《海琼传道集》

Master Guanyin said, "What can be transmitted can only be called a matter of affairs, not the Dao (the Way)." Laojun said, "I do not know what it was originally called; reluctantly I give it the name 'Dao.'" What this collection discusses is as far apart as heaven from earth from the three thousand six hundred methods of cultivation and the several dozen schools of nourishing life. Those who share this aspiration should study it carefully.

The Analects records that the students found it hard to hear Confucius speak about human nature and the Way of Heaven. Alas, if later generations do not grasp Confucius's meaning, they will take this to be a profound learning that is difficult to practice. How could they know that, among Confucius's disciples, Yan Yuan (Yan Hui) was held in the highest regard? Yan Yuan understood the Master's teaching and could go long without departing from benevolence, yet all day long he appeared dull and ignorant. He lived in a humble alley, content with coarse rice and plain water, and so died at thirty-two. If a person can grasp the essence of Yan Yuan's "fasting of the mind" (xinzhai, a method of cultivation that makes the heart empty, still, and focused), they will understand the doctrine of the "spirit chamber" (shenshi, in Neidan, the place in body and mind where jing, qi, and shen are refined and gathered). Understanding the spirit chamber, they will also understand the divine water.

Mencius said, "Human nature is like water." Perhaps he meant just this. The Wuzhen pian says, "The key to cultivating life lies in the Golden Elixir, and the key to the Golden Elixir lies in the divine water and the flowery pool." These principles are extremely simple; even a dull and ignorant person who practices according to them can quickly enter the realm of the sage. The Daodejing says, "My Dao is very easy to understand and very easy to practice."

In former times, Zhongli Yunfang transmitted this teaching to Lü Dongbin; Lü Dongbin transmitted it to Liu Haichan; Liu Haichan transmitted it to Zhang Pingshu; Zhang Pingshu transmitted it to Shi Tai; Shi Tai transmitted it to the monk Daoguang; Daoguang transmitted it to Chen Niwan; and Chen Niwan in turn transmitted it to Bai Yuchan, who was my teacher.

In the autumn of the Yihai year, I met my teacher on Mount Wuyi; in the spring of the Wuyin year, we met again on Mount Lu. Passing the Taiping Xingguo Temple, we met a Daoist named Hong Zhichang, styled Mingdao and self-named Kanlizi. He had long devoted himself to the study of Neidan (internal alchemy) and Waidan (external alchemy), had visited many teachers and friends, investigated many doctrines, and gone through all manner of scriptures and treatises, yet had never found the essential point. Later, he came into affinity with my teacher, and after hearing a few words, it was as though a golden needle had scraped the film from his eyes; in a moment he understood the "mysterious pearl" (xuanzhu, the subtle fruit achieved through Neidan practice).

Master Hong was preparing to live in seclusion, shutting his door to visitors, sitting in stillness to cultivate, and nurturing the "sacred embryo" (shengtai, the inner fruit spoken of in Neidan practice) according to the proper "fire phases" (huohou, the regulating principles that govern the progress of Neidan cultivation). Fearing that this teaching might be lost, he had printed and circulated what he had received from my teacher: one piece, the Jindan jiejing, one volume, the Gousuo lianhuan jing, and one song, the Lushan kuaihuo ge, together titled the Chuandao ji, in the hope that people everywhere might study them together.

Daoist practitioners Chen Shoumo (Daozhizi) and Zhan Jirui (Zizhizi) respectfully bow and write this preface.

Thirty Paired Opposites in the Cantong of Alchemical Method: The alchemical method (the art of refining and cultivating the elixir) emphasizes thirty sets of mutually corresponding relationships: clear and turbid, full and waning, decline and flourishing, preservation and loss, being and non-being, auspicious and inauspicious; regret and humiliation, generation and overcoming, punishment and virtue (De), movement and stillness, advance and retreat, waning and waxing; guest and host, sinking and floating, ascending and descending, old and tender, civil and martial, firm and yielding; separation and union, gathering and dispersal, going and coming, above and below, female and male, black and white; guarding and battling, giving life and killing, stripping away and returning, deep and shallow, drawing out and adding, cold and heat.

Twenty Threads of Connection in the Cantong of Alchemical Method: The many principles of alchemical method can run through heaven and earth, human affairs, the principles of the Changes, and cultivation practice. In heaven they correspond to the sun, moon, and stars; on earth, to mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees; among people, to husband and wife, man and woman; in the Book of Changes (Yijing), to Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li. In symbolism they correspond to the dragon and tiger, the crow and hare; in numerology, to nine, three, two, and eight; among the ingredients, to lead, silver, cinnabar, and mercury; in medical theory, to dryness, dampness, cold, and warmth.

Within the human body, they correspond to the meridians and the nutritive and defensive qi (Qi that circulates within the body); on the body's surface, to skin, hair, and blood; in bodily form, to the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs; in the seasons, to Yin-Yang, cold and heat. In transformation they correspond to metal, wood, water, and fire; in function, to Shen (spirit), the hun soul, and the po soul; in principle, to the hidden and the manifest, movement and stillness; among implements, to the altar, furnace, cauldron, and chamber.

In the realm of the profound, they correspond to emptiness and non-being, and to naturalness; in direction, to east, west, south, and north; in color, to green, red, black, and white; in scenery, to spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The Diagram of the Gathered Five Phases, the Diagram of the Harmonized Four Images, the Diagram of the Crescent-Moon Furnace, and the Diagram of Immortal Transformation: The original text lists the names of these diagrams, but the diagrams themselves do not appear in the text provided. Among them, the crescent-moon furnace is an image of the furnace and cauldron in alchemical method, while the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the Four Images are terms used to explain the relevant correspondences.

This diagram concerns the ingredients. Laozi said: "Place yourself behind, and you will come to stand in front; forget your own person, and your person will be preserved."

The first turn of the Golden Elixir is called the "first return," and also the "first reversion."

Consider the insect that lives in dung and filth, called the dung beetle. The diagram uses it as an analogy. Whether or not lead is used in refining the elixir, the crucial point is that one must begin the work from within the lead.

The second turn of the Golden Elixir is called the "second return," and also the "second reversion."

Like a dung beetle (commonly called the scarab) rolling dung into a round ball, the Mysterious Pearl (Xuanzhu, a precious emblem of Neidan, or internal alchemy) appears and takes shape, and Taiyi (a Daoist term for the great Dao or the primordial source) returns to its true nature.

The third turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Third Return," also known as the "Third Restoration."

It is as if a female and a male dung beetle meet, an aged couple reunited, their affection clinging and lingering without end.

The fourth turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Fourth Return," also known as the "Fourth Restoration."

It is as if the beetle gathers dung and forms nine round balls, then travels with them across the ground. The cycle of firing phases (huohou, a cultivation rhythm that revolves according to a set period) runs of its own accord within the River Cart (hechе, a metaphor in Neidan for conveying jing and qi).

The fifth turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Fifth Return," also known as the "Fifth Restoration."

It is as if two young tuoniang (the larvae of the dung beetle) carry the nine dung balls away across the ground, while the cycle of firing phases runs of its own accord within the River Cart.

The fifth turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Fifth Return," also known as the "Fifth Restoration."

It is as if the two young tuoniang embrace the dung ball together, guarding it and concentrating their thoughts upon it. They fill themselves with upright qi (Qi, vital energy), hold fast to the way of the feminine and yielding, and keep to their original truth.

The sixth turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Sixth Return," also known as the "Sixth Restoration."

It is as if a white grub appears within the dung ball. Shen (spirit) gathers and condenses into the Sacred Embryo (shengtai, a term in internal alchemy for the newborn spiritual self, or the elixir embryo).

The seventh turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Seventh Return and Restoration of the Elixir," also known as the "Seventh Restoration."

It is as if the white larva within the dung ball has already grown into a wriggling form. Within it lies something subtle and refined, deep and dim; and within that there is yet a real presence, shadowy and hard to grasp.

The eighth turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Eighth Restoration."

It is as if the form of a cicada has already separated from the shell of the dung ball. When the seasons and cycles of cultivation are complete, it sheds its womb and changes its shape, transforming with divine subtlety.

The ninth turn of Golden Elixir cultivation is called the "Ninth Restoration."

It is as if the tuoniang dies, the dung ball splits open, and the cicada flies out. At this moment both body and shen (spirit) reach a state of divine wonder.

Diagram of the Heavenly Mechanism

This diagram concerns the firing phases (huohou). Laozi said: "Continuous and unbroken, seeming to exist yet seeming not to; when you employ it, you need not force it."

The First Turn of the Firing Phases

It is as if a peach pit were buried in the earth. Take the solid substance at the center of the Kan position (the Kan trigram of the Bagua, Eight Trigrams, symbolizing water and the yang within yin), and pierce through the yin substance within the Li palace (the Li trigram of the Bagua, symbolizing fire and the yin within yang).

The Second Turn of the Firing Phases

It is as if the peach pit sprouts: what had no form gives rise to form, and this is the Returned Elixir. Who would believe that a life could be nurtured from nothing?

The Third Turn of the fire phase (the third stage of the alchemical process) is like a peach pit just sprouting a tender shoot, when the stages of White Snow and Yellow Sprout have only just passed. At this point the furnace fire must be strong, burning red-hot.

This month corresponds to the Mao month, when Wood qi (Qi) is at its height. One must be cautious, watch for danger, and let the elixir's seed bathe. Here "bathing" is a term of Neidan (internal alchemy) and refers to temporarily regulating the breath and drawing in the fire phase during the course of refining.

The Fourth Turn of the fire phase is like the peach branch beginning to bud and bloom. The flame leaps up in an instant, and the True Person appears of itself.

The Fifth Turn of the fire phase is like the peach branch putting out leaves. Draw the White Tiger (a Neidan term, often referring to the yin force within the body) back to nourish it, and refine a bright pearl as round as the full moon.

The Sixth Turn of the fire phase is like the peach tree in flower. At this step the cinnabar must bathe. In applying the fire phase, attend to increasing and decreasing it, and guard all the more against danger.

The Seventh Turn of the fire phase: the True Person appears of itself.

The Fifth Turn of the fire phase is like the peach branch putting out leaves. Draw the White Tiger back to nourish it, and refine a bright pearl as round as the full moon.

The Sixth Turn of the fire phase is like the peach tree in flower. At this step the cinnabar must bathe. In applying the fire phase, attend to increasing and decreasing it, and guard all the more against danger.

The Seventh Turn of the fire phase is like the peach blossoms having fallen, leaving only the calyx. At this time one drinks the dagui (an ancient measuring spoon for elixirs, also used to mean a small dose of elixir) and takes the cinnabar.

The Eighth Turn of the fire phase is like the calyx of the peach blossom forming fruit. Inside the fruit it is yellow like an egg yolk, while within the Dragon Pearl it is white.

This month corresponds to the You month, when Metal qi (Qi) is at its height. At this time one should only nourish the fire phase, neither indulging nor slackening, and must perform the bathing.

The Ninth Turn of the fire phase is like the peach fruit ripening and turning red. In the tenth month, at the time of Frost's Descent, the elixir is finally complete. When the embryo is fully formed after ten months, one transcends the ordinary world and enters the sacred realm.

After the ten-month release from the womb, the elixir is swallowed into the belly, and only then does one know that one's nature and life (Xing and Ming) are not determined by Heaven.

The Nineteen Mutually Corroborating Instructions of the Elixir Method (key instructions in the elixir method that cross-reference and complement one another)

First, Gathering the Medicine: Gather in body and mind, and collect and store Shen and Qi.

Second, Forming the Elixir: Condense Qi and Shen so that the mind's thoughts remain utterly still.

Third, Cooking and Refining: Use the Jade Talisman to nourish Jing and Shen, and use the Golden Liquid to refine and nourish the body.

Fourth, Sealing the Vessel: Forget the body and cut off stray thoughts. This is called sealing the vessel.

Fifth, the Martial Fire: Rouse the Shen, making it strong and swift, in order to drive out stray thoughts.

Sixth, the Civil Fire: Concentrate the breath and make it gentle. Hold the light within and be silently still. Keep the fire phase mild and unbroken, as though it were there and yet not there.

Seventh, Bathing: Cleanse the heart and wash away anxious thoughts. This is called bathing.

Eighth, Cinnabar: Let being and non-being merge with each other, and let the hidden and the manifest respond to each other.

Ninth, Passing the Pass: The fruit will in the end ripen on the branch, while the seed is preserved in the womb.

Seventh, Bathing: to cleanse the heart-mind and clear away stray thoughts is called "bathing."

Eighth, cinnabar (an alchemical term) at times appears and at times vanishes; the two interact and unite, so that inner and outer respond to one another.

Ninth, passing the pass: fruit that grows on the branch will ripen in the end. How is this different from a fetus being nurtured in its mother's womb?

Tenth, like a hen brooding over her egg, the Shen (spirit) constantly listens and guards. When the cicada is fully grown, its shell will split open of its own accord.

Eleventh, warming and nourishing: one who knows how to hold to the "white" while keeping the "black" within will find that spiritual illumination arrives of itself. "Knowing the white and guarding the black" is a phrase from Daoist cultivation, meaning to understand the manifest, bright side of things while still guarding the hidden, obscure side.

Twelfth, guarding against danger: as soon as a single thought scatters outward, the fire phasing (huohou) goes awry.

Thirteenth, applying effort: gather in at dawn and refine at dusk; train every day and nourish at every moment.

Fourteenth, union (the joining of the two Qi of Yin-Yang): let thought follow upon thought without a break, until the two become one body.

Fifteenth, the Great Return (a stage of Neidan, or internal alchemy): facing external things while the heart-mind remains unmoved, constant from day through night.

Sixteenth, the Sacred Embryo (the symbol of the inner elixir formed in cultivation): place the Shen outside and store the Qi within.

Seventeenth, when the Nine Turnings (the repeated process of refinement in Neidan) have reached the proper fire phasing, the infant naturally appears.

Eighteenth, after the changing of the cauldron, the son in turn bears a grandson, and the transformations may reach hundreds, thousands, even hundreds of millions.

Nineteenth, on reaching the realm of Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), form and spirit unite wondrously without obstruction, and the inner self accords with the Dao (the Way).

The original text then repeats items seventeen through nineteen. In the repetition, the final sentence reads "united with the Dao in directness," whereas the earlier version reads "united with the Dao within."

Laozi said: Cultivating the Dao does not rest on craving. When the heart-mind becomes empty and still, the Dao returns of itself. If a person can empty the heart-mind, the Dao will come back.

Diagram of Heaven and Earth Joining in Qian

The characters "Hui" and "Shuo" are labels marked on the diagram.

When Heaven and Earth join, the lead Qi appears and the Gui water is first born; one must hasten to gather and refine it. If the metal Qi has passed too long beyond the full moon, it should no longer be gathered.

Diagram of the Sun and Moon Joined Like Twin Jades

The full moon falls on the fifteenth of the lunar month. The Hai hour corresponds to the Zi hour of the sixteenth, when the sun and moon join like twin jades.

Oral Verses on the Fire Phasing of the Golden Elixir

The ancients said: "The sages transmit the medicines, but not the fire phasing." This passage speaks of the shortcut of the Golden Elixir, setting out every subtle point of the method, yet never daring to state the fire phasing openly. The fire phasing means drawing on the Qi of Heaven and Earth and the essence of the sun and moon, and it must not be treated lightly. If anyone in the world possesses the bones of an immortal, they will naturally have the chance to find the Dao.

Diagram of the Creation of Things

Laozi said: "Concentrating your Qi and making yourself supple, can you be like an infant?" When constant De (Virtue) does not leave the body, one returns to the state of an infant.

Diagram of the Dragon and Tiger

Diagram of the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir

Bai Yuchan said: The Great Dao (Dao) is originally empty and non-being, yet spontaneous, and from nothingness it brings forth the ten thousand things. Though the myriad things differ in form, their source returns to the One, and the most essential task in cultivation is to guard this source. Let the breath circle and blend, and remain immersed in it all day long, as if slightly drunk. When body and mind have become supremely soft and yielding, one can become as simple and natural as an infant. If constant De (Virtue/Power) never departs, one can return to the state of an infant.

"Diagram of the Dragon and Tiger" and "Diagram of the Golden Liquid Returning Elixir" are the titles of diagrams related to Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation. "Dragon and Tiger" is often used to refer to the two forces of Yin-Yang, while "Golden Liquid Returning Elixir" is a technical term of Neidan.

Bai Yuchan also said: The Dao is empty and spontaneous, and from nothingness it brings forth the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things are originally one body, and the most important thing is to guard the source. Let the breath circle and blend, and be as if drunk all day long. It is as though one awakens from a great dream; thunder and lightning suddenly burst forth, then the clouds disperse and the rain stops, and heaven and earth endure for a long time.

The "Immortal Lineage" section lists the honorific titles and names within the Daoist transmission: Zhengyang Zhenjun (Perfected Lord Zhengyang), Chunyang Zhenjun (Perfected Lord Chunyang), Haichan Zhenjun (Perfected Lord Haichan); Ziyang Zhenren (Perfected Ziyang), Xinglin Zhenren (Perfected Xinglin), Daoguang Zhenren (Perfected Daoguang); Niwan Zhenren (Perfected Niwan), Yuchan Zhenren (Perfected Yuchan). "Gousuo lianhuan jing" is the title of a text.

Taiyi Yuanjun said: The Golden Elixir (Jindan) is mercury, and mercury is lead; lead is silver, silver is cinnabar, cinnabar is gold, gold is tin, and tin is quicksilver. Quicksilver is green gold, green gold is white gold, white gold is black gold, black gold is yellow gold, and yellow gold is purple gold. Purple gold is the River Cart (a symbol in Neidan, or internal alchemy, for circulating Jing and Qi), the River Cart is the Yellow Sprout (a symbol of the newly born elixir), the Yellow Sprout is White Snow, White Snow is the Jade Talisman, the Jade Talisman is Divine Water, and Divine Water is the Flowery Pool (in cultivation practice, a metaphor for where the body's fluids gather).

The Flowery Pool is the Azure Dragon, the Azure Dragon is the White Tiger, the White Tiger is the Vermilion Bird, the Vermilion Bird is the Black Tortoise, the Black Tortoise is Gouchen, Gouchen is the Yellow Chamber, the Yellow Chamber is True Earth, and True Earth is Wu and Ji (the heavenly stems that symbolize the Earth at the center). Wu and Ji are Metal and Wood, Metal and Wood are Water and Fire, Water and Fire are Mao and You (the earthly branches symbolizing directions and seasons), Mao and You are the Hare and the Goose, the Hare and the Goose are the Crow and the Hare, the Crow and the Hare are the Tortoise and the Snake, the Tortoise and the Snake are the Horse and the Ox, and the Horse and the Ox are Qian and Kun. Qian and Kun are Kan and Li (Water and Fire in the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams), Kan and Li are female and male, female and male are husband and wife, and husband and wife are descendants. Descendants are the Fang and Bi lunar lodges (names of star constellations), Fang and Bi are the Sun and Moon, the Sun and Moon are Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth are the human being.

The human being is the Yellow Dame, the Yellow Dame is the Metal Lord, the Metal Lord is the Maiden, the Maiden is the Infant, the Infant is Lord Ding, Lord Ding is the Newborn Child, and the Newborn Child is the Sacred Embryo (the inner elixir formed in cultivation). The Sacred Embryo is the Three Passes, the Three Passes are the Golden Liquid, the Golden Liquid is the Jade Liquid, the Jade Liquid is the Daogui (a metaphor for the measure used in blending the medicines), the Daogui is the Dantian (energy center), the Dantian is the Crimson Palace, the Crimson Palace is the Niwan, the Niwan is the Sea of Qi (vital energy), the Sea of Qi is the kidneys, the kidneys are the heart, the heart is the Dao (the Way), the Dao is method, method is technique, and technique is emptiness and non-being.

Emptiness and non-being is spontaneity, spontaneity is application, application is fire, fire is medicine, medicine is Qi, Qi is Shen (spirit), Shen is the Elixir Head, and the Elixir Head is the Great Return. The Great Elixir is the Sevenfold Return, the Sevenfold Return is the Ninefold Reversion, the Ninefold Reversion is Metal and Fire, Metal and Fire are the Purple Fungus, the Purple Fungus is the Source of Water, the Source of Water is the Earthen Cauldron, the Earthen Cauldron is the Golden Tripod, the Golden Tripod is the Jade Furnace, the Jade Furnace is the Spirit Chamber, the Spirit Chamber is the Primal Altar, and the Primal Altar is the Yellow Court.

The Yellow Court is the eye, the eye is the nose, the nose is the ear, the ear is the pine, the pine is the dung beetle, the dung beetle is the peach, the peach is the vermilion tangerine, and the vermilion tangerine is the Six Thieves (the six sensory desires that disturb the mind). The Six Thieves are the Three Corpses (in Daoist belief, malign entities within the body that cause illness and harm), the Three Corpses are the Three Hun souls, the Three Hun are the Seven Po souls, the Seven Po are the Five Spirits, the Five Spirits are the myriad spirits, the myriad spirits are the One Spirit, and the One Spirit is the ten thousand treasures. The ten thousand treasures are Bathing (the stage of regulating the breath and nurturing in alchemical refining), Bathing is Withdrawing and Adding (increasing and reducing the fire), Withdrawing and Adding is advance and retreat, advance and retreat is the civil and martial firing, the civil and martial firing is the measure of weight, the measure of weight is auspiciousness and misfortune, auspiciousness and misfortune is Punishment and De (Virtue), Punishment and De is survival and perishing, survival and perishing is black and white, black and white is being and non-being, being and non-being is beginning and end, beginning and end is movement and stillness, movement and stillness is cold and heat, and cold and heat is Yin-Yang.

Yin-Yang is the winter solstice, the winter solstice is the summer solstice, the summer solstice is the full moon, the full moon is the new moon, the new moon is the half moon, the half moon is the dark of the moon, the dark of the moon is the tidal phase, the tidal phase is the lunar disc, the lunar disc is the radiance of the sun, the radiance of the sun is Taiyi, Taiyi is the Mysterious Pearl, the Mysterious Pearl is the Four Images, the Four Images are the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the Five Phases are the Bagua, the Bagua are the Three Powers, the Three Powers are the Three Luminaries, the Three Luminaries are the Two Modes, the Two Modes are the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the Taiji is the Supreme High, the Supreme High is Primal Chaos, Primal Chaos is without beginning, without beginning is without end, without end is the Primordial Beginning, the Primordial Beginning is the One Qi, the One Qi is emptiness, emptiness is the Primal Void, the Primal Void is Chaos, and Chaos is the Golden Elixir.

Through a long chain of "is" statements, this passage links the terminology of alchemy, parts of the body, Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, celestial phenomena, and the original source of the cosmos. It expresses that within the system of Neidan cultivation they all interpenetrate and can stand in for one another. The original text contains repetitions and apparently corrupted characters, and the above follows the original wording in its existing order.

Laozi (Laojun) said: "Attain the 'One' (the root of the Dao, the principle of unity), and all things become clear; when all things return to the One, a single task is accomplished."

Zhang Ziyang said: "The myriad things are linked like hooks and rings, continuous and unbroken. The Dao has neither beginning nor end; it circulates and turns without exhaustion. Human beings are the most spiritually endowed of creatures and can comprehend the Dao with the heart-mind and accord with it. The Dao exists between Heaven and Earth, yet Heaven and Earth do not know it." (The original here reads "Heaven and Earth do not Dan" (天地不丹); the phrase "bu dan" is unclear in meaning and may be a textual corruption.)

Laozi said again: "Attain the 'One,' and all things become clear; when all things return to the One, a single task is accomplished."

Zhang Ziyang said: "The myriad things are linked like hooks and rings, continuous and unbroken. The Dao has neither beginning nor end; it circulates and turns without exhaustion. Human beings are the most spiritually endowed of creatures and can comprehend the Dao with the heart-mind and accord with it. The Dao exists between Heaven and Earth, yet they do not know it; the Dao exists within the myriad things, yet they too do not know it. Therefore, one who has attained the Dao is oneself Heaven and Earth: Heaven is Earth, Earth is Heaven, and Heaven is the Dao. The Dao transforms into Heaven and Earth; Heaven and Earth are the self; the self is the heart-mind; and the heart-mind is Shen (spirit)."

Chen Niwan said: "The immortals and sages of antiquity all transmitted the teaching from mouth to ear and did not establish written words. Now I have written these things down in the world so that they may be recorded. When a person of superior capacity receives it, the mind becomes like the Great Void (taixu, vast and boundless emptiness). When a person of middling capacity receives it, body and mind grow still like withered wood. When a person of inferior capacity receives it, body and mind remain restless and disturbed."

Master Guanyin (Guan Yinzi) said: "The worthy cling to the inner, ordinary people cling to the outer, and the sage regards both kinds of clinging as illusory."

Bai Yuchan said: "One who truly awakens can transmit the sacred Dao; without awakening, there is no way to receive it, and one who awakens will naturally obtain something. Once the sacred Dao is realized, there is no distinction between past and present: its departure does not belong to the past, and its arrival does not belong to the present. What can be transmitted can only be called a particular method or principle, not the Dao. The Dao by its very nature cannot be transmitted. It has no sound, form, color, or appearance, no division between past and present, and no coming or going."

Master Daoguang said: After one year of practice, the Sacred Embryo (in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, a state symbolizing the coalescence of inner life) takes form. After two years, the Infant (symbolizing the maturation of the inner elixir and the manifestation of spiritual awareness) becomes spiritually responsive. After three years, one can achieve the "body beyond the body" (a Daoist cultivation term for a state of form and spirit that transcends the physical body). After four years, it is as though a child has in turn borne a grandchild, each generation continuing the last. By the ninth year, one may ascend into the heavens. While the work is not yet complete, what cultivation yields sometimes gathers and sometimes disperses: when it gathers, it takes form, and when it disperses, it is like the wind. If you glimpse the Mysterious Pearl (an important symbol in Neidan cultivation) for even a moment, you will know it is the Primordial Essence (the original Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) from before heaven and earth were divided). Nourish it every day, and refine it at the proper times with a gentle fire, and you will endure as long as heaven and earth.

Liu Haichan said: One who practices diligently but has not yet met an enlightened teacher will in the end still meet a sage master. One who meets an enlightened teacher but will not practice diligently will in the end sink among the lowest kinds of ghosts.

Master Lü said: Those who carelessly reveal the secrets of cultivation and are lax in their practice will bring calamity upon nine generations of ancestors. Those who practice earnestly and uphold the Dao (the Way) and its methods may ascend to Taiwei (the heavenly realm).

Zhongli Yunfang said: Gather in lightly, store away in silence. When you bathe and nourish (in cultivation, tending and moistening body and mind), be calm and joyful, and do so again and again.

The Daodejing says: The Dao flows on without end, seeming to exist and yet not to exist. Concentrate the breath and make it supple, so that body and mind grow soft like those of an infant. When constant De (Virtue) does not leave one's person, one returns at last to the state of the infant.

Song of Joy, Presented to the Daoist Chen Zhibai

Joy, joy, true joy! In a single moment I have put everything down. I let go, sing at the top of my voice, and go home! Ginger and pepper, after all, are both pungent.

Now it is truly great joy. At times I am unrestrained, at times willful and free. Within my own body there seems to be a husband and wife of its own, and if I spoke of it, the world would surely laugh.

Even that bit of joy from before I have now set down, and I have pulled the shadowless tree (a symbolic expression from cultivation verses) up by its roots. A true man knows how to carry an embryo within his body, where child and mother share one form, vivid and alive.

Joy, joy, true joy! Even emptiness is shattered, and not a speck as fine as the tip of an autumn hair remains. Through thousands of lifetimes I passed through the cycle of birth and death, and only this time, having undergone the Great Death completely, have I finally come back to life.

All the old habits and tangled thoughts of the past have now been cleared away and set down. It turns out the father is the grandfather, and in the murk each is bound to the other.

Lately the topknot and the whiskers (as in the original; the wording may be corrupt) cannot be told apart east from west, and the number seven times seven is still forty-eight (the meaning of the original is unclear here). Like a dragon nurturing its pearl, the mind never forgets; like a hen hatching an egg, the breath never breaks off.

Like a cold cicada drinking in the morning wind, like an old clam keeping solitary watch beneath the autumn moon: a free and idle person between Heaven and Earth, whose single burst of laughter makes the whole world feel wider.

Through all four seasons a single sleeve is clothing enough, and at any of a thousand doors a single bowl is enough to eat from. Even in a village of three households the heart does not forget cultivation. Like a hen brooding her eggs, it keeps the breath (Qi) unbroken and the practice unceasing.

Like a cold cicada drinking in the morning wind, like an old clam keeping solitary watch beneath the autumn moon: a free and idle person between Heaven and Earth, whose single burst of laughter makes the whole world feel wider.

Through all four seasons only a single sleeve is worn, and at any of a thousand doors a single bowl is enough to eat from. In the village of three households this person plays at ease and acts without restraint, and at the crossroads may do the utterly unexpected.

A husband and wife with six children may sometimes walk about, sometimes sit in stillness, and often remain quietly at rest. In cultivation one can gather in the Shen (spirit) and also let it spread freely, drawing in and releasing at will. This is what is called the buddhas of the ten directions and three times (the buddhas who pervade every direction and all of past, present, and future).

When there is wine, drink cup after cup; when there is song, sing verse after verse. By day, take the three meals with full awareness, and after eating, sleep soundly and peacefully.

Only when every worry has been set down and shed, and one is truly free and unobstructed, is there real joy. Having exhausted all cleverness and cunning, one learns instead to be foolish and not keep accounts. This is what is called the "Transformed Scene Ascending to Dawn Formula" (a secret of Daoist cultivation for rising into immortality).

Most people do not know how to turn over and change their thinking. Like a thirsty person eating salt, they only grow thirstier. Roaming freely once to Mount Lu, standing among white duckweed and red smartweed (both are waterside plants), one climbs the Pavilion of Heaven's Piping and gazes into the distance. The yellow crane has not yet returned, and a chill clings to the spring rain. One thinks of how many in this world are pitiable. Without cultivating the Golden Liquid Great Returned Elixir (a term in Neidan, or internal alchemy, signifying the completion of the great elixir), they are like the thirsty person eating salt, and grow only more miserable.

To forget the body and nourish the Qi is the "Golden Liquid." To face the scene without attachment in the heart is the "Great Return." Forgetting the body transforms it into Qi, and Qi in turn transforms into Shen. This is the process by which the Great Dao (the Way) passes through the Three Passes (the three critical gateways named in cultivation).

In the Crimson Palace (the dwelling of the heart-spirit) the furnace fire burns fiercely, while the Numinous Terrace (the state of the mind) is silent, like the Altar of Great Mystery. Cinnabar is called the blood of the red phoenix, and mercury the liver of the black tortoise. Once the metal and lead are gathered, they are taken into the earthen cauldron, while the wood and mercury rise and settle in the Niwan (the head). The Flower Pool (the inner place where Jing, or essence, and Qi are refined) lies within the Sea of Qi, and the Spirit Chamber (where the Shen is housed and nourished) lies within the Yellow Court.

When the Shen is scattered, the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue each fall into their own confusion. When the Shen is gathered, the blood, Qi, and meridians settle into harmony. The five organs and six viscera each have their own spirit, and all these spirits turn toward the primal Shen, finally returning to a single luminous source.

The so-called "One Spirit" is the Jing (essence) of primordial chaos. It runs through both the Prior Heaven and the Posterior Heaven, embodying the principle of the Qian trigram's originating and penetrating power. The sage seeks it out and takes it as the medicine for cultivation: gathered together, it appears; scattered, it returns to nothing.

The "River Cart" within the body (in Neidan, or internal alchemy, a metaphor for the circulation of Jing and Qi) turns day and night, secretly accord with the transformations of Heaven and Earth. Everyone originally possesses a single drop of "metal," within which the metal essence and the wood fluid are each half a catty. The Twenty-Eight Lodges (in ancient astronomy, the twenty-eight star regions into which the celestial circuit was divided) must be gathered into one furnace and cauldron, so that water and fire are brought into harmony. The firing phases are at one moment firm and at another gentle; in working with the yao lines (in Yijing studies, the symbols that mark the changes of Yin-Yang), one likewise uses the martial fire at one moment and the civil fire at another. The heart is like Heaven and governs the seasons, the cold and the heat; the nature is like Earth and marks out the different directions. Within a single day, the celestial circuit travels eighty-four thousand li, and the handle of the Dipper (the handle section of the Big Dipper) turns of its own accord along the heavenly circuit.

If a person wishes to shed the bonds of the physical form and rise beyond Yin-Yang, they must refine the "mercury-silver" (a Neidan term for the medicine, or the essence and Qi, used in cultivation). Once the "Yellow Dame" (an image of the harmonizer of Yin and Yang) arrives at the "Purple Court" (an important site or stage in cultivation), the Golden Elder and the Maiden are joined as if in marriage. The Azure Dragon and the White Tiger (symbols of Yin and Yang, or of two opposing kinds of essence and Qi in the body) coil around the golden cauldron, and at midnight the Yellow Sprout (the newly arisen medicine of the inner elixir) shoots forth like a spring branch. White snow flies up at the head of the Nine-Bend River, and purple clouds rise from the summit of Kunlun. These are what are spoken of as the visions of cultivation.

Lord Ding silently guards the jade furnace. After Yin and Yang unite and are nourished with warmth, an embryonic infant forms (the "sacred embryo" formed in Neidan practice). The divine water extinguishes the fire of the Three Corpses (the "Three Corpses" are, in Daoist teaching, factors that afflict body and mind and obstruct cultivation), and the sword of wisdom sweeps away the Six Thieves (a common metaphor in Buddhist and Daoist texts for the six sensory desires that disturb the mind).

From nothing, something is born, condensing into a small portion of medicine. Just as a dung beetle can arise from manure, so transformation can be conceived within the tiniest of things. Truly, once one has genuinely attained it, one possesses it for good; in the space of a brief moment, the elixir embryo may even form. Suddenly the Four Elements (earth, water, fire, and wind, which constitute the human body) return to empty stillness and clarity, and a person's spiritual nature ascends to Taiqing (the Supreme Clarity, a lofty and pure realm in Daoist teaching).

Even if the union of mercury and lead occurs in cultivation, one who does not understand the firing phases labors in vain. In sum, one must rely on the firing phases of the celestial circuit (the regulation of the movement of Jing and Qi in the body according to fixed patterns); only after ten months will the sacred embryo reach completion. Even once the elixir head has formed, it may still be dissipated, so one must master the firing phases to make it solid and firm.

Whether in movement or stillness, in survival or loss, one must understand "bathing" (a Neidan term for halting the fire or regulating the breath at the proper time). In auspicious and inauspicious changes, in advancing and retreating, one must likewise understand "extraction and addition" (the adjustment of the fire and the medicine). Only after the Nine Turnings (successive stages of repeated refining), with the fire's strength continuing unbroken, can the medicine be refined into the embryonic immortal.

One double-hour is divided into eight quarters, and the celestial circuit completes one revolution; the twelve double-hours correspond to one year. Whenever the first Yang arises and Yin and Yang have joined, continue the work without pause until reaching the "Pure Six-Line Qian" (the Qian hexagram, whose six lines are all Yang, symbolizing the state of complete and undiluted Yang Qi).

Note: In the original text, there are repeated sentences following "the River Cart day and night" and following "movement and stillness, survival and loss"; the above merges them and interprets them according to their content.

Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) come and go, flourishing and declining, rising and falling like the tide that swells and ebbs on schedule; the fullness and depletion of Qi (vital energy) and blood change like the waxing and waning of the moon. A wheel has one hub (the central axle) and thirty spokes, and the subtle secret lies in the tension by which front and back answer one another.

When one concentrates Jing and Qi until reaching "sang" (as in the original; the character is probably corrupt), one attains the highest benevolence, and propriety, righteousness, wisdom, and trustworthiness, fully fused, all return to benevolence. When True Earth (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the power that harmonizes and governs the other elements) returns to its proper place, one reaches the utmost truth, and Water, Fire, Metal, and Wood are likewise completely integrated.

Jing belongs to Water, Shen to Fire, and intent to Earth. In cultivation, one brings them into harmony and returns the hun and po souls to their root. The One Qi of the Prior Heaven (the primordial Qi from before heaven and earth were formed) still exists today, spread through all things and through the human body.

Flowers open because of the spring wind and birds sing with the seasons, but how would they know that the heaven of creation and transformation has brought spring? Ordinary people use this Qi every day without knowing it; if one merely lets the breath enter the four limbs without nourishing it, the body will in the end decay.

Pines and bamboo are hollow at the heart, and so they can fully receive the Qi, remaining green all year through frost and snow. How much more so for the human original spirit, which by nature does not die! This Qi is the "Yellow Sprout Lead" (a Neidan term for the precious, fundamental Qi of cultivation). The old can become young again, and the sick and frail can grow strong; what has been scattered can be gathered, and a short life can be lengthened.

Let the heart enter a state of emptiness and stillness, practicing Wuwei (non-action), and master the timing of the fire in inner refining. Then one can perceive the scenes within the body, as though a whole world lay inside. Know that a single speck of dust may contain the immortal isle of Penglai, and a single leaf may hold the immortal Quan Quan.

Shen is the fire, and Qi is the medicine; the heart is the furnace, and the body is the field. Plowing it oneself and refining it oneself, each day one condenses a single grain of elixir, as small as a millet seed.

When the lingzhi mushroom grows, sweet dew falls; the tortoise and snake have been entwined since ancient times, symbolizing the union of Yin-Yang. Once thunder and lightning shake the mountains and rivers, the elixir Qi disperses from the One, and it may shine everywhere like sunlight or vanish like smoke and mist. Within the sun, a golden crow flies of its own accord, and every night at the third watch it enters the Vast Cold Palace (the moon palace). One's descendants will multiply into hundreds of billions, and even the furnace and cauldron, the chickens and the dogs, will ascend to heaven.

The great Dao (the highest path of Daoist cultivation) was transmitted through thirty-two generations until it reached Zhang Wuzhen of Tiantai; four generations later it came to Bai Yuchan. Bai Yuchan surveyed the four seas and lamented that he had no one who truly understood him. Once, passing by chance through the Taiping Xingguo Palace, he met a white-haired Daoist surnamed Chen. Daoist Chen had devoted half his life to studying lead and mercury (symbolic terms in Neidan for the substances of refining), traveling over countless mountains and rivers, yet all his toil was in vain. Then one day, at the foot of Mount Lu, he happened to meet Bai Yuchan, who waved a hand and smiled, as though he had escaped the dust of the human world.

On a stormy night, the two sat facing each other on opposite beds in the Emerald Pavilion, and Bai Yuchan transmitted to him the method of the elixir. The end of the original text repeats the mention of passing by chance through the Taiping Xingguo Palace and meeting a white-haired Daoist surnamed Chen; the text appears to be incomplete.

For most of my life I set my heart on mastering the arts of lead and mercury (qianhong, the term in Daoist alchemy for the ingredients and methods of practice). I traveled across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers and endured every hardship, yet I never attained the Dao (the Way). Then one day, at the foot of Mount Lu, I happened to meet a master. Only then did I wave farewell to the mortal world and set out, smiling, upon the path of cultivation.

On a night of wind and rain, my teacher and I sat facing each other on opposite beds in the Emerald Pavilion. My teacher transmitted to me the method of the elixir and taught me to return to the root and restore the origin (fanben huanyuan, the goal of practice, which is to recover the original state of life). Human life is like a cup of wine, drained in the blink of an eye; it is also like a lamp whose light must in the end go out.

Where, after all, are Penglai and Fangzhang (the legendary immortal mountains in the sea)? I long to ride the azure clouds, accompanied by white cranes, and return to the realm of the immortals. Such a life is one of boundless joy. Now I will tell you the final key.

This final key was passed to me by my teacher in person. I now pass it on to all who seek immortality throughout the world, pointing out clearly the road that leads to the immortal land of Penglai.