《陶真人内丹赋》

Human beings are originally formed from the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), their entire bodies further infused by the Jing (essence) Qi of the Four Images. Even if rivers and seas should run dry, a person’s lifespan may still be prolonged; even if the sun and moon should wane, a person’s Shen (spirit) may still grow robust. Therefore the sage regulates the Qi of gold and jade, refines stones to mend the heavens, observes the workings of the mysterious yellow transformations of heaven and earth, and especially attends to the movements of sun and moon.

What is called the Dragon-Tiger Great Elixir concerns the directions of coming and going between north and south, the root of the primordial Two and Three, and the designations of entering and exiting between east and west; after circulation, all finally return to one. Azure, vermilion, white, and black each settle in the four quarters; above and below communicate, linking the eight directions like the spokes of a wheel. The directions thereby correspond to the Five Emperors, the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity manifest their forms, and the myriad things take shape. The line images of the sixty-four hexagrams each have their functions; the twenty-eight lunar mansions accord with the movements of the heavens. These transformations occur both within the seventy-two pentads and within the three-hundred-and-sixty-day cycle of the year, beginning from primordial Yang and concluding at the last day of the year and the La festival. Thus the scripture says: “It accords with the De (Virtue/Power) of Heaven and Earth, and with the brightness of sun and moon.”

In spring and summer the myriad things grow and flourish, all following the patterns of the four seasons; in autumn and winter they withdraw, hide, and hibernate, yet never leave that same cycle. The Qian hexagram increases amid the configurations of Gen and Xun, its firm and vigorous nature turning toward softness; the Kun hexagram arises from the images of Zhen and Dui, its Yin Qi returning to the Yang position. All this speaks of the workings of Yin-Yang transformation. When sun and moon conjoin, the Li hexagram is female and the Kan hexagram male, Metal the husband and Wood the wife; they cause the Jing Qi of Yin and Yang to unite, tempering marrow, bones, sinews, and vessels. Only after ten months of effort is the function complete, and Jing and Shen thereby become abundant.

Jing Qi transforms into liquid, coagulates into form, resembling hard ice turning into mysterious frost (a Daoist alchemical term for a black frost-like substance), then after further cooking and refining appears like white snow. Only then can one discern the principles of lead and mercury and verify the source of Water and Fire. One gathers the essence of the two kinds of image-numbers and extracts the Jing Qi of the Five Phases. Therefore the sage inquires into the two characters “sun and moon,” penetrating the obscure and discerning the dark, exhaustively investigating the transformations of Metal, Water, and the other Five Phases, enabling a person to pass from the ordinary into sagehood. The Cantong Qi says: “Sun and moon constitute Change; the firm and the yielding correspond.” This refers to the three substances Water, Earth, and Metal. Those whose aspiration is cultivation—ought they not examine the principles herein?

To penetrate the Dao of the Ultimate True, one must understand the hexagram images, deeply grasp Yin-Yang, observe the celestial patterns, thoroughly study the meanings of the Yi, and master the advance and retreat of fire timing, so that generation and gathering both accord with the proper season, inner and outer becoming clear, penetrating, and mutually responsive. The Treatise on the Circulation of Spirits through the Three Origins says: “If you wish to understand the medicine, first understand your own self.” Realizing this, one can comprehend the transformations of the myriad things.

If Heaven and Earth transform, male and female contend, things resemble one another yet differ, and dark primordial Qi intermingles in confusion, then to distinguish the principles therein is as difficult as holding a ladder to gaze at the Milky Way, or hanging a fishhook in hopes of catching a whale. It is hoped that worthies will examine this carefully; the author dares not speak recklessly of the marvelous Dao.

Furthermore, this fu conceals the secret meanings of Neidan (internal alchemy) deeply within its wording, using obscure language to interpret mysterious sayings and employing annotations to supplement and clarify the intent therein.

The Fu says:

The law of the Dao (the Way) follows nature.

Here “nature” refers to Yuanqi (the fundamental Qi (vital energy) by which Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things). Yuanqi is the empty and primordial Qi between Heaven and Earth; from it all things are generated and transformed, and it is the origin of the Mysterious Primordial. Those who cultivate elixir methods refine and nourish this Qi and obtain the empty Qi; this is called “the Dao of the True One in accordance with nature,” the root from which the myriad things are generated and transformed. The Laozi says: “The Dao has no form and cannot be described by names or shapes, so it is provisionally called ‘Dao’.” The Dao spoken of in the Way of Guarding the One is the Qi of nature, that is, mercury. Those resolved upon cultivation need only follow the methods in their practice, causing the formless to appear, transforming emptiness into substance, shedding the mortal body and revealing the True One—this is the Dao of nature.

One must know how to distinguish the true from the false.

“True” is only a name taken provisionally. The Dao of which the Way of Guarding the One speaks is the Qi of nature, that is, mercury. Those resolved upon cultivation should follow the methods in their practice, causing the formless to appear, transforming emptiness into substance, shedding the mortal body and revealing the True One—this is the Dao of nature.

One must know how to distinguish the true from the false.

What is called “true” is named lead. Once silver has been refined from it, this silver is called the “True One,” also known as “white gold”; in directional terms it belongs to the Dui position and occupies the west. Ordinary people do not understand the Dao of the True One and merely wish to refine lead in order to obtain the true; if the material is buried away, how can the true still be obtained? Therefore the scripture says: “Do not destroy my lead, that my nature and life may be preserved.”

To seek the Dao of the true image one must receive from above the sun, moon, and stars (the Three Luminaries) and accord below with Heaven, Earth, and humanity (the Three Powers). Once the Six Pitch-pipes (the six ancient pitch-pipes used to determine musical pitch) are complete, transformations become inexhaustible—this is the Dao of the True One.

What is called “false” refers to those who study the immortal arts without examining the classics or receiving transmission from a master, inventing methods according to their own notions. They take ordinary mercury and, without following the proper methods, wantonly apply theories of Yin-Yang, intending to treat it as the supreme treasure; naturally it cannot be refined. Li Cheng said: “Can ordinary lead and mercury simply be called the supreme treasure?” Because they do not take Heaven and Earth as their model yet wrongly employ Yin-Yang, causing Yin and Yang to conjoin in disorder and cold and heat to lose their proper sequence, how can they not come to regret using the wrong method? Therefore the scripture says that the heights and depths of the sages, the foolish and the wise, the true and the false, have existed from antiquity to the present.

The methods should model themselves on the Two Modes (Yin-Yang, also referring to Heaven and Earth).

They take as their model the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the eight symbols that represent the different states of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things.

When the “Great Medicine” (the medicinal substance spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation) undergoes transformation, every part of the body operates according to the laws that govern the movements of Heaven and Earth. The Qi (vital energy) of Metal and Water circulates and flows, and the stages of the practice accord with the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (the ancient divisions of the celestial sphere) as well as with the measures of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

Every forty-five days constitutes a stage that combines into one trigram. A year of three hundred and sixty days is divided into eight such periods of forty-five days, and therefore takes its image from the Bagua. Taiyi (the primordial state in which Heaven and Earth are yet undivided and the myriad things unmanifest) later develops so that the Bagua become apparent; the movements of the sun and moon likewise embody the principles of the Bagua.

Heaven and Earth are opened so that above and below, Yin-Yang, each receive their proper distinctions. “Pi” means to open or to inaugurate. This indicates that once the boundaries of Heaven and Earth become clear, Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) establish their positions. In the arts of Neidan, Qian and Kun also serve as metaphors for the dingqi (the vessel—the body or the site of cultivation in which the medicine is refined). First the vessel is explained, then the medicine within it; only after the positions of Heaven and Earth are determined can the laws of Zhoutian (celestial-circuit) circulation be distinguished.

The succession of cold and heat is governed by the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang. In cultivation one must accord with the seasons and not miss the nodal times. This is to take as model the image of the movements of Heaven and Earth.

The transformations of Yin-Yang are harmonized. “Mixing Yin-Yang” means taking Water and Fire as the medicines. When mercury remains in a chaotic state, the clear and the turbid have not yet separated, and it is therefore called “Taiyi”; it symbolizes the condition in which Yin-Yang are still undivided and gathered together in one place. Thereafter Yin and Yang unite, and the firm and the yielding each take form: Yin-Yang belong to Qi, while the firm and yielding belong to physical form. Those who cultivate the Dao should practice according to this principle, taking Water and Fire as primary and discerning the changes of Yin-Yang according to the proper times.

The Tongxuan Lun states: “This is the root of Heaven and Earth, namely cinnabar and mercury.”

Operations are arranged with Qian and Kun as the guiding framework. Qian symbolizes Metal and occupies the western direction; Kun symbolizes Water. The several elements of Metal, Water, and Fire alternate in their circulation, possessing coming and going, exiting and entering, contraction and extension, thereby constituting the forms of movement in cultivation. Perfected Guo said: “East and West form the weft, and Jia occupies the East. Jia is the first of the Ten Heavenly Stems; Jia is also called the Divine Child and is the forerunner among the Twelve Spirits. Jia is paired with Zi, and therefore it is said that this is taken as the weft.”

Then one proceeds according to the northern and southern directions, making selections and discards.

Therefore the verse says: “Take it from the south and match it with the north, so that mother and child restrain each other; then transform the north into the west, pairing it with the south as husband and wife unite.” This is no empty talk. Thus the elixir stone, this one medicinal ingredient, alone bears a Yin (Yin-Yang) nature, and is called “having taking and gathering,” that is, there is something taken in and something received.

“Di and Fang leaping upon the Azure Dragon” (Fang being one of the seven lunar mansions of the Eastern Azure Dragon) means that mercury resides in the Fang star. The Fang star corresponds to the Mao position and belongs to the color azure-green; Wood is generated from Water, which belongs to the north and is black in color. Azure-green and black together are called “cang,” hence “the Azure Dragon has gathering.”

“Zhang and Yi as a collar and sash upon the white horse” (Zhang and Yi belonging to the seven lunar mansions of the Southern Vermilion Bird) symbolizes cinnabar. Ancient immortal practitioners employed methods to strip the red halo-layer from the surface of cinnabar, restoring it to its original nature; this process is termed “body-shedding cinnabar.” It is also called “white sand,” and also “white horse-tooth.”

“Xuanhuang” refers to Heaven and Earth, and also to the forms and substances in the alchemical vessels. The sinews refer to mercury, the bones to silver. After being steamed and fumigated by fire qi (vital energy), Metal, Water and other substances gradually shed their leaden quality and remove impurities; they then fly back and forth in the vessel, with mists and vapors rising, appearing light, soaring, and untrammeled.

“Perching on cliffs and hiding in ravines, spanning peaks and overlooking streams” means that mercury in the tripod is subdued by Metal and Water, and further boiled, refined, and scorched; it surges and boils without pause, gradually congealing and emitting flower-like substances above. Sometimes it forms into a qi-like state, as if perching on rocks and hiding in valleys; sometimes it lies still and congealed, presenting shapes like mountain peaks.

One waits for the solar florescence and lunar radiance to appear; such transformations will likewise continue year after year.

The solar radiance refers to mercury and the lunar hues to gold. Gold and mercury condense together to form the elixir; it is not refined only when the sun is at its peak and the moon at its fullest. The ancients modeled this upon the twelve months and three hundred sixty days of a year: hours accumulate into days, days into months, and months into years. Reckoned according to one complete heavenly circuit there are more than four thousand three hundred hours, symbolizing the circulation of the Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth. Therefore the practitioner must comprehensively observe seasonal change, examine the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang, and employ the pairing of Yin and Yang in the medicinal substances to simulate the alterations of cold and heat, contracting with Yin Qi and warming and nourishing with Yang Qi. Completing the returned elixir cannot be separated from the laws of the four seasons and the Five Phases; all of these take their models from the symbols of nature.

By exhaustively investigating the laws of natural creation one can understand transformation; to cultivate in accordance with heavenly timing is to follow the Heavenly Dao.

Only by deeply exploring the way of Yin-Yang can one understand the root of change. The Cantong qi (a Daoist alchemical classic) says: “Understanding the root of change, one can probably grasp the wondrous principle.” Therefore one must deduce the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), analogizing the pairing of Yin-Yang hardness and softness through relationships such as father and son or ruler and minister and distinguishing the order of high and low; then calculate the cycles by means of the six lü (ancient musical pitches, also used to coordinate Yin-Yang and seasonal timings), coordinating them with the Five Phases, the seventy-two hou (phenological periods divided according to seasonal timing), the forty-five jie, the twenty-four solar terms and the water clock (an ancient method of timekeeping), determining the lengths of days and hours and taking images from the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth and Humanity, thereby conforming to the Great Dao. The Cantong qi says: “By exhaustively investigating the wondrous one can know transformation.” Therefore the sage takes models from nature and accords with heavenly timing, and this has no other meaning.

The work of refining the elixir begins with the pairing of male mercury and female gold and ends in soaring like the Vermilion Bird to become an immortal.

“Shi” means the beginning. The Cantong qi says: “If one is upright at the start, one can understand at the end; when the Qian Dao is not yet mature, one must not force a hold upon it.” This refers to pairing the two medicinal substances of male mercury and female gold to refine an elixir that can be ingested. “Soaring” refers to the Vermilion Bird, which is the symbol of mercury. After the elixir has been completed it undergoes concealment and dwelling, then gradually receives the warming of the fire timing, and is called the elixir of correct Yang.

There is a class of people who have transcended the dusty world, whose innate nature is pure and genuine, who embrace the Jing (essence) and Qi of empty harmony, and who have grown weary of the clamor and turmoil of the human world.

Master Wu Yun said that becoming an immortal is what people yearn for, while death is what they detest. Those whose shen (spirit) and qi (vital energy) are not clear and luminous, and whose bone physiognomy lacks prominence and uprightness, have not been endowed with yang spiritual qi. Even if they have received this qi, they will not give rise to a heart that admires the immortal Dao (the Way).

Those who admire the immortal Dao, at the moment of receiving life, happen to encounter the constellations that symbolize longevity and also meet the official of the Yang King (the divine official who governs yang qi and longevity). Therefore they are endowed with a heavenly true nature, their aspirations transcend the dusty world, their temperament is tranquil and detached, pure and simple, their body and mind harmonious and their shen and qi clear and bright; they grow weary of worldly life and are willing to leave the noisy mundane realm.

By seeking the methods of immortality and exploring the secrets of extending years, one can obtain the profound meaning of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) and comprehend the mysterious and authentic principles.

The methods of immortality originate from the Huang-Lao teachings (the Daoist doctrines of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi). The elixir scriptures of Laozi, together with the formulas for prolonging life, refer to works such as the Cantong Qi and the Jinbi Jing. Those who aspire to cultivate the Dao, upon obtaining these classics, should first report upward to the Three Officials (the officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water) and downward to the True Lord of the Land. They should then bathe, observe fasting and purification, still the mind and purify their thoughts, and study the texts while burning incense in a quiet room. Only through study and investigation can they gradually comprehend and understand the fundamental principle of primordial qi. Practitioners of the Dao should also widely seek teachers and friends, humbly inquire about the subtle details, and must never cultivate on the basis of empty speculation.

Therefore it is said: “In the profound darkness there is something subtle and refined.”

“Yaoming” describes a state of deep obscurity and darkness. In the text, “there is Jing (essence) within” is interpreted as there being silver within; the so-called Jing refers to mercury. That is to say, silver resides in Taiyin (Greater Yin, a cold and dark environment); provided it receives the qi of Taiyang and after prolonged warming and nourishing, it will transform within the darkness and give birth to something subtle and refined inside.

"Yaoming" describes a state of profound darkness and depth. The Jing (essence) mentioned therein is said by some to be silver and by others to be mercury (quicksilver). That is to say, silver resides within Taiyin (the place of yin cold and darkness), receiving only the Qi (vital energy) of Taiyang. After prolonged warming and nourishment, its physical form recedes and conceals itself inside Taiyin. When it gradually becomes ample and takes shape, like a seed sprouting, it is called mercury of subdued fire.

"Yaoming" can also describe a state that is hard to discern: seeming to exist yet not to exist, not directly visible. Thus the scripture says: "In profound stillness concentrate the Shen (spirit), without departing from oneself." Lead has not yet revealed its unadorned form, nor has mercury shown its traces. Huanyangzi says: "Lead is acted upon by Xin Qi, thus resembling one clad in coarse cloth while harboring precious jade; metal receives the Jia Qi of mercury, so that the fetal body naturally attaches to it and enters the water." The wording here is suspected of textual error, and the meaning is not easy to determine with certainty.

Infuse the one Qi transformed from the Golden Flower (an alchemical term referring to the metallic essence formed during the refining process) and discern the changes indicated by the two designations of water and fire.

Perfected Guo said: "First melt the Golden Flower into water, separately warm the mercury in a vessel, then cast it into the pool. Its color will congeal into white, its shape resembling lead frost, and the meaning is similar." The so-called "one Qi" is the True One. The True One transforms and receives the talismanic mandate, occupying the position of the Green Dragon, which is the eastern Zhen position of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Zhen belongs to Wood; Wood can generate Fire, hence it is called mercury. Earth can generate Metal, hence it is called yin silver. Therefore it is said that one must discern the changes referred to by the two names of water and fire.

Distribute the Four Images (the four symbols of Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Dark Warrior), harmonize the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); settle the hun of the sun, summon the po of the moon, accord with the nature of the tiger and unite with the sentiment of the dragon.

Li Cheng said: "The two graphs of Metal and Wood, together with the Four Images of Kan and Li, are the root of the urgently needed medicine; lead and mercury are the mysterious gate and also the foundation for accomplishing the Returned Elixir." The Four Images spoken of here are the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Dark Warrior. When the Four Images are complete, the Five Phases are thereby harmonized. The twenty-eight lunar mansions fill the celestial circle, the movements of sun and moon coincide; the dragon calls the tiger, the tiger draws the dragon, their natures mutually harmonize, and the operations of sun and moon are complete. Is this not precisely the harmonization of the Four Images and Five Phases?

From this one extrapolates the Yijing to display the crucial points of transformation, arranges the position of the Dipper's handle stars, and along the directions of the Ji and Dou mansions scatters radiance...

Li Chunfeng said: The seven stars of the Northern Dipper lie close to the Purple Forbidden Enclosure (Ziwei Yuan, which the ancients regarded as the celestial residence of the Heavenly Emperor), situated north of the Supreme Subtlety Enclosure (Taiwei Yuan). The Northern Dipper is viewed as the chariot of the Heavenly Emperor, charged with transmitting commands, revolving around the center, and governing the four directions. The establishment of the four seasons, the harmonization of the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the shifting of the solar terms, and the fixing of calendrical principles are all bound up with the Dipper’s movement. The forward part of the Dipper’s body is called “Kui,” composed of the Xuanji stars; the three stars of the handle are called “Yuheng.” An ancient text states: “The Xuanji and Yuheng serve to regulate the motions of the sun, moon, and five planets.” The locations of the Ji and Dou lunar mansions correspond to Yin and Si; in elixir refinement fire is kindled from this point, and the radiance of Jia Wood likewise issues from here.

It extends through the Gen and Dui directions of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), their Qi (vital energy) interpenetrating.

Gen stands for mountain, Dui for marsh. The Yijing (Book of Changes) says: “In Heaven they appear as images, on Earth they take form as concrete things, and change is thereby made manifest.” Han Kangbo explained that celestial images refer to the sun, moon, and stars, terrestrial forms to mountains, rivers, and plants; the movement of the celestial images produces day and night, light and darkness. When the Qi of mountain and marsh communicate, clouds and rain descend, and Yin-Yang circulate above and below. The principle here is profound.

Xing and De are put into operation so that the firm and the yielding unite, enter the Central Palace, and return to Wu and Ji.

“Bo” means to implement. “Xing” denotes the Qi of yin-killing, “De” (Virtue/Power) the Qi of yang-brightness; as the two circulate they bring the firm and yielding into union and finally return them to the Central Palace. Wu and Ji belong to Earth, called the place of the Yellow Emperor’s birth and also the site where the mysterious elixir condenses and stabilizes; Earth can likewise subdue mercury. The Jinbi Jing states: “Use it to harmonize great peace, taking the Earth of the Central Palace as the pivot.” The Cantong Qi says: “The three substances unite as one family, all returning to Wu and Ji.” The three substances here are Water, Fire, and Metal.

Thereupon the nine cycles return, transformations become inexhaustible; after the seven returns a wondrous form appears.

Nine corresponds to the Qian trigram, symbolizing the dragon at the height of its power; seven corresponds to the Kun trigram, symbolizing the flying dragon in the heavens. The practitioner must grasp the changes represented by the hexagram images, understand that bending and stretching, movement and stillness, exit and entry, gathering and release, ascent and descent, advance and withdrawal each have their counterparts, and only then can one guard the One and refine the True, realize the principle of Yin-Yang union that produces harmony, and match Yin and Yang according to the seasons.

Water and Fire are set in motion so that they shine upon each other and mutually reveal themselves.

The Cantong Qi (a Daoist classic explaining the principles of elixir refinement through the harmonious union of Yin-Yang) states that the root of the myriad things lies in intercourse; only the joining of male and female can give birth to offspring. Here “Kan male” and “Li female” stand for the two forces of Water and Fire; their mutual matching symbolizes the attunement of Yin-Yang and the conjunction of sun and moon.

Water and Fire circulate and illuminate one another.

The Cantong Qi says that the root of the myriad things lies in intercourse; only the joining of male and female can give birth to offspring. When Kan male pairs with Li female, it is like the sun and moon alternating in their courses, their radiance blending together in the obscure and subtle.

When Qi (vital energy) reaches the limit of its circulation, it conceives a new sprout.

The Book of Changes says that the movement of the sun and moon brings the alternation of cold and heat; the Dao of Qian produces the male, the Dao of Kun produces the female. Qian governs the inception of the myriad things, Kun brings them to completion in form. Here it is said that the sun and moon embody the functions of Heaven and Earth; Metal and Water unite Jing (essence) and Qi, Water and Fire circulate back and forth, causing the Qi of the unitary origin to flow unceasingly. “Unitary origin” refers to a period of sixty days; four such cycles constitute one round. The Cantong Qi says that in its initial phase the primordial Qi is like the tender shoots of plants and trees, still latent and not yet manifested.

From inner steadfastness one attains outer compliance.

Here “inner” refers to Metal and “outer” to Water. The circulation of Metal and Water must accord with the transformations of Yin-Yang and seize the opportune moment according to the images of the hexagrams and the positions of the lines. The inner side symbolizes Yang and is composed of three Yang lines; the outer side symbolizes Yin and is composed of three Yin lines. In a Yang period the outer Qi seeks union inward; in a Yin period the inner Qi seeks union outward. Metal occupying the interior symbolizes the seasons of spring and summer holding sway; Water occupying the exterior symbolizes autumn and winter holding sway. The inner-outer relationship is illustrated by means of the hexagram images.

This is the principle that is mysterious and yet more mysterious.

“Xuan” refers to the profound origin, that is, the Mysterious Origin. According to Daoist teaching, the Most High divided the One Qi into the two forces of Yin and Yang, which then formed Heaven and Earth. Earth is that portion which was separated from the One Qi and appeared as something genuine and unadorned; it is called the “True One,” and therefore this is the “True Mystery.” “Yet more mysterious” refers to the process of refinement in which the white substance is transformed into yellow gold; yellow gold is regarded as the supreme treasure, and is therefore called “mystery upon mystery.” The scripture further states that the practitioner who ingests the refined product can prolong life; because the nature of Metal does not readily decay, it is called the treasure of the myriad things. The “Metal” spoken of here is not ordinary gold, but that which is obtained after alchemical transmutation.

Thereupon Fire whirls toward the east and transforms into a dragon; Water revolves toward the west and transforms into a tiger. The tiger sloughs off its fetal covering and casts aside its young; the dragon takes leave of Bing Fire and summons sweet rain.

Cui Lingshan said: When its marvelous Qi (vital energy) is transformed, it becomes liquid; when condensed, it becomes mercury. It is crystalline like white frost and as white as jade railings. The clear Jing (essence) flows and sparkles, its gleams flickering like stars. After a thousand refinements, its original substance remains unchanged; from the formless it takes form, is destroyed and then regenerated; from form it returns to the formless, disappears and then reappears. Yang unites with Yin and Yin merges with Yang, transforming back and forth until it becomes the essence of all things. Immortals refine it a hundred times to make it numinous. It cycles endlessly without exhaustion, and is therefore called the Returned Elixir (Huandan, the elixir formed through repeated refinement).

There is also a verse that says: “When the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) operate in reverse, the dragon emerges from fire; when the Five Phases do not follow their ordinary sequence, the tiger is born from water.” This describes the method of refining the supreme medicine (the essential medicine sought in elixir alchemy): according to the principle of mutual overcoming of Yin-Yang, the Five Phases are made to interweave, thereby completing the elixir.

The transformations of Qi first appear as white and black, then turn yellow; they begin with Water and Fire and finally return to Earth.

This is the appearance of Jinshui (an alchemical term for the material states in the process of elixir transformation). Practice begins from Fu (the Fu hexagram stage in the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang) and concludes in the tenth month at Kun (the Kun hexagram representing the fullness of Yin). Its form continually changes, first white then yellow, with red and black appearing in succession, until each finally returns to its original position; at its core is the Great Returned Elixir (the elixir completed through a full cycle of reversion). The so-called “initial fire” means that Fire’s number is two and Water’s number is one. After the fire is extinguished, the movements of the four seasons converge into a single Qi; every fifteen days constitutes a solar term, and the twenty-four solar terms generate all things. The Returned Elixir imitates the process by which Water and Fire generate all things, receiving the Yin-Yang Qi of Heaven and Earth. Qi has firmness and softness, and the four seasons each have their proper measures. If one cannot mold and cast all things as Heaven and Earth do, one cannot complete the Way of True Unity (the cultivation path of returning to pure oneness).

Abandon the south and take the north, taking Jia and Yi as the ancestral origin.

The scriptures say: “There is Yin within Yang, and Yang within Yin.” Yang within Yin is the mercury produced from cinnabar. Mercury belongs to the Yang of the Li hexagram, and therefore returns to the natural water of the north. Water generates Wood, Wood corresponds to the Jia-Yi directions, and takes Fire as its ancestral origin. Another explanation is that Fire moves eastward and transforms into the Green Dragon.

Spirit Water, Sacred Stone, Imperial Male, Golden Female.

“Spirit Water” is not produced by refining with wine or vinegar; without the stone it cannot be made. This refers to using Yin to control Yang and the harmonization of Yin-Yang, corresponding to the meaning of the Flower Pool (Huachi, an alchemical term for the locus or state in which the elixir is cultivated). It is therefore called “Imperial Male and Dragon Female,” which is the key to the Three-in-One (an important unifying path in Daoist cultivation).

Dao (the Way), the fundamental root of the myriad things, originally cannot be separated from the Qi (vital energy) of xuanhuang (the Qi of the union of heaven and earth, of yin and yang). In cultivation one must hold to the “One,” the key lying in the numbers of three and five (the numerological principles of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases used in Neidan (internal alchemy) practice).

Here the “root of the Dao” refers to mercury-water; it is not something refined from wine and vinegar, nor can it be manufactured from stones. It speaks of yin and yang mutually restraining and harmonizing each other; this is the meaning of the “Flower Pool” (Huachi, a Neidan term for the place where the Jing (essence) and Qi of yin and yang are refined and nourished). Therefore the Jing (scripture) speaks of “the imperial male and the dragon female,” which in reality elucidates the essential formula of the “Three-One.”

The root of the Dao is mercury, and it also concerns the Qi of “three and five” between heaven and earth. The essential of holding to the One is never to depart from the pairing of gold and mercury. The practitioner should carefully contemplate the principle herein, for what is set forth is the genuine mechanism of Neidan cultivation.

Sincerity can cause the efficacy of “Qingyao” to reach far and penetrate deep, and can likewise enable the principle of “Xuansu” to be investigated profoundly.

“Qingyao” refers to zengqing (a copper-bearing mineral); “Xuansu” refers to gold; they correspond respectively to the Green Dragon and the White Tiger. The so-called “hooking the deep and reaching the distant” simply means to inquire thoroughly and to pursue the underlying principle.

“Wind” refers to the water of seven and eight, and water in turn generates the gold of nine and six. Here “wind” denotes yang Qi. Before the fifteenth of each month the Zhen hexagram (the hexagram symbolizing the stirring of yang Qi) holds sway; mercury receives the traction of gold Qi and thus naturally becomes harmonious and unobstructed. “Water generating” refers to yin Qi. After the sixteenth day the Qi circulates under the influence of the Xun hexagram; the firm turns into the yielding, gold Qi recedes, and it therefore returns into mercury and reverts to the Kun hexagram (the hexagram symbolizing yin Qi). The Cantong Qi states: “The numbers seven and eight combine to fifteen, and the numbers six and nine likewise correspond to each other.” This means that the monthly circulation of Qi proceeds according to the transformations of the sixty-four hexagrams.

“The firm is on the outside, the yielding wraps within” describes the relationship of gold and mercury: the firm refers to gold, the yielding to mercury. The Jing says “yin silver and yang mercury,” and therefore also states that the interior is yang and the exterior is yin. Another annotation holds that the firm corresponds to the Qian hexagram and the yielding to the Kun hexagram. Yin and yang intermingle, the firm and yielding each take form: yin-yang belong to Qi, firm and yielding belong to physical form; receiving the Qi of yin and yang they form gold and water. Once the form and substance of gold and water are established, they become inner yang and outer yin, coagulating together and growing solid. This is what is called transformation.

The Green Dragon leaps and soars, the White Tiger crouches and remains still; the Vermilion Bird flies, the Dark Warrior sinks.

The Azure Dragon is the spirit belonging to Wood, and the White Tiger is the spirit belonging to Metal. The Jing (scripture) says that cinnabar is the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of Wood; only when it receives the cooperation of Metal can the two unite as one. One takes the mercury of Heaven (a Daoist alchemical term for mercury-like substances) and combines it with the silver of Earth, gathering the hun and po souls to refine the returned elixir (the medicinal elixir obtained through alchemy).

Heaven is deep black in color and Earth is deep yellow. When cinnabar and mercury are properly matched, they are placed together at the suitable moment into the spirit chamber (the furnace chamber used in alchemy). In refining these Jing and Qi one employs the factors of Fire, Earth, and Metal, mastering the urgency and slowness of the civil fire and martial fire (terms for the intensity and pace of the alchemical fire) so that they accord with the Zhonglü standards (ancient measures of pitch and seasonal timing).

The Vermilion Bird belongs to Fire and represents the south; the Dark Warrior belongs to Water and represents the north. Here it is said that mercury sometimes wanders and sometimes flies away, displaying the interaction of the southern Vermilion Bird’s Fire with the northern Dark Warrior’s Water. The two Water Qi combine, their number totaling three, and return to the eastern Azure Dragon. The lead-water represented by the Azure Dragon first becomes active and then subdues the White Tiger. The Jing says that the Dragon belongs to Yang, its number odd, and occupies the left; the Tiger belongs to Yin, its number even, and occupies the right.

Therefore the sun illuminates and refines the middle son while the moon causes the Chaonu to lose her way. Here the sun refers to Fire and the middle son to Metal Jing; the Metal Jing is like the moon and, receiving the Qi of Fire, gradually dissipates and unites with mercury. Once mercury receives the Metal Qi it no longer wanders or flies away, and this is therefore called “the moon bewilders the Chaonu.” Chaonu refers to mercury and the middle son to Metal. Master Wei said: “Fire can dissolve Metal; Metal can overcome Wood and thereby make Wood flourish. Three, five, and one are the most subtle and marvelous things between Heaven and Earth.”

Earth’s nature is strong and Metal’s nature is firm and vigorous; the fire timing has both cold and heat. Here Earth refers to realgar, which occupies the central position and is therefore called the General of the Central Palace. It can subdue Water and can also generate Metal. “One cold and one heat” refers to regulating the fire timing according to the seasons during alchemy and mastering the civil and martial fires.

The Dragon exhales and the Tiger inhales; the Crow and the Toad swallow and spit. Dragon and Tiger, Crow and Toad are all symbols in the alchemical art, used to describe the circulation of Yin-Yang Qi and the breathing in and out during the process of refinement.

The dragon refers to mercury (shuiyin), the tiger to gold, and the crow and toad to the Jing (essence) of the sun and moon. Gold and mercury receive the Qi (vital energy) of fire and water and undergo transformation within the ding vessel, taking on undulating forms that rise and fall. In refining one employs the gentle fire (wenhuo) and the fierce fire (wuhuo)—the milder and more intense degrees of heat—so that they move up and down, bowing and looking upward. Once the changes of manifestation and concealment have all become stable, one then takes in and releases the fire Qi at the proper times, finally producing a yellow-white substance known as “Beautiful Sand of the Golden Star” or “Purple Covering Powder of Great Victory.” That which has not yet been fully transmuted and remains hidden within the gold is called “Golden Dragon Elixir,” also known as “Subdued-Fire Purple Powder”; all of these belong to the Great Returned Elixir.

The medicines of south and north conjoin in water and fire, while the transformations of Mao and You circulate and flow between Zi and Wu. The directions and hours here are symbols of Neidan (internal alchemy): mercury belongs to the north, cinnabar to the south; each preserves its inherent nature yet also changes as it comes and goes in the course of refining. Cold Qi arrives from the north, hot Qi from the south; water and fire operate according to their respective functions and then return to their original positions. Mao represents the mercury of the east, You gold-mercury; they unite with water and fire and revert to Zi and Wu. The phrase “a child born in the twelfth month” refers to Zi and Wu, employing the monthly ordinances and hours to illustrate the process by which the elixir is generated.

By totaling the yarrow-stalk numbers of the Qian and Kun hexagrams one can calmly grasp the master of change. The Qian and Kun hexagrams each have their stalk numbers: half the number for the yang lines of Qian is 6,912, half for the yin lines of Kun is 4,608, totaling 11,520. Here the “master” refers to gold. Gold is like a monarch, symbolizing the North Star (Beichen): as Qian and Kun interact and revolve, its movement never ceases, yet it resides at the center without shifting. When gold and water are placed in the vessel and left to the steaming of water and fire, they naturally condense into the true form and change unhurriedly in accordance with the rhythm of the fire timing.

Mother and child mutually contain each other, hidden within the confines of the ding vessel; cultivation and nourishment are carried out by relying upon the ding and fu (the utensils employed in elixir refining).

This discusses a method of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation. If ordinary people merely glance through it hastily, how could they possibly grasp its meaning? “Zimu” (child and mother) refers to Metal and Water. Metal and Water correspond to the Kan and Li trigrams, which are used respectively to illustrate the inner and outer images. The two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang combine and meet within the ding. Inside the ding, radiance unfolds and shines forth, resembling the sun and moon joined in a ring, circulating through the four directions of heaven and earth. Here Water and Fire serve as the medicine, while Qian and Kun serve as the ding, thereby explaining the scope and configuration of the ding—that is, the principle of the Golden Ding.

The Cantong Qi states: “Kan and Li form the enclosing walls,” meaning that Kan and Li constitute the city walls. The Wuxiang Lei says: “When the city walls are complete, people and things come into being.” This is precisely the principle being described. Worldly people do not understand the Golden Ding, yet they often regard actual gold, silver, lead, or yellow flowers as the Golden Ding; this is a grave misunderstanding.

The sequence of operation is determined according to zhu and liang, after which one observes the changes of the hexagrams and their lines in order to verify the timing of the fire. “Zhu and liang” are ancient units of weight: six zhu make one fen, four fen make one liang; one liang contains twenty-four zhu, and one jin equals three hundred and eighty-four zhu, corresponding to the three hundred and eighty-four lines of the sixty-four hexagrams. In cultivation one follows the cyclic order of increase and decrease, carefully examining the transformations so as to determine the fire phases. The scripture states: “The fire records are not empty words; they are made clear through the deductions of the Yi.” This means that the accounts of fire timing are not mere rhetoric but are elucidated by means of the Yijing.

As for the opening and closing at the winter and summer solstices, Yin and Yang transform in succession: from the zi hour to the si hour Yang Qi grows; from the wu hour to the hai hour Yin Qi grows.

The transformations of the hexagrams begin from the Kun hexagram, passing through the Gou hexagram, then proceed from the Fu and Lin hexagrams until they conclude with the Qian hexagram. After the pure Qian hexagram has completed its changes, it begins changing line by line from the first yang line: the second yang line becomes the Dun hexagram, the third becomes the Pi hexagram, the fourth becomes the Guan hexagram, the fifth becomes the Bo hexagram, and the top line becomes the Kun hexagram. Then, through “nine returns and seven reversals,” it shifts to the Fire-over-Heaven Da You hexagram. This cycle describes the conclusion of the Qian hexagram and the commencement from the Dun hexagram.

Subsequently, taking the pure Kun hexagram as the starting point, one follows the previous sequence, changing from the lower lines: the first yin line becomes the Fu hexagram, the second becomes the Lin hexagram, the third becomes the Tai hexagram, the fourth becomes the Da Zhuang hexagram, the fifth becomes the Guai hexagram, and the top line becomes the Xu hexagram; finally it returns to the Water-over-Earth Bi hexagram. Therefore the scripture says: “Begin from Lin and end at Qian.”

Flying Dragon refers to mercury (quicksilver in the terminology of elixir refinement), while Recumbent Moon refers to the vessel employed in alchemy. Their pairing symbolizes the relationship between mercury and the apparatus during the work of refining the elixir.

The upper and lower chords indicate the times of the waxing and waning half-moons. Li Cheng explains that “Azure Dragon at two-eights, White Tiger in the center” points to the eighth and twenty-third days of each lunar month, when metal and water each occupy one half. The lunar phases here serve as a metaphor for the coordination of Yin-Yang and of metal and water in the alchemical process.

“Yellow gold and white snow, divine transformation arising of itself” describes the transmutations of elixir work: the Jing (essence) of lead, after being reverted and refined, coagulates into purple-ground gold of a vivid red hue and is therefore called “yellow gold”; mercury, after being volatilized and subdued, becomes as pure white as snow and is therefore called “white snow.” This is regarded as a naturally wondrous change; once ingested, one may undergo feathered transformation and become an immortal.

“Fusing Kun and Gen to complete the earth”: Kun stands for Yin, and Gen here stands for silver. The scripture cites the Three Chapters, which state “gathering Yin to form the earth,” meaning the condensation of Yin Qi (vital energy) so as to form the earth.

“Raising Qian and Dui to become heaven”: Qian stands for Yang, Dui for metal. Master Tao said “accumulating Yang to form heaven,” meaning that Yang Qi gathers and becomes heaven. The Book of Changes remarks that “mountains and marshes communicate their Qi,” referring to the interpenetration of the breath of mountain and marsh. The scripture further observes that the Qi of heaven and earth cannot intermingle because their forms and substances differ from one another.

“Mother and child in grace and kinship, mutually presiding and interlinked” concerns the relationship of lead and mercury: lead is able to restrain mercury, and mercury can likewise subdue lead; when the two combine, the work of producing the yellow and white substances is accomplished. Silver originally arises from lead, as though lead were embracing its child. Silver is stored within lead, and lead is also hidden within silver, so the two are mutually implicated and interdependent. The same image serves as a metaphor for the relation between humans and the Dao (the Way): the Dao does not depart from humans, just as fish cannot leave water; a fish deprived of water dies, and a person deprived of the Dao cannot endure. The two communicate with each other, revealing a subtle principle.

“One color, three and five, water agitating clouds and mist” refers to the interaction of substances such as water and metal during elixir refinement, their stirring and transformation producing a spectacle resembling clouds and smoke.

“One” refers to the “True One” (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the pure, unified original authentic Qi (vital energy)); “three” refers to mercury; “five” refers to xionghuangtu (realgar-yellow earth). Both the True One and xionghuangtu are Yin-natured, heavy substances and therefore cannot fly upward on their own. Adding mercury to blend with them enables them to fly up. After flying up they form a frost powder known as “water-stirred clouds and smoke.” This transformation also depends on the vessels used.