《阴真君金石五相类》

Of all the things between Heaven and Earth, none is more subtle than the Dao (the Way). Among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), none is more profound than the one associated with black, which is Water. Among all living beings, none is more intelligent than the human being. In the alternation of day and night and of light and dark, nothing is clearer than the sun and moon. For the circulation of blood through the vessels, nothing offers a better comparison than the great rivers and seas. For showing how dynasties rise and decline, nothing explains change better than the four seasons. And for expressing restraint, attack, and the turning of transformations, nothing embodies them more fully than the Six Jia (the system of recording days and hours by pairing the Heavenly Stems with the Earthly Branches).

These things resemble one another, and all follow the Dao as they succeed one another, though they may also reverse and turn against their course. The changes of the two forces of Yin-Yang are each applied according to the proper time, and it is through their combination that generation is brought about. If one wishes to make use of Yin-Yang but fails to distinguish the category to which each corresponds, then however skillfully one speaks, the effort is wasted. Moreover, Heaven and Earth each have their own nature, and the male and the female each have their own way of moving. If categories that do not correspond are mixed together and paired, there is no reliable basis for the result.

The supreme arts and precious texts through which the celestial immortals of old cultivated themselves comprise nine scrolls. They push the principle of "the three and the five resembling one another" to its finest subtlety, and they apply the principles of Dao (the Way), De (Virtue), and Xuanyuan (the Mysterious Origin) throughout heaven and earth. These teachings originate in the age of the Three Sovereigns. They discuss the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and begin by distinguishing the two symbols of dragon and tiger. Dragon and tiger answer each other, as gold and stone resemble one another.

Yu cast the Nine Cauldrons, the earth set up the Nine Palaces, and the realm was divided into Nine Provinces. The elixir method has nine transformations. The human body has nine orifices, of which seven are bright and two are dark. The head holds the Nine Perfected, and the Northern Dipper has nine stars, two of which do not appear. The state has the number "nine-five," and the way of governing has three origins. All things correspond to one another in their timing and numbers, and so they accord with the great Dao. One who grasps these principles can understand the methods of cultivating the Three Elixirs. The Dao is right before your eyes, and there is no need to seek it far away. Beyond the Three Elixirs there is nothing else to say. Why? Because the Three Elixirs are formed by condensing the Qi (vital energy) of the creative transformations of heaven and earth. Following the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), this Qi becomes the true fluid of the human body. It advances step by step from one to nine, and in the end it forms the elixir of three grades, the nine times nine.

The supreme true Jing (scripture) has nine scrolls, and its contents accord with the images and numbers of the Bagua. In the Shilu ji (Record of True Accounts), the divine talismans of Lingbao come first, and the teaching of Xuanyuan is called a Jing. Hunyuan White Snow, the Nine Turnings and Eight Jades, and the Three Elixirs are all symbolic methods formed according to the transformations of the Bagua and the Nine Palaces. There are no other medicinal substances. Through cultivation, one can accomplish the supreme elixir.

Many methods circulate in the world for refining elixirs from miscellaneous kinds of cinnabar. Even if they can cure illness for a time, they can never achieve the effect of transcending the mundane world. Why? Because the ingredients are a confused mix, their usage is inconsistent, the Yin-Yang (阴阳) natures cannot be matched, and the refining methods do not accord with one another.

Take the refining of metals and minerals, for example: there are said to be seventy-two kinds. These minerals come from different places deep within the earth, and each has its own Yin-Yang nature and temperament. Yin mountains yield Yin minerals, such as the various blue-green ores; Yang mountains yield Yang minerals, such as sulfur. When Yin and Yang are paired, it is like a husband who leads and a wife who responds. If high and low are not in harmony, and the ingredients used are unsuitable, how can they possibly be matched? For this reason, the author composed the Wuxianglei (五相类, "Five Categories of Correspondence"), arranged in twenty chapters, and handed it down to those of like mind.

For example, Yin minerals are produced in the Li mountain, with Li representing the south, while the northern mountain yields mercury. Through transformation, mercury becomes cinnabar. Although cinnabar is red, as if it had taken on the energy of Li fire, the scripture holds that in its essence it remains mercury. Lingyang Ziming handed down a scripture that explains the depth and subtlety of refining the Golden Liquid (金液), so that the genuine and the false can be told apart. Following the method, one refines away the red tint on the surface of the cinnabar and restores it to its original nature. This is called "body-shedding cinnabar," also known as "bone-changing cinnabar" or the "White Tiger's Brain." The scripture then explains the categories of metal and mineral ingredients and the methods for combining them, so that the five categories complement one another and each finds its proper place.

Section One: Matching with the Metal Lord by Correspondence (Five Entries)

The first entry discusses combining with metal to form a body, in which the nature and function of the ingredients must correspond to one another. It also discusses how to identify the genuine "bone and flesh" ingredients.

If lead is used, it should be understood as a substance in which Yang is contained within Yin. The "Yang" here refers to the silver that lead contains. Once lead and silver are melted into a liquid, one can further extract the "yellow efflorescence" (huanghua), the refined, qi-like essence that appears within the lead. This yellow efflorescence is the Qi of lead, while the silver is the Jing (essence) within it. Qi, Jing, and the substance of lead together constitute the life of lead, binding them into a single whole.

If a cultivator of immortality extracts the yellow efflorescence from the lead, the lead loses its Qi; if the silver essence is extracted, the lead loses its bones and flesh. Consider a thing that has both life and form: if its flesh is removed, what is left of the bones? If its bones are removed, how can the flesh remain? If the yellow efflorescence is removed, the lead has no Qi, so what use can it still serve? If the hun and po souls of a whole are incomplete, how can it be used? How, then, should the writings handed down by the immortals be understood and discerned?

Lord Yin explained: the yellow efflorescence of lead is the efflorescence condensed from the Qi within the lead, and it is used to combine with mercury. Although the two kinds of Qi join to form a body, in the end they cannot become a stable substance. Even after the medicine has been refined, the yellow efflorescence still cannot avoid being lost. If one does not believe this, one may melt it into liquid and repeat the process three times, and the gains and losses will become apparent. This is not limited by any particular method of refining.

A true medicine, after being refined many times and melted into liquid, can still become clear again and again without losing the slightest amount. It must also retain its own hun and po souls to be fit for ingestion and to enable a person to attain long life. If, after the medicine is refined, its form and Shen (spirit) cannot remain stable, how could it strengthen a person's life? Therefore, if lead loses the strength of its yellow efflorescence Qi, this shows that it is no longer whole; parts that were originally akin drift apart from one another, lose their sinews and bones, and in the end separate from one another.

The second step is to refine silver-bearing lead, called "Heaven-Born Sprout." Mercury is refined directly into a solid, and this solid depends on lead for its formation. If the "flesh" is removed and only the "bone" is kept, the bone is left without qi (vital energy). This condition is called "insufficiency of form and spirit."

A verse says: "Do not damage my lead, and only then can my nature and life be preserved." If the lead is damaged, it has neither bone, nor flesh, nor qi, and the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are incomplete. How, then, can it be called the Dantian (energy center)? Another verse asks: "To use lead, or not to use lead?" It says further: "If the lead is insufficient in form and spirit..." Then it sings again: "Do not damage my lead, and only then can my nature and life be preserved." If the lead is damaged, it has neither bone, nor flesh, nor qi, and the Three Powers are incomplete. How can it be called the Dantian? It then continues: "To use lead, or not to use lead? If the lead can be used, the Three Powers will be complete." Only lead that contains the Three Powers is the true Dantian. The lead must be intact before one can discern the things to which it corresponds.

Those who identify lead should not harm its natural, true lead, nor allow it to be mixed with foreign matter. Once it is mixed, its spirit (shen), form, and strength will be insufficient. If this is so when it serves as the Dantian, how can it take form? Since ancient times, immortal adepts have used the yellow efflorescence of lead (a yellow, flower-like substance of lead) and lead essence (the refined essence within lead). Their principles differ from commonly transmitted accounts, but so long as they accord with analogous principles, they may in the end be traced back to the same great Dao (the Way).

The third step is to use the "Golden Lord" (an alchemical term symbolized by metal) without harming it, so that the Divine Talisman keeps its pure, unified substance and becomes the "Mysterious Origin" (the profound and primordial qi). The Mysterious Origin is like the Heavenly Mirror; within the Heavenly Mirror the Three Powers are complete and not yet differentiated. The yellow efflorescence of lead symbolizes qi, the silver of lead essence symbolizes bone, and the substance of lead symbolizes flesh. When the Three Powers are all present and act together, the pure, unified original substance can be preserved.

"The first day is water, the second day is fire": the combination of water and fire is a crucial stage in the refining process. When the Three Powers are complete within the lead, it can be used for cultivating the Dao, and so its efficacy will not be lost. The Divine Talisman is the root of Heaven and Earth, and the superior medicine comes from the Scripture of the Five Talismans (Wufu Jing). The Five Talismans emerge from the Immortal Palace of Spirit Water; from water the talisman takes form, and the talisman is then used as medicine.

The fourth step is to refine the lead through nine transformations, and the lead must still remain intact. If the lead is intact, the Three Powers can be preserved, and the yellow efflorescence will not lose its original position. The yellow efflorescence resonates with the power of the lead, and the Divine Talisman emerges from the Immortal Palace of Spirit Water; from water the talisman is formed, and the talisman is then used as medicine.

Step four: refine the lead through the "Nine Transformations" (九转), and the lead must be kept whole and intact. If the lead is complete, it possesses the "Three Powers" (三才: the three constituent elements of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), and the Yellow Blossom (黄华) can remain in its proper place. For the Yellow Blossom to take effect, it depends on the lead's strength being sufficient. A cauldron has three legs, and none can be missing; if one of its Qi (vital energy) is lacking, the refining will hardly succeed. If a medicinal substance has no spirit-soul, it has no numinous quality. Why is this so? Within the Yellow Blossom there are no sinews, bones, blood, or flesh, so the Three Powers are not complete. If one refines for half a year and it is still ultimately consumed and depleted, its potency cannot be retained, so how can one rely on something without strength? Things of differing kinds cannot work in harmony with one another and so cannot be bound together to form the elixir; when the host and guest substances do not unite, the mercury will turn away and each will scatter in its own direction.

Step five: follow the way of the Golden Duke (金公, a term used in the alchemical tradition for a certain medicinal substance), so that the Great Elixir is complete, with both form and Shen (spirit) present, and without disturbing true nature. The treasure of life and numinous nature lies in true lead; if the lead is not true, the mercury can hardly unite with it. What is called true lead is lead that already possesses the Three Powers. Flesh is Heaven, and also the Mother, the mother within Qian, containing the Heaven of yang nature. The silver within the lead belongs to yin and Earth, and the Earth is able to give birth to the myriad things. The Yellow Blossom is Qi, and Qi is able to nourish the myriad things. When immortal adepts use it, if they do not damage its "cart," it is true lead. The song says: "Do not damage my cart, let me return home; where I go is determined by fate." Here the "cart" is another name for lead; if it is damaged, the Three Powers are incomplete and it can no longer be used.

It also speaks of the "Yellow Dragon Juice," which refers to the fluid formed when the yellow essence within the lead melts. People of the world cast this fluid into the mixture and call it "lead's Yellow Blossom." If lead has no fluid, how can it take effect? The true lead spoken of here is not any physical substance such as the five metals, earth, or stone. Students of the Dao should carefully discern the principle in this.

The twentieth section: the gate of combining with mercury according to kind (配合水银相类门)

The first name is "Xuanshui" (Dark Water, 玄水), which refers to the state in which Water Qi (水炁) has only just begun to gestate. After a thousand years it starts to congeal, appearing solidified yet not fully solid, and seeming to have an embryonic form without truly taking shape. For this reason it is called "Dark Water." In this state it cannot yet be used for cultivation.

The second name is "Xuanzhu Liugong" (Dark Pearl, Flowing Mercury, 玄珠流汞). "Flowing Mercury" refers to the Qi of water's radiance. After two thousand years it is called "Dark Water Flowing Pearl," and has become quicksilver, but it still cannot be used to refine an elixir. This is the name for quicksilver at its initial stage of formation.

The third name is "Heshang Muny" (Maiden Lady of the River, 河上姥女), which refers to quicksilver formed after three thousand years. At this point the quicksilver has taken shape and has a bluish tint, and it is also called newly formed quicksilver. Like a substance that meets Yang Qi during sublimation, it scatters when touched by the Qi of fire, and it cannot yet withstand the regulation of the fire. It is therefore unsuitable for smelting. Those who practice cultivation with quicksilver need to understand this state.

The fourth name is "Taiyin" (Great Yin, 太阴), which refers to quicksilver formed after four thousand years. Because it has passed beyond the three-thousand-year stage, it is called "Great Yin," that is, aged quicksilver, and it can begin to be used.

The fifth name is "Chidi Liugong" (Red Emperor, Flowing Mercury, 赤帝流汞), also called the "Red-Blooded General" (赤血将军). It comes from the red water of the Li Palace, contains Yang Qi, and is red in color, forming cinnabar, which is why it is also another name for mercury. When the Qi of Primordial Chaos (混元之炁, the original Qi from before heaven and earth separated) accumulates, it forms the Yin Mountain, a place of extreme danger, and quicksilver is produced within it. Quicksilver is the true Qi of undivided chaos and is, in the end, the essential Qi (精炁) of Great Yin. If it does not scatter when exposed to fire, and suffers no loss when it melts and flows, then it possesses a power that accords with the transformations of heaven and earth, and within it lie the effects of long life and transcendence of the mortal world.

The sixth name is "Xuanshui Jinye" (Dark Water Golden Liquid, 玄水金液), also called "Dark Water Quicksilver." It is born from water and congeals into quicksilver; thereafter it can accord with the transformations of heaven and earth, and within it lie the effects of long life and transcendence of the mortal world. After immortals refine it and conceal their forms within water, it is called "Dark Water Elixir-Lead" (玄水丹铅). The substance that congeals on the upper part of the quicksilver is called the "Golden Liquid" (金液). From this it receives the name "Divine Talisman" (神符), and the Divine Talisman emerges from the Palace of Water Essence (水精宫, the dwelling place of water's vital essence).

The seventh is called "Xuanming Longgao" (Dark Radiance Dragon Paste), also known as "Halo-Drawn Cinnabar" (Chouyun Dansha). "Xuanming" means that it has no halo of qi (气) around it, while "Longgao" is another name for "white snow." After the substance has been refined by fire-taming, the medicinal material still remains. When used according to the methods of ingestion, its efficacy is beyond measure. For malignant sores and similar ailments, it can be ground into powder and applied to the affected area, and results appear the same day. This is why it is called "Dragon Paste," in reference to its great potency.

The eighth is called "Mercury Tiger Alum" (Shuiyin Hufan). Mercury is combined with various alums to compound a medicine that can kill all kinds of venomous insects and can also be made into the five metals, becoming a treasured thing. However, once mercury has been combined with the various alums, it is no longer suitable for ingestion.

The ninth is called "White Tiger Brain" or "Xuanwu Bone" (Black Tortoise Bone), which are collective names. It is also called "White Cinnabar," with the alternate name "Heaven-Born Sprout" (Tiansheng Ya). It can directly subdue mercury, and when exposed to fire, it rejoins its original substance. Some say that this reflects how child and mother give rise to each other and never depart from their root, which is why it is called "Heaven-Born Sprout."

The tenth is called "Sha Shun" (Compliant Cinnabar), also known as "Jin Wan" (Golden Obstinacy) or "Flowing Pearl of the Great Sun" (Taiyang Liuzhu). All of these names refer to mercury, describing its power of transformation, which is already capable of producing the things of the world. Some also say that this reflects how child and mother give rise to each other and never depart from their root, which is why it is called "Heaven-Born Sprout."

Shiming Shashun, also called Jinwan ("Golden Obstinacy") and Taiyang Liuzhu ("Flowing Pearl of the Great Sun"), are all alternative names for mercury. Mercury has the power to transform all things and has become a treasure of the world. It can be used to treat many grave illnesses, and it is also believed capable of being refined into an elixir that lets a person ascend as an immortal and never die, seizing the marvel of Heaven and Earth's creative transformations and returning the myriad things to unity.

Lingyang Ziming is likewise a name for mercury. Tradition holds that this immortal lord passed through many kalpas and investigated the nature of elixir ingredients in depth, blending three parts yellow, two parts blue-green, and one part white in set proportions so that the substances would change. He drew the Qi (vital energy) of the zi and wu hours (the positions of Yin-Yang in time) into the central palace (an alchemical term for the center of the furnace-cauldron or of the human body), imitating the union of Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, to form embryonic breathing (an inner respiration like that of a fetus). He surveyed the Yin Mountain to learn the nature of mercury and assigned it different names accordingly. If a certain mercury was suitable for ingestion, it was to be called by the name matching its method of preparation, and not lumped under a single name.

In refining elixirs, one must observe the nature of the mercury before deciding how to use it in the furnace fire. If a Daoist grasps the true nature of mercury and can bring it into accord with the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), the refining will succeed. If one does not understand its nature and merely forces it into the fire, then even if it is used as medicine it lacks the necessary method, the mercury may still fly off in vapor, and it will be hard to achieve any extraordinary effect. All the clever false methods are inferior to recognizing the nature of true mercury and letting the ingredients complement one another and merge into one.

Ziming spent many lifetimes examining the two mountains of Yin and Yang, distinguishing their respective natures and differences, and concluded that there was no deviation in their subtle efficacy. True mercury that has a purple hue and veins of blood-like red is the essence of the Old Yin Mountain and is of the highest quality. The blue-green kind is called Munü ("Old Maiden"). The white kind is called Xuanshui Liuzhu ("Flowing Pearl of the Dark Water"), also known as White Tiger Brain. White Tiger Brain is also called White Cinnabar: the immortals removed the halo of vapor on its surface to reveal its pure white substance, and so named it. It is said that the names "White Tiger Brain," "White Metal Liquid," and "White Cinnabar" were in circulation from about three thousand to four thousand years afterward.

As for today's Chenjin cinnabar, which people also call vermilion, if a Daoist uses the method of Yin-Yang combination to subdue it with fire, it is called "fire-subdued cooked vermilion" and cannot be called true cinnabar. White Tiger Brain has three names: White Tiger Brain, White Metal Liquid, and White Cinnabar. Lingyang Ziming understood the nature of mercury so thoroughly that he could transform it into gold, and it is said that this refining also has the power to make a person deathless. The way of creative transformation shown by refining the various ingredients in combination, according to their kinds, is no empty claim.

Zengqing (a copper-bearing mineral of the azurite type) is also called "Azure Dragon Paste" (Qinglong Gao). The Azure Dragon Paste is bound up with the generation and transformation of mercury. If Zengqing can be refined through transformation into a paste, this shows that it accords in principle with mercury; it can also assist and subdue mercury, so that mercury is refined into an elixir. The word "paste" means that mercury can congeal within it into an elixir. Such an elixir is spiritually efficacious and can serve as a medicine for ascending in flight. Without the Zengqing paste, mercury meeting fire would scatter and flee like a dragon. Zengqing is therefore mercury's helper, and also something like mercury's fat.

The second name is "Azure Dragon Soaring" (Qinglong Qiao). Zengqing corresponds to Wood of the East: within Wood fire lies hidden, just as within Zengqing there is metal. If fire cannot be seen within Wood, the metal in Zengqing likewise does not show itself. This is comparable to the human hun and po souls and to Yin-Yang: though their forms cannot be seen, they dwell within. These several layers of meaning symbolize mercury being contained within cinnabar.

The third name is "Envoy of the Azure Waist" (Qingyao Shizhe). Zengqing belongs to Water. Although it bears different names, what they refer to is still one and the same substance. When immortals refined and combined medicinal substances, they followed the principle of affinity among them, blending them into a superior elixir, and then named it according to the effect obtained. Each substance exerts its own restraining and harmonizing function, and by comparing their results one can see that the nature of Zengqing accords with that of mercury.

The two names "Azure Dragon Paste" and "Azure Dragon Soaring" both derive from mercury. Mercury is like a dragon, dispersing when it meets fire; the Zengqing paste can subdue and retain it, and for this reason it is called the "Dragon-Tiger Elixir" (Longhu Dan). Through the combination of the five kinds of affinity, one can see that Zengqing has the power to retain mercury and also to prolong the lifespan of living beings; paired with mercury, the two are alike in nature. From this we know that Zengqing, assigned to Wood, can accord with mercury, and that Ziming's method of refining is correct.

The Fourth Section on Combination with Sulfur by Affinity (Peihe Liuhuang Xianglei Men), six names.

The first is called Meishi ("Original Beginning"), which is its earliest name; it is also known as sulfur (liuhuang) and is found on Mount Yangshi. According to tradition, when Nüwa was searching for stones to smelt, she discovered a cave called "Congealed Resin" (Tingzhi), which several Perfected Ones (zhenren) once discussed together. The cave is deep, extending several hundred zhang. The stone fluid that flows from it hardens when it meets the wind, becoming like stone, and its color resembles gold, so it is called sulfur. Its original name was "stone congealed resin" (shi tingzhi).

The second is called Huangying ("Yellow Efflorescence"). Huangying was originally a yellow liquid that formed within Yang stone. Once it congealed into stone, it was called Huangying.

The third is called Huangzhu ("Yellow Candle"). Huangzhu is also stone congealed resin, hard as stone and golden in color, and for this reason it is called sulfur. It carries the Qi (vital energy) of the sun, so when it meets fire it bursts into flame, and it is therefore also called the Yellow Candle.

The fourth is called Fahuang ("Lawful Yellow"). According to tradition, when Nüwa refined it, she did so in accordance with proper standards, producing a yellow Daoist Qi, and so it is called Fahuang.

The fifth is called Jiuling Huangtong ("Nine Spirits, Yellow Child"). "Nine Spirits" refers to the sun, which has nine names, hence the term Jiuling. "Yellow Child" is a designation for pure Yang, meaning that, like a child, its nature contains no Yin (Yin-Yang) energy.

The so-called "Yellow-White Sand" (Huangbaisha) is the name of an elixir in the alchemical arts. According to the immortals' method of refining, if the "Stone-Stilling Resin" (Shitingzhi) can be subdued and stabilized through refining, so that it turns yellow-white in the fire, then it is not far from being able to transform the five metals into treasure. The older accounts add that this is a method that can be used on its own, and that it also serves to aid the poor; within it lies a technique capable of turning the five metals into the treasures of the world.

If one can master the method of the Celestial Immortals, so that mercury coagulates into white gold and azurite (zengqing) is transformed into "Supreme Yang" (an alchemical term), one obtains the immortal medicine used by celestial beings. The name of the Stone-Stilling Resin is said to originate with Nüwa. It has the power of wondrous transformation, and although its name later changed, it has been handed down through the ages.

Nothing in heaven and earth is more subtle in its root than the Dao (the Way), and nothing within the Dao is finer than Qi (vital energy). The method of nourishing Qi and refining the Stone-Stilling Resin is likewise said to originate with Nüwa, and because of its wondrous transformations it was renamed and transmitted. For calming Qi and settling the hun and po souls, mercury and "Supreme Yang" are the most suitable. For refining the po soul and preserving Shen (spirit), sulfur is the most suitable. For spreading, regulating, enveloping, and nourishing, one cannot do without the "Yellow Dragon Fluid," which is another name for lead.

To make the medicine stable and keep it from shifting, the Envoy of the Green Waist (Qingyao Shizhe) is the most suitable. The Envoy of the Green Waist has the power of wondrous transformation: it restrains the strong and supports the weak, holds the spiritual potency of the Golden Fluid, and fixes the nature of mercury. It can also steady the four spirits, harmonize the five organs, and replenish the sea of Qi. It can make the medicine rise or sink. One who knows how to command it by the method of the Yellow Spirit makes the medicine rise; one who does not will see it sink. If it sinks, it brings death; if it rises, one becomes an immortal.

If one can subdue the Stone-Stilling Resin, it has the power to nourish a person. But if one cannot tame the nature of sulfur, then even after a long time it will still be deadly poison in the end. If a Daoist can subdue the differing natures of sulfur, realgar, yellow sprout, and mercury, he can transform azurite into the Yellow Spirit; refining azurite until it turns yellow is one such practice. All these hidden names belong to the method of the Supreme Dao.

The key to subduing the Three Yellows, if one can grasp it, allows one to go further and transform all things, so that almost nothing cannot be transformed. When refining and subduing the Three Yellows, each substance must keep its original color and be combined according to its own relation of "child and mother"; if substances of differing natures are mixed together, they will not unite. One should ponder with care and discern the principle, using treasure to produce treasure. One who understands will comprehend in an instant; one who does not will remain a stranger even face to face. The Dao lies within oneself. Understand the terms and names within it, seek its principle through investigation, and know how to use the materials without mixing them: this is the proper way.

Realgar from Mount Wudu (a famous mountain said to produce spiritual medicines) belongs to the Dui palace of the west. It corresponds to the qi (vital energy) of Geng and Xin and to the metal of Dui, and so it is called the quintessence of Dui metal. It is said that this realgar condenses the qi of Geng and Xin and grows on Mount Wudu. The mountain is considered extremely numinous: those who do not know the proper rules cannot gather anything from it, and before gathering the medicine one must first perform a zhaijiao-style offering (setting up an altar to make sacrifice) and report to the spirits, after which the medicine may be obtained. Even though many people go there to gather it, few know its uses or how to identify it.

Yin Jun of the Later Han later found the place where realgar is produced and distinguished its colors and types. He did not arrive at this understanding through his own efforts alone; he examined the techniques transmitted by the many immortals and sages, and only then grasped the principles involved. Realgar has ten names, each with its own use. Those who cultivate the Dao and use medicines must understand where each comes from. If one takes only Wudu realgar to refine an elixir, without understanding its properties and the principles behind it, then even if an elixir happens to be completed, it is unfit to be taken. And if a refining fails and one claims that ghosts and spirits caused the trouble or that the sacrifices were ineffective, this too shows that one does not realize the error came from misreading the ancient texts and using realgar carelessly. A person who acts this way does not truly understand the Dao.

The first is called "Vermilion Bird Sinew" (Zhuque Jin). It forms from hidden qi condensing into substance; at first it is reddish, and after about five thousand years it turns yellow. Vermilion Bird Sinew that has only just turned yellow is not suited to important purposes, and its potency is weak. People see that it is yellow and compete to praise it as top-grade realgar, but this is a mistake. If one is only compounding minor elixir formulas, such as those using ordinary herbs, it may be used freely; but for weighty refinements, where it must subdue other ingredients and bring about transformation, it is not up to the task.

The second is called "Gouchen" (the Curved Array). When realgar has just lost its red color and is gradually turning yellow, it is called Gouchen. If used as a medicine, its effect reaches perhaps eight or nine parts in ten, yet it still does not work completely; nor is it suitable for placing in the furnace fire for refining.

Third, it is named "Taiyi" (the name of the supreme deity in Daoism). In the first ten-day cycle, the mineral's medicinal substance has already been refined to a yellow color and can be put into the furnace fire for testing.

Fourth, it is named "Kneaded Yellow." Its realgar has been fully refined, and it remains usable even after passing through a great cataclysm, so one may use it in any manner with complete peace of mind.

Fifth, it is named "Yellow Servant." The Yellow Servant is the assistant of mercury, hence the name. Once placed in mercury, the Yin-Yang qi (vital energy) will not be dispersed.

Sixth, it is named "Essence of the Emperor's Son." This is another name for the Yellow Servant. It unites with Taiyin (representing yin qi), and when the two meet, the qi undergoes transformation, just as a woman receives a man's essence.

Seventh, it is named "Soul of the Cinnabar Sun." Realgar is of the utmost yang, like the soul of the sun, and so, taking the sun's name, it is called the "Soul of the Cinnabar Sun."

Eighth, it is named "Stone Yellow." Stone Yellow is the essence of realgar; not only can it be used to subdue other substances, but a person who carries it on their body will not be harmed by blades or arrows shot at them. If one obtains Stone Yellow and wears it on one's person, no further refining is necessary. If the three yellow substances are then refined together, so that they are transformed through fire, they become an exceedingly precious treasure and can also lead to the gate of transcending the mortal world. This is no empty claim.

Ninth, it is named "Yellow Gold." This material turns yellow after being refined with fire; when a small amount of Subtle Yellow Divine Glue is added as an aid, it can transform the five metals into yellow gold, without being restricted by the use of the various vitriols and alum stones.

Tenth, it is named "Yellow Cang." Yellow Cang is simply realgar of great age. Not only can it be used in compounding elixirs, but if a child suffers from demonic affliction or ghost illness, wearing a small amount on their body will cure the affliction at once.

Eleventh, it is named "Blood of the Emperor's Son." The outer layer of the realgar is white, enclosing a blood-colored interior, lustrous and translucent, like an empty Yellow Cang.

Eleventh is called "Blood of the Emperor's Son" (Di Nan Xue). The finest realgar has a white surface, as if white robes wrapped around a blood-red core. When it is lustrous and translucent, as vivid as blood, it is truly good realgar. If one gathers the Qi (vital energy; the subtle essence) of the substance at the proper moment, and combines like with like to form the finished product, one will not stray from the principles of the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity). After the medicine leaves the furnace and cauldron, it must be washed for three years until it is pure. Taken according to the proper method, it brings immediate ascent to immortality. This medicine comes from Mount Wudu in the far south.

A single substance may carry many names, each with its own use. The methods left by the immortals are all thorough and clear; once one grasps the crux, one can begin the refining. The superior medicines were named after ten thousand trials. Sometimes each is given a separate name, and when one understands these names, one grasps their meaning. The subtle principle is profound and hard to exhaust. If one identifies like substances by their origin, one will not err in using them. Only when the medicine is made by methods of like kind and its Qi is obtained can the work succeed. If all the various substances are mixed together indiscriminately, it cannot succeed.

The superior medicines were named after ten thousand trials. Sometimes each is given a separate name, and when one understands these names, one grasps their meaning. The subtle principle is profound and hard to exhaust. If one identifies like substances by their origin, one will not err in using them. Only when the medicine is made by methods of like kind and its Qi is obtained can the work succeed. If all the various substances are mixed together indiscriminately, it cannot succeed. If one does not discern the origin of the substances, one bears only the empty title of a practitioner of the Dao (the Way).

What is like Heaven is supremely Yang, and what is like Earth is supremely Yin. Water flows downward to form rivers and seas, moistening the blood vessels of the earth. In the sky there is the Celestial River (the Milky Way), which connects with the earth and carries its Qi, becoming a spectacle suspended in the heavens, even though there is originally no water in the sky. The most subtle principle between Heaven and Earth is nothing other than guarding the One. From it the Three Powers are divided, symbolizing the Three Great Elixirs, and all things are formed by receiving the Five Virtues (the virtues of the Five Phases). Later people, practicing by this method, searched everywhere for all kinds of like substances and applied all manner of deviant and strange techniques. They refined, according to the shifting seasons, things that have no Qi, and in the end brought great calamity upon themselves.

How could people of the world know that the Dao of supreme essence lies in nothing more than guarding the One? Its principles do not go beyond the Three Powers, its mutual generation does not depart from the Five Phases, and its concealment and subduing do not depart from Water and Fire. The Way of like substances has its root in the One. When two natures are joined, they are like husband and wife, and when Yin reaches its extreme, it gives birth to Yang. All who can refine the supreme medicine follow the principles of the Great Yang and the Great Yin (the supreme Yang and supreme Yin).

The gate concerning the combining of lead essence and the discerning of like substances: Section Six. Name Twenty-One.

Regarding "lead essence" (铅精, qianjing), the immortals used it under several names. One who knows how to use it will not stray from its principles. It has five names: first, Lead Blossom; second, Lead Essence; third, Mysterious Yellow; fourth, Yellow Sprout; and fifth, Flying Lightness. All five names are methods shared in common by the Divine Talismans (shenfu) and the Elixir Mirror (danjing).

The commentary says: First, Lead Blossom is the qi (vital energy) contained in lead, which is able to subdue mercury. Although it can remain in the fire for a time and be held in check, it does not resolve the matter completely; it can dispel the Three Poisons, and in the end it dissolves into emptiness.

Second, Lead Essence is the silver within lead, which, once combined with the mercury substances, forms a kindred material. Because it takes lead as its substance and so forms the embryo of the elixir, it remains throughout the greatest hazard in the process of refining the medicine.

Third, Mysterious Yellow is the finest essence (jing) of lead, used in combination with the qi of mercury. In this way the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are all preserved, and their original truth is left undisturbed. Functioning as the mysterious register of the talismans and as the Mirror of Heaven, it enters the lead and becomes its sinews and bones.

Fourth, Yellow Sprout is the yellow essence within lead. The Yellow Blossom is precisely the qi contained in lead, used in combination with mercury; when it is used without losing the substance of the lead, it is called Yellow Sprout.

Fifth, Flying Lightness is the essence within lead. Even when it is gathered and then combined again with lead, what is meant is only cinnabar. Those who use it often fail to notice this, and they must also understand that the two substances must jointly possess the qi of the sun, that the lack of either one will not do, and that they must be combined in an interlocking, alternating manner.

The "Heavenly Canopy" lies within the lead, and this is the Flower Pool (Huachi); the Flower Pool is the root of water.

The names "Liu Huangju" (Sixth, Yellow Elevation) and "Qi Zigen" (Seventh, Purple Root) both refer to substances that, after repeated refining, are said to yield a "grain-cutting medicine" (jueli yao), which is reputed to remove the need for food once taken. Its efficacy is described as beyond measure. The names "Ba Huanghua" (Eighth, Yellow Blossom) and "Jiu Heche" (Ninth, River Chariot) are said to serve in refining "subdued mercury" (mercury that has been processed until it is stable). Such mercury is supposed to spread throughout the furnace without dispersing, to remain intact whether near or far, and not to diminish by even the smallest amount.

The Tenth through Fifteenth names are Lizhishi (Standing-Control Stone), Qianjing (Lead Essence), Huangqing (Yellow Lightness), Huanglong (Yellow Dragon), Fudan (Subduing Cinnabar), and Huangchi (Yellow Pool). Lizhishi is the substance formed when lead loses its original form and turns white. It resembles stone and is said to be able to subdue mercury, making it a superior lead-based medicine. Immortals who refine metals and minerals know how to use it so that its toxicity disappears; if it remains toxic, it must not be taken.

Huangqing is another name for Huanghua (Yellow Blossom). In use it seems light and thin, yet it is said to play an important role, serving to refine yellow and white substances into treasures. Huanglong and Fudan are likewise alternative names for Qianhua (Lead Blossom), while Huangchi is yet another name for the cultivation of lead-based medicine.

All of these names are separate designations used in various alchemical formulas. The methods for preparing mercury handed down by the immortals of old were often named according to the usage of the time, and they are not true or fixed records.

The sixteenth kind is called "Golden Lord" (Jingong), the seventeenth "False Lord Yellow" (Jiagonghuang), the eighteenth "Wood Tin" (Muxi), the nineteenth "Flying Male" (Feixiong), the twentieth "Supreme Plain Gold" (Taisu Jin), and the twenty-first "Celestial Mystery" (Tianxuan). All of these names appear in the Record of the Great Way of Alchemy from the Register of Divine Talismans.

"Golden Lord" is another name for lead. It must also be identified in light of the local soil and the materials being used, so that one knows which kind to employ and does not make a mistake. "False Lord Yellow" refers to lead from which silver has already been extracted and whose essential part is also exhausted. It is a material without essence and cannot be used as medicine. "Wood Tin" is the essence of lead; it can be combined with mercury as a principal medicinal substance, and so long as one does not violate its original nature, it may be used. "Flying Male" refers to lead that has entered the Qi (vital energy) of the great Yang and been transformed into a purely Yang substance. It can serve as material for the alchemical cauldron and also belongs to the category of Qi-silver.

The names "Wood Tin" and "Flying Male" are both terms of the alchemical art. In refining the elixir, one must not lose the essence of lead, and the Qi and the corporeal soul (po) must be made to match in quantity. Lead is by nature of the substance of silver, and silver seems to be what lead gives birth to. Yin contains Yang, and Yang contains Yin: the essence of silver within lead is Yang within Yin, while the mercury-Qi held within cinnabar is Yin within Yang. When the two are combined according to their kind, the result is called the "Qi of embryonic breathing," but it has not yet reached the stage at which the precious substance is fully refined.

If one understands the principles governing these combinations, the medicinal substances will be nourished. Once refining is complete, no fixed form can be seen. The Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity must all be present, and the Four Images must not be harmed; only when Qi circulates whole and intact does one accord with the Dao (the Way). To rely on mere cleverness, combining things devoid of Qi in an attempt to refine an elixir, is a grave error indeed.

The Secret Instructions of the Three Numinous Elixirs (Sanling Dan Mijue) says: in using lead qi to join with primordial qi (Yuanqi), the key is that the whole process accord with one's own original nature. This is like the union of man and woman, in which one draws on the qi of a young maiden: it must correspond to one's own constitution. When Yin and Yang (阴阳) are paired, the qi of host and guest respond to one another; some draw close and others do not, some can unite and others cannot. The Two Modes of Yin and Yang resemble one another, and the Dao and De (Virtue) arise from each other in turn through this. Later students who join lead qi with primordial qi should not act arbitrarily on personal feeling; I myself have never dared to act at will.

Taisu Gold, also called White Lead and known as Yellow of the Elixir Ground, takes its name from being refined from hu fen (ceruse, or white lead powder) into white lead. It is also called Green Gold, which is another name for Taisu Gold. Paired with the Sun and smelted together, it is poured off as a liquid, becoming the Green Elixir of Celestial Mystery, also called the Elixir of Subdued Mystery. The lead blossom is used as the "Flower Pool," and mercury is added to form a liquid, which is then placed together in the cauldron and fired into medicine. The remaining impure lead dregs are of no use.

All of the above concerns the principle of combining lead essence (Jing) with other substances. Lead has the greatest function, and its transformations are inexhaustible. But shallow-minded people cannot seek out its true principle; they force interpretations and mix other substances into the pure essence of lead itself. To reach its ultimate principle, the key lies in finding true lead and not letting it become mixed.

Section Seven: The Category of Pairing with White Cinnabar, Sixth Name

One kind, called "naturally sprouting cinnabar," is white cinnabar. That which can subdue and conceal the primordial spirit's qi (Qi) and the qi of the Sun is called natural qi. It contains the essence of fire and is named Numinous Cinnabar (Lingsha), the sprout of all the cinnabar varieties, formed through mixed growth.

Section Seven: The Category of Pairing with White Cinnabar, Sixth Name

The first is called "Heaven-Born Sprout Cinnabar" (天生芽丹砂), also known as white cinnabar. It causes the "Qi (炁) of the original spirit" (the Qi contained in the Yuanshen) to submit to the fire of the Great Yang, which is why it is also called "Natural Qi." Because it holds the essence of fire, it is named "Numinous Cinnabar" (灵砂), and it is the first sprout to emerge among all the cinnabars. One account appears in the alchemical text Huanglu ji (《黄录记》): true cinnabar has a luster like pearl, so the realized ones named it "True Pearl Cinnabar," and it is also called the "Heaven-Born Sprout." It can subdue mercury directly, with no other substances added. Once mercury meets this "sprout," no matter how much is added, it is held fast in the fire. The sprout refines mercury into pure essence, and when the refining is complete it takes on a golden color and can transform the five metals into treasures.

The second is called "Immortal Cinnabar" (仙砂). According to tradition, the immortals had no ready-made medicines to use as ingredients and no vessels to serve as cauldron and furnace for refining, so they took this white cinnabar and consumed it, and thereby attained long life. They did not burn and refine it into a mercury elixir. For this reason the immortals called it "white cinnabar," which is the "Heaven-Born Sprout."

The third is called "Vermilion Raven Cinnabar" (朱乌砂). This cinnabar comes from the Palace of Li (离) in the south. Li belongs to fire, so it is named according to its direction.

The fourth is called "Mercury Cinnabar" (汞砂). It has not yet turned red and is as white as sand, hence the name "Mercury Cinnabar."

The fifth is called "Stone Spleen Cinnabar" (石脾砂). This cinnabar comes from the seams between layers of the stone bed. It is white, the same color as the surrounding rock, and it is named accordingly.

The sixth is called "Red Emperor's Salt Brine" (赤帝卤咸). The south is the direction of the Red Emperor. The cinnabar that comes from there is shaped like granular salt and is white, so it was named for both its appearance and its direction. The names used by the immortals differ from one another.

The eighty-fourth name in the Peijin xianglei men (《配金相类门》).

"Gengxin baijin" (庚辛白金, White Gold of Geng and Xin) is the first name. Metal takes four as its number, and so there are four designations in all. The original source of the Dao (道) has no form, so the Western Geng and Xin are borrowed here to represent it. From this we can see that the immortals within the Great Dao are able to move and transform numinous Qi (气), causing it to join together, like uniting with like, until it congeals into form and substance.

Mercury is not born from metal and water, and gold cannot be used directly to refine the elixir. The immortals relied on concrete things to point toward the truth and to draw analogies, so these statements must not be taken as fixed numbers or literal substances. The so-called White Gold of Geng and Xin is not gold congealed from water. It is natural Qi gathered into form. It is a golden treasure produced by the transformations of Qi, not the metallic appearance obtained by smelting ores and sand. Only by ingesting and accumulating this golden essence can the practitioner perfect a body of spirit-like transformation. From this we know that the Great Dao is profound and subtle, hidden and hard to fathom, and beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The second is called Taisu Gold (太素金). "Taisu" is the name for the beginning and original source of things. The third is called Shufang Riyang (束方日阳), and the fourth is called Maomu Qingjin (卯木青金, Green Gold of Mao-Wood). These names derive from the titles of the Three Sovereigns and were established only after the Yellow Emperor. "Shufang Riyang" is also called "Left of the Male" (男左), and also "Maomu Qingjin." All these names were set up according to the immortals' own methods of making. The Three Sovereigns took things of similar kind and matched them with the imagery of the West. Later, Taishang (太上, the Supreme One) went to the Flowing Sands, gathered true lead, and refined it into medicine. All these accounts originate in the teaching of Geng and Xin.

This is the model and image handed down by the Primordial Sovereign of the Great Dao. Ordinary people never had an image or method by which they could form a golden substance through their own nature alone. They must ingest and accumulate golden essence in order to perfect a body of numinous transformation. By the first year of Guijia (龟甲), the killing and seizing of one another in the search for the medicine during changes of imperial succession was also said to have arisen from the teaching of Geng and Xin.

This is the law and the symbol handed down by Yuanshi Jun (the Primordial Lord of the Great Dao, a revered Daoist deity). People were not originally born with a method for refining gold. Rather, by ingesting accumulated golden essence (jing), they refined and transformed it into a numinous, wondrous body.

Later, in the first year of the Guijia era, rulers contended with one another for power and attacked each other in succession, and the world fell into decline. The immortals returned to Heaven and no longer assisted the human world. For a time the transmission of the Dao (the Way) was cut off in the world, and there was no metal that could be transformed into a spiritual substance to serve as the supreme medicine (zhiyao, the precious substances used in cultivation). Later still, in the first year of the Shangyuan period of Guijia, the immortal Lou Jing instructed people to wash sand with water to gather gold ore for use as supreme medicine, and also to cut into the Yin Mountains, mine silver ore, and extract white gold. The common people bore countless hardships because of this. At that time the rulers acted without the Dao, ruler and ministers were at odds, and the people resented those above them, so the transmission of the Dao was again cut off in the world. Affairs were judged right and wrong, and people used killing to stop killing; the people were driven into the wilderness, where they resented the Way of Heaven.

After this, immortals came into the world and lived in hiding amid the markets and the courts, gradually instructing people, and the numinous gold appeared along with them. People came to love the cultivation of medicines and regarded gold, silver, and treasures as no more than ashes and dust. The world then enjoyed peace, and the people no longer resented the Way of Heaven.

In remote antiquity, when Heaven and Earth had only just separated, there was not yet any assignment of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), nor any of the various forms of cunning and deceit. People kept to simplicity, sages governed above, and the teachings of the immortal Dao were put into practice. Later, the Yellow Emperor created the Jia calendar, and Zhu (possibly a personal name or a textual variant) extended the reckoning of the Five Phases; who first began this reckoning can no longer be determined. People sought the supreme medicine in order to aid living beings, and all said that it had been created by the Three Sovereigns. At that time there were no reliable records, because writing had not yet come into being. Later, those who attained the Dao mostly did so by withdrawing from the world to practice. The immortals left behind laws and instructions, fixed names for the medicines, and set them down in trustworthy records. Those who have cultivated and attained the Dao since then have been too numerous to count.

According to the Shilu (Veritable Records), the sage-kings of antiquity first obtained the supreme medicine (a miraculous substance of marvelous efficacy) and only afterward passed on the throne, handing it down from generation to generation until Yu of the Xia lineage. Yu was too hasty in seeking worthy men and did not wait for the feudal lords to present their treasures; having obtained Yi, he died. When Yu entrusted the realm to Yi, Yi had assisted him for only a short time and had not yet built sufficient prestige among the feudal lords, so the throne ultimately passed to Qi. From then on, the supreme medicine used by the sovereigns was lost.

Even so, many among the ministers still obtained this medicine and kept it hidden rather than passing it on. Some lived in the marketplaces and courts, others in seclusion in the mountains and forests. Those who delight in cultivating the Dao (the Way) may occasionally see such a treasure with their own eyes. It is not one of the things that people ask about, born of earth, stone, water, or cinnabar sand. Later students must understand my meaning: this is gold produced by the transformations of Xuanyuan (a venerable title for the Dao).

Section Nine: The Ninety-Five Names of Compatible and Analogous Que-sand

The first is called Ju-sand. It comes from the Yin Mountains and is formed from accumulated ice, condensed and transformed from ice-water.

The second is called Red Ju-sand, which has a reddish color. Sand that is mature and solid may be used, and its efficacy is beneficial in every respect.

The third is called Pao-sand. People do not understand how to use it, nor do they know where it comes from; using it damages objects and harms the body.

The fourth is called White Sea-sand. It is salty in taste, like something congealed from seawater, and comes from the cold, frozen lands of Beiting. Its shape resembles white snow, and its earthy flavor is as salty as brine, hence the name White Sea-sand. Some people, not knowing its origin, use it wrongly and damage objects and harm the body; yet this sand is in fact suited to ingestion and is a supreme medicine.

The fifth is called Thief of the Five Metals. It can cause the five metals (the five classes of metal) to change, and so it received this name. One who knows how to use it can keep the five metals from being spoiled; one who does not will ruin things. When combining it with analogous materials, it must not be used in excess; once the effect appears, one should stop, for too much will damage the materials.

If taken for ingestion, one should stop once the illness is cured. If one seeks stronger potency and keeps taking more, one will quickly meet one's death. Why is this so? This sand is produced in a poisonous mountain and is formed from the congealing of cold Yin qi (Qi, vital energy). If one wishes to borrow its power, one should cease using it promptly once the medicine is complete; taken in excess, it will surely cause death, rapidly injure the five viscera, and also ruin the five metals. This is truly how matters stand. If one can grasp its subtle mysteries and recognize the true Que-sand, an immortal can use it to reach the great Dao.

This section discusses medicinal substances and alchemical materials that belong to the same category as niter.

The first is called niter (xiaoshi), also known as "autumn mineral" and "yin stone." It is born in earth where cold energy gathers and frost lies thick upon the ground. This frosted soil is decocted and filtered according to the proper method, then refined into crystals, much as crystals remain after water is boiled away. Their uses, however, differ. Niter is cold in nature and takes its image from the yin energy of the Kan position in the north. It accumulates yin power and is used to restrain yang-natured toxic substances. The immortals of old refined it into various preparations, and also used it to transform the five metals into treasures, thereby assisting the practice of the Dao.

The second is called the Dark Pearl of the Northern Emperor (Beidi Xuanzhu). It draws on the energy of the north and condenses into a dark pearl, a crystallization of the energy of ice and frost. It is similar to blistering cinnabar sand (paosha), yet differs from it in nature: paosha can guide other medicinal substances, whereas niter can subdue them. Paosha belongs to the energy of yang stone, while niter belongs to the energy of yin stone.

The third is called wutou (aconite, literally "black head"). It takes its name from the way its leaves wither, turn yellow, and fall away in autumn as the frost energy begins to descend. Here "black head" carries the meaning of plants withered and desiccated.

The fourth is called the Yellow Black-Head (Huang Wushou). It grows facing north, its head turned toward the frost energy, and so it received its name. The immortals used it to restrain fierce, yang-natured toxic substances, which is why it is listed among the related medicinal substances. It can accord with the sacred Dao, and may also serve worldly needs; once applied, its subtle wonders become apparent. It is used especially in treating women's illnesses in which blood and qi congeal into masses.

One type is called Kongqing (空青, "Hollow Azurite"). Its color carries a soft, yin quality, like the Qi (vital energy) within Yin-Yang's yin. It is paired with things of a yang nature and symbolizes the Qi of the west, that is, the Qi of the western Metal of Geng and Xin and of the White Tiger. Green Zengqing (曾青, "Layered Azurite") is its counterpart. It belongs to the yang nature of the eastern Wood of Jia and Yi, and is the essence of eastern Wood and the Qi of the Azure Dragon.

Kongqing symbolizes the western Metal of Geng and Xin. Metal and Wood act upon each other: the Qi of Wood can overcome Metal, yet it also contains something of Metal's nature. The two substances differ in name and in function. Zengqing can subdue mercury, and when used as an auxiliary ingredient it is yang, so it is called "male." Kongqing is weak and hollow in texture, hence its name "hollow azurite"; it is yin, so it is called "female." Kongqing can respond to the Qi of Zengqing, and from this arises its power to subdue other substances.

If people in the world use Kongqing carelessly, mixing it in at will or using it to compound various elixirs for ingestion, then even when all the ingredients are at hand, it will not match the method of subduing mercury described here. If mercury is used to subdue it, with the Three Yellows as auxiliary ingredients, the method of use will be improper.

Another type is called Qingyao Zhongnü (青腰中女, "Azure-Waisted Middle Daughter"). The name "Middle Daughter" means that it differs from the Qi of mercury; when mixed with mercury, it has no male, great-yang force, and so it is called the "Middle Daughter."

The third is called Qingsha (Blue Cinnabar). It refers to a case in which, within the hollow at the center of Kongqing (azurite, a blue mineral), a silver star is suddenly found hidden, and inside it lies a small pearl, bluish-green and about the size of a hemp seed. This substance can be refined into a superior medicine, and taking it grants long life. It is also called the Mysterious Pearl (Xuanzhu) and the Mysterious Cinnabar (Xuansha).

If one does not understand the principles involved and compounds ingredients at random to refine the medicine, one will only waste effort. Those who understand do not act rashly. A returned elixir (huandan, an elixir refined in the Daoist tradition) can form naturally within Kongqing. Immortal adepts know this, and when they take it, they do not die. The silver star within Kongqing belongs to Yin and is female; the gold star within Zengqing (another blue mineral) belongs to Yang and is male. Those who know how to transform it into water do not act rashly. A returned elixir can form naturally within Kongqing; immortal adepts know this, and when they take it, they do not die. Kongqing holds a silver star, which is Yin and female; Zengqing holds a gold star, which is Yang and male. It can serve as an auxiliary to mercury, allowing the "Three Yellows" (several yellow minerals used in alchemy) to be taken in a stable manner, and this is the essential secret. The blue pearl within Kongqing is a sprout given by Heaven, and a divine elixir that arises of its own accord.

Gate Twelve: On Combining and Sealing the True Nature of the Yellow Sprout and Similar Substances — The Fourth Kind

The first is called Yellow Sprout Lead (Huangya Qian). It can subdue mercury, and for this reason it is named the "Yellow Sprout." The lead used must be whole and unblemished and must possess the "Three Powers" (the correspondence of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity) before it can be made into the Yellow Sprout. When it is used to refine mercury, the color first turns white, then yellow, and then shows the five colors. Only when the colors of the five directions each appear is the "sprout" considered formed, and the efficacy of the refinement of the great Dao (Dao, the Way) accomplished.

The second is called White Cinnabar (Bai Dansha), also known as the Yellow Sprout. White Cinnabar is the bone of the true embryonic body of the Vermilion Bird (cinnabar). Used directly to refine mercury, it is the first stage of entering the Dao, able to bring the efficacy of the great Dao into play and to penetrate marvelous transformations. It first appears white, then takes on a yellow halo, and afterward displays the colors of the five directions. When it reaches the stage of "Dui" (the Lake trigram), which belongs to the metal of Geng and Xin, it is the metallic class of substances spoken of in alchemy. It can transform mercury and bring it into a corresponding form. The scripture (Jing) says: "When the essence of lead is gathered, it is the sprout given by Heaven."

The third is sulfur, also called Yellow Sprout (huangya). Sulfur can be used to subdue mercury, and although it can make the mercury stable for a time, given enough time the mercury will still escape. Sulfur continually gives off a poisonous vapor like ghost fire, and the toxic vapor of mercury can likewise harm people. Even if the two can be tamed for a while by means of fire, they are ultimately unsuitable for consumption and can only be used to treat illness. Sulfur and mercury differ in nature, so they cannot keep the potency of the medicine stable over the long term, and in the end they will harm a person.

The verse says: The naturally born Yellow Sprout joins with white cinnabar; the breath (qi) of the two merges and becomes a single body. If the path is not mistaken, one can enter a realm of wondrous mystery; the principle lies right here, and this is the River Chariot (hechē, a method of circulation and transformation in Daoist alchemy).

The fourth is called Lead-Yellow Efflorescence, or White Elixir Sprout. Lead contains silver, so when it is refined according to the proper method, the essential qi of the silver can be obtained, and this is called the White Elixir Sprout. The White Elixir Sprout is an embryo formed from the congealing of essential qi, that is, the quintessence of silver. When the essential qi of silver is used to subdue mercury, a medicine can be refined that leads to the Way of the immortals. In using it, one must not harm the "Three Powers" (the Three Fundamental Elements of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), nor allow the essential qi and potency of the medicine to be lost.

The verse says: Lead-Yellow Sprout possesses the Three Efflorescences (the three essences spoken of in alchemy); gather its essential qi and it congeals into cinnabar. At first it is white, and when it is then refined with the proper fire phasing, the five colors appear and clouds and rosy mist rise. With azurite (zengqing, a mineral used in Daoist alchemy) as its aid, the cultivation of the great Dao will not go astray. When all three are complete, this is the method of the immortals.

The so-called "sprout" (ya) receives the qi of the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, and for this reason is called by the general name "sprout." It contains the qi of Heaven and Earth and can generate and transform the myriad kinds of things. Its roots and veins extend without interruption, and so it is called a "sprout."

The white cinnabar within it is originally the essence of mercury. If it is used to refine mercury, the two receive from one another as ruler and minister do. After the proper number of years, mercury turns into vermilion cinnabar; the cinnabar then turns into gold, and the gold in turn becomes the White Tiger. This is a stone liquid formed over four thousand years. Among the immortals' teachings, there are many differing accounts of it. Even if one obtains its form and its spirit-qi, it may still change of its own accord, so it cannot yet be called true cinnabar; the nature of green mercury is unstable.

Only the white vermilion sand of which I speak, which the immortals call "Xuanyuan Sand" (the sand of the profound and original source), is held to remain unchanged for ten thousand years. Its originally pure white nature is unlike that of mercury. This sand is comparable to the ruler of a state: though he shares a human body with others, his temperament differs from that of ordinary people, and he holds power over life and death and can also carry out transformations within his own heart. White cinnabar is likewise so. From this we know that this sand is the foremost of the profound and original. Unless one already possessed a foundation in the immortal path from a former life, one cannot gather it.

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) and wish to refine the so-called "Heaven-Born Sprout" must first find "Mysterious Origin Cinnabar" (Xuanyuan sha), which is naturally formed white cinnabar. It is not found nearby but grows in distant mountains. Deep within them lies a place called the "Cavern of Kan and Li," which Daoist practitioners can scarcely enter. Without gathering this cinnabar in person, it is hard to judge the quality of any cinnabar, whether fine or coarse. One may take only the granular cinnabar formed in Jinzhou, refine it through magical methods, and restore it to its original form. Though tempered by fire, it loses none of its nature, and it is also called the "Yellow Sprout."

Refined in this way, the elixir can subdue mercury, as a minister submits before his sovereign, as fire meets firewood, or as wind finds the clouds, so that nothing escapes its mastery. Yet once the elixir is complete, it is not suited to being taken. It may serve worldly gain and now and then cure an illness, but in the end it cannot help a person transcend the mortal world. After a year or two of taking it, a man's sexual function declines entirely, because pure Yin energy has accumulated within him.

Therefore, those who study the Dao in later generations should follow the ancient method: if one can gather this cinnabar and take it, there is no one who will fail to attain the Dao.

The green-white cinnabar (danshа) is a medicine formed by nature. Refining it follows the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity): Heaven and Earth serve as the furnace, the four seasons as the charcoal, and water and fire do the refining. Only after a long span of years does it take on the substance of a true medicine. Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) should understand that its subtle principles are not far away.

If you obtain this cinnabar for consumption, first remove the bits of stone mixed into it and grind it to a fine powder. Steam it nine times, then grind it a hundred more times until it is as fine as flour. Next, bind it with jujube paste or soft cooked rice into pills the size of beans. Take one pill a day, and never more. Once swallowed, Qi (vital energy) begins to circulate along with it. After a year or two, the effect of transcending the mundane world may be attained. Anyone observing closely will see that the one who takes it differs from ordinary people: their spirit is radiant, and their breath is clear and unobstructed.

The principle of the Supreme Dao lies in nourishing Jing (essence) and Qi and returning to the origin, so as to replenish Shen (spirit) and Qi. One gathers the true fluid and sends it back to its root, filling the blood, the Qi, and the marrow of the brain, so that the old become young again and the withered flourish. Hence the scriptures say: "When ceramic white lead is thrown into burning charcoal, its color is spoiled and it reverts to lead; when ice and snow enter warm water, they melt and return to water." Ceramic white lead is made by firing lead, so refining it again restores it to lead; ice and snow are water that has congealed, so warmth returns them to water. People, too, once had the state of youth. If they obtain the utmost Jing and take it, they can regain a youthful countenance and return to the condition of their younger years.

The worthies of earlier ages and the sages of antiquity earnestly instructed those who shared their aspirations. They also pitied the people of their time, who clung to life yet defied the principles of nurturing it, dying young through indulgence in sensual pleasures and growing frail and haggard through craving rich flavors. As a result, a person's primordial Qi gradually declines and the end of life soon arrives. This is why the sages kept writing books and setting down teachings, to warn later generations.

The great sage Xuanyuan (that is, Laozi), with his civil and martial accomplishments and his elixir of marvelous transformations, rested upon nothing more than the true nature of the Yellow Sprout (a symbol of the subtle, innate nature within), and this is the essential point of the teaching of Xuanyuan. The two words "Yellow Sprout" must not be guessed at through subjective speculation, nor copied as a fixed method. The secret arts of the celestial immortals were handed down from the ancients and must be transmitted orally, generation by generation, from master to disciple, and must never be carelessly disclosed. Those who have not grasped their subtle principles should not presume to invent heterodox doctrines of their own.

Section Thirteen: On Combining Cinnabar and Lead, and the Gate of Hun and Kindred Correspondences.

The secret arts of the Celestial Immortals were handed down by the ancients. They depend on oral instructions passed from master to disciple, generation after generation, and must not be revealed lightly. If one does not understand the subtle principles within them, one must not presume to establish a doctrine of one's own.

Chapter Thirteen: On the Matching of Cinnabar and Lead by Kinship of Hun and Po Souls

Zengqing (azurite) and lead are the "hun-soul" of mercury, and mercury is the "po-soul" of zengqing and lead. White cinnabar and "naturally sprouted" shoots are the heavenly hun of mercury, yet they lack mercury's essential po. Sulfur is the aggrieved spirit of mercury, and hidden mercury is its unruly po. Realgar, orpiment, pihuang, saltpeter, blasting sand, Taiyin mysterious-essence stone, kongqing (hollow azurite), and alum each receive a different Qi (vital energy) and take form accordingly. None are suited to the immortal arts; they bear no kinship with the hun and po of mercury, and the paths they follow are different.

If one wishes to make the substances join and accord with one another, their strength is bounded by lead, their application is led by zengqing, and their efficacy never goes beyond water and fire. Error lies in mixing substances of different kinds. Zengqing is the essence of Wood, whereas lead and mercury belong to the Metal category.

Among the three hun, zengqing belongs to Jia-Yi and is the first hun, representing the essence of Wood. Muscovite-like "Maiden" white cinnabar belongs to Bing-Ding and is the second hun, representing the Vermilion Bird mercury. Lead belongs to Geng-Xin and is the third hun, representing lead, silver, gold, and the water-sprout. Each of these three substances has its own wondrous powers of transformation, and together they can restrain the force of mercury. One who masters their subtle method will not stray from the Way of the immortals (Dao).

Next is sulfur, which also belongs to the Way of the middle immortals. In using it, one must make it match and accord with the other substances, so that they cooperate like outer and inner, like ruler and minister, like principal and assistant, each bringing its own strength to bear. One who knows how to use it may become a middle immortal; one who does not will become a doomed man. Sulfur is intensely poisonous; among its kinds there is one called "sulfur," which is ordinary sulfur.

Translator's notes: The rendering "Muscovite-like" for 姥女 is unwarranted, as the source says only "姥女白丹砂"; read it simply as "Old Woman/Maiden" white cinnabar, a cryptic alchemical epithet. "Zengqing" is the traditional name for azurite. The final sentence is probably corrupt in the source, since it says sulfur has a kind "called sulfur."

Sulfur, as used by the immortals, can serve different purposes. In large quantities it can help accomplish great undertakings, much as a minister assists a high-ranking ruler. It can also be used for transcendent cultivation and for transforming the five metals, and it can stand alone as a complete method for helping the poor. The scriptures (Jing) say that when sulfur is refined to a golden color, it can transmute "tou stone" (brass) into gold, and this is no empty claim.

When put to great use, sulfur helps refine the divine elixir of the immortals and bring the elixir embryo to completion, so it is indispensable in alchemical refining. In use, however, the "ghost flame" must be removed (a phenomenon in the refining process regarded as an impurity or an improper degree of heat). Zengqing (a mineral used in Daoist alchemy) belongs to the same category as sulfur and is close to it in color, yet it has its own power of divine transformation: it can guide the Qi of mercury and spread it through the hundred vessels. If used alone to turn stone into gold, this too is no empty claim. When put to great use, it can likewise help complete the divine elixir of the immortals and nurture the elixir embryo, and here too the ghost flame must be removed.

Used as a method on its own, Zengqing can also transform the five metals into treasures of the world. In refining, it is turned into a liquid, and the five metals change as soon as they touch it.

Within the school of mercury, there is a substance called the "Immortal Elixir White Cinnabar Treasure," which is a naturally formed "sprout." It originates from mercury, with its essential Qi (Jing and Qi) unchanged; only once it has become white cinnabar is it called the "naturally born sprout." Once this sprout is obtained, mercury can be subdued and transformed. If Daoists today do not have the naturally born sprout, why not use the method of Qi transformation to refine white cinnabar? This too reflects the wonderful workings of Heaven and Earth's creative transformation.

The "Great Transformation" spoken of by the immortals of high antiquity takes Heaven and Earth as the furnace and the four seasons as the charcoal. If the refining method is subtle and fully mastered, one can also be in accord with the creative transformation of Heaven and Earth, without seeking other principles far afield. The three, however, must work in concert: though each occupies a different position, their final function is one and the same. When the materials differ in kind, the intention differs, and the quantities are not the same, how each is to be chosen and used depends solely on the secret art of divine transformation of this school, followed with sincere and faithful intent.

The Three Hun souls, mercury, and the numinous po soul can be combined and refined into elixirs of three grades of immortals. Beginning from "three," they each return to the original source of the Dao (the Way) and then merge again into one. The one gives rise to two, the two to three, and the three gives rise to the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The three kinds of elixir resemble one another: all take the Divine Talisman and the White Snow as their key, and through nine cycles of refining they produce the Golden Liquid. From one ninefold cycle to the next, the Golden Liquid flows without interruption, and this unbroken liquid is the manifestation of "possessing Qi" (qi, the vital energy that constitutes all things). The three elixirs correspond to the Three Powers; through the refining of the Divine Talisman and the White Snow, the ninefold Golden Liquid is produced ceaselessly, and for this reason it is called "possessing Qi." When Qi is gathered and refined into an elixir, it becomes the Three Palaces of Highest Purity: the first is the Palace of Purple Mist, the second is the Jade Palace of the Celestial Sovereign, and the third is the Palace of the Purple Chamber. The Palace of the Supreme One unites with the divine elixir, and the elixirs of all three grades belong to a single category. The three ingredients among the medicinal substances are refined together into the elixir and enter the Palace of the Supreme One. The Palace of the Supreme One is another name for the Jade Palace of the Celestial Sovereign.

To cultivate the Divine Talisman as the highest elixir, one must begin from the Palace of Purple Mist. The elixir's color turns from yellow to purple; if it cannot retain its original color, it cannot be counted under this name. The Palace of the Supreme One is the greatest of them.

The Three Palaces are the realms of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), namely the sacred realms revered in Daoism, such as the Heaven of Taiqing Subtlety, the Heaven of Yuyu, and the Heaven of Great Scarlet. From the void of the Palace of Purple Mist to the presence of the Celestial Sovereign, all the great sages gather here. If people in the world can obtain this gateway leading to the true immortals, and in their practice do not mix in other methods, they will be in harmony with the transformations of Heaven and Earth. What is called the Great Dao is simply the principle by which Heaven and Earth operate.

When mercury meets Zengqing (a mineral used in Daoist alchemy), is burned in fire and subdued in the cauldron, it displays a numinous and marvelous radiance. The fire cannot consume it entirely; it transforms and congeals, and finally becomes an immortal elixir, corresponding to the True Divine Elixir of the heavenly palaces of the High Immortals. This elixir is called Lord of the Bright Sovereign Origin, said to be transformed from the Lord of the Jade Dawn, and to have attained the Dao by means of the White Snow. The Scripture of Original Conduct (Benxing Jing) records that the Five Elders of the Primordial Beginning are the supreme honored deities. This elixir above communicates with the wisdom of the immortals and sages of the heavenly palaces, and below lies hidden within the human body. One who can understand its relationship in both these respects may be said to have accomplished the Great Dao.

Chapter Fifteen: The Gate of Matching the Womb Palace, Female and Male in Mutual Resemblance

In alchemical practice, the embryo elixir is grouped with sulfur and mercury; the Four Spirits are grouped with realgar, cinnabar, and azurite; and lead, tin, gold, and copper form another group. The various elixirs are then combined with alum and medicinal herbs, while minium is grouped with saltpeter. Metal and wood, water and fire, Qi (炁, the transformative force of vital energy as Daoists speak of it) and wind, Yin-Yang (阴阳): all must be compounded into elixirs according to the principle that like joins with like, so that in the end Qi is united with the Dao (道, the Way).

The miscellaneous elixir recipes commonly prepared cannot lift a person beyond the mortal world; they can only cure illness for a time. If alum and other impurities are mixed in, defiling what the immortals guard, then even if the mercury is briefly congealed into an elixir, it will in the end disperse.

Mercury is by nature slippery and pure, and takes on no dust or grime. Should a Daoist practitioner not draw on such natural properties to seek corresponding symbols that accord with the sacred Dao? Lead, for example, belongs to the north. The north corresponds to the Zi position and to water, and it also represents the substance of Qi. Within lead there is a silver embryo, which takes the image of a yellow blossom. This is like fire hidden within wood: all are cases of like responding to like, and these are then matched with Qi and lead. White represents the essence of metal, and Qi is the root of water. Within mercury there is the breath of fire, just as fire lies hidden in wood. Water can restrain fire, and since Mao joins with Yin, and Yin belongs to fire, this is called "Double Yang," signifying that fire lies concealed within. Hence the Daoist classic says: "Know the white, and guard the Qi." Qi belongs to the north, where the essence of lead dwells. The so-called "male" refers to the silver contained in lead. The male is paired with the female: the female is mercury, whose nature holds Yang energy within it. Male and female need one another, and Yin and Yang unite. This is the first step in refining the elixir, from which the "White Fluid" (白掖, a white liquid) is formed, causing the mercury to be concealed and fixed.

The Yi (Book of Changes) says: "The common people use it every day, yet do not know its principle." Among the Five Phases (五行), water comes first, and water gives birth to the myriad things. Therefore Daoist practitioners join these substances together as the first step in refining the elixir, transforming the medicine into the White Fluid and causing the mercury to be concealed and fixed.

The Jing (scripture) of Changes (Yijing) says: "The common people use it every day, yet do not understand its principle." Among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), Water is the beginning; the "One" is able to generate the myriad things. How could the Daoist adepts not know that the art of marvelous transformation lies within it?

The "male" (here referring to the silver contained in lead) can transform the silver in water into a white liquid. This white liquid is produced through the union and transformation of the male and the female. This is the immortal elixir, belonging to the first grade of the Shangyuan Xuanjiao (Teaching of the Mysterious, Upper Origin), called the "Divine Talisman Elixir Script," and recorded in the Wufu Jing (Scripture of the Five Talismans). Beyond this, one must also use chalcanthite (zengqing), azurite (kongqing), realgar, orpiment, pihuang, sulfur, saltpeter, ammonium chloride (paosha), rongyan, and lead blossom (qianhua). Lead blossom is another name for the silver essence within lead. These substances count as superior ingredients that can assist in refining the supreme elixir, and they too should be used; they resemble one another and belong to a single body. Only thus does the work accord with the images and numbers of the Yi (Changes) and avoid error. If, when approaching the furnace, the firing is properly arranged and the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are complete, one can accomplish the work together with the Dao of Heaven, and nothing will be unfavorable.

As for the superior elixirs of the three grades, they do not employ saltpeter, ammonium chloride, alum, or similar materials. As for the five-metal refining method described in the Gangtong Jue (Instructions on Gangtong), it is a worldly technique for seeking profit. It must use alum, relying on substances of like kind to prepare a guiding agent so that the medicines move smoothly and the method is assisted; without it, the work cannot succeed.

When it comes to refining minor elixirs for treating illnesses of cold and fever, people of the world often mistakenly refine various alums together with mercury to help form the elixir. They do not understand the principle of affinity among substances, and carelessly take the base ingredients at will. Even if the symptoms ease for a time after taking them, they do not realize that this was originally due to the patient's allotted fate, not to the use of alum and mercury in the elixir, and one must not rashly credit the elixir. Why? Because the five organs of the human body cannot tolerate the various alums.

The scripture says that when one browses through the many herbal and pharmaceutical manuals, one often finds substances such as alum (baifan) that are refined by fire into what are called "raw" and "cooked" forms, yet the original nature of alum is not changed by this. Consider mercury: once it has solidified, has it really departed from its mercurial nature? Consider cooked rice: has it really lost the nature of the raw grain? It is only in use that the raw form appears more urgent, acting quickly, while the cooked form is milder, acting slowly. The beginning and end of these two kinds of Qi (vital energy), fast and slow, are fundamentally one and the same matter. From youth to old age, a person's inborn nature remains constant and does not change.

Only the Three Grades of Divine Elixir that I describe are able to harmonize through Qi and to match like with like through Qi. They follow the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), pair the two natures of Yin-Yang, and do not violate the methods of refining by water and fire. They take their images from color without going beyond the east and west directions; they are formed into bodies from like substances and cannot do without the south and north directions. Causing the medicine to receive Qi and circulate at command, its cycling does not go beyond the scope of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams); and in driving the strength of sinew and bone, it likewise does not go beyond azurite (zengqing, a mineral used in Daoist alchemy). In combining the essences and Qi of Yin and Yang, its transformations do not depart from lead, gold, and the white liquid; and in causing the medicine to be concealed and subdued, it relies on nothing more than water and fire. When the elixir is refined according to the proper method, its efficacy does not stray from these principles.

For concealing physical form and becoming a thing of wondrous spirit, sulfur is the most essential. Pihuang, a single substance, moves on its own and corresponds to the number of Heaven's One. When realgar, orpiment, niter, and pao and other substances are combined with it, the color turns from white to yellow and from yellow to purple. All these mutually resembling materials, when combined together, remain within the scope of the Divine Elixir. If the ingredients are used in confusion and mixed carelessly, one will go seriously astray.

Compounding the Divine Elixir and Subduing and Refining Like Substances, Section Sixteen.

The first kind is the "Divine Elixir and Divine Talisman" (shen dan shen fu), which belongs to the highest grade of elixirs. It is made by combining Qi (the vital and cosmic primordial energy spoken of in Daoism), and refining it into a Great Elixir called the "Heavenly Mirror." The yellow essence within lead is called "Yellow Efflorescence" (huang hua), and because it is stored within the lead, it is also known as the "Flower Pool" (hua chi). The Flower Pool is the root of water, and this root of water is also called "female," referring to silver. Silver corresponds to the Taibai star palace of the west and is known as the "Young Maiden of Geng and Xin"; for this reason it is regarded as Yin in nature.

The primordial Qi of lead's essence is the efflorescence, called "Male Lead, Yellow Efflorescence." This essential Qi can be transformed into mercury, so the Qi of lead's essence is likened to the "Middle Son," corresponding to the north. It joins with the Young Maiden of Metal, corresponding to the west, and together they form the Flower Pool, that is, the "Female-and-Male Flower Pool." After mercury is released from its matrix, it becomes a white liquid. The pure primordial Qi of this liquid returns to a single Qi; it is the root of water, and water holds the position of Zi in the north.

The second kind is "White Snow" (bai xue). White Snow comes from mercury and is used to pair with the Yin-natured "Ni Maiden." In internal refining, White Snow is matched with kindred substances so that they unite with the original root of the Dao (Way) and finally fuse into a single Qi; it is also called the "Elixir of Singular Conduct" (texing dan). In the refining process, various other substances are used to assist and strengthen its Qi. The method seems easy, but actually obtaining the elixir is very difficult. This is because auxiliary substances are still required: the foremost is "Zengqing" (azurite), regarded as the essence of Heaven-One Wood, along with Yellow Sprout, lead essence, white liquid, metal essence, autumn mineral, and others. These substances move in and out of Yin-Yang, receive the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and connect with the true primordial Qi of the Great Dao. Once refined, the result endures and nothing further need be done.

This elixir is also called the "Golden Sand Elixir" (jinsha zhi dan). In its refining, substances are added in sequence according to the numbers of the sun and moon, with sulfur as the sprout and "Qingyao" as the envoy, harmonized into golden sand; after one full cycle, this is called "emerging clouds and mist." If the substances are combined in accordance with their natures, then taking the elixir brings immortality and freedom from death.

The three elixirs each receive a different Qi: the Divine Talisman corresponds to spring and summer, White Snow to autumn, and the Nine-Turn Elixir to winter. Spring and summer are Yang, and Yang is male, corresponding to lead and Yellow Sprout, that is, the Divine Talisman; autumn and winter are Yin, and Yin is female. Cinnabar and white mercury are regarded as the medicine of immortality.

The three methods of elixir-making correspond to one another, and each receives a different kind of Qi. The Divine Talisman (Shenfu) corresponds to spring and summer, the White Snow (Baixue) to autumn, and the Nine Revolutions (Jiuzhuan) to winter. Spring and summer belong to Yang, and Yang represents the male principle; lead and the Yellow Sprout are the Divine Talisman. Autumn and winter belong to Yin, and Yin represents the female principle. Cinnabar corresponds to White Mercury, and the "Old Woman" to White Snow. Terms such as "Old Woman" and "White Mercury" are all technical terms of alchemy. White Snow is also called the "Elixir of Yang."

Why, then, does the Nine Revolutions correspond to winter? Consider first the Divine Talisman, which corresponds to spring and summer. At this time the sky is clear and bright, and Heaven and Earth issue their commands for the year. The myriad things respond and grow, and every living creature receives its allotted life. The Divine Talisman accords with the four seasons and corresponds to the eight seasonal nodes (the two major solar terms within each season). It is also the elixir refined by the high immortals, and it is called the Divine Talisman.

Next is White Snow, which corresponds to the beginning of autumn. Cold dew condenses into frost, and as Yin Qi gathers it becomes snow. It uses the Qi of severity and killing to check that same Qi: the hundred plants wither and turn to dust, and living creatures hide away within the Qi of the earth. White Snow is said to be a marvelous elixir of inexhaustible transformation, singular and unique in its working. Whoever takes it can live forever without dying, and once it is complete it preserves the root for a long time, its effects beyond measure.

The third is the Nine Revolutions, also called the Divine Talisman of Nine Revolutions. It is similar to the Golden Liquid Elixir (Jinye Dan) and takes the number nine times nine as its model. When the Nine Revolutions is first refined, sulfur is used, and sulfur belongs to the Great Yang. Yang transforms into Yin, which is called Pure Qian. Pure Qian generates a vast Qi of creation and transformation, and this is called the Nine Revolutions. The Nine Revolutions accords with the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and with the Three Powers. The emblem of obtaining this elixir is Wood of the east; Wood holds sway in the first month, when the Qi of Pure Qian is at its height. In the middle of the twelfth month the seasonal node of the first month arrives, the ice and snow melt, and spring begins. The Divine Talisman is of the highest efficacy, the Nine Revolutions comes next, and White Snow belongs to martial merit, while the Divine Talisman belongs to civil merit. In the movement of Heaven and Earth, spring is the most honored season, and for this reason the Divine Talisman has the greatest efficacy.

Among the elixirs used to guard the immortals and aid their cultivation, there are essentially three kinds. These three elixirs are said to have been created by the Three Sovereigns (ancient sacred figures of Daoist legend). Their formulas and refining methods are extremely varied, running to tens of thousands of entries. If one cannot distinguish the category of each and how they work together, one should not enter them in the Records of Immortals (Xianlu, a canon documenting immortals and the methods of attaining immortality).

The Envoy of the Nine Transmutations (a spirit who governs the methods of the nine-fold elixir) uses Yellow Spirit Glue. The Envoy of White Snow uses Heavenly Unity Yellow Sprout, and refines it together with the Yellow Spirit Glue in a single furnace. The Envoy of Divine Talismans (Fulu) uses Lead Yellow Sprout. The three superior elixirs each serve a different purpose, and they must not be confused during refining. The methods passed down by the immortals cannot be used interchangeably, precisely because the elixirs resemble one another in form but differ in substance. To proceed rashly without understanding this is a grave error.

This is the seventeenth chapter of the "Gate of Mutual Resemblance and Classification" (Chuanxi xianglei men).

Saltpeter, cannon sand (paoshā), realgar, and orpiment have similar Qi (炁, in Daoist alchemy the qi-nature or active property inherent in a substance), so they can be used by the same kind of method. All of them are used for "subduing and binding" (zaofu, bringing about a transformation in a substance through compounding) to help mercury become an elixir. The related methods of Qi-resonance are recorded in the essential teachings. Once one grasps the proportions and functions of each material, they naturally fall into their own categories.

Realgar is akin in Qi-nature to the gold that mercury is refined into. It can help produce the "sprout" of gold and can also give it gold's color. In compounding, azurite (zengqing, a mineral used in alchemy) serves as the guide, bringing realgar and the other materials into accord through shared Qi. Orpiment is Yin in nature, and like realgar it can help mercury transform into the Qi-nature of gold, producing its sprout and color; here too azurite is the guide. Because orpiment is Yin, it can also assist blue malachite (kongqing, another mineral used in alchemy), and with blue malachite as the guide it can likewise unite with mercury. Saltpeter acts as the minister and helper, assisting realgar and orpiment in combining with mercury, like closing the doors and windows so that the potency of the drugs does not escape.

These materials belong to one kind. They are like members of one family, or like ruler and ministers in one state. No foreign or mixed substances should be added, lest the harmony of the Three Powers (sancai: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity) be broken. In all work on the elixir or on the art of "yellow and white" (huangbai, the craft of producing gold and silver), the materials used should not go beyond these four kinds. When cannon sand is combined with the Five Metals (wujin, the collective term for the five metals), one must likewise rely on its Qi and control the quantity. If the materials are not alike in nature, the work will hardly succeed. This holds for all things, not only for precious drugs. The method of cultivation lies in taking materials of the same nature and bringing them together. Forcibly adding anything beyond these four often brings many troubles, and one should not follow such advice lightly.

The Gate of Combining Persian Lead Essence with Like Substances, Gate Eighteen, the Sixteenth Gate

Persian lead does not harm the Three Powers. It is the "Mirror of Heaven of the Five Talismans" (a term from Daoist alchemy), able to refine its own great elixir (the Daoist term for the major internal and external elixirs) and also to produce the "Yellow Sprout" (huangya, in alchemy the initial stage or substance of the forming elixir). This is a supreme heavenly method. Persian lead belongs to the geng-xin metal-lead matched with the White Tiger, and is called the "Yellow of the Western Lands…"

Persian lead does not damage the "Three Powers" (Sancai: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity). It can be used for the Five Talismans (Wufu) and the Heaven Mirror (Tianjing), and for refining the Great Elixir and the Yellow Sprout (Huangya). It belongs to the highest grade of the method known as "Completing Heaven" (Bitian). Persian lead is the White Tiger's metal-lead of the geng and xin stems, also called the "Yellow Sprout of the Western Kingdom."

If Jiazhou lead is refined together with mercury over a fierce fire until it turns golden, the result is called the Yellow Sprout. This method is called "Breaking the Three Powers," meaning that the two characters of "Separating the Gold Lord" (fen jin gong) are taken apart. It is also called "Damaging Nature." Even when the Yellow Sprout is obtained this way, it belongs only to the second-grade method of "Sun at Midheaven," because it lacks the Three Powers.

Persian lead and mercury are refined together over a fierce fire until they take on a golden color. If the color has not yet changed, the refining must be repeated a hundred times until gold appears, and only then can the product be used for transmutation. The "yellow bloom" is taken as the medicinal sprout and used to transmute brass-stone (shushi), realgar and orpiment (xionghuang and cihuang), azurite (kongqing), and similar substances into gold, a treasure of the world. This too is called the "Method of Completing Heaven."

Jiazhou lead is also refined with sulfur to make mercury, which is ground into powder and refined again before it can be used for transmutation. The yellow bloom is taken as the medicinal sprout and used to transmute brass-stone, realgar and orpiment, azurite, and similar substances into gold, a treasure of the world. This too is called the "Method of Completing Heaven."

When Jiazhou lead is refined with sulfur so that the mercury turns to powder, and the mercury is then refined again, one can make the "Taiyi Elixir of Contained Transformation" (Taiyi hanhua dan). This is called the "Method of Midheaven." Jiazhou lead is added to sulfur and slightly melted into a liquid, then boiled in water with considerable effort. Boiled in a vessel for a hundred days, it yields mercury. This mercury can also be used to refine elixirs or to make silver.

Jiazhou lead can serve as the "Magic Pool" (huachi, the medium that holds and harmonizes the ingredients during elixir refining) in which various kinds of mercury are boiled until they congeal into form. For this reason it is called the "True Lead, Gold Lord, Magic Pool Water."

Persian lead is refined with mercury over a fierce fire to obtain six liang of yellow bloom, which is then used to treat cooked cinnabar. Cooked cinnabar is the yang medicine, the "essence of Wood." It is placed in a chest and nurtured for a hundred days, then taken out and shaped into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. One pill is taken each day on an empty stomach. Once the medicine's power descends, it is said to strengthen the heart-spirit (Shen), brighten the eyes, and darken the beard and hair. In fewer than two hundred days, white hair turns black again. This is a minor method, yet it suffices to show that the path of the immortals is not false.

Jiazhou lead and miscellaneous leads from various places can be ground to powder and fired to make litharge-red lead (huangdan), litharge (mituoseng), and hu powder (white lead). These can be used to make the chest and to subdue the elixir medicines, and they also serve as practical refining methods. Jiazhou lead can be refined into silver, and can also be made into bronze vessels. It can even draw the copper color out of copper and turn it silver.

Persian lead, without any mercury added, is calcined alone for one fu shi (one day and night). The yellow bloom taken from it can subdue mercury, and there is no case where this fails. If the mercury itself is also calcined alone for one fu shi, and the yellow bloom is then used to refine it, the mercury can be turned into a sand-like substance. If it remains stable once put into the fire, it is called the "Middle Elixir" (zhongdan). As for the "Great Medicine" (dayao), it does not use any of the various leads.

The song says that refining the "Great Medicine" (the principal elixir discussed in Neidan, or internal alchemy (内丹, Neidan), and Waidan, or external alchemy (外丹, Waidan)) does not necessarily require lead; but if lead is to be used, one must understand the principles governing it. Only with this understanding can the "Three Powers" of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity be brought into complete harmony. Without it, the materials will be spoiled and the refining will fail.

The "Yellow Efflorescence" in the elixir must be refined by relying on lead, and lead itself undergoes transformation during the process. The creative power of Heaven and Earth naturally brings things to completion on its own; once the work of the elixir is accomplished, the lead should withdraw. The supreme medicine has no two or three different natures, yet it is through lead that one comes to apprehend it. This apprehension arises from within the heart-mind, and for it to arise, the "lead efflorescence" is needed as its support. The method of refining accords with the nature of lead; if it does not accord with the Dao (the Way), the "Canopy" cannot be formed. What is called the "Canopy" is the Heavenly Mirror.

People in the world also call lead oxide ("yellow lead elixir") "Yellow Sprout Lead" (huangya qian), and they call ceruse (hufen, white lead powder) by the same name. When it has been refined until it can withstand fire, be formed into vessels, and take in mercury, it is also called "White Gold Yellow Sprout."

Take one catty of lead from Jiazhou and refine it down to one tael, until it is as white as snow. Then take one tael of sulfur, one tael of mercury, and one tael each of yuyuliang (limonite) and konggongnie (stalactite), and first melt these materials into a liquid. Next add the mercury, sulfur, stalactite, and limonite in turn, stirring constantly with a bamboo twig. When they have fused, remove the mixture and grind it finely in a porcelain basin until it becomes a purple powder.

Place the powder in a crucible (a vessel used for high-temperature smelting), seal it, and burn it for one hundred days, using a fire of no less than one catty. When the burning is done, take it out and grind it again into a fine powder, put it in a silk bag, and hang it in a pit dug in the ground for three days. Then place the powder in a porcelain box (a ceramic container), steam it twice over cooked rice, and mix it with human milk to form pills the size of a parasol-tree seed.

Take one pill on an empty stomach. On the first day, swallow it with wine, and increase the dose gradually until it reaches ten pills, then stop increasing. After that, always swallow the pills with saliva. After a hundred days of taking it, it is said to improve a person's complexion, thicken the beard and hair, and make it possible to stop eating grain. This is a medicine of the middle rank in the Daoist tradition, and it cannot lift a person beyond the mortal world. Why? Because it is not something without form and substance. Still, you should know that lead holds inconceivable, inexhaustible efficacy, which can rival the Way of the immortals. If one seeks only to abstain from grain, take elixirs, and cure wind disorders, this may well be achieved. But it lacks the great power to grant long life and transcendence beyond the world.

Persian lead huachi (a lead-based alchemical material produced in Persia) can combine with zengqing (azurite, a copper-bearing mineral) and cause the five metals to transform. Yet you should still know that lead holds inconceivable, inexhaustible efficacy, which can rival the Way of the immortals. If one seeks only to abstain from grain, take elixirs, and cure wind disorders, this may well be achieved. But it lacks the great power to grant long life and transcendence beyond the world.

The Persian lead Huachi (华池, "Flower Pond"; a lead-based preparation or refining medium used in the Persian method) can combine with Zengqing (曾青, an ancient alchemical mineral, generally understood as a copper-bearing ore) to transform the five metals into treasures of the world. It may also be used on its own as a single elixir ingredient. The specific method is recorded in the secret essential instructions. The lead Huachi can boil and refine the five metals and subdue them with fire. One who grasps the principles of its transformations can compound ingredients according to the affinity of their Qi (vital energy), with the proportions never departing from proper measure. Within the Huachi lies the power to accomplish the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth.

Daoist practitioners must take care and study closely the uses of lead described above. The methods comprise sixteen gates. They accord with the Dao (the Way) of Heaven and Earth and can enable a practitioner to become an immortal. All the world's treasures can likewise be refined from lead. It is also said to have the power to alter one's appearance and restore a person to youth, and to bring long life and enduring vision. All the paths that exhaust the mysteries of Heaven and Earth come from this method. Once one obtains the true oral instructions, the refining will succeed. Here the contents are briefly recorded.

The Gate of Similarity through Lateral Qi Communication (傍通气法相类门, a refining method in which materials are harmonized in nature by communicating through Qi) likewise has the power to alter one's appearance, return the aged to youth, and bring long life and enduring vision. The paths that exhaust the mysteries of Heaven and Earth also all come from this method. Once one obtains the true oral instructions, the refining will succeed. Here it is briefly recorded.

Gate Nineteen: Similarity through Lateral Qi Communication

The method of lateral Qi communication relies on the essential instructions for subduing the Three Yellows and Eight Minerals, so that the materials keep their original colors while each is subdued by fire. To "subdue by fire" means that after refining, the materials become stable in nature and no longer melt or scorch. The principle is that the materials communicate through Qi, so that each returns from Qi to its original nature. Their essence is not different, and so the process is called "fire-subduing the Three Yellows."

The method of subduing these materials resembles the mutual eclipse of the sun and moon: though they are darkened for a time, they in the end become bright again and return to their former state. Subduing the Three Yellows also requires the power of saltpeter. Saltpeter is called "Autumn Mineral." Why is it called Autumn Mineral? A Daoist who studies flying and refining must first understand its name and its origin.

The Three Yellows belong to spring and receive the flourishing Qi of the great Yang. When autumn arrives, this flourishing Qi is held in check. Saltpeter can therefore subdue Yang Qi, and so it is called "Autumn Mineral." A Daoist who studies flying and refining must likewise understand its origin.

Autumn Mineral (Qiushi) belongs to the "Three Yellows." Its qi corresponds to the Yang qi of spring, yet it is restrained in autumn, which is why saltpeter can subdue Yang-natured substances. When refining the Three Yellows, if saltpeter is not used to subdue their properties, the Yang toxicity cannot be removed. The Three Yellows and the Eight Minerals all belong to fire and are pure Yang qi. Although the Three Yellows, like mercury, are born of Yang qi, they are not the same: when mercury is subdued by fire it congeals into silver, and once dried it still retains the original nature of mercury. The Three Yellows and the Eight Minerals are likewise born of Yang qi, yet each undergoes its own transformations in nature. If one can subdue the properties of the Two Yellows and the Eight Minerals without damaging their original nature, their efficacy becomes immeasurable, and this depends entirely on Autumn Mineral. Autumn Mineral is therefore the chief ingredient among the Yang-natured substances. A practitioner who grasps its subtleties is like a wise ruler who has gained the help of worthy ministers, and Autumn Mineral is like such a minister.

The method for subduing saltpeter is as follows: first obtain white cinnabar stone, refine it with fire and water into a powder, and then use it to subdue Autumn Mineral.

Autumn Mineral originally arises in cold regions, where, having passed through ice and frost, it congeals into white cinnabar. It is also as though, after ten thousand years of accumulated ice, it had congealed into a white stone bed, and from this white stone bed cinnabar is first born. Saltpeter is close to these substances in nature and harmonious with them in qi, so one can rely on this shared affinity to use it to subdue mercury and cinnabar, so that the properties of both are not lost. Autumn Mineral is thus of the same kind as these substances and compatible with them in nature; when used to subdue the Three Yellows and the Eight Minerals, it allows their properties to be bound by this supremely Yin substance without damaging their original character. This is because Autumn Mineral has its own distinct properties in relation to each of these two groups of substances. Next, sulfur may be combined with Autumn Mineral. Sulfur originally comes from saltpeter and has a white color; although sulfur has not yet undergone the fire-subduing process, one can still rely on the shared qi-nature it has with saltpeter to use it, thereby strengthening the effects of Autumn Mineral and saltpeter.

Section Twenty, "Combinations, Correspondences, and Alternative Names" (Peihe Tongxi Bieming Xianglei Men): this section discusses how different substances are combined, how their qi-natures interpenetrate, and their alternative names.

Take Persian lead, for example. It originally comes from the West, and in terms of the directional correspondences of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) it belongs to Geng-Xin Metal. Gold is enclosed within the lead: the luster of the gold symbolizes the western Geng-Xin Metal, while the substance of the lead symbolizes the northern Ren-Gui Water. From this we can see that the immortal adepts of ancient times took the "golden efflorescence" to be the "Yellow Sprout" (a term from alchemy referring to an important ingredient or sign in the course of refining the elixir), yet did not know that it must be extracted from the lead. The point here is that the two share the same Qi (vital energy) and differ only in name, and their forms are also similar.

Master Yin Shibo and Master He explained: "The Supreme Teaching of Xuanyuan (the profound teaching of Daoism) originated in the land of the Flowing Sands, and so it takes its name from that place and pairs Flowing Sands lead with its alchemical methods. Although the lead of Han in the East also has a light, bright metallic luster, it cannot be counted as a pure substance in itself, and differs from the lead produced in the Flowing Sands of the West. When the Supreme One (Taishang, a venerated Daoist deity) passed through the Flowing Sands, he identified the true lead. Flowing Sands lead is one of the three grades of elixir gold, and is also the foremost grade of true lead used by the high immortals. Within the teaching of Xuanyuan, the medicine produced by the transformation of the Mysterious Embryo (Xuantai, referring to the state of gestation and formation in alchemy) is called Flowing Sands lead, which is precisely the Persian lead spoken of here. The golden efflorescence within Flowing Sands lead is like the talents and skills of a person: all are stored within the heart and not displayed outwardly."

According to the Lingbao Wufu Jing (Scripture of the Five Talismans of the Numinous Treasure), those who cultivate the returned elixir should uphold the principle of purity, stillness, and undivided unity. If they can grasp this method, they may hope to become Perfected Persons (Zhenren).

If the lead used in refining the elixir does not harm the "Three Powers" (the three fundamental conditions of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), it is the highest grade of celestial medicine. If the Three Powers are harmed, one must extract the essence of the lead instead; once the essence is extracted, the strength of the lead is diminished. Although it is still drawn from lead, such lead is no longer pure and true, and so is unsuited to serve as an auxiliary medicine. When we say the lead's strength is insufficient, we mean that its primal Qi (vital energy) is depleted and its true nature is incomplete.

Having all Three Powers intact is the highest celestial method; extracting the essence of the lead is the middle celestial method; and using it as an auxiliary medicine is the lower celestial method. These three methods all belong to the sixteen methods within the lead. To apply them, one must understand the teachings of the Great Dao's primordial beginning and grasp them clearly and without error. In this way, the three elixir methods can be accomplished and will correspond to the "Palace of the Three Unities." The three palaces are the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing): Taiqing, Shangqing, and Yuqing. The three merge into one body and return to the Palace of the Primordial Heavenly Unity.

To refine the three elixirs, one must have the true nature of three components: lead, mercury, and sulfur. Zengqing (azurite) alone serves as the "Envoy," symbolizing the true nature of the east. The east belongs to Wood and corresponds to spring, the beginning of the growth of all things; all things are nourished by the Qi (vital energy) of spring's generation, and Zengqing is precisely the representative of this quality.

Zengqing can combine with lead, mercury, and sulfur, which shows that it can bring the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity; also the three fundamental conditions that constitute the alchemical method) into harmony, and then bring the Three Powers into communication with the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Zengqing is the envoy of the lead elixir and also the sinews and bones of mercury. Just as fire lies hidden within wood, it enables lead, mercury, and sulfur to coagulate into the "Yellow Spirit Glue," letting them assist one another and exert their respective strengths.

If those who refine elixirs do not understand the principle of the Three Powers in harmony and simply use the Five Metals and Eight Minerals at random (the mineral and metal substances used in alchemy), then even if an elixir is produced, it is said that taking five pills can turn the beard and hair white, transform them into essence and Qi, and within ten days restore a youthful, childlike complexion. But however astonishing such effects may seem, they do not bring transcendence beyond the mortal world or an extension of life; when one's allotted years are exhausted, one still dies. Only when the Three Powers are complete, and the elixir is refined according to the law of correspondence between like things, can taking it make the body endure and the lifespan match that of heaven and earth.

Thus, since the first separation of heaven and earth, people have known only of the "Green-Waisted Envoy" (the divine envoy representing the Qi of the green Wood of the east). Later generations, however, have not understood how to apply transformation in accordance with the teaching of the Primordial Beginning, nor how to draw upon the Qi of the four seasons, or receive the Qi of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, in order to produce the "Yellow Sprout" (an alchemical term for the essence of an elixir at its first formation). In this way they can neither transcend the mortal world nor master even the most elementary art of creation and transformation.

Nor do they understand how to borrow the Five Phases and the Qi of the four seasons, relying on the furnace fire to transform the Qi of lead into the Flower Pool (an alchemical medium by which substances are blended and transformed during refining). The bone-substance of lead is the Yellow Sprout, lead powder is the auxiliary medicine, lead water is the Flower Pool, and the substance of lead itself can be made into vessels of the Five Metals. The functions of lead correspond to the Five Phases and differ among its sixteen uses, each of which holds a supreme treasure.

Lead belongs to the "Right General," also called the "Feminine Nature," and also the "Flower Pool"; the substance of lead can be made into vessels of the Five Metals. The functions of lead correspond to the Five Phases, and there are sixteen different uses, each of which contains a precious principle of alchemy.

Lead (qian, a key substance or symbolic material in alchemy) belongs to the General of the Right. It is also said to have a feminine nature and is called "Yin," which is why it is assigned to the right side; it governs Yin qi and restrains Yang qi. Yang belongs to the left, and the left symbolizes the masculine. It can also give rise to the "three yellows and eight minerals" (a class of mineral substances used in alchemy). Yet their nature is ultimately restrained by Yin qi, just as a man deposits his semen in a woman's womb, so that the two merge and cannot be separated. Thus Yang is lost within Yin, which is a plain and evident principle.

For this reason, people should cherish their Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and preserve their lives, and the principle of these substances lies precisely here. However, the nature of the three yellows must be subdued by Yin qi before it can be stabilized and kept from dispersing, while still retaining its original color. Why is this so? Because Yang qi lies hidden within Yin qi. People fail to see that the sun also contains Yin essence, just as a man has a wife, and their comings and goings and their dealings follow established norms: this means that a man's heart is bound to a woman and he finds it hard to part from her. When Yang is restrained by Yin, Yang qi becomes established and joins with Yin qi. The moon likewise contains Yang essence, like a woman who enjoys her husband's devotion; she receives the qi of Yang essence, loves it, and stays with it without leaving. This describes how Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) respond to one another, like the union of man and woman, cherishing one another and living in harmony, until at last they accomplish the great Dao (the Way).

The sun is like a man: outwardly Yang, inwardly containing Yin. The moon is like a woman: outwardly Yin, inwardly containing Yang. The qi of sun and moon respond to each other and meet once a month, each drawing the essential qi of the other, and from this descendants are multiplied and the myriad things are transformed and born.

The Yi says: "The principle of Yin and Yang is embodied in the pairing of sun and moon." It also says: "The alternation of one Yin and one Yang is what is called the Dao." And again: "Among things hung high in the heavens and radiant in their brightness, none is greater than the sun and moon." The refining of the Great Elixir is likewise often compared to the sun and moon. An elixir song says: "The sage grasps the mystery of creation and transformation, taking the sun and moon and setting them within the furnace. Subtly he turns the essential qi of Heaven and Earth, gathering Yin and Yang together and setting spirits and ghosts in motion. The soul of the sun and the spirit of the moon: who can recognize them? Whoever does is an immortal. Refine and take it, and after a thousand days the body will no longer contain Yin, so how could one die?"

From this we can see that the Three Yellows (三黄, sanhuang) can be refined into elixir substances by drawing on the power of Yin killing (阴杀). It is like a child who, after ten months in the womb, is born: the body is conceived and nurtured in the Yin place of the mother. Yang cannot grow once it leaves Yin, and Yin cannot nurture once it leaves Yang; the sun cannot shine without the moon, and the moon cannot be bright without the sun. All of this follows the regular patterns of Yin-Yang cycles and calendrical numbers.

Yang qi (Qi) ultimately returns to Yin, and by responding to the power of "the Supreme General dwells on the right," it takes on physical form. "Supreme" (上) is "right" (右), which governs killing, punishment, and concealment. In men the pulse qi moves to the left; in women it turns to the right. From this we know that although mercury contains Yang qi, it never departs from the nature of Great Yin (Taiyin, the place where Yin is at its fullest). Although lead occupies the Ren-Zi water position, within it lies the quality of Metal Flower (金华, jinhua). Metal and water are close in nature, and when they meet fire, they take on form.

Mercury is the essence (Jing) of Great Yin, and within it lies the body of cinnabar. Cinnabar originally arises through transformation in the Yin palace, yet it sits in the Li position (the Bagua trigram position belonging to fire). It shares a common source with lead, being born in the Metal Flower Pool, and in essence the two are one.

The "Flower Canopy" (华盖, huagai) symbolizes the canopy of heaven that covers all things. Even when dense clouds bring no rain, the mist and dew condensed from Yin qi still moisten the myriad things. The Flower Canopy of lead can cover and nurture all things. The White Tiger, the Golden Cauldron, and the Yellow Sprout are likewise linked by corresponding qualities of qi.

The dragon is the spirit-soul of the cloud, and the cloud is the canopy of the rain; rain symbolizes lead-water, guarded by the Metal Embankment. The tiger is the spirit-soul of the wind, and the wind is the messenger of the rain. Dragon and tiger each govern one fundamental qi, and the transformations of these qi appear between heaven and earth. The states of confinement, death, rest, decline, birth, and flourishing are all contained within them, and the generation of all things comes from this as well.

From this we know that the immortal adepts of high antiquity contemplated the Mysterious Origin (Xuanyuan, the primordial source of the Dao) and the great vision of creation and transformation contained within their own bodies. They cultivated the Three Cinnabar Fields (the cultivation systems corresponding to the upper, middle, and lower Dantian), examined the changes of the hundred bodily fluids, and grasped the profound principles within them. These principles arise from the Three Origins and move and transform between Heaven and Earth.

They drew widely on many sources, excerpting key texts and surveying the immortal writings of all ages. They comprehended the subtle principles of spiritual immortals' cultivation and gathered them into the teaching of the Mysterious Origin, which also embraces the doctrines of the Confucians and the Buddhists.

The Fa-xiang (the patterns and signs manifested by Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things) interpenetrate one another. Geng and Xin correspond to the beginning, Jia and Yi to the arising of virtue (De), Ren and Gui to the hidden root, and Bing and Ding to gain and loss. The Four Images establish the order of Heaven, and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) establish the order of Earth. The truths of the Three Cinnabar Fields depend on one another, and their related content is gathered into twenty chapters.

When this teaching is transmitted and put into practice, it must be applied with great care and without error. This book is called the Dayao (Essential Summary), and it should be handed down for ten thousand generations and never be lost.

When refining the "supreme medicine" (zhiyao, 至药), the ancients held that certain taboos had to be observed, and that specific implements were needed to subdue ghosts, spirits, and malevolent demons. These implements were to be made from materials corresponding to the substance being refined, forged into a sharp blade, and kept beside the furnace, with its position shifted to a different direction each day. This tool was called the "Vessel of Great Essential Treasure Metal."

The blade was best made of "ghost-guest iron" (guibin tie), honed to a keen edge and about one foot two inches long, though a length as short as five inches was acceptable. If this iron was unavailable, pure steel could be used. A bronze blade was the next best choice, but it too had to embody the complementary pairing of female and male, dragon and tiger, before it was considered spiritually potent. The blade had to be one that had never been used; a blade that had been used was unsuitable for placing beside the furnace.

To restrain Qi (气, vital energy; here written 炁, the term Daoists use for qi or energy), one had to rely on implements with female and male properties, and no other tools could take their place. Mercury and lead were themselves regarded as a female-male pair, able to combine and generate Qi. When objects symbolizing the dragon and tiger then guarded and supported one another, the refining process would proceed smoothly. The dragon and tiger were believed to embody the nature of the Dao (道, the Way), and so ghosts, spirits, and demons dared not approach the furnace and cauldron.

When no medicine was being refined, the blade was to be kept near one's head for long periods, and once each year it was taken out, bathed in scented water, polished, and given offerings. During refining, the blade was taken out and carried around the furnace, driving all manner of ghosts and malign spirits far away.

The scripture (经, Jing) further explains that implements can restrain Qi because the three Dan (丹) of the Mysterious Origin and Supreme Truth (the three kinds of inner elixir or elixir methods in Daoism) are generated from metal Qi, and that refining the returned elixir likewise requires sharp metal implements to restrain it and assist its completion. Various complementary substances combine as female and male: lead and mercury correspond to the dragon and tiger, and Kan and Li (the trigrams of water and fire) unite. So long as each responds to the other, the elixir can be formed. All of these principles are recorded in the Secret Essentials of the Great Dao of Spiritual Penetration: Jade Truth Instructions (Tongling Dadao Miyao Yuzhen Jue), and a Daoist who ponders them with care will naturally come to understand them.