《还丹复命篇》

Alas! Ever since people have had bodies, they have been blinded by worldly custom for a very long time. Fame and profit steal the heart, and right and wrong damage one's aspirations. Day after day, people grow shallow and miserly, and, not knowing to long for the great Dao (the Way), they drift ever farther from it. Yet the great Dao is not distant; it is always right before our eyes. Hence the Immortals' Scripture (Xian Jing) says: "The great Dao is vast and boundless, and it can be found everywhere." Even if someone who has attained the Dao wished to help others awaken to it, who would be willing to believe? I am of meager talent and shallow learning, and my words go against common sense, so they are hard to make credible. To make public the way of the Reversion of the Golden Cauldron (a method of cultivation centered on Neidan, or internal alchemy) is all the more inappropriate. Those who truly have the Dao will naturally understand its principles.

In my early years of study, most of those I associated with were people who investigated the principles of nature and life. The Chan school stresses the supreme vehicle: once one is thoroughly awakened, one may reach the realm of the Buddha directly. But if old habits and afflictions have not been fully cut off, one will still revolve through birth and death. Even one who can manifest nirvana while sitting or standing may yet be reborn, borrowing a body to return to the world, and in the end cannot avoid the day of leaving it. I often reflected: Confucius spoke of exhausting the principles of things and fully understanding human nature, and thereby reaching Heaven's mandate; the Buddhists spoke of no birth and no death; Laozi spoke of ascending and soaring aloft. Clearly the intent of the sages cannot be grasped through only one path.

In the year Gengzi of the Xuanhe era (1120), I received the oral instructions of a Perfected One (a high adept who had attained the Dao). The root of the great Dao does not go beyond a single Qi (vital energy); everything arises from the transformation of this one Qi. It can be likened to the sun and moon, and is called Dragon and Tiger. It follows the principle of Yin-Yang, yet is lodged between Heaven and Earth. One is clear and one is turbid, and Metal and Wood are separated at the gate of Wu and Ji (Wu and Ji refer to Earth among the Five Phases, symbolizing harmony and the central position). One is emotion and one is nature, and Yin and Yang meet at the door of killing and generating. Gather the Qi from before Heaven and Earth divided, and seize the Jing (essence) of the Dragon and Tiger at their first union; draw them into the Yellow Chamber (a term of Neidan referring to the central palace within the body used for cultivation), and refine them into the supreme treasure. As for the symbolic forms, the crucial points, the wondrous workings of reversion, and the secrets of long life, all are contained within this teaching. From this I understood that the gateway of the great Dao is not complicated, and that one must meet someone who has attained the Dao to transmit the oral instructions before one can truly grasp it. For several decades, what I had studied was merely the leftover branches of the sages' teachings; only now did I understand that the myriad things have an aspect that does not change.

"One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao." When Yin and Yang are excessive on one side, illness results; the workings of Dragon and Tiger and the principles of Metal and Wood are precisely this true secret. After hearing the oral instructions I had no doubts, and, cultivating according to the method, I did indeed reach the realm in which the sages dwell. I have heard that profound meanings lie scattered through the Six Classics and the histories. Thus the Yijing (Book of Changes) says: "When man and woman join, their essence and Qi unite, and the myriad things are born from it." Does this not reveal the mechanism by which the Dao operates? If one seeks only through such deliberate undertakings as benevolence, righteousness, ritual, and music, one will instead go against the Dao of Wuwei (non-action). In the past, Confucian scholars and officials of the Zou and Lu region mostly understood this; in recent times, few understand it any longer.

Following my master's oral instructions, I composed sixteen five-character poems to represent the number "two eights make one catty"; then thirty seven-character quatrains to correspond to the great work completed in thirty days; and then continued with nine Xijiangyue lyrics to correspond to the method of the nine turnings. How the medicinal substances are gathered, how the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) restrain one another, the order of host and guest, the diagrams and instructions of punishment and virtue, as well as the drawing out and adding in, the regulation of the fire phases, and the measures of weight, are all explained in detail within these pieces. Those who love the Dao, please study these words carefully; if you have a destined affinity from past lives, you will naturally accord with them and meet. Though my writing is crude, every line of what I say is true.

Written in the autumn of the year Bingwu of the Jingkang era (1126).

Composed by the Perfected Purple Worthy (Zixian Zhenren) Xue Daoguang

Five-Character Quatrains

There is a presence endowed with spirit that has no name and is naturally so of itself. The Red Dragon (a symbolic term in Neidan, internal alchemy) lies hidden within the cosmos, and the White Tiger (a symbolic term in Neidan) crouches concealed in the Dantian (the cultivation site in the lower abdomen).

The Northern Dipper and the Southern Dipper hang above the head, as if between the brows and the eyelashes. When the mind is still as ashes, water and fire (a symbolic way of describing the movement of Yin-Yang, essence and Qi, in Neidan practice) circulate. When the breath settles, one can see the True Lead (a Neidan term for the key medicine sought in cultivation).

Jing (essence) and Qi are not fundamentally different, and Shen (spirit) and the numinous are likewise one body. If one can gather in the Five Thieves (a Neidan term for the factors that disturb the mind), one can naturally form the Three Flowers (a Neidan term for the condensation and sublimation of Jing, Qi, and Shen).

Jia and Yi (Heavenly Stems, often used to mark time or direction) must not be missed, nor must Geng and Xin be mistaken. When the single Yang Qi returns to its proper place, the Seven Returns (a Neidan term for the repeated transformations of the refining process) set the River Chariot (a Neidan term for the path along which Qi travels) turning.

This matter is truly hard to fathom, and the wise and the foolish alike often cannot tell it apart. A sparrow is never a phoenix, and a horse will never mingle with a flock of sheep.

"Bei chan dou san bai" (this line appears to be corrupted, and its original meaning is difficult to determine). Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) together make up one catty. Travelling the twelve routes, it is as though a barefoot, fierce general were racing through them.

One, two, three, four, five: the Southern Star and the Northern Star face each other. The Tiger and the Dragon hold green jade within them, and Metal and Wood bear pearls.

After the clouds disperse, every household sees the moonlight; when the flowers bloom, spring is everywhere. The many immortal guests who seem to come from beyond the clouds are in truth all people of this world.

Once one has received the true oral instructions of the immortals, one refines the utmost Yang out of Yin. Where the Earth Thunder (one of the images of the Yi, often used as a metaphor for the first stirring of Yang Qi) quietly stirs, it is as if the stars were conferring together.

Take the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) as the mother, and the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity (the Three Talents) begin to show their vitality. No longer troubled by the ties of life and death, one finds heaven and earth grown long-lasting.

The immortals of old all cultivated by one and the same method, marvelous beyond compare and probing the deeply hidden. Seek Geng and Jia with devoted mind, and practice Bing and Ren with single focus (all of these Heavenly Stems stand for time, direction, or Yin-Yang transformations in Neidan cultivation).

Gather in the Crow and the Hare (symbols of the sun and the moon, often standing for Yin-Yang) and seize the Water and the Metal (symbolic elements in Neidan practice). Discern what the east and the west each represent, and cultivation will reach a state of singleness without duality.

Quiet and gentle, graceful in bearing, shy yet soft. One must draw it in from the strings of the unfeeling zither, and gather the Hun and Po souls back into the Earth.

Translator's note: In the original, the opening phrase "Chi long cang qing shu jiu si wen, huo yi su yuan qi he..." is run together with the verse and appears to be textually garbled, and the final two couplets are also repeated. The translation above renders the legible lines of verse.

Hairpins and crowns are joined together, symbolizing lead and mercury (two matching substances or forces commonly used in alchemy); a subtle radiance shines straight toward the Dipper and Ox lunar lodges. The lesser yang is paired with and akin to yin, so do not let the years of spring and autumn slip away in vain.

Free and unrestrained, bound by nothing, one's realm of the Dao (the Way) quietly rises. Within the profound lie black and white; within stillness one keeps far from the toil of the dusty world.

Whether sitting or lying down, the Three Peaks (bodily locations or inner landscapes spoken of in cultivation) stay firm, and the two kinds of Qi (vital energy) in the Dantian (the place in the body where essence and Qi are refined and nourished) are secure. From this one knows that it is possible to escape the nets of the mundane world and have one's name entered in the registers of the immortals.

Gathering the medicine and refining the elixir must be done with care and in secrecy, using a sincere heart to distinguish the superior from the inferior. The difficulty lies in finding the inner pulse of intention; a slight error, and one easily loses the "Cold Spring" (a term from alchemical practice).

The master points out the Azure Dragon's mercury and the White Tiger's lead (symbols of paired Yin-Yang medicines in alchemy) and brings them together; once the two have met, they are refined with water and fire for many years.

When guarding the One (concentrating the spirit on a single point and cultivating with undivided focus), the essential instructions of the elixir altar are of utmost importance; the crucial mechanism lies hidden within the twelve double-hours. One must follow the prescribed method without the slightest deviation, and the timing of the fire must not be delayed.

Only those who are enlightened are fit to promote this Dao, and only true immortals are suited to practice it. After years of wandering among clouds and waters, who can know what is held in one's heart?

Within the human body there is something supremely subtle, faintly present at the Northern Pole Star (the pivot symbolized by the North Star). Those who do not understand take it for Qi; once they recognize it, they will naturally know its true meaning.

With a heart as pure as ice and snow, and a body light as a jade-green cloud, if one cannot attain long life and lasting vision, what then was the purpose of coming into this world?

In the marketplaces and crowds of the mortal world, the Dao keeps company with people in plain view. Once awakened, one knows that in the end there is only one thing; before awakening, it seems separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers.

The Divine Water (an inner alchemy term for the body's fluids or essence) lies below the Dantian, and the Flower Pool (where saliva gathers in the mouth) sits between water and fire. The Qi of the Primordial One can generate transformation, restoring the old to youth and returning the face to that of a child.

Skill and clumsiness must still be kept deeply hidden, while Shen (spirit) and Jing (essence) must be used with full concentration. Kan and Li (symbolizing water and fire, and often referring to the kidneys and heart) can at times be used in exchange with each other, and Metal and Wood (two forces symbolized in alchemy) join in union.

White Snow may be placed together in the cauldron, and the Yellow Sprout may likewise be combined; as Qian and Kun (heaven and earth, Yin-Yang) shift and transform, they cause the old to return to youth.

Skill and clumsiness must still be kept deeply hidden, while Shen and Jing must be used with full concentration. Kan and Li can at times be used in exchange with each other, and Metal and Wood join in union.

White Snow may be placed together in the cauldron, and the Yellow Sprout may likewise be combined. Following the numbers of Qian and Kun, one derives the nine and the six (the numbers of the yang and yin lines), so that the first line is born anew and the cycle begins again.

One fundamental thing divides into two; if one can understand this, one can name the two. Within the cauldron and furnace (symbolic vessels of alchemy) the sun and moon are hidden, and the drops of the water clock have already announced the third watch.

Like the union of husband and wife, the infant only begins to form; then, passing through birth from the womb, washing and refining, and careful nurturing, one can preserve life for the long term.

After the spirit pill (lingdan) has been taken, a person's pure Yang nature naturally comes to the fore. The mind becomes clear and luminous, dwelling constantly in a state that is still yet perceives everything distinctly, like the immortal isle of Pengdao, where vitality is preserved for a long time.

Advancing and withdrawing, moving and resting, are no longer burdens. One acts freely, untouched by the toil and dust of the world. So long as one understands the cycle of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches and the passing of the seasons, there is no need to cling to particular days such as "guarding Gengxin."

One seeks the Great Dao and keeps pursuing the truth, wandering freely in all directions and befriending people everywhere. Outwardly, one can let go of attachment and endure humiliation; inwardly, one reflects on oneself and meets hardship and frustration with composure.

Weary of worldly affairs, one gladly meets an immortal from the Purple Mansion (Zifu, the realm of immortals in Daoism). With a single sentence, this immortal personally guides and awakens the practitioner, so that one seems to arrive in a jade cavern and to greet a spring in which green peach blossoms are in full bloom.

All things arise from a single Qi (yiqi, the primordial Qi from which the myriad things are produced). The clear rises as Heaven and the turbid sinks as Earth, and from this the myriad things receive the Qi of Yin-Yang and take form.

The true dragon and the true tiger unite, and within the cauldron the red lead is refined and nourished (a Neidan term, referring to the medicines or the essence and Qi used in the process of alchemy), turning in step with the seasonal order symbolized by the stems Jia, Geng, and the others.

Yin and Yang join, like ruler and minister each in their proper place. Movement and stillness harmonize with one another, and Qi, blood, and Jing (essence) are brought into balance as well.

The "male" in the Ren-Gui direction moves riding the waves; the "female" beside the Bing-Ding mountain rock gives forth a sound. Here, the Neidan (internal alchemy) process of Yin-Yang interaction is described through imagery of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), directions, and male and female.

After the dragon and tiger have united, they depend on one another. Kan (one of the Bagua, Eight Trigrams, often symbolizing water) and Li (one of the Bagua, often symbolizing fire) join, as though forming a conception in the womb. That harmonious mass of essence and Qi is like the very marrow of Heaven and Earth, and the practitioner must concentrate the mind to feel it and draw it in.

Like gathers with like, and unlike separates from unlike. When the two sides are matched and weighed, each receives exactly its share. Within the palace of Wu and Ji (Heavenly Stem names, often used in Neidan to indicate the center or the position of harmony) lie water and fire, and one must tend them carefully, so that the "martial fire" and "civil fire" (differing strengths and tempos of heat in cultivation) are applied properly.

Within the Li palace there is form, and it hides true water. Within the Kan gate there is no form, yet it conceals the red dragon. When the moment arrives, one must gather and refine in time, and not let the newly born medicine be obstructed in the Yellow Court (Huanggong, a Neidan term, often referring to the central palace and the region of the Dantian) and fail to grow.

A wheel has thirty spokes, yet all converge on a single hub. When Metal and Wood meet, the two kinds of Qi are made to join. The sixty hexagrams can be divided into two periods, day and night. When the first Yang is born, the first line is set in motion (a line in a hexagram, symbolizing the beginning of Yin-Yang change).

Within Yin there are thirteen, which take on visible form; within Yang there are six and seven, yet their traces are hard to find. In applying "withdrawing and adding" (chouti, a Neidan term for adjusting Yin-Yang and advancing or retreating the fire phase), one must be careful and recognize the fundamental source of the cultivation and the lineage from which it derives.

In a state of trance, difficult to put into words, one may find something real; in the deep and silent darkness, one may draw in the subtle true Qi (vital energy). True Jing (essence) is the medicine of long life, but it must be nurtured and cultivated with the help of the "Yellow Dame" (a symbol of the medium that harmonizes Yin-Yang) before it can be refined.

Study closely the many sayings in the elixir classics, explore the transformations and mysteries hidden within them, and make clear the relations of closeness, distance, alternation, and correspondence between Yin and Yang. Only then can one grasp what is called "stealing the mechanism of the Seven Stars and the Southern Dipper" (using the names of the stars to refer to the key to the workings of Heaven and Earth).

The Yin cauldron and the Yang furnace are the root of the Great Dao (the Way). When the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are in harmony, Earth takes the lead. If one wishes to obtain the medicine of long life, one should seek, from the "Flower Pool" (a Daoist Neidan term, commonly referring to the place in the mouth where saliva gathers), the way to nourish the Qi and Jing of body and mind.

The sages transmitted the methods of refining the medicine, yet did not lightly transmit the fire phasing; since antiquity, few have truly understood it. Do not treat the cultivation of the Great Dao as child's play; one should study it earnestly and examine it again and again.

When regulating the fire phasing, increasing and decreasing, advancing and retreating, the mind must be quiet and free of distraction. With each yao (a single line in a hexagram, also used to represent a stage in the process of cultivation), one enters the next stage. The "Yin civil" and "Yang martial" (referring to the gentle and intense fire of the fire phasing) must be adjusted according to the moment, so that in the end a Returned Elixir (a Neidan term for the crystallization of Qi and Jing obtained through cultivation) can be refined within the fire.

Swallowing saliva and drawing in the breath can make the body firm; but this must still rely on the Yin and Yang Qi symbolized by Qian and Kun, as well as true mercury and true lead (Neidan terms referring, respectively, to the corresponding Yin and Yang essences within the human body). The Great Dao is by nature not complicated, but people often fail to grasp it; to take the five metals and eight minerals as the medicine of long life is an unreliable teaching.

The two Qi of Yin and Yang are originally born from the relation of "the child born of the mother" (using the mutual generation of mother and child as a metaphor for the interaction of Yin and Yang). At the proper moment, this power must be taken into the cauldron. When Yin and Yang unite, like a husband and wife joined in joy in the Golden Chamber (a symbol of the inner place of elixir refining), after a year it is as if a pregnancy has come to term, producing a "child" (a symbol of the completed inner elixir).

Only by understanding the mystery of the union of Yin and Yang can one refine the Golden Liquid and leave the ordinary world behind. Washing and clarifying the Qi and Jing is no ordinary matter; the "Maiden" and the "Infant" (Neidan terms, often used as metaphors for the Yin and Yang essences) must both be present and brought into harmony.

Turn the Northern Dipper and set the Heavenly Cudgel in motion, grasp the Southern Star and enter the inner chamber (both using the stars and the inner room as metaphors for the transformations within the body). In the changes symbolized by the hexagrams Pi and Tai, bring Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, into union; when the "Hare" and the "Rooster" bathe, one must restrain and store up (the hare, rooster, and the like are borrowed symbolic terms, referring to the changes of Yin-Yang and timing in the process of cultivation).

In the Crystal Palace there is a beautiful scene like that of a jade-green maiden (a symbol of the inner vision that appears in cultivation); a single vision breaks the silence. After obtaining the essence of the Hare and the Crow (referring respectively to the moon and the sun and their Yin-Yang essences), one must quickly gather it in and place it in the cauldron to be refined and nourished.

Cast off attachment to self and others, and guard the Elixir Chamber (the body and mind in which the inner elixir is nurtured); then time and breath will come to feel long and unbroken.

The Daoist practitioner who is untouched by honor or disgrace and stands transcendent beyond the dusty world devotes themselves wholly to refining lead frost (representing the primordial true Yang Qi) in the golden cauldron (the alchemical vessel, a metaphor for the Dantian). When the tiger's marrow and dragon's essence (metaphors for the body's Jing and Qi) are full and complete, they are tempered with fire according to the proper method. Once the Yin Qi within the body is entirely exhausted and the supreme treasure (the Golden Elixir) has formed, one knows that immortals are hidden even within the ordinary human world.

The one point of heavenly secret is nothing more than Qi and Jing. Master Lü (Lü Dongbin) also said there is no other true secret beyond this. The immortals are unwilling to speak plainly, for to explain too clearly only invites ridicule.

The Nine Returns and Seven Reversions (the successive stages of repeated refining in the alchemical method) can fix the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Both the opening (the initial setting-up) and the addition and subtraction (adjusting the intensity of the fire) depend on a "go-between" (a medium that guides the union of Yin and Yang). The Four Images (the Qi of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire) all return to Wu and Ji (central Earth, representing intention). With diligent cultivation over ten months, the sacred embryo takes form.

Recently my days have been quiet and pure. With my own hands I till a single mu of sandy field, and both sunshine and rain nurture the vitality of spring, so I have no worry that the seedlings will fail to grow. Returning to the root and restoring one's destiny, one recovers the original true nature. Qi circulates through the four limbs, and Jing nourishes Shen. When Shen and Qi are not dispersed, one blends in with ordinary people, merely an idle, carefree person.

There is a certain something that drifts, seeming to be and not to be, able to meet the autumn dew and condense into a true pearl. The pleasure quarters of blossoms and willows are found everywhere, and whether foul or fragrant, one may draw upon them as one pleases. I have already obtained the method of long life, and year after year I seek a kindred spirit by the sea. I do not know who that kindred spirit may be, but perhaps you will take note of these wild words of mine.

For several years I have toiled in search of immortal companions, and I will not stop until I become an immortal. When conditions align, the Dao is accomplished of itself; how could ordinary, vulgar people ever find my trail? The True Unity Qi (the Qi of the One) bestowed by one's parents has neither form nor shadow and is hard to find. To grasp the mystery of black and white (Yin-Yang, lead and mercury) interpenetrating, the Hun and Po souls must come together to form the Purple Gold (the Golden Elixir).

The foundation of the Way of supreme goodness has mysteries that must be probed deeply. The rising and sinking of the Magnificent Pool's divine water (representing true water, or saliva) follow a fixed measure. At the points of working the fire and of addition and subtraction, one must refine the self and hold the mind steady, and by no means let one's thoughts run unrestrained.

East, west, south, and north (the four directions, representing the Four Images) must all be mastered, so that Yin and Yang, female and male, may commingle. The fire phases must be handled with steadiness and care, and stoking the furnace depends entirely on the wind of the Xun palace (southeast, representing wind and breath). When Heaven and Earth meet, there are the changes of Pi and Tai (the two hexagrams of the Yi for obstruction and flourishing), and the qi-seasons of the Zhun and Meng hexagrams interpenetrate. One husband and one wife borrow the power of Heaven and Earth, and the three daughters and three sons (the six children born of Qian and Kun) are united from beginning to end.

Another poem:

Brush away the dust that clouds your sight, and do not entrust the Great Dao (the fundamental principle of cultivation) to worldly affairs and social conventions. The immortals of all ages are truly worthy of admiration; they deliberately appeared foolish and clumsy. The original line "女三男合始终" is obscure in meaning; it may refer to the union of Yin-Yang, male and female, running from beginning to end.

Another poem:

Brush away the dust that clouds your sight, and do not entrust the Great Dao to worldly affairs and social conventions. The immortals of all ages are truly worthy of admiration; they deliberately feigned foolishness and clumsiness, speaking nothing of it aloud.

Xijiangyue (to the tune "Moon over the West River")

The Golden Elixir (the elixir formed through the condensing of Jing and Qi in Neidan, or internal alchemy, cultivation) comes down in the end to a single fundamental number. The River Diagram (Hetu, a traditional diagram of images and numbers) reveals the true workings within it. Who can know that within the seemingly present yet absent "Wangxiang" (the formless image), such profound and subtle principles are contained? From here the Great Dao begins its gestation.

The handle of the Northern Dipper and the Jade Armillary (Xuanji, referring to the positions of the stars in their courses) are set right, yet within Yin there lies the light of Yang. On Mount Kunlun, mother and child wear "feiyi" (the original wording is retained; its meaning is unclear). This is the true principle by which Heaven and Earth, Qian and Kun, operate.

In the Crescent-Moon Furnace (Yanyue Lu, a Neidan term for the body and mind as the place of refining the elixir) a golden cauldron is set. The Three Terraces and the Two Luminaries (names of stars) symbolize form and spirit. Within the mercury lies the true; the principle of the exalted and the humble is plain and easy to grasp. When one clasps the hands in the firm grip (wogu, a cultivation posture of closing the fist to gather in the energy), there is no need to deliberately probe into the heart and the kidneys.

The White Tiger (often used to symbolize Metal, the lungs, or Yin qi) abides forever at the gate of Kan (Kan symbolizes Water and the kidneys), while the Azure Dragon (often used to symbolize Wood, the liver, or Yang qi) dwells next to the south. The Yin hun-soul and the Yang po-soul are like dust upon a window; the essential aim of cultivation never departs from the Xuanpin (the Mysterious Female, the profound gateway through which the Dao generates all things).

The Supreme One of the Three Pure Ones (the realms of the Sanqing venerated in Daoism), together with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, all embody the scale of the order of Heaven and Earth. The disciples of Qutan (the Buddha), Laoshi (Laozi), and Zhongni (Confucius) each study their own classics and histories, within which subtle principles lie deeply hidden.

Among them, too, a Zhenren (Perfected One, one who has attained the Dao) emerges in response to the age, and finds the Infant and the Dark Pearl (in Neidan, symbols of pure primal qi or of the elixir body). The toad's radiance (a glow like moonlight) illumines the darkened road all day long, and all before one's eyes the Yellow Sprout (a Neidan term for the newly arising elixir qi or elixir body) is revealed.

Within the body the Five Phases restrain one another, converging into a single grain of Red Lead (a Neidan term for the key essence-qi used in refining the elixir). Mutual generation and mutual overcoming are simply the natural order; this medicine knows no noble or base.

To return to your own native garden, cultivate in a single mu of Heavenly Field (symbolizing the place of nurturing and refining within the body). The Middle Son and the Youngest Daughter (symbolizing the two forces of Yin and Yang) are bound to one another, and once the Yellow Sprout is planted, it will fill the whole courtyard.

Break open the Three and the Five within the Xuanyuan (the profound origin), and part the Gui and Zhang jade tablets of creation and transformation (symbolizing the laws by which Heaven and Earth come into being). The wondrous meaning of Xixi (the realm of the Dao, without sound or form) lies in the very center, close at hand, yet nameless, formless, and difficult to grasp.

In but a moment there are gains to be had, and you will be made long at peace, with a lengthened span of years. The Isle of Penglai seems to be my native home; how could one not attend to this practice and place faith in this Dao?

When bamboo is broken, it must be mended with bamboo; when a person is weakened, they must be restored with "lead" (a Neidan term for the essence-qi needed in cultivation). Think on it carefully: the principle is right before your eyes, yet the people of the world cannot see it for themselves.

When the sun and moon meet in the Kan position (the trigram position representing water and Yin), the dragon and the snake are born in the Pre-Heavenly state (the original condition untouched by later distinctions). Cultivating the way of long life allows a person to remain at peace for a long time. The immortal isle of Penglai is my homeland; why do you not devote yourself to it and long for it?

When bamboo is split, it must be mended with bamboo; when a person grows old, they too must be replenished with "lead" (a Neidan term, symbolizing the Jing and Qi needed for cultivation). Think carefully, and you will see that the mystery lies right before your eyes, only that people of the world cannot see it themselves.

When the sun and moon meet in the Kan position, the dragon and snake are born in the Pre-Heavenly state. The wondrous medicine of long life lies within one's own body, and it can be made manifest in but a moment.

This Dao method is exceedingly efficacious and sacred; do not reveal it lightly. Cultivation depends entirely on the union of De (Virtue) and diligent practice, and one must also be careful in speech, so as to avoid disclosing it or violating its taboos.

Cultivation draws on the waxing and waning of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and one must also understand the principle by which Yang Qi flourishes as Yin Qi recedes. When three like-minded people practice together, they must be all the more watchful against danger; in applying "advancing the fire" (a Neidan term, referring to driving the cultivation forward at the proper time), special care is needed.

Once the elixir has been refined until it is bright and warm like jade, it must return to the "Yellow Springs" (here meaning a deeply hidden inner place) and continue to be nourished. To ascend and transform, one must undergo roughly three years of attentive care and cherishing.

When the nine-times-nine, eighty-one cycles are complete, transformation will occur; as for this marvelous effect, what need is there for words to explain it? In the blink of an eye one may become an immortal, forever riding a phoenix-drawn carriage and roaming in the company of phoenixes.

A strand of primordial Qi (the original Qi spoken of in Daoism) has just begun to turn back, just as the new moon arrives (the first day of the lunar month). The divine water (a Neidan term, referring to the refined Jing and Qi within the body) in the cauldron is warm and gentle; once firmness and softness meet, the breath becomes harmonious and even. The marvel lies in preserving the undivided, undifferentiated state.

The Eight Trigrams (Bagua) circulate within the body, driving the breath through the nine orifices (the nine openings of the human body). East and west lie still and in union, like morning and dusk answering one another. Do not tell these things to ordinary people.

A Poem

Refine once each month, and count it as one cycle; in a year there are nine cycles, and the nine returning refinements are complete. Deduce Yin and Yang's "punishment and virtue" (the waxing, waning, and coordination of Yin and Yang forces) from the two trigrams alone; the numerical principle of five and six finally returns to Wu and Ji (a designation for Earth, indicating the central position).

Song of the Elixir Marrow

In refining the elixir, there is no need to seek out the winter solstice, for within the body a Yang (the state in which Yang Qi first arises) will naturally be born.

The dragon soars in the Red Water (symbolizing the inner water Qi), and the waves surge; the tiger roars on Cinnabar Mountain (symbolizing the place of elixir refinement), and the wind and dew are clear. Deduce Yin and Yang's punishment and virtue from the two trigrams alone; the numerical principle of five and six finally returns to Wu and Ji.

At first, the transformation is like clouds billowing from a cave; afterward, it is like the moon reflected in a pool. It is also as though a golden silkworm (the original text reads "golden flea," possibly a symbolic image) appears, bearing a jade-like smile; one should seize the proper heat of the fire, refining in sequence three times, three times, and three times again.

She is as lovely as Xi Shi stepping out of a golden pavilion, and as beautiful as Yang Guifei descending from a jade tower. Day after day I drink with you in drunken delight beneath the flowers, as though there were nowhere else in the world more elegant and beautiful than this.

The mud-snake at the bottom of the well seems to dance the Tuozhi dance (a kind of dance), while the bright moon in the window shines on plum and pear blossoms. In the night, a primordial chaos seems to fall suddenly to the earth; before my eyes the myriad things are teeming, yet none of them can be perceived.

In the past I met my master and heard him transmit the oral instructions in person: simply concentrate the spirit and gather the mind's Shen (spirit) into the qi cavity (the place where internal qi is cultivated). Let Jing (essence) transform into Qi (vital energy), and Qi transform into Shen, refining the Yellow Sprout and the White Snow (symbolic names in Neidan, or internal alchemy, practice).

Through a year of cultivation, one must bathe and nourish oneself and also guard carefully against danger; over ten months, one harmonizes body and mind, following the proper rhythm. Take the cinnabar (here meaning the internal elixir that has been refined), and one may have an audience with the Jade Emperor, riding clouds and cranes up to the celestial palace.

The scripture (Jing) then repeats the point for emphasis: concentrate the spirit in the qi cavity, transform Jing into Qi and Qi into Shen, and refine the Yellow Sprout and White Snow; during a year of cultivation, bathe and guard against danger, and over ten months harmonize according to the rhythm; after taking the elixir, one can have an audience with the Jade Emperor and ride clouds and cranes to the celestial palace.

The crow has no form, and the hare has no shadow; the so-called crow and hare are in fact the essence of the sun and moon. When the essences of sun and moon meet, heaven and earth are able to keep turning for a long time.

The ox has no horns, and the horse has no hooves; the so-called ox and horse are in fact the quintessence of Qian and Kun (heaven and earth). As Qian and Kun move, what they employ is Kan and Li (the images of water and fire in the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams).

The tortoise has no definite form, and the snake has no fixed trace; the so-called tortoise and snake are in fact the shapes of Yin-Yang. When the two qi of Yin-Yang meet, they blend into one.

The dragon has no wings, and the tiger has no teeth; the dragon and tiger are originally one body, and the neighboring place to the east is also the home in the west. Here, dragon and tiger are Neidan terms, referring to the Yin and Yang qi that interact within the body.

Lead is not mercury, and mercury is not lead; lead and mercury (terms in Neidan that represent the transformations of Yin-Yang) are originally to be sought within oneself. In cultivation, one must keep body and mind still and unmoving.

There is no real White Snow, and no real Yellow Sprout: the White Snow is the water in the chamber of the spirit, and the Yellow Sprout is the flower born at the pivot of the qi mechanism. These are all symbolic ways of speaking about inner transformations in cultivation.

The true husband is the true wife; when the Kan man and the Li woman (the Yin and Yang qi symbolized by the Kan and Li trigrams) commingle, there is no dust in the emptiness, and heaven and earth stand revealed.

The true crossing pear and the true fire jujube (symbolic immortal fruits in Neidan cultivation): after eating the crossing pear, the four limbs become light and strong; after swallowing the fire jujube, one seems to remain sated through ten thousand kalpas.

After the summer solstice and before the winter solstice, Yin-Yang is not obtained from these days; spirit and qi are distributed of their own accord within the two quarters (the phases in which the Yin-Yang qi mechanism changes).

True water and true fire still follow the seasons in circulating the Zhoutian (the process by which internal qi circulates); through harmonizing and nourishing, one finally refines a treasure that can bring long life. At this point the scripture repeats lines such as "sated through ten thousand kalpas" and "after the summer solstice, before the winter solstice," stressing that one should follow the Yin-Yang rhythm, harmonize water and fire, and refine the internal elixir.

The spirit-soul (hun) of the sun and the corporeal soul (po) of the moon in fact both dwell within the human body. Within each person lies a true Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth, Yin-Yang). When it is tempered in the Dantian (energy center) until pure and transparent, it manifests a crimson radiance.

Heaven's position is exalted, and Earth's is lowly. One must gather in the heavenly hun and subdue the six thieves (in Buddhist and Daoist practice, the six sensory desires that disturb the mind); one must also restrain the earthly po and subdue the three corpses (in Daoism, spirits said to dwell in the human body, giving rise to desires and depleting one's life).

The medicine is not something external, and the fire is not an external regulation of heat. In the end, the key is only a single point of pure Yang Qi (vital energy); once it is refined and nourished, a life of lasting vitality can be achieved.

The "metal" spoken of here is not the Dui trigram, and the "wood" is not the Zhen trigram. Since ancient times, when true Earth corresponds to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), Metal and Wood naturally unite.

Within black there is black, and within white there is white; if one simply guards black and white, they will manifest of themselves. Black and white were never two different colors to begin with.

True gold is gold, and true silver is silver. When gold and silver are refined into the Purple Gold Elixir (a term for the elixir in Neidan, or internal alchemy), it forms a seamless whole of its own accord, leaving no trace of the axe or chisel of human artifice.

The crescent-moon furnace and the cinnabar cauldron are both images of the furnace and vessel in Neidan. Know that cultivation lies in embracing the One (maintaining pure unity) while preserving emptiness, stillness, and equanimity; there is no need to cling to particular formulations such as "passing the barrier" or "casting into the jade well."

The central cauldron (symbolizing the part of the body where the elixir is refined) must be guarded within the altar of Guarding the One. The liquid in the golden cauldron should always be kept warm, and the jade furnace should not be allowed to let its fire grow cold.

The mysterious is the true mysterious, and the female is the true female (the "mysterious female" is a Daoist term pointing to the gateway of generation). The mysterious and the female return to a single aperture, which lies neither in the nose and mouth, nor in the heart and kidneys or other parts of the body.

The true divine water and the true Flower Pond refer to original Qi; it is empty and elusive. Original Qi is vast and profound, and by nature acts through Wuwei (non-action).

Refine cinnabar, and refine mercury as well; let the cinnabar and mercury act upon each other, then refine the mercury into an essence as bright as dust in a window's light.

The true yellow blossom and the true purple powder are evidently both transformed within the inner cauldron and inner furnace, enabling ordinary substances like tile and stone to be refined through nine transformations into the elixir.

The true barrier and lock, and the true river cart (in Neidan, a metaphor for the circulation of Qi), must be guarded firmly like iron locks and golden gates; as the river cart turns, cinnabar coalesces.

The true golden essence and the true jade liquid are the Jing (essence) formed once Qi gathers in the cauldron. When the jade liquid fills the vessel, Shen (spirit) settles calmly into its chamber.

The true Golden Elder and the true Maiden (Chanü) (in Neidan, names symbolizing the two Qi of Yin-Yang) become husband and wife, uniting in the bridal chamber to bring about the true interaction of Yin and Yang.

The true Ding Gong and the true Yellow Dame (in Neidan, names symbolizing the powers of managing fire and harmonizing): Ding Gong turns the fire to refine the golden blossom, while the Yellow Dame, as though raising a golden goose in a bottle, brings the elixir gradually to maturity.

The True Infant (zhen yinger) and the True Child (zhen chizi) refer to the pure and genuine Original Spirit (yuanshen) formed in the practice of Neidan (internal alchemy). After nine cycles of refinement and nurturing, it matures as though a child had been carried in the womb for ten months, reaching a state of pure Yang without any Yin. At this point, one may say that life no longer declines.

The True Yin-Yang refers to the Yin and Yang Qi that work in concert during cultivation. Though the term consists of only two words, it encompasses the essential teachings on the circulation of internal alchemy and the regulation of the fire phases (huohou). It is like adjusting the fire in the alchemical process and nurturing the golden flower, or like the Yellow Dame (Huangpo, a symbol of the harmonization of Yin and Yang) raising the golden goose (a symbol in Neidan practice) within the vessel.

The True Infant and the True Child refer to the pure and genuine Original Spirit formed in the practice of Neidan. After nine cycles of refinement and nurturing, it matures as though carried in the womb for ten months, reaching a state of pure Yang without any Yin. At this point, one may say that life no longer declines.

The True Yin-Yang refers to the Yin and Yang Qi that work in concert during cultivation. Though the term consists of only two words, it can encompass the principles of cultivation set forth in tens of thousands of volumes of alchemical writings.