attain longevity.

"Furthermore, drawing in clear qi and exhaling turbid qi, as well as rinsing the mouth to produce saliva and swallowing it, are also ways to prolong life and strengthen the body. An old song says: 'Qi is the medicine that adds to one's years; saliva is the numinous mushroom that sustains life. People hurry about in the world, not knowing to seek it in themselves. If not from themselves, from whom can they seek it?' These words are very clear."

Li Guangyuan asked, "Is the distinctive appearance and bearing of an adept, so different from ordinary people, the result of this cultivation?" The Daoist replied, "I practiced this method, and that is how I came to be as I am now. I am a hundred years old and have never fallen ill."

Li Guangyuan bowed again in thanks: "That someone of such meager gifts as I should be able to hear the great Dao is truly fortunate. Were it not for a bond from a former life, I could never have met you."

The Daoist disembarked on the eastern shore, intending to travel to Silla, and the two took their leave of each other.

After returning to Bohai, Guangyuan practiced according to this method and no longer pursued worldly show. He went to Changyun Island and trained there for several years, and he did gain something from it. Because he so often traveled back and forth across the sea, people of the time called him the "Sea Traveler."

Later, Guangyuan wondered whether there was still a path in the human world leading beyond it, and whether there were methods for refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan) and the Jade Liquid. If he stayed on the island, how could he ever find such teachings? He had heard that the Central Plains held many famous mountains and sacred realms, so he resolved to leave the island, wander among those mountains, and seek the Dao (the Way).

On the third day of the eighth month in the year Jisi, he arrived in the area of Mount Shaoshi in the Songgao range, where he stayed in a monks' lodging for more than ten days. Afterward he set out alone to climb southward and admire the valleys. After walking five or six li, he suddenly met an old man beneath a pine tree by the roadside. The old man leaned on a staff from which three gourds hung. He wore a short coarse cloth garment and a long headcloth, and his bearing was unlike that of ordinary people.

The old man asked Guangyuan, "What are you doing here?" Guangyuan answered, "Nothing in particular, only looking at the mountains and waters. Where have you come from?" The old man asked what had brought him there. Guangyuan said, "I lost my father when I was young, and my family has great wealth. Yet I have always looked lightly on glory and riches and felt no attachment to a life of splendor. I only wish to seek the profound teachings of the Dao, and that is why I have come."

The old man asked, "How many years have you sought the Dao? Have you gained anything?" Guangyuan replied, "I have wandered within the seas for more than twenty years. A few years ago, on a boat, I met a Daoist who taught me to nourish my Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and to guide and stretch my limbs. I followed his instructions, and they did bring some results."

The old man said, "If that is so, your Dao is already accomplished. What more do you seek?" Guangyuan answered, "I have heard that the immortal path also includes methods for refining the Golden Liquid and the Returned Elixir. I fear that my years will pass in vain, so I have been quietly searching all this time."

The old man asked, "Have you come across the arts of the Golden Liquid and Returned Elixir that you are looking for?" Guangyuan said, "I have searched for ten years and have not yet found them."

The old man smiled faintly and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"Have you ever come across the Golden Liquid Reverted Elixir (jinye huandan) that I seek, the path of cultivation for refining Neidan (internal alchemy)?" asked Guangyuan. The old man replied, "I searched for ten years and never found it."

Smiling, the old man asked, "Do you know who I am?" Guangyuan said, "I am foolish and ignorant, and I do not recognize a person of high attainment." The old man said, "I am Master Yuanshou." Then he asked, "What is your surname?" Guangyuan answered, "Li, and my given name is Guangyuan." The old man laughed again. "My name is Yuanshou and yours is Guangyuan, which fit each other well. I have found someone to whom I can transmit the teaching."

The old man went on to ask, "Do you seek the Way of the Golden Elixir for yourself, or for others?" Guangyuan answered, "I wish to accomplish it for myself, and also to help those who have the affinity for it."

The master said, "Only then can I transmit it. If one seeks only for oneself, one cannot attain the Dao of the immortals." Guangyuan bowed again in thanks. The master said, "Had you not had an affinity from a former life, you could have labored at cultivation your whole life and still never met me. Your immortal bones (the innate disposition for cultivating immortality) have already shown themselves, and your Shen foundation (the root from which attainment of the Dao is built) is gradually becoming firm. Listen to me sincerely." With that, he set down his staff, sat on a stone, and motioned for Guangyuan to sit as well. Guangyuan said, "The master is about to transmit the supreme Dao. How could I dare to be so discourteous?" The master said, "The supreme Dao is not far away. Within this one day of discourse, we can reach its subtleties. I cannot let you stand the whole time." Guangyuan bowed and sat down.

The master said, "The returned elixir is not some separate substance to be sought elsewhere. It must be founded on the True Unity (the pure, undivided root Qi), with lead and mercury (symbols of Yin-Yang in internal alchemy) relying on one another, and with the Yellow Sprout (the fundamental root from which the elixir is born) as its basis. Only then can it be refined."

Guangyuan said, "I have also heard people of the present day speak of the Yellow Sprout, yet none of them understand its deeper principle. If one does not know what the Yellow Sprout is, how can one possibly refine it?" The master said, "Only in this way can it be refined."

Guangyuan said: I have also heard people of the time discuss the Yellow Sprout (Huangya, an alchemical term for the key essence of a completed elixir), yet none of them understood its fundamental principle. If one does not know what the Yellow Sprout is, how can one possibly produce it? Lead born from within lead is the true supreme treasure, and mercury that receives the breath of metal is what is called the Yellow Sprout. Does not an ancient song say: "The Yellow Sprout is refined from lead and mercury, with Yang essence enclosed in a Yin shell. If you do not grasp the principle of the Yellow Sprout, the day you complete the Reverted Elixir (the immortal elixir of Daoism) will be endlessly far off." Most people who prepare the so-called supreme medicine take yellow minerals for the Yellow Sprout. But lead and yellow minerals are lifeless things, so how could they become what the immortals seek? The Yellow Sprout does not reside in the substances themselves; its essence must be drawn from the inner patterns of the images and principles. Once one reaches the realm of the Yellow Sprout, gold and silver are no longer worth boasting about. This is exactly what is meant.

Guangyuan said: I once read in the Jin Yu Wu Xiang Lei that "lead is highly toxic." How can it be used to refine the supreme medicine? The answer: Lead is indeed highly toxic, but that is because people do not know how to use it. Consider the many poisons in the world. Do things like croton seed have no toxicity? Yet one who knows how to use them can cure illness, and lead is the same. Thus the Tao Zhi Pian says: "Within lead there is gold, and within gold there is treasure. When a worthy person obtains it, they would rather cultivate the gold within the lead than refine the treasure within the gold." What is spoken of here is not the ordinary lead of the world. People take lead directly and use it, hoping to produce the Yellow Sprout, but they have no chance of success, because they neither recognize nor understand the lead spoken of here.

Guangyuan said: Are there two kinds of lead? The answer: Lead is not... within it there is gold, and within gold there is treasure. When a worthy person obtains it, they would rather cultivate the gold within the lead than refine the treasure within the gold. This is not the ordinary lead of the world. People take lead directly and use it, hoping to produce the Yellow Sprout, but they have no chance of success, because they neither recognize nor understand the lead spoken of here.

Guangyuan asked, "Are there two kinds of lead?" The answer was, "Lead is not of two kinds." It is like raising a child: if one had to cut flesh from the parents and place it in one's own belly for the child to be born, that would of course be very hard to do; yet if one leaves the parents aside, where would the child come from?

An old song says: "The cauldron was originally no cauldron, and the medicine was originally no medicine. The Yellow Sprout does not use lead, yet it must be refined out of lead. The Yellow Sprout is the Yellow Sprout, but apart from lead it lies ten thousand miles away; and the Yellow Sprout is not a ready-made Yellow Sprout, but begins to be generated from lead." Here the Yellow Sprout is a term of alchemy, referring to the essence produced during the process of refining. Lead is the father of the sprout, and the sprout is the child of lead: the child is hidden in the mother's womb, and the mother is likewise hidden within the child's placenta. "Know the white, keep to the black, and the spirit-light comes of itself" speaks of precisely this principle.

Therefore the scriptures (Jing) all praise the function of lead. To abandon lead is like abandoning one's parents in order to seek a child. The old song says: "Do not damage my lead, and my life (ming) can be preserved; do not destroy my cart, and I can return home." The River Cart is a metaphor in Neidan (internal alchemy) for the circulation of Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). If the lead is cut off, the River Cart turns empty, and whatever is done will surely bear no result; if the lead is spoiled, the River Cart is severed, and the cultivation can never be completed.

The old song says further: "The mysterious thing arises from the Metal Duke, standing majestically as the first foundation." "One thing contains five colors." The Tao Zhi Pian says: "When the five colors converge and accord with the Dao (the Way) of nature, Heaven and Earth are thereby generated, and divide into Yin-Yang." Next, one must send the essence of the sun back to the Moon Cave, and in emptiness and stillness gather the essence together, producing the essence of purple qi, so that it secretly accords with the true Dao. This mystery is hard to glimpse for anyone who is not an immortal.

Ordinary people do not understand this principle, and so in applying it they are off by a hair at the start and by a thousand miles at the end. The old song says: "Using lead is not merely using lead; the crux lies in refining the true thing out of lead. If people only know to use lead, they will in the end still have used it wrongly." It says also: "Common lead cannot be used; the lead to be used is the true lead in the old Dantian (energy center)." All these words make clear that lead should not be discarded, but that one must know how to use it. When it is used properly, Yin-Yang each attain their order; when it is used improperly, it is like a husband and wife who are at odds with each other. The key is to investigate closely within the lead until one thoroughly grasps its principle.

The Song of Yuanyangzi says: "True Yin and true Yang are the true Dao; it is right before your eyes, and you need not seek it far away. Ordinary people burn and refine the divine elixir year after year, and, glimpsing by chance a hue of blue or yellow, believe they have succeeded. Men of resolve should seek the correct method, and not waste their spirit in vain or walk astray. If one can only obtain the true Yellow Sprout, a person who takes it will live long and not grow old." These words can serve to illustrate the principle.

Guangyuan asked: "I often hear people say that cinnabar and mercury are the Yellow Sprout (Huangya). What is the reasoning behind this?"

The answer: This is not a method that a person of firm purpose, truly seeking the Dao (the Way), should pursue. Clinging to it only wears down the spirit and leads one into confusion. Only by finding the true Yellow Sprout can a person who takes it enjoy long life without decline.

Guangyuan asked again: "I often hear people say that cinnabar and mercury are the Yellow Sprout. What is the reasoning behind this?"

The answer: This is not the teaching of the true persons (zhenren) of antiquity. Cinnabar and mercury have no fixed nature, nor do they have a stable form of their own. A purely Yin thing cannot generate on its own, just as a woman cannot conceive by herself alone. Hence the chapter of Li Xichan says: "Cinnabar and mercury may lie together in one place, yet two women can never truly know one another." If they can hardly unite with each other, how could they accomplish the great Dao?

The Yellow Sprout, by contrast, arises when Kan and Li (the Bagua trigrams of water and fire) engender one another, and when metal and water give rise to one another, like a man wearing a cap and a woman wearing ornaments, with the Yin and Yang natures relying on and joining with each other. Yin-Yang passes from the formless into form; when Yin Qi (vital energy) stirs and unites within, something can then be accomplished, in accord with the fundamental principle. Therefore the Song of Lord Yin (Yin Zhenjun ge) says: "The true Qi of the north transforms into the River Cart (a symbol for the circulation of essence and Qi); the Qi of Jia and Yi in the east transforms into golden sand. When the two kinds of feeling and Qi are nourished and return as one, the Vermilion Bird (the divine bird representing fire) harmonizes and turns them, and a golden flower is born. The golden flower can generate the treasures between Heaven and Earth; whoever understands these words understands the true Dao." Such is the reasoning behind it.

Guangyuan said, "I have also seen people call gold, silver, ground cinnabar, and tin, as well as 'grass-node lead,' 'Jinyao lead,' and 'withered lead,' by the name 'Yellow Sprout.' Others use litharge, red lead oxide, and lead yellow flowers as the Yellow Sprout. What is the reasoning behind this?"

The reply was: "None of these is the Yellow Sprout. They are only coarse, unchanged substances, yet foolish and obstinate people take them as materials for refining the elixir. When refined, they merely turn dull in color and withered in form; when burned, they merely become ash and dust, and cannot be transformed from dust into a true elixir. They are like dry bones and dead flesh, so what use could they finally be? Things in which Yin-qi is isolated and Yang-qi is deficient can hardly accord with the transformations of Heaven and Earth. Taken as medicine, they scorch the organs; swallowed, they shorten life. How could they deserve the name Yellow Sprout, still less lead to the great Dao?

"The true Yellow Sprout is the union of lead and mercury, the joint movement of Metal and Wood, the meeting of Dragon and Tiger, and the mutual restraint of Water and Fire. It requires an examination of nature and emotion (xing and qing), so that the hun and po souls follow one another, the work of return is carried out, and the principle of breath and its circulation is understood. Only then can Yang-qi and Yin-qi join and bring forth new life, the mother and what she bears be made whole, the essential qi of Heaven and Earth be obtained, and the Dao of primordial wholeness be accomplished.

"An old song says: 'Mercury does not reveal the form of its raw ore; gold, too, does not reveal its outward shape.' It also says: 'Cinnabar is the essence of Wood, and only when it meets Metal can the two unite.' And again: 'When the Dragon comes, it gathers in its form and fills the hun; when the Tiger comes, it swallows, and marrow and fat are born.' From this, one can understand."

Here "lead and mercury," "Dragon and Tiger," "Metal and Wood," and "Water and Fire" are all symbolic terms in Neidan (internal alchemy), used to explain Yin-Yang, Jing and Qi, and their union and transformation.

Guangyuan said, "The Yellow Sprout is said to be refined from lead and mercury, and it is also said that metal and water give rise to each other. I am still puzzled and do not understand how it is actually refined."

The reply was: "It is like farming in the human world. The farmer first turns the soil and chooses a good field. When the right season arrives, he still needs wind and rain in harmony and the turning of the solar terms to urge the crops along, and only at year's end can he gather the harvest. The principle of refining the Yellow Sprout is the same. Harmonize the lead and mercury so that they match Kan and Li (in the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams, these are the images of water and fire), and let water and fire transform in proper sequence. When the waiting period is long enough, the two naturally fuse and give rise to marvelous transformations. Once the Yellow Sprout is complete, the great Dao (the Way) is complete as well.

"The verse says: 'Lead and the Yellow Sprout unite with the Three Blossoms; gather and draw in one's own Qi (vital energy), and it congeals into cinnabar. At the beginning, ask after the turning of the sun, as fire is conveyed along its course; the five colors lie hidden and return into the Shen (spirit) blossom. Once, the method of refining was made to return to the correct path; when all three are present, this is the Way of the immortals.' This is what it means."

Guangyuan said, "I have now understood the principle of the Yellow Sprout. As for the lines 'unite with the Three Blossoms; gather my Qi, and it congeals into cinnabar; at the beginning, ask after the turning of the sun, as fire is conveyed; the five colors lie hidden and return into the Shen blossom; once the practice was made free of deviation, when all three are present one is an immortal,' I understand their meaning as well."

Guangyuan said, "Since the Yellow Sprout (Huangya; an alchemical term for the preliminary medicine first refined) has already accepted your instruction, how can the Supreme Medicine (zhiyao; the highest level of medicine attained in alchemy) be completed? Please instruct me."

The master answered, "Refining the Supreme Medicine uses only the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and nothing else may be mixed in. If materials of another kind are blended in, the Supreme Medicine cannot be completed. An old song says: 'Take the Azure Dragon of the east (symbolizing Wood) and pair it with the White Tiger of the west (symbolizing Metal); then let the Vermilion Bird of the south (symbolizing Fire) meet the Black Tortoise of the north (symbolizing Water); and above all, the central Wu-Ji Earth (symbolizing Earth) must never be lost.' From this you may understand. These Five Phases all belong to the same category as lead, and only then can the elixir be completed; if anything unsuited is mixed in, it cannot be.

"It is like a household that has only parents and a married couple, with no outsiders. Lead, mercury (substances named in alchemy), and the Five Phases are just the same. Through refining and harmonizing, the medicine must have its bones, flesh, Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), blood, and vessels all complete before it is fit to be taken. An old song says: 'Why speak only of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth? The Dragon and Tiger (a symbolic name in the alchemical tradition for the Yin-Yang medicines or the key elements of refining) are what preserve the body and protect life. Those who study the Dao but do not grasp the essentials of the Five Phases will mistake outside things for their parents. Wood governs Qi, and bone belongs to the Tiger; blood belongs to Water, and flesh belongs to Earth. The Way of immortality lies in the Li Palace (the southern position among the Bagua directions, belonging to Fire); once the Five Phases are understood, the body has its master. The Five Phases must be intimate with the mercury, and foreign materials cannot be matched with it.'

"Helan Qiu's Original Song says further: 'The Azure Dragon rises, the White Tiger lies hidden; the Black Tortoise takes flight, the Vermilion Bird sits at ease; in the center the Yellow Dragon naturally bears fruit. The mother cherishes the child, and the child cherishes the mother. A single cloud forms within the furnace, and with a small dose of the elixir, nothing is beyond one's power.' This is what is meant by this way of alchemy."

Guangyuan asked: "The Great Medicine is harmonized and subdued through the dragon and tiger (the Yin-Yang forces used in refining the elixir), and the true Qi of the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) condenses into the medicine. When it comes to taking it, what is the most essential thing?"

The answer was: "In the end, the refined medicine is only one thing: mercury. Though it is the embryo of the divine water, once refined it becomes a powder of purple-gold color, yet it already contains five hues, which likewise symbolize the Five Phases. The body thus perfected is called the 'Golden Liquid Returned Elixir' (a returned elixir refined with golden liquid), and the immortals since remote antiquity have all used the same method. An old song says: 'Mercury alone is the immortal medicine; the fire-subduing method handed down from antiquity is the hardest to master. Once it meets the River Chariot (the refining process that circulates the medicine and the movement of Qi), mercury congeals into purple powder; the purple powder in an instant turns into the Golden Elixir.' Another song says: 'The true method of the Golden Elixir never had hooks and locks, intricate devices; mercury alone is the hardest to fathom. A tiny amount of the medicine, used as a catalyst, transmutes it and proves its efficacy; once taken, you will live long and board the immortals' boat.' A further verse says: 'Take the mercury that has been extracted and burn it again and again until it returns to cinnabar. Five colors appear within the medicine's embryo, and when the fire is complete, it is the Yellow Sprout (an alchemical term for the sign that the medicine has matured). Those who have lost the road cannot see it; though it lies before their eyes, it seems as far as the ends of heaven. Reach the stage where the River Chariot turns, and only then is it the immortals' method.' These words have already made the matter very clear."

Guangyuan asked again: "Taking mercury that has been refined by fire to make the medicine—since antiquity, not a few people have refined cinnabar and mercury. Why is it that none of them gained longevity from taking it? And why has their transmutation work had no practical result?"

The answer was: "These people never mastered the marvelous arts of the immortals. They did not follow the principles set out in the scriptures (Jing), did not understand how to balance the Five Phases, and did not obtain the essence of the sun and moon. Some mixed all kinds of substances together, and others used methods far removed from the true teaching. Even if they refined a thousand catties of fire-subdued medicine, it would be no different from tile and stone; not only could it not be used for transmutation, but taking it might even shorten one's life. Thus the Biography of Perfected Wang says that in ancient times there were two brothers who took one catty of mercury and refined it for three years on Yangshan until it resembled red glass, believing it to be the supreme treasure. Each brother took half a catty, and by the sixth month they had to wear padded clothes and needed others to support them when they walked. These men had hoped to extend their lives, but instead they harmed their bodies. This shows that when the type of medicine is wrong and the method misapplied, the consequences can indeed be verified. From this we see that if those who seek the true method can obtain the genuine formula, success will be assured."

Yellow Sprout (huangya, the foundation of the substances needed to refine the Golden Elixir) is the root of the Great Medicine, and the substances are composed of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). I already understand the True Origin (the primordial Qi of the prior heaven), but how can it be made to transcend the mortal world? I do not yet know what quantities of the substances to use, or when to apply the fire for the refining to succeed. I venture to ask about the method.

The answer: for the Great Medicine used by immortals, the key to the quantities lies in accord with the Great Dao (the Way). The refining of the Golden Elixir has its own measure. Not only must the furnace symbolize heaven and earth, but the cauldron also contains the principle of Qian and Kun. The fire phasing begins at the Zi hour, and one must understand the timing revealed by the hexagram images. It is then carried through the Li trigram (symbolizing fire) and ends at the Hai hour, and only then does the medicine reveal its radiance. This is like a child developing in the mother's womb, which must wait until full term, or a chick hatching in the egg, which must pass through a complete cycle. The cauldron likewise contains the principle of Qian and Kun. The fire phasing begins at the Zi hour, and one must watch the hexagram images. It is then carried through the Li trigram and ends at the Hai hour, and only then does the medicine reveal its radiance. This is like a child that must wait until full term, or an egg that must pass through its complete incubation.

The quantities of the substances must be matched in the proportion of "two and eight," and the fire phasing must complete one celestial cycle (zhoutian, a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for one full circulation of Qi). Only then can the dragon summon clouds and rain and the tiger roar on the mountain crags. This extends one's lifespan in the world, and what is refined is no ordinary lifeless thing.

A verse says: "Two-eight, the Elder Maiden; sixteen, the essence of lead. When Yang Qi arises, begin the fire; when Yin is exhausted, the fire must stop. When the stars complete one celestial cycle, the Great Medicine becomes spiritually efficacious."

Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing) also says in his Wang Jiangnan: "The medicine of long life is originally refined from the Five Phases. The gates of Zi and Wu open, and the four seasons of Mao and You turn. When the fire phasing accords with Qian and Kun, dragon and tiger naturally devour one another." This is precisely the principle in question.

Guangyuan said, "I have respectfully taken in your teaching on the principles of refining the Great Elixir. But in various books I have also encountered expressions such as 'sun soul and moon spirit,' 'White Tiger and Azure Dragon,' 'cinnabar and the river chariot,' and 'true lead and correct mercury.' There are so many names that I am left confused. I do not know which of them are the correct designations, and I would like to ask where these names come from."

The reply was: "Though the expressions are many, they all point to one and the same principle. The 'sun soul' is the Yang essence (Jing), while the 'moon spirit' belongs to the Yin body. The 'Azure Dragon' belongs to Wood and corresponds to the east; the 'White Tiger' belongs to Metal and corresponds to the west. 'River chariot' and 'golden liquid' are names adopted by immortals after they had realized this Way (Dao), while 'correct mercury' and 'true lead' are the terms used by those of penetrating insight. Once you understand the waxing and waning, the transformations within them, what reason is there for hesitation? These expressions do not go beyond the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and there is no other principle behind them."

Guangyuan said, "I have also read in the Huangdi Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talismans of the Yellow Emperor) that there are many methods for refining the Returned Elixir, and that the key lies in the 'spirit water and flowery pool.' Within the flowery pool lies a most wondrous principle; it was by encountering this principle that the Yellow Emperor ascended to the realm of the Perfected, and Ma Ming likewise attained the Dao (Way) through it. The principle of the flowery pool is also contained in the earlier chapter on the Five Phases, where it was explained in detail. The Song of Master Yuanyang says: 'Spirit water and the flowery pool are rare in this world. They have been handed down, yet are not allowed to be known by the vulgar. If worldly people take them to be ordinary lead and mercury, they will mistakenly believe these words hold nothing doubtful.'"

Guangyuan said, "In various elixir scriptures I have also seen the statement: 'The Three, the Five, and the One are the purest essence between Heaven and Earth.' I still do not know what this refers to."

The reply was: "The earlier chapters have already discussed the 'Three, Five, and One' in detail. It, too, speaks of the Five Phases and not of anything else. If you continue to study it deeply, you will surely penetrate to the root. Does not an ancient song say: 'The Yin within the Kan trigram only leads people into confusion; the Yang within the Li trigram displays forms of five colors. If you wish to know where the three places lie, concentrate on the spirit-nature of Wood. Before refining the medicine, first master the oral instructions, and you must also study the ancient scriptures. If you can refine the jade elixir, you may ride upon auspicious clouds of five colors.'"

Guangyuan asked: "There are tens of thousands of medicinal substances in the world. Why is it that only the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir (Jindan, the Golden Elixir of Daoism) can prolong life and even lead a person into the realm of the Perfected?"

The answer came: "You are dull and still do not understand. No one in the world is born without receiving the qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys of the human body likewise all correspond to Yin-Yang and the Five Phases. If you understand the subtleties of the Five Phases, gather together the essences of the myriad things, grasp the marvelous function of the purple-gold, and cause the bodily fluids to flow and collect, you form what is called the 'Flower Pool' (Huachi, the term used in Daoist inner cultivation for the saliva in the mouth). Taking it, how could it fail to strengthen the four limbs and fortify the five organs? In this way one may hope for long life, and the foundation for transcending the mortal world is laid, as if it were right before your eyes.

"Deluded people cling only to what the ancient song says: 'Golden sand enters the five organs, spreading like wind, rain, and mist, steaming through the four limbs and making the complexion glow; the old regain the vigor of youth, and aged women become young girls; white hair turns black, and fallen teeth grow back.' On this basis they call it the 'Perfected Person.' But mineral drugs do not belong among the things generated and transformed by the Five Phases. Taken raw, their toxicity damages the organs; refined by fire, they are no better than broken tiles and, at most, can cure minor ailments. How could they compare with the Great Elixir? The principle here is plain and clear, and the true source is not hard to understand.

"Herbs and plants wither and decay with the changing of the seasons and cannot themselves withstand frost and snow. Even when many herbs are compounded together, they can only treat ailments such as rheumatism, and they cannot be compared with the Great Elixir at all."

Guangyuan asked again: "Can taking the Golden Elixir bring long life, and even immortality?"

Guangyuan said, "Taking the Golden Elixir can bring long life, and may even lead to immortality, but I still do not understand what use it has in the world."

The master replied, "How bewildering! How could the great medicine of the Golden Elixir be without use? When the alchemical work has run a full year, and the firing has been brought to completion over ten months, the purple powder of the elixir turns to gold once the furnace is opened. When the cauldron is uncovered, the yellow sprout (huangya) spreads out. The yellow sprout is a substance formed during the refining of the elixir. The elixir holds the Qi of the five colors and gathers every kind of numinous energy. If it is first used to transmute mercury, the mercury can become gold. From this we can see that taking it makes the sinews and bones firm for a long time, and that it can help preserve the lives of oneself and one's family. These are not empty words. An old song says: 'Cinnabar, O cinnabar, you can save my life, and you can save my household.' In his Wangjiangnan, Recluse Tao (Tao Yinju) wrote: 'When the ten months are complete, opening the cauldron reveals a mass of red; a few flakes like lingering frost hold the five colors, the divine water of the embryonic medicine rings clear, and its fragrance is rich and strange.' All of this bears out the point."

Guangyuan asked, "Apart from the yellow sprout, what other medicine can mercury be refined with to make a treasure?"

The master answered, "Apart from the yellow sprout, no other substance can do it."

Guangyuan asked again, "By what means can the various medicines be refined into a treasure?"

The master answered, "What can be refined into a treasure is mercury. Mercury is the essence of Heaven and Earth and the vital spirit of the five metals. Its nature is fluid and free-flowing, and it does not take on impurities, so ordinary people call it 'water.' Apart from the yellow sprout, no other substance can do this."

Guangyuan asked, "How can the various medicinal substances be successfully refined?" The answer was: "The key to successful refining lies in mercury. Mercury is the essence of Heaven and Earth and the vital spirit of the five metals. Its nature is fluid and free-flowing, and it does not take on impurities, which is why the common saying goes that there is no such thing as false mercury. How can the various substances be added to the Yellow Sprout (huangya, the core substance used in alchemical refining)? The very body of the Yellow Sprout is mercury. Mercury responds to the vital essences of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and so forms the Yellow Sprout, which is why nothing can be refined without it.

"People of the world often use all manner of substances, exhausting their time and strength, and even travel a thousand li to seek the essence of alum stone. Even if they find it, they never succeed in refining anything. Instead they wear out their minds and drain their strength, and soon die. Is this not lamentable? It is because they do not understand the nature of the substances, nor the categories and correspondences among them. Alum stone is, after all, a kind of stone and does not belong to the category of metals. Since mercury is the vital spirit of metal, how could a stone-type substance be added to it to refine gold? Therefore the verse says: 'If gold can be refined, people of the world may be delivered and liberated; if gold cannot be refined, one only misleads oneself in vain.' These words are not empty. The greatest joy lies right before one's eyes, yet people do not know it themselves. To insist on using alum stone to refine the elixir is like looking for fish on a mountain or hunting hares in the sea. How could it ever be achieved?"

Guangyuan went on: "Some people in the world make vessels from the five metals, seal mercury inside, and refine it. They spend many years at it and in the end achieve nothing. To insist on using alum stone to refine the elixir is likewise like looking for fish on a mountain or hunting hares in the sea. How could it ever be achieved?"

Guangyuan asked: Some people in the world use vessels made of the five metals to subdue mercury. They spend many years at it and in the end still gain nothing. Why is this?

The answer: The five metals are physical materials of the world, and they are not the same thing as refining the supreme medicine. The Yellow Sprout chapter (Huangya pian) has already explained this in detail. The method of refining has hidden aspects, and its principles are profound; the elixir can only be completed through oral transmission and personal instruction. Ordinary people rely on a few vague statements and follow ancient formulas, refining mercury at random while hoping to attain the great Dao (the Way). They do not realize that the gestation of the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is like a woman carrying a child, and that lead and mercury joining with each other is like a hen hatching her eggs. As for the subtle Dao within, it communicates with the divine; even the slightest error will throw Yin-Yang out of order.

Thus Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing) said in his Wangjiang nan: "The secret of the returned elixir, the marvelous art is passed by word of mouth. If you trust the ancient formulas, you will surely mislead yourself; turning things upside down and back again, you burn your money for nothing, and cannot blame the immortals." This means that the secrets and marvelous methods of refining the returned elixir must be transmitted orally; if one trusts only the ancient formulas, one misleads oneself, wasting money through repeated fumbling, and cannot blame the immortals for it.

The Pusa man says further: "Every household has the medicine of long life, but people of the age all err in using it. The timing of the fire still floats and sinks; if you ask where to find it, though it is before your eyes you still do not recognize it, and mistakenly seek it in lead. Here there is no yellow sprout, and years and months are spent in vain." This means that everyone may possess the medicine of long life, but people often take the wrong thing when they use it. The fire phase and timing of the refining are still changing; asked where it is, they fail to recognize it even when looking right at it, and wrongly suppose it can be found in lead. There is no "yellow sprout" here (an alchemical term for the key ingredient or medicinal quality needed in refining), and only years and months are wasted. If you ponder these words carefully, you will understand why people so often use the wrong methods.

Guangyuan said further: The four yellows and eight stones (an alchemical term for various mineral substances) do not accord at all with the principles of the great Dao, and they cannot combine with mercury. Yet sulfur can subdue mercury and make it congeal into cinnabar. What is the reason?

The answer: Mercury is true Yin, and sulfur is false Yang. When the true Qi is restrained by false Yang, the two remain dependent on each other, and this is the great principle of Yin-Yang. Moreover, sulfur is formed from alum fluid, alum is the essence-fluid of iron, and lodestone is the mother of iron. Iron filings and lodestone can subdue sulfur and turn it at once into a cloud-like powder; these things all come from one lineage. Sulfur is the offspring of iron, while mercury is by nature the essential spirit of metal. Although the two Qi may unite for a time, in the end they cannot complete the elixir. If one investigates the principle carefully, one can see their source.

Guangyuan said: "None of the various alums can subdue mercury or combine with it. Yet I have seen green alum mixed with salt reduce mercury to a powder or a white frost. What is the principle behind this?"

The answer came: "Mercury is the soul of metal, and green alum is the essence of iron. Speaking of the five metals, their two kinds of qi (energy) spring from a single source; speaking of lead and mercury, copper and silver too can be turned into powder or white frost through refining. What is the principle here? Mercury is the soul of metal, and green alum is the essence of iron. When one discusses the five metals, their qi share the same root; but when one speaks of lead and mercury, copper and iron are far apart. So temporarily reducing mercury to powder is hardly a great achievement. It is like sublimating pi-huang (a class of minerals refined by fire) with a lid placed over the vessel: what is produced turns white, and without salt the color does not turn white. These are all minor matters and have nothing to do with the great Dao (the Way). You need only press your inquiry deeper and cast out every other distracting thought. An ancient scripture (Jing) says: 'The Flying Rat can join mercury together; the River Chariot can subdue mercury; if impurities are mixed in, the work cannot be completed.' An ancient song says: 'The Old Maiden by the river is numinous and wondrous; at the sight of fire she flies away, untouched by dust and grime. Ghosts hide and dragons conceal themselves, and no one knows where they are. If you wish to subdue them, the Yellow Sprout (an alchemical term for the substance regarded as fundamental to the refining process) is the key.' From these words you may understand."

Guangyuan went on: "People of the world understand neither lead and mercury nor the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). They use the four yellows to subdue mercury and the eight minerals to produce the supreme medicine. In processing alums and the realgar-and-orpiment drugs, they search everywhere without exception, and they use magnetite, pi stone, blue vitriol, green alum, and the like, all together. Some take divine talismans (fulu) for frost, take black tin for a sacred substance, and take unnamed things for blue salt. They forge with fire a thousand times and wash and levigate in water ten thousand times; some even guard the cauldron for three years and attend the furnace for five, yet in the end achieve nothing and only waste their spirit (Shen) in vain. I fear that even the immortals may not yet know whether, among all the alums, there is any that can truly subdue mercury. I venture to ask about the essentials of this matter."

The scripture holds that all things in the world, however minute, have their own principles and patterns of interconnection, and that none of them can be left undistinguished.

Mercury is described as the essence of gold, sharing a common origin with lead and communicating with water. The qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) engender one another, and gold and water generate each other; only after transformation through qi can they become the material for refining the "supreme medicine." Mercury undergoes many changes, which are difficult to compare with anything commonly seen in the world. The Tao Zhi Pian says: "Gold is the mother of water; the mother holds the child within. Water is the child of gold; the child is hidden in the mother's womb." This means that gold and water carry each other within themselves, as a mother carries a fetus, and must pass through combination and condensation before taking form. It adds that the eldest son inherits the father's body while the mother lays its foundation, meaning that cinnabar is born of gold and mercury is like gold's offspring. Gold nourishes mercury, enabling it to continue gold's form and substance as it grows. What is described here is the relationship among gold, cinnabar, and mercury in alchemical refining.

This transformation accords with nature. Its roots are deep and subtle, and cannot be grasped through intellectual speculation alone. If substances of a different nature, such as alum, are mixed in, the form and substance of the materials will be wholly incompatible, the original source will be lost, and it will naturally be impossible to return to the root and restore the origin. It is like making a sparrow and a chicken share one nest, or a cat and a mouse share one burrow, or mending a pot with lacquer, or smearing pokeweed on a sore: not only is there no benefit, but harm results.

A verse says: People of the world love the false and do not love the true. They often mix mineral drugs with mercury, boasting that they can make a woman dissolve into mist and vanish, leaving only a lodestone to keep her company. Some exhaust their family fortunes refining alum, green vitriol, and blue vitriol, placing credence in reckless charlatans. If one does not meet an immortal who explains the ultimate principle, one will in the end accomplish nothing, even into old age.

There are roughly seventy-two kinds of mineral drugs. The sages of antiquity distinguished their qualities, such as sour and salty, and recorded their uses in formularies for treating illness and driving out evil. They have nothing to do with the creative transformations of alchemy, nor do they accord with the principle of mutual generation among the Five Phases spoken of here. Even if some other secret formula were found and refined with great care, at most it could only preserve one's complexion for a time and slow aging. How could it truly transform the sinews and bones?

The people of the world are confused and deluded. They spread alchemical recipes far and wide, falsely invoking the names of immortals, and carelessly grind alum together with lead and mercury, blend it with willow ash, boil it with jujube leaves, treat it with vinegar and honey, and then wash and refine it with water and wine. Yet they have never succeeded, and merely waste their days. They say that the iron and stone used to seal the furnace and cauldron were not sturdy enough, or that the materials used for covering and lining were unsuitable. After a full three years of refining, the contents of the furnace have long since turned to dust, yet they blame the intrusion of chickens and dogs or the transformations of dragons and snakes. In truth, they do not understand the principle of the great Dao, and only know how to blame Heaven and others.

Such cases are not rare in the world. Others exhaust every mineral from the mountains and every drug from the sea, using up their family wealth; the more devotedly they refine, the deeper they sink into error. It is truly lamentable.

Guangyuan said: People of the world burn mulberry wood to ash and use it for decoction and refining, hoping to produce cinnabar and mercury (shahong). An old song says, "The Dragon dwells in the Zhen position, sixteen, forty-eight." Some interpret this line as the character for "mulberry" (sang). Another song says, "Gather it before the silkworms eat the mulberry leaves, and use it after the fire refining." They take these lines to speak of the root of the Great Medicine (dayao), and believe that refining with mulberry ash can produce cinnabar and mercury, but they do not know whether this claim is correct.

The scripture (Jing) continues: The root of the Great Medicine has already been explained above. Refining the elixir with things such as mulberry ash is a method put forward by deluded people, and the ignorant have followed it from generation to generation, ultimately accomplishing nothing. When the Perfected One's song says, "The Dragon dwells in the Zhen position, sixteen, forty-eight," it refers to the quantities and directional designations of the supreme medicine, not to the character for "mulberry." Ordinary practitioners do not understand its principle and take empty, insubstantial claims to be true. They are like a deer chasing a sheep, or a monkey scooping at the moon's reflection in the water; how could they ever obtain it? The Great Medicine uses only the principles of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and needs no other substances. Even mixing in alum cannot bring about success, so mulberry-wood ash is far wider of the mark still. Hence the Cantong qi (Zhouyi Cantong Qi, a classic of Daoist alchemy) says: "A fox cannot nurse a horse, and a swallow cannot give birth to a phoenix."

Guangyuan said further: People of the world often take the soot that has condensed in chimneys and call it the essence of Wood, then assign it to the position of the Azure Dragon. Some cite the Song of Yuanyangzi, which says, "If you wish to know that cinnabar is the essence of Wood, move it to the west and pair it with Metal." It also says, "Where do deluded people go to seek the Dragon and Tiger? They dwell in the dim and profound, in the elusive and hard to grasp." On this basis they conclude that the soot is the very thing the song describes.

In addition, some seek well salt from Yongzhou, and others use Taiyin yuanjing stone (a term from Daoist alchemy for a mineral believed to hold the essence of Yin), pairing these as symbols of the White Tiger. The scripture asks in reply: Is the true Way of the Dragon and Tiger, the very root of refining the Great Elixir (dadan), really like this?

You are truly hard to enlighten! The Dao (the Way) in its utmost truth is not distant; it is only that people today do not recognize it. Fools and the wise alike follow old doctrines, which is deeply regrettable.

The true medicine is something vital and beneficial. It transforms the physical body, secretly recording one's name in the registers of the immortals above, and prolonging human life below. Whoever obtains it will naturally understand the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, the elements that constitute all things), and whoever encounters it will perceive the myriad phenomena. Once the Golden Elixir is refined, poverty and illness vanish. Substances such as smoke, minerals, and "primordial essence" (Jing) are merely lifeless things of the world, no different from broken tiles. Taking them cannot stimulate the blood vessels, and refining them only drains the spirit (Shen) further. How could such things transform a person or produce the Great Elixir? The principle is right before us; it is only the benighted who misunderstand it.

The way of the "true dragon" and "true tiger" mentioned in the Song of Yuanyangzi: could it refer to smoke and minerals? Yuanyangzi was a realized person to begin with, so how could such confusion be attributed to them? The true dragon and true tiger are the root of the returned elixir (the elixir body in alchemy that returns to its origin and restores authenticity), and the principle in which lead and mercury (symbolic terms in alchemy) find their dwelling. The immortals have explained this thoroughly, and the scriptures (Jing) discuss it plainly, yet deluded people have muddled it all the more.

Thus the Jindan Ming (Inscription on the Golden Elixir) says: cinnabar's original position is not actually red; arranged according to the seasonal directions, it lies in the south, belonging to the Bing-Ding fire, and so it appears red. When mercury is extracted from cinnabar, it is assigned to the eastern Jia-Yi wood and appears blue-green, symbolizing the Azure Dragon. The nature of black lead is likewise not originally black; it contains the Five Virtues within, and is assigned to the northern Ren-Gui water, and so it appears black. When the essence is extracted from black lead, it belongs to the western Geng-Xin metal and appears white, symbolizing the White Tiger.

The verse says: "When the Five Phases do not follow their usual order, the tiger is born from water; when the art of inverting the Five Phases is applied, the dragon appears from fire." The Jindan Fu (Rhapsody on the Golden Elixir) also says: "Fire turns eastward and becomes the dragon; water circles westward and becomes the tiger." Li Bingchan likewise says: "Great Yin (the yin-natured qi) resides in the southern abode, and Great Yang (the yang-natured qi) resides in the northern abode. The wood within fire is called mercury; the metal within water is called lead. Take the central palace as the governing principle, and qi aids its own kind." All these statements illuminate the way of the dragon and tiger and serve to verify the divine elixir. How could smoke and minerals ever be compared with this? Reflect on it again carefully, and you will not err. If you believe the doctrines that lead people astray, you will only suffer in vain.

Guangyuan said, "Master, you have explained the Way of the Great Elixir (dadan) thoroughly. I have heard that in former times Liu, the King of Huainan, refined 'Autumn Mineral' (qiushi) into a numinous medicine, and after taking it he ascended to heaven. I do not know what Autumn Mineral is. The alchemical texts also often speak of a name, 'the Sage Knows Nothing' (sheng wuzhi), which people say refers to blue salt. Is that really correct?"

The Master replied, "The Autumn Mineral that the King of Huai refined is also the Great Elixir; it follows no separate principle. These names all refer to one and the same thing, which simply has several designations. The sages gave it different names according to the meaning appropriate to the occasion.

"The 'Green Gold Tiger' is also the Great Elixir. It is the root of the Great Elixir, congealed and white in color, and it belongs to the west. The west corresponds to autumn, which is why it is called 'Autumn Mineral.' It belongs to the same category of names as the 'River Chariot' (hechē) and the 'Yellow Sprout' (huangya).

"'The Sage Knows Nothing' also refers to the essence of cinnabar and to the profound key to the transformations of lead and mercury. When the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) restrain and harmonize one another, it takes on form; when the myriad phenomena are complete and the whole is formed, its Qi, blood, and vessels are all present. Immortals search for it without knowing where it lies, and sages ponder it without being able to attain it, so it is called 'the Sage Knows Nothing.' How could it be blue salt? That is a misleading claim that confuses people."

Guangyuan asked again, "The Way of the Great Elixir is so marvelous. Who was the first to know of it?"

The Master said, "Metal is the child of water, and mercury is the soul of metal. Although metal and mercury are the source of the Five Phases, even after ten thousand years they cannot unite on their own. Lingyang Ziming was a true sage of the Great Beginning, and he and the immortals of high antiquity knew how to return them to their origin; there must have been a secretly transmitted method.

"So they blended the Qi of south and north, matched west with east, brought the four directions together, and did not omit the center. After a year of regulating the fire and, ten months later, opening the furnace, with seven returns without loss and nine reversions brought to completion, the scattered ethereal soul (hun) could be made to submit to the body and the dispersed corporeal soul (po) could be returned to its place. For this reason the elixir is called the 'Purple Gold Fire-Liquid Great Returning Spirit Elixir.' The verse says: 'Nine reversions and seven returns, three and five return to one; Dragon and Tiger join and enter the Chamber of Spirit. In the ash pit the flames refine the essence of heaven and earth, and the work of the Golden Liquid Returning Elixir is complete.'"

Guangyuan said, "I have respectfully listened to your teaching on the principles of the Great Elixir (dadan, the elixir refined in Daoism). Yet people in the world often use all manner of herbs, such as red celery, kudzu lettuce, pokeweed, and pine-holding herb, gathering them all for refining. They press out the juice of the ground beetle, remove the root of the field elder, mix silver amaranth with purslane, and put dragon-brain camphor and dodder into the furnace together, refining what they call 'cinnabar sand,' hoping to produce gold from it. Such people are as numerous as hemp and reeds. I do not know whether any of them has actually succeeded."

The reply was: "Though people belong to one kind, the foolish and the wise differ from one another; endowments differ, and so do the things each can accomplish. The wise may occasionally grasp the principles of the world, while the foolish cannot even see clearly what lies before their eyes. It is like vapor and clouds, which rise and reach the sky, while broken tiles remain on the ground: however much one presses down on the clouds, they cannot be made to descend, and however one lifts the tiles, they will not ascend to heaven. The foolish and the wise are likewise, and are not easily changed.

"Mercury is formed from the accumulation of Yin qi (Qi) and is the essence of the primordial water. Only after long years does it congeal into form, and, combining with the five metals, it becomes their essence and spirit-soul. It is heavier than metal, pure and free of dust, and lies right before one's eyes. How could it be hard to see? Herbs, by contrast, sprout in spring and grow in summer, wither in autumn and decay in winter. Their branches and leaves are not firm, and their roots and stems do not last. When broken, they give out water; when burned, they turn to ash. To hope to congeal mercury with them is to be very far from the mark. From this one can clearly recognize those ignorant people who covet profit, who deceive and bewilder the world. How could they possibly accomplish anything?

"Some in Hebei claim that the herb is found at Sanhao, and some in Lingnan claim that gold can be refined in the two Shu regions. All of these are false rumors with no real principle behind them. They have been handed down through the generations for so long that the errors are lamentable. The wise understand this naturally, but the foolish cannot see through it."

Guangyuan said, "I still feel that the refining of herbs into cinnabar sand may in the end be possible."

The reply was: "Do rabbits have horns? How long are their horns? Do tortoises have fur? How much?"

Guangyuan said, "Rabbits have no horns, and tortoises have no fur."

The reply was: "How is the refining of herbs into cinnabar sand any different from this?"

Guangyuan said, "If herbs cannot be refined into cinnabar sand, why do people in the world so often say there are the 'Three Yellows and One Casket,' by which herb-based sand is refined into gold?"

Someone said, "The Three Yellows (three yellow minerals mentioned in alchemy) are essentially mercury." Guangyuan said, "If 'grass cinnabar' does not exist, why do people in the world so often claim that a single casket of grass cinnabar can be refined into gold?"

The answer: "The Three Yellows and mercury are not the same thing. Moreover, they scatter and flow away, so how could they be controlled and refined into gold? Refined raw, they turn to smoke and ash; refined until fire is subdued (the substance no longer burns after calcination), they become like broken tiles. If the thing that serves as the mother has already become rubble, how can its offspring become gold and silver? This makes no sense. Among the birds of the air there are females and males, and among the beasts there are females and males (pin and mu); so too with ants, insects, and fish. How could one possibly refine gold and silver from a single casket of grass cinnabar? And if it really could be done, it would merely be a matter of congealing metal, so what would be special about that? Furthermore, gold is the root of all things, and refining does not change its root, which runs counter to the principles of creation and transformation. The grass cinnabar spoken of in the alchemical classics (Dan scriptures) can never be refined into anything.

Grass cinnabar has been nothing but an invented name since ancient times. It is as absurd as looking for dust in water, drilling into ice to get fire, or hoping that cicadas will give milk, that phoenixes will conceive, or that cranes will bear snakes. Even mineral drugs differ from one another, so how could a plant be refined into gold and silver? These false claims have been handed down from generation to generation, sending people off on futile searches, from north of the mountain ridges to south of them, from beyond the seas to within them. They argue cleverly over trivial details and repeat endlessly about sour, sweet, salty, and bitter, and in the end they only harm themselves. Shi Chong (a wealthy man of the Western Jin) lost his entire fortune because of this, and Liang Ji (a powerful official of the Eastern Han) saw his whole clan destroyed by it.

If people simply manage their affairs in many ways and find means to make a living, they will naturally escape poverty and will not go hungry. Why search for the so-called motherless cinnabar in order to refine gold and silver? If one is greedy only for private gain, one drifts far from the Dao (the Way). When the immortals use medicines to refine gold and silver, do they need this so-called motherless cinnabar? They regard wealth and honor as mud and have no craving for gold and treasure. If they occasionally perform some small transformation, it is only to demonstrate the efficacy of the medicines and to relieve the poor, not to satisfy greed and bring about their own ruin.

Ordinary people who insist on seeking motherless cinnabar to refine gold and silver are truly muddled. This so-called motherless cinnabar burns without stopping and scatters and flows as if it had divine power, but how much does it really differ from natural mercury? In the end it achieves nothing and leaves only illusion. The wise awaken upon hearing this, but the foolish remain deluded, and even when their hair has turned white, they are still searching for dancing snakes and flying turtles. Is that not lamentable?"

Guangyuan said, "I have also seen people in the world try to refine gold and silver from cinnabar sand that has no 'mother.' They exhaust their entire family fortunes and in the end gain nothing. Why is this?"

The Master said, "Matters of this kind cannot be understood merely by hearing about them. Foolish people become obsessed with them, and even when their hair has turned white they are still chasing illusions. Is that not sad?"

Guangyuan asked the same question again.

The Master said, "Such people do not truly love the Dao (the Way). They are only intent on competing for wealth. The Dao takes the subtle and formless as its root, and stillness and clarity as its foundation. Those who cultivate the Dao should restrain their desires and live in seclusion in the mountains and forests. Rid yourself of greed, and you can live at peace even in the world. Nourish the Shen (spirit) and harmonize the breath, eating cypress leaves and pine nuts, and you will gradually reach a state of purity and tranquility and slowly draw near to the true realm of the Dao.

"Gold and silver are things of the world, and can only sustain life for a time. Those who have the affinity may obtain them without seeking; those who lack it will not find them however hard they seek. When wealth is given away, it can reveal one's De (Virtue); when it is hoarded, one should reflect on it all the more carefully, so as not to be led astray by it. Now let me ask you: what is meant by 'sand without a mother'?"

Guangyuan said, "Without a 'mother,' it is merely mercury."

The Master laughed heartily and said, "If one truly wishes to refine gold and silver, one must have the 'mother' sand. As for the 'mother,' why could it not be gold and silver themselves? Is it unreasonable that mercury should return to its 'maternal body'? If you insist that it has no 'mother,' then the cinnabar, spirit sand, powder frost, and calomel of the world, along with other substances formed through the combination of qi (vital energy), are all likewise mercury that has coalesced, and yet none of them has the five metals as a 'mother.' Can they all be compared with the so-called 'sand without a mother'? Remember what I have said, so that you will not be misled by worldly people who grasp at shadows and distort the matter."

Guangyuan said, "I respectfully receive your teaching. I do not yet know whether the various medicinal herbs of the world can likewise lengthen life and allow one to transcend the mortal realm."

The Master said, "The various renowned herbs also have the power to prolong life. Have you not read the Ten...?"

Guangyuan said, "I will follow your teachings with care. I would also like to know whether, among the many herbs of the world, there are any that can lengthen life and lift a person beyond the mortal realm."

The Master said, "Many herbs do have the power to prolong life. Have you not read the Record of the Ten Continents and the Biographies of Immortals? They record a good many marvels of transcendence. Lingzhi mushroom, vermilion grass, polygonatum, white atractylodes, red arrow-root, and narrow-leaf poria, along with peach blossom, apricot kernel, cypress leaves, and pine nuts, can all be used in cultivation, and the methods are set down in the formula books. Some people even boiled white stones to stave off hunger, or refined the primal essence in order to cross beyond the world. These were Daoist practitioners who had withdrawn from the dust of the world, and strange men of the mountains and wilds. For many years they ate no grain and cultivated constantly. Because their inner practice and the outer medicines worked in concert, the herbs they took proved effective. Is this not what it means to prolong life and transcend the world?

"But you ordinary people do not understand the great Dao (the Way). Your desires never cease, and you think only of hoarding gold and jade, taking these for the joys of the world. You also indulge in extravagance and pride, vying with one another. Every day you fuss over the flavors of your food, and every day you cling to fine clothing and ornaments. Your seven orifices (the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and other openings) are drained without end, and your three fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, which Daoism regards as vital sites for cultivating Jing, Qi, and Shen) cannot be made secure. Even with ten thousand marvelous medicines, what good would taking them do? How could you possibly transcend the world? Do as I tell you, and the Dao is not far off. You will in the end arrive at the realm of truth."

Guangyuan said, "I happened to climb the mountain and was fortunate enough to meet a true person. You did not despise my ignorance, and you have imparted to me every profound and subtle principle. Your kindness is as deep as heaven and earth, and I cannot find words for it. Now I wish to gather these medicinal ingredients and go into a famous mountain to refine them. May I do so?"

The Master said, "This art is exceedingly vast and wondrous, and you must guard it strictly. If you reveal the heavenly secrets, you will bring down not only calamity..."

The Master said, "This teaching is vast and wondrous, and you must guard it with care. If you reveal the secrets of Heaven, calamity will fall not only upon your ancestors of seven generations but upon you as well. So treasure it deeply, and do not speak of it or keep company with those who are unsuited to it. This mountain, though a renowned peak, lies close to a great city. War has only just broken out, and this is a major thoroughfare where many have fled to hide, so it is not a fitting place to refine the divine elixir. The regions of Haoyue, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have many famous mountains, such as Luofu, Maoling, Lushan, and Mount Tiantai. They are peaceful now and will see no warfare in the future. Those places are where the worthy dwell and where the sages come and go. You should go there to refine the Great Elixir (Golden Elixir), and you will surely transcend the mortal world. Nothing I have said is mistaken, so be careful to keep it safe."

Guangyuan said, "Your kindness is as deep as the Bohai Sea, and your virtue (De) as weighty as the great mountains. I am only a humble and insignificant person. How can I repay you?"

The Master said, "You have a destined affinity, which is why you have met with this opportunity. I look at people in the world, scrambling in confusion, all greedy for fame and fortune, enamored of splendor and robbed of their simplicity, only to die in the blink of an eye. I grieve for them deeply. Record what I have told you in a book, and use it to guide those who have the affinity. That will be your repayment to me, and it is what I wish." Guangyuan was deeply moved and stood silent.

The Master said, "You have lived by the sea for a long time. Have you ever drunk the Primal Wine?" Guangyuan answered, "I do not know what Primal Wine is." The Master then untied the gourd from the head of his staff, and the two of them drew water together. He dropped a medicine into the gourd and covered it with leaves. After a short while, the water turned into wine, reddish-purple in color, with a fragrance and taste unlike any other. The Master drank a cup first, then had Guangyuan drink as well. When he had finished, Guangyuan felt his spirit (Shen) become clear and refreshed, and he bowed again in thanks.

The Master pointed ahead and said, "The day grows late, so you should go back now. I live on the south side of the peak. Come find me again if you have need." With that he departed, and in an instant he turned into a cloud and vanished without a trace.

Guangyuan then returned to the temple lodgings. The next day he went straight to the south side of the peak to look for the Master, but found that he had lost the path. With great difficulty he reached the south side, yet he could find no road at all. He saw only white clouds drifting and dark birds crying out.

Guangyuan then returned to the monastery lodgings. The next day, he went straight past the South Peak to look for the master, only to find that every mountain path had lost its bearings. When he reached the area of the South Peak, no road lay before his eyes, only drifting white clouds, flying birds, and the sound of streams flowing through the ravines, and the master was nowhere to be seen. Only then did he understand that the master was no ordinary man.

He sighed with sorrow again and again. Then, with reverence, he set down the whole experience in writing and compiled it into a single scroll, hoping that discerning gentlemen would read it carefully and take its meaning to heart.

Here ends the Haike Lun (Discourse of the Sea Traveler). The text that follows consists of collation notes, which record the differences in wording among the various versions of the scripture (Jing), together with the grounds for altering or supplementing characters on the basis of other versions.