《还源篇》

"Lead" (qian) and "mercury" (gong) are technical terms in Neidan (internal alchemy), standing respectively for the two opposing inner forces of Yin-Yang. "Azure Dragon" and "White Tiger" are corresponding symbols. The "cauldron" (ding) refers either to the vessel used in alchemy or to the practitioner's own body; the "reclining moon" (yanyue) refers to a crescent-shaped furnace-cauldron; and the "knife-measure" (daogui) refers to a small quantity of elixir.

When mercury and lead unite, they form the body of True Unity; when Yin and Yang join, they coagulate into the Great Origin. So long as one understands how to operate according to the rule of "two and eight," one can refine the Golden Elixir.

Mercury symbolizes the Azure Dragon, and lead symbolizes the essence of the White Tiger. One must gather them in and bring them into the cauldron, and must also know how to seize the right moment for gathering and refining.

The Maiden (symbolizing Yin qi) rides the lead tiger, and the Golden Lord (symbolizing Yang qi) mounts the mercury dragon. When Jia and Geng are joined, and Yin and Yang are properly matched, one can refine an elixir like a red glow within the furnace.

Use the essence-soul of the snake to subdue the form of the dragon, and use the spirit-soul of the tortoise to restrain the vital essence of the tiger. In the divine water of the Flower Pool (Huachi, the place in the body where bodily fluids gather, in Neidan), a sprout of elixir like jade cream will emerge.

"White snow flying down upon the Jasper Garden" and "yellow sprouts growing in the Jade Orchard" are both ways of describing the emergence of the inner elixir's form. So long as one understands the method of cultivating the "reclining moon" furnace-cauldron, one will know where to refine the red lead.

The medicinal ingredients emerge from primordial chaos, and the fire phasing is used to refine and nourish the qi of the Vast Undifferentiated. After ten months of gentle nourishing, the Immortal Embryo (taixian, a metaphor for the elixir embryo in Neidan) is formed, and only then does one truly grasp the efficacy of the nine-fold transmutation of the elixir.

The moment when the dragon hides the pearl is just like the time when a hen broods her egg. When Yin and Yang, lead and mercury, merge into one, one may then take a small measure of the elixir.

Bathing (a stage of regulating the breath and nourishing the self in Neidan, or internal alchemy, cultivation) must draw on Kun water (symbolizing nourishing, yielding power). Blowing, exhaling, and inhaling must rely on Xun wind (symbolizing wind and breath). The infant (the primordial spirit or elixir embryo formed in Neidan practice) has no speech and dwells alone in the Palace of Supreme Subtlety (a symbolic palace within the body).

When the purple hen is brooding her egg, who can see that lead and mercury (Neidan terms, often used as metaphors for the two forces of Yin-Yang) have already united? This is the right moment to take the daogui (an ancient implement for measuring elixirs, here meaning a small dose of elixir).

Bathing draws on Kun water, and exhaling and inhaling rely on Xun wind. The infant is wordless and dwells alone in the Palace of Supreme Subtlety.

Seek the Maiden of Great Age in the Purple Mansion (a symbolic dwelling of immortals), and in Zhuling (the name of an immortal realm) let the Kan man (symbolizing the Kan trigram, water, and the yang within yin) be joined to her. With the Yellow Dame (symbolizing the medium that harmonizes Yin-Yang) as matchmaker, the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate, the origin of the cosmos) naturally embraces the three forces, Yin-Yang among them.

The Qian horse (symbolizing the Qian trigram and yang Qi) gallops toward the Metal Gate, and the Kun ox (symbolizing the Kun trigram and yin Qi) enters the Wood Palace. Who has married the Old Maiden to the Golden Elder? This uses marriage as a metaphor for the union of Yin and Yang.

The Maiden (symbolizing the yin side) is just sixteen years old, and the Golden Elder (symbolizing the yang side) stands exactly at the number nine-three. In the bridal chamber an auspicious air arises. Yin and Yang join and give birth to the first infant (the elixir embryo).

Last night on the shore of Xizhou, moonlight shone on the green ripples. I carried the gathered moon essence back to the Jade Chamber (the place of cultivation within the body) and placed it in the cauldron, where it will refine itself.

The union of Kan and Qian is not the physical coupling of man and woman, but the natural transformation and generation of Qian and Kun, Yin and Yang. Anyone who understands this principle will see a single point of elixir light fall into the Yellow Court (an important place in the body, and a symbolic site of Neidan practice).

In the Elixir Valley the Divine Water arises (a Neidan term for the Jing, Qi, and bodily fluids spoken of in cultivation), and in the Yellow Court lies the Great Granary (a place in the body symbolizing the storage of Jing and Qi). When thoughts of hunger and thirst no longer arise, one travels straight on toward the homeland of immortals.

Let the horse of intent (a metaphor for scattered thoughts) return to the Chamber of Spirit, and let the monkey of the heart (a metaphor for restless thoughts) guard the bridal chamber. When Jing and Shen, the hun and po souls, and intent have been refined, they transform into purple-gold frost (symbolizing the coalescing of the inner elixir).

Investigate thoroughly the One Aperture and Three Passes (the names Neidan gives to the body's apertures and barriers), and recognize the crux of the Three Passes. Then, with a sudden, gentle turning, the Divine Water flows out of itself.

Subduing the po (the yin part of the human spirit) is not done by forcing it down with the mind, and restraining the hun (the yang part of the human spirit) is not done by seizing it with the will. One need only retain Shen and Qi, and within a moment the Dark Pearl (symbolizing the condensed inner elixir) will form.

The oral instructions have few words, and cultivating the elixir takes only a moment. Hold the fire phase (the measured regulation of the cultivation process and the breath) gently, and after ten months the infant (the elixir embryo) will be conceived.

When husband and wife first come together in joy, as the years pass their affection only deepens. Where they meet in the bridal chamber, every day is like a mild spring breeze. Here the meeting of husband and wife continues to serve as a metaphor for the union of Yin and Yang.

A sudden rain flutters like paper butterflies, and a jade peony appears in the golden furnace. At the third watch of night a red sun rises blazing, and in the sixth month a chill like white frost sets in. These images describe the transformations that occur in Neidan practice.

From the bottom of the sea, golden fire flies up, and at the mountain summit the earthen spring turns. In an instant the union of Yin and Yang is complete, and blue smoke rises from the jade cauldron.

Chisel open the Aperture of the Mysterious Origin (the aperture leading to the source) and break through the Gate of Chaos. So long as one knows how to harmonize water and fire, the tiger and dragon (symbolizing the two forces of Yin and Yang) may coil and intertwine as they please.

Within the waters of the Dragon Palace of Sagara, fire lies hidden; upon Mount Kunlun, waves surge. Who can grasp the secret of putting this to use? The key lies in the "Yellow Dame" (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the function of harmonizing and matchmaking Yin-Yang).

In gathering the medicine, one must take the Qi (vital energy) of the Prior Heaven, the original Qi untouched by the distinctions of later consciousness and bodily form. In applying fire, one must seek the Jing (essence) of the Great Change, the subtle Qi of the primal chaos before heaven and earth were divided. One who understands how to gather the medicine and apply the fire will see the elixir completed in stillness and concentration.

How should the original Qi be taken in? True Jing and Qi need not be moved about. True Jing and original Qi are the very foundation for refining the Great Elixir.

The Confucians clarify the principles of nature and life, and the Buddhists strive to break attachment and realize emptiness. One who does not understand gathering the medicine and applying the fire cannot see the elixir completed in stillness and concentration.

How should the original Qi be taken in? True Jing and Qi need not be moved about. True Jing and original Qi are the very foundation for refining the Great Elixir.

The Confucians clarify the principles of nature and life, and the Buddhists strive to break stubborn attachment and realize emptiness. Yet without knowing the arts of immortal cultivation, one cannot know the skill by which the Golden Elixir may be accomplished in an instant.

The mercury in the Crescent-Moon Furnace and the lead in the Cinnabar Cauldron are both symbols within Neidan. The True Unity Qi, represented by the joining of the tortoise and the snake, arises from the Prior Heaven.

Follow the phases of the moon, the new moon, the full moon, the quarter moons, and the dark of the moon, and master "withdrawing and adding" (the term for regulating the fire phases), just as the moon waxes from crescent to full. If one does not understand the true laws of creation and transformation, how can one recognize what true lead is (the term for the medicine in Neidan)?

Qi is the root of life within the body, and the heart is the Shen (spirit) of one's inner nature. One who knows the essential opening where Shen and Qi meet may be called a person who has attained the Dao (the Way).

Cook the golden cauldron with the pith of wood, and pour breath like spring water into the jade furnace. Who can spend three hundred days, patiently and steadily, at this work?

Refine the liquid lead in the jade cauldron, and nourish the mercury essence in the golden furnace. The "Nine Returns" and "Nine Turnings" (terms for the repeated refining and nurturing in Neidan practice) must all be warmed and nourished in keeping with the rhythm of the celestial cycle.

The Jade Fluid nourishes the Chamber of Shen (the inner place where Shen and Qi are refined), and the golden embryo coalesces at the pivot of Qi's movement. One need only seek the medicine within the body, and has no need to search through alchemical texts outside.

The fire jujube originally has no pit, so how could the exchange pear have any dregs? All day long there is no need to arrange the fire phases deliberately, for the divine water naturally irrigates the golden flower (a symbol in Neidan practice).

To refine Qi alone is merely to waste effort, and to hold Shen in mind deliberately may also be in vain. How could one know the subtlety of the elixir formula? One simply immerses oneself all day in True Emptiness (the state of stillness free of attachment).

If you wish to refine the Qi of the Prior Heaven, you must first make the mercury flow freely (a symbol in Neidan). When the Sacred Embryo appears (the name in the alchemical tradition for the accomplishment of the inner elixir), there will be signs of thunder breaking through the crown of the head.

The generation of Qi is not found in the kidneys alone, and the dwelling place of Shen is not in the heart. Qi and Shen are elusive, yet they can combine into a single mass of Golden Elixir.

There is an opening called the Mysterious Female (in Daoist thought, the profound source and gateway), which contains both Qi and Shen. Whoever recognizes this essential opening need no longer seek the true Dao outside the body.

The spleen and stomach are not the Chamber of Shen.

The generation of Qi is not found in the kidneys alone, and the dwelling place of Shen is not in the heart. Qi and Shen are elusive, yet they can combine into a single mass of Golden Elixir.

There is an opening called the Mysterious Female, which contains both Qi and Shen. Whoever recognizes this essential opening need no longer seek the true Dao outside the body.

The spleen and stomach are not the Spirit Chamber (shenshi) of alchemical refining, the place where the elixir is cultivated within, and the bladder is merely an appendage of the kidneys. I urge you not to cling to such claims: they are not the key to the way of alchemy.

Though the inner landscape may hold a thousand poems, the heart needs only a single cup of "Central Yellow Wine" (a metaphor for the harmonizing qi within the body). Be free and unhindered, untroubled by external things; beyond the body, a whole world of one's own awaits.

The Crow and the Hare (symbols of sun and moon, or of Yin-Yang qi) refine one another, and the Turtle and Snake (symbols of Yin-Yang qi in union) coil together naturally. In the end they condense into a single grain of elixir, which must then be gently nourished until it becomes the Immortal Embryo (an immortal foetus formed through Neidan, or internal alchemy).

All things have birth and death, and the Original Stem (the primordial qi) also dies and is born again. Let Shen (spirit) return into Qi (vital energy), and the Dao (the Way) of alchemy will be accomplished of itself.

Where Shen and Qi return to their root is the moment when body and mind return to their origin. Few, I imagine, know of this true aperture (the gateway where Shen and Qi meet in inner cultivation).

Within the body lies the Mysterious Female (the profound source that gives birth to all things), and the heart harbors no dust. Sadly, who can recognize that within this one aperture lies a genuine mystery?

High up in the trigram Kan (symbolizing water and kidney qi) dwell the true Dragon and Tiger, and within Qian and Kun are the proper Horse and Ox (all symbols of Yin-Yang union). Everyone possesses these from the beginning, so why do they not know to cultivate them?

The hun and po souls are the masters of the heart-spirit, and Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) are governed by intention. Carry out the fire phasing (the regulation of advance, retreat, and nourishment in inner practice) with composure, and silently turn the first line (the opening line of a hexagram, signifying the beginning of cultivation).

Between beneath the heart and above the kidneys, to the west of the liver and in the left-center of the lungs lies the place in question. (The original line is incomplete here.) What is described is not the intestines, stomach, or other organs, but a current of qi that circulates of its own accord.

Its marvelous function does not depend on deliberate intention, and its true essence cannot be reached through forced effort. Who can know this aperture? Yet one must not simply let oneself do nothing.

Within it there is something, yet not an ordinary physical thing; within Wuwei (non-action) there also lies action. Hold the authority over transformation in your own hands, and the Crow and Hare will congeal into Golden Liquid (the essence of internal alchemical practice).

The Tiger roars on the Western Mountain, and the Dragon chants in the Northern Sea. To gather them, one must refine them together, then settle them in the palaces of Gen and Kun (trigram positions symbolizing mountain and earth).

The hexagrams Fu and Gou (symbolizing the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang) govern light and dark, while Zhun and Meng (symbolizing the first emergence of things and their initial obscurity) correspond to the alternation of day and night. When snow-white essence condenses in the furnace, the Monkey of the Heart (the restless, wandering mind) has nowhere left to be found.

Black Mercury (symbolizing Yin essence) puts forth yellow leaves, and Red Lead (symbolizing Yang essence) blooms with purple flowers. The fire phasing must still be adjusted, so that cinnabar (the inner elixir) may congeal within the cauldron.

Wood Liquid (qi of the Wood phase) must guard against the Hare, and Metal Essence (qi of the Metal phase) must be especially wary of the Rooster. Adding and subtracting (adjusting the increase and decrease of Yin-Yang qi) must also be paired with bathing (pausing the fire phasing in order to nurture essence and qi). At this time the moon is just like a full moon.

The wind of ten thousand pipes has only just risen, and over a thousand mountains the moon is newly full. One must quickly apply the correct method, and then the Microcosmic Orbit (the circulation of qi through the whole body) can be turned.

The medicinal ingredients may be old or tender, and the fire phasing requires knowing how to add and subtract. This is precisely the time when the moon is full.

As the myriad sounds (all kinds of sound) first arise, the moon over a thousand mountains suddenly turns full. At this moment one must hurry to carry out the correct decree, and the celestial circuit (the circulation of energy in Neidan, internal alchemy) can then be set in motion.

The medicinal ingredients may be old or tender, and one must know when to draw off and when to add the fire. A point of light rises within the elixir, like a cold moon shining on jade eaves.

The pearl inside the oyster was once cut out, and the egg in the hen's nest is easy to find. What is born from nothingness, however, requires spirit (Shen) and vital energy (Qi) to blend naturally.

Spirit and Qi are not mother and child, and body and mind are not husband and wife. If one accords with the natural principle, who can see where the elixir forms?

When the elixir's head first congeals, the medicine has already gathered. The dragon and tiger (Neidan terms, often a metaphor for Yin-Yang or the interacting forces within the body) fight one another, yet the Eastern Lord (a symbol of the sun or of yang energy) knows nothing of it.

Side paths and petty arts, strange methods and irrelevant talk can all be ignored. As for the secret of the liquid gold that returns to the elixir (a Neidan term for the process of refining the inner elixir), in the end there is no second road.

Whether poor or noble, high or low, husband and wife or brothers, if the Way (Dao) of immortality is open to all, then all may read the alchemical scriptures (Jing).

If a house is damaged, repairing it is not hard. If the medicine's potency is exhausted, it is not hard to make it grow again. Once one understands the method of return, gold and treasure will pile up like mountains.

The ethereal soul and the corporeal soul together form the three natures, and Shen and Jing (essence) join with the Five Phases. These then divide into the four images, which gather and interweave to form the embryonic essence.

Devote yourself to lead and mercury, and set aside stray thoughts to seek earth and metal. Only then will you grasp the true crucial point. As for the profound mystery within, who can fathom it?

Creation and transformation have no fixed root, yet Yin-Yang has its own source. These truly subtle matters cannot be passed down even from father to son.

Let the mercury remain in the golden cauldron and send the lead into the jade pool. Between host and guest there is no left or right; the key lies only in recognizing the infant (a Neidan term for the elixir formed through cultivation).

The Yellow Dame (a Neidan term often referring to the force that harmonizes Yin-Yang and brings the medicines together) has full, bountiful breasts, and Old Ding has a heart of kindness. Nurturing warmth has no other secret than raising the infant out of nothingness.

At the Crimson Gate (an inner-landscape image of a palace in cultivation) a green phoenix soars, and in the Dantian (energy center) a jade toad is nurtured (an image of the inner elixir within the Dantian). In the vessel there seems to be a world where night never falls, and white snow drifts down in flurries.

Once the lute and zither are in harmony, the ancestral work is complete. At this point one need no longer apply the fire, lest it harm the infant instead.

When the eldest son has just entered the Dui position, the youngest daughter returns to the Qian position. The Xun palace joins with the Earth position, and the passes and locks naturally form the celestial circuit.

At the moon's first and last quarters, and in the seasons of its fullness and waning, one draws off and adds according to the punishment and virtue (the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang). The timing of the bath is arranged according to the moon's waxing and waning.

The Old Mercury (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the yin, spirit-like, mobile kind of medicine or force) holds three pounds of white, while the True Lead (a Neidan term for the yang, congealed, fixed kind of medicine or force) holds only a single point of red. From the union of the two one must draw out the essence of Heaven and Earth, and this so-called coupling is completed in but a moment.

When the fire phasing (the mastery of timing and heat in the alchemical process) reaches its subtle and profound depths, how many people from ancient times to the present have been willing to transmit it? If you do not yet know how to gather the medicine, do not ask about the Zhoutian (the cycle and route of qi circulation in Neidan practice).

The clouds and mist part, and the crabapple blossoms glow in the moonlight. The spring breeze brushes the willows as if asking after the season. Who can grasp the meaning in this? One can only lift one's eyes and put the question to the empty sky.

The human world holds no entanglements, and in the heavens there is a stairway to the realm of the immortals. Once you have learned to ride the clouds, you may meet the host of immortals, who arrive before you in throngs.

When the heart-field (a metaphor for the inner mind) is free of weeds and filth, one's nature withdraws from the dust of the world and rises above its troubles. The clouds and mist part, and the crabapple glows in the moonlight; the spring breeze brushes the willows. Who can grasp the meaning in this? One lifts one's eyes and questions the empty sky. The human world holds no entanglements, and in the heavens there is a stairway to the immortal realm; once you have learned to ride the clouds, you may meet the host of immortals.

When the heart-field is free of weeds and filth, one's nature withdraws from the world and ascends. In the deep stillness of the night, under a bright moon, a single cry of a spring bird suddenly sounds.

With white gold one refines the six trigrams, and with black tin one passes through the Three Passes. When midnight arrives, the Golden Crow (symbolizing the sun or yang force) enters the Vast Cold Palace (symbolizing the moon or the yin realm).

Once the Golden Elixir is complete, the steps of dragon and tiger, fire phasing, and mercury and lead are no longer needed. When the fire phasing is finished, mercury and lead may also be set aside. The practitioner sheds the ordinary body and is reborn, having reached the realm of the transformation of Shen (spirit), and goes on to become an Immortal of Jade Purity (a high-ranking immortal in Daoist teaching).

Block the road to the Yellow Springs and break open the gate of the Purple Palace (a Daoist term for the spirit-residence within the head or body). How did Haichanzi (the Daoist immortal Liu Haichan) transform into a crane and fly out of the Niwan (a Daoist term for the spirit-residence in the head)?

Where do the rivers and seas finally return, and to whom do the mountain cliffs belong? Only after the Golden Elixir has ripened does one realize that the treasure was within oneself all along.

The oral instructions that Lü Dongbin passed to Zhongli Quan, and the mind-method that Ge Xuan passed to Zheng Siyuan, contained not a single superfluous word; at bottom they speak of nothing but mercury and lead.

Mercury and lead return to a single cauldron, and sun and moon must share one furnace. When advancing the fire, one must heed the prohibitions. These essential instructions are all treasures stored within one's own body.

The oral instructions that Lü Dongbin passed to Zhongli Quan, and the mind-method that Ge Xuan passed to Zheng Siyuan, contained not a single superfluous word; at bottom they speak of nothing but mercury and lead. Mercury and lead return to a single cauldron, and sun and moon share one furnace. When advancing the fire, one must heed the prohibitions, so that the practice may crystallize into Jade Cream (a metaphor for the refined essence or elixir that results).

After the medicine is gathered, one causes the medicines to couple. Then comes the advancing of the fire and the bathing (the stage in Neidan practice of regulating the fire phasing and calming the breath). By the time of shedding the womb, the nine-times-nine yang number (a number symbolizing full yang energy and the completion of the practice) will be fully achieved.