《金碧五相类参同契(阴真人)》

In the Jinbi Wuxianglei Cantong Qi, “can” means combining and separating; “tong” means penetrating and connecting throughout; and “qi” means matching and uniting. This book consists of eighty-one chapters. If a student wishes to transmit and practice the marvelous Dao (the Way) and cultivate true nature through it, they should first understand the principles of heaven and earth and Yin-Yang handed down by the ancient sages.

In the Cantong qi, “can” means to distinguish and analyze, “tong” means to interpenetrate, and “qi” means to accord. This Jing (scripture) has eighty-one chapters. If anyone wishes to learn the transmission of the wondrous Dao (the Way) and the methods of cultivating authenticity, to study the profound and mysterious principles transmitted by the former sages concerning the transformations of heaven, earth, and Yin-Yang, they must first find three disciples of like aspiration, sincere reverence, and harmonious minds, among whom there is no disagreement. Only then may the transmission ritual be performed.

In the ritual, one puts on colorful ritual robes, stills the body and mind, and eliminates distracting thoughts. The disciples sweep the grounds of the five directions (east, south, west, north, and center). In a space one zhang square, a three-tiered ritual altar is set up, incense burners are placed, and incense is burned with a quieted mind. Prayers are offered to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), blades are erected on the four sides, and mirrors are hung in the eight directions. The student, calling himself a disciple, holds a thousand taels of gold, kneels in homage, and then makes a great vow and an oath of alliance. Only afterward may the profound principles of the immortal scriptures be transmitted, so that the disciples may devote themselves to the Dao and cultivate the mechanism of lead and mercury, of dragon and tiger (terms in Daoist Neidan [internal alchemy] that symbolize the transformations of Yin and Yang). If one delves deeply into this art, one can set forth on the path to becoming a celestial immortal. If one encounters a thief, a frivolous person, or someone of unsettled and chaotic mind, the teaching must not be given.

This is a secret essential of the immortal Dao. It must not be leaked, and still less may it be transmitted without discrimination; otherwise one will sink into endless kalpas of calamity. When one meets a person of upright conduct, one must see whether he is filial to his parents, respectful of the gods, of heaven and earth, and of the worthy, and whether he is sincere and trustworthy, delights in doing good, and is firm in his aspiration. Only if these conditions are met may the teaching be transmitted. Those who transmit it recklessly will bring disaster upon seven generations of their ancestors. The Great Dao is the pivot of the movements of heaven and earth, the source of Yin-Yang, and the root of the creation and transformation of the myriad things.

Jinbi wuxiang lei Cantong qi (The Golden-Azure Fivefold Analogies of the Cantong qi), Volume One

Annotated by Yin Changsheng

Chapter One: Prefatory Discourse

In former times there were those who expounded the Cantong qi of Master Wei. “Can” means to distinguish and analyze; “tong” means to interpenetrate. When one studies the elixir scriptures together with various gentlemen, one can mutually penetrate the profound mechanisms within them and recognize the root of cultivation. “Qi” means to accord: upward it accords with the oral instructions for the cultivation practiced by celestial immortals; downward it accords with the laws of the transformations of Yin-Yang and creation. Therefore it is called the “superior accord.”

The scripture speaks of the true principle of long life. The text explains the essential mechanisms of becoming an immortal and elucidates the truly profound, unfathomable, elusive, and subtle inner meanings within the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). For this reason it is called “the true words of the principle of long life.”

The fundamental source of Yin-Yang and creation…

The transformations of Yin-Yang consist in the emergence of white from within black. The number of Water is one; Water then generates Metal, whose number is three. The “Water” spoken of here refers to Kan Water born from Kun Earth: Kun represents the great earth and also Yin; Yin belongs to the feminine, so Kun is also called Mother. Mother arises from Kun and produces its Qi (vital energy); this is the meaning of Kun. Metal occupies the northwest and belongs to Qian; Qian represents Heaven, Yang, the masculine, and Father; Metal is moreover generated from Kan Water. These are the fundamentals of Yin-Yang creation and transformation. The Jing (scripture) states: “In the Li palace there is form and image, within which true Water is hidden; in the Kan gate there is radiance, within which authentic Metal is contained.” Qian generates three sons, Kun generates three daughters; Yin and Yang interpenetrate and transform to form the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). The Bagua successively generate and nourish one another and further evolve into the sixty-four hexagrams. The changes of the hexagram lines are sufficient to express the greater and lesser numbers of Yin and Yang.

Do not ask others; ask only yourself.

In studying the Dao and cultivating authenticity, the essential point never leaves one’s own person. Only by realizing this can one become an immortal sage; the principle within is profound and subtle, and through embodied realization it becomes genuine—this is called “asking oneself.” If those who study the Dao do not understand the elixir Jing and Daoist books, they easily become confused; if they do not seek verification within themselves but look outside for the true Dao, how can they penetrate the heavenly Way? Since the path of cultivation is already extraordinary and remote, if one merely seeks external things such as the five metals and eight stones and then places them in a furnace to refine into the so-called Great Medicine, how could it ever be accomplished?

Cinnabar, black tin, and realgar, refined in the furnace, ultimately become “er a” . . .

The “cinnabar,” “mercury,” “black tin,” and “realgar” mentioned here are not the minerals ordinarily encountered in the world, but specialized designations used in the art of elixir refining. “Black tin” refers to the true lead extracted by smelting from mineral ore; further processing of this lead can also yield white silver. The text states that the practitioner places cinnabar and black tin into the furnace-tripod (the vessel employed for elixir work) and then modulates them with realgar, thereby producing an elixir known as the “Erxi Dan.”

The realgar in question is likewise not ordinary realgar, but is described as originating from the aquatic transformations amid the mountains and waters of Wudu; only when this particular realgar is obtained can the “Great Medicine” be successfully refined. Cinnabar belongs to the south and corresponds to the stems bing and ding; black tin belongs to the north and corresponds to the stems ren and gui; realgar belongs to the center and corresponds to the stems wu and ji. Only when these three medicinal substances are placed together in the tripod and refined can the elixir be formed, giving rise to a variety of subsequent transformations.

The Xian Jing (Immortal Classic) states: “Originally there is no medicine within the medicine, originally there is no tripod within the tripod. Is it ultimately composed of the Four Images, or produced by the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)?” The meaning is that neither the medicine nor the tripod exists solely among external objects, nor are they separate from the practitioner’s own person; one should not seek them exclusively outside oneself. If one searches only in the external world, one will recede ever farther from the Dao (the Way) of immortality.

Through successive transformations the elixir becomes “White Snow” and “Yellow Sprouts.” When the medicinal seeds of elixir refinement are sown, intention must be applied with the greatest care.

After cinnabar and black tin have been gently refined and then modulated with realgar, the resulting elixir is called the “Erxi Dan.” During the work one must alternate between wen fire and wu fire (the gentler and the fiercer degrees of heat). At first the elixir turns into “White Snow,” appearing inside the tripod in the form of goose down or snowflakes, half red and half white; subsequently, under the further modulation of realgar, it becomes “Yellow Sprouts.” This is comparable to seeds sown in a field that, once nourished by Qi (vital energy), send forth new shoots. Realgar here stands for Earth, which generates and nourishes the myriad things; when those things perish they return to Earth, symbolizing the return of the number five to one, whereby all processes are thereby brought to completion.

No matter how the River Cart (a metaphor in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) for circulating Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy)) may change, after seven reversals it still arises through inversion and transformation from “Jiji” (After Completion).

When one sees the Yin position, one knows it belongs to Wood; yet upon closely examining its true meaning, it is also called Metal. Metal can overcome Wood, and therefore it is called “return.” Internally in the human body, Metal corresponds to the lungs and Wood to the liver; externally they correspond to the West and the East. Metal represents Jing, Wood represents the fluids; when Jing and the fluids combine they condense into cinnabar. Jing is generated by descending from the Li palace (symbolizing Fire and the heart), while the fluids are generated by ascending from the Kan palace (symbolizing Water and the kidneys). When the Li and Kan palaces unite they constitute the cauldron of Water-Fire Jiji. The River Cart is the true Qi of the North. It turns into the Jia position in the East; Jia and Yi belong to Wood. From this the Golden Flower is formed, which is also the Kan position turning to the Zhen position.

After nine turnings it condenses into purple-gold sand, which can transmute gold and silver and thereby enrich my household.

When lead, mercury, and realgar are combined and refined by fire into the Great Medicine, one can reverse-contemplate Qian and Kun. The yang lines weigh one hundred ninety-two zhu, the yin lines likewise one hundred ninety-two zhu, totaling three hundred eighty-four zhu, which is exactly one jin. Of this, gold weighs eight liang and silver eight liang; combined they form the Returned Elixir, named purple-gold sand. The Yin-Yang lines each weighing one hundred ninety-two zhu, totaling three hundred eighty-four zhu, is what is called the Returned Elixir. The Great Medicine is naturally refined; a person who obtains this elixir can fill the home with gold, silver, and the seven treasures. The crow becomes a phoenix; the snake, after swallowing, transforms into a dragon. One who ingests this elixir attains long life without death, moving freely in the world and being called an Earth Immortal; after eight hundred years of further cultivation one becomes a Divine Immortal.

Chapter Two: Distinguishing the Roots and Sprouts of the Medicinal Substances

In studying the Dao (the Way), one must first distinguish the medicinal substances; only by seeing their sprout images can one clearly recognize their roots.

Those who cultivate body and mind and nourish life must understand the methods of increasing and decreasing in harmony, discern the roots and sprouts of the medicinal substances, so that Yin-Yang become clearly distinguished as black and white, presenting a lustrous, vivid, and pure state.

“Qiyue” refers to the “root belt.” The left is called “qi,” the right is called “yue.” Below a person’s Dantian (energy center) lies a “qi” that conceals the roots of the sun and moon. These circulate day and night, flowing according to the rhythms of the four seasons, and are then refined in the upper, middle, and lower three Dantian. This is the key related to the three hun souls and the origin of the great medicine, the Golden Elixir. The Jing (scripture/classic) calls it “Poria to pacify the hun, ginseng to stabilize the po,” explaining that these are not ordinary herbal medicines. Poria is black outside and white inside; ginseng is reddish-yellow outside and wrapped in greenish-white inside. These are the signs for identifying the roots and sprouts of the medicines. The key to the way of cultivation and nourishment lies in recognizing the true roots and sprouts.

When gathering the medicine one must use the “true two-eight”; the medicine naturally contains the genuine “sulu.”

The so-called “two-eight” refers to Mao and You, which also add up to the number sixteen and symbolize Metal and Wood of the Five Phases restraining each other. Above, take the Mao position: Mao belongs to the Dragon, and the Dragon symbolizes blood. Below, take the You position: You belongs to the Tiger, and the Tiger symbolizes marrow. When marrow and blood combine, they are called “sulu.” Here “sulu” refers to the Jing (essence) and hun of the sun and moon. If the practitioner obtains this essence, they can live forever without dying, become an immortal, and ascend to the Southern Palace. The Qi (vital energy) of the sun and moon is born from Kan and Li, from which Water and Fire are formed; this is also the theory of foundational substances such as lead and mercury in cultivation.

The application of gentle fire and fierce fire follows the practices of the four seasons.

By closing the breath and taking in Qi according to the numerical principle of “nine-one” in mutual restraint, one takes the fluids of Wood and Fire from above and the essences of Metal and Water from below, allowing them to enter the central palace, then uses Earth Qi to harmonize them and combine them into the great medicine.

Slowly pound and refine; the number of times in the practice must not err.

Slow pounding and refining refers to the rhythm employed in cultivation practice. When holding the breath closed and drawing in Qi (vital energy), one silently counts in the mind, swallowing once each time the count reaches nine breaths. Thereafter one may gradually increase from nine breaths up to a hundred breaths. Both day and night one must apply the techniques of Daoyin, carefully observing and experiencing them within the movements. This is known as the transformations of Yin-Yang, the Qi of solar Jing (essence) and lunar radiance, as well as the cultivation of golden Jing and jade Jing. Following the method of beginning with nine breaths and gradually increasing to a hundred breaths, combined with day-and-night Daoyin and observation amid the movements, is the gathering of Yin-Yang Jing-Qi. In slow pounding and refining one proceeds according to the number of practices, then reverses to apply the “Three-One”; this is called civil fire and martial fire. Breath itself is fire, and some also refer to it as true earth.

To cause the various materials to combine and harmonize, one must rely on jade-liquid slurry; the cinnabar thus refined will then display brilliant and variegated radiance.

Jade liquid is the saliva within the Flowery Pool, also called jade nectar or heavenly wine. When the cultivator gathers the medicinal substances and refines them, the method of slow pounding and refining must be used; afterward they are blended with jade liquid. This refers to the mutual interpenetration of saliva and Jing-Qi, which after combining become cinnabar. By holding the breath and concentrating Shen (spirit), one causes the Qi to contract, rise and fall, and circulate back and forth, so that “earth” unites with the breath, forming the fire timing used in elixir refinement; this is then employed to calcine the cinnabar, causing the medicinal substances to congeal into form. The Jing (scripture) states that once the elixir is complete it naturally emits divine light, rendering the person’s countenance radiant and moist, reversing old age to restore youth, making the body robust yet light and agile, movements like a galloping horse, strength doubled, hearing acute and vision clear. When meritorious virtue is fulfilled, purple mist encircles the feet; wherever one may be, the three Hun and seven Po, the spirits of the five viscera and six bowels, the Six Ding and Six Jia, and the earth spirits will all accompany and protect one, causing evil demons and wangliang to keep far distant, not daring to draw near.

After the crow swallows its food it transforms into a phoenix; after the snake swallows the bait it transforms into a dragon; the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir is refined from lead and mercury.

Once the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir has congealed and taken form, the Vermilion Bird (the divine bird symbolizing the south and fire) manifests as a phoenix, and the accomplished cultivator likewise naturally transforms into a victorious snake and becomes a dragon. Thereupon one may ride the clouds and harness a dragon, mount a phoenix and travel, arriving at any desired destination according to the heart’s wish. The person who cultivates the Dao need only concentrate single-mindedly on refining and transforming lead and mercury, and they can be made to undergo infinite changes. After the Golden Elixir is refined to completion, it cannot be damaged by burning fire nor submerged by flooding water, and one may become an earthly immortal free of obstruction.

Chapter Three on Applying Effort (the third chapter discussing methods of cultivation)

Cultivation practices should be arranged according to the four seasons of winter, summer, spring, and autumn.

The “four seasons” mentioned here refer to the Beginning of Spring, Beginning of Summer, Beginning of Autumn, and Beginning of Winter. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter each last seventy-two days and correspond respectively to the Four Images of Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water, that is, the four nodal points at the start of the four seasons. The text pairs the earthly branches Yin and Shen with Metal and Wood, explaining that Metal and Wood both overcome and generate each other; it also employs figures such as “three hundred and eighty-eight years” and “one hundred and ninety years” to calculate the numbers of their circulation. Larger-scale cultivation is scheduled according to the four Meng periods (the opening seasons of the four seasons); winter takes four or five days. Smaller-scale cultivation follows the four seasons in its daily movement as well. The scripture treats all of these as the greater and lesser numbers of Yin-Yang creative transformation and states that their efficacy is beyond measure.

Si and Hai are the starting points of the cyclic rotation of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

Si belongs to Fire and corresponds to the fourth lunar month, symbolizing pure Yang; Hai belongs to Water and corresponds to the tenth lunar month, symbolizing pure Yin. Si corresponds to the Qian hexagram, representing Heaven; Hai corresponds to the Kun hexagram, representing Earth. Heaven and Earth unite, and the six Yin lines together with the six Yang lines are all complete. From Zi to Si is half a year, beginning from the Earth-Thunder Fu hexagram, with Yang lines gradually increasing until the six Yang are complete; from Wu to Hai is likewise half a year, beginning from the Heaven-Wind Gou hexagram, with Yin lines gradually increasing until the six Yin are complete.

In Golden Elixir cultivation, after the Great Medicine has passed through “nine returns” (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term meaning that the medicine undergoes repeated cycles of turning and condensation), it attains the state of Water and Fire already completed. Although Water and Fire overcome each other, they are able to restrain and harmonize one another, restoring the root to its proper position, and in the end the Great Medicine is refined.

At midday Jia, Geng, Ren, and Bing come together, and the Four Images of Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water are deduced from their relations of mutual overcoming and mutual combination.

Jia belongs to Wood, occupying the northeastern direction. On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar calendar the moon loses its companion star at the Jia position, indicating that yang Qi (vital energy) begins to grow while yin Qi recedes. Geng belongs to Metal, occupying the southwestern direction. On the third day the moon produces a companion star at the Geng position, indicating that yin Qi begins to grow while yang Qi recedes.

Ren belongs to Water; here Water stands for yang and is born from the solar hun. Bing belongs to Fire; here Fire stands for yin and is born from the lunar po. The lunar po is the Jing (essence) of Metal and belongs to “yin within yang.” The solar hun is the Jing of Wood and belongs to “yang within yin.” The transformations of Yin-Yang arise from Kan and Li, the symbols of Water and Fire, which mutually constrain yet mutually contain one another.

Ren generates Jia, and Bing generates Geng. From the Four Images—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise that represent the Qi of Wood, Metal, the Sun, and the Moon—one seeks the Jing of Metal, namely “yin within yang” and “yang within yin.” Once these Jing enter the guan ding (the cauldron used in elixir refinement), the great medicine of the Golden Elixir can be completed. Therefore the Jing (scripture) states: Wood is the Azure Dragon, Metal the White Tiger, the Sun the Vermilion Bird, and the Moon the Black Tortoise. The Four Images converge and enter the Central Palace (the central position). The way of longevity cannot dispense with Wu-Ji Earth. If Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire fail to harmonize they turn to dust. Those who do not know which should take precedence cannot grasp the words of the sages; acting solely according to their own ideas, ignoring ancient methods, and pointing the confused down the wrong road, they will in the end unknowingly turn to ashes.

When advising others to refine the elixir one must obtain the true Tiger (an alchemical term for the Metal Qi symbolized by the White Tiger). Yang and yin unite and intermingle. After the work is accomplished everything depends on the Nine-fold City (the crucial pass that safeguards the elixir method and causes the medicine to congeal). After ingesting it for a thousand days the body can soar aloft.

This is how the Four Images of Ren, Bing, Jia, and Geng are used to obtain the true Qi of Metal, Wood, Water, Earth, and Fire. Only through the inversion and transformation of Water and Fire does the genuine cauldron come into being. The River Cart (a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the pathway that circulates Jing Qi) is set in motion, while Wu-Ji Earth remains to guard its position.

The Four Images of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire are generated from Wu-Ji (Earth). Wu-Ji occupies the honored position, and only with Wu-Ji can the Four Images take form. Without Wu-Ji the Four Images cannot take shape, and the Five Phases (Wuxing; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) would have no sovereign. Wu belongs to Earth, while Ji is like manure-earth; when Wu and Ji combine they become one unified whole.

The Jing (scripture) states: “When Heaven obtains the One it becomes clear; when Earth obtains the One it becomes tranquil; when the medicine obtains the One it is refined to completion; when a person obtains the One they possess spiritual nature.” Earth is the root of all things; all things are born by obtaining Earth. All things arise from Earth and ultimately return to Earth. The Four Images of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire enter the Central Palace (the central position) and then return into the tripod vessel (the symbolic container used in elixir refinement). This tripod vessel is the most essential core of the elixir’s original body.

The Green Dragon (symbolizing Wood) and the White Tiger (symbolizing Metal) arise respectively from the southern and northern directions; the bird (symbolizing Fire) and the controller (symbolizing Water) mutually constrain and subdue one another, circulating within the tripod.

The Azure Dragon (symbolizing Wood and lead) arises from the northern Kan position, while the White Tiger (symbolizing Metal and mercury) is generated from the southern Li position. The Azure Dragon is primarily Wood and represents lead, originating from the water Qi (vital energy) that corresponds to northern Ren and Gui. The White Tiger is primarily Metal and represents mercury, originating from the fire Qi that corresponds to southern Bing and Ding.

Mercury comes from cinnabar: cinnabar is vermilion-red on the outside, symbolizing Yang, while internally it produces quicksilver, symbolizing Yin. Lead comes from mineral ore: the ore is black both inside and out, symbolizing Yin, and the white silver obtained after refining is also classed as Yin. Lead is also called “Jin” and is named Jade Fluid or Flower-Pond Water; mercury is also called “Jing” (essence) and is named Zengqing or Dharma Water.

Lead and mercury were originally a single body. Only when they had an audience with the Red Emperor in the Central Origin did they become distinguished as upper and lower: the upper is lead and belongs to Yang; the lower is mercury and belongs to Yin. When Yin-Yang unite and obtain the Yellow Granny (the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang), the Great Medicine can be refined. This is the process of Dragon and Tiger uniting inside the cauldron.

The Golden Lord (also called Infant Brother, symbolizing lead) seeks the Yellow Granny and wishes to join intimately with the Jade Maiden (symbolizing mercury). After lead and mercury combine they enter the cauldron of the Central Palace. The cauldron is the Yellow Granny, which is also the Dantian (energy center)—the site of inner cultivation inside the human body spoken of in practices that refine Jing into Qi. The Five Earths are born from the One; when the five become one they are called Six; this is then joined with Twelve to form the corresponding numerical scheme. The whole symbolizes solar Jing and lunar florescence, the hun of the sun and the po of the moon, and also the form that is silver outside and gold inside.

Lead and Mercury, Chapter Four

When lead and mercury arise together they are originally one whole.

Lead and mercury combine; the five return to one and are called Six, then combine with Twelve to form the corresponding numerical scheme. This symbolizes solar Jing and lunar florescence, the hun of the sun and the po of the moon, and the form of outer silver and inner gold.

Lead and Mercury, Chapter Four

When lead and mercury arise together they are originally one whole.

Lead and mercury are both regarded as the root within the lower yuan (the seat of primordial Qi (vital energy) in the lower body) and the Mingmen (the foundation of life), generated from the kidneys. The left kidney belongs to Ren, the right kidney to Gui; the two currents of Qi in the kidneys unite into one. Therefore lead and mercury are originally one, merely taking the respective images of lead and mercury. They divide and unite as they circulate above and below, pairing respectively with the Southern Li Palace (symbolizing Fire) and the Northern Kan Door (symbolizing Water), and transforming accordingly.

Mercury belongs to Yang and symbolizes Wood; it is also called the “Infant,” “Solar Soul,” or “Solar Essence.” Lead belongs to Yin and symbolizes Metal; it is also called the “Charming Girl” (an image in the alchemical Dao representing the Yin side). Therefore the Jing (scripture) says: “The Kan male and Li female join as husband and wife, and Water and Fire refine into the Great Medicine.” The “true male and true female,” “true Water and true Fire,” and “true lead and true mercury” spoken of here all refer to the key images and functions of Yin-Yang uniting and circulating to form the elixir.

What is called gold and silver refers to the true origin (the fundamental reality sought in cultivation), which takes on different names as it circulates and transforms above and below.

Gold and silver symbolize the upright Qi of Yin-Yang, that is, the Great Medicine. The true male, true female, true Water, true Fire, true lead, and true mercury spoken of here are all key images and functions of Yin-Yang uniting and circulating to form the elixir.

What is called gold and silver refers to the true origin, which takes on different names as it circulates and transforms above and below.

Gold and silver are the upright Qi of Yin-Yang, also called the “upper and lower crescents.” On the third day of each month the moon appears at the Geng position; on the twenty-eighth day it appears at the Jia position; on the eighth and twenty-third days it appears respectively in the direction of the Li Palace. The waxing and waning of the moon display the changes of Yin-Yang and also symbolize the formation of creation: the first half of the month gradually becomes full, the latter half gradually wanes. This is the “foundation of two eights,” meaning that the numbers and hexagram-line images of Yin-Yang change are already complete; the remaining days change according to increase and decrease, waxing and waning. The Jing further uses the days of Zi and Wu to demarcate the full measure of Yin and Yang. The Jing says: “The hun and po of sun and moon thereby give rise to Kan and Li.” This means that the Qi of Metal and Wood unite with Water and Fire; the resonance is like the gestation of an embryo, which is then nurtured and refined into the Returned Elixir (the fruit of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation). The Returned Elixir then changes in form, color, and state to become the “Four Spirits Elixir,” that is, the elixir that has undergone four transformations.

Yin and Yang reverse and circulate through the Nine Realms (symbolizing the vast scope between heaven and earth); the Kan Door and Li Palace manifest change and unimpeded passage.

One extracts the upright Qi of Yin-Yang, preserves and nourishes Jing (essence) and the fluids, causing them to congeal into the elixir and accomplish the required function; this is the elixir of four transformations.

Yin and Yang reverse and circulate through the Nine Realms; the Kan Door and Li Palace manifest change and unimpeded passage.

Investigate the laws of Yin-Yang operation, concentrating and storing Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and bodily fluids as the foundation of elixir refinement. Employ the numbers of seven and eight, and one may act at the four double-hours of Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai. When heating and calcining with fire, lead must not fly away nor mercury be lost; so long as they are properly harmonized within the tripod-furnace of the central palace, White Horse Teeth can be refined. Taking then a small quantity of the elixir (daogui being an ancient unit for measuring minute amounts of medicine), it naturally transforms into the jade fluid called Yellow Sprouts, and cinnabar is thereby produced.

The Seven Returns begin with Yin, corresponding to the Earth-Heaven Tai hexagram of the Zhouyi. In the hexagram three Yin and three Yang intermingle, internally corresponding to the liver and externally symbolizing Wood. Yin belongs to the Four Meng (the opening months or directions of the four seasons), carrying the sense of generation and seniority; the corresponding Zhen hexagram lies therein, so the Yin hour may be used rather than the Mao hour. Shen corresponds to the Heaven-Earth Pi hexagram, symbolizing Yin-Yang turning from obstruction toward communication and, after communication, reverting to obstruction; Yin and Yang alternate with the times, three Yang and three Yin generating in cycles. Shen internally corresponds to the lungs and externally to the Metal of the West; Shen belongs to western Metal and likewise occupies a Meng position. The Dui hexagram corresponds to the mid-season position, therefore the Shen hour may be used rather than the You hour. If the dragon and tiger cannot be pacified, the medicinal nature will scatter. The two hours of Yin and Shen are used in refining the Seven Returns Numinous Cinnabar, which after three transformations returns.

The so-called Nine Realms refer to the portals of transmutation, presenting in sequence nine colors: white, yellow, red, variegated, green, azure, crimson, purple, and so forth. After the colors change it is called Nine Returns, also known as Nine Realms. This transformation is formed by inversion between the heart and kidneys, termed the Li Palace and Kan Gate: the heart belongs to Yin, the kidneys to Yang, and thus it is the inverted change of Yin-Yang.

The hun and po of the sun and moon are cherished even by the immortals; those who understand refinement and nourishment follow precious methods in cultivating the Three Fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers)). This minute elixir is precisely what the immortals ingest.

The Hun of the Sun and the Po of the Moon are the pivotal points where Jing (essence) and the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang circulate and intermingle; they are also the dwelling place of the true Qi of Yin-Yang. Immortals cherish them because they form the very root of human life. Those who understand how to cultivate the upper, middle, and lower three Dantian (energy centers) within the human body can cause the true Qi to circulate among these three locations, refine and transform the Three Corpses (the spirits said in Daoism to cause disease and shorten life inside the body) until they vanish, and then refine the returned elixir into purple gold. This substance is about one cun square and weighs one jin; it is said to be true gold condensed and refined from the Qi of Yin-Yang.

The so-called “true daogui” refers to the ding vessel in the middle Dantian, that is, the implement used for refining the elixir. It is also called “yellow sprout,” possessing a fragrance and a yellow color like chrysanthemum flowers. It is something that true persons and earthly immortals delight in ingesting, and is therefore named “daogui”; “dao” is red and “gui” is white.

Chapter Five: The Hun of the Sun and the Po of the Moon

The Hun of the Sun and the Po of the Moon arise from Kan and Li (the trigrams that symbolize water and fire, Yin-Yang).

The Hun of the Sun and the Po of the Moon are formed by the condensation of Yin-Yang Qi. The Hun of the Sun belongs to Wood Qi; it rises from the Kan portal (the gateway of the Kan position), corresponds with lead, and is called jade liquid, circulating above the floral canopy (the position of the Qi mechanism in the upper body). The Hun of the Sun and Po of the Moon generated within the orifices emerge from the three Dantian, descend to correspond with mercury, and are called golden fluid. They travel up and down according to the four seasons, interacting with each other, and never leave the three Dantian.

Wood Qi rises from the Kan portal and corresponds with lead to become jade liquid; the Hun of the Sun and Po of the Moon generated in the orifices emerge from the three Dantian and descend to correspond with mercury, becoming golden fluid. The Qi mechanism continues to circulate, returning into the lower Dantian and the weilu point (the acupoint near the end of the spine); it then ascends from the acupoint on the right side, transforming into “flowing pearls” and entering the niwan (the upper Dantian in the head). The Jing (scripture) further states that bone marrow likewise transforms into flowing pearls. “When Jia meets Geng”—that is, at the moment when Jia and Geng come together—marvelous transformations occur.

The returned elixir enters the realm of Xiyi (the obscure, silent, and barely perceptible state) by way of Ren and Bing.

Bing represents Fire and Ren represents Water. When Water and Fire intermingle, this is “Jiji” (After Completion, signifying the harmony of water and fire and the coordination of Yin-Yang). Within the alchemical vessel, after four stages, the Great Medicine has already been refined, and so it is called “Xiyi.” “Xiyi” refers to the root of the Five Phases (Wuxing): it is generated from “one dou,” and its transformations penetrate through nine cycles; it may also be said to condense from Earth, and is therefore termed the Returned Elixir (Huandan).

Jia represents Wood and Geng represents Metal. Only when Metal and Wood mutually restrain each other can the True Elixir be refined. Earth, Metal, and Wood are the roots of the medicinal ingredients. If a person can grasp the sagely principle herein, they will understand that “Xiyi” denotes the root of the Five Phases; generated from “one dou,” transforming and circulating through nine cycles, it is the Returned Elixir condensed from Earth. Once this principle is understood, cultivating according to the method of lead and mercury will bring one into accord with the wondrous mechanism.

The lines of the Fu hexagram and the body of the Gou hexagram embody the pivotal mechanisms of the two transformations.

Here ends the Upper Volume of the Jinbi Wuxiang Lei Cantong Qi.

Middle Volume of the Jinbi Wuxiang Lei Cantong Qi

Commentary by Yin Changsheng

Seventh: Golden Saliva and Jade Fluid

Golden Saliva arises from the Kan door (the position of kidney-water represented by the Kan hexagram), while Jade Fluid is generated from the Li palace (the position of heart-fire represented by the Li hexagram).

Golden Saliva is Jing (essence) produced from the zi position of the Kan palace. Kan represents the kidneys. Jade Fluid consists of the fluids generated from the wu position of the Li palace; Li represents the heart. When Jing and the fluids converge and return to the central palace, the Great Medicine of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is refined. This is what is called the “two truths of lead and mercury,” namely the two genuine forms of Qi (vital energy) or Jing-Qi analogized by lead and mercury.

These two things were originally a single whole, merely distinguished and assigned as the two polarities of Yin-Yang.

Lead is the fluids, mercury is the Jing-Qi (essence and vital energy); both arise from the intermingling of Yin-Yang. When they reach the Li Palace (the position that symbolizes fire and Yang), the two divide into upper and lower. This is the creative work of Yin-Yang: what began as a single substance separates into two forms that are then brought back into union with each other. In this way the subtle essences produced by the five grains gradually become abundant, the Three Corpses (the malevolent spirits that Daoism describes as dwelling in the body, inciting people to evil and depleting their vital force) perish, and the practitioner can enjoy longevity, ultimately becoming a celestial immortal who never again falls into the ordinary world.

One must seek in the midst of vagueness and bewilderment; traces naturally appear in the deep and obscure places.

Within the vague and indistinct there is actually something present; this is called the real within the empty. Within the dark and profound there is actually Jing (essence); this is called Jing-Qi contained inside the formless. When Yang Jing unites with Yin fluids they become the Great Medicine (the crucial agent of Neidan, or internal alchemy). Once the medicine is present, Shen (spirit) arises of itself. The “Shen” spoken of here refers to the breath: the first is water, the second is fire; fire generates earth, and earth generates Shen.

Within emptiness the real can become visible; within the formless the Dao (the Way) takes shape of its own accord.

If the Dao is not attained, even Pure Yang cannot refine the Elixir. What is called the Dao is the state reached through cultivation. Blood belongs to water, Qi (vital energy) belongs to fire; fire generates earth, earth generates Shen. It may equally be said that one is Yang Jing and the other is Yin Jing. When the Dao is accomplished it is termed “augmentation.” Qi transforms into fluids, fluids transform into blood, and blood in turn replenishes Jing. Jing is Shen; when Shen and Qi abide in the body the person is robust. If Jing and Shen can be preserved and nourished without reckless waste, the Dao will naturally be realized; if one only nourishes Qi without understanding how to store Shen, the goal remains out of reach. Hence the scripture declares: “Only when Pure Yin and the intermingling of Yin-Yang occur can it be called the Dao.”

All of this originates in the very body of creation; the circulating transformations of Yin-Yang cause life to flourish.

The primordial Qi (vital energy) in the human body belongs to Yang, while Jing-Qi belongs to Yin. Mutual resonance and coordination of Yin-Yang form the foundation of life. When Yin-Yang Qi is dispersed yet the Shen (spirit) does not race outward, and Jing-Qi is harmonized so that the mind becomes naturally lucid, one may hope to extend the years and benefit longevity. Shen and Qi together sustain life and are also the root of the Metal and Wood Qi among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). By according with the principles of cosmic creation, Yin-Yang Qi is coordinated and the Shen is settled, enabling unimpeded transformation, bodily ease, moist and lustrous Qi-blood, vigorous vitality, and a return from old age to youth. Following this method of cultivation, one can attain the status of a Zhenren (Perfected Person) and Shenxian (immortal).

The nine restorations and seven returns are the sequential steps of circulatory operation in cultivation, modeled on the Yin-Yang transformations of Qian and Kun.

The so-called “seven returns” refers to the interval from the yin hour to the shen hour, which may symbolize the process of Yang Qi increasing and Yin Qi receding; conversely, from the shen hour to the yin hour it symbolizes Yin Qi increasing and Yang Qi receding. The scripture correlates these changes with Yin-Yang and calendrical numbers to illustrate the reciprocating circulation in cultivation. “Return” also denotes the breath traveling upward along the spine, reaching the brain, and then descending once more.

“Seven returns and nine restorations” further describes the circulation of breath in terms of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation: Yin-Yang Qi flows back and forth, entering the central pathway of the spine from the Weilu (the region at the end of the spinal column), ascending to the Niwan (the Neidan term for the head), then descending through the throat and other sites. The Qi pays homage to the Red Emperor Lord (the spirit name representing heart fire), flows to the lower Dantian (energy center) (the abdominal region of Neidan practice); it then pays homage to the Yellow Primordial Lord (a spirit name in Neidan arts), enters the Golden Hall, and is gathered into the Precious Vase. This process is also called the divine elixir, the precious turtle, the brilliant red Golden Elixir, or the true fire of samadhi. The so-called “nine turns” refers to the successive levels of circulatory operation in the cultivation process; “nine restorations” employs nine kinds of luminous color to symbolize its transformations.

Chapter Eight: Divine Water and Cengqing

Divine Water (Shenshui) and Cengqing are two different names, each circulating along the pathways of upper and lower passage.

Shen Water (shenshui) refers to the saliva under the tongue in the mouth. The scripture says that it travels in reverse from the left kidney upward, passing through the Li Palace (Ligong, symbolizing the position of the heart and fire), and gathers into the slurry in the Flower Pond (Huachi), so it is also called “the slurry of the Flower Pond.” Zengqing refers to another Jing-Qi (essence qi) within the body. The scripture says that it travels from the right kidney, reversing to the Li Palace, then flowing downward from the Jade Spring (Yuquan, the place under the tongue where saliva is produced). An ancient song says that the cultivation formulas for Shen Water and Zengqing are known to few in the world; only those who aspire to this can comprehend them.

These two fluids originally come from one and the same thing but appear in two forms, and are therefore called Jin Jing (fluid essence). They travel along different routes. Grasping the principle of Jin Jing allows one to understand the Yin-Yang symbols in the scripture such as lead and mercury, dragon and tiger, and also to experience the vague, subtle, profound and unfathomable realm.

Shen Water originates from Bing and Ding, while Zengqing corresponds with Ren and Gui. Bing belongs to Yang and Ding to Yin, both associated with the south; Bing corresponds to Si and Ding to Wei. They flank the Li trigram, which has Yang lines on both sides and a Yin line in the middle. The Shen Water produced by Li has several names: Jade Fluid (Yuye), Lead (Qian), Dragon (Long), Infant Brother (Yingxiong), Golden Lord (Jingong), and Solar Cream (Taiyangsu).

Zengqing corresponds with Ren and Gui. Ren belongs to Yang, associated with the north and corresponding to Hai; Gui belongs to Yin, associated with the north and corresponding to Chou. They flank the Kan trigram, which has Yin lines on both sides and a Yang line in the middle. The Zengqing produced by Kan also has several names: Golden Fluid (Jinye), Mercury (Gong), Tiger (Hu), Maiden (Ninu), Jade Substance (Yuzhi), and Dharma Water (Fashui). These names speak of the relationship between Yin-Yang generation and the transformations of Ren and Gui, which the cultivator needs to distinguish.

If someone comprehends the principles of the immortal scriptures, they can see the Returned Elixir Great Medicine completed. This means that if a cultivator understands the meaning of the Cantong Qi, they can comprehend the laws of the Golden Elixir’s (Jindan) transformation.

Some cultivators of the Dao (the Way) who have attained accomplishment in their practice personally comprehend the principles of the Cantong Qi, so that the Great Medicine of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) forms naturally of itself. The oral formulas can be transmitted in an instant, and thus the scripture contains verses that say: the so-called Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth pertain to preserving the body and nourishing life, just as dragon and tiger are paired together. If those who study the Dao fail to recognize the subtle principles of the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), they instead forcibly take outsiders as father and mother. Wood belongs to yang qi and is called “Xi”; Metal belongs to yin qi and is called “Tiger”; the physical body symbolizes Earth, while blood symbolizes Water. The way of longevity lies in the Li Palace (the Li position among the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams). Once this is understood, one knows that each of the Five Phases has its own governor. To refine the returned elixir one must use mercury pearls; how could a jade-like substance be taken as companion? Comprehending these words enables one to penetrate the way of the immortals and to keep company with the high perfected and honored spirits.

One should seek the ding vessel (the furnace-cauldron used in elixir refinement) in the Central Palace and arrange the sequence of cultivation according to the Eight Gates.

The ding vessel of the Central Palace is Huang Yuanjun (the spirit who symbolizes the Central Palace). The Eight Gates of Rest (Xiu), Life (Sheng), Injury (Shang), Stop (Du), View (Jing), Death (Si), Alarm (Jing), and Open (Kai) correspond to the Bagua employed in daily practice. Cultivation begins from the Eight Gates, gathering the functions into the Central Palace and applying effort in sequence. As long as Water and Fire are employed so that the two harmonize and form the state of “Jiji” (water and fire intersecting, yin and yang blending in harmony), one’s name can be added to the immortal registers of the Southern Palace. The Water and Fire spoken of here refer to the internal substances used in cultivation, such as saliva and fluids, jing-qi, and the breath. With water above and fire below, the elixir is formed through refinement and nourishment; the rhythm of breathing, exhaling, and inhaling must not become disordered. Persist in cultivation for a thousand days and one may become an immortal. The immortal registers of the Southern Palace will record the names of those who cultivate and study the Dao.

Chapter Nine: Solar Jing and Lunar Hua

The solar jing and lunar hua combine to refine cinnabar.

Solar jing refers to the qi of Wood, lunar hua to the qi of Metal. Wood belongs to yang and Metal to yin; only when yin and yang unite can one refine the life-nourishing cinnabar (the elixir used to sustain and nourish life).

“Know the white and guard its dust; it is named the River Chariot.” To be thoroughly familiar with the way of purity and whiteness while guarding the dust is called the “River Chariot” (a symbol in Neidan, or internal alchemy, for the circulation of jing-qi).

Yin refers to the yin aspect; the expression “ai-yang with white” signifies that yang is contained within yin. The yang generated from within yin is called “lead.” After this lead is smelted by fire, the white silver inside it becomes apparent. Hence the scripture says, “Know the white and guard the ai.” In this, “white” symbolizes metal, which occupies the number two among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Only when the “one” is obtained can the “two” be generated; here this denotes the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang: the solar Jing (essence) and the lunar glory, collectively termed the “River Chariot.” Therefore the scripture declares, “The orthodox Qi of the north is named the River Chariot; the jia-yi of the east forms the Golden Flower,” which conveys exactly this meaning.

The solar Jing and lunar glory circulate into the central palace (the central region of the body), and thereupon the Dantian (energy center) gives rise to yellow sprouts (an image in Neidan (internal alchemy) practice that symbolizes the nascent emergence of true Qi).

The practitioner analogizes the solar Jing and lunar glory to the circulating power of the four seasons, directing them to enter the central palace. The central palace is also known as the tripod-vessel, a metaphor for the alchemical furnace. Solar Jing pertains to lead and is called the “River Chariot”; lunar glory pertains to mercury and is called the “Golden Flower.” The Golden Flower is likewise termed lead or yellow flower. The tripod of the central palace belongs to earth. When lead and mercury conjoin in earth, sprouts are produced; this constitutes the “yellow sprouts.”

When the dross of grain has been entirely eliminated, the exquisite Golden Flower manifests of its own accord.

Once the practitioner has comprehended the import of lead and mercury, it is held that the lower Dantian (the site of Neidan cultivation below the navel) will produce true Qi. The scripture states that so long as a person closes the breath, stores the Shen (spirit) and nourishes Qi, and practices this over an extended time, hunger and thirst can be avoided; even if respiration halts, the Shen and Qi persist, and true Qi arises spontaneously day by day. The practitioner’s physique grows light and robust, with strength twice that of ordinary persons, and actions as rapid as clouds racing and rain bursting forth. In hunger one is replenished by the Qi of primordial harmony; in thirst one drinks the decoction of jade liquid. Within the Flowery Pool (the cultivation image referring to the saliva in the mouth) there is perpetually a fragrance resembling that of chrysanthemums. These phenomena are all described as the beautiful Golden Flower transmuted from the true harmonious Qi of heaven and earth.

With no polluting substances remaining in the sea, the “three worms” (the three corpse-insects said by Daoism to inhabit the human body) likewise gradually depart from within.

The “sea” refers to a person’s stomach, also called the “Sea of Water and Grains.” The stomach holds the coarse, filthy remnants left after the five grains have been digested, known as “filthy matter.” Cultivators seek lead and mercury, carry out refining and nourishing practices, and persist in their cultivation; they then hold the breath to nourish Qi (vital energy), gradually increasing the number of breaths. The Jing (scripture) states that after a period of time the filth and turbidity in the stomach are completely expelled, and the Three Worms dwelling in the Dantian (energy center, the site in the body believed capable of accumulating Jing (essence) and Qi) perish in sequence: after thirty days the upper worm Pengju perishes; after sixty days the middle worm Pengzhi perishes; after ninety days the lower worm Pengjiao perishes. Once the Three Worms are eliminated, the person no longer feels hunger or thirst, the skin becomes fragrant, the complexion radiant and glossy, the body light and vigorous, aging is reversed and youth restored, and one becomes an “earth-walking immortal.” Those who succeed in cultivation appear to have cranes dancing atop their heads and clouds arising beneath their feet; they are called True Persons and receive the protection and assistance of the “Three Yang True Spirits.”

The cultivator’s physical form transcends golden bones, as if able to travel in company with floating rafts. Here “floating raft” refers to immortals who roam by riding immortal rafts.

Those who aspire to cultivate the Dao refine and nourish lead and mercury according to the operational laws of the four seasons, circulating the Three Officials (the divine offices in Daoism that correspond to the human body and the celestial realm) each day; after about one hundred days of cultivation they can accomplish the Golden Elixir. They hold the breath to nourish Qi, gradually increasing the number of breaths until ten thousand breaths are reached; the Jing (scripture) states that in this way one can shed the old body and change the bones, becoming golden bones. The physical form is then clear and translucent like ice, the skin fragrant, soft and moist; one remains dry upon entering water and unburned upon encountering fire. One can enter among the “Five Dependences” (five kinds of supports or vehicles) and, when wishing to depart, travel through emptiness, arriving by riding the mist wherever the mind intends. This is called accompanying the floating rafts; the so-called floating rafts refer to immortals who travel by relying on the Five Dependences.

From one to ten, the numbers are then allocated among the years and months. From one to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to ten thousand; ten thousand generates a hundred million, a hundred million becomes a trillion, and the trillion continues increasing up to the next higher unit. Both large and small numbers can grow successively in this manner. The smallest unit of counting is the twelve double-hours of a single day: the six double-hours from the zi hour to the si hour belong to Yang, while the six from the wu hour to the hai hour belong to Yin. This division of one day and one night is called the “zi-wu method.”

The time before the zi hour is when the living Qi (vital energy) is declining, and the time after the wu hour is when the dead Qi is gradually gaining strength; these periods are not suitable for practice. After the zi hour and before the wu hour is termed the time when the living Qi is abundant, and one may apply effort. Therefore the mnemonic verse says: “After the zi hour and before the wu hour, concentrate fully on cultivation; let the breath come and go as it will, and carefully experience it, for there is a treasure within.”

After the zi hour and before the wu hour is the period for applying the methods of practice, and likewise the time of abundant living Qi when effort may be applied. The mnemonic verse says: “After the zi hour and before the wu hour, concentrate fully on cultivation; let the breath come and go as it will, and carefully experience it, for there is a treasure within.”

By applying the methods after the zi hour and before the wu hour, the jade fluid and golden Jing (essence) condense into immortal medicine; this is a period in which Yang Qi is more plentiful and Yin Qi is less.

At the mao and you hours the furnace is opened for bathing, and the measure of the fire timing must be grasped evenly.

Whenever the mao or you hour arrives, as well as on the “two-eight days,” one must not apply fire in the practice but must stop the fire and bathe. At the yin, shen, si and hai hours, however, fire may be added. Each double-hour uses one zhu of fire, further divided into three can seven hu and seven si seven miao; the fire timing must not be too urgent, but fire is to be added gradually and slowly. The “fire” referred to here is the fire timing that is mastered while holding the breath to nourish Qi and concentrating the Shen (spirit) in inner guarding. The fire timing begins at nine and is increased step by step, gradually accumulating to ten thousand; thereupon the Golden Elixir will naturally be completed, and the “infant” will appear. This is called “ten months of pregnancy,” symbolizing the differentiation of child and mother and the completion of the elixir path.

Silver is on the exterior and gold on the interior; the spirit chamber is formed into a shape resembling that of a child.

“Silver” refers to lead and “gold” refers to mercury. Lead belongs to Yang and forms the outer wrapping; mercury belongs to Yin and forms the inner filling. The so-called “dragon subduing the tiger” means that the fluids envelop the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). The scripture further employs such expressions as “solar hun and lunar po,” “solar Jing and lunar florescence,” “infant elder brother and startled maiden,” and “jade night golden fluids” as metaphors for the mutual complementarity of Yin-Yang and of Jing and Qi. When Yin and Yang constrain one another this is termed the “spirit chamber”; when Yin Qi and Yang Qi conjoin and coagulate, taking on a shape resembling an egg, it is called the “conjoined form.” The “yellow-white” mentioned in the scripture denotes the elixir produced by the alchemical work.

These are placed into the tripod of the Central Palace and then operated according to the sequence of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

The “Central Palace” refers to the Dantian (energy center), also called the “tripod-vessel.” After the two Qi of Yin and Yang have been gathered and refined they are taken into the Dantian; relying on the Central Palace, which belongs to Earth, they are made to unite and condense into one. Green, yellow, and white are the colors of the elixir, which the scripture designates as “life.” The “trigram body” refers both to the fire-timing in the cultivation process and to the proportions of Yin and Yang, the trigram images, and the numbers of the lines; all of these serve to illustrate how Yin Jing and Yang Jing combine.

Chapter Eleven: Explaining the Trigram Body

“Qian is born from Kan; this is the metal Jing.”

Qian represents Heaven, belongs to Metal, and corresponds in direction to the northwest. On the fifteenth day the moonlight reflects back upon the Geng direction and the Shen position; one Water unites with the green Qi.

“When Kan produces Gen it is named mountain-and-stone.” That which is born from Kan, upon reaching Gen, appears in the form of mountain stone.

The Kan trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), representing water, is generated from water. This signifies that Yin contains Yang within itself, and that Kan water is born from Metal. On the fifteenth day, the Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang (yinyang) converges within the Gen trigram, which represents mountain and rock and the northeast direction; water is thereby generated, and this is called “daily generation.” On the twenty-eighth day, at the last quarter of the moon corresponding to Wood, water together with the mountain and rock of the Gen trigram produces the Zhen trigram, which represents thunder and Wood and whose direction corresponds to the Mao position.

Here the measures of ke and du are used to analogize the annual cycle of movement. There are one hundred ke, twenty fen, and forty seconds, as well as seventy-two degrees, symbolizing the number of ten months in a year. This is designated “ten years” and is therefore called the “small number”; the larger number is twelve months. Half of the year belongs to Yang, from the eleventh month to the fourth month, corresponding to the sequence from Zi to Si; half of the year belongs to Yin, from the fifth month to the tenth month, corresponding to the sequence from Wu to Hai. This is the “great number” calculated according to the twelve months of a year, and it is also the actual number of months.

The movements of days and hours can be calculated by means of numbers; the key lies in observing the transformations of Yin-Yang.

Days and hours receive the same illumination from the sun. Cultivation of learning, nourishing of nature, and refining of life (the dual cultivation of nature and life) may be conducted according to the four seasons. The four seasons are the four Meng, that is, the beginnings of the four seasons: Beginning of Spring, Beginning of Summer, Beginning of Autumn, and Beginning of Winter. The four Meng are respectively the first month (Meng Spring), the fourth month (Meng Summer), the seventh month (Meng Autumn), and the tenth month (Meng Winter), which are the starting months of the four seasons.

In the practice of cultivation one takes the four time positions of Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai: Yin belongs to Wood, Si to Fire, Shen to Metal, and Hai to Water. The Four Images are incorporated into the Central Palace (the central position) and combined to complete the Five Phases (wuxing), and this is called “Nine Returns.” An alternative arrangement takes Yin as belonging to Metal, Si to Water, Shen to Wood, and Hai to Fire; after incorporation into the Central Palace they are further matched with the Kan and Li trigrams, and this is called “Seven Reversions.” Therefore the Jing (scripture/classic) says: “In the Li Palace there is an image that conceals True Water; in the Kan Door there is a flower that hides Authentic Metal.” This refers to the Nine Returns and Seven Reversions, which is the pattern of Yin-Yang transformation. If the cultivator can grasp the principle involved, he or she will be able to master this Dao (the Way) of cultivation.

“Liuhe” refers to the combinations of zi with chou, yin with hai, si with shen, wu with wei, xu with mao, and you with chen; “Chongpo” refers to the clashes of zi-wu, mao-you, si-hai, yin-shen, and chen-xu. The pairs zi-wu, mao-you, and si-hai also embody the opposing relationship of Yin-Yang. If those who cultivate themselves can comprehend the principles therein, they can understand the marvels of Yin-Yang operation, and their actions will not be obstructed.

Liuhe and Chongpo operate together and mutually contain each other, thereby presenting the mechanism of change. Liuhe can be used for circulation, while Chongpo is used for practicing the work; the two cooperate with each other, constituting the image of transformation. These speak of the relationships of Yin-Yang and the laws of their operation; one should proceed accordingly and not allow them to become disordered.

“Great” refers to nine years of cultivation, or even twenty-seven years; “small” refers to a hundred days of closed-breath cultivation. The scripture states that when the hundred-day practice is accomplished, one can refine the Golden Elixir (jindan), which surpasses nine years of cultivation. Here the “nine years” and “hundred days” are expressions of the time required for cultivation.

Yin is paired with shen and si with hai, while zi and wu cause the Jin Jing to circulate. Jin Jing is a term in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), referring to the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) spoken of in cultivation and their transformations.

Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai are called the four seasonal periods. In daily cultivation one takes Zi and Wu as the designated times, employing the method of “reversing Jiji” to guide the Qi (vital energy). From the Weilü acupoint at the base of the spine the Qi is circulated upward to the Niwan, the upper Dantian in the head; it then turns naturally and returns into the Dantian (energy center), where one contemplates the true nature. Once the golden Jing (essence) has undergone transformation it coagulates into the Golden Elixir.

“Lingsheng” symbolizes two days; it is the grandson of Metal and the son of Water. It emerges from Gen mountain and is termed “two yin and one yang.” Sun and moon arise opposite each other, forming the body of wind, which belongs to Wood and is the solar hun of mid-spring. The Jing of sun and moon is also called the “dragon” and corresponds to the number nine in the Zhouyi. The Xun trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) belongs to wind, its form to Wood, and its direction to the southeast. Thus the daughter of the Kan trigram is born within Wood. Spring nourishes the myriad things; vegetation sprouts and the mild wind disperses lingering frost. This is called “two yang and one yin,” with yang above and yin below, and flowers form after three days.

The Li trigram symbolizes the Vermilion Bird and is concealed within Earth. Li belongs to Fire and indicates yin contained inside yang; it is generated by the Zhen trigram and takes its image through the action of wind. Cinnabar is said to contain mercury, corresponding to the Wu position, and is also regarded as yin. “Concealed in Earth” means that the Kun trigram is present within it, located in the southwest. After sixty days purple Jing is formed; the transformations of Yin-Yang are subtle and difficult to fathom.

The Dui trigram arises from the Kun palace and unites with it naturally. Dui corresponds to the western You position, is generated by the Kun trigram, and relates to the eighth month. The moon then approaches fullness; after “seven-four” it begins to wane, forming “two yin and one yang” with yin above and yang below. After ninety days purple-gold sand appears. Purple-gold sand is purple crystal and likewise belongs to Jing.

After the zi hour, this corresponds to the Fu hexagram (Earth Thunder Return, indicating the first arising of yang), which is the initial hexagram; the reciprocal transformations between the yin hour and the shen hour are called “seven returns of ling” (qifan ling).

Here “zi” corresponds to the eleventh month of the lunar calendar and also to the zi hour of the day. At this time one yang first arises, situated beneath five yin lines, and circulating according to the sequence of cultivation it is called the Fu hexagram. The five yin and one yang interact, and the text describes this stage with “seeing the dragon in the field.” Circulating onward to the yin hour corresponds to the Tai hexagram (Earth Heaven Peace, three yin lines joining with three yang lines), termed “joining in peace”; circulating further to the shen hour corresponds to the Pi hexagram (Heaven Earth Stagnation, three yang lines standing opposite three yin lines). The text further calls this going back and forth “seven returns,” referring to the repeated transformations between the Pi and Tai hexagrams.

After the wu hour, this corresponds to the Gou hexagram (Heaven Wind Encounter, indicating the first arising of yin), and Yin-Yang begin to respond to each other; by the si hour and hai hour the transformations of the Qian and Kun hexagrams are completed, called “nine restorations” (jiuhuan).

“Wu” corresponds to the fifth month of the lunar calendar and also to the wu hour of the day. At this time one yin first arises, situated beneath five yang lines, circulating according to the sequence of cultivation it is called the Gou hexagram. Five yang and one yin join, and the text cites the Yijing (Classic of Changes): “Initial six: treading on frost, solid ice arrives,” to describe the gradual growth of yin Qi (vital energy). “Si” corresponds to the fourth lunar month and the si hour, symbolizing the Qian hexagram with all six yang lines complete, the total of yang amounting to one hundred ninety-two zhu; “hai” corresponds to the tenth lunar month and the hai hour, symbolizing the Kun hexagram with all six yin lines complete, the total of yin likewise one hundred ninety-two zhu. Here yang is called half a jin of silver and yin half a jin of gold; gold and silver together make three hundred eighty-four zhu, which is exactly sixteen liang, or one jin. The scripture (jing) calls this great medicine of the Golden Elixir (jindan) the “nine-times-turned returning elixir.” “Nine restorations” correspond to nine colors; the so-called completeness of the nine colors means that through the lunar-phase changes of the quarters and full moon it naturally takes shape gradually.

The Gen hexagram (mountain hexagram, whose direction is northeast) is cast into the Kun hexagram, and yang Qi then circulates to its limit; the functioning of Yin-Yang must pass through a process of nine months. The Gen hexagram consists of one yang line and two yin lines, while the transformations represented by the Kun hexagram are gradually completed in accordance with the lunar phases of the quarters, full moon, and so on.

The Gen hexagram symbolizes the mountain and corresponds to the northeast, containing one yang line and two yin lines. The Kun hexagram symbolizes the earth and corresponds to the southwest, with all three lines yin. When the Gen hexagram enters the Kun position it forms the Mountain-Earth Bo hexagram, corresponding to the ninth lunar month and symbolizing one yang in contention with five yin. By the tenth month, the Hai month, yin Qi (vital energy) waxes and wanes while yang Qi is entirely exhausted, and the Kun hexagram then appears. The Kun hexagram manifests the wondrous function of True Earth (an alchemical term denoting the true earth that exerts a neutralizing and supporting role in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation), and is therefore called “Solar Earth.”

When the Dui hexagram enters the Qian palace, yin Qi is on the verge of exhaustion. The Dui hexagram lies due west, corresponding to the You position, while the Qian hexagram lies in the northwest. Dui symbolizes the marsh and Qian symbolizes heaven; both hexagrams belong to Metal. At this time one yin contends with five yang, corresponding to the third lunar month and forming the Marsh-Heaven Guai hexagram, in which yin Qi gradually fades and is about to be severed. By the fourth month, the Si month, the Qian hexagram takes form; this is called the “Nine Returns.” It is the stage at which the Golden Elixir (jindan) great medicine has been refined to completion and condensed into a treasure, known as “Purple Gold Sand.”

Chapter Twelve: Strings and Full Moon

At the upper string the moon first appears at the Geng position. Around the third day of each month the moon rises from the Geng position (corresponding to the western direction) and is called “Metal Jing (essence).” Yang Qi has only just begun to sprout, the yin line is activated, and it weighs twelve zhu, termed the “lunar po.”

At the lower string the moon wanes at the Jia location. Around the twenty-eighth day of each month yang Qi becomes visible as the moon grows deficient. The Jia position corresponds to the east. There yang Qi has just begun to sprout and the yang line is activated; yang Qi and yin Qi combine, Yin-Yang (yinyang) each possessing interior and exterior aspects. Water and Fire each occupy eight parts; the sun and moon stand opposite one another at full moon and generate transformation after seven or eight double-hours. The so-called fifteen days before and after, five days of which total one hundred ninety-two zhu. The moon wanes at the Jia location and, when weighed in the early morning, yields twelve zhu called the “solar hun.” Yin and Yang together weigh one liang; this is the number of Yin-Yang.

Lead is born from Wood and serves as husband; mercury is born from Metal and serves as wife. The two combine to form the Four Images, totaling sixteen liang and becoming the great medicine. When the sun and moon stand opposite for seven or eight double-hours, Yin-Yang each having eight parts, the yin lines and yang lines are then complete.

The sun and the moon face each other on the fifteenth day of each month, when the moon is full. This symbolizes that lead is born from Wood and acts as the husband, while mercury is born from Metal and acts as the wife. The two combine to form the Four Images (an alchemical term referring to the mutually complementary factors of Yin-Yang and the like), totaling sixteen liang and becoming the Great Medicine.

The sun and moon remain facing each other for about seven or eight double-hours, Yin and Yang each possessing eight portions, so that the line images (the yin and yang lines of the hexagrams) are complete.

On the fifteenth of every month the moon is full and is called “the second month”; thereafter, for fifteen days, the moon gradually wanes. Yin and Yang each have six portions and Yang Qi (vital energy) grows heavier. One hundred ninety-two zhu make half a jin, three hundred eighty-four zhu make one jin, and sixteen liang combine into one jin. At the first-quarter moon, Metal and silver each amount to eight liang; on the eighth and twenty-third of each month, Wood Qi appears. The Yin-Yang of sun and moon represented by Wood Jing (essence) total twenty-four zhu. When the sun is full, Wood transforms into Metal; when the sun begins to wane, Metal and Water each amount to eight liang. When sun and moon meet while the moon is deficient, Yin Qi again grows heavier, totaling the measure of one jin.

When the moon is at first quarter, Metal amounts to eight liang, and both moonrise and moonset occur at the Li palace (the Li trigram of the Bagua [Eight Trigrams], whose direction belongs to the south).

Moonrise and moonset both correspond to the due-south Wu position, which belongs to Fire and whose trigram is Li. The Li trigram has yang lines on both sides and a yin line in the middle. The Zhou Shu states that “Li is empty in the middle,” meaning that water is contained within fire. On the eighth and twenty-third of every month the moon appears in the Li position. The moon symbolizes the Jing of Metal; within the Li position there is True Water, which forms a mother-child relationship with Metal, and therefore the moon rises and sets in the Li palace.

Yin and Yang correspond respectively to Metal and silver; they appear at the season of refining the Great Medicine and match each other.

Yin belongs to Metal and Yang belongs to silver. Metal corresponds to the moon and silver corresponds to the sun. When sun and moon conjoin, silver is outside and Metal inside; mercury and lead combine and coagulate, thereby refining the Great Medicine.

If one simply guards the mind-Shen (spirit) and regulates the breath, the Golden Elixir can be refined.

Preserving Shen (spirit)—that is, holding fast to the spirit—is what is meant by “Xi.” Breath is blood. Black belongs to Water, and blood likewise belongs to Water. Breath has five attributes, corresponding respectively to Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire. Water is blood, blood is marrow, marrow is Jing (essence), and Jing is also Shen (spirit). If a person can preserve Jing-Qi, which is the bodily fluids, and cause the fluids to unite with Jing-Qi, then life can be nourished and longevity extended. If true Xi is present in the Dantian (energy center), one will soon become a Zhenren (an accomplished cultivator of the Dao).

When the nine turnings are completed, it is as if heaven and earth have been transformed; the Three Corpses (the three malevolent entities that, according to Daoism, dwell in the human body and hinder cultivation) are eradicated, and the body becomes robust.

The so-called nine turnings consist in the union of Jing (essence) with the bodily fluids, which is called the natural generation of lead and mercury. Lead is white on the outside and black within; mercury is red on the outside and white within. After true lead has been refined, the red turns to a pai color, and the lead then turns yellow. Yellow lead unites with the pai, red, and cyan colors and transforms into purple gold, known as golden sand. Let this great medicine circulate in the Central Palace (the center of the human body, where the Dantian is located); after nine unions it returns to the One, and this is called the Golden Elixir. After abstaining from the five grains, within a hundred days the three worms naturally perish. Thereupon the body is robust, the physical form transcends, the bones are as lucid as gold, light radiates from the body, the hair is like silk and the countenance like that of a child; one stands among the immortals, becomes a Zhenren, and naturally feels neither cold nor heat nor hunger.

The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the three highest deities venerated in Daoism, will naturally send down heavenly talismans.

If a person can recognize lead and mercury, refine them through warming and nourishing into the Golden Elixir, station it in the Three Palaces (the palatial offices within the body related to cultivation), apply it according to the principles of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), and circulate it through the six periods of each day; when the Heavenly Pass does not admit and the Earthly Door does not emit, this is the field of cultivation without leakage of Jing-Qi. After meritorious cultivation is complete, the immortal officials of the Three Pure Ones will register the name in the immortal registers. When cultivation reaches eight hundred and treasures pervade the three thousand, at the time of circulation the Heavenly Pass does not admit and the Earthly Door does not emit, this is the field of cultivation without leakage of Jing-Qi. After meritorious cultivation is complete, the immortal officials of the Three Pure Ones will register the name in the immortal registers. When cultivation reaches eight hundred and treasures pervade the three thousand, the upper realm will send a vermilion-robed boy to come in person to welcome one.

The Seven Treasures originally arise from a single Qi (vital energy). The Divine Talisman White Snow is formed by the union of Jia Wood and Geng Metal.

The “Seven Treasures” refers to the elixir produced through seven cycles of reversion and refinement, originating from the true Qi within the Dantian (energy center). Jia belongs to Wood and Geng to Metal, so that Metal and Wood restrain one another. From Yin to Shen the process passes through Jia Wood and returns to Geng Metal. Yin is the root of Jia Wood, while Shen is the ancestral position of Geng Metal. Jia Wood symbolizes the solar Jing (essence), and the Qi within Wood symbolizes lunar radiance. When Metal and Wood intermingle, Jing, Qi, and the bodily fluids combine and condense inside the ding like mica or like snow and ice. This is called the “Solar Divine Talisman White Snow Golden Fluid Great Reverted Elixir,” a numinous elixir of the highest grade.

Bing Fire and Ren Water converge and transform into the “Two Dusts.”

Bing belongs to Fire and corresponds to the heart and the Li trigram; Ren belongs to Water and corresponds to the kidneys and the Kan trigram. When Water and Fire intermingle they produce the image of Kan and Li in After Completion. Kan symbolizes lead and Li mercury. White silver is refined from Kan lead, while Li mercury is reverted into cinnabar. Cinnabar combined with white lead is fired into the “Two Dusts,” which then rise into the Dantian to be warmed and nourished.

Within Jia Wood, tender sprouts shaped like horse teeth seem to grow as if smiling.

When the “Two Dusts” are taken into the Dantian and warmed and refined, they transform into white horse-teeth whose form resembles newly sprouted tender buds.

The “horse teeth in jia” resemble newly sprouted grass, fresh, tender, and appearing as if with a smile.

When two medicines marked by dark spots are placed in the Dantian (energy center)—the site of Neidan (internal alchemy) practice in the lower abdomen—and warmed and refined there, they transform into white “horse teeth.” This substance looks like freshly emerged tender sprouts, or like the white buds of plants pushing up from the soil, and is therefore called “white horse teeth.”

Gold and wood interact and return into the ding; water and fire are harmonized and enter the “male pit.”

Here “gold” refers to water and mercury and belongs to Yin; “wood” refers to fire and lead and belongs to Yang. Gold also symbolizes Jing (essence), while wood symbolizes the bodily fluids. After the “four images”—an alchemical term for several Yin-Yang medicinal substances—are brought into harmony, they are circulated into the central palace, the Neidan cultivation site in the middle of the body, a process called entering the ding. In practice one must settle the breathing, gather the mind, and keep the spirit-intention stored within the ding of the central palace. Because the ding also symbolizes earth, it is likewise called the “male pit.” The completed medicine is termed the “four spirits,” also known as the “four-revolution numinous elixir.”

Once the Five Phases (wuxing) are properly matched, the medicines attain thorough transformation; the jade fluid and cinnabar are brought to completion through seven revolutions.

The Five Phases are Water, Wood, Fire, Metal, and Earth. The medicines first transform into “yellow sprouts” and then into “jade-fluid cinnabar.” The mention of “seven revolutions,” together with the correspondence of seventy-two days to seventy-two years of cultivation efficacy, uses temporal measures to illustrate the unfolding of the refining and nourishing process.

At the yin and shen hours one must concentrate fully on regulating the fire timing, storing and nourishing only the white medicine to a particular stage.

Yin corresponds to wood and shen to metal; wood, being Yang, symbolizes the conjunction of lead and mercury. The text also refers to applying effort at the yin, shen, si, and hai hours, indicating that at these times one carefully adjusts the “fire timing” of practice, circulating and nourishing the metallic Jing in order to prolong life. “Fire timing” is the Neidan term for the rhythm of cultivation and the precise measure of breath regulation, spirit-storage, and related techniques. The meaning of the final phrase “dao bo” remains obscure and cannot be reliably interpreted from the characters themselves.

When the sun and moon are coordinated with the four seasons and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the great medicine of the Golden Elixir transforms into an infant.

Here, “one day” is equivalent to “one year” in cultivation practice. The “month” is made to correspond to the four seasons by taking respectively Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai: Yin is early spring, Hai is early winter, Shen is early autumn, and Si is early summer. These four double-hours symbolize the cycling of the four seasons through the year. The Bagua (Eight Trigrams) employed are Qian, Kun, Li, Kan, Pi, Tai, Fu, and Gou.

What is meant by “the Great Medicine is completed in one hundred and twenty days” is that after a period of cultivation the Great Medicine can be successfully refined. The scripture further states that after one thousand two hundred years, the “three worms” (the noxious or pathogenic entities said by Daoism to dwell within the body) will perish of themselves, the grain Qi (vital energy) will be exhausted, the true Qi of the five viscera will return to purity, and craving for every kind of flavor will be cut off forever. One neither drinks nor thirsts, returns from old age to youth, the body becomes light and vigorous, hearing becomes acute, one walks as if flying, movements are swift, strength is doubled compared with the ordinary, and in the end one attains immortality.

Chapter Fourteen: The Nine Turns

The Nine-Turn Numinous Elixir is called “Gold.” The principles of the immortal scriptures are subtle and profound. If one wishes to recognize the true Great Medicine within the body, one must rely on the transformative operation of the two forces of Yin-Yang.

This is what is known as the “Purple-Gold Cinnabar.” Although the immortal scriptures and the writings of the philosophers run to thousands of volumes, the core of their discussions never departs from lead and mercury. If those who study and cultivate do not understand the principles involved and merely place lead and mercury in a vessel to fire and refine them, they cannot possibly succeed. Once the principles are understood, one knows that the Great Medicine does not lie outside the body; the human body itself already possesses it, and this is called the “Purple Golden Elixir.” If one can ingest even a single grain of it, life may be extended by a thousand years, and ghosts and spirits will be terrified at the sight. If the practitioner comprehends the principle of lead and mercury, discerns the origin of Yin-Yang, and succeeds in refining the elixir, then years of life may be prolonged, all illnesses eliminated; once the “three worms” within the body have been destroyed, spirits and ghosts will likewise be afraid when they see the person.

When the elixir disperses it resembles ten million flowing pearls; only when it gathers together does it become a true Realized Person (one who has cultivated the Dao and attained realization).

Lead and mercury, after being refined, condense into elixir pearls, also called “sharira”; the immortals further name it “flowing pearls” (liuzhu). This is the scene when the Seven Treasures gather: the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang are like wax-made bellows, pumping and circulating against each other. The so-called “true gold” is about one inch square and weighs one jin, that is, sixteen liang; yin and yang each weigh one hundred and ninety-two zhu, corresponding respectively to Metal and Wood. Here “Wood” refers to mercury and “Metal” to lead; mercury symbolizes the tiger, lead the dragon. When dragon and tiger subdue one another and conjoin, they spontaneously condense into the Great Medicine and accomplish the True Person. Lead is regarded as true Jing (essence); the infant then guards the inner treasure.

When the yin lines and yang lines join and gather, the operating mechanism of creation naturally accords with the marvelous Dao (the Way).

Yin corresponds to the Kun hexagram, yang to the Qian hexagram. Kun symbolizes Earth, Qian symbolizes Heaven. Heaven covers and Earth supports; Yin and Yang respond to each other, unite, and take effect. This is called “creation,” also called “spiritual power”; the transformations of creation and spiritual power are difficult to fathom.

Chapter 35: Expelling the Three Worms

The Three Worms each have surnames and given names.

The “Three Worms” spoken of here are the “Three Corpses.” The Upper Corpse is surnamed Peng, named Ju, and resides in the upper Dantian (energy center); the Middle Corpse is surnamed Peng, named Zhi, and resides in the middle Dantian; the Lower Corpse is surnamed Peng, named Jiao, and resides in the lower Dantian. According to Daoist teaching, the Three Corpses lodge within the human body and are also called the Three Corpse Gods.

The Three Corpses crave wine and meat, delight in strife, are greedy for wealth and lustful, and moreover hope that people will die early.

The Upper Corpse, one of the Three Corpses residing in the upper part of the human body, is greedy for wine and meat and readily given to joy and anger. The Middle Corpse is fond of wealth and contention. The Lower Corpse lusts after women and desires only that a person die, never that the person live. On every Gengshen day, a day in the sexagenary cycle, the Three Corpses report a person’s faults to the Siming deity of the upper realm yet never report good deeds, hoping the person will die soon so they may devour the blood and marrow. Therefore those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) must first eliminate the Three Corpses in order to escape their harm. Aspiration to cultivate the Dao differs from person to person, and the wondrous Dao is difficult to learn. If one meets a person of resolve who thoroughly understands the principles of affairs, one may seek the wondrous principles from that person and practice them. If one aspires to cultivate the Dao yet is unwilling to apply effort, one will incur heavenly condemnation.

When the Three Corpses have been completely eliminated, lifespan can be prolonged. At the time of Gu Ao, a term recorded in the original text for a period or method of cultivation, the Three Corpses perish of themselves.

To cultivate, a person must first observe the Gengshen vigils and eliminate the Three Corpses; only then can one refine and nourish Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and the fluids and condense the Great Medicine. Using lead and mercury, the symbolic substances of alchemy that also represent two mutually restraining forces of Yin-Yang, to check each other, one causes the Dragon and Tiger, the paired Yin-Yang forces of the alchemical path, to settle and submit. Then one causes Yin and Yang to descend toward each other, the Qi of the five viscera to return to harmony, and one nourishes the lower yuan, the primordial Qi of the lower body. According to the original text, one regulates the breath to one hundred twenty respirations and gradually abstains from grain foods, the Five Grains. After ten days the Upper Corpse dies of itself; after sixty days the Middle Corpse dies of itself; after ninety days the Lower Corpse perishes of itself. Once the Three Corpses have vanished, a person can extend years and longevity, remaining long without hunger or thirst.

With a mind that is calm and free of worry, one nourishes the Golden Jing, a term used in cultivation for Jing and Qi.

If a person cuts off the Five Grains and does not crave the various flavors, the Golden Jing can remain at peace without being depleted or leaked. This is the foundation of the Great Medicine and also the root of a person’s nature and life. The Jing (scripture) says: “Life is the root of death; death is the root of life.” Few are those who can understand these two roots of life and death.

Where there is life there can be death, and where there is death there can also be life. When lead and mercury are refined into the Elixir, they can restore a person to life.

If one departs from the principles of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), it does not accord with the Dao (the Way). Without grasping the mysterious essential teaching, it is ultimately difficult to dispel doubts. This refers to the transformation of golden Jing (essence) into the great medicine: golden Jing indicates mercury, jade fluid indicates lead; mercury belongs to Metal, lead belongs to Wood; Wood is yang, Metal is yin. This is the azure path. Without grasping the mysterious essential teaching, it is ultimately difficult to dispel doubts. This still refers to the transformation of golden Jing into the great medicine: golden Jing indicates mercury, jade fluid indicates lead; mercury belongs to Metal, lead belongs to Wood; Wood is yang, Metal is yin.

The azure and white two Qi (vital energy) enter the Dantian (energy center) (the inner elixir furnace spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation). The “center” among them belongs to Earth, whose color is yellow, and thus it is said that azure, yellow, and white are the essential elements for refining the Golden Elixir great medicine. When they gather, they congeal into the purple-gold elixir within the square inch (referring to the heart or the inner site of cultivation); when they disperse, they are at times like flowing pearls, and are therefore called precious jewels. The three fields (upper, middle, and lower Dantian) daily refine and nourish the true Qi; persist for ninety days, and the three worms (insect-spirits in Daoist cultivation conceptions that lodge in the human body and deplete Jing-Qi) will perish of themselves, and the person will naturally abstain from the five grains. If breath-holding reaches a thousand breaths, one can move underwater without drowning. Within the Three Officials there is of itself the sun and moon’s refining and nourishing, the bodily form becomes transparent and luminous, and from then on one no longer concerns oneself with worldly affairs but of oneself refines and nourishes the true Jing.

Nine Realms Chapter Sixteen

This chapter discusses the names and oral instructions of the Nine Realms, as well as how they transform Jing-Qi, bone marrow, and blood.

The Nine Realms are nine gates of circulatory transformation, also called the portals of the nine turnings. They are named in sequence Valley Spirit, Qian Pass, Florid Pond Portal, Flying Gate, Soul Window, Heavenly Portal, Sea Leak, Rare-and-Subtle Gate, and Solar Realm. Collectively termed the Nine Realms, they correspond respectively to the nine colors of circulatory transformation. The cultivator must begin from these portals; after obtaining the oral instructions, hold the breath to nourish Qi. The Qi of breath-holding will circulate throughout the entire body. According to the scripture, the Qi mechanism follows along and enters within the bones, transforming into marrow. Once the marrow is filled, one can extend the years, benefit longevity, and achieve immortality without death.

This augments Jing-Qi, replenishes the marrow, and benefits the sinews, bones, and skin; at night, a white milky Jing-Qi will transform and circulate throughout the body.

After Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) become abundant, blood transforms into Jing. When Jing and Qi condense without leaking outward, they nourish the bone marrow and are then transported to the Niwan Palace (the cultivation site inside the head), where they transform into cerebral marrow. At this stage of cultivation the muscles become moist and lustrous, the skin white, smooth and jade-like, and muscular strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. After taking the medicine for a hundred days, true Qi circulates throughout the entire body, flowing like white emulsion; no red blood remains inside. One is then called an Earth Immortal, able to dwell long years in the world and become a Zhenren.

The three worms (the three worm-spirits said in Daoism to inhabit the human body and harm body and mind) naturally perish; the Dao-body then flourishes and true Qi continues to circulate without cease.

Once the three worms are eliminated the body becomes robust, the five viscera fill to abundance, true Qi pervades the whole body, and respiration can stop of itself. Breath may be held for a very long time, reaching ten thousand respirations; one enters water without becoming wet and fire without being burned. This is the realm of the Solar Immortal.

The Heavenly Pass opens, the Earthly Door closes, and the infant in the Central Palace unites with the sun and moon.

The Heavenly Pass opening means that above and below communicate, so that dietary qi can no longer enter and both grain qi and respiratory qi close of themselves. The Earthly Door being secure means the lower part no longer leaks; both upper and lower places are closed. The Central Palace is the Dantian (energy center), also called the ding-vessel. Lead and mercury transported into the ding constitute true refinement and nourishment. The phrase “the infant unites with sun and moon” refers to Yin-Yang being harmonized and returning to correctness.

A hundred years of refinement produces a Zhenren whose name is listed among the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) and who receives the Jade Emperor’s delight.

Here “a hundred years” means a hundred days. A day has twelve double-hours, six of Yang and six of Yin; Yin, Shen, Si and Hai are taken as the four Meng and called the four seasons. Refining the Golden Elixir according to this method, one is called a Zhenren. After the work is accomplished one ascends to the upper realm, eliminates the Three Corpses (spirits Daoism believes harm body and mind and obstruct cultivation), and the realm of the Three Pure Ones naturally appears; the name is added to the immortal registers, called receiving the Jade Emperor’s delight.

The Infant Radiates Light, Number Seventeen

Within the three palaces the infant appears.

The three palaces are the upper, middle and lower Dantian. The infant refers to the orthodox qi of the Three Origins, also called lead, also called the orthodox qi of Wood, Wood Jing.

In front of the Hall of Light there is a Jade Pool.

"Mingtang" refers to the place where the key is located, also called "Rijinghai"; it is known as "Rimingtang" and likewise as "Dongfang." These names all point to the internal spaces of the body spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation.

"Huangpo" mediates so that the two sides unite. Here "mercury" is also called "Jinzhi'ai" and termed "Yuehua." "Huangpo" is the designation of Earth and also denotes the ding; the "Zhonggong Dongfang" is the centrally situated place of cultivation within the body. Mercury can combine only when it encounters Earth; Yin and Yang both return into the ding and, once harmonized, coagulate into the elixir.

They join as if within the earth and no longer separate.

"Ying'er" refers to lead and "fang" to mercury. When lead and mercury combine, with lead outside and metal inside, this describes the two forces that symbolize True Yang and True Yin gathering into one within the ding of the central palace. Thereafter they never part and constitute the root of the "Dayao."

Morning and evening one condenses and gazes upon the "Riyue Zhu," and at night lets it accompany oneself into the "Cuiwei."

"Chao" means daytime and "mu" nighttime; "angkan" indicates Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) gathering and condensing into a pearl called "Liuzhu." "Riyue" refers to Metal and Wood in the Dantian (energy center) and also symbolizes the Qi of Yin-Yang: the sun stands for Yang and the moon for Yin, that is, the hun and po of sun and moon. Accompanying at night into the "Cuiwei" means that Metal and Wood mutually restrain and harmonize; "Cuiwei" denotes the flowing pearl. Cultivating in this way brings the Great Medicine to completion and thereafter forms the Golden Elixir.

When condensation is complete and the union intimate and dense, this is the metamorphosis of the true embryo.

"Choumou" indicates that the root of the Great Medicine has already taken shape, giving rise to the signs spoken of in Neidan terminology such as "Huangya" and "Baixue." Once the genuine practitioner succeeds, Zhengqi condenses in the Dantian, the countenance changes and displays the appearance of returning from old age to youth; this is called "Taituo."

When the ten-month period is fulfilled, the term of completion is reached; twenty-four...

Practitioners of the Dao, by regulating and nourishing body and mind, can after ten months or three hundred days refine the Golden Elixir (Jindan) great medicine. The Mao days and You days together amount to sixty days; the second month and eighth month correspond to each other, symbolizing the bathing period. Of the twelve months in a year, excluding the second and eighth, actual cultivation takes ten months. When the Golden Elixir great medicine is achieved, there are twenty-four designations, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms of the year.

A male infant is born from the crown of the head.

The cultivator of the Dao should nourish within the mind the primordial harmonious true Qi in the Dantian (energy center), causing it to condense and be refined into the Golden Elixir great medicine. Using visualization (cunxiang, contemplating cultivation scenes with intention) to regulate the true Yin and true Yang, one causes the true Qi to circulate. When the true Qi arises from within the body, it is called the “infant,” also known as the “True Person” (Zhenren), and it travels at the crown of the head.

Chapter Eighteen: The Appearance of Colorful True Jade Haze

By preserving the Shen (spirit) and nourishing the Qi (vital energy), after the Qi mechanism has matured, the transformations in the body will migrate and convert.

What is meant by “preserving Shen” is that if Jing (essence) and Qi do not leak outward, the spirit can be preserved; if Jing and Qi are dissipated, the spirit will also decline. Therefore those who cultivate the body and nourish life must conserve Jing and Qi, not allowing them to leak. Although the human body exists in emptiness, the physical form will not wither and decay. If Jing and Qi are frequently leaked, the body will become weak and haggard, growing thinner day by day, and death will soon follow. If Jing and Qi can be preserved, the body can transcend the mundane and naturally transform; then, by regulating the fluids, spiritual nature will manifest, entering the sagely path. The scripture also says that the various traces left by form and spirit will cause the underworld officials to strike the name from the register of the dead, and the upper realms will register one as an immortal.

When breathing can spontaneously cease, reaching a thousand breaths, this is the verification of the circulation of the true Qi of the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

The methods of cultivating the Dao and nourishing life are difficult to complete; the key lies in preventing the true Qi of the lower origin from dissipating due to the leakage of Jing and Qi. If one can gather and control the breath, making it long and continuous, one can cultivate to become an immortal. As for the methods of the Five Phases and fasting by abstaining from grains, they can at most be used to treat illness. The essential point of cultivation is to prevent the true Qi of the five viscera in the upper body from dispersing outward; when the true Qi is abundant, the Shen will appear.

By calming the mind and regulating the breath, the practitioner can become an immortal. Relying solely on fasting from grains and abstaining from food can at most treat illness; only by nourishing and refining the true Qi (vital energy) within the five viscera can the divine brightness become manifest.

Silently visualize the “True One” (Zhenyi, the original genuine primordial Qi spoken of in Daoist cultivation), concentrate the mind in contemplation, and a scene of jade mists encircling appears between the eyebrows.

Silently recite the True One, continuously visualizing day and night, sincerely turning toward the Dao (the Way) and wishing for immortality without death. First eliminate the “Three Corpses” (Sanshi, the yin-evil entities said in Daoism to lurk in the human body and hinder cultivation), subdue the hidden corpses in the heart, and the worms within the body will depart of their own accord.

Perform three hundred and sixty breaths each session, sit quietly after eating for the duration of ten breaths, then rest a little; practice daily according to the four periods. It is usually carried out at midnight and at cockcrow, visualizing and silently reciting in sequence: in the east the Green Sprout, drinking the Qi of the morning glow and swallowing it in three portions; in the south the Vermilion Cinnabar, eating the vermilion cinnabar in the early morning and drinking the water of the Cinnabar Pool, swallowing in three portions; in the central wilderness, gazing up at Mount Tai, ingesting the primordial Qi and swallowing in three portions; in the west the Bright Stone, ingesting and drinking the numinous fluid, swallowing in three portions; in the north the Mysterious Moisture, ingesting the mysterious stream and drinking the jade fluid, swallowing in three portions.

The “Morning Glory,” “Vermilion Cinnabar,” “Numinous Fluid,” and the like are the Jing (essence) and numinous fluids ingested in visualization, not ordinary food and drink. Practicing thus for thirty days, the three worms die, the Three Corpses leave the body, and illness recedes far away. With prolonged contemplation one sees white Qi rising from the body and encircling it; this is called “the jade mists of the spirit half-flying.”

Nine-layered auras appear on the nape and back, and one travels riding purple mists. The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest deities venerated in Daoism) descend Fulu (talismans and registers) and confer banners.

After cultivating the body and nourishing life, the bones become as solid as gold, the blood transforms into a white milky substance, and the physical form becomes thoroughly translucent and luminous; subsequently nine-colored auras appear behind, and auspicious clouds, purple mists, and red glow arise beneath the feet. The heavenly realm descends true registers, with dragon banners in front and tiger flags behind. Wherever the mind’s thought reaches, one arrives in an instant; this indicates that the divine accomplishment has been perfected.

When meritorious virtue is complete, one ascends to court in the heavenly realm; at that time turtles, cranes, and immortal youths come as scheduled to welcome one.

Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) nourish body and mind and regulate life, causing the two Qi (vital energy) of true Yin and true Yang within the Dantian (energy center) to unite and condense into the “Purple Golden Elixir.” This is formed by the coalescence of the Jing (essence) of the jinghun of sun and moon together with the jingpo, after which it disperses and transforms into flowing precious pearls; this is called the completion of meritorious cultivation. At that moment luan-phoenixes, white cranes and immortal youths arrive bearing heavenly talismans, and the practitioner mounts a luan and rides a crane to ascend to heaven. Naturally accompanied by Xiaoshao immortal music, they together return to the Purple Palace (the dwelling of immortals) and become true immortals.

This writing is intended to admonish those who cultivate the Dao: it must not be transmitted to people who hold the Great Dao in contempt. Recklessly leaking heavenly secrets or treating immortal scriptures with neglect will bring calamity upon the nine clans and cause the seven ancestors to sink into extinction. Therefore the Jing (scripture) must be treasured and stored away. The text itself records no genuine secret methods, which must be orally transmitted by a teacher to the student of cultivation; it contains its own methods for preventing the leakage of secrets.

End of the second volume of the Jinbi Wuxianglei Cantong Qi.