《玄珠歌》

Those who understand the methods of gathering and refining the "Mysterious Pearl" (xuanzhu, symbolizing the true nature, original spirit, or essence and qi that every person innately possesses) can dispel all faults and afflictions, ultimately attain the Dao (the Way), and enter a realm of stillness and emptiness. The Qian hexagram displays the movement of true gold, and the principles behind it are all recorded in the Three Scrolls of Free Wandering (Xiaoyao sanjuan shu).

Palaces and towers symbolize the form of the Dao. If one fails to preserve the root of life, it is like handing oneself over to be smelted in a great furnace. Once the original Shen (spirit) is scattered, the courtyard withers; once the Mysterious Pearl is cast away, nothing remains.

The ordinary mind does not recognize the heaven and earth within itself, and vainly venerates images and rituals, believing these can win immortality. Yet the Mysterious Pearl has always been within the self; people simply do not know where it lies. When will they return to the root of life and bring the heart and spirit back into the Dantian (the cultivation center within the abdomen)?

Some rely too heavily on cleverness and talent, stubbornly arguing over right and wrong; even when they hear the essential instructions of cultivation, they act against them. But if one can guard the inner treasure of longevity and allow the Mysterious Pearl to coalesce, one can ascend to Ziwei (the celestial star palace, also denoting a lofty realm of the Dao).

Blindly seeking after clay statues and painted images (images of deities rendered in paint), or merely gazing at scriptural texts to no purpose, how can one achieve the great Dao? Within oneself lies an priceless Mysterious Pearl. When will one awaken to it and let the spirit settle?

Light and darkness arise from a single source, yet worldly people do not know this. If one can grasp this principle, one will comprehend the profound and subtle depths. The Mysterious Pearl is the sovereign that holds the light within, and it dwells forever in the True Palace (the inner state of cultivation) and the Pool of the Moon Soul (a symbol of stillness and the place where the spirit is stored).

Even when standing in a perilous place beside a stream, one must compose the heart and spirit and hold fast to the pivot. One who knows how to close the gate of life guards one's nature and life. So that the Mysterious Pearl may settle the Palace of Spirit (the seat of the heart and mind), with each step the true Dao takes, a measure of light appears.

When Original Truth (yuanzhen, the true qi at the source of life) is dispersed, the body has no strength to support itself; accumulated toxins run rampant within and damage the body's many vital functions. If one wholly exhausts the supreme Mysterious Pearl and remains intoxicated in the cycle of birth and death, how long must one wait before waking?

The Qi of Harmonious Balance (chonghe zhi qi, the balanced and well-tempered original qi) is vast as the sea and nurtures the original Jing (essence). Within it lies the Mysterious Pearl, on which the fulfillment of one's lifespan depends. If one does not cultivate and gather it but lets it dissipate, why not, at this very moment, let the heart and spirit suddenly grow bright amid the dim and murky?

Learn to harmonize the breath of the spirit and to perceive the treasure hidden within the body; once one departs from the great Dao, one loses one's true nature. If one can meet the Mysterious Pearl and, within the heart, follow the central and upright path to coalesce it, one will naturally succeed and be transformed into the "Golden Kerchief" (a term from the original text whose exact referent is unclear).

When worldly desires accumulate into turbid qi, they defile the Heavenly Gate (the upper spiritual aperture). How could such a person understand that the Mysterious Pearl is the root of nature and life? One should guard it at the place where the source of life first arises, not letting it drift away; then, in this very moment, one will be clear, pure, and upright, and no longer lost in confusion.

The Mysterious Pearl (Xuanzhu, the name given in Neidan, or internal alchemy, to the "supreme treasure" formed when the body's Jing, Qi, and true Shen condense) stirs and begins to vibrate. It can then break the hold of every demon, reveal the Gate of Life, and make Yin-Yang and the upright and the deviant each clearly distinct. Cultivate inwardly, and only when the foundation is firm can one truly attain the Dao and come to know the immortals above the Nine Heavens.

To gather the Mysterious Pearl, one must first set in motion the Yin-Yang essence and Qi, which move like the sun and moon. Begin by raising the true fire to subdue the spiritual root within the body. Pay homage to the primordial Shen and keep refining, until the golden essence congeals. This is the first gateway to attaining the Dao and becoming a perfected being.

The Mysterious Pearl abides in the Inner Chamber (Dongfang, a Daoist Neidan term for the place of cultivation within the body), where the essences of sun and moon merge, as though one with the Great Void. True Qi lets the jade-ring-like essence transform along with the body's fluids, its radiance never ceasing, illuminating the Spirit Dwelling (Shenlu, the place where Shen is preserved and Qi nourished).

The Mysterious Pearl is like a jade tree, its roots and shoots planted deep, linked to the water's edge and the rim of the sky, never withering. The true fire holds the Qi of emptiness and stillness, like a red sun; the golden essence condenses the spirit-souls and circulates day and night without pause.

One should refine the essence of the sun early, nourishing the primordial Shen like clarified butter so that it never runs dry. If you wish to transcend the ordinary form and forge golden bones, the Mysterious Pearl itself holds the finest elixir (tihu, a metaphor for the purest nourishment and wisdom).

Drink the essence of the moon at leisure, moistening the spiritual root like bodily fluids, so that Dao and De grow day by day. Keep the treasure, wash away the dust and grime, and the radiance will not fade.

One should refine the essence of the sun early, nourishing the primordial Shen like clarified butter so that it never runs dry. If you wish to transcend the ordinary form and forge golden bones, the Mysterious Pearl itself holds the finest elixir.

Drink the essence of the moon at leisure, moistening the spiritual root like bodily fluids, so that Dao and De grow day by day. Keep the treasure, wash away the dust and grime, and the radiance will not fade; the light of the Mysterious Pearl floods the whole body and endows a person with the five spiritual powers.

As the breath moves in and out of the body, it transforms body and mind, as in a newborn infant. If its circulation is mistimed, running against or with the proper course, or falling into disorder, calamity will follow. Though everyone carries the Mysterious Pearl within, it must be guided by a master before it can settle in the Elixir Terrace (Dantai, the place where the elixir is refined and Shen preserved).

When the Mysterious Pearl stirs, it sounds a Dharma-voice like thunder; sweet dew falls and fills the Central Pool (Zhongchi, a place of inner cultivation within the body), transforming into eight kinds of treasure. From then on the light reaches straight up to heaven, and riding five-colored auspicious clouds, one travels to the immortal realms of Penglai, Yingzhou, and others.

Of all the things the mind may pursue, ten thousand over, what compares with returning to the origin and turning one's gaze inward? Grasp the Mysterious Pearl, and one can shed the mortal frame, rise beyond the blue sky, and ride the golden luan.

Day and night, remain at ease and do not run after things; with the Mysterious Pearl within, one can open a door of cultivation. Sweep away the toil of the mundane world so that the essences of sun and moon appear clearly, and in the end bring the supreme treasure into Kunlun (a name in Neidan for an important inner palace of the body).

Once one has received the master's secret instructions, cultivation no longer brings doubt or contention. Draw open the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan, a key aperture in Neidan practice), and a single beam of light appears. Heavenly music still sounds without end; when the Mysterious Pearl's cultivation is complete, the Red Dragon comes to greet you.

Inspect the radiance of the Mysterious Pearl as it shines out in all eight directions; the true fire can swallow and refine, burning within the body. The Mysterious Pearl opens the gates of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest heavens revered in Daoism). When one's merit and practice are fulfilled, one ascends together with the multitude, riding five-colored auspicious clouds.

Before the True Origin (zhenyuan, the primordial true qi) is realized, the heart and spirit are often restless and fearful. If one lets desire govern oneself, one becomes bound by the Three Peng (the Three Corpse spirits, which Daoism holds stir up desire and obstruct cultivation). Wherever the Mysterious Pearl (Xuanzhu, symbolizing the true essence, or Neidan, gained through inner cultivation) arrives, it sets the True Fire moving through the body to burn and refine it. The Pearl opens the road to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three supreme deities of Daoism and their realms). Once cultivation succeeds, one may ride the five-colored clouds together with the immortals and the perfected.

Before the True Origin is realized, the heart and spirit remain restless and fearful, and desire lets the Three Peng run unchecked. Once the Mysterious Pearl appears, it is untouched by external things. The cultivator's treasures fill the Jade Pool, and one finally reaches Highest Clarity (Shangqing, one of the Daoist immortal realms).

After obtaining the Mysterious Pearl, one no longer contends with others. There is no need to seek outward, for the Cinnabar Origin (Danyuan, the elixir qi within the body and the root of the inner elixir) congeals into a treasure on its own. Through transformation and refining, the Pearl becomes as bright as the moon. Even in ordinary moments of quiet, one can see its light appear within the inner elixir.

If the Mysterious Pearl is lost, cultivation falls into emptiness, the movement of qi falls into disorder, and its release and retention go astray. If one can settle the hun and po souls until they are as clear as the sun and moon, the body can unite with heaven and earth and return to stillness, purity, and void.

The Mysterious Pearl consolidates the hun and po souls. In a single moment it surges upward and is carried to the highest palace of the Jade Tower. Like moonlight, it now hides and now shows itself. Cultivation then succeeds of its own accord, and the body rises lightly into the clouds.

Since ancient times, many people have circulated and moved the qi within the body, seeking only to free themselves from the mortal frame. The many celestial immortals also practiced this method, letting the Mysterious Pearl illuminate the whole body and return the primordial qi to its proper uprightness.

Under a master's guidance, the light of the sun comes forth. The cultivator learns to transform the Mysterious Pearl into a feathered robe, symbolizing the shedding of the mortal form once the work is complete. When merit and virtue are fulfilled, one may attain the supreme Dao. If the signs of ascension have not yet appeared, others have no way of knowing.

Xiaoyao (here a name associated with the author or the title) sets forth the Dao of emptiness and non-being through writing. Cultivation never leaves the bodily field (shentian, the place within the body where Neidan practice is carried out), and its aim is to point out the substance of the Way. The inner secret methods fall into three grades, upper, middle, and lower. Whoever follows the clues and seeks will in the end arrive at the same place, the attainment of the Mysterious Pearl.