《周易参同契鼎器歌明镜图(彭晓)》

Peng Xiao divided the Cantong Qi together with the four chapters of the Bu Sai Yi Tuo into ninety chapters so as to correspond to the number of Yang Nine. In addition there is a single piece, the Ge Ding Qi, which originally stood before the Bu Yi. Peng Xiao judged that although its wording and import form a coherent whole, the phrases themselves are fragmentary; he therefore retained it separately in order to correspond to the number of Water One.

The Song of the Vessel

The body of the ding is round and measures three chi five cun in diameter. The ding (the vessel employed for refining the elixir) is circular throughout and hollow within by five cun. Zhang Sui’s commentary names it the Taiyi furnace. Its roundness symbolizes Heaven, its squareness Earth; its form resembles a Penghu and likewise the human body. Divided into three layers, it stands for the upper, middle and lower Dantian (energy centers). Hence the sun, moon and stars, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the Four Images and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) are all encompassed within the symbolism of the ding.

Its walls are one cun one fen thick.

The mouth of the ding is four chi eight cun wide. The mouth flares outward in the shape of a cauldron; the outer rim folds upward, measuring about three chi two cun in circumference and one chi across.

The lip stands two cun high. This is the raised annular rim of the ding’s mouth, two cun in height.

The body of the ding is one chi two cun long. The ding’s total length is one chi two cun, of which the upper eight cun extend into the water-holding ding.

It is of even thickness throughout.

The entire ding (cauldron) is one cun and one fen thick and must be made uniformly. The abdomen of the ding should sit flush with its body; from the abdomen down to the base the body of the ding remains perfectly straight, so that the upper, middle, and lower portions are equal throughout. Placed upon a stand, the ding hangs freely yet remains stably suspended, which facilitates warming and nourishing. The so-called “suspended-embryo ding” is a ding that hangs in the midst of the furnace fire without touching the ground.

Yin Qi (vital energy) above means that the water of the upper water-ding moistens downward. Yang Qi operating downward means that fire is applied from below so that the hot Qi rises and steams upward. Fire timing within the ding is distinguished into martial fire and civil fire. “Martial at beginning and end” means that martial fire is used at the junction of Si and Wu. Si is the terminus of yang Qi and Wu the inception of yin Qi, so Si and Wu form precisely the boundary of Yin-Yang. “Civil in the middle” means that civil fire is used to regulate between the two extremities of Si and Wu. There the Qi of Yin and Yang advance and recede in transformation, each obtaining what is appropriate, and therefore civil fire is employed.

At the outset seventy days are used, at the close thirty days, and in the middle two hundred sixty days, thereby regulating the martial fire. Civil fire is used in the middle. Between the two ends of Si and Wu, Yin and Yang advance and recede each according to what is due, so civil fire is employed. These seventy, thirty, and two hundred sixty days together make three hundred sixty days, corresponding to the great number of the celestial circuit. Throughout one must still carefully even the fire timing so that it accords with the operational pattern of heaven and earth and admits of no deviation. Wei Boyang, wishing the wording to form matching pairs and to be convenient for composition, therefore treated these periods separately.

Yin fire appears white. The so-called “white fire” refers to the phenomenon when fire timing reaches the yin numbers; at that time the Qi of Metal and Water come into play, so that after transformation white is more abundant and red more scant. The Yellow Sprouts are born from lead; lead is the mother of the Yellow Sprouts. The two groups of “seven” come together and assist the practitioner.

The “Two Sevens” refers to the Azure Dragon (Qinglong) and White Tiger (Baihu), each possessing seven lunar mansions (xiu). The later section states: “The Azure Dragon resides in the sixth of the Fang mansion, while the White Tiger occupies the seventh of the Yi mansion.” Chapter 22 of the lower volume further explains that the Qi (vital energy) of the Azure Dragon’s seven mansions and the White Tiger’s seven mansions gathers to form the spirit embryo (the internal elixir embryo formed during cultivation), jointly supporting it so that the True Person of Spiritual Mercury (the true form of the elixir path symbolized by “spiritual mercury”) may be generated.

The green cauldron vessel (a metaphor for the body-mind and inner environment of alchemy) establishes the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, with the central palace representing Humanity. Thus the middle section says: “The True Person submerges into the deep abyss, floating and wandering while guarding within the center of the circle.” This means the True Person conceals itself in the depths and peacefully abides in the guizhong (the inner central position of cultivation). Chapter 66 of the middle volume states: “Regulate the brain, stabilize it and ascend into the mysterious realm; when the Child occupies the center, it can exist in stability and continuity.” The Golden Mother of the Spirit Chamber (the inner foundation that gestates the elixir) nurtures the True Child of Mercury (the true seed of the elixir symbolized by mercury). The “warming and nurturing the Child Pearl” mentioned in the previous section conveys the same meaning.

Chapter 20 of the upper volume says: “It circulates back and forth, yet never goes beyond the gate; gradually it grows, and its nature and temperament become pure and harmonious.”

The Maiden Girl and Infant Brother receive the mother’s peaceful nurturing, along with protection and constraint; thus the cauldron vessel becomes firm and solid, the original Qi (yuanqi) does not escape or scatter, but merely moves up and down within the vessel. Through the cycles of sun and moon and prolonged warming and nurturing, it gradually becomes a pure substance.

“Withdraw and return to the One, restore the original source.” At the beginning, the Water Mother is taken as the foundation of the elixir; the Water Mother in turn generates mercury, hence it is called “returning to the One and restoring the origin.”

One must cherish and revere it with care, just as sovereign and minister each maintain their proper positions. The cultivation of one complete heavenly cycle (zhoutian) is extremely arduous, requiring meticulous protection without any negligence.

The path of cultivation is distant, profound, and mysterious. If one can grasp the principles within it, then Qian and Kun are within one’s grasp, the sun and moon reside in the heart, and nothing remains unattainable.

“A knife-point moistens, calming the po and hun. Kun.” This means using an extremely small amount of elixir to nourish body and mind, thereby quieting the hun and po souls. Kun refers to the Kun trigram.

The Golden Fluid Returned Elixir (Jinyi Huandan, a term for the elixir in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) or Waidan (external alchemy) literature), once refined, requires only a small amount to be ingested, after which its medicinal power spreads throughout the five viscera and six bowels. Through this one refines Shen (spirit) and nourishes Qi (vital energy), rendering the spirit clear and the Qi harmonious, the hun soul peaceful and the po soul still, while transforming the ordinary human body into that of a Zhenren (one who has attained the Dao).

Those who seek longevity should seek out and investigate the source of the divine medicine, cultivate according to the correct methods, and not mistakenly employ other miscellaneous substances.

Examining the Five Phases, Distinguishing the Proportions

In cultivating the Returned Elixir one must first clarify the fundamentals of fire timing, the methods of calculating time, and the laws of Yin-Yang movement and pairing. One must also examine the Five Phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) and carefully distinguish the proportions of the medicinal ingredients in order to obtain results.

Zhenren Cao said: “The Golden Fluid can communicate with spiritual illumination; it is the precious treasure upon which immortals rely at every point in their cultivation. It is not something ordinary people can obtain. One must recognize the true lead and true mercury: one belongs to water, the other to stone. The Central Palace first occupies the host position, while water and fire remain bound to one another. The two medicines are like husband and wife and must be matched and united. After a hundred ke the Qi of Yin and Yang intersect, and cinnabar is thereby refined.”

From this it is clear that the Golden Fluid Returned Elixir cannot be separated from Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, nor from the combination of true lead and true mercury to form the elixir; besides this there is no other path.

One should ponder carefully and not discuss it casually; it ought to be stored deeply in the heart and neither written down nor leaked.

One must study it with care and think deeply, without speaking of it rashly. These contents should be cautiously hidden in the heart; if they are written out at random and disseminated, it is said that one will suffer heavenly punishment.

After the Elixir Is Completed, Ranked Among the Zhenren

Riding a white crane and mounting dragon scales, one roams the Great Void and pays homage to the immortal lords; registered in the charts and records of the heavenly realm, one is honored with the title of Zhenren.

Once the elixir has been refined, the merit of cultivation is also complete. One receives the Fulu (talismans and registers) and charts of the heavenly realm and takes a place among the Zhenren; considering the results of cultivation, is this not precisely the case?

Eulogistic Preface

Zhu Xi (courtesy name Hui’an) said: “...I fear these are the words of Xu Congshi.”

The wording of the Cantong qi is obscure, yet its principles are vast; it is expressed concisely, yet its meanings are profound. The book enumerates the Five Emperors and pairs them with the Three Sovereigns in order to illustrate the principles of governing the state and establishing government. If the respective stations of ruler and minister are unclear and no standards exist between superior and inferior, even arranging the affairs of state in sequence will hardly bring about great peace. Extraordinary methods of ingesting substances cannot confer longevity; practicing the cultivation of nature likewise may not necessarily extend one’s years.

As for analyzing Yin-Yang, weighing relative measures, correlating the waxing and waning of the sun and moon, the symbolic formations of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the union of male and female, the movement and stillness of the firm and the yielding, and the distinguishing of rice from salt—all these rest upon the Yijing, and the thought devoted to them is extremely subtle and profound. The author therefore established these principles to transmit to later worthies, hoping they would investigate and fully grasp the Great Image therein (the overall patterns of Yin-Yang transformation) and thereby attain long life. Those who cultivate this Dao (the Way) should devote especial attention to this.

What Wei Boyang (the author of the Cantong qi) refers to as “zi” are all borrowed metaphors used to convey the principles. “Ruler and minister” and “father and son” may stand for one another; “male and female” and “husband and wife” are likewise used interchangeably. They indicate the sequential order in which the spirit-medicine receives Qi (vital energy) and is gradually transformed. If the relations of honor and humility have no fixed standard and the sequence of ruler and minister is disordered, the foundation for refining the Great Elixir will collapse and cannot be established.

The four chapters of the Zhenqi discuss only the gateway to compounding the supreme medicine and reveal the root of lead and mercury (alchemical terms representing particular medicinal substances and their Yin-Yang attributes); they do not treat separately of methods of ingestion or arts of nourishing nature. Fearing that people might thereby stray from the correct path, the author here once more sets forth the essentials of elixir refinement: follow the patterns of Yin-Yang, sun and moon, movement and stillness, firm and yielding, distinction, Kan and Li (the Water and Fire images among the Bagua), harmonious union, and male and female; consult the Bagua, distinguish the two crescents (the Yin-Yang stages symbolized by the crescent moons), arrange the fire phases according to the zi and wu time positions, and regulate the process according to dawn and dusk together with Pi and Tai (states of Yin-Yang waxing and waning). Match the directional images of north-south and east-west with one another so that they mutually receive Qi and unite their Jing (essence), ultimately completing the Reverted Elixir. All fellow cultivators of like mind and Dao should apply themselves to this.

Wei Boyang composed the Cantong qi (Token for the Agreement of the Three) on the basis of the Zhouyi (Book of Changes), in order to explain the methods of cultivating the alchemical Dao. For this reason, the book points out that the root of the medicinal substances lies in drawing upon things of the same kind, and it also explains that the advance and retreat of the fire phases in refining the elixir must in the end be coordinated with one another. The book expounds these matters at length and also accounts for their subtle points, so as to enlighten later learners; it may be called earnest and thorough.

A student of this book who reads it attentively with a sincere heart, and who devotes himself to seeking out its principles, will gradually come to understand it. However, the work was composed in the Han dynasty, its language is archaic and elegant, and in many places it retains ancient rhyme. Some shallow-minded readers of later ages have often altered the original text on their own authority. At the end of the Five Dynasties, Peng Xiao divided the Cantong qi into chapters and wrote explanations of its meaning, which truly helped to illuminate this classic (Jing). But his commentary also inherited certain errors, and at times he cut apart passages that ought to be read continuously. For example, Zhu Hui'an (Zhu Xi, whose style name was Hui'an) held that passages such as "Therefore the Yi governs the heart of Heaven, and as for attaining it, is it not firm?" should be understood as joined to the following chapter. Although the general sense can still be made out, the ancient text was thereby left with gaps and breaks that affect its meaning. Peng Xiao's commentary was itself also arbitrarily altered by some shallow scholars of recent times, and this is how the situation came about.

Today, the editions held in the Imperial Secret Pavilion and the manuscripts circulating among the people all contain errors, interpolations, or omissions, and they differ from one another, so that it is hard to determine which should be followed. Recently Master Zhu Hui'an collated this book under a pseudonym; his examination of the main text and his citations of sources were well grounded and fairly close to the original, so it can be relied upon. But the Fenzhang yijie (Explanation of the Meaning, by Chapters) has never had a reliable good edition. Zheng Huan of Lin'an claimed to have collated it in great detail, yet in fact his text contains still more errors. In some places it does not accord with the scripture; nevertheless, compared with the other editions, his text reads somewhat more coherently.

When I held county office, I was busy with administrative affairs, but in the spare moments after official duties I would take up this book and read it, and the more I read, the more flavor I found in it. I therefore gathered several editions and collated them. For the main text I mostly followed Master Zhu Hui'an's old edition; for the general substance of the Tongzhen yijie (Explanation of the Meaning for Penetrating Truth) I followed Zheng's edition. Where several editions agreed, I also adopted the reading of the majority. In some places the scripture and the commentary do not match each other. For example, the scripture says "combined, they make sixty," whereas the commentary says "combined, they make the sixty-four hexagrams"; and again, the scripture says "then water settles fire," whereas the commentary reads something like "restraint, then water settles." I have preserved all such passages and listed them separately, so that readers may compare them. Although I cannot claim to have reached perfection, the main import of the Cantong qi concerning the refining of the elixir has, at last, been made roughly clear.

On examining Peng Xiao's preface, I find it says that Wei Boyang obtained the Gu wen Longhu jing (Ancient-Text Scripture of the Dragon and Tiger) and only then composed the Cantong qi. Such a book does indeed exist in the world today, but its language is, if anything, less archaic than that of the Zhenqi (True Token, that is, the Cantong qi). Some regard it as belonging to the category of what are now called the Sanfen shu (Books of the Three Tombs) and the Huhou jing (Fox-Head Scripture), and its authenticity is difficult to determine. Still, this scripture certainly had already appeared before the Five Dynasties.

After Peng Xiao composed his Yijie, he also wrote the Mingjing tujue (Diagrammatic Instructions of the Bright Mirror), hoping thereby to open a gateway to understanding the Zhenqi. I have now placed the Cantong qi at the head of the volume and appended the Mingjing tujue, combining them into a single book, in the hope that readers will carefully discern its contents. I have therefore had it printed and circulated, so as to seek the great Dao together with like-minded companions.

Recorded respectfully on the fifth day of the eleventh month of the year Wuchen, the first year of the Jiading era (the winter solstice of that year fell on a Xinchou day), by Bao Han, style name Zhongqi, Gentleman of Court for Comprehensive Duty, Magistrate of Jianyang County in Jianning Prefecture, in charge of encouraging agriculture, and holder of the borrowed scarlet robe.

The creative transformations of Heaven and Earth operate unseen, their traces endless and inexhaustible. I have gathered the mysteries within them into oral formulas to guide beginners.

The Zhouyi Cantong Qi is divided into three sections, its secret meanings set out among eight links. Thereby the gateway to the myriad phenomena is opened, as if all were displayed in a bright mirror.

The Li woman (that which the Li trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) symbolizes, a thing of yin containing yang) rides the dragon and becomes the mate of Wood; the Kan man (that which the Kan trigram symbolizes, a thing of yang containing yin) mounts the tiger and forms the vessel for refining gold. Diligent students should carefully investigate these principles; once they are clarified, the path to longevity becomes clear.

The ultimate Dao (the Way) is subtle, hidden and profound. In refining the elixir one must first recognize the key to the Great Return. The solar lines, by the image of even yin, generate true mercury; the lunar hexagrams, by the image of odd yang, produce perfected gold. The woman conceives cinnabar, the man gestates white snow; the north conceals Yinghuo, and Ren water is contained within Bing fire. The fundamental clues of lead and gold lie at these two poles; do not seek them at random among other things.

The sun symbolizes fire Qi (vital energy) and the hun. The sun belongs to yang, yet yang contains yin, symbolizing the true mercury hidden within cinnabar. If yang contained no yin, its hun radiance could not appear, and so it is called “female fire”; this is the meaning of yang containing yin. The legend of the crow in the sun corresponds to the southern Li trigram, and is therefore called the Li woman.

The moon symbolizes metal Qi and the po. The moon belongs to yin, yet yin contains yang, symbolizing the true silver hidden within lead. If yin contained no yang, its po could not circulate of itself, and so it is called “male metal”; this is the meaning of yin containing yang. The legend of the jade rabbit in the moon corresponds to the northern Kan trigram, and is therefore called the Kan man.

The first ring is known as Jin Qi Po. The Four Images and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) symbolize the portals between Heaven and Earth. Human beings dwell among the eight directions, where each quarter interacts with and influences the others.

The second ring employs “Men Gui Lu” and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions to illustrate the degrees of stellar movement around the Zhou Tian as well as the numerical measures of fire timing (huohou) in elixir refinement; this fire timing begins from “Tianyi.”

The third ring presents thirty images of the moon in its fullness and deficiency. Taken together they indicate the measure of fire timing within a single month and are applied in coordination with the sixty hexagrams.

The fourth ring contains fifty black dots and fifty black-and-white dots. These represent the yin tally and yang fire of the fire timing calculated according to the hundred ke, corresponding to movement and stillness amid the transformations of heavenly time.

The fifth ring uses the twelve hexagrams to explain the monthly changes and the waxing and waning of hexagram lines, while also symbolizing the rising and falling of the dragon and tiger.

The sixth ring takes the twelve chen to show the ascent, descent, and circulation of fire timing, coordinating it with the course of heavenly time.

The seventh ring displays the numbers of Zhou Tian fire timing and brings them into accord with the four seasons, so as to correspond with inner transformations.

The eighth ring gathers the image-numbers of Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, and all things into the tripod. There they assist the transmutations of metal, water, dragon, and tiger, causing the maiden of Li and the youth of Kan to unite. Together they generate true cinnabar and true mercury, which are finally refined into the returned elixir.

The title of the book Cantong Qi can be explained as follows: “Can” means mixing together, “Tong” means penetrating and connecting, and “Qi” means corresponding and matching. In other words, it thoroughly synthesizes the principles of various elixir-refining classics so that their meanings and principles correspond with one another.

When cultivating the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir (an important term in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) or elixir methods), one must first inquire into the root of the chaotic origin of Heaven and Earth, that is, the original source before Heaven and Earth were divided. Next one must examine the forms of Yin-Yang differentiation, understand that Water and Fire both counteract each other and can also recombine as husband and wife, and discern the relationship whereby Metal and Water generate each other, relying on one another like mother and child. Therefore the male contains the nature of the female, so that lead can produce cinnabar; the female contains the nature of the male, so that cinnabar can produce mercury.

The sun belongs to Yang, and within the sun there is a crow, symbolizing Yin contained within Yang; the moon belongs to Yin, and within the moon there is a rabbit, symbolizing Yang contained within Yin. These are the true symbols manifested by Heaven and Earth, from which those who comprehend can recognize Yin-Yang. One must also understand the patterns of the reciprocal changes of Yin-Yang, the principle of the mutual dependence of Water and Fire, and the path of the generation and transformation of the myriad things. After knowing this path, one must still seek its root; the root is the chaotic origin of Heaven and Earth.

After obtaining the root, one must still master the symbols of Yin-Yang differentiation. After understanding these symbols, one must follow the transformations of movement and stillness and know the numerical principles within them. Next one must grasp the hours according to the water clock (an ancient timekeeping device), understand the timing of advance and retreat, and then distinguish Dragon and Tiger (alchemical terms often referring to Yin-Yang or the corresponding medicinal substances). In this way the directional boundaries of south and north can be determined, the forms of Metal and Wood can unite, and the Dao of the Great Elixir is thereby completed.

Furthermore, cultivation also involves inner and outer symbols and the arrangement of Water and Fire, as well as the ritual altar, the chamber of the tripod, the embryonic womb, the images of the hexagram lines (the transformations represented by the lines of the hexagrams), fire phasing, the methods of drawing out and adding, as well as the molds used for casting and pouring, and the forms of the separation and reunion of Yin-Yang. All these stages must be complete; missing any one will not suffice.

Those who set their will on cultivating the Dao must also distance themselves from the temptations of sound and color and from habitual desires, set aside fame and profit, proceed to the numinous mountain, cut off worldly interactions, associate with fellow cultivators, dwell in seclusion and cultivate with caution, unrelenting day and night; only thus can one hope for success. If these cannot be accomplished, cultivation is merely wasted effort. Therefore Yin Zhenjun said: “Do not calculate gain and loss; concentrate the mind on cultivating the Returned Elixir, and only then is there hope.”

This preface was written in the tenth year of Guangzheng of Meng Shu, that is, the tenth year of Guangzheng of Later Shu; the author Peng Xiao signed himself as Zhenyi Zi of Feihe Mountain in Changli Hua.

Here ends the Zhouyi Cantong qi: Song of the Cauldron-Vessel and Bright Mirror Diagram (Zhouyi Cantong qi dingqi ge mingjing tu).

What follows is a textual collation note explaining the differences in wording among various woodblock editions. Some characters have been emended or supplemented on the basis of the Siku quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) edition or the Jindan zhengli daquan (Compendium of the Orthodox Principles of the Golden Elixir) edition; other characters simply appear in different written forms from one version to another. The collation note further observes that the eulogistic preface, the preface by Bao Zhongqi, the material arranged in eight rings, and the afterword by Peng Xiao—all of which are included in the base text—are absent from the Siku quanshu edition.