《紫阳真人悟真篇注疏》Vol. 2

By refining and transforming oneself into a pure Yang body, one can live as long as Heaven and Earth, rise above the mundane world, and live freely and at ease. With every distracting thought dispelled, what troubles could remain? Lu Ziye says, “The earth’s soul is lead; the heavenly soul is mercury. The key to using lead to subdue mercury lies entirely in one’s own practice.”

One can live freely without refining the so-called “Three Yellows.” When distracting thoughts are emptied away, troubles have nowhere to arise. Lu Ziye says, “The earth’s soul is lead, the heavenly soul is mercury. To use lead to subdue mercury, the key lies within oneself.”

Do not refine medicines such as the Three Yellows and Four Spirits. To turn instead to various herbs is to stray from the true path of cultivation.

Only when two things of the same and corresponding nature meet can they unite and resonate. When they reach a balanced state of “two and eight,” they naturally join in harmony. “Two and eight” is a term from alchemy, referring to the proper proportion when Yin and Yang, or the ingredients, are brought together.

When a red sun rises from the bottom of the pool, baleful Yin energy disperses; when the moon shines bright over the mountain peak, the medicinal sprout begins to grow. The changing sun, moon, and medicinal sprout depict the harmonizing of Yin and Yang and the generation of the ingredients in Neidan (internal alchemy).

To distinguish true lead and mercury, people must understand that these are not ordinary cinnabar and quicksilver. In Neidan, “lead” and “mercury” are technical terms for Jing and Qi, and for the workings of Yin and Yang in cultivation.

The commentary says: The “Three Yellow Minerals and Four Spirit Substances” (names for various minerals and medicines used in Waidan), along with metals, stones, plants, and trees, are all tangible residues that came into being after Heaven and Earth were formed. How could they transform the tangible into the intangible? External substances and medicines within the body cannot, simply by being combined, form an “embryo.” It is like joining flowers together: that will not make them bear fruit.

The Qi of True Unity (the innate, original vital energy) arose before Heaven and Earth took shape. It is deep and mysterious, beyond measure. By means of two things that correspond through Yin and Yang and unite through shared nature, one brings them into conjunction and resonance. In their interaction, an image of their shared nature is stirred forth: it has no feelings, yet has feeling; it has no color, yet has color. The phrases “eight liang of crow liver” and “half a jin of rabbit marrow” refer precisely to these two things, matched in Yin and Yang and united through shared nature. When they join and resonate, the Qi of True Unity enters the place of their interaction and coalesces into a pill the size of a millet grain. This is the mystery of the Way.

A pool belongs to Yin, and the sun to Yang. When the red sun is reflected at the bottom of a pool, it is Yang within Yin. Since Yang within Yin is pure Yang, without Yin, it is called “the Yin demon is extinguished.” This is the tiger’s bowstring Qi, called “Red Lead.” Mountains belong to Yang, and the moon to Yin. When the white moon is reflected on a mountain peak, it is Yin within Yang. This is the dragon’s bowstring Qi, the Qi of the moon at its first quarter, called “Black Lead”; it is also said that “lead becomes mercury.” An old song says: “Red Lead and Black Mercury are the head of the Great Elixir; bringing red into black is true cultivation.” This is what it means.

In the space of a single shichen, the sage refines these two substances and forms them into one Yang Elixir. It shines brightly in the Northern Sea like the sun, its light passing through the curtains. The practitioner then takes it and swallows it, using the Yang Elixir to transform the body’s Yin Mercury (the body’s Yin essence and Qi). The Yin and evil Qi throughout the body dissipates, just as the morning sun rises from the Eastern Sea: its radiance shines out, and all darkness and demonic influences recede.

Yin Mercury rises from the lower Dantian (the important Neidan practice site in the lower abdomen) and receives the Yang Elixir’s Qi at the crown of the head. It gradually coalesces and begins to sprout like a tender medicinal shoot; hence the phrase “the new medicinal shoot.” This is also like the moon at the beginning of the lunar month, just as it meets the sun and receives its Qi. After the sun sets, the moon appears faintly in the west, at the Geng position, in the shape of an eyebrow. Its light is fresh and tender, just like a medicinal shoot newly emerging. This image is used to explain the inner medicine and the outer medicine.

The Scripture of Western Florescence says: “Yin within Yang is called the Maiden; Yang within Yin is called the Golden Lord.” These are the husband and wife within the vessel (the two forces whose union of Yin and Yang symbolizes Neidan practice), and they are also the steps leading to the Purple Palace (the realm of immortals). Those who understand see the immortals as if they were before their eyes; those who lose their way are separated from the Dao by ten thousand li.

The True Lead and True Mercury of the outer medicine are the Qi of the tiger and dragon at their first quarter. The True Lead and True Mercury of the inner medicine are the Golden Elixir and one’s own true Qi. If people wish to recognize true lead and mercury, they should know that only these are genuine; anything else is not the true Dao. These two genuine substances can transform the tangible into the intangible and bring about the realization of the perfected person and immortal. How could external substances such as cinnabar and mercury compare with them?

The explanatory commentary says: Most alchemical texts circulating among the people call mercury extracted from cinnabar “True Mercury,” or treat cinnabar as a golden medicine, repeatedly refining it into an elixir. This practice wastes both money and years of effort, and few succeed. Even among those who do make the elixir, many die after taking it. They have all failed to recognize true lead and mercury.

Without understanding the “reversal within the Mysterious” (the subtle reversal of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases in Neidan cultivation), how could one know that a lotus can grow in fire?

Lead the White Tiger—symbolizing Metal and the Yang essence within the body—back home to be nurtured and refined, and a bright pearl will be born, round and full as the moon.

Tend the elixir furnace patiently and attend to the fire’s timing. Simply settle the mind and spirit, regulate the breath, and let the transformations unfold naturally.

When the Yin Qi of plants and trees has been completely stripped away, the Golden Elixir will be refined. Leap free of the cage, and you may live for ten thousand years.

By the ordinary laws of the world, men cannot become pregnant, and lotuses cannot grow in fire. Yet the wondrous Daoist methods of the immortals have the power of “reversal upon reversal”: they can make a man pregnant, just as a lotus might grow in fire. Why? The Li trigram belongs to Fire and originally symbolizes man, but through reversal it becomes woman. The Kan trigram belongs to Water and originally symbolizes woman, but through reversal it becomes man. This is what “reversal upon reversal” means. When these two forces, Yin and Yang, undergo this reversal, they can generate the Elixir. The Elixir is then used to transform the body’s Yin Mercury—a Neidan term for Yin essence—and condense it into the sacred embryo, the embryo formed through Neidan cultivation. Nurtured until it becomes an infant, this is like a man becoming pregnant and like a lotus growing in fire: precisely the meaning of “reversal upon reversal.” Thus, when the Immortal Master read the Cantong qi (a Daoist Neidan classic), he said: “When the Five Phases reverse, the Elixir’s substance can remain forever numinous and enduring.” This means that Water reverses to generate Earth, Earth reverses to generate Wood, Wood reverses to generate Metal, Metal reverses to generate Fire, and Fire reverses to generate Water. This is the profound teaching behind “reversal upon reversal.”

The meaning of “reversing and inverting” has already been explained clearly. The Azure Dragon and White Tiger were both originally formed through transformations of the “essence of the True One” (the primal essence and Qi in Daoist Neidan practice). They are two things that dwell respectively in the east and west, yet in truth share a single source and differ only in name. The essence of the True One is associated with mercury. Mercury is called the Dragon and dwells in the east, so the essence of the True One is said to be in the east. The White Tiger, meanwhile, is born from the essence of the True One and resides in the west, though its root remains in the east. Thus the Immortal Master says: “The Metal Lord was originally a son of the eastern house, sent to the western neighbor to be embodied and born. Recognize him, call him back, and nurture him in union; join him with the Maiden to make them kin.”

The Metal Lord refers to lead, and the Maiden refers to mercury. Lead is used to transform the mercury within oneself and form the sacred embryo. This is like leading the White Tiger home to raise it, then joining it with the Azure Dragon so that the two become husband and wife and form a luminous pearl, round as the full moon.

The “full moon” is also a metaphor for the process of cultivation. Those who cultivate the Elixir first take the image and number of the upper, western half-moon to obtain eight ounces of Yang Metal; then they take the image and number of the lower, eastern half-moon to obtain half a jin of crescent water. The essence and Qi of these two half-moons are combined to refine the Elixir, which is why the Golden Elixir is as round as the full moon. Master Daoguang’s saying, “A single numinous pill weighs one jin,” likewise describes combining two portions of eight ounces to make one jin. Its meaning is the same as the Immortal Master’s image of the full moon. This is a metaphor for the configurations of the external medicine: the images and numbers selected, and the way they are combined, in the Waidan stage.

After obtaining this Elixir and swallowing it, the Golden Elixir transforms again into the White Tiger. The cultivator then guides the White Tiger into the abdomen to join with the mercury within. Using the Yin Talisman and Yang Fire, the cultivator follows the sequence of the sixty-four hexagrams to heat and refine it, producing the Golden Liquid Return Elixir. This completed Elixir also weighs one jin and is shaped like the full moon. This is a metaphor for the configurations of the internal medicine: the substances and processes involved in Neidan cultivation.

Neidan, too, is compared to the full moon because the hexagrams that govern the firing process number sixty-four, each with six lines, for a total of 384 lines. These symbolize the 384 zhu in one jin. In Waidan, one jin symbolizes the “two eights” formed by the upper and lower crescents, each a half-moon, so it too is compared to the full moon. The Cantong qi says: “The upper crescent, Dui, is also eight; the lower crescent, Gen, is also eight. The essences of the two crescents combine, and the form of Heaven and Earth is thereby complete. Two eights correspond to one jin; the Way of Change remains upright and undisturbed.” Zhenyizi explains that the upper and lower crescents together make one jin, divided into 384 zhu, which correspond to the tallies and lines used in regulating the firing process. By explaining the meaning of the “full moon,” the Immortal Master urges cultivators to understand the intent of creation and transformation, and to distinguish the two kinds of “two eights”—the inner and the outer—rather than confusing them.

The “fire” described here is not ordinary fire, but the primordial Qi of the Origin, the formless Qi of Yin and Yang. Nor is the so-called medicine a physical substance that can be held and preserved. To describe these things as concrete objects is empty talk. Qingxiazi says: “The cauldrons are not metal cauldrons; the furnaces are not jade furnaces. Fire issues from below Li; water accords with Kan. When the three natures unite, the two substances naturally bind together. Seal it firmly so the embryo does not leak; transformation takes place in an instant.” The cauldrons and furnaces used in Elixir refinement are not metal cauldrons and jade furnaces, but the natural workings of creation and transformation. Fire is activated from the Li trigram, while water corresponds to the Kan trigram. Once the three natures unite, the two medicines naturally combine. If the embryo is sealed firmly so that it does not leak, transformation can happen quickly.

Gao Xiangxian says: “Heaven and Earth mingle; male and female join their essences. The Four Images and Five Phases gather together like spokes around a hub. Day and night follow the hexagrams Zhun and Meng in accordance with nature. Why strain to keep watching the firing times?” This means that Yin and Yang unite throughout Heaven and Earth, and the essences of male and female meet. The Four Images and Five Phases naturally converge; day and night follow the patterns of hexagrams such as Zhun and Meng. One need only follow nature, without fixating on the firing times.

The cauldron and furnace described here are the cauldron and furnace formed by Heaven and Earth and nature; the fire, too, is the fire that operates naturally. The cultivator need only settle the mind and spirit, regulate the breath, and let the process unfold naturally, harmonizing its movement with gentle and vigorous fire so that the tallies and timing are exact. In less than half an hour, the Elixir food can be refined. Afterward, the cultivator uses the same method to advance and withdraw the Yin Talisman and Yang Fire, applying the methods of extraction and replenishment while carefully guarding against danger. After ten months, the work is complete: all Yin Qi is eliminated, the body is transformed into pure Yang, and the cultivator escapes the bonds of the mundane world and attains longevity. This is what is called the Golden Liquid Return Elixir.

Yet this has not reached the highest state. One must continue to hold fast to the One for nine years, until Qi returns to Shen; only then does it become the Nine-Turn Golden Liquid Great Return Elixir. At this stage, body and spirit both reach a subtle state and unite with the Dao.

The commentary says: Mercury is the “flowing pearl of the sun.” After receiving the “golden flower,” it condenses into the Golden Elixir, which is originally formed from the sun’s flowing pearl. The sun’s flowing pearl, in turn, is born from the Azure Dragon of the East, the divine beast that symbolizes the Qi of Wood in the East. Thus it is wondrous beyond measure and accords with the reality of the Great Dao.

The commentary also says: Mercury is the sun’s flowing pearl. After receiving the golden flower, it condenses into the Golden Elixir, which is originally formed from the sun’s flowing pearl. Since the sun’s flowing pearl is born from the Azure Dragon of the East, the Golden Elixir is the “son of the East,” also called the “Metal Duke.” The Metal Duke refers to the Golden Elixir. It is originally born in the East, but can form only when the sun’s flowing pearl is lodged within the golden flower of the West.

Zhang Sui’s commentary on the Cantong qi says: A month has thirty days and three hundred and sixty watches; these numbers symbolize the small furnace and cauldron. A year has twelve months; the seasonal changes in the Qi of the trigrams and the advances and retreats of the firing process symbolize the great furnace and cauldron. These changes were worked out and written down in six hundred sections. What is described here is not ordinary worldly fire. The immortals lamented that ordinary people did not understand the true firing process, so they established the trigrams and line figures to represent it. The trigrams and line figures merely serve to explain the firing process; once its function is understood, they can be set aside. The commentary by Wumingzi is based on this very idea.

To know where the medicinal substance is born, look only to the southwest: that is its original homeland.

When lead meets Gui Water and is born, it must be gathered at once. Once the Metal has passed the full moon, it should no longer be tasted.

Place the medicinal substances in an earthen crucible, an alchemical vessel symbolizing Earth, and seal it tightly. Then add the “sparse pearl,” an alchemical term for another medicinal substance, so that the two can work together.

The total quantity of the medicinal substances is one catty, combined in a ratio of two to eight. Regulate the firing process according to the changes of Yin and Yang.

The commentary cites the Western Florescence Scripture: The medicinal substance is born in the West and must be gathered at the hour of Wu. Once the Metal has passed the full moon, it should no longer be tasted.

Place the medicinal substances in an earthen crucible and seal it tightly. Then add the sparse pearl so that they can work together.

The total quantity of the medicinal substances is one catty, combined in a ratio of two to eight. Regulate the firing process according to the changes of Yin and Yang.

The Xihua Jing says that the medicine is generated in the west and then gathered back into the position of Wu and Ji. To collect it, one must catch the right moment; the day for beginning the work is also fixed. The southwest is the position of Kun and the place where the “tiger” begins to stir. It is also the direction from which the moon first appears, which is why the text says, “the sun and moon are born.” The essences of Metal and Water join at the upper and lower crescents and congeal into the Golden Elixir. Thus, the ingredients used to refine the Golden Elixir are likened to earth from Kun and water from a river’s source.

Lead stirs to life on a Gui day, when the hour of Chou is near. Metal wanes after the day of the full moon, when the moon begins to diminish. The moment of the moon’s fullness must be grasped through oral instructions; the subtlety of the Zi hour depends on transmission from heart to heart. Counting the breath as it circulates through the celestial circuit, and listening to the cold, slow drops of the jade clepsydra—these are all secrets passed directly from master to disciple.

Lu Sicheng says in his Postface to the Wuzhen Pian that those who transmit this poem often misread “lead” as “if” and “gold” as “like,” gravely distorting the Immortal’s original meaning. Lead and gold refer to the Golden Elixir. Lord Lu pointed out these textual errors to prevent confusions between similar-looking characters, like “Lu” and “Yu”; at the same time, he concealed the source, fearing that the secret might spread once written on bamboo or silk. Since we have personally received the teaching from our master, we should naturally understand its meaning. Otherwise, even in the empty and mysterious realm, five zhang above the earth, it would be difficult to obtain a pearl the size of a millet grain.

Why, then, do so many people follow deviant paths, mistake Gui Dan for lead and gold, and collect it at the time of Heavenly Gui? This is truly like making a mockery of one’s elder brother. Some also speak of the doctrine that “Kun receives Gui,” as Ye Wenshu does; such claims can only be met with a smile. The Golden Elixir must be worked on at the Zi hour of a Gui day; the moment must not be missed, so it must be collected in time. Once the full moon has passed and begins to wane, its Qi diminishes, and it is no longer suitable to take the medicine.

Calculating by the earthly branches, a Gui day yields the Ren-Zi hour. The heavenly stem Ren and earthly branch Gui meet in the north. Thus Zhu Zhen’s Commentary on the Changes says that from the last day of the lunar month until dawn on the first day, the Kan moon and Li sun meet at Ren and Gui. The Kan moon belongs to Wu, and the Li sun belongs to Ji. It also says: at dusk on the third day, the Zhen trigram symbolizes the moon rising at the Geng position; on the eighth day, the Dui trigram symbolizes the moon appearing at the Ding position; on the fifteenth day, the Qian trigram symbolizes the moon’s fullness at the Jia and Ren positions; on the sixteenth day, the Xun trigram symbolizes the moon’s retreat at the Xin position; on the twenty-third day, the Gen trigram symbolizes the moon’s waning at the Bing position; and on the thirtieth day, the Kun trigram symbolizes the moon’s disappearance at the Yi position and its concealment at Gui. From the last day of the month until dawn on the first day, the Kan Water within the moon flows toward Wu, while the Li Fire within the sun returns to Ji.

These are the essential points of the celestial secret. They must be transmitted through oral instruction and are difficult to convey in writing. Without meeting a true master, one can only guess and force interpretations, and will ultimately labor in vain. After taking the elixir, one must place it in the “earthen cauldron” of the Dantian and seal it firmly so that the embryonic Qi does not escape. Then, by applying the fire phases, one joins it with the mercury of the flowing pearl, and the embryo can form into the “sacred embryo.” Eight liang of crow’s liver and half a jin of hare’s marrow together make one jin; hence the saying that the medicine weighs one jin and must be matched according to “two eights.” The “fire” spoken of here is not actual fire. It is a metaphor for the two Qi of Yin and Yang and describes how to harmonize and employ them.

The commentary says: Some people understand “Gui” as heavenly Gui, or take it to mean the Gui hour in the traditional system of timekeeping, and seek to identify the right moment for cultivation. They do not understand the deeper meaning of the Wuzhen Pian. “When the hour approaches Chou” means that the opportunity has already passed; “when the moon approaches its waning” means that the appointed days have already passed. Once the day and hour are gone, the lead Qi is about to recede, and after the metal Qi reaches its fullness, it too begins to wane. To seek it then is to find nothing; the attempt will have no effect.

The Book of Changes says, “Water flows toward the wet; fire goes toward the dry.” Water tends toward damp places and fire toward dry ones: this is the nature of water and fire. Wu and Ji, which stand for Earth, lie between water and fire, bringing them together so that generation can occur. Ren and Gui correspond to the directions in which the Sun and Moon’s hidden workings take place, while Wu and Ji correspond to the directions in which their light becomes visible. Ren and Gui encircle the Zi position, and Wu and Ji encircle the Wu position. Zi and Wu are associated respectively with the new and full moon, as well as with changes in the Sun and Moon’s souls. These are subtle workings in Golden Elixir cultivation, discussed in detail in “The Monthly Count of the Lesser Circumference of Heaven.”

Yang is called fire, and Yin is also called fire. In truth, there is no actual fire here. This language simply uses the vital essences of Heaven and Earth, the Sun and Moon, to explain the harmonizing and circulation of Yin and Yang Qi.

The ten thousand volumes of the immortals’ scriptures offer differing accounts, but in the end the Way of the Golden Elixir has only this one foundation: the form generated in the position of Kun, which symbolizes Yin, is planted at the point of union in the household of Qian, which symbolizes Yang. Do not be surprised that the secrets of Heaven have been revealed; the reason is simply that those who study the Dao are themselves too dull to understand them. Anyone who grasps the poem’s meaning will understand what it points to and see the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and the Most High Lord Lao.

The commentary says: In the end, all the myriad volumes of immortal scriptures teach the same thing: take the “Qi of the first crescents of the Dragon and Tiger, in the ratio of two to eight” as the material for alchemical refinement, then cultivate in reverse according to the generative principle of the Kun Mother, which symbolizes the earth, yin softness, and the birth and transformation of things. Once the elixir has been refined, plant it in the place where the Qian Father, symbolizing heaven and yang strength, interacts with it. There it is used to operate the talismanic fire—that is, to regulate the timing and intensity of the fire during alchemical refinement. In the end, the essentials of cultivating the elixir come down to just two words: “lead” and “fire.” They are the foundations of the Great Elixir.

The Immortal Elder has already revealed the essentials of cultivation here, yet students of the Dao remain confused throughout their lives. Why not observe what is close at hand within themselves, understand the ultimate Dao, form an elixir the size of a millet grain, and establish it in heaven? “Forming the elixir” and “establishing it in heaven” are metaphors for Neidan cultivation: refining Jing and Qi within the body until they coalesce into an elixir.

The explanatory commentary says: In Ruyao Jing by Master Cui, the phrase “produced in Kun, planted in Qian” expresses precisely this idea. “Produced in Kun” refers to the external medicine formed from pre-heavenly Qi; “planted in Qian” refers to the internal medicine formed from post-heavenly Qi. Kun lies in the southwest, and the moon rises from the Geng direction. Metal and water generate one another, and the Qi of the two crescents works there; hence it is called “produced in Kun.” The place where the Qian Father interacts refers, in Neidan, to the central palace and the Northern Sea. It is like the Qian position in the northwest: the elixir is taken and refined in the central palace, where lead and mercury interact and transform; hence it is called “planted in Qian.”

Lead is the White Tiger, and fire is the Azure Dragon. The Qi of the two crescents corresponding to the White Tiger is lead, which also belongs to water. The Qi of the two crescents corresponding to the Azure Dragon is fire, but it is not ordinary fire. Lead is the essence of the moon, born from water and formed through metal. It has both substance and Qi and is the source of the subtle transformations of heaven and earth. Fire is the essence of the sun, born from wood and governed by metal. It has Qi but no substance and is the root of the generative force of heaven and earth. Therefore, the essentials of cultivating the elixir and the foundations of the Great Elixir both depend on lead and fire.

Lu Ziye says: “The earth occupies the Kun position; I receive the ancestral line of Qian.” This means drawing on the Qi in Kun that nourishes and brings forth all things, planting a spiritual root within one’s own inner realm, and thereby completing the sacred embryo—the elixir formed through Neidan cultivation. The principles in the myriad scriptures and volumes ultimately come down to this.

To understand the three characters “Three-Five-One,” very few people throughout history have truly grasped their meaning.

The East corresponds to Wood, whose number is three. Wood generates Fire, and the South corresponds to Fire, whose number is two; thus three and two combine to make five. The West corresponds to Metal, whose number is four. Metal generates Water, and the North corresponds to Water, whose number is one; thus four and one also combine to make five. Here, “the Qi of the paired cords” refers to the Qi that manifests as the Yin-Yang energies of the Dragon and Tiger change. The Dragon corresponds to Wood, whose Qi is associated with Fire; the Tiger corresponds to Metal, whose Qi is associated with Water.

These two groups of Five Phases Qi meet in the central palace, where Wu and Ji are located. The central palace corresponds to Earth, whose generating number is five, so the two groups together are called “Three-Five.” When Three-Five unite, they form the Elixir; the Elixir returns to the One, hence the name “Three-Five-One.” The commentary says that “the One” is the Golden Elixir, and that “the infant” also refers to the Elixir.

The true One Qi spoken of here is the mother Qi of Heaven and Earth; one’s own true Qi is the child Qi of Heaven and Earth. In cultivation, the mother Qi must be brought into the Five Viscera, so that the child Qi settles and does not scatter. This is like a cat pinning down a mouse so it cannot escape. The mother and child Qi cling to one another within the body, as an infant develops in the womb, and thus congeal into the Elixir.

Thus, “the Great One contains true Qi” means that the Great One holds within it the Qi of the true One. Cultivation is like carrying a pregnancy: after ten months, the work is complete and the sacred embryo is fully formed, laying the foundation for becoming a sage. The commentator argues that if later readers explain “the infant” as referring only to the kidneys, they cannot account for the effects of cultivation described in the scripture.

The commentary says, “The Great One contains the true Qi”: that is, the Great One, the primordial source before Heaven, stores within itself the pure original Qi. It is like a fetus nurtured for ten months in its mother’s womb and born only when fully developed. The sacred embryo formed through cultivation is the same: when ten months of practice are complete, one naturally reaches the sacred state. Hence the phrase, “When the ten-month embryo is complete, one enters the foundation of sagehood.” How could later commentators’ identification of the kidneys with an infant produce such results?

The commentary says that one, two, three, four, and five are the generating numbers. They indicate that things have begun to arise and show signs of formation, though they have not yet taken shape. They are not the Five Phases in the world of visible, material things, but the empty, formless Qi between Heaven and Earth; they belong to the pre-Heavenly state. Six, seven, eight, nine, and ten are the completing numbers. They indicate that things have taken shape and belong to the post-Heavenly, material Five Phases. The Heavenly number one combines with the Earthly number four to make five; adding the central five gives ten. The Heavenly number three combines with the Earthly number two, also making five; adding the central five again gives ten. These two fives correspond and together form the Heavenly number twenty-five. The Golden Elixir is refined through the pre-Heavenly Five Phases, so only their generating numbers are used. Identifying the kidneys with an infant and the heart with a woman is an interpretation imposed on inner and outer images. Cultivation methods that visualize spirits and ghosts belong to Yin practice and therefore have no efficacy. This explains the distinction concerning the inner medicine.

The verse “Five—solid four” symbolizes the odd number of the Great One:

The woman wears green, and the young man is dressed in white. When you see them, you cannot use them directly; when you truly use them, you cannot see them with your eyes. They meet amid the elusive and indistinct, and transform in the depths of the dark and distant. Another version reads: “When husband and wife meet, affection draws them together of its own accord.” In an instant, flames leap up, and the perfected person appears.

The commentary says that the “young woman” refers to the string Qi of the Azure Dragon: Yin within Yang, hence the name “young woman.” She is also called the “Wood Maiden.” Born from the Azure Dragon, she wears blue. The “young lord” refers to the string Qi of the White Tiger: Yang within Yin, hence the name “young lord.” He is also called the “Metal Youth.” Born from the White Tiger, he wears white.

Things that can be seen and have form are the tangible substances that arose after Heaven and Earth took shape. Because they have physical form, they can be seen, but they cannot be used to refine the elixir. What cannot be seen is the “Qi of the two strings” belonging to the Dragon and Tiger: the nascent Qi of the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger. It is Qi alone, without physical substance. Though invisible, it can be used in elixir refinement and is essential for obtaining “lead”—a technical alchemical term for the key substance gathered in the method of elixir cultivation.

“Vague and indistinct, distant and obscure” describes the primordial, true, and unified Qi, the source Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth were divided. It arose before Heaven and Earth and cannot be measured. “Within the vague and indistinct there is something” refers to the string Qi of the Azure Dragon; “within the distant and obscure there is essence” refers to the string Qi of the White Tiger. These two kinds of Qi exist within the vague and obscure. They join and draw close to one another, thereby obtaining the true and unified Qi. Though it seems formless, it can transform and condense into a pearl the size of a grain of millet. This is the mystery of “something arising from nothing.”

The “True Person” refers to the Golden Elixir. Ancient alchemists compressed a year’s fire timing—the arrangement of heat and timing in the process of refining the elixir—into a single double-hour, and divided that double-hour into six stages. They first applied the fire in two of those stages to refine and obtain the true and unified Qi, which condensed into an elixir pearl the size of a grain of millet and appeared in the “Northern Sea,” a Neidan term for a particular location or state within the body. “In an instant, the True Person appears” describes this process. This Way is exceedingly subtle and profound. Without a true master personally transmitting the instructions, who could grasp its secrets?

The Immortal Elder wrote this chapter as a poem of five-character lines in four stanzas. The form symbolizes the convergence of the Five Phases and the Four Images, which ultimately condenses into an elixir pearl the size of a grain of millet. Although the Golden Elixir is formed from the true and unified Qi, it cannot be refined without the union of the Dragon’s and Tiger’s two string Qi. The Dragon and Tiger, together with their respective two strings, make up the Four Images. When the Four Images meet in the “Central Palace,” the place where Yin and Yang converge during elixir refinement, the Golden Elixir takes shape. The Golden Elixir belongs to Earth and also represents the true Five Phases. As the Old Lord says, “The Five Phases are the medicine; the Four Images must not be lacking.” This is precisely the meaning.

Yangzi says that the poem’s eight lines summarize the wondrous workings of the entire alchemical canon. The first line concerns the Qian family—that is, Wood Mercury—and belongs to “me.” The second concerns the Dui family—that is, lead—and belongs to “the other.” The third concerns the generation of all things. The fourth concerns elixir refinement. The fifth concerns entering the chamber to practice. The sixth concerns guarding against danger. The seventh concerns the elixir’s nine transformations. The eighth concerns the completion of cultivation. The Immortal Master transmitted this poem to point to the primordial, true, and unified Qi that precedes Heaven and Earth: the original Qi concealed within the “Great One.” How could those who study the Dao fail to seek a true master’s guidance?

End of Volume Three of Annotations and Commentary on the Wuzhen Pian by the Perfected Ziyang.

Volume Four of Annotations and Commentary on the Wuzhen Pian by the Perfected Ziyang was annotated by the Nameless Elder Weng Baoguang of Xiangchuan, transmitted and compiled by Chen Daling of Wuyi, and furnished with commentary by Dai Qizong, the Master of Empty Mystery from Ji Qing.

Sixty-four quatrains, corresponding to the sixty-four hexagrams.

The Golden Elixir, formed by refining essence and Qi in Daoist Neidan practice, shines brightly and can be refined in a single day. The words of the ancient immortals are indeed trustworthy. To speak of refining it for nine years or three years is merely to keep putting off the cultivation and to lay out a long schedule in advance.

The commentary says: Refine the great medicine of the Golden Elixir by applying yourself according to the method, and it can be completed in less than half an hour, ready to be taken immediately. “One day” means that the sages compressed the seasonal cycles of a year into one month, those of a month into one day, and those of a day into one double-hour. Taken together, this is what is meant by “becoming an immortal in one day.” Thus the Immortal Elder says, “Use an hour in place of a day, and apply the wondrous method.” This means using one double-hour in place of a day and putting the miraculous practice to work.

Once the Golden Elixir enters the mouth, one can ascend to the sacred realm. If its effects are so swift, why would cultivation require three or nine years, with the schedule stretched out over time? The ancient immortal Zhang Guolao wrote in a poem: “The Golden Elixir shines brightly and can be refined in a single day; the Yellow Sprout, a symbolic term in Neidan practice, never leaves the pit of mercury. Before the method has completed three cycles of transformation, its light is already revealed when the furnace is opened.” This is precisely the principle at issue. Shangyangzi says that the key to refining the Elixir lies in understanding “the living Zi hour of the other household”—the crucial moment in cultivation when Yin and Yang interact and the medicine begins to stir. If this is not the most subtle principle in the world, who could possibly achieve it?

The sun and moon meet once every thirty days. Use one double-hour in place of a day, and apply the wondrous method. In guarding the city and in fighting in the field, one must know how to distinguish good fortune from misfortune. Only then can the numinous cinnabar, a symbolic substance used in alchemical practice, continually increase and fill the red cauldron.

The commentary says: The sun and the Great Yin (the moon) meet once each month. Practitioners model their work on this celestial pattern, treating a month as a day and then a day as an hour. With the “garrisoning the city” method, the bathing phase ends and the practice stops with it. With the “field battle” method, the Dragon and Tiger—symbols of the two Qi of Yin and Yang—are made to meet and contend. “Divine work” refers to the timing and degree of adding water. If Yin and Yang are out of balance, and the seasons do not accord with the celestial signs, then even if the external firing process has begun, the inner talismanic signs will remain still and unresponsive. Those who understand the Dao know when to advance or withdraw the fire and water according to auspicious and inauspicious signs. They coordinate their work with the movements of the Dipper and Winnowing Basket mansions. The spirit embryo—the gathering of essence and Qi formed through Neidan cultivation—then turns of itself, and the divine cauldron, a symbol of alchemical practice, gains radiance.

The exposition explains: “Exchanging hours for days” means that within a single double-hour are the two turning points of Yin and Yang, Zi and Wu. The beginning and end of their waxing and waning correspond to the movements of Heaven and Earth, the sun and the moon. The Winnowing Basket and Dipper mansions move through the northeast, in the direction of Gen and Yin. Yang fire begins at Zi; by Chou it has not yet spread fully, and lies in the northeast, the Gen direction, not far from Yin. The moon’s Yin soul is also concealed in Gen. The Winnowing Basket and Dipper mansions are also regarded as the place where fire comes to life, so both accord with this sequence of time. The Cantong qi says, “It begins in the northeast, in the region of the Winnowing Basket and Dipper”; this is what the passage means.

It then turns clockwise, corresponding to the third day, when the moon first appears in the positions of Zhen and Geng. Turning counterclockwise corresponds to the first lunar month, when fire begins in the Yin month; the matching hexagram is Tai.

When the moon’s light first appears as a half-disc above the horizon, the cries of Dragon and Tiger can already be heard. This is the right time to practice according to “two and eight”—the balanced firing process in which Yin and Yang are each at half strength—as if the Golden Elixir could be completed within a single double-hour.

The commentary explains that a half-moon represents the number “eighteen.” The Immortal Elder uses the Dragon and Tiger to signify the two Qi of Yin and Yang, each with the number “eighteen”; together they make “two eights.” At this point, the source of the elixir is clear and pure: it has Qi but no physical form.

In the course of a year, there is only one day; in a day, only one hour; and an hour is divided into six periods, called the “six watches.” When one begins the alchemical work, using no more than two of these watches is enough to refine a Golden Elixir to ingest; the other four watches have their own subtle uses. These are all secrets of Heaven—the essentials of cultivation. They are not written in books, but passed down through oral instruction and personal transmission. The Immortal Elder dared not set them down plainly and reveal their mysteries, so he entrusted their meaning to poetic lines, speaking obliquely: “Within one hour, the elixir is brought to completion.”

Ye Wenshu did not understand this principle or grasp what it pointed to. He claimed that the elixir was refined in one hour, but that cultivation did not take only one hour. At a loss to understand its essential meaning, he made wild guesses based on his own ideas—truly laughable. If alchemical work does not take one hour, then how could there be a sequence of timing and shifts? And what would “supremely simple and easy” mean? This principle is mysterious and profound; not everyone in the world is able to hear of it.

I respectfully observe: Once the Great Elixir—the elixir produced through Neidan cultivation—has been refined, the cultivator, from the very first step of refining “Lead,” seizes the Qi that moves through one great cosmic circuit in the primordial unity, before Heaven and Earth were divided. The cultivator also takes the exact number of thirty-six thousand, gathers it within the Cauldron of Qian and Kun, which symbolizes Yin and Yang, and brings it together at the Abode of Life and Death, where Yin-Yang transformation, generation, and dissolution meet. In this way, the cultivator takes up the numerical patterns of Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the Dragon and Tiger, generation and transformation, Yin and Yang, and the Five Phases, and refines a Golden Elixir within one hour. It is as small as a millet grain, weighs one jin, and is supremely precious and numinous, sacred and extraordinary; the process of cultivation is also supremely simple and easy. It is the essence of Heaven and Earth and the ruler within one’s own body. In this way, one can be said to seize the workings of Heaven and Earth and Yin and Yang, as if the cosmos were held in one’s hands and the transformations of all things gathered within oneself. Once one has cultivated to become a perfected immortal, one may ascend as a guest of the Supreme Emperor, a revered divinity of the celestial realm. Thus, when the Immortal Elder says, “Within one hour, the elixir is brought to completion,” he is not speaking falsely. These are the grounds for his claim.

The commentary says, “‘Half a wheel’ refers to one eighth. The ‘eight’ of the waxing crescent belongs to Metal and is Yang; the ‘eight’ of the waning crescent belongs to Water and is Yin. Bring these two ‘eights’ together at the same moment, and a Golden Elixir can be refined at once. This is a method personally transmitted by the immortals, concerning the secrets of Heaven and Earth. Ordinary people cannot speculate about it at will.

Practitioners in the world offer many different explanations of “using a single moment.” Some choose the hidden combination of De, the hidden Wu and Ji, or the hidden Gui. Some rely on the lunar month’s ruling branch, the use of generals, or what the celestial signs indicate. Others choose the winter solstice, the rise of Yang Qi, or the descent of Gui Water. Some take the moment when the mind reaches the central palace; others rely on the Seven Governors, the convergence of the Five Phases, or the flourishing and burial of the Five Phases. Still others choose Jia, Geng, Bing, or Ren; use three days and four periods, the living Zi hour, or the hour of one’s birth; or draw on such times as the reversal of life force, the sun and moon at their zenith, the sun and moon facing one another or joined like a single disk, the union of Heart and Kidneys, the Hai and Zi hours, the three origins of terrestrial Qi, the waxing and waning quarters, the eastern star forming a chamber, the sun and moon occupying their lodges, or the establishment of the Seven Origins. Each school says one must begin the conjunction and cultivation at a particular time, then continue the work. Yet none of those who cultivate in this way has become an immortal. The reason is that they do not understand that a single moment can encompass the completion of the elixir: the Golden Elixir is achieved within that moment. If it can be refined and taken at once, why put it off or delay?

First take Qian and Kun—the Yin and Yang Qi of Heaven and Earth—as the tripod, the vessel for refining the elixir. Then gather the Crow and Hare—the sun and moon, referring to the essences of Yin and Yang—as the ingredients to be cooked.

Once these two ingredients have been brought into the Yellow Path, the central way along which they move and unite, how could the Golden Elixir fail to form?

The commentary explains: The sun and moon are the essences of Qian and Kun. That is why the sages use Qian and Kun as a metaphor for the tripod and the sun and moon as a metaphor for the ingredients. Qian and Kun are also what are called the True Dragon and True Tiger. Through this kind of cultivation, the Golden Elixir will naturally form.

The commentary says: The sun and moon are the essence of Qian and Kun, which symbolize Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang. Thus the sages used Qian and Kun as metaphors for the vessel—the container used in alchemical practice—and the sun and moon as metaphors for the ingredients. Qian and Kun are also what are called the true dragon and true tiger; the ingredients are the cord-like Qi of the dragon and tiger, the Qi formed when the two forces of Yin and Yang unite. The Perfected Wei said, “The vessel is not really a vessel, and the ingredients are not really ingredients.” The sages borrowed names and images as metaphors. The essential point is simply to bring together and refine the two Yin-Yang energies represented by the true dragon and true tiger, so that the essence of the True One—the pure, unified vital energy—condenses within the central palace of the Northern Sea. If these two energies can be brought into the Yellow Path, the middle position where Yin and Yang meet, the Golden Elixir will condense and form. The Yellow Path here is the central palace, the place where the Golden Elixir takes shape.

The exposition says: Some Daoist scriptures say that Qian and Kun serve as the vessel, while Kan and Li, symbolizing Water and Fire, Yin and Yang, serve as the ingredients. Qian and Kun, Kan and Li, vessel and ingredients all originally refer to things without form or name. Qian and Kun are simply used as metaphors for the true dragon and true tiger; these are the dragon and tiger outside the Golden Elixir. In his commentary on the Cantong qi, the Perfected Peng said that the Wu Earth within Kan is like the essence of the moon, symbolizing the birth of the Metal Tiger within Water; the Ji Earth within Li is like the light of the sun, symbolizing the birth of the Wood Dragon within Fire. These are the dragon and tiger within the Golden Elixir. Though the names and what they refer to differ, all are metaphors drawn from things and images. When the dragon and tiger return to the Yellow Path, they naturally unite and form the Elixir. In truth, there is no need to force a fixed correspondence for each one; it is enough to understand that the Yellow Path is where they meet and unite.

If Kan and Li lack Wu and Ji Earth, then even though they contain the Four Images, they cannot refine the Golden Elixir.

Only because each contains True Earth can the Golden Elixir circulate and unite.

The annotation says: The Cantong qi states that the Li trigram belongs to Ji and symbolizes the sun’s light, while the Kan trigram belongs to Wu and symbolizes the moon’s essence. Thus, the Ji Earth within Li symbolizes the Yin energy contained in the Dragon, and the Wu Earth within Kan symbolizes the Yang energy contained in the Tiger. Wu Earth and Ji Earth are originally one true Earth, yet they appear separately within the symbols of the Dragon and Tiger. Hence both Dragon and Tiger contain true Earth. Without Earth energy, how could the Dragon and Tiger bring the Four Images together and form the Golden Elixir within Earth? Because each contains Earth energy, the two Earths can unite and condense into the “knife-tip measure,” a metaphor for the Golden Elixir. The union of Dragon and Tiger is therefore the union of Wu and Ji. When Wu and Ji become one, the Four Images also unite to form the Elixir. This is the principle by which the Golden Elixir returns to its source. Master Lü says, “When the two things unite, there lies the root of the Dao and the place where the Five Phases are complete. What is obtained is called the Elixir—that is what this means.”

The commentary explains: Li belongs to Yang, while Ji belongs to Yin. Fire is born from the Earth number two and completed by the Heaven number seven; it contains the number five, which belongs to Earth. Fire is dark within and bright without, and the Li trigram has a Yin line in the middle. Both images represent Yin within Yang. Kan belongs to Yin, while Wu belongs to Yang. Water is born from the Heaven number one and completed by the Earth number six; it too contains the number five, which belongs to Earth. Water is dark without and bright within, and the Kan trigram has a Yang line in the middle. Both images represent Yang within Yin. Metal is within Kan and Wood is within Li; together they are called the Four Images. Wu Earth circulates within Kan, while Ji Earth returns to Li, and each contains true Earth. When the Four Images come together, the two Earths—Wu, the Yang Earth, and Ji, the Yin Earth—unite, completing the Five Phases. In this way, one returns to the root and source. Through the “seven returns and nine reversals,” a Neidan term for the return and refinement of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, the Golden Elixir is perfected.

The sun occupies the position of Li yet becomes the Yin “woman”; the moon is associated with the Toad Palace, the legendary lunar abode, yet becomes the Yang “man.” Unless you understand this reversal of Yin and Yang, do not make grand claims from a shallow understanding.

The commentary says that the crow at the center of the sun belongs to Yin, so it is called the “Li Maiden”; the rabbit at the center of the moon belongs to Yang, so it is called the “Kan Youth.” If one does not understand this subtle reversal of Yin and Yang, but merely speaks grandly out of self-assurance, one is like looking at the sky through a bamboo tube: the view is exceedingly narrow.

The subcommentary explains that “reversal” means not regarding Yin as nothing but Yin, but drawing Yang from within Yin; nor regarding Yang as nothing but Yang, but drawing Yin from within Yang. Yin remains Yin, and Yang remains Yang. Following their original order is the common pattern of the world; drawing Yang from Yin and Yin from Yang reverses that ordinary order and is the method of cultivation that draws upon the workings of creation. Few people understand this principle of reversing and applying the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and using Yin and Yang in alternation. Thus the scripture says, “When the Five Phases move in reverse, the substance of the Golden Elixir can remain ever numinous and enduring.” It also says, “All of it comes from the younger brother giving birth to the mother.” This describes the ordinary way. The subcommentary then reiterates that drawing Yang from Yin and Yin from Yang is how practitioners reverse the ordinary order and draw upon the workings of creation.

Rabbits in the world are all female; only the rabbit in the moon is male. The rabbit conceives by gazing at the moon, which shows that the moon rabbit belongs to Yang.

The mercury generated by the dragon of the Zhen trigram, which symbolizes Yang Qi, emerges from the region of the Li trigram, which symbolizes Fire. The gold generated by the tiger of the Dui trigram, which symbolizes Yin Qi, is born in the north.

These two substances both arise because the “child” gives birth to the “mother” in reverse. The harmonizing and application of the Five Phases ultimately return to the center.

The commentary says: Mercury—a Daoist alchemical term for quicksilver—is the Dragon of the Zhen position and belongs to Wood. Wood can generate Fire, so Wood is the mother of Fire and Fire the child of Wood. This is the normal order of the Five Phases. Yet cinnabar belongs to Fire, and Fire corresponds to the Li trigram. Since mercury arises from cinnabar, Fire is here generating Wood in reverse; this is why it is said that “the child gives birth to the mother.” The Song of Perfected Tai Bai says, “When the Five Phases move in reverse, the Dragon is born from Fire.” It describes this very situation.

When the Immortal Elder says “mercury is born from Li,” rather than “mercury emerges from cinnabar,” it is because the mercury within cinnabar is called “true mercury,” also known as “mercury within Fire.” The argument here is based on “true mercury,” so it mentions only mercury, not cinnabar.

Lead is the Tiger of the Dui position and belongs to Metal. Metal can generate Water, so Metal is the mother of Water and Water the child of Metal. This is the normal order of the Five Phases. Yet black lead belongs to Water, and Water corresponds to the Kan trigram. Since silver arises from lead, Water is here generating Metal in reverse; this is why it is said that “the child gives birth to the mother.” The Song of Perfected Tai Bai says, “When the Five Phases do not proceed in their proper order, the Tiger is born in Water.” It describes this very situation.

When the Immortal Elder says “lead is born in Kan,” rather than “silver is born,” it is because the silver within lead is called “true lead,” also known as “lead within Water.” The argument here is based on “true lead,” so it mentions only lead, not silver.

Mercury and lead generate one another, forming the Four Images; these then converge at the center to form the Five Phases. When the Five Phases come together, the Golden Elixir can be formed. Hence the saying, “The Five Phases must all enter the center.” The “center” here is the central palace Taiji, the core that occupies the center and governs Yin-Yang.

Later readers compared the heart and kidneys, as well as Qi and fluids, to the Dragon and Tiger, and to mercury and lead. They said the Tiger is kidney Qi and that, since the kidneys belong to Water, the Tiger is born in Water; they said the Dragon is heart fluid and that, since the heart belongs to Fire, the Dragon emerges from Fire. This interpretation is little more than child’s play. How could one refine the Great Medicine while going against the meaning of the scripture?

The commentary says: Someone asked me, “The Tiger sustains life, …” (The passage quoted below repeats the earlier statement about the Dragon emerging from Fire and raises a question on that basis.)

Someone asked me: Those who cultivate life all compare the heart and kidneys to dragons and tigers, and lead, mercury, Qi, and fluids to water and fire. They hope these will rise and descend, unite and combine, and condense into a sacred embryo. The Collected Teachings of Zhong and Lü, compiled by Shi Jianwu, also says: “Qi arises in the kidneys, and within the Qi is the ‘True One Water’; fluid arises in the heart, and within the fluid is the ‘Righteous Yang Qi.’” The ingredients for Neidan arise through the union of the heart and kidneys. As they gather each day, they gradually form a Golden Elixir, a great medicine about the size of a millet grain.

Yet the preface to the Wuzhen pian says that to treat the heart and kidneys as Kan and Li, hoping by this means to form the Returned Elixir, is to miss the mark by a great deal. In his commentary on the poem “Taking Kan and Li,” the Nameless Master says: “To treat the heart and kidneys as Kan and Li is to stray far from the Great Way of Heaven and Earth.” In another poem commentary, he says that treating the heart and kidneys, Qi and fluid, as dragons and tigers, lead and mercury, is child’s play. If so, are the heart and kidneys, Qi and fluid not the great medicine of the Golden Elixir?

I replied: Perfected One Zhengyang says that the heart and kidneys are not themselves water and fire. But if they are not the heart and kidneys, what, then, do water and fire refer to? Shi Xinglin says that Qi does not originally arise in the kidneys, and Shen does not reside in the heart. Perfected One Daoguang says that when gathering the spirit and guarding the Qi, one should not treat the heart and kidneys alone as the key. Chen Niluan says that the heart and kidneys are not originally Kan and Li.

The Collected Teachings describes the heart and kidneys, Qi and fluid, as mother and child, husband and wife, and also compares them to lead and mercury, dragons and tigers, and Kan and Li. It uses the heart and kidneys in the human body to explain Qi and fluid, speaking indirectly through metaphor about Yin-Yang and illuminating their subtle workings. If one does not understand the true transmission and takes these metaphors for literal things, one will stray ever farther from the Great Way. Why not ponder carefully the words of the Collected Teachings: “Substance and function cannot be separated from Yin-Yang; the creation and transformation of all things arise through their union.” These words are truly well said.

Swallowing saliva and drawing in breath are methods of human cultivation; only with a true seed can the myriad things grow. If the alchemical cauldron contains no true seed, it is like boiling with water and fire in an empty pot: in the end, no Elixir can be refined.

The commentary says: What people call swallowing saliva and absorbing breath—all involve substances of utmost Yin that exist only after Heaven and Earth have come into being. They are not true absorption of Qi. To absorb Qi properly, one must first “subdue” it and then “take it in.” The scripture says, “After subduing Qi, one does not take in Qi separately; one does not take in compliant Qi. Taking in Qi cannot bring long life; to live long, one must first subdue Qi.” This refers to the Qi of the True One, blended within a deep, obscure, indistinct state, difficult to seek or perceive. The sages use a method and formula to subdue it. In this way, they obtain essence in the depths and find substance amid the indistinct. Through further transformation and refinement, it coalesces into an elixir. Taken into the Dantian (energy center), it can then bring forth and transform the myriad things. Only with a substantial foundation can the myriad things be generated and transformed; this foundation is the true seed. Without the true seed, every method of cultivation is futile, like expecting an empty pot without water or fire to accomplish anything. The true seed is what is called “true lead,” a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the essential basis required for refining the elixir.

The explanatory note says: Transporting the liquid gold—a Neidan term for the refined essence—into the brain and then guiding it downward into the Dantian also counts as swallowing saliva. Using the true Qi of external Yin and Yang also counts as absorbing breath. The scripture does not reject swallowing saliva or absorbing breath; it says only that without the true seed, these efforts come to nothing. Without the true seed, what one swallows is nothing but pure Yin essence, and what one absorbs is merely acquired Qi. Without the acquired mother Qi within the body, the Yin-Yang Qi of Heaven and Earth cannot attract, join with, and coalesce with one’s own child Qi.

“To subdue” is like a cat catching a mouse: it keeps it under control so that it dares not move. “To take in” is like a fish swallowing water: the water flows back out as soon as it is swallowed and cannot be retained. Another interpretation says: “Subduing” means causing the Qi of Heaven and Earth to congeal into an elixir; “taking in” means taking the Qi of Heaven and Earth into oneself and causing it to congeal into an elixir. After swallowing it into the Dantian, one refines it with Yin Talisman and Yang Fire—the means of regulating Yin-Yang change in internal alchemy—so that the Qi of Heaven and Earth together nourish the Golden Elixir. In the end, a sacred embryo forms, a Neidan term for the inner fetal breath produced through cultivation.

Before the rock face of Mount Hua, the tiger roars; beneath the sea at Fusang, the dragon murmurs.

The Matchmaker, a Neidan symbol for the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang, brings them together each day, joining them as husband and wife, united in heart and harmony.

Huayue (Mount Hua) is where the moon rises in the west and is used to symbolize the tiger. The male tiger refers to the tiger’s “inner breath” (the Yang energy contained within Yin), hence the name male tiger. Fusang is where the sun rises in the east and is used to symbolize the dragon. The female dragon refers to the dragon’s “inner breath” (the Yin energy contained within Yang), hence the name female dragon. These two forces, the dragon and tiger, dwell in the east and west. The Yellow Old Woman (a symbol of the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang) brings them together so they unite as husband and wife, joining in harmony to refine the Mysterious Pearl and Yellow Sprout, symbolic achievements in Neidan (internal alchemy).

The Cantong qi (Token for the Joining of the Three) uses the dragon’s exhalation and the tiger’s inhalation, and describes the dragon as husband and the tiger as wife, to explain their relationship. It bases this distinction on their opposing natures and assigns them male and female roles accordingly. The Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), by contrast, speaks of the male tiger and female dragon, distinguishing their roles according to the union of Yin and Yang. Thus, the male and female roles of the dragon and tiger vary with the terminology being used and cannot be captured by a single account.

Harmonizing lead and mercury—Neidan terms that refer figuratively to the Yin and Yang essences and vital energies within the body—makes it possible to refine the Elixir. In the process, whether the quantities are great or small, neither side is harmed, and each force remains intact.

If asked what True Lead is, the answer is: the moonlight shines over the western river plain all day long.

Direct the dragon, and Fire Mercury soars; harness the tiger, and Water Lead flashes as it is refined. Gather the workings of Yin and Yang into an Elixir the size of a millet grain. Formed from precelestial Qi, it will naturally harm neither side, and both forces will remain intact.

If asked what True Lead is, the answer is: the moonlight shines over the western river plain all day long.

Commanding the Dragon Fire is like quicksilver surging and soaring; mastering the Tiger Water is like water-lead flashing as it is refined. Gather and concentrate the workings of creation until they form a Golden Elixir no larger than a grain of millet. Because it is condensed from precelestial Qi, it suffers no damage. Thus, although the Dragon and Tiger differ in size, alchemical refinement can bring them together whole and unharmed. The Dragon’s greater size and the Tiger’s lesser size symbolize Yang’s precedence over Yin.

The Golden Elixir forms when the Qi of Metal and Water blends within the upper and lower lunar crescents, which symbolize the changes of Yin and Yang. This is called “True Lead.” “Toadlight” refers to the essence of Metal and Water and belongs to Yin. The scripture says “illuminates”: this means that it shines in reflection with the sunlight, symbolizing the union of Yin and Yang. “West” represents Metal’s direction among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); “river” represents Water. The ancients used the image of Metal and Water Qi combining on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month and condensing into the essence of liquid gold to explain alchemical refinement.

The waxing moon belongs to Water, and the waning moon to Metal, so the Immortal Master compares the west to Metal and rivers to Water. Yet the moon does not shine throughout the day. At sunrise, the waning crescent’s light appears in the southern Bing position; by noon it sets toward the western Geng position. The waxing crescent, meanwhile, appears in the west at noon as a half-moon. Its light rises from the eastern Jia position and reaches the southern Ding position at sunset. Together, the two half-moons form an image of Metal and Water blending in perfect fullness and shining throughout the day. This is like the Qi of Dragon and Tiger joining to form the Golden Elixir. Thus it is said: “If you ask what True Lead really is, it is toadlight illuminating the western river all day long.”

The commentary says: The waxing and waning half moons shine alongside the sun in the daytime, symbolizing the purest state of Metal and Water (alchemy terms representing the two substances or energies of Yin and Yang). At the full moon, the moon and sun gaze toward each other from opposite sides of the night sky, symbolizing the fullest strength of Metal and Water. “Pure” means that Qi is present without tangible form; “full” means that what was originally formless begins to appear in tangible form. At the waxing and waning half moons, Yin and Yang each occupy half, taking turns to appear; at the full moon, the two merge completely into one. By following these celestial patterns, one can attain the Golden Elixir (the achievement of Neidan cultivation).

The Upper Scripture says, “At the first quarter, Metal weighs half a jin.” This associates the first quarter moon with Water. It also says, “At the last quarter, Water weighs half a jin.” This associates the last quarter moon with Metal. From this we can understand that “half a jin of Metal” at the first quarter refers to the half of the moon that is not visible, while calling the first quarter Water refers to its dark half. White represents Metal, and black represents Water. They are named in alternating order to show that at the first and last quarters, Metal and Water each weigh half a jin, together forming the subtlety of “two and eight” (a state in which the two sides of Yin and Yang are equally divided and joined). The last quarter is the same. Without understanding this subtlety, one will be perplexed.

When bamboo splits, it should be mended with bamboo; a covered egg should likewise be made with an egg. Any other method is ultimately just a display of cleverness. How could it compare with true lead (a Neidan term for the essential alchemical ingredient or the energy of true Yang), which accords with the principles transmitted by the sages?

The commentary says: If a bamboo vessel breaks, will it work to mend it with metal or wood? It should be mended with bamboo, so that the vessel can be made whole again and used. When a fledgling is about to emerge from its eggshell, will it work to protect it with earth or stones? It should be covered by an egg, so that the young bird can develop into life. The Perfected Tao said, “When bamboo breaks, join it with bamboo; when wood breaks, mend it with wood. Cover a damaged roof with tiles; when a person grows weak, nourish them with things of the same kind. Those who cultivate themselves in search of the Real will waste their effort if they do not use things of the same kind.” The Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three, a Daoist alchemical classic) says, “Things of the same kind are easy to work with; things of different kinds are difficult to handle skillfully. If you wish to refine an elixir that can be ingested to attain immortality, you should use things of the same kind.”

Cover a damaged roof with tiles; nourish a weakened person with things of the same kind. If practitioners use things that are not of the same kind, their efforts will be in vain. This is because people are born endowed with the pure Qi of Heaven and Earth. “True lead,” an alchemical term for the key ingredient or source Qi used in refinement, is the mother Qi of Heaven and Earth. It is lodged in things of the same kind and comes into being through gestation. Thus, true lead is the mother Qi, while my own true Qi is the child Qi: together they are the most subtle things of the same kind. Only then can one accord with the profound principle of the Most Holy and conform to the Great Dao of Nature.

The explanatory commentary says: The Perfected Tao’s name was Zhi. A secret transmission concerning three superior medicines once circulated in the world. During the reign of Emperor Jingzong of the Tang, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in the first year of the Baoli era, he ascended to Heaven in broad daylight from the Terrace of the Immortal Mei Fu, at Mount Damei, the peak of the Siming Mountains in Yin County, Mingzhou, Zhejiang. A stele beneath the terrace records this event.

A medicinal substance takes form when it encounters something with the same nature of Qi. The Great Dao exists within emptiness and accords with Nature.

Swallow one grain of the numinous elixir, and you will understand that your destiny is not decreed by Heaven.

Something existed in a state of undifferentiated wholeness before Heaven and Earth took shape. The sages, lacking a better name, called it the Dao (the Way), and also called it “the Qi of the True Unity of the Primordial Chaos”—the fundamental Qi (vital energy) that was one before Heaven and Earth were divided. It cannot be seen, heard, or touched. The sages attuned themselves to it through the “Qi of the First Quarter Moon at the Two-Eight Stage,” a term for the Qi arising from the interaction of Yin and Yang, like the moon’s first quarter. In response, the numinous mechanism descended and congealed in the mysterious void into something the size of a grain of millet. Taking it into the abdomen establishes “the cinnabar of Qian and Ji”—a term from internal alchemy—and transforms one into a body of pure Yang, enduring as long as Heaven and Earth.

Zhaoyuanzi says: “Life and death, and the Dao, are bound up with the nature and life bestowed by Heaven and Earth. At their root, nature and life belong to mercury and lead”—terms that, in internal alchemy, stand for the essences of Yin and Yang. Does this not show that “my fate is in my own hands, not determined by Heaven”?

The White Tiger of the West, a symbol of Metal and Yin in internal alchemy, is surging fiercely; the Azure Dragon of the East, a symbol of Wood and Yang, is likewise powerful and difficult to control.

Seize them with both hands and make them unite in a fierce coupling; in the end, refine them into a single mass of purple-gold frost, that is, the Golden Elixir.

This passage speaks in outward images; see the note to the earlier regulated verse, “When the Five Phases are complete, the Dragon and Tiger coil together,” for a related explanation. Purple-gold frost means the Golden Elixir. Haichan Weng says: “With the left hand seize the Azure Dragon by the head; with the right, pull the White Tiger by the tail. Bring them together and swallow them in one gulp; you will find them wonderfully sweet. On closer examination, they are nothing but Metal in Water. Only by grasping the mystery within can one truly understand the essential principle.” These words may serve as confirmation. Some who have never heard the Great Dao indulge in wild conjecture, explaining “both hands” as two beasts. This is truly laughable and far from the real principle.

Set up the furnace and cauldron—images in internal alchemy for the body, mind, and conditions of cultivation—following the pattern of Heaven and Earth, Qian and Kun. Refine the essence to regulate and nurture the Po and Hun. Gathering, separating, and binding all bring about transformation. How could anyone presume to discuss this mysterious principle as though it were an ordinary matter?

The commentary explains: When the various forms of Yang Qi gather, they form Heaven. Heaven is above, yet cannot moisten what lies below. When the various forms of Yin Qi gather, they form Earth. Earth is below, yet cannot send warmth upward. This means that Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, do not meet and unite. If they did not meet and unite, how could change arise and the myriad things come into being? Although Heaven is composed of Qi at the height of Yang, it contains a portion of Yin Qi and can therefore descend. Although Earth is composed of Qi at the height of Yin, it contains a portion of Yang Qi and can therefore rise. The two Qi, Yin and Yang, join and blend, and the myriad things come into being from them. This means that change arises only when the Qi of Heaven and Earth unite.

In cultivating the Way of the Golden Elixir, one must set up a furnace and cauldron to warm, nurture, refine, and transform the essences, using them to regulate the souls. All of this follows the principles of Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth, and of mother and child giving rise to one another. The song says: “When essence joins with essence, no other ingredient need be added; when Qi blends with Qi, nothing need be said.” The Golden Elixir forms by Qi joining and congealing with Qi of its own kind. Thus it is said, “Only when the medicine meets Qi of its own kind can it take shape.” At first, it brings being forth from nonbeing, then returns being to nonbeing. What is formless can nevertheless bring about change, and so change has no end. This is a celestial secret; how could one dare say more?

The explanatory commentary says: “Bringing being forth from nonbeing” refers to the outer medicine, the substance obtained through external refinement. With the aid of the true One Qi within the Void, something without substance is given form; this does not mean creating form from something that already has form. “Transforming being into nonbeing” refers to the inner medicine, the substance obtained through internal refinement. Once the outer medicine has formed, it is taken into the five organs, where it transforms the body’s limbs and bones, turning the formed body into Qi. “Formless, yet able to bring about change” means that once both the inner and outer medicines have been perfected, Qi transforms into Shen. After nine years of embracing the Origin—a term for preserving original Qi and cultivating over a long period—Shen becomes formless, and its transformations are beyond measure. If a person can grasp this supreme Way of bringing being forth from nonbeing, they can cultivate and transform themselves step by step.

Even the words people commonly say contain the supreme Way; one should search them carefully.

If one can seek in the opposite direction amid daily life, even the dust and sand of the earth can be transformed into treasures.

The commentary explains: True Lead and true Mercury, symbolic terms in Neidan cultivation, are not separate from the things of everyday life. If one reverses ordinary understanding in cultivation, even the dust and sand of the earth can become treasures. An ancient song says: “Every day they are in your home; every day they follow you, yet you do not know.”

Although their names differ, few people know that they come from the same source. The principles behind the changes of Yin and Yang are exceedingly profound; they are the key to cultivation.

Only by understanding the patterns of increase and decrease can one preserve life and nourish the body. The Purple Gold Elixir is the most subtle and wondrous of treasures.

The Dao De Jing says, “The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the named is the root of the myriad things.” It also says, “These two emerge from the same source, though they have different names.” Before it appears, it is called “the Nameless”: the Qi of the True Unity is invisible, so it is called the beginning of Heaven and Earth. When it appears, the Qi of the True Unity takes the subtle form of a “millet grain,” manifesting in the hidden and mysterious realm; thus it is called the root of the myriad things.

In Heaven it is called “Li” and likened to mercury; on Earth it is called “Kan” and likened to lead. They share the same source, yet take different names when they manifest. This principle of one source with different names is called “the mystery within mystery.” In cultivation, grasp the hidden workings of these two changes, understand the patterns of increase and decrease, and use them to regulate and nourish yourself. In this way, you can preserve the body and nourish life.

The “two” referred to here are the two Qi of Yin and Yang. “Diminution” refers to the Five Phases moving in their ordinary sequence, as the myriad things are born, pass away, and change in accordance with the natural order. Ah, the pure Yang Purple Gold Elixir is established as the beginning of Heaven and Earth; when it manifests, it becomes the root of the myriad things. Calling it “the most wondrous and wondrous of Purple Gold Elixirs” shows that the Immortal Master had a profound intention, difficult to express fully.

The commentary says: In the heavens, the sun belongs to the Li trigram and is called mercury. Fire by nature rises upward, so it belongs to Li. All things that originate in Heaven tend upward. Wood can generate fire, and is therefore also called lead. Heaven belongs to Yang, yet contains Yin Qi; the cold, austere Qi of Yin descends from the heavens.

On earth, water belongs to the Kan trigram and is called silver. Water by nature moistens and flows downward, so it belongs to Kan. All things that originate in Earth tend downward. Water can generate metal, and is therefore also called lead. Earth belongs to Yin, yet contains Yang Qi; the bright, ardent Qi of Yang rises from the earth.

Heaven and Earth each hold their place, and the sun and moon take visible form: all are results of transformations between the Yin quality of water and the Yang quality of fire. Fire rises, light and clear, bright on the outside and dark within; water flows downward, heavy and turbid, bright within and dark on the outside. Once Heaven, Earth, the sun, and the moon have taken shape, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) also assume concrete forms between Heaven and Earth.

When struck, metal produces fire; when melted, it becomes liquid. Wood produces fire when drilled, and can also yield water when pressed. Earth is formed through fire and moistened by water. Wood is not merely a medium for fire. The two Qi of water and fire are present throughout metal, wood, and earth. Water and fire cannot by themselves create or kill people; metal, wood, and earth cannot harm people by themselves either. Their effects arise only when people put them to use. The water and fire among the Five Phases, too, each receive the full endowment of Qi.

All things between Heaven and Earth belong to the Five Phases; the Five Phases, in turn, are inseparable from Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang both emerge from Taiji (the source from which all things arise before differentiation). They share the same source, though they have different names. Their root lies in the Mysterious Female, the source through which Yin and Yang generate the myriad things; they both emerge from the true unity of Taiji. Their differentiation, however, takes different forms: the Qi of true unity divides into Yin and Yang, which become the Mysterious Female of each. Both aspects of the Mysterious Female emerge from the undivided Qi of Taiji. Once they take concrete form, each receives its own pure nature and its proper place. By cultivating in a way that reverses the ordinary order, one can refine the Purple-Gold Elixir, the elixir sought in Neidan (internal alchemy).

Light is contained within darkness; this is called the Elixir Mother, the root from which the elixir forms. The female is concealed within the male; this is the Sacred Embryo, the true Qi gestating through Neidan cultivation.

Taiyi, the Qi of supreme unity, must be carefully guarded within the furnace. When the precious Qi gathers in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (the three centers used in Neidan cultivation), they correspond to the Three Platforms, the celestial star officials.

The commentary says: Extracting silver from lead symbolizes the foundation of the elixir; drawing mercury from cinnabar symbolizes the sacred embryo, the elixir body formed through Neidan cultivation. These two forces respond to one another, combine to form the Qi of True Unity, and condense in the Great Unity furnace. The practitioner must carefully regulate the firing process and quietly observe its principles, allowing no deviation in cultivation. Only then can the three qualities converge and form the elixir treasure, corresponding above to the three Tai stars in the heavens. Great Unity refers to the Qi of True Unity.

The explanatory note says: “Extracting silver from lead” and “drawing mercury from within cinnabar” both use external substances as metaphors for the interaction of Yin and Yang. They do not mean that one should literally refine lead and mercury and consume them. People who fail to understand this mistake metaphor for actual alchemical refining and elixir consumption, then mislead others with erroneous interpretations. In his notes on the poems “The Golden Cauldron Would Keep the Mercury Within Cinnabar” and “The Red Dragon and Black Tiger Join East and West,” Wumingzi likewise uses extracting silver from lead and drawing mercury from cinnabar as metaphors. Read these poems carefully and it becomes clear that the “two substances” are Yin and Yang forces capable of transforming the Qi of True Unity; no quantity of lead or mercury can accomplish this.

In the “crescent-moon furnace,” which symbolizes Yin, the Qi of the jade elixir arises; in the “cinnabar tripod,” which symbolizes Yang, the Qi of mercury becomes calm. Only when the firing process is properly regulated and the Qi of Yin and Yang is harmonized can the sprout of the Qi of True Unity be nurtured. It gradually grows into the yellow sprout and finally condenses in the Yellow Court into a millet pearl, the tiny round pearl formed by the Neidan elixir.

Before the Returning Elixir has been formed, do not withdraw to the remote mountains. Everything inside and outside the mountains is not true lead.

This most precious treasure is something every household and every person already possesses, yet people in the present age have not fully recognized it.

The commentary says: The true dragon is not in the east, in the place called Dongqi, nor is the true tiger in the mountains of the west. Each person already possesses this fundamental nature. By reversing the ordinary course of life’s transformations through cultivation, one may hope to refine the Returning Elixir, the Elixir obtained through internal alchemy. Even if one recognizes cinnabar and black lead, it is useless without understanding the firing times: the right timing and measure in the process of refinement and cultivation. In short, alchemy depends entirely on cultivation. The slightest error prevents the Elixir from forming. The transformation of the Golden Elixir depends entirely on “Ding Gong,” the key figure who directs and governs the firing times. A hair’s breadth of error can lead a thousand miles astray. Thus the sages passed down the ingredients but not the firing times. Their subtle principles must be discussed carefully with genuine practitioners.

The explanatory commentary says: Cinnabar and black lead here are not tangible minerals. They refer to elements of cultivation represented by internal alchemy terms such as the true dragon and true tiger. Recognizing these elements without understanding the firing times still cannot bring the Elixir to completion. A poem by Daoguang says, “Those who share the same aspirations and follow the same path must cultivate together with care, never forgetting to remain alert; the work of advancing the fire must be carefully regulated.” Chen Nixuan’s poem says, “Without companions who share one’s path to offer reminders and seek confirmation together, the firing times within the furnace may well go wrong.” Cultivation therefore often requires the help of true companions on the Way. Even the slightest deviation prevents the Elixir from forming. Only by meeting a genuine teacher can one understand the Great Dao. The firing times are transmitted mind to mind, not set down in writing; their hidden workings are so profound that even Heaven watches over them. The phrase “When the wind rises and green appears, know it and cultivate swiftly” is meant to remind practitioners to apply themselves promptly when they notice signs of progress.

When the Four Symbols—the elements of cultivation referred to by terms such as the dragon and tiger, lead and mercury—come together, the wondrous original substance takes shape. Where the Five Directions—east, south, west, north, and center—turn, a purple radiance appears.

After the embryo is shed, the Elixir enters the mouth, opening the way to the sacred. Countless divine dragons behold it and are struck with awe.

The commentary says: When the dragon and tiger unite, the Four Symbols come together, and the Five Directions begin to move. Once the Four Symbols and Five Directions converge, the substance of the “True Unity” congeals, as small as a millet grain, and gives off a purple radiance. The practitioner secretly refines it according to the firing times, gathers the Elixir, and takes it into the mouth, thereby entering a wondrous realm. How could countless divine dragons behold it without being astonished and filled with reverence?

When cultivation first involves concrete practices, everyone eagerly seeks it out. Only as cultivation reaches the realm of Wuwei (non-action) do people gradually understand its principle.

People see only that Wuwei is the Dao’s essential nature, but do not realize that cultivation through deliberate action is its foundation.

A commentary says: Some people in the world study the Buddhist teachings on the nature of mind and believe that all deliberate action is illusory. They use this view to disparage Laozi’s teachings on the way of life. They understand one side but not the other. They have seen the entrance, but have not truly entered the hall.

How could they know that cultivating the way of life begins with deliberate action? Refining the elixir transforms the body. In the intermediate stages, cultivation still involves action: refining the body transforms it into Qi. Only at the end does one attain freedom in Wuwei. For example, one may face a wall for nine years and hold to the One, keeping the spirit focused, until the mind grows still and empty and one’s original nature appears. This nature is Shen. Shen and nature are originally one; their transformations and manifestations have no fixed form. When nine years of cultivation are complete, Qi naturally transforms into Shen, and Shen naturally joins with the Dao.

Thus both body and spirit reach a state of profound mystery. When Shen joins with the Dao, the body no longer appears. Once the body has dissolved and become formless, how can the earlier cultivation through deliberate action be called illusory? How can one say that nature is not life, or life is not nature? When distinctions are made, one is called nature and the other life; when they are brought together, they have never been different. This path of cultivation therefore proceeds from action to non-action, from Wuwei to Wuwei, and from form to formlessness.

This principle is exceedingly profound, beyond the understanding of those whose insight is limited. The Immortal Master therefore composed a poem to warn later students: do not see only that Wuwei is the key and the mystery; recognize that deliberate action is the foundation for attaining a state beyond action.

Another version of the commentary says: “When cultivation first involves action, everyone eagerly seeks it out” refers to the return of the first Yang, when Yang Qi begins to revive, and to taking in the Qi of Metal and Water from the two arcs. Only someone with spiritual awareness can know of this; even ghosts and spirits cannot perceive it, and divination cannot predict it. Once the Golden Elixir has been completed, its transformations are boundless, and ordinary people cannot know them. People see only that cultivation through Wuwei is the most subtle. How could they know that drawing upon Yin-Yang and gathering Lead and Mercury, terms from Neidan cultivation, are tasks undertaken at the very beginning of practice? This is the deliberate work that lays the foundation.

The commentary says: “Action” and “non-action” belong to two paths: the cultivation of nature and the cultivation of life. Practice should proceed in sequence, with each stage brought to completion: from the beginning, through the middle, and finally to the end. Forming the Elixir takes only a moment; gestating it takes ten months; embracing the One takes nine years. Only through these stages can nature and life be brought together as one, reaching the wondrous realm beyond form and then experiencing the mystery that “life is not nature, and nature is not life.”

People often confuse the school that focuses on cultivating nature with the cultivation of life through the Golden Elixir. Without personally realizing the state of true emptiness, they rely only on knowledge passed on by word of mouth. They abandon being and cling to nonbeing, mistaking inert emptiness for a way to escape birth and death. Many also believe that one’s original nature is itself the Golden Elixir. How, then, could they truly cultivate the Way of complete nature and life?

Seek visible forms amid the elusive and indistinct; search for true Jing and Qi within the deep and obscure.

Being and nonbeing respond to one another and blend together. If you have not yet seen how they come into being, how can you imagine the result from nothing?

The commentary explains: The form that appears amid the indistinct is the dragon’s “chord Qi”; the Jing and Qi contained in the depths of obscurity are the tiger’s “chord Qi.” Chord Qi is the movement of Qi when dragon and tiger respond to one another; both have Qi but no substance. What is indistinct and obscure, invisible to the eyes and inaudible to the ears, is the Qi of True Unity—the pure, primal Qi spoken of in Daoism. The Qi of True Unity is extraordinarily numinous, yet has no form.

Zhenyizi says: “Nonbeing” is the dragon, and “being” is the tiger; “nonbeing” is mercury Qi, and “being” is lead Qi. Nonbeing takes on form when stirred by being; being undergoes wondrous transformation in response to nonbeing. Thus one may attain the vision of a millet pearl suspended in empty space, like purple frost glowing in the sunlight. Those whose minds are dull, who do nothing but indulge in empty imaginings amid the turmoil of the ordinary world, are truly to be pitied.

The Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three) says, “Being” and “Nonbeing” constrain one another; the upper part is called “Being,” and the lower part “Nonbeing.” The Perfected Peng understood twenty interpretations and distilled them into two. Here, Wumingzi cites the idea that “Being and Nonbeing constrain one another” to point to the crucial secret of refining the Great Elixir—the meaning contained in the two words “Lead and Fire.”

A close reading of this poem shows that it begins with “Misty and indistinct” and “Dark and obscure,” then sums up its meaning at the end with “Being” and “Nonbeing.” It should therefore be understood according to the scheme “the upper part is Being, the lower part is Nonbeing.” Yet one should not be bound by the commentary’s wording. The Jinbi Shangjing (Upper Scripture of Gold and Jade) says, “Bring the two Nonbeings back to one Being.” Those who understand the Dao do not cling to words. Once they have truly grasped it, their application will accord with it at every turn.

Ou Yezi, the renowned swordsmith of the Spring and Autumn period, personally taught the art of forging swords. He combined metal with water, bringing hardness and softness into harmony.

Once forged, the sword seemed able to understand a person’s intent. Even from ten thousand li away, it could swiftly strike down evil forces like a flash of lightning.

The commentary says that when Ou Yezi forged swords, the heavens often sent a goddess to teach him the methods of the furnace fire and to oversee the written records. Once one fully understands the principle, its application will accord with it at every turn.

When Ou Ye, the famous ancient swordsmith, forged swords, legend said that Heaven often sent a divine maiden to teach him the art of tending the furnace. Using metal and water as his materials, he harmonized softness with strength. Once the treasured sword was forged, it could strike down evil with the speed of lightning. It was extraordinary and numinous.

The sage’s refining of the Returning Elixir, obtained through Neidan (internal alchemy), is much like forging this sword. Heaven and Earth serve as the furnace; Yin-Yang as water and fire. The Five Phases are brought into accord, and Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) are regulated. Once refined, the sword can bend and extend, be soft or strong, and change with circumstances, taking either a round or square form. As soon as a thought arises in the heart and the mind inclines in a certain direction, the sword can perceive a person’s intent and strike swiftly, like a flash of lightning, to destroy and eradicate. This is the Natural Spirit Sword.

A practitioner refining the Elixir who lacks this sword is like someone trying to catch fish and rabbits without a bamboo fish trap or a snare. Xian Huang uses the story of Ou Ye’s swordsmithing as a metaphor. What he is really saying is that the Mysterious Pearl—the wondrous true nature cultivated through Neidan—cannot be sought by clinging to outward forms. “Wangxiang” means without form or trace, and refers to the secret of Heaven’s workings.

The commentary explains: Swords forged through refinement each have their own uses. The Natural Sword, by contrast, is the wondrous efficacy revealed when the Returning Elixir transforms and returns to its origin. Like the treasured sword forged by Ou Ye, it possesses numinous power.

When deploying it, one must distinguish the two armies, left and right. Even if the opposing force is powerful, let it take the position of host and occupy the position of guest oneself. I urge you not to underestimate the enemy on the battlefield, lest you lose your own priceless treasure.

This passage mainly explains how to master the “timing of the fire” in Neidan (internal alchemy): how to regulate the changes of Yin-Yang and the rhythm of cultivation. The commentator compares the fire to a commanding general. The left side represents the gentle, gradual civil fire; the right side, the forceful, rapid martial fire. A sage can compress the timing of the fire for an entire year into a month, and put the timing for a month to use within a single day.

The six double-hours from Zi to Si belong to Yang and symbolize the growth of all things in spring and summer; they are therefore called the civil fire, or Yang fire. The six double-hours from Wu to Hai belong to Yin and symbolize the decline and contraction of autumn and winter; they are therefore called the martial fire, or Yin tally. The cultivator should remain quiet and steadfast like the yielding “guest,” avoid striving for dominance or advancing rashly, and let the other party occupy the host’s position. This expresses the need to guard carefully against danger and treat the timing of the fire with reverence. The commentator draws on military strategy—“rest while the opponent grows weary” and “direct the opponent’s movements without being controlled by them”—to explain this principle.

The Dao’s workings are expressed through water and fire, but how water and fire are used depends on the person. The cultivator first uses the clepsydra, an ancient timekeeping device, to distinguish Zi and Wu, then takes the changes of Yin-Yang as the foundation of cultivation. The sixty-four hexagrams, which symbolize changes in Yin-Yang, are coordinated with the Yin tally, while the twenty-four solar terms are coordinated with the Yang fire. By mastering the pivots of Heaven and Earth, represented by terms such as the Heavenly Pass and Earth Axis, the essentials of the seventy-two pentads—each lasting about five days and used to subdivide the changes of the solar terms—can be gathered into the cauldron: the furnace and vessel within the body used in Neidan cultivation. The vital energies of Heaven and Earth are then gathered in the embryo, the place where the internal elixir takes shape.

Cultivation requires applying the fire according to the method, adjusting it through successive increases and decreases. Every movement and stillness in the process must be handled cautiously, with no room for the slightest error. Outwardly, one follows the changes of Yin-Yang; inwardly, one cultivates the substance of the “True One,” the original Qi in its undivided purity. If the mind is not sufficiently careful and the timing of the seasonal stages is misjudged, the “Maiden” may be lost—the Maiden being a Neidan term that often refers to the Yin energy within the body. The spirit embryo in the cauldron will then fail to form, and the precious restored elixir will ultimately be lost.

Thus, those who cultivate the elixir must approach their practice as if entering battle: they must remain still and yielding, and never underestimate the task. Shangyangzi adds that the left is oneself and the right is the other party; the other party should occupy the host’s position, while oneself takes the guest’s. In other words, when the other party wants to move, one remains still.

In the commentary, the hours from Zi to Si are assigned to the “gentle fire” on the left, while the hours from Wu to Hai are assigned to the “martial fire” on the right. Natural change is used here to explain the two kinds of fire: the side that brings forth life and is mild is called “gentle,” while the side that brings withering and is fierce is called “martial.” The Song of the Cauldron and Vessel in the Cantong qi says, “Use martial fire at the beginning and end, and gentle fire in the middle.” Gentle and martial fire can also be distinguished by their intensity. Wumingzi says that the cauldron and vessel are the foundation of alchemical work, which is why the Song of the Cauldron and Vessel also discusses gentle and martial fire. Each kind of fire, however, has its proper use. This poem describes the timing and function of the fire for the inner medicine, not the outer medicine. The subtle workings of the outer medicine unfold within a single double-hour, while those of the inner medicine unfold over the course of a day. The two rely on related principles of fire timing, but use them differently.

The passage from “setting in motion the sixty-four hexagrams” to “within the embryo” comes from the preface by Zhenyizi in the Cantong qi. The sixty-four hexagrams do not all correspond to the Yin tally, nor do the twenty-four solar terms all correspond to Yang fire. The text simply uses the number of fire-timing periods in a year as a literary framework.

Do not cling to an external alchemical furnace and waste your effort. In refining the medicine, seek the “Crescent Moon Furnace”—a furnace shaped like a crescent moon, referring here to the inner furnace of Neidan practice.

Nature itself provides the true fire to warm and nourish it;

why rely on firewood and charcoal, or fan the flames?

The commentary says that Ye Wenshu identified the space between the two kidneys as the Crescent Moon Furnace, while others thought it meant the two eyes. The commentator criticizes these interpretations for failing to recognize their own errors and instead passing them on to others. The Crescent Moon Furnace is a furnace whose opening faces upward and spreads like a crescent moon; it is also called the “Northern Sea.” The Primordial Qi, the original vital energy, resides within it, so there is no need for firewood and charcoal or for artificial fanning.

The “Jade Medicine” produced in the “crescent-moon furnace” is a metaphor for the external medicine within the Yin furnace. What is spoken of here, by contrast, is the internal medicine of the Northern Sea. The scripture uses these names again and again as metaphors. If people do not understand the master’s true meaning and cling only to the literal words, they can easily become confused. Unless they can bring these expressions together, they will also struggle to grasp their subtle principle. The so-called natural True Fire is described metaphorically through the large and small furnaces and cauldrons: gather it back into oneself and use it to refine the Golden Elixir from liquid gold. It is not a Yin substance inside the body.

The Mysterious Pearl takes on visible form and grows along with Yang Qi. When Yang Qi reaches its height, Yin Qi gradually arrives, and the form of the elixir fades in turn.

When the tenth month comes, at Frost Descent, and the Return Elixir is about to mature, even spirits and ghosts are astonished.

The commentary explains: The Golden Elixir from liquid gold becomes manifest because, beginning at the winter solstice, one preserves the fire of a single Yang and follows the growth of Yang Qi, refining it into the substance of liquid gold. At the summer solstice, one then turns to Yin Fire. Yin Qi grows ever stronger, and only by the tenth month does the Return Elixir reach maturity. The practitioner casts off the ordinary mortal body and transforms into an immortal of pure Yang; spirits and ghosts are naturally astonished and pay their respects.

To understand how to refine and nourish the Return Elixir, one should sow and cultivate it in one’s own garden.

There is no need to fan the fire deliberately or exert force. Follow the natural course, and the fruit will ripen; from this, the numinous embryo will emerge transformed.

The commentary explains: This medicine can be refined only by seeking something of the same kind within oneself. This Way is close at hand, not far away. It is like sowing seeds in one’s own garden: plant them and they will grow, showing how near it is. If the seed is not of the same kind as what one seeks, success will be difficult; if it is of the same kind, success will come as easily as turning over one’s hand. The Cantong qi says, “With things of the same kind, the work is easy; with things of different kinds, success is hard.”

The explanatory note says: The earlier verses speak of “keeping the mind focused on the medicine furnace and observing the firing times,” and also say “the natural true fire comes of itself to warm and nourish.” The words here, “without borrowing the breath or exerting deliberate effort,” mean the same thing. Taken together, they refer to the inner medicine—the substances and functions used in internal cultivation of the human body.

The earlier phrases “setting up the furnace and establishing the cauldron,” “seeking, returning, and refining,” and “the Great One in the furnace” likewise mean the same thing. Taken together, they refer to the outer medicine—the external substances and furnace and cauldron used in the alchemical process. The “this thing” mentioned here refers to the Yang Elixir. Because the Yang Elixir is of the same kind as one’s own being, it easily condenses into a fetal cauldron. Ni Jiu says, “Within the body, an acre serves as the home garden”; this is what he means.

Without receiving instruction from a master, one should not force an interpretation based on guesswork. I was fortunate to receive this teaching, and hope that everyone may understand it readily and together attain the immortal Way. So, finding the original annotations insufficiently clear, I have explained their meaning further and grouped the poems and lyrics by category. Yet even among things that are easy to understand, there are matters that are difficult to grasp. I dare not write them lightly in a book and disclose them.

If those who study the way of immortality have an affinity for it from an early age and obtain this book, they can read the annotations and explanatory notes and understand the path of cultivation without going astray. If they grasp it fully, one day they will attain the Great Way. This writing is a secret treasure of the immortals, naturally protected everywhere by divine spirits. Should it not be treasured and studied deeply?

When the Rabbit Month and Rooster Month arrive, Punishment and Virtue come to the door. This is precisely a sign of the medicine’s transformation.

At this time, the Golden Elixir should undergo the bathing process. If the fire continues to be applied, there is a danger of collapse.

The annotation says: Rabbit Month refers to the second month, which corresponds to Virtue; Rooster Month refers to the eighth month, which corresponds to Punishment. In both months, bathing should take place. Continuing to apply the fire brings danger. Bathing is a technical term in Neidan cultivation: at a particular stage, it means stopping or adjusting the firing process so that the elixir can be nurtured.

The commentary says that some interpretations hold that the second month belongs to De (Virtue/Power), while the eighth month belongs to punishment. Yet in the line “When the forces of Obstruction and Peace first meet, the myriad things flourish,” it says the second month belongs to punishment and the eighth month to De. This is because in the second month, all things sprout and grow—a time that is fundamentally De, though leaves may also fall and wither, so punishment is contained within De. The eighth month is a time of decline and killing, fundamentally a time of punishment, though wheat seedlings also begin to sprout, so De is contained within punishment. Thus, punishment and De are discussed here as interwoven.

As the two Qi of Heaven and Earth, Obstruction and Peace, begin to meet, the myriad things gradually flourish. The hexagrams Zhun and Meng, which symbolize the first stirrings of things and their unformed state, receive the Qi of the hexagrams and take in the generative force.

It is enough to understand the meaning of these lines; there is no need to fixate on the hexagram images. Examining the hexagram lines—the Yin-Yang symbols within a hexagram and their positions—in fine detail would only waste one’s mental energy.

The winter and summer solstices mark the points when Yin Qi and Yang Qi begin to shift over the course of the year. The hours of Zi and Wu mark the beginnings of the daily cycle. The sages used “Yin tally and Yang fire,” a metaphor in alchemy for changes in Yin-Yang and the timing of the fire, following the patterns of ascent and descent in Heaven and Earth and the movement of the sun and moon. They gathered the changes of the four seasons, the eight seasonal nodes, the twenty-four solar terms, and the seventy-two pentads, and arranged them within the cauldron and furnace. From this, the “body of True Unity”—the pure, unified body described in Neidan cultivation—comes into being.

The principle is simple, and the method is not complicated; there is no need for deliberate contrivance. The ancients therefore used the images of the hexagrams to explain it, assigning the changes across a thirty-day month to the hexagrams in order to clarify their subtleties and the timing of the fire. The images of the hexagrams and their lines are only aids to understanding, so there is no need to cling to them. The Zhun and Meng hexagrams stand at the head of the hexagrams. They symbolize the beginning of directing the fire to refine the Elixir, as well as the source from which all things arise and receive the workings of creation. Thus morning corresponds to Zhun, and evening to Meng.

The Pi and Tai hexagrams symbolize the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang Qi through the seasons. At the spring equinox in the second lunar month, Yang Qi rises to the space between Heaven and Earth, and Yin and Yang are evenly balanced. The weather is mild, neither cold nor hot. This is represented by the Tai hexagram, and is also like the climate at the moon’s first quarter. At this time, the two Qi naturally meet, so the sages apply no further fire. This is called “bathing,” an alchemical term for pausing or adjusting the fire at this point.

At the autumn equinox in the eighth lunar month, Yin Qi descends to the space between Heaven and Earth, and Yin and Yang are again evenly balanced. The weather is cool, neither hot nor cold. This is represented by the Pi hexagram, and is also like the climate at the moon’s last quarter. At this time, the two Qi naturally meet, so the sages add the water phase. This too is called “bathing.” Thus the immortal master says: “In the months and at the times of the Rabbit and Rooster, punishment and virtue arrive at the gate, and the image of the Elixir appears.” The Rabbit month refers to the second lunar month, and the Rooster month to the eighth. Calling the second month “punishment” and the eighth “virtue” explains the changes of Yin and Yang at these two seasonal points and the corresponding images of the alchemical medicine.

Those who cultivate Neidan need only grasp the meaning conveyed by the four hexagrams Zhun, Meng, Pi, and Tai; there is no need to fixate on every hexagram and line and waste their effort. With compassion, the immortal master has pointed directly to the shortcut in cultivation.

The commentary says: The Pi and Tai hexagrams symbolize the months of bathing. In the twelve months of the year, the embryo forms over ten months, while the remaining two are devoted to bathing. The Zhun and Meng hexagrams symbolize the Sun and Moon hexagrams. Together they have twelve lines, corresponding to the twelve double-hours of the day. Of the sixty-four hexagrams, once Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li—the four hexagrams representing Yin and Yang, male and female—are set aside, the remaining sixty correspond to the thirty days of a month.

The distance covered by the rising and descending movement of Heaven and Earth is reckoned as eighty-four thousand li. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the movement has covered exactly twenty-four thousand li and reached its midpoint. This is why the balanced state of Yin and Yang in the Pi and Tai hexagrams is used as a comparison. Day and night are likewise equal in length in the second and eighth months. At the Moon’s first and last quarters, Metal and Water each account for half a jin, signifying that the two are equal.

When the monthly hexagrams are used to explain the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang in people, Tai corresponds to the first month and Pi to the seventh, not to the second month. The Cantong qi (a Daoist alchemical classic) says, “The Great Strength hexagram corresponds to the mao hour and should be observed; in mid-autumn, the Observance hexagram serves as the sign.” The second and eighth months correspond to the Great Strength and Observance hexagrams. In his commentary on Tai, Perfected Peng says that when Yin and Yang are balanced, male and female unite. In his commentary on Pi, he says that Heaven and Earth are at rest and Yin and Yang do not mingle. This is because they do not mingle when the two sides are evenly matched, but do so when one is greater and the other lesser. When Yang is above and Yin below, they do not mingle; when Yin is below and Yang above, they do. This is how things operate. Once this is understood, there is no need to cling to the hexagram lines or let the hexagram images lead one’s thoughts astray.

The methods set out in the hexagram images were originally meant to model the workings of Heaven and Earth. Once their symbolism is grasped, the literal words can be forgotten and the meaning becomes clear on its own.

Those deluded in the world cling only to the hexagram images, go against the principles governing the movement of hexagram Qi, and expect to ascend to immortality through them.

The hexagram images are simply tools for metaphorically describing how the firing process is applied, like a bamboo fish trap or a snare for catching rabbits. After reading the Book of Changes (Yijing), the perfected man Wei Boyang grasped how Golden Elixir cultivation works. He saw that it accords with the principles of the Yijing, so he wrote the Cantong qi (“Token for Joining the Three”), using the hexagram images of the Zhouyi to explain the methods of alchemy and help later generations understand cultivation.

The text compares the Qian and Kun hexagrams to the cauldron and vessel—that is, to the numinous embryo and spirit chamber within the Dantian. It compares Kan and Li to the ingredients, symbolizing the lead and mercury within the spirit chamber. Qian and Kun are the foundation of all the hexagrams, while Kan and Li represent the essential Qi of Qian and Kun. These four hexagrams therefore occupy the center, just as the numinous embryo, lead, and mercury are placed within the Dantian, where they govern external changes. They are not counted among the hexagrams used to regulate the firing process.

The other hexagram images are assigned across the course of a month to symbolize the circulation of talismanic fire—that is, the movement of the firing process during alchemical refinement. This begins with Zhun and Meng, ends with Ji Ji and Wei Ji, and then repeats, turning ceaselessly like a wheel. Two hexagrams govern each day, making sixty hexagrams over thirty days. Add the four hexagrams Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li, which symbolize the cauldron and vessel and the ingredients, and the total is sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred eighty-four lines. This also symbolizes the three hundred eighty-four lines in a year, including the intercalary month, and the Golden Elixir’s measure of “two eight for one catty”: one catty equals three hundred eighty-four zhu. All of this uses hexagram images as metaphors. Practitioners can thereby grasp how to apply the firing process; once they understand it, they can set the hexagram images aside and need not cling to the words.

Today, some Daoist practitioners fail to understand this point and instead cling to the practice of following the hexagram Qi—the rules for matching hexagram images to the days and times—exhausting themselves as they hope to ascend to immortality. Is this not foolish? Once you have caught the fish, you no longer need the bamboo trap; once you have caught the rabbit, you no longer need the snare. Yet now people mistake the tools for the goal, moving ever farther from the Dao. Lord Zhongli also said: “How can the Great Dao be explained through words alone? Wei Boyang used the Yijing to write the Cantong qi. Later generations did not understand its immortal’s metaphors and mistook the bamboo fish trap and rabbit snare for cultivation itself, then devoted their efforts to following them.” These words make the point exactly.

The commentary says: The diagram of guaqi (the movement of Qi through the trigrams) circulating in the world assigns sixty hexagrams to the days and hours of the year, then matches the number of breaths to each line in order to infer changes in Water and Fire, Yin and Yang. If one simply clings to the hexagram images when practicing, how could one understand that the Great Way of the Golden Elixir uses the images of the Yijing merely as a tool for explanation? All sixty hexagrams arise from the transformations of pure Yin and pure Yang, represented by the two hexagrams Qian and Kun. Only Kan and Li receive the Yin and Yang Qi from within Qian and Kun. Thus Qian and Kun are the foundation, while Kan and Li are their function. The other hexagrams serve as symbols for cultivation, corresponding in turn to the cauldron and the ingredients; together, they represent the firing process of the cosmic circuit—a metaphor in Neidan for the movement of Yin and Yang and the advance and retreat of the firing process. The Way of the Elixir is connected with Heaven and Earth, and the hexagram images in the Yijing also take their model from Heaven and Earth. Thus the Yijing is used to explain the Way of the Elixir.

Before the Reverted Elixir has been refined, one should begin cultivation without delay. After it is achieved, one must also know when to stop. If the mind is always striving for more and cannot be content, sooner or later misfortune and disgrace will follow.

The notes say: A man’s Heavenly Gui—the vital essence associated with reproduction and growth—begins to flourish at age sixteen and is exhausted by age sixty-four. When this essence is abundant, the body is like pure Qian and weighs one jin. By age twenty, one liang of Mercury has been lost; by thirty, four liang have been lost. At sixty, decline becomes visible in the skin; by sixty-four, the image of pure Kun has taken shape and the vital essence is exhausted. The sun and moon move, and time passes; it does not wait for anyone. To gather and contain living Mercury, one must rely on Lead—a term in Neidan often paired with Mercury, referring to the force used in cultivation to subdue and gather the vital essence. Work on refining the Reverted Elixir should begin early. Once it is achieved, preserve one’s original nature with single-minded sincerity and reverence. If one is not content and remains attached to endless striving, misfortune and disgrace may instead be brought on.

Master Zhongli says: Once the Elixir has been fully refined, there is no need to continue the firing process; applying more Fire will only damage it. One need only preserve it carefully and keep it from being diminished. When thirsty, drink; when hungry, nourish yourself; when tired, sleep. If one can also understand the mind and see one’s nature, then, after nine years facing a wall—a saying for prolonged quiet cultivation—the Way of cultivation can be made still more expansive.

The commentary says that Lü Chunyang met Perfected Master Zhengyang at the age of sixty-four, that Ge Xianweng met Perfected Master Zheng at sixty-four, and that Ma Ziran met Perfected Master Haichan at sixty-four. Each later cultivated the Great Way of the Golden Elixir. After alchemical cultivation reaches completion and fetal breathing matures, one must continue cultivating and refining for ten months, a stage called “shedding the womb.” Afterward comes “bathing”: continued regulation and purification. There is no need to wait until a full year has passed, or until the winter solstice, before beginning the next stage of cultivation.

The Four Hundred Characters on the Golden Elixir says: “The winter solstice is not at the hour of Zi; when it is time for bathing, drinking wine at the hour of Mao is only an empty analogy.” Shi Xinglin says: “The winter solstice is not at the hour of Zi, and bathing is not at the hours of Mao or You.” Daoguang says: “After shedding the womb, one must bathe and nurture it; this is how the Way endowed by Heaven is brought to rest.” Here, “winter solstice” and “Mao and You” borrow the language of seasons and hours to describe stages of alchemical cultivation; they do not mean that one should act solely according to the calendar.

Why did the three immortals succeed even though they began cultivating the Dao at sixty-four? The author replies that they had resolved to seek the Dao, observed precepts, and accumulated De from an early age. Only at sixty-four did they receive the true transmission of the Golden Elixir, which is why they succeeded so quickly. People in the world who indulge their desires deplete their Jing and Qi; excessive worry injures their Shen; and overexertion dissipates their original Qi. Once true Yang has been depleted, even hearing of the Great Way before the age of sixty-four is unlikely to lead to success in cultivation.

If you can restrain your desires when young and seek the Dao in your prime, while your body has not yet declined and your Jing and Qi are not yet depleted, then, upon meeting a teacher and grasping the essential instructions, you should begin cultivating as soon as possible. If you have not yet met a teacher, do not squander your Jing and Qi recklessly or overwork your body. Accumulate De, nurture yourself, and wait for the right encounter; only then is there hope.

The Dao transmitted by the three immortals is recorded in the classics, where the relevant accounts can be consulted. Perfected Master Zhengyang once showed Lü Chunyang several pellets of elixir and said that they were not the five metals and eight minerals of the mundane world—the mineral ingredients commonly used in alchemy—but were compounded from rare treasures of this world. They have substance, yet no graspable form, like clouds, fire, light, and shadows: they can be seen but not held. After they are taken, they unite a person’s Hun and consciousness, making them light, numinous, and subtle. They are not an elixir with a tangible form.

Ge Xianweng’s Song of the Flowing Pearl says: “Flowing Pearl, Flowing Pearl—you make me toil and hurry about. I roam the four seas, search through the classics, and ask questions everywhere, so busy that I neglect sleep and food. I have visited all my friends and exhausted my cinnabar, mercury, and other alchemical ingredients. For twenty years, day after day, I have sighed. Now I am sixty, and seem about to fall into the Three Paths. Fortunately, I received my master’s instruction and grasped the principles of original Qi and emptiness. First I settle the Golden Cauldron, then the Jade Furnace; I stir it with Li fire and take Kan water as my measure. Once the Jade Liquid has moistened it, it flows into the inner chamber. The essential teaching transmitted by the Perfected One requires the resolve of a great man. Keep it constantly in mind, and do not forget.”

Ma Ziran’s Song of the Golden Elixir says: “At sixty-four, everyone thought I had no hope left. Fortunately, I met a direct disciple of Perfected Master Haichan. He said one thing to me then, and I understood that everything I had done before was wrong. The Way of the Returned Elixir was right before me; I simply did not know it. In the gengzi year, during the wuyin month, I met the Perfected One and personally heard the oral instructions. It is like jade hidden in stone: before it is carved, it cannot be seen; only after the stone is cut away does it appear, white as snow. There is an elixir in the Dantian, weighing sixteen liang, with Yellow Sprout growing within it. If you can have this elixir guard the Dantian, you will enjoy boundless longevity.”

The author holds that the Dao transmitted by the three immortals is the same principle taught in the Awakening to Reality. Perfected Master Zhang Zixuan lived to the age of ninety-six. On the fifth day of the third month of the renxu year, the fifth year of Yuanfeng (1082), he underwent corpse liberation, the Daoist transformation in which the physical remains are said to shed and depart. When he met his teacher and learned the Dao in Chengdu in the yichou year, the second year of Xining (1069), he was already eighty-two. He succeeded in cultivation after the age of sixty-four because he had taken good care of himself over the years and accumulated deep skill.

The Jing of the Yellow Court says: “Even at the age of one hundred and twenty, recovery is still possible. Beyond that age, it is indeed difficult to guard the Dao and cultivate. Only upon attaining the Nine-Turn Eight-Jade Elixir can one restore one’s vitality and concentrate on contemplating the Seven Primordials.” These final lines refer to the inner medicine: alchemical methods that take the body’s internal Jing, Qi, and Shen as the objects of cultivation.

Take the central Yang line from the Kan trigram, which is Yin on the outside and Yang within, and use it to transform the Yin line within the Li trigram, which is Yang on the outside and Yin within.

In this way, it can be transformed into the firm and vigorous form of the Qian trigram, a trigram of pure Yang. From then on, whether it lies hidden or appears, soars or changes, all is directed by the mind.

The commentator explains: Li is Yang on the outside and Yin within; Kan is Yin on the outside and Yang within. Using the Yang within Kan to transform the Yin within Li turns Li into Qian, the trigram of pure Yang. The Golden Elixir is called the Qi of utmost Yang, and is also known as the Yang Elixir. It congeals in the “Northern Sea”—a term in Daoist Neidan for a direction or inner symbolic place associated with Kan and Water. It then transforms one’s own Yin Mercury, a Neidan term for the Yin aspect, thereby turning it into a body of pure Yang. After that, the mind itself governs the regulation of the firing times, the drawing out and adding, and the advancing and withdrawing. “Managing the fire” here means adjusting the firing times in cultivation; “drawing out and adding, advancing and withdrawing” means regulating the firing times and the movement of Qi during the process of refinement.

The commentator also points out that some take the Gui Elixir to be the line within Kan, but that line is a tangible substance formed after Heaven and Earth came into being, not the primordial Qi that existed before their birth. To equate the heart and kidneys directly with Kan and Li would be far removed from the principle of Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth described here.

Ziye says: The Yang line in Kan was originally the Yang line in Qian. When Qian moves, its Yang line sinks into Yin and forms Kan; Qian, in turn, changes into Li. The method of cultivation is to take that single Yang from Kan and return it to the position of Li, restoring the body of pure Yang. Once this is accomplished, the method of refining the Elixir is complete.

Hiding and leaping are metaphors drawn from the changes in the six lines of the Qian trigram. They explain how the timing of the fire, the drawing off and adding of ingredients, and the advancing and retreating in alchemical practice can change in an instant. Chapter 47 of the Cantong qi assigns the six lines of the Qian trigram to six other trigrams, using them to symbolize six stages of the firing process.

“Gui-dan” is said by some to mean taking women’s menstrual blood, by others, gathering a woman’s Yin essence or absorbing the Qi of boys and girls. All these are tangible, mixed substances that arise after Heaven and Earth have taken shape. Even if a person’s breath is pure, it still belongs to the Yin category. How could it transform a body of pure Yin into an immortal of pure Yang? Some also claim that replenishing one person with another makes them “of the same kind.” But this shows they do not understand that the Qi of Heaven and Earth governs our nature and life, and that Heaven and Earth are the foundation of our bodies. When a person first receives life, could its source lie only between the two kidneys or in the birth passage? The numinous root of Heaven and Earth, the sacred mother of Yin and Yang, is the foundation on which the returned Elixir—the Elixir obtained through Neidan practice—depends. This is what “of the same kind” truly means.

Without understanding the distinction between Yin and Yang, or knowing which is host and which guest, how can one tell what counts as close and what as distant?

In bedroom arts, holding the breath and keeping watch over the Weilü point, at the base of the spine, will only needlessly cause many people in the world to die.

The commentary says: Zhongli Quan, an immortal in Daoist legend, explains that a person’s limbs and body all belong to Yin, and that people do not understand what Yang essence is. Yang essence is the essence of the True One, the Qi of utmost Yang, also called the “Yang Elixir.” A person’s own True Qi belongs to Yin and governs the body, nourishing it throughout. The Yang Elixir comes from outside and is used to regulate one’s own Yin Mercury, the Yin substance symbolized by mercury in Daoist alchemy. In this way, the Yang Elixir changes from guest to host, while one’s own Yin Mercury changes from host to guest. The two forces draw together and congeal into golden sand, no longer dispersing. Then, through the proper regulation of the firing process, they are refined into Liquid Gold and the Returned Elixir—the state of completed alchemy in Neidan practice. Thus, the Yang Elixir is outside and is called “distant”; one’s own True Qi is inside and is called “intimate.” Reverse the relationship between intimate and distant, and establish the positions of host and guest: then the Dao can be attained.

Those who are deluded do not understand this principle. Instead, they practice sexual techniques, using intercourse between men and women as a means of cultivation, forcibly sealing in their Jing and Qi, and claiming to be refining a Yin Elixir. They seek to prolong their lives but end up shortening them. This is like carrying firewood into a blaze. The Scripture of the Hidden Talisman says, “Fire arises from wood, and calamity follows.” How could one fail to take care?

The explanation says: the guest becoming host, and what is distant becoming intimate, are both mysteries of “reversal upon reversal.” Those who seal the coccygeal gate, an orifice at the base of the spine, also take this to be a method of cultivation in which the Yellow River flows backward and Yin-Yang is reversed. Many have lost their lives as a result.

When using lead, one must not use ordinary lead. And after using true lead, one must also discard it.

This is the true secret of using lead: use lead without becoming attached to lead. These words are indeed trustworthy.

The commentary says that “ore lead” refers to impurities produced after Heaven and Earth took shape, while “true lead” is the Qi of the True One. A person’s original Yang true Qi dissipates day by day, making it difficult to gather and form the sacred embryo. Therefore, sages refine true lead, gathering and subduing it until it congeals into cinnabar. Then they tend the fire each day, gradually increasing “mercury”—an alchemical term for the substance paired with lead. As mercury gradually increases and the Qi of lead gradually fades, this is the subtle art of “drawing out lead and adding mercury.”

The firing process lasts ten months, completing the cycle of the sixty hexagrams. The Qi of lead then drifts away in flakes, like dust floating in sunlight through a bright window. After nine years of preserving and holding to original Qi, the lead Qi has dispersed completely, leaving only a single, pure substance called “Qian mercury.” When lead is exhausted and mercury is dry, they transform into the Great Returning Golden Elixir, the state of completion described in Neidan (internal alchemy). The practitioner’s body becomes pure Yang, and their lifespan matches that of Heaven. Thus it is said: “Once true lead has been used up, it is cast aside.” Are the claims about using lead or not using lead empty words? Having heard the Great Dao carried to this point, one should swear an oath to Heaven in one’s heart. A master’s kindness is hard to repay; one should repay it by realizing the Great Dao. To go against the master’s teachings is to fail Heaven and Earth.

The Dao emerges from emptiness as a single Qi, and that single Qi gives rise to Yin-Yang.

Yin and Yang unite again to form the Three. The Three multiply in successive transformations, and all things flourish as a result.

The Dao is originally empty and without form, yet it can give rise to tangible Qi. Qi is originally full and substantial, yet it also appears as a formless substance. Being and nonbeing interact, and from this interaction all things come into existence. Thus, the One gives birth to the Two, the Two give birth to the Three, and the Three give birth to all things. All things turn their backs to Yin and face Yang; the two Qi blend together and form a state of harmony.

Before things take shape, the harmonious Qi of Yin and Yang is invisible. Once forms emerge, the light and clear Qi belongs to Yang, while the heavy and turbid Qi belongs to Yin. The two Qi of Yin and Yang unite and respond to one another, giving rise to the three kinds of beings: Heaven, Earth, and humanity. The Book of Changes says: “When Heaven and Earth unite, all things are transformed and nurtured to fullness; when man and woman exchange Jing, all things reproduce and grow.”

Those who attain the Dao investigate the subtle signs of these transformations and thereby recognize the source of all things. They reverse and mold the workings of Yin and Yang, overturning the usual order of creation. They take the mother Qi of Heaven and Earth as the Elixir, and the essential Qi of Yin and Yang as the Fire. In this way, they can return the body to its original state and bring Qi back to its source. Refining the body brings it back to a single Qi; refining Qi returns it to its original emptiness. The body and the Dao then become one, entering a deep and wondrous realm without form or trace, where transformations are boundless and presence and disappearance are hard to fathom. Such a person is called a “True Person.”

The commentary says: “The Elixir is the mother Qi; the Fire is essential Qi. Mother Qi is essential Qi before it has differentiated, while essential Qi is mother Qi after it has differentiated. Fire and ingredients are one and the same. The true One’s mother Qi is concealed within the essential Qi of Yin and Yang and cannot be seen directly. By making use of the essential Qi of Yin and Yang to seek it, one can obtain the Qi of the true One.” Shi Xinglin says: “The ingredient is precelestial Qi; the Fire draws upon the essence of the sun. Understand how to take the ingredient and use the Fire, and you will know for certain that the Elixir is about to be completed.” Master Wang says: “Fire is the father of the ingredient; the mother ingredient is the Fire’s descendant.”

“A fine brew, the one made on Snow Mountain, is poured into the Eastern Sun’s furnace of creation.” This line uses brewing wine as a metaphor: pouring a fine brew made on Snow Mountain into the Eastern Sun’s furnace of creation symbolizes placing the ingredients into the alchemical furnace and refining them with the proper timing and intensity of Fire to form the Elixir.

Only by traveling northwest of the Kunlun Mountains could Zhang Qian meet Magu.

The commentary says: “Snow Mountain” is white, symbolizing that the West corresponds to Metal in the Five Phases, and thus to the Golden Elixir. The Golden Elixir is rich and mellow like fermented wine. Once swallowed, it enters the “Furnace of Transformation” in the Dantian (energy center), meaning the inner site where alchemy takes place in the body. The Kunlun Mountains lie amid the waters of the sea, so “Kunlun” here actually refers to the place within the body where the firing process occurs. At the summit of Kunlun is a gate called the “Mysterious Gate,” or the Gate of Heaven. The Gate of Heaven lies in the northwest, the position of Qian. Thus the Wuzhen pian says, “Plant it in the Qian domain, where the energies unite.” Beyond the northwest, one encounters Zhang Qian and Magu.

Zhang Qian is a man, symbolizing the Qian trigram, Yang Fire, and true Mercury. Magu is a woman, symbolizing the Kun trigram, the Yin Talisman, and true Lead. Their meeting is used to explain that after the fire is kindled at Kunlun and enters through the Mysterious Gate, the true Mercury in the crucible can meet true Lead and undergo transformation. When true Lead takes in the true fire within and, outwardly, receives the image of Kun and transforms into the image of Qian, Yang Fire follows the Yin Talisman. As the two firing processes advance in turn, Lead and Mercury condense. This is the foundation of Golden Elixir cultivation. The story of Zhang Qian crossing the Celestial River on a raft and meeting the Maiden constellation is used as a metaphor for the union of Yin and Yang.

The subcommentary says: External fire is the true Qi of Heaven and Earth; internal fire is the ancestral Qi of the Primordial Sea. Only when the inner and outer fires merge and their Qi flows together can Lead and Mercury condense and the sacred embryo—the Neidan (internal alchemy) attainment formed in cultivation—take shape.

After the first quarter of the moon and before the last quarter, the medicinal substance is balanced in its nature and flavor, and its Qi is complete.

Once gathered, place it in the furnace and refine it. When it is refined, nourish it with a gentle firing process, as though cooking fresh fish.

The commentary says: On the thirtieth day of the lunar month, the Metal of the Yang Soul has vanished, while the Fire of the Yin Soul is full. Once gathered, place it in the furnace and refine it. When it is refined, nourish it with a gentle firing process, as though cooking fresh fish.

The commentary uses the changing phases of the moon to explain the alternation of Yin and Yang and the timing of the alchemical fire.

On the thirtieth day of the lunar month, the moon’s Yang soul—Metal, symbolizing Yang essence and energy—has been exhausted, while its Yin spirit—Fire, symbolizing Yin energy—fills the lunar disk. The moon therefore gives no light, like the image of pure Yin in the Kun trigram. This day is called “Darkness.” At this time the moon joins the sun. The last day of the month and the first day seem to merge into one: moon and sun rise together and set together. On the second day, the moon appears by borrowing the sun’s light, as if it were beginning to gestate, and then gradually separates from the sun. At sunset on the third day, the crescent moon appears in the western Geng position, corresponding to the west. Within pure Yin, one Yang is born, symbolized by the Zhen trigram: the soul is born within the spirit. The Metal of the Yang soul has just begun to emerge, like the first sprout of the alchemical medicine.

On the eighth day, two Yang lines have appeared, symbolized by the Dui trigram. The moon’s Yang energy has now grown halfway, and its edge is straight like a taut cord; this is why the phase is called “First Quarter.” Before First Quarter, the moon belongs to Yin; afterward, it belongs to Yang. The Yang within Yin has now reached its midpoint, called “eight ounces of Metal within Water.” Its nature and flavor are balanced, and its configuration is complete.

On the fifteenth day, all three Yang lines are present, symbolized by the Qian trigram. The Water of the Yin spirit has been exhausted, and the Metal of the Yang soul fills the lunar disk. The moon is full and has become an image of pure Yang; this phase is therefore called “Full Moon.” “When Yang reaches its extreme, Yin is born”: on the sixteenth day, one Yin appears within the purely Yang lunar disk, symbolizing the spirit arising within the soul. The moon then gradually wanes. By the twenty-third day, two Yin lines have appeared, symbolized by the Gen trigram. The moon’s Yin energy has now grown halfway, and its edge is straight like a taut cord; this phase is called “Last Quarter.” Before Last Quarter, the moon belongs to Yang; afterward, it belongs to Yin. The Yin within Yang has now reached its midpoint, called “half a catty of Water within Metal.” Its nature and flavor are balanced, and its configuration is complete.

The sages take this “essence of the Metal and Water of the two eights”—the essence and energy symbolized by Yin and Yang each reaching their midpoint—and gather it in the Furnace of Creation, a symbol of the alchemical vessel. They refine the “Qi of the True One,” the original and pure primordial energy, until it transforms into an elixir body the size of a millet grain. They place it within the five organs, then use the timing of the fire to nurture and refine it, ultimately forming the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir, the completed elixir of Daoist Neidan practice. The entire process depends on using Yin Talisman and Yang Fire, and on advancing, withdrawing, holding, and adjusting the fire. Even the slightest error will prevent the elixir from forming. By repeatedly emphasizing these points in this chapter, the Immortal Master urges practitioners to master the timing of the fire themselves and devote care to the refining. His advice carries profound meaning.

The commentary says: “Two eights” takes its image from the division of the moon’s two forces, Metal and Water; the “six periods” takes its image from the moon’s waxing and waning. Metal belongs to Yang, and Water to Yin. When the two Qi combine, they form the fire of Yin and Yang. Each period lasts five days, and together they embody the number of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

“Before the upper quarter, after” refers to the time before the first quarter moon, when Yin Qi is in front and Yang Qi behind, with Metal and Water each taking half—that is, two eights. “After the lower quarter, before” refers to the time before the last quarter moon, when Yang Qi is in front and Yin Qi behind, with Metal and Water again each taking half. Both quarter phases follow the number of two eights. The “essence of Metal and Water in two eights” spoken of by the sages means that each of the upper and lower quarter phases takes two eights, making the medicinal nature balanced and the configuration complete, so that the Elixir can form. “Medicine” here is a term from alchemy: it refers to the refined Qi and the Yin-Yang Qi used in cultivation to congeal the Elixir.

Many people mistakenly take “full moon” to mean the time for gathering the medicine. On the day of the full moon, the moon is complete, symbolizing that the Yang Metal represented by Qian, Jia, and Xu has reached a full measure of one jin. Without meeting a true master, it is difficult to understand the subtle method of the two eights. Taking eight liang of Metal and eight liang of Water in each of the upper and lower quarter phases is the true meaning of “two eights”; each phase contains the subtle principle of Metal and Water in two eights.

The maiden travels forth, each following a fixed direction; the one who goes first must travel a shorter distance, and the one who follows must travel farther. Upon returning, they enter the dwelling of the Yellow Matron and join with Metal Xi to become lifelong companions.

“Maiden,” “Yellow Matron,” and “Metal Xi” are all symbolic names in Neidan (internal alchemy). They refer respectively to refined Qi and the mediating force that work together in cultivation. The verse compares them to a man and woman joining in marriage to explain how Yin and Yang Qi move in sequence, converge, and return to their storehouse.

The annotation explains: “Nü Girl” refers to mercury, a yin substance used as a metaphor in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy). The movement of the mercury fire follows a set course: moving forward refers to the action of the external medicine, while moving backward refers to the action of the internal medicine. Thus, each movement has its own direction.

When the sages began refining the Golden Elixir, they used the mercury fire for no more than half an hour to obtain the “essence of the True One,” refine an elixir the size of a millet grain, and ingest it. The first phase of the movement was therefore brief. After taking the elixir, they used the mercury fire again to complete ten months of work, so the later phase was long.

“Yellow Granny” in the imagery of Neidan refers to the Golden Womb Spirit Chamber, the inner space where the elixir embryo is nurtured. “Golden Elder” refers to True Lead, while “Old Lad” symbolizes pure Yang. Under the action of the fire that moves outward, mercury flies into the Spirit Chamber, where it joins and interacts with True Lead, transforming into a body of pure Yang. This is why it is said to “marry the Golden Elder and become the Old Lad.” “Return” means to draw it back into the Central Palace, the central area of the body in Neidan practice.

The commentary explains: The fire used for the external medicine is called mercury fire, and so is the fire used for the internal medicine. When used with the external medicine, the fire solidifies the substance: the mercury fire coagulates, and True Lead is produced. When used with the internal medicine, one relies on both one’s own mercury fire and the mercury fire from outside to unite with True Lead and form the sacred embryo, the elixir embryo spoken of in Neidan practice. It is therefore called “Nü Girl,” and its movements are said to follow different directions.

The term “Nü Girl” originally referred to mercury, a medicinal substance that circulates throughout the body. Here, mercury means the mercury fire. Lu Ziye holds that “Nü Girl” is one’s own yin mercury. Moving forward is movement along the normal course: it runs outward in a short time. Moving backward is movement against the normal course: it circulates upward from below through the whole body, finally settling in the Central Palace, where it joins with lead and forms the sacred embryo.

Chen Shangyangzi says: “‘Maiden’ refers to one’s own essence and Qi. To say that it ‘moves along a set course’ means that essence and Qi follow a habitual path through the body. Ordinary people often suffer a depletion of essence and Qi. Even slight sexual arousal can stir the bones and channels throughout the body and agitate its marrow and essence. As desire first arises, the mind and spirit are drawn along with it; the Three Corpses—the inner spirits or desires described in Daoism—stir upward, while the Seven Po—the souls associated with the body and emotions—urge from below. Essence and Qi then rise along two channels, passing through the Five Organs to the Niwan, the upper Dantian in the head. They then descend with the marrow, traveling along the paired passes at the spine, the points used in cultivation, until they reach the external kidneys—the genitals—and are released in intercourse. This is common in the world of the Five Turbidities: essence and Qi follow their habitual course, the natural downward flow of the human body.

Cultivating the Golden Elixir is different: it uses a reversed method of circulation and follows the principle of turning the ordinary course around. Once accomplished practitioners have mastered this method, their body and mind are undisturbed, their souls are kept in check, desire cannot interfere, and essence and Qi are full, as though they had gathered a precious Golden Elixir.”