《金晶论》

"Golden Crystal" (Jinjing) is the root and foundation of creation and transformation, and a manifestation of the Dao (the Way) in its emptiness and non-being. It speaks of the principle that emptiness contains being, and that within being there is originally emptiness, and it can be used to measure the patterns of Heaven and Earth. Emptiness is form, and form is emptiness; to understand that emptiness is not mere nothingness, and to understand form without clinging to form. Only within "huhu" (the dim, trance-like state in which the Dao seems both present and absent) can one attain penetrating understanding, and the place where radiant light shines is called "Wondrous Sound." "Jin" (Gold) is the pure Qi (vital energy) of the moon's radiance, and "Jing" (Crystal) is the true essence of the sunlight.

One Qi transforms and gives rise to the two forms of Yin-Yang (Heaven and Earth), and only when these two forms are complete are the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity established. Heaven is round and Earth is square; clear Qi becomes Heaven and turbid Qi becomes Earth, while human beings receive the balanced, harmonious, upright Qi. Cradling essence and Qi within the dim and indistinct, they are a presence of substance within emptiness, arising from the void into being. Living in this floating, transient world, one must understand that everything is illusory transformation. The Yinfu Jing (the Scripture of the Hidden Talismans, a Daoist classic) says: life is the root of death, and death is the basis of life.

I worry that practitioners will not understand the principles of the sages and will find it difficult to grasp the gate of "Xi-Yi" (the subtle, formless depths of the Dao). Unable to read the words of the scriptures, they will interpret them arbitrarily with forced and fanciful readings, fail to find the path into cultivation, and waste their efforts, gaining nothing after a long time. Cultivation requires a thorough grasp of the truths of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and Yin-Yang, so as to seize the Golden Crystal and treat it as the precious pillar between Heaven and Earth. This pillar is so firm that only when the Five Sacred Peaks collapse will it show any sign of decay. I also worry that later students, lacking a true grasp of the essential aim, will retreat midway and sink into the river of desire, falling into the sea of suffering.

Therefore I have written the Jinjing Lun (Treatise on the Golden Crystal) in three chapters, to circulate in the world and to guide those who cultivate, enabling them to reach the correct principles, seize the achievements of creation and transformation, and perfect the wondrous Dao. It is divided into upper, middle, and lower chapters. If an aspirant wishes to transmit this treatise, they must swear an oath in person, kneel and burn incense, and present ten taels of gold before the transmission may take place. It must not be transmitted to people of base character. This is a heavenly secret and must not be passed on carelessly, lest it be leaked. To transmit it to a suitable person is called delivering someone to the "Southern Palace" (the realm of the immortals), and they may ascend to heaven in broad daylight. To meet a suitable person and fail to transmit it brings calamity upon seven generations of ancestors; to transmit it indiscriminately brings calamity upon nine generations of ancestors, who will sink forever into the Yellow Springs, fall into the sea of suffering, and remain lowly ghosts. Even if reborn as human beings, they will surely be poor, lowly, and physically impaired.

Therefore the discussion of the Golden Crystal is set out in the text that follows. Having understood it, one who cultivates according to its methods can transcend the ordinary and enter the sacred, clothed in immortal robes, drinking jade nectar when thirsty and eating heavenly food when hungry. This piece merely lays out the outline, and so this preface has been written to highlight the supreme teaching. It is hoped that readers will examine its profound meaning with care.

"Golden Jing" (金晶, a Neidan term for the essence regarded as the root of human life) is Yang among all things and is pure white in color, so it is called "mercury." The mercury spoken of here is quicksilver, but not the ordinary quicksilver of the world that people might consume. This text only outlines the main points; the principles are explained in order below, so please reflect on them carefully.

Golden Jing corresponds in the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) to the west, with "Geng and Xin" as its Heavenly Stems and "Shen and You" as its Earthly Branches. It is born from Earth and dies in Fire. It overcomes Wood, and when it meets Water it transforms, becoming lead. Metal and Water stand as mother and child: Water is the child of Metal, and Metal is the mother of Water. They pass their breath, or Qi, to one another, and so it is called "mercury." After mercury is left to settle it does not become clear, and when stirred it does not turn cloudy. Refined by fire, it first becomes silver and finally turns into gold.

Metal is also called the "Tiger," though this is not the tiger of the everyday world. The Yijing (Book of Changes) says, "Treading on frost leads to solid ice." The "ice" in the text refers to quicksilver, which is also called mercury. The Yinfu Jing Song (Ode to the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) says, "Slay the mercury to form the elixir, and it gives life to people." Mercury is Jing, and so it is said that if one wishes to prolong life and slow aging, the key lies in "returning the Jing to replenish the brain" (a Neidan expression for raising essence upward to nourish the brain). Jing is the pure Qi of the great Yang, and so it is also called "Great Yang Jing."

The Jing of Yin and Yang descends along with the fire Qi and enters the Dantian (the place of gathering energy in Neidan practice). The Dantian belongs to Earth, and Metal is born within Earth, so it is called Golden Jing. Golden Jing is the root of a person, namely the upright Qi of the lower source (stored in the lower part of the body). It is also called the "Maiden" (Chanü), "Golden Liquid," "Returned Elixir," or "Jade Liquid." These names point to the transformation and condensation of essence and Qi in Neidan practice, and the related oral instructions are said to be the key to understanding the changes of Heaven and Earth and to encompassing the transformations of all things.

The author says that when calamity strikes the human world, one who wishes to avoid wasting the complete method of cultivation fears it might reveal the Way of Heaven and be passed too easily to others, and so leaves no trace.

Once Golden Jing has been refined through nine turnings, it becomes the crimson Returned Elixir. For nurturing life and helping one's household, there is no better method.

The so-called "Golden Essence" (金晶) expounds the principle by which lead and mercury unite, and it also points to the key to how heaven and earth bring about generation and transformation. When heaven obtains this "essence," it can revolve; when earth obtains it, it becomes stable; when humans obtain it, they can accomplish all things. Heaven takes the "essence" as its spirit (Shen), earth takes it as its brightness, and humans take it as their innate nature and emotions. This nature is the root of a person and also the gateway through which life and death pass in and out. If one wishes to attain long life, one should seek awakening at the very root of life itself; this is the method for seeking longevity.

The "Golden Essence" is simply mercury and lead. When the two unite and are regulated and employed through the Dragon and Tiger, the Golden Essence forms naturally. Here "Dragon and Tiger" are metaphors for metal and wood: metal is called the Tiger, and wood is called the Dragon. The Tiger is also called mercury and belongs to metal and water; the Dragon is also called lead and belongs to wood and fire. "Dragon and Tiger" also stand for a person's nature and life, while "lead and mercury" represent the union of Yin-Yang, like that of husband and wife. Lead is called the "Infant," and mercury the "Maiden"; the two originally spring from one source and differ only in name. They seem to be divided into two, yet in truth they are one body.

Ordinary people often go to Geng and Xin (the direction and heavenly stems associated with metal) to look for the Tiger, and to Jia and Yi (the direction and heavenly stems associated with wood) to look for the Dragon, without realizing that the Dragon and Tiger are within their own bodies. The scripture (Jing) further says, "The Dragon is at Geng and Xin; the Tiger is at Jia and Yi; apply the fire at Ren and Zi; let it rest at Bing and Ding." These statements borrow the heavenly stems and earthly branches to indicate relationships and positions within cultivation; they are not instructions to search for them among external directions.

Since ancient times, the sages did not state these essentials of cultivation plainly and directly. Later students have therefore easily fallen into confusion and wild guesswork, wasting their efforts in vain, accomplishing nothing even into old age, and some have even slandered the true Way and developed deviant views. If I did not leave these words in writing now, I fear the traces of immortal cultivation would be cut off entirely, so I have written down this material as a reference for later learners. Hence the scripture says, "The Dragon is born from within fire; the Tiger emerges from within water." It also says, "The Dragon is not in the east; the Tiger is not in the west." The intent is to remind people that the principles of cultivation indicated by the Dragon and Tiger lie within oneself, and should not be sought only in external directions.

Heaven is clear and earth is turbid. Heaven belongs to Yang and earth to Yin; heaven is like a father, earth like a mother. Heaven is a single Qi (vital energy), while earth divides into the two forms of Yin-Yang. Human beings dwell between heaven and earth and are named together with them as the "Three Powers." From this we come to three substances, yellow, black, and white: yellow belongs to earth, black to water, and white to metal. When earth, water, and metal combine, the result is called the "Golden Essence."

The Golden Essence belongs to Qian, symbolizing metal and resembling the father; it also belongs to Kun, symbolizing metal and resembling the mother. Metal is born from earth, and water in turn is born from metal. The upright Qi of the earth steams upward to heaven, and the Qi of Yin and Yang respond to one another, thereby forming the Golden Essence. The Golden Essence rises to the Li Palace (a Neidan, or internal alchemy, term for the region corresponding to the heart and fire), then passes through the Flower Pool (a Neidan term for the place where saliva gathers in the mouth) and is transformed into bodily fluids. These fluids flow down to the Dantian (the energy center in the lower abdomen used in internal cultivation) and are further transformed into mercury. Mercury is blood, and blood is carried into the bones to become marrow. Just as a lamp goes out when its oil is exhausted, a person dies when the marrow is spent.

Hence it is said that to avoid aging one must "return the essence to replenish the brain," and to keep the body strong one must refine and nourish the bodily fluids so that they are drawn back into the body. When the fluids fill the Golden Essence, a person's nature and life can be prolonged.

Within the Bright Hall (a Neidan term for a certain region within the body) lies an inner chamber, upright and solemn, where the Maiden is paired with the Golden Youth. The Golden Youth is lead, and lead is the infant. Once the Golden Essence and the fluids are abundant, they flow down to the Weilü (the lower end of the spine) and are carried by the River Cart (a Neidan term for the method of circulating essence and Qi) to the Kidney Hall. The Kidney Hall is the root of the human body and the source of nature and life. In the kidneys are two apertures: the left is called the Heavenly Gate, the right the Earthly Door. The Golden Essence must be kept firm and not allowed to dissipate, so that one may extend one's years and increase longevity.

One may choose the hours of the Chou and Wei days to guide the Golden Essence up to the Niwan (the cultivation site in the head); this is called "replenishing the brain." If the Golden Essence is gathered and refined on Yin and Shen days, and tempered with fire, it will naturally coalesce into an elixir, called the "Sevenfold Returned Numinous Cinnabar." By constantly attending to the timing of the fire and continuing to gather and refine the Golden Essence, one can complete the Great Medicine. The practitioner thereby transcends the ordinary and enters sagehood, leaving the mundane behind, like a dragon shedding its old bones; wherever he wishes to go, he arrives in an instant. He may also roam the Five Lakes and the Ten Continents and Two Isles, riding the clouds at ease.

I fear that readers have not yet understood what has been said above, so I will next present the songs on the Golden Elixir and Great Medicine, the Golden Essence, lead and mercury, and the true and false dragon and tiger, eleven in all. Please distinguish them carefully and practice accordingly.

The song says:

To refine "Golden Crystal" (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for refined elixir or true Yang qi) into cinnabar, one must place it in the cauldron and join it with the "Golden Flower." Ordinary students do not believe in the secret of longevity; and once the Nine Turns of refining are complete, one must never boast of it.

It is said that there are many methods for making the divine elixir, but a swallow or sparrow can never give birth to a phoenix out of nothing. Apart from true lead and true mercury (Neidan terms for the essence and qi of Yin-Yang), all other ingredients fail to accord with the proper method.

The Jia-Yi Dragon (the Azure Dragon, named for the heavenly stems Jia and Yi, symbolizing Wood qi) is born from the Li trigram (symbolizing Fire); the Geng-Xin Tiger (the White Tiger, named for the heavenly stems Geng and Xin, symbolizing Metal qi) is born from the Kan trigram (symbolizing Water). The two join as husband and wife and unite with one another, yet each still keeps its original nature and form.

The words left by the immortals praise the "Yellow Sprout" (a Neidan term for newly arisen true qi): when Metal and Water generate one another, the Golden Flower forms within the cauldron. After the branches transform into Dragon and Tiger, Kan and Li enter together into the "Purple River Chariot" (a Neidan term for the inner mechanism that circulates and transforms essence and qi).

Before the Kan male and Li female (symbolizing the qi of Water and Fire respectively) had taken shape, Heaven had already paired the two qi of Yin-Yang; once they have transformed into husband and wife, they are instead called "the sage who knows nothing."

Every household hides the Dragon and Tiger within the half-present and half-absent, and every place conceals Kan and Li within the obscure and hazy. Because people have never understood the meaning of this, how could the sages deliberately misstate such profound and subtle principles?

After nine refinings in the furnace, the Golden Crystal appears; red powdery frost rises lightly, as weightless as fine dust. Even a priceless pearl cannot compare with it. From this one knows that the road to the Xiaohan (the lofty realm of the immortals) lies right before one's eyes.

Grind a single pill into fine powder, then slowly stir the mercury over the fire. Who would still envy a hall full of pearls and jade? To leave the mundane world behind is to become an immortal.

When meeting to discuss the Great Dao, there is no need to speak at length. Who can grasp the true way through such words? Those who are fit only to use the "four yellows and eight minerals" (mineral materials used in traditional alchemy) — how could they know that the White Tiger and the Azure Dragon are by nature close and united?

From the waters of Ren-Yin, draw out the Golden Tiger; in the furnace of Wu-Ji, refine the Wood Dragon. All depends on the power of the Vermilion Bird of the south (symbolizing Fire), who diligently guards the Red Palace (the alchemical furnace or chamber).

When the Middle Son and Middle Daughter (symbolizing the qi of Kan and Li respectively) meet, the numbers of two and eight (symbolizing the union of Yin and Yang) should naturally match. A "General" is still needed to make the introduction; to bring the two into close union, one must rely on the "Golden Lord" (a Neidan term for Metal qi).