《还丹众仙论》

Huandan Zhongxian Lun, with Preface (Collected Discourses of the Immortals on the Returned Elixir)

Compiled by Yang Zaiji, the Hermit of Mount Baofu

The so-called "Returned Elixir" (huandan) begins with the "Flowery Pool" (Huachi). Within the Flowery Pool a divine water can arise, clear and subtly numinous, still and bright. When this divine water undergoes transformation, it becomes white as frost and is called the "White Metal Yellow Sprout." Next, the "essence of the three yang" is added; it is boiled in water and refined with fire. After nine rounds of refinement, it turns into a purple powder known as the "Purple River Chariot" (Ziheche). Mercury is then cast into the River Chariot and refined through another nine rounds, yielding true gold, called the "Lord of Metal" (Jingong). Finally, the Lord of Metal and mercury are joined together, so that metal and water combine, and after nine more rounds of refinement the result is called the "Golden Elixir." It is said that taking the Golden Elixir grants long life: the aged return to youth, illness disappears of its own accord, and an ordinary person becomes an immortal, naturally free from death.

To refine the Golden Elixir, one must receive the oral instructions transmitted in person by a master, for only then can one discern what is meant by lead and mercury. The lead here is not genuine black tin, nor is the mercury ordinary quicksilver; lead refers to the "essence of lead," and mercury to "cinnabar mercury." When lead and mercury unite, the Yellow Sprout is born. The Yellow Sprout is the source of the Returned Elixir and the foundation for refining the Great Medicine.

Within the "Kan-Wu Moon Lead" lies the true Tiger, and within the "Li-Ji Sun Mercury" lies the true Dragon. When Dragon and Tiger meet, they form Wu and Ji. Kan water gives rise to metal, and Li fire gives rise to wood; thus the four images are naturally complete, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are fulfilled. The Returned Elixir spoken of here is composed of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth: metal is the White Tiger, wood is the Azure Dragon, fire is the Vermilion Bird, water is the Black Tortoise (Xuanwu), and earth is the place where the four images converge. They are not the material substances of the world, such as gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin, brine salt, or ash and frost.

What the Returned Elixir speaks of is, in the end, lead and mercury. Lead meets water and loses its form; mercury meets fire and reveals its spirit-like efficacy. They arise from nothing: true lead is transformed from water, and true mercury is produced from fire. As for terms such as true lead, true mercury, divine water, Flowery Pool, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Yellow Sprout, White Snow, River Chariot, and Divine Chamber, they have been hard to understand since antiquity without the oral instructions of a master.

I, Yang Zai, am a native of Xihe in Fenyang, and I began to take an interest in the Daoist arts at the age of twenty. After more than thirty years, I met an enlightened master and received his oral instructions in person. Only then did I grasp the principles of the elixir classics (jing), understand their deep and subtle language, perceive the true workings of creation and transformation, and comprehend the mystery of "floating and sinking." On the eighth day of the eleventh month of the fourth year of the Huangyou era under Emperor Renzong of the Song, I found some leisure and selected the essential points from the elixir classics of many schools, compiling them into a single volume titled Huandan Zhongxian Lun, to leave for those who share my aspirations.

The Celestial Worthy of the Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) said: The profound and silent Dao dwells within the dim, soundless, boundless Great Void (Taixu, the primordial emptiness of Daoist thought). Its nature is clear and tranquil, with no fixed abode; when the physical body of form (the visible, bodily self) grows still, it returns to the One True Emptiness. He also said: Before Heaven and Earth were separated, they contained the "True One" (Zhenyi, the original, unified source). After the True One divided, pure Qi (the light, clear energy between Heaven and Earth) became Heaven, and turbid Qi (the heavy energy) became Earth. The Qi of the True One travels back and forth between Heaven and Earth without ceasing. Within this Qi, essences arise: the essential Qi of Heaven becomes the sun, moon, and stars, while the essential Qi of Earth becomes lead and mercury. Lead symbolizes the lunar po-soul (the Yin essence representing the moon in Daoist alchemy), and mercury symbolizes the solar hun-soul (the Yang essence representing the sun).

The Lord of the Dao (Daojun) said: The solar hun-soul and the lunar po-soul are the root of the returned elixir (huandan, the alchemical process of restoring the ingredients to unity and refining them into an elixir). When Yin Qi is obtained, it forms white-sprout cinnabar; when Yang Qi is obtained, it forms golden cinnabar. When the golden cinnabar enters the five inner organs (the five viscera), the medicinal Qi spreads like mist and moves like wind and rain, reaching the four limbs.

Laojun (Lord Lao) said: Waidan (External Alchemy) produces the divine water during the process of refining the external elixir, while Neidan (Internal Alchemy) produces the water of the Law in the stage of internal cultivation. He also said: Red lead and black lead are the key to the Great Elixir. When red lead enters black lead, true gold is formed. From red lead one takes its essence (Jing); from black lead one takes its marrow. One who knows how to use the two substances, red and black, achieves an effect beyond compare. Using red to enter black nourishes the body and brings long life; using black to enter red enables one to become a Celestial Immortal. The two substances, red and black, when joined are collectively called "Return"; the black can transform, and the red leads the way. Laojun carved these words in stone near Hangu Pass, in the area of Mount Liang.

Shennong said: Cinnabar and quicksilver are the essential Qi of the sun and moon. In the sun, it is called the bright cinnabar of sunlight, the essence of the sun; in the moon, it is called mercury, the essence of the Great Yin (Taiyin, the Yin force that stands opposite the Great Yang).

The Yellow Emperor's Nine Tripod Scripture (Huangdi Jiuding Jing) says: Lead cannot be used on its own; when employed, it must have a companion. Examine and apply it with care: lead and mercury come from the same source and can generate the golden flower, called the "Beautiful Golden Flower."

The Supreme Emperor said: "Plain-colored substances (white medicines) are light and buoyant, while the flowery grains (mineral ingredients) are regarded as very weighty by people of the world. The two ingredients, Geng and Xin, are taken only in equal measure, and after smelting they are made to harmonize with each other. The medicines display their colors and divide into male and female kinds; in the work of cultivation they must be placed in the upper part of the furnace-cauldron. When the hard and the soft are joined as one, the true medicine surpasses all other medicines."

Lord Mao exclaimed: "Within Yin there is Yang, and within Yang there is Yin; cold and heat oppose one another, like the tiger's roar and the dragon's chant. Green, black, red, and white each return to their own direction and must not be thrown into disorder, or else the governing order will be lost. Yang instead occupies the place of the minister, while Yin occupies the place of the king; the waxing and waning, the changes within them, all depend on the intention with which they are blended. In this way, the Way of Heaven will naturally run its course."

He also said: "Within the returned elixir there is no ready-made elixir, and within the elixir the returned elixir is contained. Without lead, the elixir cannot be refined; the returned elixir is born from lead."

He also said: "White snow powder and yellow gold sprouts (names of medicinal substances used in alchemy): if you do not understand their subtle mysteries, do not boast of them lightly. People of that time did not recognize the true yellow sprout and took every yellow crystal of lead to be the yellow sprout. But lead flowers are dead things; how could they become the medicine that immortals seek?"

The Spirit Chamber (the cauldron chamber used in alchemy to symbolize the transformation of the medicines) exclaimed: "Heaven and Earth are dark and yellow, and the whiteness of lead is the framework within them. The changes above and below in the Spirit Chamber do not depart from this principle. Examine and harmonize the Six-and-One (an alchemical term referring to the relevant medicines and the method of combining them), so that it corresponds with the transformations above. Emptiness and floating invite ruin; fullness is what allows one to protect oneself. The Three Terraces and Five Peaks (here referring to the astral and directional symbolism within alchemy) grow strong as they follow their circling course. Those who comprehend this attain the Dao (the Way); those who lose their way fall into madness."

Nagarjuna commented: "Thirty catties each of Yellow Dragon and Black Essence, which do not scatter when they meet fire, are the most marvelous. The bottom of the furnace should be small, and the furnace should be two fen wide; above the mouth of the furnace, open a star-path leading to the Heavenly Ford (the Milky Way). Thus, taking the White Tiger as the brain and the yellow sprout as the root, after one full cycle of refining, one may produce yellow silver."

Lord Yin said: "Golden Efflorescence that has been melted three times and refined nine times is called Old Yin, and it is cast into a cauldron. If a practitioner of the Dao can refine this cauldron, reaching the Cinnabar Mists and Azure Heavens (symbols of the realm of the immortals) will not be difficult."

He also said: "If you wish to obtain the yellow sprout, you should first let the medicines complete one cycle of refining and produce yellow silver."

Lord Yin said again: "Golden Efflorescence that has been melted three times and refined nine times is called Old Yin, and it is cast into a cauldron. If a practitioner of the Dao can refine this cauldron, reaching the Cinnabar Mists and Azure Heavens will not be difficult."

It is further said: if one wishes to obtain the "Yellow Sprout" (huangya, an alchemical term for the essence of the elixir at its first formation), one must first use "torch lead" (refined lead). Ren water cannot enter the fire directly, so how could the Yin qi of Gui unite with it? It is like a hen hatching eggs, which must wait until the full number of days has passed; once the cicada has matured, its shell splits open of its own accord.

The Jin Hu Jue of Ma Mingsheng (Ma Mingsheng jinhu jue) says: Black lead is transformed into the Yellow Sprout, and the changes within it must pass through the number nine times nine. There are only three kinds of change. When the cultivation reaches the "Purple Yang Palace" (Ziyang Gong, the immortal realm spoken of in Daoism), gold has no place left to rest.

The Jin Bi Zhe Yi Lun (Treatise on Resolving Doubts about the Gold and Jade) says: When mercury obtains the "Gold Flower" (jinhua, an alchemical term for the essence revealed through the transformation of the substances), it comes to resemble it in form and substance. This is the union of "Dragon and Tiger" (longhu, an alchemical name for lead, mercury, and related substances), and so the returned elixir is accomplished. If the Gold Flower obtains gold and silver, its form and substance can become a supreme treasure. These teachings must not be transmitted lightly. What is called the Gold Flower is nothing other than the "Jia Sprout" (jiaya, a term used in the original text whose precise meaning is uncertain).

The Bai Wen Lun (Treatise of a Hundred Questions) says: When the Perfected Person uses medicines to produce gold and silver, must there necessarily be a "mother cinnabar" (mu shazi, an alchemical term for the base or parent substance)? If one wishes to produce gold and treasure, what harm is there in having a mother medicine? The unrefined mother medicine is true silver; since it has not yet returned to the mother body, is this not reasonable? Apart from the Yellow Sprout, the supreme medicine, no other substance can subdue mercury. Mercury is never counterfeit, whereas asafoetida is never genuine; no miscellaneous substance can enter the Yellow Sprout. This is because mercury receives the essence of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and takes in pure Yang qi (Qi, vital energy); by year's end the elixir is complete, its form and bones standing firm and its spirit and qi (Shen, spirit) fully realized. When mercury has been refined in this way, how could it fail to "die"? If mixed with impure kinds, it cannot be perfected.

The Huan Dan Xin Jing (Heart Mirror of the Returned Elixir) says: Lead contains the essence of five colors, and mercury (that is, quicksilver) spits forth three kinds of blossoms. When the two are joined as one, this is called the "River Cart" (Hechē, a Neidan term for the circulation and union of the substances in the course of alchemical refinement). Ordinary people do not understand the secret and exhaust their family fortunes; those who have attained the Dao hold the key and can ascend beyond the clouds as immortals. It further says: Mercury suffers from the flaw of sinking and harming the body, and must obtain the essence of true lead. If one does not recognize the essence of true lead, then even after many kalpas of cultivation nothing will ever be achieved.

Yuanyangzi's commentary says: If white gold is to be refined until it can withstand the fire, the crux lies within a mere foot or so; yet there must be an oral instruction, which is difficult to convey in writing.

The Wei Boyang Wuxianglei (《魏伯阳五相类》) says: The most crucial point in refining the Golden Elixir (金丹) is to recognize the essence of true lead (a core material in alchemy). Even after countless kalpas of cultivation, if one cannot identify it, one will never succeed in the end.

The commentary of Yuanyangzi says: If one wishes to subdue white metal with fire (that is, to have it transformed through refining), the resonance lies only within a span of a few inches, but one must master the oral instructions; the secrets within cannot easily be conveyed in writing.

The Wei Boyang Wuxianglei says: The key to refining the Golden Elixir is to take the principle of lead as the foundation. Once the foundation is formed, a sprout will appear; once the sprout has grown, mercury (another core material in alchemy) will be subdued and fixed; and once the mercury is fixed, the elixir is complete. These transformations do not come from external things. Those who cultivate the Golden Elixir must never use the ordinary gold and silver of the mundane world.

The Jindan Milu (《金丹秘录》, Secret Records of the Golden Elixir) says: Take only the lead essence that has undergone nine refinings as the Shen chamber (神室, the furnace chamber in which the ingredients are held and nurtured during refining), and within it nurture gold and water; this is merely a temporary borrowing of the power of lead's Qi (气).

Hu Gangzi says: The immortals never speak of this one ingredient. If it has not reached the point of full transformation, it cannot be considered truly refined. For example, although the nine-times-refined lead essence has been treated by subduing it with fire, it still cannot be ingested; whoever takes it will die at once.

The Baopuzi (《抱朴子》) records: When immortals refine gold, it is for their own consumption, not for seeking wealth and status. The silver refined by immortals can likewise be ingested, and so it is not something false or deceptive.

The Cantong lun (《参同论》) says: Refining the Golden Elixir cannot rely merely on combining many ingredients; without the crucial step of subduing with fire, even ten thousand refinings will not bring success. The scriptures (经, Jing) say that cinnabar can be refined into gold, and that the "river chariot" (河车, a term in alchemy) can be refined into silver. Silver can be refined at once, and once refined it is genuine. By mastering this method, one can attain the body of an immortal.

The Jindan Milu says: The outer nature of lead is white, yet within it bears red; the outer appearance of cinnabar is red, yet within it bears white. When these are refined into forms such as "water clouds" and "frost and snow," all can become silver. Silver can be refined at once, and once refined it is genuine. By mastering this method, one can attain the body of an immortal.

The Jindan Milu further says: The outer nature of lead is white, yet within it bears red; the outer appearance of cinnabar is red, yet within it bears white. The so-called water clouds and frost and snow are all the Qi of Heaven and Earth; those produced by refining with ingredients are no different from those that occur naturally.

The Taiyi Sanshi Jue (Instructions on the Three Envoys of the Great One) says: Lead itself contains the "child," so it is not necessary to use three yellow substances. The fire phasing is matched according to the same principle, and the work can be refined further into the "Yellow Sprout." The Yellow Sprout in turn contains the "child," so there is no need to use the "mother" to shield it; the "child" will also transform into the "mother," and the relation between child and mother works in just this way. This method is called the "Gushing Spring Cabinet" (a vessel used during alchemical work to hold and nourish the substances), and it is no empty tale. The three yellow substances must be remembered; as for the "one black," it will not be discussed in detail.

Rihuazi says: Yellow lead can subdue black lead, and white mercury possesses the nature of penetrating the mysterious. Xize is paired with Shùnan, and the Old Maiden of the Shu Palace is also wise. When the substances are combined, they move like the sun and moon; passing through the Way of transformation, one may attain immortality. After nine refinings, the radiance of the elixir will appear, and the years of long life cannot be measured.

He also says: Spirit lead is the sovereign and mercury is the minister; the same holds for spirit mercury and fire lead. Lead and true mercury are the key to refining yellow and white substances.

The Taiyi Dan Shu (Great One's Book of the Elixir) says: Take eight liang of true lead and form it into a small box, called the "Spirit Chamber" (a vessel used for refining and nourishing elixirs). Coat it with borax and fire it, then add one jin of mercury, and refine it through the interplay of water and fire, without needing a separate outer cabinet (outer vessel). Then, as water and fire stir against each other, a substance called "Jade Laughter" will arise. It has five colors and is also called "Purple-Sprout Cinnabar." It has twenty-four forms, and only the one resembling a burial mound is unsuitable; it should be thrown into eastward-flowing water.

The Hu Gangzi Shen Gong Lun (Master Hu Gang's Treatise on Spirit Mercury) says: Extract the essence of lead and make it into yellow earth; then make the yellow earth into a cabinet (a vessel for holding and enclosing the elixir), and within the cabinet nourish and refine "Flying Frost" to form the elixir. Earth can serve as the "River Cart" (a vessel that helps carry and cover the elixir), used as needed for covering and lining. Before the various elixirs are completed, the River Cart cannot be used; if used, it will have no effect.

The Yin Zhenjun Wuxiang Lei (Lord Yin's Classification of the Five Correspondences) says: If one takes only the surface "flower" of lead, the lead will have no qi (vital energy); if one takes only its essence, the lead will have no bones. The so-called Yellow Sprout must possess the "Three Powers" (the conditions of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), and bone and flesh must not be separated from one another; otherwise it cannot be used, and if used, it will have no effect.

The verse says: of the medicine called mercury, there is nothing else besides it; it first forms "flesh," and then forms "bone." Once bone and flesh have been produced in succession, it can endure for a long time, and from then on the "River Chariot" (Heche, an image in Neidan, or internal alchemy, for the circulation of Jing and Qi) turns without ceasing. It is like a person bearing children: the parents remain clearly visible, which illustrates that the original root of true gold is still present. If one cannot grasp the principle of this passage, one will in the end gain nothing.

The Huachi Jing (Classic of the Flower Pool) says: the pairing of gold and silver follows a definite method. Once one is familiar with the patterns by which metals and minerals transform, one need only place the medicinal substances into the "Flower Pool" (Huachi, a vessel or technical term used in alchemy for compounding and refining medicines) and refine the mercury, and it will change swiftly, within a single day. How could that be considered difficult? One need only examine closely the twelve kinds of Flower Pool, together with the soaring, hiding, advancing, and retreating transformations of the substances. Even the single ingredient "xiaolu" (dissolving salt) can subdue mercury, so how much more so the refining of gold and silver, and the working according to the twelve double-hours! Gold fermentation, silver fermentation, and the River Chariot are all methods or processes for subduing mercury.

The Yinfu Jing Zhu (Commentary on the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) says: within true lead there is mercury, called the "Tiger"; this mercury is also called "dead mercury." The immortals of old said, "If you wish to kill mercury, you must first have dead mercury." Thus the dead mercury in lead belongs to "Earth," while the mercury in cinnabar is living mercury. In practicing the alchemical method, one must understand the simultaneous rising of the "three mercuries." If one does not understand the three mercuries, then even if one knows every kind of technique and stratagem, there is no path to transcend the mundane world. The so-called three mercuries are: mercury, mercury, mercury.

The Yin Zhenjun Sandan Shili Lun (Lord Yin's Treatise Explaining the Principles of the Three Elixirs) says: boiling and refining need not be bound to a fixed number, and washing has no set method. When the medicines enter the cauldron, one must know the quantities to be used; only by grasping the true oral instruction can one find the method of applying fire. The approaches to the use of fire differ from one another, and the undivided, chaotic movement of Qi is hard to discern. One must regulate it with embryonic breathing (taixi, a fine and continuous breath like that of a fetus) and the Flower Pool; when the practice reaches maturity, one will understand the secret of applying fire. If none of the critical points goes wrong, one will in the end cultivate a state of body and mind like embryonic breathing.

The Cantong Lun (Treatise on the Seal of the Unity of the Three) says: when cinnabar changes once, it becomes mercury; mercury changes a second time and becomes snow; a third time it becomes sand; a fourth time it becomes earth; and a fifth time it becomes lead. Lead is gold. The scripture says: "One substance containing five colors will forever be the blessing of the immortals."

The Yin Zhenjun Sandan Shilun (Yin Zhenjun's Exposition on the Three Elixirs) states: There is a method for refining cinnabar (a mineral whose main component is mercuric sulfide). The adept can harmonize the red cinnabar and turn it white, subduing its fiery nature with yin substances without damaging its original essence. What is produced is also white, and is called "White Horse Tooth." Following this method and applying it to the cultivation of the "Chaotic Four Images," one obtains the "Non-Dual Water."

It continues: The primordial chaotic Qi (vital energy) is entirely contained within the Purple Palace (a Daoist Neidan term, here referring to a particular inner chamber spoken of in the alchemical process), where it is nourished and becomes an elixir of marvelous transformation. The process resembles the way a person gradually forms as an embryo in the mother's womb: without being noticed, ten months pass, and the child grows to maturity like any ordinary person. One who understands the method of cultivating the Purple Palace already possesses the Four Images of the immortals and is able to obtain the "Non-Dual Water."

It says again: The chaotic Qi is entirely within the Purple Palace, where it is nourished and becomes an elixir of marvelous transformation, just as a person forms in the mother's womb and matures after ten months. One who understands the method of the Purple Palace is entitled to be called an immortal. There are three kinds of Purple Palace: some are completed in a month, some in a day, and some require a year. Among them, the one that uses mercury and sulfur to subdue fire is one method. The second is called the "Golden Cauldron," made by using lead powder to subdue fire over the course of a year.

Wherever primordial Qi arrives, Wood gives rise to Fire, and Fire in turn returns to Wood, and so it appears blue-green. Blue-green is also called Water; when Water receives Fire, the Fire arises from the Qi of green Wood, and the Wood Qi condenses into Jing (essence), taking a form similar to azurite (zengqing, a blue mineral also used in alchemy). When azurite is first refined, one draws on the meaning of the three months of spring, when Yang Qi is mild and the myriad things begin to sprout, and the process follows the transformations of the lülü (the ancient system of pitch-pipes used to correlate with Yin-Yang and the seasons), allowing all things to be born and flourish. If, in alchemical work, one can harmonize azurite, it is as though one had mastered the Yin-Yang pitch-pipes. This is the great work of creation by which the three elixirs of the Primordial Shen (spirit) come into being.

The oral formula says: Chaos is the root of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and the jia day corresponds to azurite. Azurite is the essence of Wood; essence is put to use, and its use in turn becomes Qi. To obtain azurite is to have mastered the Yin-Yang pitch-pipes. This is the great work of creation by which the three elixirs of the Primordial Shen come into being.

"The Ancestor of Chaotic Primordial Five Phases (Wuxing)" begins with Zengqing (azurite) on a jia day. Zengqing is the essence of Wood. The essence becomes a messenger, the messenger becomes Qi (vital energy), and the Qi in turn becomes the sinews. This is also called "Yang within Yin." Yang is the soul (hun) of the Great Yang, and the soul is the essence of the Great Yang. Essence belongs to Yang, and Yang is likewise like a father. The father's placental sac (the membrane that wraps the fetus) transforms into a white fluid, which then congeals into hard white ice. This is "Yang within Yin." Yang also corresponds to the bones. The white fluid born of Qi naturally has four names. People of the world do not understand that Zengqing belongs to Fire, and so they use it wrongly.

Another account takes Water as its starting point. Mercury is the Qi of flesh; the Qi becomes blood, the blood turns into hair, and the hair becomes part of the outer form of the skin. Only in the third month is it known that the fetus has taken shape. It is born after ten months, and the remaining two months are spent in bathing.

The Formula of the Three Palaces for Consulting Lead (a set of oral instructions on the alchemy of refining lead, mercury, and the like) says: Refine lead into a cake, and from it extract the golden flower. Return the lead cake to the furnace, and after nine transformations it becomes cinnabar. When metal and water are blended, they are as mild as clam powder. The mercury fluid is yellow and syrupy, and the completed elixir is not far off. At the primordial beginning, mercury was the water of Heaven. "Metal gives birth to the Beautiful Water" is the River Cart (heche, a metaphor in Daoist internal alchemy for circulating essence and Qi). Those who toy with ordinary lead will lead most people of the world astray. Water and Earth help each other, for they are one family.

The Song of the Yellow Sprout says: To seek the immortals and the Dao (the Way), and to look for the Yellow Sprout (in alchemy, the elixir or the key essence needed to make it), you must recognize the true flower of lead. Only what is naturally born, pure and unadulterated, can be refined into golden sand. Refine it repeatedly and take a single pill, and you will rise up into the clouds and mists. The far-reaching mysteries between Heaven and Earth are hard to exhaust in words, and the abodes of the immortals are found everywhere.

It says further: The naturally born Yellow Sprout puts forth a red flower, and wu and ji (the symbols of the Earth phase) transform into golden sand. It is born within the dark-yellow autumn mineral. Only what is naturally born, pure and unadulterated, can be refined into golden sand. Refine it repeatedly and take a single pill, and you will rise up into the clouds and mists. The far-reaching mysteries between Heaven and Earth are hard to exhaust in words, and the abodes of the immortals are found everywhere.

It says again: The naturally born Yellow Sprout puts forth a red flower, and wu and ji transform into golden sand. It is born within the dark-yellow autumn mineral. People today do not understand this and only know to search everywhere for the golden flower.

It says again: If you wish to fix mercury, you must first make the mercury fix itself. If the mercury is not first fixed in itself, how can it be made to fix? Mercury can restrain itself by means of itself, and through this mutual restraint it reaches subtle efficacy. If you mix in all kinds of other substances, you will never refine a true elixir from beginning to end.

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise (the divine beasts of the four directions, often also used to symbolize different substances or positions in alchemy) each fit together with one another. The four things each occupy one direction, yet they must still shelter and support one another. They are forever close and in accord, and not for a single moment do they neglect each other. Obtain the Purple River Cart (an important term in Daoist alchemy, referring to the key essence obtained through refining), and you will ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

It is also said: Things born of themselves possess a marvelous power to reach the numinous, and who can fully fathom it? It can settle in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (the three cultivation sites within the human body in Daoist teaching), and there manifest five clear, luminous colors. When it meets fire, demons vanish; when it meets earth, it can run in reverse. True fire is not necessarily red, so where would true lead be black? Gold and silver are prized by the world, yet they can hardly subdue the ultimate principle. The four yellows and eight stones (the minerals and drugs used in ancient alchemy) are, in the end, too weak in strength. The Old Maiden (an alchemical term for the yin-natured substance used in cultivation) may be gentle and frail, yet among ten thousand people it is hard to find one who can obtain her.

When I command the Five Spirits (the five marvelous powers spoken of in cultivation), my awesome radiance is extraordinary. When water is about to flow east, I draw my sword and block it. Where would lead be black to begin with? Gold and silver are treasured by the world, yet they can hardly subdue the ultimate principle; the four yellows and eight stones are, in the end, too weak in strength. The Old Maiden is gentle and frail, yet among ten thousand people it is hard to find one who can obtain her. When I command the Five Spirits, my awesome radiance is extraordinary. If the Azure Dragon (an alchemical term often referring to a yang substance or force) tries to flee, the Yellow Hound (an alchemical term often referring to the force that subdues and guards the medicine) leaps out to meet it head-on. Draw Qi into the body so that it unites as one household; gather in the voice and do not dare to cry out. The medicine gradually turns to ash and earth, and the male and female forces take turns subduing each other. In the end the Purple River Cart (an alchemical term for the stage at which the elixir congeals into form) is formed, and the toxicity of the yellow gold is drawn out of it. With this one may heal fatal illness and suffering, and restore to an aged face a jade-like glow. Hold fast to the Primordial One, keeping still and at peace; concentrate the spirit and calm the mind, cutting off cravings and desires. Take but a single knife-point measure (a measuring tool in ancient times, also meaning a very small dose of elixir), and colored clouds will bear up your feet.

It is also said: When using lead, one must pair it with mercury so that the two unite. When the two natures join in kinship, it is like a daughter singing. When the Purple River Cart is refined to the point that it stirs and shakes the earth, white clouds keep it company and cranes come flying.

It is also said: The Azure Dragon and the White Tiger (an alchemical term often used to represent opposing yin and yang forces) join together to form the embryonic elixir. After ten months, once it has been gestated to maturity, it will open. This speaks of the true oral instruction for the lead sprout. Where, then, will people of the world go to find the principle by which Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), come together?

It is also said: Yellow sprouts (an alchemical term for the elixir in its early, newly born state) fill the streets, yet there is no place to store them. People despise them and treat them as dust. Dukes and nobles all believe they know the numinous medicine, but greed leads them to mistake it.

Yuanyangzi says: The profound principles of the Five Phases (Wuxing) are hard to grasp, for the dragon is hidden and the tiger concealed within Kan and Li (two of the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams, often symbolizing water and fire). There are many methods for the Reverted Elixir, but the finest still requires obtaining the Golden Flower Pool (an alchemical term for the key condition or place required for refining the elixir).

It is also said: The teachings of this school of lead and mercury cannot be relied upon, and even sages may not know the secret of the Golden Elixir (Jindan). If one tries to refine with only the ordinary lead and mercury of the world, then even if one tends the fire without ceasing all year round, they will do nothing more than contend with each other.

It is also said: There are many methods for the Reverted Elixir of True Yin, but the finest still requires obtaining the Golden Flower Pool.

The teachings of the "lead and mercury" school should not be trusted or followed. Even sages may not know the secret of the Golden Elixir. If one takes the ordinary lead and mercury of the world and refines them, burning and smelting year after year and competing to pursue them, one will still find it hard to obtain the true elixir.

The true Way of Yin-Yang is right before our eyes; there is no need to seek it far away. Those who cultivate in the world refine their "divine elixirs" year after year. Sometimes they see the materials turn green or yellow and assume they have made something precious.

The so-called "Nine-Cycle Cinnabar" is complete only when the refining reaches its end. Only when the furnace is opened does one see the elixir, colored like a red flower. After the transformations of water and fire, everything finally turns to earth. Where, then, will people today look for the "Metal Lord" (Jingong, a symbolic term in alchemy)?

Master Peng sighed in wonder: "When black lead is placed in the Crescent Moon Furnace (a furnace shaped like a curved moon), it disperses of its own accord at the hour of Zi (midnight). Above it carries Qingxi sand; below it reveals golden flowers. Lift the materials, gather them together, then turn them toward the west, working back and forth to obtain the proper heat. If the work continues for a long time without pause, the black lead scatters into green sand. Stir-fried continuously over fierce fire, it gradually becomes a yellow, flower-like substance. The green sand is refined into white lead powder, and the yellow flowers into red lead oxide. Everyone in the world can see these changes, yet no one understands the principle behind them, and so it is hard to truly master them. A thousand rounds of hammering and refining are never easy, and the elixir should be taken over a long time, steadily and safely."

Having obtained the Green Elixir, Master Yin sighed: "Nüwa (a goddess of high antiquity) refined stones into five colors, and when she ascended to the Daluo Heaven (a high celestial realm in Daoism), they became a canopy. In the Azure Void (the blue sky), the Yin Wheel (a symbol of the moon) is born; sulfur and the Essence of Wood (alchemical terms for a substance or vital essence) can be joined together. The Human Sovereign (a legendary ancient ruler) refined silver and gained long life. Bringing Li into Zhen, one returns to the Five Phases."

Having obtained the Green Elixir, Master Yin sighed again: "Nüwa refined stones into five colors, and when she ascended to the Daluo Heaven, they became a canopy. In the blue sky the Yin Wheel is born, and sulfur and the Essence of Wood can be joined together. The Human Sovereign refined silver and gained long life; bringing Li into Zhen, one returns to the Five Phases. Through the twelve months the nine cycles revolve, and the Golden Elixir is originally the essence within Wood. The two characters 'Golden Elder' belong to Kan, which is water; once it flies into the Palace of Gen, it never retreats again. Yin and Yang condense into form, rising from the east; after one full circuit, they must return to Wu and Ji (Earth). The deepest principle between Heaven and Earth must not be lightly transmitted; gold and silver are my 'Green Elixir child.' If one can understand that the Way of Taishang (a Daoist title for the supreme Dao or deity) is beyond comprehension, one will know that Yin Xi (a legendary figure who received the scripture from Laozi) obtained Nüwa's oral formula."

The Song of the Golden Elixir says: "Though the Dragon and Tiger have two names, both have their root in the One. If people of the world wish to seek the method of the Returned Elixir, they need only use the essence of Metal to nourish the essence of Wood."

Again it is said: The principle of True Emptiness (Zhenkong; a Neidan term for a state of stillness and vacuity that nonetheless holds wondrous function) is clear and distinct, yet it lies hidden within "lead" and does not reveal its name. Recognize the "Yellow Sprout" (a term from alchemy for the sign that the elixir is forming) and it will appear. Understand that "white" has two names, and you will know that its root grows entirely out of the One. Anyone today who wishes to seek the method of the Returned Elixir need only use the Jing of Metal to nourish the Jing of Wood.

Again it is said: The wondrous principle of True Emptiness is clear and distinct, hidden within lead without displaying its name. Recognize the Yellow Sprout and it will appear. Understand the White Tiger (a Neidan term often associated with metal, lead, and similar elements in the elixir method), and you can be certain of the Way of long life.

Again it is said: Silver is like an outer city wall, enclosing three substances; gold is like an embankment, bearing the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). The essential secret of the Flowery Pool (a term for a vital locus in cultivation) and the Divine Water lies within this. It is a pity that people today do not understand it, and so cannot achieve the myriad effects.

Celestial Master (Tianshi) Zhang said: Gold and silver extracted from mountain rock are hard in nature and carry a fiery toxicity. Refining them into Golden Liquid rarely succeeds, and the result is like a calcium paste, unfit to be taken, for it harms the marrow of the bones. But if Golden Liquid is refined from "medicinal gold," the Way of the elixir will flourish. Its color is yellow shading to red, and it flows like water; one who takes it will soar into the heavens.

The Three Chapters of the Tao Altar says: White gold is born from the waters of the north and transforms to take on form and substance. Only after forging and refinement can the Great Elixir be completed. Its watery nature is never exhausted, which is why it is said to "dissolve into water."

The Golden Casket and Jade Book says: When it meets the Divine Water, black and white separate.

The Fire Mirror of the Gold and Jade Entering the Medicine says: When Ziming is lodged in the Golden Spirit Casket (a vessel or container in the elixir method), it can turn the body blue-purple. The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions unite with the Heart of Heaven, and this is how true lead can transform into water.

The words that Zhenren Zheng transmitted to Ge Zhichuan say: There is a thing that can grow great and can endure long. Gather it before the "silkworm feeding," and use it after the refining by fire. Let the hot liquid be received from above and poured down into an empty cauldron, so that it is taken in. Follow the movement of sun and moon, and keep watch according to the Five Concealments (stages or periods in the elixir method). Drive the bellows swiftly with wind, and the golden fluid will not be lost. Pour water on it, and it passes from being into non-being; burn it with fire, and it passes from non-being into being. White powder accumulates, like snow slowly taking shape; a yellow, butter-like substance congeals and pairs with the gold. Grasp its essential point and make it turn from black; refine again and again what has decayed. Is it, after all, gold or stone? It can be made to reach the full span of Heaven and Earth. Turning thus without cease, it moves as swiftly as spirits and ghosts running. None of this rests on written words; the oral secret can only be passed on in the heart and by the mouth.

Taibai Jinxing (Venus) is transformed from the essential qi of metal. It receives the po-qi of the moon (the yin essence) and also contains the qi of Saturn, so its interior appears yellow and is called "Golden Flower" (Jinhua). The moon's qi responds by forming the po, and the po belongs to water. Venus therefore obtains the qi of both metal and water, and corresponds with Chenxing (Mercury) in the north, and from this lead is produced.

Suixing (Jupiter) belongs to wood. The sun's hun-qi joins with the essence of water and appears black; the hun-qi is itself of fire, and fire in turn generates wood. Jupiter corresponds with the black qi of Yinghuo (Mars), and from this cinnabar is produced. Cinnabar contains the yin qi of wood within it, and so it can give rise to mercury. Mercury is also called the "Azure Dragon" (Qinglong), and the Azure Dragon belongs to wood.

Mercury (the planet) belongs to water. The essence of water inherits the qi of Venus, circulates and corresponds with earth, and also receives the po-qi of the moon, and so it produces lead. Lead is born in the Golden Flower; the Golden Flower possesses all five colors and is called the "Yellow Sprout" (Huangya). When the qi of Mercury descends into wood, it produces zengqing (azurite, a blue-green mineral).

Yinghuo (Mars) belongs to fire. The essence of fire obtains the black qi of Jupiter and receives the hun-qi of the sun, then flows into earth and produces cinnabar. The hun belongs to fire and originates in wood; it contains yin qi within, and so it can generate mercury (quicksilver). Fire in turn generates earth, and earth holds pure yang qi, and so realgar is produced; realgar has a sweet flavor.

Zhenxing (Saturn) belongs to earth. It receives the qi of the two lodges of fire and earth and holds pure yang qi, and so realgar exists. Seen in this light, the five planets (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) pass on and receive the essence of the sun and moon, circulating and generating one another in a cycle, naturally accordant with the workings of the Dao (the Way). The proper name of the sun is "Father of the Dao," and the proper name of the moon is "Mother of the Dao." Venus is called the White Tiger, Saturn the Gouchen, Mercury the Xuanwu (Dark Warrior), Jupiter corresponds to the Azure Dragon, and Mars is called the Vermilion Bird. The qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) flows and transforms, driving the movement of the five planets.

The poem says: To refine the Great Medicine, the key lies in the Yellow Sprout; lead and mercury pass to one another, issuing from a single source. In the work of cultivation, one must clearly grasp the order of what comes first and what follows, and only then can it naturally be called the Golden Flower. The Golden Flower should be refined with single-minded attention according to the method of the Gen Cauldron, so that the Yellow Sprout is well hidden away and settled. The key spoken of here lies in the Yellow Sprout, with lead and mercury passing to one another... the original text breaks off here.

This lineage's teaching on transmission holds that, in cultivation, one must understand the steps and their proper sequence and proceed in order; only then can one naturally obtain the "Golden Flower" (Jinhua, an important substance or stage in Neidan, or internal alchemy). The Golden Flower and the "Gen Cauldron" (Gending, an alchemical term for a particular cauldron or a phase of cultivation) must both be handled strictly according to method, and one must apply the mind to subdue and congeal the "Yellow Sprout" (Huangya, a Neidan term for the newly arisen elixir or the fruit of cultivation). What is described here is a most profound and subtle secret method; whoever obtains it and practices accordingly may ride the clouds and mount the mists.

Master Mingdao, speaking of the "Flowery Pool" (Huachi, a Neidan term for the place or process in which the medicines are received and transformed during cultivation), says: Yin and Yang each have one part, born respectively in the south and the north; the lead-water and the mercury-water both arise from within the lead. Only by grasping these four profound principles can one see the red and black interpenetrating in the Flowery Pool.

The Jin Zhi Gong Jue (Formula for Subduing Mercury with Metal) says: That lead is born from lead is no empty claim; take it and, turning it to one side, stir it into flowing cinnabar. The Golden Flower can subdue mercury, just as the partridge subdues the sparrow; through transformation the Returned Elixir is refined, and the process is most extraordinary.

The Jindan Shuihuo Tu (Diagram of Water and Fire in the Golden Elixir) says: If you wish to discern the fire phase by which cinnabar is refined, observe it: that which has no smoke and is a deep purple is the Returned Elixir. Worldly people do not understand the true Dragon and Tiger (a Neidan term often used as a metaphor for Yin-Yang, or lead and mercury), and so suppose there are two kinds of Yellow Sprout.

Meng Shen says: Only when one applies the mind to investigating the "Mysterious Origin" (Xuanyuan, the source of the Dao) and comprehends its deep secrets does the matter come to seem ordinary. Setting aside for now the elixir's entry into the grotto-heaven and the attainment of immortality, let us speak instead of how spiritual transformations may aid the mortal world. Once a person casts off glory and wealth, they should understand the principles of creation and transformation in conducting themselves in the world; if one wishes to subdue the Dragon and Tiger, how can one withstand the changes of cold and heat, and old age?

He also says: First congeal lead and mercury into cinnabar; the nourishing and refining never leave the same place. If it is not refined through the ash pool into a white liquid, how can it be strictly processed? Cold and heat will still bring on aging.

He further says: First congeal lead and mercury into cinnabar; the nourishing and refining never leave the same place. If it is not refined through the ash pool into a white liquid, how can it be strictly refined so that it turns from red to yellow and becomes the Yellow Sprout? Its golden light gleams and is most precious; when the jade medicine appears, it is all the more valuable. After sealing it, one must put it into the cauldron again and refine it anew, taking care that the yin and black qi do not damage its essence.

The Yuanjun Zhouhou Jue (Lord Yuan's Pocket Formula) says: The Returned Elixir is divided into the internal elixir and the external elixir, each with its own "Method of the Three Ones." The inner "Three Ones" refers to the elixir substance itself; the outer "Three Ones" refers to the things that assist in the cultivation.

The Man of Changbai Mountain says: In Huainan, autumn mineral was refined, and the Yellow Emperor praised the Golden Flower. Autumn mineral was originally not a stone, and the Golden Flower is not a flower. The Golden Flower is perfected in autumn, while autumn mineral is like a flower blooming in spring. Another oral formula says: Autumn mineral is the "True Lead," and the Golden Flower is the Yellow Sprout. The Yellow Sprout cannot do without lead, and relies on lead to obtain its essence. Lead and Yellow Sprout, this pair of "child and mother," dwell together in one place, just as the immortals have said.

The Zhengyin Jia Jing (Scripture of the Correct Concealed Jia) says: These two substances sometimes require vessels and sometimes do not; sometimes their physical form and substance are taken, and sometimes they are not. Only when one understands this can one be said to recognize the "mercury within mercury and lead within lead." One who grasps the principle behind this will no longer be in doubt.

The Sun Zhenren Shibi Ji (Master Sun's Record on the Stone Wall) says: The various scriptures (Jing) and treatises are not idle talk; what they all speak of is the "black gold" (wujin) right before one's eyes. If, when gathering and refining, one does not act according to the prescribed directions, and then claims instead that the immortals are unwilling to pass on their secret instructions, that is a mistake. If one gathers the essence of lead (Jing) by the proper method and then refines cinnabar, one will see the "River Cart" (heche, a figurative term in internal alchemy (Neidan) for the circulation of true Qi) in no more than ten days or half a month. The River Cart is refined from black gold, and mercury is the key to the way of the returned elixir. Without black gold and mercury, one only wastes effort and will hardly attain anything even in old age.

The Huashan Shibi Ji (Record on the Stone Wall of Mount Hua) says: The three Yang sacred substances each manifest their function, but only the "Mysterious Essence" (xuanjing, a subtle and profound substance) is the most all-penetrating. Once the refining is complete, the power of the sun will wane; the "Old Maiden" (Munü, an alchemical term for a Yin image) will naturally no longer travel westward.

Those who seek immortality and study the Dao (the Way) are fortunate to meet a sage's teaching. If that teaching comes from Heaven, they must not forget Heaven's kindness, for if they betray Heaven, Heaven will not tolerate their wrongdoing for long.

If it was passed to you by a spirit-being (a divine or extraordinary person who transmits the immortal Way), you must not fail them. You should offer sacrifices and serve them with reverence and care. If you obtained it from waters such as the Yangtze, the Yellow River, the Huai, or the Ji, do not forget the dragon pools, the water-wombs, and other places in the waters where all things are conceived, nor the fish, turtles, and other creatures born of moisture. If you obtained it in mountain forests or stone chambers, do not forget the kindness of those forests, chambers, and the land itself, and honor them with respectful offerings. If you received it from a human teacher, you must not fail that teacher. Revere them as you would your parents, and serve them respectfully.

As long as a seeker's original intention never departs from the great Dao, they can connect the human world with the heavenly realms. The many ghosts, spirits, and transformations will then become channels that help them do good, and they will not fall onto an evil path in the end.

Those who transmit the teachings of the Dao must, first of all, never fail Heaven's kindness. Next, they must not deceive the spirits or go against the principles of the divine. Last, they must not abandon their teacher's lineage. If their words cannot be trusted and their conduct is not upright, they may lose their lives even after obtaining and taking the Golden Elixir (Jindan). Why? Because taking the Golden Elixir without virtue (De) damages and ruins the five viscera. And if the Way is passed to an unsuitable person, the calamity may even extend to one's descendants.

It is also said: August Heaven (the supreme Heaven) shows no favoritism toward those close to it, but exists to support and instruct people. A person's root originally has nothing to rely on, so the Dharma body and the four qi (Qi) must serve as the root. Yet this root in turn comes from the heart-mind, and the heart-mind itself has no fixed root either. It must take as its root the Nine-Cycle Divine Elixir (a term from Daoist alchemy, referring to an elixir refined through repeated cycles) of which I speak. From this we can know that all the myriad methods take the elixir as their foundation.

The Lü Xiansheng Zhengyang Pian says: In the Kun position (the direction representing Yin and the earth), the "Old Maiden" has six Yang breaths growing beside her. In the Toad Palace (the moon, often also used for the Dantian or the place where the elixir is refined), the jade fluid is simmered; in the Kan gate (Kan is water, here meaning the water-natured side), the jade nectar is completed. The immortals of old partook of this elixir, and now it is my turn to taste it. One cup extends life ten thousand years, lifting a person beyond the dusty world to soar freely and at ease.

It continues: Understand the principle of the Yellow Sprout (a Neidan term for the essence or elixir that emerges during refining) completely, and you will know that the transformations of Yin-Yang naturally follow their own course.

Take Qian and Kun (heaven and earth) as the furnace, and the sun and moon as the cauldron, and refine within them. From wood arises the mercury of long life; from metal is refined the lead that prolongs it (mercury and lead are both alchemical terms). Whoever grasps this principle can swiftly regain a youthful countenance.

Yi Xuanzi says: True lead is not the same as the ordinary lead of the world. Its purity or turbidity must be discerned within the Yin-Yang of heaven and earth; if it is mixed with ash, soil, sand, and stone, it becomes hard to perfect the Dao and De. Those who lose this Way sink into the lowest class of ghosts, while those who obtain the true method may become exalted immortals. If you ask what its shape and substance really are, then within the mystery lies a deeper mystery still.

It also says: The "Old Maiden" is called "Mingdang" and hides in the Inner Chamber (a Neidan term for the place within the body where cultivation is nurtured). In the water one hears the tiger roar; in the fire one sees the dragon's light. One who attains this Way is naturally of noble standing, and one who hears of it will find their practice flourishing. The patriarch once said that this is the supreme joy within joy.

Haichanzi says: The sea wind stirs the golden boat upon the waves; only within them can the mystery be grasped. When mother and child (a Neidan term for Yin and Yang, or substances that complement one another) suddenly meet, it is to be treasured; when ruler and minister (a metaphor for the principal and subordinate elements in the alchemical method) have only just joined, they rejoice in reunion. The eight directions encircle, and the dragon moves within the fire; the four positions stand in order, and the tiger descends into the spring. Tell those who will later cultivate the Dao: to refine the elixir, one must use the lead of the water country (lead found in water, an important ingredient in Neidan).

It also says: Within a stretch of clear stillness a flower opens, and inside the white lotus is wrapped purple cinnabar. Neither in the world nor beyond it is there anything to compare with it; neither in heaven nor among humans is there anything that surpasses it. When the Golden Tiger (a Neidan term) has only just been subdued, its blackness vanishes; when the Fire Dragon is first brought to rest, it transforms into the Yellow Sprout. When the divine principle is fully understood, one returns to the realm of true nature; but if one has not met an extraordinary person to give guidance, it should not be lightly proclaimed.

[Instructions for Distinguishing the Well] (Here the original repeats the passage beginning "inside the white lotus is wrapped purple cinnabar," and then continues with the section title "Instructions for Distinguishing the Well.")

Once the alchemy well has been dredged and cleaned, the water must on no account be stirred, nor may any filth be allowed to mix into it. After the water veins have settled, the water should be drawn off and the well washed again, so that the stagnant spring water is cleared away. The mouth of the well is then left open to the sky so that air can circulate and the light of the stars and moon can fall upon the water. Only when the nature of the water has stabilized and the black sediment in the soil has been completely cleared away may water be drawn for refining the elixir (Golden Elixir, jindan).

If the layer of stone uncovered in digging is bluish-white, this shows that the water vein carries Yang qi (vital energy), and when it is used to refine the elixir, the elixir circulates very quickly. If one encounters blue-green mud and black soil, yellow spring water, or a red water vein, or if the water has the smell of rust or a fishy odor or leaves an astringent taste in the mouth, this indicates that the water vein is mixed and impure, and that the Yin-Yang energies are congealed and blocked. Such a site is unsuitable for refining the elixir, and another location should be chosen for digging.

The Method of Dwelling in the Mountains, from the Record of the Immortal Scriptures (Xianjing lu)

Whether one wishes to enter the mountains to cultivate the Dao (the Way) or simply to settle in the world, one must first examine the dwelling site for its auspicious or inauspicious quality. Choose a wu day or a ji day, and write the "Nine Earths and Thirty-Six Sounds Script" (a Daoist talismanic text used to assess the quality of a site) on a sheet of white paper. Place it in the center of the dwelling, then cover it with a clean basin turned upside down, and leave it for three nights. Afterward, lift the basin and inspect the paper. If the paper has been moistened to a blue-green color, this indicates that the remains of the dead lie beneath. White indicates great misfortune. Red indicates that something frightening may occur. Black indicates that treasure lies below. Yellow indicates great good fortune. Purple indicates that one will surely meet an immortal. If the paper shows no clear sign and does not take on any of the proper colors, one may live there only temporarily, for three years; beyond three years, one may suffer harm.

The Method of Building the Furnace

On a wushen day within a jiazi decade, go to the shen position in the southwest and take "contending earth" (zhengtu, a term from the original text whose precise meaning is unclear). First, use the earth to build a furnace platform three tiers high. The body of the furnace has eight sides and is provided with eight doors; above the doors, partitions are set, and on the partitions the cauldrons are placed. The upper one is the water cauldron, which holds water, and the lower one is the medicine cauldron, which holds the ingredients. The top of the water cauldron is open so that water can be added, and it is then covered with a lid.

The furnace body is two chi and one cun long and one chi and six cun wide. The chamber at the center of the furnace is one chi and three cun wide, and the furnace wall is three cun thick. A fire door is opened at the front of the furnace, five cun high and four cun wide. At the back of the furnace a single vent is left to release the black vapor produced by the fire; it is shaped like the raised part of a great turtle's back.

The oral formula for regulating the fire (huohou): a month is divided into six phases, each of five days. The specific arrangement of the days is as follows.

In the first period (hou), on the first day, use one liang of the "Zhifu" (the day-and-hour marker that governs the timing of the fire phase, or huohou) for two and a half days, thirty shi (double-hours). Then increase it to two liang and hold it for sixty shi.

In the second period, use three liang for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then increase it to four liang and hold it for sixty shi.

In the third period, use five liang. On the first day, begin with one liang of Zhifu for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then increase it to two liang and hold it for sixty shi.

In the fourth period, use three liang for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then increase it to four liang and hold it for sixty shi.

In the fifth period, use five liang for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then increase it to six liang and hold it for sixty shi.

In the sixth period, the fire phase is neither increased nor decreased. It is fixed at six liang for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then it is reduced to five liang and held for sixty shi.

In the seventh period, use four liang for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then reduce it to three liang and hold it for sixty shi.

In the eighth period, use two liang for two and a half days, thirty shi. Then reduce it to one liang and hold it for sixty shi.

The above is the arrangement of the Zhifu's advance and retreat across the six periods over the course of one month. It is set out here in sequence, and it repeats in a cycle. When the fire is kindled in the second month, first increase it to two liang and hold it for thirty shi. Then increase it to three liang and hold it for sixty shi. From then on, increase it step by step each month until the ninth month, when it is fixed at nine liang. This is what is meant by "Yang nine, Yin nine" (Yin-Yang): once nine liang is reached, there is no further increase. After that, whether for three years or nine, there is no further increase, and one simply follows this method.

The kindling of the fire should begin on a jiazi day. The daily fire moves forward, while the hourly fire moves in reverse. From after the zi hour until before the wu hour, the fire phase is distinguished according to the period from the dark of the moon in mid-month to the end of the month. One liang of fire is added each month, and one liang of fire is added each year. On days when Mercury presides, the fire phase is increased; on days when Mars presides, the amount of water is reduced.

Carry this out according to the method.

The kindling of the fire should begin on a jiazi day. The daily fire moves forward, while the hourly fire moves in reverse. From after the zi hour until before the wu hour, the fire phase is distinguished according to the period from the dark of the moon in mid-month to the end of the month. One liang of fire is added each month, and one liang of fire is added each year. On days when Mercury presides, the fire phase is increased; on days when Mars presides, the amount of water is reduced.

The oral formula for distinguishing true lead and true mercury.

The terms "lead" (qian), "mercury" (gong), and "cinnabar" (dansha) here are alchemical terminology, referring to the minerals and materials used in elixir refining. "Huachi" (the Flowery Pool) refers to the materials combined during the refining process, and "intoxication" (zui) refers to soaking or treating materials in wine.

For the lead, take one jin of lead separated out from the first smelting of top-grade silver ore, and set it beside the furnace for later use. For the mercury, take half a jin of large pieces of hibiscus arrowhead cinnabar, and likewise set it beside the furnace. Lead is called the "White Tiger," and mercury is called the "Azure Dragon." This passage explains what materials lead and mercury each refer to.

Formula for Matching the Flowery Pool

When the materials in the Flowery Pool are matched with one another, they can merge into a single whole. Lead, mercury, and cinnabar melt when they meet fire, and they join once they have been treated with wine. The method used by the Perfected (zhenren) is to first join them with wine and then melt them with fire. For this reason, one must brew rice into wine, let it stand for a thousand days until it clears, and then use it to cook and refine the lead, mercury, and cinnabar. Only when treated in this way can the materials be made to join.

Formula for Distinguishing Subduing Lead and Mercury

Lead can subdue cinnabar, but it must undergo the proper treatment to succeed. Cinnabar can subdue silver, but silver too must be treated before it will melt. Mercury can join with lead, but without fire they cannot bond. Fire can melt substances, but without treatment with wine, the materials cannot be made to join.

Formula for Entering the Furnace

Treat lead as the "earth," and use three parts of it. Treat mercury as the "marsh," where one part can be matched with three. Cinnabar serves as the seed, and two parts are used in the ratio. Wine is treated as the thing that is tilled, and ten parts are used to match it. Fire is used for the refining, and taking half of it is the essential point. The vessel is like a storehouse, and the refining succeeds only after it has been sealed tightly. Once the cinnabar has been refined, add it according to the lead formula and refine it together with the cinnabar. Then return the medicine to its original source, and keep pouring in mercury. Carry out the refining according to the laws of nature, and it will gradually take shape. After a hundred days, one can grasp the mysteries of the Dao of the immortals.

Formula for Extracting Mercury from Cinnabar

Grind one jin of bright cinnabar (here meaning a variety of cinnabar) into a fine powder. Take a bamboo tube with closely spaced joints and keep three sections. In the uppermost section, cut an opening about the size of a pellet. In the middle section, cut a larger opening to serve as the channel through which the mercury flows down.

First lay two layers of waxed paper over the opening in the middle section, then place the cinnabar powder on the paper, filling the upper part of the tube, and bind it tightly with hemp fiber. Then put the tube into cooked rice and steam it for a day. Afterward, wrap the tube in Six-One mud (a clay used for coating and sealing), about three fen thick, and bury it in the ground so that the tube is level with the surface. Pack the earth firmly around the tube so that no vapor escapes.

Next, pile firewood above the mouth of the tube and burn it for one shi (an ancient unit of time), allowing the heat to penetrate the upper section of the tube. The mercury will flow into the lower section without any loss. If the fire suddenly weakens, the mercury has not all run out, and the ash is still heavy and dark purple, continue burning by the same method until the mercury reaches its original weight. Once the mercury reaches fourteen liang, stop.

Red Horse-Tooth Cinnabar, White Horse-Tooth Cinnabar, Purple Numinous-Light Cinnabar, and the like all have their mercury extracted by this same method; other methods are incorrect.

Formula for Removing Fire Toxin from the Elixir: What follows is the method for removing the fire toxin from elixirs.

This passage concerns heating cinnabar and collecting mercury. Heated mercury gives off toxic vapor, and the procedures described in ancient elixir methods do not represent safe practice.

Place the elixir in a thin porcelain bottle (a relatively thin ceramic vial), seal the mouth with yellow oyster-shell lime, wrap it in oiled cinnabar-colored silk, and bind it tightly. Immerse it in a cold spring for two sevens, that is, fourteen days, then take it out. Put the bottle into a double boiler and heat it for one day (a pot of water set inside another pot of water for indirect heating). After removing it, let the cold qi disperse, then take out the medicine and grind it fine. Form pills with paper mulberry sap, or alternatively with jujube flesh; each pill should be about the size of a mung bean. Take one pill each time, washed down with well-flower water (water drawn from a well in the early morning). After half a month, increase to two pills per dose; after thirty days, increase to three pills, and do not increase further.

Before taking the medicine, first set aside seven pills as offerings to Heaven, seven to Earth, and seven to the stars and constellations. Then bathe and fast, keeping yourself clean and abstaining from desires, and only afterward may you take the elixir. Each morning, at the point where the original text reads "mian shu" (面束), the meaning of the characters is unclear; the medicine may be taken standing or seated.

The So-Called Signs of Efficacy After Taking the Golden Elixir

After first taking cinnabar, a person may experience limpness in the limbs, heaviness in the lower back and knees, twisting pain below the navel, a constant fetid, fishy taste and blackening in the mouth, loosened teeth, a mouth full of fishy blood, thirst at night, vomiting or dry heaving, slight diarrhea every day, food that tastes of nothing, gradual emaciation, eye fatigue, mental confusion, sores and swellings on the body, pain throughout the whole body, a sensation of insects crawling on the skin, and sores in the mouth. The text explains all of these as the medicine driving out illness.

In addition, there may be a sore throat and tightness in the chest and diaphragm; diarrhea that passes foul, blue-yellow fluid shaped like toad-plantain leaves (虾蟆衣), or resembling mallow juice or gromwell juice; a feeling of stagnation at the waist, or the passing of various kinds of worms; swelling of the skin, and twitching and spasms in the sinews and vessels, sometimes slow and sometimes rapid. The text says that after about ten days, the wind-toxin will gradually be expelled. There may also be rumbling in the abdomen and diarrhea that passes lumps of flesh, which it describes as the medicine attacking and treating old ailments. When hunger is felt, one may eat a meal or two of plain calcium soup noodles, or take Yudan San (驭丹散), a powder for relieving elixir poisoning.

At the end, the beginning of another prescription is listed: "Maimendong and tianmendong (麦门冬、天门冬), both with the hearts removed, four liang each; dried rehmannia (乾地)..." Here the original text breaks off.

Huang[qi?] five liang, licorice one liang, ginseng three liang, poria two liang, aster (ziwan) two and a half liang (stems removed), burnet (diyu) three and a half liang, red ochre one and a half liang, sargassum one and a half liang, gardenia four liang, ophiopogon four liang (inner core removed), and dried rehmannia five liang. Grind all of these into a powder. Take two qian each time, mixed with rice water, together with the elixir.

Signs That the Three Corpses Are About to Withdraw

When the Three Corpses (Sanshi, spirits in Daoist belief that dwell in the human body and hinder cultivation) are about to withdraw, a person may become restless and agitated, almost as if going mad, with a dazed and wandering spirit (Shen). They may also feel fright and palpitations, or dream of venomous snakes, tigers and wolves biting them, of falling from a cliff, of meeting enemies, or of parting from loved ones. The scripture (Jing) treats these phenomena as signs of the withdrawal. When they appear, one should stay at ease and be patient, regulate one's emotions, and avoid anger. Simply boil a strong decoction of licorice and drink one or two bowls, and a slight sweat will follow as the various discomforts subside.

Signs After the Three Corpses Have Left the Body

Once the Three Corpses have left the body, a person may feel as though something is missing from beside them. The mind is free of stray thoughts and worries, desires are markedly diminished, and the spirit (Shen) is joyful. The scripture holds that this shows the medicine is taking effect and aiding cultivation.

Signs of Bone Transformation and Changes in the Skin

After taking the medicine, old ailments may flare up again in the places where they once appeared. Sores or swellings may also form, with a little foul-smelling blood, and leave distinct scars. The scripture explains these phenomena as accumulated toxins and pathogenic influences being expelled through the skin, and also as the medicine's power steaming through the afflicted areas.

Medicines for Changing the Appearance and Growing New Teeth

After taking the elixir (ingesting the alchemical pills) for a full thousand days, the face gradually looks younger, the teeth begin to loosen, and the jaw feels tight and oppressed. This is the old "grain teeth" falling out and the "elixir teeth" that grow after taking the medicine coming in. At times the head and face itch so deeply that it seems to reach the bone marrow, and hair grows at the ears and in the eyebrows. This is the hair roots receiving the power of the elixir.

After three full years of taking the elixir, past illnesses are all eliminated, the bones and flesh become smooth and supple, the beard and temple hair turn black, the blood vessels flow freely, the appearance is transformed, teeth that fell out grow back, the ears and eyes become clear, and the sinews and vessels grow stronger. After three years, the dark blood in the bone marrow is abundant and vigorous, and the complexion is like that of a child. One's name is registered in the Southern Palace (the celestial palace-offices of Daoist cosmology) and struck from the register of the Northern Dipper (the star deity in Daoist thought that governs lifespans and the rolls of names). One is revered by the myriad spirits and honored by the dragon and tiger as well. The intestines turn to gold, and the body becomes as clear and cool as cold jade. The constitution is transformed into the stuff of an immortal, able to commune with the divine and reach the sage, and one naturally becomes light, ascends in flight, is untouched by cold or heat, and endures as long as Heaven and Earth.

Another Method for Removing Fire Toxin

Five-leaf Acanthopanax bark (wujiapi), sanguisorba root (diyu), and phyllanthus fruit (yuganzi), one jin each; saltpeter (xiaoshi) and licorice (gancao), four liang each.

Pound all of these ingredients together and grind them into powder, then boil them with the elixir in water. During the boiling, keep adding water continuously, for seven days and seven nights. Take it out and soak it in cold spring water for one month, then boil it in cow's milk for one day. Afterward, place it in a bottle and heat it in a water bath for seven days, then remove it and dry it in the air. Grind it into an extremely fine powder, and then make it into pills using jujube pulp.

Another Method

Roast licorice over a fire, hold it in the mouth, and swallow the juice once it dissolves, slowly relieving the fire toxin. One may also decoct licorice into a soup and take it after it has cooled, which likewise counteracts the toxin.

Another Method

Before the Beginning of Spring (Lichun), collect snow water in the courtyard using a porcelain vessel, and then use the snow water to boil the medicine. Snow water collected from rooftops must not be used.

Another Method

Place the medicine inside a bamboo tube. First scrape the green outer skin off the tube, then cover its mouth with several layers of raw silk cloth. Set the tube in a pot and pack black soybeans all around it, taking care that the beans do not cover the mouth of the tube. Add water slowly, and boil for three days and nights. Inside the tube, honey should also be melted with hot water and added, and the tube then heated in a water bath. Whenever the water runs low, replenish it, and be careful not to let the tube tilt.

After a full day of boiling in this way, take out the medicine and process it by the water-levigation method (washing it in water and letting the powder settle). Then use jujube paste to form pills about the size of a sesame seed. On an empty stomach, swallow two pills with saliva from the mouth.