《金液还丹印证图》

Preface to the Illustrated Verification of the Golden Fluid Returning Elixir

Composed by Longmeizi

I privately consider that by erasing the death registers and adding entries to the life registers, one’s name can be recorded in the jade tablets; by seeking a master and studying the Great Dao (the Way), the inner mind can come into accord with the elixir Jing (scriptures). Good and evil depend on the individual, and whether one ascends as an immortal or sinks into oblivion is likewise decided by oneself.

After reading the records in the Comprehensive Immortals, I learned that from ancient times those who have flown up to become immortals number one hundred thousand, and those whose entire families have ascended number eight thousand households. Were all these people endowed with extraordinary innate gifts? They were most likely the fruit of diligent cultivation and study. Figures such as the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, born with innate wisdom and spiritual strangeness, were indeed of heavenly endowment; yet Xu Xun (courtesy name Jingyang), who accomplished the Great Dao through cultivation, achieved it through human effort, did he not?

One must wait until evil karma is eliminated before good affinities can be fulfilled. Some encounter immortal opportunities while guarding mountain passes; some meet their chance while crossing the sea. Some pass through demonic obstacles and their resolve grows firmer still; some undergo trials yet their aspiration never retreats. Since what is obtained comes so hard, cultivation must be pursued with single-minded diligence. Some gather herbs and refine elixirs amid bustling cities; some dwell in seclusion at the foot of Mount Hua or Mount Song. Some scatter among the human world, like Li Tuo who lived eight hundred years or Anqi who lived three thousand years; some ascend in broad daylight, like Prince Jin departing on a luan bird or Qin Gao riding a carp to heaven. Some, weary of the dusty world, undergo corpse-liberation (leaving the physical remains while the spirit departs); some remain among humans while preserving their form. Some master and disciple ascend together as immortals; some grandfather and grandson both attain the Dao. For some, obtaining the Dao is difficult yet achievement comes easily; for others, entering the gate is easy yet completion is hard. All these matters are recorded in the classics and cannot be lightly dismissed as unbelievable.

From childhood I have devoted myself to purity, stillness, and emptiness, seeking teachers and the Dao in all directions, yet it has been hard to distinguish true from false. After thirty years of painstaking attention, counting the hundred masters I visited, what I learned was never the true transmission, and only later did I come to understand. From this one knows that affinities hard to encounter cannot be easily accomplished. If one wishes to ride a crane and roam freely, one must first have travel funds to support the journey. Superficial people hearing this would laugh aloud, yet true sages therefore do not speak lightly. A difference of a hair’s breadth, and the outcome will be a thousand miles apart.

If one carelessly leaks heavenly secrets, the ancestral masters incur blame thereby; if the Great Dao is never transmitted at all, one also bears fault. Wanting to speak yet pausing, wanting to abandon yet unable to do so. Rather than concealing the methods of the Dao in mysterious and impenetrable places, it is better to set forth the general outline. Thus, following my master’s instructions, I have drawn the illustrated seals.

The book lists nine chapters of outer symbolic images to detail the wonders of compounding the elixir, and nine chapters of inner symbolic images to explain the steps of nurturing the elixir. Refining the Golden Elixir must have a source, so it first discusses the “Original Root.” With a foundation, generation can occur, hence “Qian and Kun.” Cooking and refining according to the principles of Qian and Kun leads to the “Tripod Vessel.” The vessel requires medicinal substances, thus “Lead and Mercury.” Explaining the proportions of lead and mercury, “Harmonious Combining.” Combining produces the Yellow Sprout, hence “True Earth.” The elixir medicine is precious in being collectible, so “Gathering.” Implementing the refining method requires regulations, thus “Institutions.” During refining there must be like-minded companions to assist, so “Assistants.” These constitute the outer symbolic images, the nine aspects of compounding the elixir.

After gathering the elixir medicine one then ingests it, so “Ingesting the Elixir.” After ingesting, one must nourish and refine with gentle fire, so “Nine Tripods.” Warming and nourishing depends entirely on fire timing, so “Advancing the Fire.” Fire timing has advance and retreat, so “Withdrawing the Fire.” Advance and retreat must follow the transformations of the medicinal substances, so “Extracting and Adding.” Between advance and retreat there must also be pauses, so “Bathing.” After bathing the elixir is completed, so “Golden Fluid.” Though the elixir is refined, one must still cultivate mind and nature, so “Embracing the Origin.” Guarding the One and embracing the Origin enables one to solidify life and penetrate nature, the form flying up to the heavenly palaces and ranking among the True Persons, so “Audience with the Origin.” These constitute the inner symbolic images, the nine aspects of nurturing the elixir.

After ingesting the elixir, one must still nourish the fire for one year, attuning Yin-Yang, gathering the seasonal nodes, collecting and drawing in the 20,736,000 years of orthodox Qi (vital energy) between heaven and earth, returning them to the treasures represented by the numbers nine, one, three, seven, two, four, six, and eight. Even if a person’s lifespan is infinite, when the allotted Qi is exhausted it will still decay. Therefore it is better to equalize the self with the ten thousand things, to merge form and emptiness, to comprehend the natural Great Dao above the Primordial Beginning, and to perfect the true awakening of the True Source. In movement, roam freely at ease; in stillness, enter the Great Void, mounting the unobstructed Great Dao and forever returning to the original source.

The foregoing, together with “Alerting and Awakening” and “Returning to the Origin,” totals twenty chapters. There is also the “Ballad of Refining the Elixir,” used to connect beginning and end and arrange the chapters of the entire book, and the “Admonition Pointing Out Delusion,” used to distinguish the orthodox from the heterodox and clarify genuine Confucians, appended at the end; readers are requested to examine them carefully. I dare not regard this content as a standard for those who have already attained, but merely leave it for later students as reference and verification.

On the first day of midwinter in the Wuyin year of the Jiading era of the Qing Song, Longmeizi composed this preface.

This diagram was personally transmitted by my former master Bai Yuchan, its contents derived from the illustrated instructions drawn in his own hand by the ancestral master Longmeizi. It is not to be shown to anyone who is not the designated recipient of the transmission. Treasure it and cherish it! In the jiawu year of the Duanping era, Wang Jingxuan of Wuning respectfully presents this writing of the Dao.

The Origin

When Heaven and Earth were in chaotic darkness, before light had yet appeared, the Wind Wheel (the mechanism of Qi (vital energy) that drives the movement of Heaven and Earth) surged and produced True Lead (a term of Neidan (internal alchemy), referring to the original authentic Jing (essence) and Qi spoken of in cultivation).

All this comes about because, when stillness reaches its extreme, it stirs into motion once more, and thus boundaries appear within the boundless void.

Primordial Qi originally sprouts forth from emptiness and nonbeing; the two modes of Yin-Yang (the two fundamental opposing forces between Heaven and Earth) operate in a state of composure.

The growth and transformation of the myriad things is endless, as if a grotto-heaven (an immortal paradise) were magically appearing within a gourd.

Admonition and Awakening

Looking back at the births and deaths one has already undergone, the leftover corpses pile up like mountains; the tears of farewell surge forth like the waves of the four seas.

The world will ultimately be destroyed as well; human life passes in the blink of an eye—what is there to take joy in?

A person undergoes a thousand changes and myriad transformations: sometimes born as a man, sometimes as a woman; also passing through all sorts of forms, whether with horns growing on the head or covered in hair.

If one does not seize this lifetime to awaken within the cycle of birth and death, then after this life has ended, how is one to confront what comes after?

Qian and Kun

When chaos is still undivided, it belongs to the precelestial; after the clear Qi and the turbid Qi have separated, the two forms of Heaven and Earth and of Yin and Yang are fully manifested.

Kun is female, Qian is male, yet both originally issue from the same primordial Qi. The matter of the Wood Dragon and the Metal Tiger (Neidan terms used to symbolize the two forces of Yin and Yang) has been investigated by people for a thousand years.

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) all take solitary Yin and lone Yang as the path of cultivation—do they truly believe that merely the two forces of the firm and the yielding can produce the mysterious and wondrous realm?

In daily life, people often fail to understand the principle of the reversed operation of Yin-Yang; if one can thoroughly grasp this, one is a true immortal.

The Cauldron and Vessel

Refining the elixir depends entirely on the ding and the furnace; the Qian and Kun serving as furnace and ding (Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang) must accord with the correct standards. The body of the ding encircles roundly according to the numerical principles of five and three, taking one as the diameter; the circumference of the rim takes the numerical principles of four and eight, and the abdomen and navel are to be properly arranged. (Here the form of the furnace and ding is borrowed to explain the symbolic standards of Neidan cultivation.)

To examine the lead in the ding, the mind must be inwardly settled; when the Yang fire is about to arise, it should be laid out below. If one has not encountered a true lofty person to give personal guidance, where then can one seek the mysterious key within?

Lead and Mercury

Lead comes from white metal, mercury is produced from cinnabar; elixir refiners often use these to discuss the matter. If one takes metals and stones as the true medicines, it is like sowing millet seedlings yet hoping they will grow into hemp.

Within the Kan trigram, the Yellow Male is called the ancestor of mercury; within the Li trigram, the Mysterious Female is the root of lead. One must clearly distinguish true from false; the True Lead that is produced is as white as a horse’s tooth.

(The original text here contains “like sowing grain and dancing in the hope of growing hemp” as well as a repeated sentence; the wording appears to have errors, and the above is translated according to its discernible meaning.)

The yellow man in the Kan position (the Kan trigram in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), often symbolizing water, the moon, or yin) is named the Mercury Ancestor; the mysterious woman in the Li position (the Li trigram in the Bagua, often symbolizing fire, the sun, or yang) belongs to the lead side. One must clearly distinguish the true from the false and refine the genuine lead; its form resembles a horse’s tooth.

Union

The source contained in the two-eight number is pure, combining to make exactly one jin. Do not suppose that taking equal portions from each side constitutes evenness. One must understand where Yin-Yang conjoin, and still carefully investigate the hours or positions of zi, wu, and shen.

When establishing the origin at the Chen position, one should use Si; seeking the source from the Hai earthly branch, one must find Yin. Upon encountering the place of conjunction it becomes the three-five number; after harmonizing, the central yellow arises from this and becomes the most authentic substance.

True Earth Is True Lead Yellow Sprout

The innate speck of black Qi (vital energy) is called true lead. Do not believe the deluded people who randomly point out and transmit such teachings. The growth and flourishing of all things reveal green signs; that speck of spiritual nature can fly and transform, relying entirely on restraint and gathering.

Whatever has physical form and produces substance is not the true orthodox Dao (the Way); that which has no substance yet can generate form is the mysterious principle. I urge those who cultivate the Dao to study diligently and seek the true secrets; when using lead, never take ordinary lead for true lead.

Gathering

At midnight, rosy clouds illuminate the North Sea; a grain of Golden Elixir is refined, complete and worthy of celebration. If one does not understand the mystery of gathering, even wasted effort in flying upward cannot truly enter Taiqing (the pure and empty immortal realm of Daoism).

The crane’s wings often grow strong with the falling of frost; toad cream (an alchemical term related to lunar imagery) often appears with the moon and is mistaken for ordinary lead.

At midnight, rosy clouds illuminate the North Sea; a grain of Golden Elixir is refined, complete and worthy of celebration. If one does not understand the mystery of gathering, even wasted effort in flying upward cannot truly enter Taiqing.

The crane’s wings often grow strong following the descent of frost; toad cream often arises with the moonlight. Relying on the principle of like attracting like and Qi communicating, employ the sword formula to pursue and capture it, holding it in the palm.

Arrangement

Erect a three-layered ritual altar symbolizing heaven, earth, and humanity respectively; arrange in sequence the Nine Palaces and the Bagua. Hang mirrors in the upper and lower positions to drive away sprites; array swords in the four corners to subdue ghosts and spirits.

When performing the Yu Pace (a Daoist ritual gait), the Three Realms become solemn; at the place indicated by the stars, a hundred demons come to submit. Be sure to instruct the person in charge of the water clock that the timing must not err; in a moment’s work one can achieve the merit of lasting through ten thousand kalpas.

Assistance

Assisting persons of one mind and combined effort are indispensable; three people of unified aspiration mutually support one another. When the Kui star appears it is responsible for guarding and occupying the principal position; the one who plans the ding-furnace and arranges the implements is the secondary assistant.

Carefully examine the ding and xuan (components of the furnace) so that the Qi of dragon and tiger leaps; finely adjust the fire phases so that both civil fire and martial fire are exactly right. The middle of the furnace as well as the positions and order of head and tail must all be distinguished; it depends entirely on the companions carefully responding and coordinating.

Ingesting the Elixir

Take the yellow sprout (the essence obtained from alchemy) into the palm and swallow it at once; do not mind the haste. The yin mercury of the whole body disperses like smoke and rushes up to the cloudy Han; once the yang lead is obtained it is like a flying bird falling into a cage and being captured.

The feeling of attachment to the elixir—how could it be as profound as a child’s longing for its mother? Whether using civil fire or martial fire, one must wait for the suitable moment. The steps in between, as well as the beginning and the end, must all be clearly distinguished; this depends entirely on fellow practitioners of the Dao (the Way) carefully reminding and guiding.

Ingesting the Elixir

Once the Yellow Sprout (an alchemical term referring to an important medicinal substance in the elixir or the initially formed elixir) is taken in hand, it must be swallowed at once; do not consider this too hasty. After it is ingested, it is as if the yin mercury filling the body turns into vapor and soars upward; once the yang lead is obtained, it is like a bird being gathered into a cage.

The heart’s attachment to the elixir is just like a child’s longing for its mother; the union of Yin-Yang is also like the meeting of female and male. One must cultivate diligently and carefully, master the firing process, and make no errors. After ten months of gestation, the elixir embryo matures, and lasting longevity can be obtained.

The Nine Cauldrons

The secret art of the Golden Elixir (jindan) is by no means something ordinary people can master. Among the six hundred chapters of elixir scriptures, nine kinds of methods of the Dao are listed. When the Great Yu modeled himself on the Hongfan (a chapter in the ancient classic the Book of Documents), those of deviant and false ways began to feel fear; after the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan cast the cauldron, the Dao of refining the elixir was accomplished.

The selection of days and times must accord with the rules of elixir methods; after ingesting the elixir, one must no longer crave rank and greasy foods. The seasons and solar terms cycle and succeed one another, going round and beginning anew; once the work is complete, a dragon-shaped being will naturally come to welcome one.

Advancing the Fire

Fire is advanced beginning at the zi hour, and at the gui hour it is gathered in and concealed; this is the method of advancing fire in the early morning. The correspondence between Yin-Yang should proceed in silence, and the breath going in and out should be regulated to be fine, slow, and prolonged.

The number of lines in the Book of Changes is two hundred sixteen, and the hexagram image accords with the hexagram Fu. The solar terms alternate, cycling back and forth; once the work is complete, a dragon-shaped being will naturally come to welcome one.

Advancing the Fire

Fire is advanced beginning at the zi hour, and at the gui hour it is gathered in and concealed; this is the method of advancing fire in the early morning. The correspondence between Yin-Yang should proceed in silence, and the breath going in and out should be regulated to be fine, slow, and prolonged.

The number of lines in the Book of Changes is two hundred sixteen, and the hexagram images accord with Fu, Lin, Tai, Guai, Qian and similar hexagrams. Timing must not err and must correspond with the seasonal nodes; amid the blazing fire, a red lotus-like luminous image appears for a long time.

Withdrawing the Fire

The wu hour corresponds to one hundred forty-four stars; this is the process of withdrawing fire according to the Yin Tally (a rule in elixir methods related to withdrawing fire and gathering inward). Cultivation begins from the union of Yin-Yang, gradually reaching a congealed solidity like hard ice; gathering in and nurturing all things until the state of fullness symbolized by the hexagram Kun.

The function of the entire process lies only in increase and decrease (the original text has “zengzang,” suspected to be “increase and decrease”). As the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang divide, unite, and transform, decline and flourishing become apparent. After reducing the fire power and withdrawing the tally periods, Heaven and Earth return to stillness; the two hexagrams Zhun and Meng embody the principle of the generation of all things.

Extraction and Addition

Each time fire is advanced, yang Qi increases once; the dragon and tiger (symbols in elixir methods for the two Qi of Yin-Yang) coil and revolve, emitting a crimson-red radiance. The yin po and lead diminish day by day, while the yang hun and mercury increase with time.

When applying the firing process, one must keep the mind settled and act with caution; if one is irritable and worried, or the Shen (spirit) of the heart is in danger of collapsing, disaster will be invited. Adding mercury and extracting lead depend entirely on regulation of the firing process; besides this there is no other method.

Audience with the Origin

When both physical form and Shen have reached a subtle and marvelous realm, one takes the Dao as companion; when both nature and life have been cultivated to completion, one unites with the Great Void. When the precious edict descends, one mounts a crane and soars through empty space; after receiving the jade writ in homage, one drives a dragon-drawn carriage and departs.

No matter how illustrious the rank of an immortal official, there is no need to debate high or low. While enduring the torments of this muddy world, one may as well dwell in peace and guard the Dao (the Way). As long as one accumulates De (Virtue/Power) and diligently seeks the Dao, an opportune encounter will come in the end. Why then do you still hesitate?

Returning to the Origin (Huanyuan)

No matter where one is, a person’s nature and life can be cultivated to completion and united with Taixu (the vast, boundless void, also referring to the Great Dao). When the precious edict descends, one rides away on a crane; after receiving the jade book, one departs mounted on a dragon.

No matter how illustrious the rank of an immortal official, there is no need to debate high or low. While enduring the torments of this muddy world, one may as well dwell in peace and guard the Dao. As long as one accumulates De and diligently seeks the Dao, an opportune encounter will come in the end. Why then do you still hesitate?

Returning to the Origin (Huanyuan)

Facing south is not necessarily south, and facing east is not necessarily east. A person’s spiritual nature is wondrously responsive and originally perfectly complete and unobstructed. The worthy and the foolish originally have no fixed distinction; ordinary people and sages have never been entirely different from one another.

Taking red to be vermilion becomes a habitual way of seeing; calling one’s mother “niang” is merely a familiar expression. These examples all show that human judgments are often shaped by habit and words. Everything produced through contrived action is not truly constant and unchanging. One must realize the true origin, understanding that it is both empty and not empty.

The Practice of Refining the Elixir (Lian Dan Xing)

The Kan Male and Li Female (in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), representing the Yin-Yang attributes of water and fire respectively) are the root of the Yellow Sprout (a term in Neidan cultivation symbolizing the initial emergence of the elixir), as well as the progeny of the generative forces of heaven and earth and the ancestral source of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

Take one jin of each, beginning the count from the eighth month. When the count reaches the dawn of the full-moon day, that is the moment when Yang Qi (vital energy) first arises.

The Qi of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) diffuses and flows; guiding it requires reliance on the Holy Mother (a symbolic designation in Neidan). Sit upright to guard and stabilize, causing the Kui star to display a vigorous aspect; then ascend the three-tiered earthen altar.

Cause the dragon and tiger to invert and intermingle, following the measure of the Zhoutian circulation. Suddenly the elixir cauldron melts in radiance, and the Mysterious Pearl (symbolizing the essence of the inner elixir) appears hanging like a single grain of millet.

Hasten to gather it, swallow it whole without chewing. The moment the numinous elixir enters the belly, mists scatter like wind and rain, the waves of the four seas surge, and the Jing (essence), Qi, hun, and po of heaven and earth become settled.

When the Yang Fire and Yin Talisman (two methods of regulating the fire timing in Neidan) are applied, there must be no mistake. During the bathing stage, be cautious to guard against danger; during extracting and adding (regulating the fire of cultivation), also protect carefully. Once the work of the nine cauldrons is completed, the River Chariot (a metaphor in Neidan for the circulation that transports Jing and Qi) can proceed unimpeded.

The Golden Fluid turns into jade nectar, and the Infant (a term in Neidan symbolizing the elixir embryo) is born from the womb. After ten months of diligent and painstaking cultivation, form and Shen (spirit) seem as if they have grown wings.

Those who cultivate the Dao should not seek teachings everywhere, looking only to heterodox side paths. Heterodox methods lead people astray, so one must carefully discern and choose with prudence.

I have written this “The Practice of Refining the Elixir” to convey the meaning of what I have said.

Admonition to Dispel Confusion (Zhi Mi Zhen)

Longevity can be learned, and the Ultimate Dao can be transmitted. Upon meeting a suitable person, do not keep it secret without transmitting it; upon meeting an unsuitable person, do not speak of it lightly.

In this turbid and chaotic world, people are entangled by fame and profit. Time passes like flowing water—who still willingly studies immortality with sincerity?

Even those who study the Dao (the Way) often obtain merely unorthodox side paths. Some dine on rosy clouds and ingest Qi (vital energy) (cultivating through breathing exercises, gathering Qi, and similar methods); some sit in meditation and contemplate Chan. Some refine and nourish the Yin Qi within the body, employ the Eight Stones (mineral medicines used in alchemy), secretly operate the Three Formulas (a certain secretly transmitted art), and quietly await the descent of the Six Ding (the six Yin deities spoken of in Daoism).

They believe the dragon and tiger (the Yin-Yang Qi or symbolic forces in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation) will immediately appear, and that ghosts and spirits will manifest before their eyes, thus considering themselves to have understood the Great Medicine (an alchemical term referring to the key essence sought in cultivation). In reality, what these practices yield still deviates from the orthodox path: some ingest Autumn Stone (a medicine refined from boys’ urine and the like).

Some attempt to restore plants and trees to youthful vigor and to recover primordial Qi through saliva and fluids; some employ methods of forbidden spells to gather and replenish Yin Qi. Some cleanse the bowels and practice grain abstention, despising the marketplace and withdrawing far from the dusty world; some travel afar to gather the Five Zhi (legendary lingzhi-type immortal medicines), or nearby visualize the Three Fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy center) spoken of in the body’s Neidan cultivation).

There are also various designations such as the Four Fruits Vegetable Dao, the Ten Great Numinous Chapters, Golden Millet Floating Trust, Jade Gourd Hunyuan, and so forth. Lesser methods number seventy-two kinds, greater methods twenty-four kinds. All these arts and techniques are as numerous as ten thousand horses and a thousand cartloads of plants and trees—too many to enumerate.

Deluded people cling to these methods, imagining they have cultivated with specialized expertise; their lesser wish is longevity without death, their greater delusion is to fly-ascend to the heavenly realms. Yet before their hair turns white they have already died and entered the Yellow Springs. They do not reflect upon having taken the wrong road themselves, but instead complain that they have no affinity with the Great Dao, thereby causing those who aspire to cultivate the Dao also to become bewildered, not knowing where to turn.

To use these techniques in vain hope of extending years and benefiting life is like wanting to stride in one step from the land of the Hu to the land of Yue, only to retreat instead to the Central Plains; or like climbing a tree to seek fish, or looking for rabbits in a dried-up river. Taking error as the orthodox Way is truly pitiable. Therefore the Verification Chart is composed, to guide later seekers of the Dao.

The ancient immortals were by no means unwilling to reveal the true methods; the oral formulas have all been transmitted. They pity those sunk in the sea of suffering and are willing to construct a quiet ferry to help people leave the bitter realm. Yet a true master is difficult to encounter; in cultivating the Dao one should first accumulate De (Virtue/Power). Perhaps only thus can one resonate with the true teacher and fulfill the sincere aspiration to cultivate the Dao.

Upon reading this far, if one is able to comprehend, one can then open up one’s own innate heavenly nature. Once meritorious practice is complete and the methods of the Dao are fully possessed, one can ride the clouds and travel afar, ascend into the lofty and wondrous realm, become an honored guest of the Jade Emperor, and hold the authority over the transformations of heaven and earth. This should be constantly remembered in the heart, practiced diligently morning and evening without cease.

Postscript

My teacher’s wish is sincere cultivation of the Dao. Upon reading this far, if one is able to comprehend, one can then open up one’s own innate heavenly nature. Once meritorious practice is complete and the methods of the Dao are fully possessed, one can ride the clouds and travel afar, ascend into the lofty and wondrous realm, become an honored guest of the Jade Emperor, and hold the authority over the transformations of heaven and earth. This should be constantly remembered in the heart, practiced diligently morning and evening without cease.

I heard my master Ruoyizi say that Lu once heard my teacher Wumingzi mention, when visiting the gentleman: My teacher is Guangyi Shunlizi Liu Zhen, whose ancestral master is Wuzhen Xianweng. Liu Zhen studied at the Biyong, the highest academy of ancient times, but did not succeed in the imperial examinations. He possessed a foundation for cultivating the Dao (the Way) from his early years and later devoted himself wholly to studying the Dao, eventually achieving some attainment.

Later, considering that some among his fellow practitioners still had grandchildren at home, Liu Zhen encountered Wuzhen Xianweng in the Wuwu year of the Shaoxing era (1138) and received the Dao from him. Because his aspiration and strength were not yet sufficient to complete the cultivation, he had Perfected Peng’s commentary on the Cantong Qi printed and lived in seclusion in the marketplace, thereby conveniently guiding those who had affinity. Subsequently he met like-minded companions and completed the work at the foot of Huqiu Mountain during the Wuji years of the Qiandao era (around 1170). Favored by the immortal’s grace and protection, I too was fortunate to receive his instruction.

During the Shaoxing period I received the Perfected One’s guidance and tempering in the vicinity of Kuapu Bridge on the Zhi River, yet at that time both my resources and my strength were inadequate, so I was unable to bring the cultivation to completion. Thus I worried day and night, and more than thirty years slipped by in an instant. One Mid-Autumn Festival I was moved to compose the following:

“Holding the celestial mechanism in my hand, I have already passed through thirty-six autumns counted as six times six; each year when this night arrives, the melancholy is always difficult to banish.

The wondrous method must be fulfilled by three people together; the spiritual primordial, tiny as a grain of millet, is to be cultivated according to the two-eight number.

I am convinced that the ao-furnace for refining the elixir must be established in a place of blessed virtue; one must also understand that the money-crane is to ascend to Yangzhou.

Who can lend me a whirlwind that soars straight upward, so that we may rise together to the Ten Continents in a single leap?”

This poem discloses my resolve. You should diligently practice the method of cultivating the millet-grain spiritual primordial according to the two-eight number. I believe the ao-furnace of elixir refinement must be situated in a land of blessed fortune; likewise one ought to grasp the meaning of “the money-crane going to Yangzhou.” Whoever can assist me in riding the wind aloft, we shall together ascend to the Ten Continents—the legendary ten islands inhabited by immortals. Exert yourselves!

Thereupon I transmitted the methods of the Dao. This took place in the Gengxu year of the Chunxi era (1190). The complementary techniques of elixir refinement are not yet appropriate to transmit in full; further guidance will be given later according to the recipient. In the Gengshen year (1200) I again met Registrar Lu of the temple in Gusu and only then explained the inner secrets to him; Lu Gong was likewise a disciple who had received transmission from Liu Zhen.

I have studied the Dao for thirty years and only in the Gengzi year of the Jiading era (1220) did I encounter the immortal master and receive the complete secret of the fire timing on Huqiu Mountain. Another two years have now elapsed, yet I am still bound by official duties and occupied with worldly business. I fear that further delay will cause me to neglect the cultivation of the immortal Dao, and I am therefore filled with anxiety. Hence I have drawn this diagram in the hope that those who come after may derive some understanding from it.

In former times, on the day when Xu Jun of the Western Mountains slew the serpent, he left behind these words: “Within one thousand two hundred and forty years after my ascent to heaven, eight hundred persons among the Five Mausoleums shall attain the Dao and become immortals.” From the Yongjia reign of the Eastern Jin down to the Chunxi period of the present dynasty, this number has already been fulfilled. I therefore reflect that today those in the region of the Five Mausoleums who are endowed with spiritual gifts and who set their will upon cultivating the Dao are all potential material for immortality. In writing this account I likewise cherish a certain hope.

On the third day of the last month of winter I record this lineage of transmission.

I heard the essential principles of elixir refinement from a true teacher long ago, and afterward examined the Jing (scriptures) in hopes of finding mutual corroboration. I have pursued this for a long time. If the principles are not expressed in profound and obscure terms, they tend to appear superficial and hollow, and are indeed not easy to understand clearly.

I once obtained a scroll of the Longmeizi Yinzhen Tu (Verification Diagram of Master Longmei), which I copied and carefully preserved. Upon reading its discussion of gathering and refining the medicinal ingredients, nurturing the transforming fetal breathing, and the sequential order of cultivation practice—like ascending a flight of steps—the essential points of the elixir method accorded with what is recorded in the scriptures. As soon as I opened the scroll, everything became clear in my mind.

Regarding the sequence of transmission, however, the text states that Longmeizi’s teacher was Ruoyizi, while the several teachers further up the line are not described in detail. Ancient writings often conceal the names of their authors, as with works such as the Huiji (Fire Records) and the Longhu Jing (Dragon-Tiger Scripture). Now, examining the beginning and end as recorded in the preface, one can tell that this book comes from the Ziyang lineage.

The colophon at the end of the book says: My teacher Ruoyizi studied under Master Weng, known as Wumingzi; Master Weng’s teacher was Liu Zhenren (Perfected Liu), known as Shunlizi. Liu Zhenren was the Daoist of White Dragon Grotto, a disciple who received personal instruction from Ziyang Zhenren; “Shunlizi” was his alternative name. The colophon also states that Ziyang Zhenren passed away in the fifth year of Yuanfeng (1082), and seven years later met Shunlizi at Wangwu Mountain, composing a poem to encourage him that contained the words “I hear you have understood the medicinal ingredients for many years.” Although Shunlizi had long heard of the Great Dao (the Way), he had not yet resolved to apply himself with determination. In the Wuwu year of Shaoxing (1138) he encountered Ziyang Zhenren once more, and thereafter devoted himself wholly to cultivation, achieving success only in the Jichou year of Qiandao (1169), when he was already over a hundred years old, after which he ascended as an immortal.

Wang Qidao, who wrote the inscription at the head of the illustrated scroll, is Jinchangzi, and also a successor of Yuchanxian (the Jade Toad Immortal). Since he calls Longmeizi his ancestral master, although Longmeizi’s deeds remain hidden and unrevealed, the height of his attainment in cultivating the Dao can readily be imagined.

Now that I have seen these records, I greatly admire the mysterious and wondrous Great Dao and am eager to practice it; yet achievement is not easily attained, and it seems I too must follow in the footsteps of Shunlizi. Alas, the most difficult thing in cultivating the Dao is not learning, but hearing the correct teaching; and after one has heard it, the most difficult thing is not the hearing itself, but succeeding in cultivation. Those who seek to learn are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, while those who truly achieve success are as rare as an ox’s horns. Whenever I think of this, I cannot help but sigh at the hardships the ancients faced in cultivating the Dao. Yet as long as one has the aspiration, the matter can ultimately succeed—what is there to worry about?

When in the future the work of warming and nurturing is complete, and I am able to fly beyond the eight directions, I shall go to the immortal realm of Yunlai to seek out Longmeizi and the others, record their deeds in cultivating the Dao, and add them to the Liexian Zhuan (Biographies of the Arrayed Immortals) for later generations to circulate and read.

This passage is signed by Yuanyangzi, Lin Jing of Wuxing, Mysterious Historian of the Jasper Terrace, inscribed in the years of Jiazi and Jiyou, on a day when the golden Jing (essence) filled the elixir cauldron; the location was the Taiwei Xuangai Dongtian (Grotto-Heaven of Grand Tenuity and the Mysterious Canopy). At that time the author was thirty-five years of age and respectfully wrote this.