《龙虎元旨》

“Dragon and Tiger” refer to lead and mercury: mercury is called the Dragon, lead is called the Tiger. The mother conceals the child, and the child hides within the mother’s womb; one who knows how to reveal yet guards the obscure will find that Shen (spirit) naturally manifests. “White” is the essence of Metal, “Black” is the foundation of Water. The method of employing lead is exceedingly subtle and mysterious, and this is precisely the principle being spoken of. This secret cannot be mastered through knowledge and understanding alone; only by according with innate nature can natural comprehension arise.

Here the hun of Heaven, the po of Earth, and the essences of the sun and moon are brought together to illustrate the transformations of Yin-Yang. Mercury corresponds to the Azure Dragon, belongs to the Zhen trigram, and corresponds to the liver and eastern jia-yi Wood. Wood can generate Fire; the original color of Wood is azure, but upon encountering Fire it turns vermilion, thus transforming into cinnabar. Cinnabar in turn corresponds to the Vermilion Bird, belongs to the Li trigram, and corresponds to the heart and southern bing-ding Fire. The Li trigram belongs to Yang; when Yang reaches its extreme, Yin is generated, therefore mercury can again be produced from within the cinnabar. The Li trigram has a Yin line in the middle, symbolizing the Golden Crow within the sun.

Lead corresponds to the Dark Warrior, belongs to the Kan trigram, and corresponds to the kidneys and northern ren-gui Water. The Kan trigram belongs to Yin; when Yin reaches its extreme, Yang is generated, therefore lead contains white metal. The Kan trigram has a Yang line in the middle, symbolizing the Jade Rabbit within the moon.

Metal corresponds to the White Tiger, belongs to the Dui trigram, and corresponds to the lungs and western geng-xin Metal. After it returns to its original nature and is refined by Water and Fire, its color turns yellow. The Yellow Sprout (an alchemical term referring to the yellow essence that appears in the course of refining) is generated through the transformative refining of Water and Fire. The sage does not transmit this secret directly, but only indicates it by means of oral formulas.

Yellow corresponds to the spleen, belonging to central wu-ji Earth. The four substances ultimately all return to the Central Palace and condense into a treasure. An ancient song says: “In the Book of Changes there is the Dao of solitary accomplishment; after completion it returns to Sovereign Earth.” The liver belongs to azure Wood and may be compared to the father; the lungs belong to white Metal and may be compared to the mother; the kidneys belong to black Water and may be compared to the child. The spleen belongs to yellow Earth; Earth has no fixed form and occupies the ruling position throughout the four seasons. The mutual progression and transformation of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) all take place within it.

The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) generate one another and also control one another. Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, and Earth generates Metal—this is called mutual generation. Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, and Water controls Fire—this is called mutual control.

“Ya” belongs to Metal, using Metal to fell Wood; “Sha” belongs to Fire, using Fire to melt Metal; “Qian” belongs to Water, using Water to extinguish Fire. Water can also generate Wood. Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, and Water controls Fire—these are all relationships of mutual control. “Ya” belongs to Metal and can therefore fell Wood; “Sha” belongs to Fire and can therefore melt Metal; “Qian” belongs to Water and can therefore extinguish Fire. When the force of Water is vigorous, Earth is used to restrain it. Allowing things to follow the union of like kinds, while using corresponding Qi (vital energy) to constrain them, this is called “return control.”

An ancient song says: “Yellow Earth is the father of Metal, the Flowing Pearl (a Daoist alchemical term often referring to mercury) is the mother of Water. Water regards Earth as a ghostly harm; using Earth to restrain Water, Water and Fire cannot arise.” This means that one part Water, two parts Fire, and three parts Wood—the three natures combine and become dominant. When Yin-Yang are properly matched, one can be tranquil and detached, each occupying its proper place. Clouds arise following the dragon, wind is born following the tiger; the shadow follows the form, the echo answers the sound. The nature of Water is to moisten and flow downward, the nature of Fire is to blaze and rise upward. The Great Return Golden Elixir (a Daoist alchemical term referring to the refined elixir) follows this same principle.

The oral formula says: “Yin contains Yang within it, and Yang also contains Yin within it. Having recognized the mercury (that is, quicksilver) within the Sha, one must still seek the gold wrapped by the Qian.” These two materials are the great treasures of heaven and earth, and also the essence of the sun and moon. The sun also belongs to Yang, and its principle is likewise the same.

The oral formula says: Yin contains Yang within it, and Yang also contains Yin within it. Once one has recognized “mercury within the sand” (the mercury contained in cinnabar), one must still seek “gold wrapped in lead” (that which takes lead as its outer covering and contains the nature of gold). These two materials are the supreme treasures of heaven and earth, and also the Jing (essence) of the sun and moon.

The sun symbolizes the Yang hun-soul, which loves ceaseless movement, and is therefore analogized to the golden rooster. When Yang Qi (vital energy) reaches its extreme flourishing, Yin Qi begins to arise, thus it is said that there is Yin within the sun. The moon symbolizes the Yin po-soul, which loves stillness and non-movement, and is therefore analogized to the jade rabbit. When Yin Qi reaches its extreme flourishing, Yang Qi begins to arise, thus it is said that there is Yang within the moon.

Therefore, if there is no Yang in water, it cannot bear and support; if there is no Yin in fire, it cannot illuminate. Yin Qi descends from heaven, Yang Qi rises by relying on the earth, manifesting as clouds, rain, mist, dew and similar phenomena. Men belong to white, women belong to red, thereby distinguishing male and female. Yin is generated from Yang, and Yang is also generated from Yin; this is precisely the great Dao of the operation of heaven and earth.

Four liang of sulfur can subdue one jin of mercury. The “four yellows” occupy the central palace (the middle position), embodying the mutual constraint of water and earth as they gradually fuse into one. Mercury is within the yellow, not yellow within the mercury; if the two are not of corresponding kinds, they cannot be refined. People nowadays all take sulfur as the sun, but this statement is incorrect. The sun is the Jing of the sun, yet the golden rooster belongs to Yin; therefore the sun contains the Yang Jing of Taiyin, and the golden rooster is this symbol. Sulfur belongs to earth, and is something among the “four yellows and eight stones” (a class of mineral medicinals), not the Jing of Yin-Yang. Transformation relies on the true root, and the beginning and end of things also succeed one another.

Hu Gangzi asked: “The transforming medicines of xuan and huang (alchemical materials named xuan and huang) each have their true natures. The efficacies of the eight stones (eight classes of mineral medicinals) are also not few; why is it that only cinnabar can prolong years and benefit longevity?”

Wei Jun said that cishi and realgar can ward off evil and dispel wickedness; quartz and stalactites nourish the bone marrow and increase Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy); actinolite and magnetite may be used to treat kidney disorders; prolonged consumption of mica is said to confer resistance to cold and heat; abundant intake of jade shavings is reputed to keep the Shen (spirit) from becoming disordered; Konggong stone and purple stone can render the body plump and substantial; volcanic sand and roasted sand are claimed to take effect swiftly and eliminate ailments; zengqing and kongqing can be employed to boil and refine mercury until it dries. Records in ancient and modern books note that sulfur disperses accumulated illnesses; the immortal registers likewise discuss in detail that red stone and cinnabar enable one to live long without dying.

If a person’s qi and blood have declined, the body is depleted, and the bones are withered and frail, ingesting these eight minerals may perhaps offer some replenishment; yet if one aspires to longevity and enduring vision, to preserve life and stabilize the Shen (spirit), one must ingest cinnabar. The eight minerals all turn to ashes upon encountering fire, whereas cinnabar, when placed in fire, transforms into mercury. It is capable of becoming heavy or light, of manifesting divine wonders and numinous marvels, and of changing from black to white, from obscure to luminous—this is the transformative nature of the Five Phases (Wuxing). Once it meets fire it rises lightly and rapidly, so that even ghosts and spirits find it difficult to locate or behold.

When the various qi of dragon and tiger interfuse and congeal, they transform into a substance that is firm and indestructible. Prepared as a powder and ingested, it is said to transfigure the intestines and viscera, rendering them as tough as sinew. Thus earth fired into tiles remains uncorrupted through a thousand years; mixed into flesh, it prevents decay. The Golden Elixir (Jindan), once taken into the body, is reputed to confer immortality across a millennium.

It is also said that when the Golden Elixir (Jindan) enters the five viscera and six bowels, the medicinal Qi (vital energy) disperses like wind and rain, steaming through and reaching the four limbs, so that a person’s complexion becomes moist and lustrous and their appearance fair. Elderly men become like those in their prime, and elderly women grow young again; the teeth grow anew and are replaced, the physical form is transformed, and thereby one avoids the calamities of the world—this is called a Perfected Person. How could the efficacy of the Golden Elixir ever be compared with that of the “Eight Stones” (elixirs refined from mineral medicines)?

The method of cultivating the Great Elixir does not consist in using a great many kinds of medicinal substances, but in blending and circulating them properly according to the established regulations. An ancient song says: “If the lead is pure and genuine, one will not lose the household retainers; if the lead is impure, mercury will be difficult to approach. The Azure-Waist Messenger, the Crimson-Blood General, the White Tiger as the brain, the Yellow Sprout as the sinews.” Here “White Tiger” refers to silver, “Yellow Sprout” to earth, “Azure-Waist” to cengqing (a copper mineral), and “Crimson-Blood” to realgar.

Qingxiazi said: “Fire-given lead” is also lead; it belongs to the same system as mercury and wood, and is therefore called a “household retainer.” The Yellow Sprout is the earth within cinnabar and constitutes the fundamental root. This meaning is not easy to understand; it is a secret transmitted by a great master.

Qingxiazi further said: The Dao (the Way) is not the Dao of ordinary speech; it is mysterious and yet more mysterious. Facing it, one does not see its beginning; following it, one does not see its end. It suddenly takes on form from Nonbeing—this is Yang within Yin; it suddenly loses form within Being—this is Yin within Yang. What, then, is the Yellow Sprout? It is that which mutually abides and mutually accords.

Hugangzi asked: “Of what is the Yellow Sprout made?” Lord Wei replied: “One uses lead, and one may also say one does not use lead; the Five Metals all arise from lead. Lead is the sinews and marrow of the Five Metals, the excellent mediator of the Seven Treasures, and the ruler of the Eight Stones. In refining the Five Metals, lead is what is most strictly forbidden and must never be used by mistake. Lead essence, lead essence—it is produced by refining lead.”

Hu Gangzi said, “The Yellow Sprout (a Neidan term referring to the nascent essence of the refined elixir) has had the fortune to hear these principles and ventures to ask: in the method of refining lead, what kind of ding vessel is to be used?”

Wei Gong replied, “The so-called ding has no fixed, actual ding; the so-called medicine has no fixed, actual medicine. The Yellow Sprout itself is not lead, yet it must be refined within lead. To recognize the Yellow Sprout one cannot do without the foundation of lead. If one does not understand the gate of the Yellow Sprout, even using lead to refine it will lead to error.”

Qingxiazi said, “If the Yellow Sprout were simply lead, then one ought to cast the lead ten thousand li away; if the Yellow Sprout is not lead…”

Wei Gong continued, “The so-called ding has no fixed, actual ding; the so-called medicine has no fixed, actual medicine. The Yellow Sprout itself is not lead, yet it must be refined within lead. To recognize the Yellow Sprout one cannot do without the foundation of lead. If one does not understand the gate of the Yellow Sprout, even using lead to refine it will lead to error.”

Qingxiazi further said, “If the Yellow Sprout is lead, then lead should be discarded; if the Yellow Sprout is not lead, then one begins from lead. Lead is the mother of the Yellow Sprout, and the Yellow Sprout is the product of lead. After obtaining the Golden Flower (a Neidan term referring to the essence that manifests after transmutation), one no longer uses lead.”

The Jing (scripture) also says, “The ding is not a true golden ding, nor is the furnace one produced in the land of Yue. Li (one of the Bagua or Eight Trigrams, symbolizing Fire) is set in motion from below Kan (one of the Bagua, symbolizing Water), and Dui (one of the Bagua, symbolizing Marsh) dwells securely in the Earth. Once the three natures have joined, the two medicines are naturally complete. Seal it tightly so that the fetal medicine (the elixir embryo formed during the alchemical process) does not leak, and the transformation is accomplished in an instant.”

White silver is the principal medicine; it is the essence contained within black lead, occupying the position of the West, and it also holds the essence of Lesser Yang (Shaoyang). Only by placing it once more in lead for refining can the effects of elixir work become evident. When the lead is heated and melted in an ash pool, the lead sinks down while the silver floats up; this silver is called “Yellow Light,” also known as “Golden Flower” (Jinhua), “Autumn Stone” (Qiushi), or “Yellow Sprout” (Huangya). Its nature is slightly warm, already qualifying it as a treasure of longevity; however, it is only an isolated yang essence and cannot function independently. It must be combined with both yin and yang materials in order to establish the matching relationship of sovereign and minister.

According to legend, the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) grasped the marvel of the Golden Flower and therefore called it the “Precious Golden Flower.” The King of Huainan named it “Autumn Stone” because it corresponds to the eighth month and the West, and because its color is white. Wang Yang called it “Yellow Sprout” because it is yellow and resembles the tender sprouts that appear when all things first come to life. They originate from one and the same substance; it is only that different individuals have given it different names. Zengqing (the cyan mineral used in Daoist alchemy) acts as “Qi” (vital energy), allowing the medicinal force to penetrate from above to below; realgar (the arsenic-containing mineral) acts as “envoy,” causing the radiance to illuminate all four directions. Like skilled matchmakers they bring the medicines together so that they cooperate; once the refining is accomplished each has its respective function. The other eight minerals may be set aside, and what remains is the yellow material produced in Wudu. Only gold and water shine forth like bright pearls. When one understands the principle involved, the wondrous arts of the Dao will lend their aid.

The mnemonic formula says: The nature of gold is clear and bright; it is generated in the place of utmost yang. Mercury (gong) issues from cinnabar. The mineral is hot by nature and is generated in the place of utmost yin; silver is refined out of lead. These two materials each receive the original Qi of heaven and earth. After they have been smelted by water and fire, the mineral sinks and the metal floats; the positions of sovereign and minister are interchanged, yang appears within yin, and the sovereign likewise becomes the minister. Thereafter yin and yang cooperate, sovereign and minister complement each other—this is the crucial mystery of elixir refining and the fountainhead of the Great Dao (the Way).

The water and fire of above and below must rise and fall in accordance with the temporal sequence. All the myriad transformations of the process depend upon lead and mercury. Only substances of similar nature can combine with one another; those whose natures do not agree can hardly be fused into a single whole. Just as a sparrow cannot produce a phoenix, and a fox together with a rabbit cannot produce a horse, so in the work of refining one must select materials that are of the same kind and mutually compatible.

Qingxiazi said: The myriad things of the world grow in great abundance, yet they all ultimately return to their respective roots. Gold arises from water; this is the portal to a host of subtleties. The Yin-Yang Qi (vital energy) interfuse vigorously, circulating and rising between above and below. When Shen (spirit) and Qi congeal into a fetal body without leaking outward, one can control the Po and restrain the Hun. Things generate according to their own kind; foxes and rabbits will not give birth to horses, so one must attend carefully to the matching of categories.

Qingxiazi said: The myriad things of the world grow in great abundance, yet they all ultimately return to their respective roots. Gold arises from water; this is the portal to a host of subtleties. The Yin-Yang Qi (vital energy) interfuse vigorously, circulating and rising between above and below. When Shen (spirit) and Qi congeal into a fetal body without leaking outward, one can control the Po and restrain the Hun. Only things of the same kind can unite; those of contrary natures will separate. A wild duck cannot produce a phoenix, and a fox is not a horse.

The formula states that eight liang of yellow sprout (an alchemical term referring to the yang aspect) are taken and assigned to the Qian hexagram, which belongs to the firm and symbolizes the yang dragon; eight liang of mercury (an alchemical term referring to the yin aspect) are taken and assigned to the Kun hexagram, which belongs to the yielding and symbolizes the yin tiger. Thus Qian and Kun represent the firm and the yielding, while Yin-Yang is further symbolized by dragon and tiger.

The eight liang of yellow sprout and eight liang of mercury together make one jin, corresponding to the waxing and waning of the moon’s upper and lower quarters. Each liang is divided into four fen, totaling sixty-four fen that correspond to the sixty-four hexagrams of the Yijing; each fen contains six zhu that correspond to the six lines of each hexagram, totaling three hundred eighty-four zhu that correspond to the three hundred eighty-four lines. This likewise symbolizes a year of three hundred sixty days plus the twenty-four solar terms, amounting to the number three hundred eighty-four. Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth are indicated by one, two, three, four, and five respectively, corresponding to the Five Phases (Wuxing). The ancients used the hexagram images of the Yijing to explain the process of refining the elixir: five days constitute one hou, and forty-five days constitute one jie.

Yin and Yang must cooperate with each other; neither yin alone nor yang alone can accomplish the work. The formation of the elixir resembles a fetus gestating in the mother’s body or fruit growing on a tree; one can only watch it gradually mature, yet the inner transformations remain difficult to fathom. During refinement the medicinal ingredients must be fused tightly so that the medicinal Qi (vital energy) does not leak. The firing begins at the yin hour (approximately 3 to 5 a.m.), reaches its height at the wu hour (around noon), and is gathered in at the xu hour (approximately 7 to 9 p.m.).

At the outset one yang is generated, corresponding to the Fu hexagram; it then proceeds through the Lin, Tai, Dazhuang, Guai, Qian, Gou, Dun, Pi, Guan, Bo, and Kun hexagrams in sequence. The firing recedes at the Gou hexagram and the entire process concludes at the Kun hexagram.

The elixir successively acquires the flavors of the Five Phases: the flavor of Metal is pungent, of Wood sour, of Water salty, of Fire bitter. After circulating through the four directions it returns to the center and obtains the flavor of Earth, which is sweet. This is therefore called the “Returned Elixir of the Five Phases”: once the flavors of the Five Phases are complete they return to the central Wu-Ji Earth, and only then may it be termed the returned elixir. “Dan” refers to the color red, while “huan” means restoring the original form. If the substance is merely red without the sweet flavor, it is not the true returned elixir. The Five Phases circulate through the twelve hexagrams, completing the number of two eights; one jin of medicine is divided and combined in proper measure, the upper and lower quarters correspond, and thus it communicates with the Great Dao (the Way). Such transformations are profound and inscrutable; even ghosts, spirits, sages, and worthies cannot easily comprehend them.

Mercury condenses to form the medicine, like fruit forming from a flower or a fetus taking bodily shape from Qi; the elixir itself is refined from such factors as Metal and Water. Only sages can explain the principles of the transformations within the furnace. Yet all of this is ultimately accomplished by the natural operation of Heaven and Earth; it is the mysterious Dao of creation and transformation.

The subtle words of the Most High (Taishang, an honorific for the supreme deity in Daoism) must not be transmitted casually to unsuitable persons, or the offense will implicate seven generations; those who receive the transmission yet fail to pass it to suitable persons will likewise suffer calamity. Therefore the former sages committed these contents to writing and stored them in stone chambers and golden caskets; those who obtain them should regard them with caution and firmly remember this precept.

The fire phasing (the arrangement of fire intensity and timing in the elixir-refining process) begins in the eleventh month: half a jin of fire is used, one jin in the twelfth month, one and a half jin in the first month, no fire in the second month, two jin in the third month, one and a half jin in the fourth month, two jin in the fifth month, one and a half jin in the sixth month, one jin in the seventh month, no fire in the eighth month, half a jin in the ninth month, and four liang in the tenth month. The furnace is opened on the fifteenth day.

To enter the stage of nurturing the medicine, first place the medicinal substances into the small furnace; after fifteen days they are refined according to the prescribed quantities, neither increased nor decreased, and then transferred into the large furnace. Starting from the eleventh month, no fire is added until the seasonal periods corresponding to the Mao and You gua, and thus the elixir can be completed in ten months. The branches Zi, Chou, and Yin belong to spring, while Mao, Chen, and Si belong to summer; during these six months the pure Yang Qi (vital energy) is in command, and Yin Qi attaches itself to Yang Qi in seeking transformation, just as Water enters Metal. Wu, Wei, and Shen belong to autumn, while You, Hai, and Xu belong to winter; during these six months the pure Yin Qi is in command, and Yang Qi attaches itself to Yin Qi in seeking transformation, just as Metal enters Water. The two Qi steam and transform one another; the forms of Metal and Water continually change, coming and going without regularity and rising and falling without constancy: Water that obtains Metal then soars upward, while Metal that obtains Water then conceals itself. The two depend upon and transform each other, finally congealing inside the furnace to become the body of the reverted elixir (the elixir produced through the refining process). The transformations involved are truly marvelous! Later cultivators of the Dao must not discuss this lightly.

The Taishang Chengci states: “Those who obtain this writing of mine may transmit it to three persons within a hundred years; if within thirty years, it may be given to only one person. If no like-minded companion is encountered, a copy should be made every thirty years; one must thoroughly grasp the principles within and then conceal it in a stone chamber of a famous mountain, awaiting a destined person to receive it.”

Dong Shiyuan of Shuyue received this text from the recluse Qingxiazi on Mount Luofu in the fifth year of Zhenyuan. In the nineteenth year of Zhenyuan it was transmitted to Zhang Tao, Sima of Jianzhou; in the third year of Kaicheng, in the capital, it was transmitted to his clan younger brother Li Fen; in the fifth year of Changqi it was transmitted to the recluse Cheng Jun. The oral formulas are not written in the book and must be strictly kept secret.

The verse says:

When heaven and earth were first divided, the sun and moon hung high,

the form resembled a hen’s egg and also a peach.

The true Qi of Yin and Yang each follows its appointed seasons of movement;

wait only three years and one may shed the robes of campaign.

The mystery of the Great Dao (the Way) lies clearly before our eyes; it is only that people of the world do not grasp the secret key within it.

The song says: When heaven and earth first divided, the sun and moon hung high, their form like an egg and also like a peach. The two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang circulate according to the seasons; only after three years of cultivation can one shed the old outer garment. The Great Dao is clearly right before the eyes, yet people of the world do not understand and thus stray onto the path of death.

“Yellow Sprout” (a Neidan [internal alchemy] term for the nascent subtle Qi that first arises in elixir refinement) is originally the Qi of heaven and earth; “Spirit Water” (a Neidan term for the subtle substance used in elixir refinement) is the foundation and is linked with mercury. “Dragon-Tiger Cinnabar” (a Neidan term that uses dragon, tiger, and cinnabar as metaphors for the Yin-Yang medicinal substances in elixir refinement) has a profound meaning; within the “Five Spirit Gold” (a Neidan term for the Jing [essence] and Qi, or the medicinal substances, used in elixir refinement), mercury and lead circulate and transform into each other.

After a thousand days of refinement and transformation the elixir turns purple, as if becoming cloudy Qi and soaring upward, finally reaching the Great Luo Heaven (one of the highest celestial realms in Daoism). Once the root is clearly recognized there is no need for impatience; three and three combine to form nine, and then there is the Qi of pure Yang. In secret the transformations are connected through and the spirit radiance appears; from this the cultivator can have audience in the heavenly realm and draw near to the Jade Emperor.

In using lead one must harmonize it with mercury, causing these two medicinal substances of differing natures to become intimate and unite, as if a woman singing in responsive harmony. When one refines to the “Purple River Chariot” (a Neidan term for the stage of Qi-mechanism circulation and transformation in the refinement process), it is as if the great earth trembles; white clouds accompany it and the immortal crane will also arrive. Cause heaven and earth to unite, and also cause the original Qi to unite; when “child” and “mother” (Neidan terms for the mutually related, mutually generating Yin-Yang medicinal substances) meet, the circumstances are profound and cannot be spoken of lightly.

First use mercury and afterward use lead—this is the important method of the Dao; do not let the companions become scattered, lest the immortal crane fly back to heaven alone. This precious treasure has always been transmitted according to the method of “two-eight”; it must be placed into the elixir furnace and settled in an auspicious year and auspicious month. After a thousand days, grasping the fire-timing according to the seasons, one will certainly refine forth the “Yellow Sprout” and cause the mercury to be refined to dryness and purity.