《三洞道士居山修炼科》

At the outset one first submits a memorial to the celestial officials, asking the spirits who govern the breath to inspect and oversee the practice. When the memorial rite is finished, one begins to ingest Qi (vital energy), and incense is set within the chamber. The practitioner stands facing due east, strikes the chime nine times, and intones:

“I, So-and-so (the practitioner’s own designation), seek the Dao (the Way) of long life without death. Today I receive and ingest the Qi of the eight draws, the four draws, the hundred draws, and the one hundred twenty of refining the form. The sun rises in the east and shines upon the western ridge. May the spirits of the celestial officials who govern the breath, together with the twenty-four Qi officers, soldiers, and generals within my body, go forth to welcome the living Qi and lead it into my body. The Qi of the eight draws, sixty-four Qi in all, enters through my passes; the Qi of the four draws, thirty-two Qi in all, follows in turn through the passes; the Qi of the one draw, twenty-four Qi in all, likewise follows in turn through the passes. They go straight to the Taicang (the place in the body associated with the spleen and stomach), open the palaces and residences and the joints of the limbs, make the breath abundant so that the body is neither hungry nor thirsty, harmonize the five viscera, lengthen one’s years and benefit one’s lifespan, bring long life and flight as an immortal, and share one De (Virtue/Power) with the gods and spirits. How joyful—the pure song of the Great Dao!”

When the intonation is finished, one again chants aloud in a drawn voice and strikes the chime. That done, one gets into bed, removes one’s clothes and lies bare, covers oneself with warm, thick bedding, raises the pillow four inches, lets the hair hang loose, and lies face upward. The feet are set one foot apart, and the hands are placed at the same distance. Both hands form the closed grip (the thumb is grasped and enclosed by the other four fingers). In the mind one silently contemplates the surnames and characters of the Six Jia on the ritual registers one has received, together with the true taboo names of one’s father and mother, and then visualizes the spirits of the Niwan (the spirit mansion of the head) and of the Dantian (energy center), the place of cultivation within the body. One then inhales living Qi through the nose and exhales dead Qi through the mouth.

At the beginning one inhales three times and exhales once. After practice has brought the breath into smooth order, one gradually increases the number of inhalations, in the sequence of one, three, five, seven, and nine, until one inhales twelve times and then exhales. In this way the Qi of central harmony gradually becomes full. After long practice, when the regulation of breath is proficient, one increases the counts further, reaching five and twenty-four, seven and thirty, and so on. First one takes in the Qi of the eight draws, sixty-four Qi in all; next the Qi of the four draws, thirty-two Qi in all; and last the Qi of the one draw, twenty-four Qi in all. Together these make one hundred twenty Qi, attaining the number of central harmony required for refining the form.

One then slowly evens the breath and holds it, practicing long breath-retention, and gradually comes to hold the breath for three hundred sixty breaths in a single retention. If one can reach one thousand two hundred breaths, then after prolonged practice one can retain the breath without panting, and the effect is better still. Once the breath-holding has reached the prescribed number, if on opening the mouth to release the breath one feels the Qi in counterflow or the breathing unsettled, one takes in Qi again and swallows it. The swallowing should stop short of any feeling of fullness; after three or four swallows, the breath will settle.

Next one links the thumbs of both hands, turns the palms upward and raises them above the head, and looks up toward the Taiqing (Great Clarity, referring to the heavenly realm). One tightens the thumbs of both hands and both feet, holds this for twenty-one breaths, and then releases the hands. One then raises both hands straight up and turns them up and down two or three times. Still with the two thumbs linked, one crosses the elbows and draws them, twenty-one times to the left and twenty-one times to the right. Both hands then grasp the left foot and massage the chest thirty-nine times; they next grasp the right foot and massage it thirty-nine times in the same way. After that both hands seize the insteps of the two feet, and one rises with effort so that the forehead touches the ground, doing this twenty-one times, then lies supine again, with the space between the feet arranged once more as in the posture for ingesting Qi.

When the breath has settled, one visualizes the spirits moving up and down with the Qi, counting a full one hundred twenty breaths. One then crosses the hands and places them over the heart, counting eighty-one breaths. Next, with the hands crossed, one embraces the body, bends the knees and raises the legs, counting twenty-one breaths, then twenty-five, nine, seven, and five, and stops. One then clasps the neck, bends the knees, and moves the knees back and forth twenty-one times. Finally one turns onto the side or turns the body and lies in whatever posture is comfortable, quietly nourishing the Qi. When this nourishing is finished, one rises and dresses, sets the incense in order, strikes the chime nine times, and chants the guiding tone three times.

The practitioner, here called “so-and-so,” uses the methods of the eight guidings, the four guidings, and the one guiding to circulate the one hundred and twenty Qi (vital energy) of bodily refinement once through the whole body. When this is finished, one should chant and intone, so as to settle the breath and steady the mind and spirit (Shen).

The Qi of the eight guidings comes to sixty-four in all. It moves among the palaces and residences within the body—that is, the viscera and related sites—and rises and issues forth through the passes. The Qi of the four guidings comes to thirty-two in all; it likewise moves among the palaces and residences and rises and issues forth through the passes. The Qi of the one guiding comes to twenty-four. It moves among the palaces and residences, ascends to the passes, stops, and turns back, then descends to the Taicang, that is, the stomach, where it guards the palaces and residences and brings peace to the five viscera. In this way the functions of every part of the body are brought into harmony, the hundred vessels flow freely, the Three Corpses—the spirits said in Daoism to dwell in the human body and obstruct cultivation—withdraw, illness is cured, and life is prolonged. May the great Dao (the Way) look down with care. The spirits who govern the breath should oversee the work and bring the cultivation to completion, so that so-and-so becomes intelligent and clear, communes with the spirits, ascends in flight and becomes an immortal, and receives the grace of the great Dao. Then, in joy, one sings a long song, and here one stops.

One then rises and walks. How far one walks depends on whether the ground is broad or narrow, about five hundred paces; walking farther is better. Afterward one may also continue the practice according to the proper days. When noon comes and hunger arises, one decides according to one’s own condition whether to go on ingesting Qi. This passage concerns increasing the amount of Qi practice year by year: in the first year one completes one hundred and twenty Qi; in the second year each session is increased to two hundred and forty Qi; in the third year each session is increased to three hundred and sixty Qi. If along the way one can bear more, one may also increase the practice according to the method given above. From the fourth year onward, the more one increases the better, and one may also take fullness as the measure. This must be clearly understood and carefully followed.

When the method of ingesting Qi has been practiced through three thousand six hundred great circulations of the whole body and the practice is complete, one should hold one full, large-scale rite of daoyin, chanting, and dance, striking the stone chime in accompaniment and intoning to the beat:

So-and-so, by ingesting Qi and refining the body, seeks the way of long life without death. After one hundred great circulations of the whole body have been completed and the practice is accomplished, one should hold one full, large-scale rite of daoyin, chanting, and dance, striking the stone chime in accompaniment and intoning to the beat:

So-and-so—a conventional designation for the recipient of the liturgy—takes fuqi, the ingestion of Qi (vital energy), and the refinement of the bodily form as his cultivation, pursuing the Dao (the Way) of longevity without death. He adopts and practices daoyin methods such as the eight pulls, the four pulls, and the single pull, refining and nourishing the Qi of the whole body. Each time one full circulation through the body is completed, he counts and accumulates them until they reach three thousand six hundred great circulations of the whole body. When this course of practice is finished, he should chant, sing, and dance, and perform the arts of daoyin, harmonizing sinews and bones, in order to seek the longevity of the immortals.

He entreats the official spirits who preside over breath and daoyin to oversee and protect him, so that when so-and-so bends, stretches, and practices daoyin, his sinews and bones remain supple and his body is not injured; so that flesh and bone are refined and nourished and unite with Qi; and so that the five viscera are filled, open to numinous clarity, and he is able to associate with the immortals. Joyfully singing, dancing, and chanting, he raises his hands and dances for three rounds, dancing once with each performance of daoyin. The methods of daoyin are transmitted orally by the teacher; once the transmission is complete, it ceases. One should understand them clearly and carry them out with care.

When cultivating the ingestion of Qi in order to seek long life, one should accompany it with dance and chanting: raise the hands and dance for three rounds, dancing once with each performance of daoyin. The methods of daoyin are transmitted orally by the teacher; once the transmission is complete, it ceases. One should understand them clearly and carry them out with care.

In cultivating the ingestion of Qi to seek long life, one should avoid conversing with others, contain the breath in silence, and pay no heed to worldly affairs. The Dao of the immortals is hard to achieve quickly and must not be sought in haste. One may gradually reduce the amount of rice and grain, fruit, and jujubes consumed: in the first year, two dou of rice; in the second year, one dou; in the third year, five sheng. One regularly eats dried jujubes, nine each day. One prefers to drink xuan shui—here referring to the water consumed in cultivation—one sheng a day, and cooked vegetables and mixed foods, about one sheng a day. Do not eat sticky or slippery vegetables, so as to keep one’s vital strength robust. Thereafter one will be able to perform daoyin activities such as bending, stretching, and walking, and will also possess methods for regulating and nourishing the body on one’s own. Only after the breath has been harmonized for three years may one cut off grains; this belongs to a higher level of Qi-ingestion practice. Those of the middle grade reach grain abstinence in the second year or the first year; those of the lower grade cut off grains after a hundred days. If one ingests Qi and also takes medicinal substances, one can cut off grains on that very day; such a person is a practitioner of the highest grade.

When ingesting Qi, one should draw it in finely and subtly, not letting others hear the sound of the breath entering and leaving. While practicing the ingestion of Qi, one regularly holds a jujube pit in the mouth, rinses the mouth with the fluids of the mouth, and swallows those fluids in order to nourish the five viscera. One should understand this clearly and carry it out with care.

The preliminary method of ingesting Qi (vital energy) may be used to treat illness. At the start one eats as usual, taking one mouthful less each day than the day before, and after ten days grain is given up entirely. When practicing the ingestion of Qi, if hunger comes one draws in the breath until one feels sated; it is said that this can dispel all manner of disease. In the method of practicing Qi ingestion, one should constantly hold a jujube pit in the mouth, rinse the mouth with the saliva within it, and then swallow it down, so as to irrigate and nourish the five viscera, taking this as a daily exercise. This must be clearly understood and carefully observed.

When one first begins to retain the breath and refine Qi, one first silently recites in the mind and visualizes the sacred names of the True Father and Mother of the Six Jia (the names of deities in Daoist visualization), and then contemplates the deities of the Three Primordial Dantians (energy centers). Within the Niwan (the divine-court region in the upper part of the head), three inches inward from between the eyebrows, is the Upper Primordial Dantian, where dwells the Perfected Ruddy Infant, whose style name is Yuanxian and who is also called Diqing. The Crimson Palace, where the heart resides, is the Middle Dantian, where dwells the Middle Primordial Perfected, whose style name is Zidan and who is also called Guangjian. Three inches below the navel is the Lower Primordial Dantian, where dwells the Perfected Infant, whose style name is Yuanyangzi and who is also called Guxuan. These three are together called the “Three Ones,” that is, the deities of the three Dantians. In practice this must be clearly understood and carefully observed.

Those who practice the ingestion of Qi (vital energy), even if they have already received the precepts of cultivation, may still practice this method in the ordinary world should their aspirations remain unfulfilled and they stay entangled in secular affairs—living at home, serving in government office, or traveling abroad—and thus be unable to remain quiet and single-minded. So long as they carry it out in earnest and make some progress in their practice, and further combine it with abstention from grain and the regulation of Qi, while also consulting and ingesting the Six Jia talismans transmitted by Xianmenzi and Zhongdun, the benefit will be all the greater. In this way one can dispel impurity and remove illness, regulate the five viscera, keep malign Qi from invading the body, and also avert calamity and escape misfortune.

Ingesting Qi must be practiced with care. From evening one takes no food until dawn, so that the grain-Qi within the body is fully exhausted and the five viscera are empty; the breath can then be harmonized. When the weather is clear and bright, the time from sunrise until noon is the period for performing the method and drawing in Qi, and one may either sit or lie down. At the start one draws in only a little, practicing according to the count of twenty-four Qi, then gradually increasing to thirty-two Qi and sixty-four Qi, and finally training up to one hundred and twenty Qi. If this can be done smoothly, one continues; if it cannot, one stops. Whether by the year, the month, the day, or the hour, practice should be kept up without lapse, so that the circulation of Qi remains free and unobstructed; how much one practices may be decided according to one’s own condition. If this can also be combined with the ingestion of medicinal substances, the benefit is still greater.

In daily life one should concentrate on visualizing the divinities, burn incense, chant and intone, and practice daoyin. In this way the celestial spirits will record a person’s intentions and note the results of cultivation. Together with abstention from grain and everyday labor, one may thereby open the path to the divinities, while at the same time cultivating De (Virtue/Power) and carefully embodying the Dao (the Way). When cultivating in withdrawal from the secular world, one must be all the more discerning and cautious, and reverently observe these methods.

Practicing the method of fuqi, that is, cultivation by regulating the breath and taking in Qi (vital energy), is said to free one from feelings of hunger and thirst. Drinking xuanshui (a kind of water so called in cultivation), although it can help regulate Qi and strengthen the body, will disturb the circulation of the breath if more than one dou is drunk; drinking water alone will also cause the breath to stagnate in the channels and vessels.

Once Qi has been successfully cultivated, one drinks only jujube water: take ten fine large jujubes, boil them in water until cooked, remove the skins, pound them to extract the juice, then decoct and concentrate it to three sheng, and drink it when thirsty. On ordinary days one may boil ten jujubes; if hunger is still felt, the number may be increased to twenty or thirty at most. If one does not feel hungry, one should not eat. Water may be drunk in daily life, but not to excess, and cold water should not be drunk; the water ought to be boiled before it is taken.

If one is still holding office or laboring in the secular world, then, while practicing the methods of breath regulation and Qi cultivation, one must not eat any kind of meat, nor raw vegetables, pungent and strong-smelling foods such as scallions and garlic, or the five fruits in their raw state (five kinds of fruit, the precise referents varying from text to text). Food should be cooked and eaten only in small amounts. One should clearly understand these requirements and observe them with care in practice.

Second Section: Transmitting the Essential Instructions and Scriptural Formulas (Jing) for Fuqi

The master (surname and given name), at such-and-such place, in such-and-such commandery, county, township, and village, informs the disciple So-and-so: Today I transmit to you the essential instructions and scriptural formulas for fuqi. You are to cultivate them with reverence and caution, and to carry them out entirely in accordance with what is set down by the scriptural methods, the covenant oaths, and the precepts, just as one carries out the ordinances of the Most High Lord Lao of the Great Dao (the Way).

The master (surname and given name), at such-and-such place, in such-and-such commandery, county, township, and village, informs the disciple So-and-so: Today I transmit to you the essential instructions and scriptural formulas for fuqi. You are to cultivate them with reverence and caution, and to carry them out entirely in accordance with what is set down by the scriptural methods, the covenant oaths, and the precepts, just as one carries out the ordinances of the Most High Lord Lao of the Great Dao (the Way).

On the first day of such-and-such month in such-and-such year, the disciple So-and-so, of such-and-such commandery, county, township, and village, aged so many years, solemnly swears to the master: “I reverently abide by the teaching. I now copy out and receive the essential instructions for fuqi and the scriptural formulas transmitted by my master. These regulations are bound by strict precepts, and I dare not disobey the command. If I transmit the methods and instructions to an unsuitable person, I am to be dealt with according to the jiaodao edict (a prohibition sworn upon a blade).”

After the teacher has read aloud the charge and the disciple’s text of self-oath, the disciple receives them together with the scripture scroll. Once the disciple wears the text of the petition on his person, he makes eight bows to the master. When the master has finished reading the charge and admonishing the disciple, he hands the scriptural method over to the disciple. The disciple drinks the cinnabar water and makes eight bows again. The master finishes reading the text of self-oath and delivers the oath-knife (the knife used for swearing an oath in the transmission ritual); the disciple makes eight bows once more, and the ritual comes to an end.

Those who uphold the precepts and cultivate De (Virtue/Power), even while still burdened by secular affairs and living in the human world, may take medicines, abstain from grains (not eating grains), practice the ingestion of Qi (vital energy) through regulating the breath and drawing it in, and cultivate the ingestion of solar Jing (essence), the method of absorbing the essential Qi of sunlight. Afterward, the master finishes reading the text of self-oath, delivers the oath-knife, the disciple makes eight bows again, and the ritual then comes to an end.

Those who uphold the precepts and cultivate De, even while still burdened by secular affairs and living in the human world, may take medicines, abstain from grains, ingest Qi, ingest solar Jing, and practice the Six Wu Qi formula (the qi-ingestion formula associated with the “Six Wu”). Each of these three methods of cultivation has several levels. Their concrete procedures are not written in the scripture and must be transmitted orally by the master. The covenant texts mentioned above likewise belong among the agreements to be observed at the time of transmission.

In careful accordance with what is set down in the document: I, your servant, together with disciple So-and-so, native of such-and-such commandery, county, township, and village, whether male or female, holding such-and-such office, aged so many years, who delights in the immortal Dao (the Way) and hopes to prolong life, receive and wear the Fulu (talismans and registers) and the precepts, vow not to violate the regulations, cultivate goodness and accumulate merit, and earnestly beg to receive the scriptural recipes, essential instructions, and secret methods of qi-ingestion. With utmost sincerity I kowtow on behalf of So-and-so and, carefully following the Keyi (liturgy), perform the rites of presenting the petition, tying the cap-strings, and the like, deliver the oath-knife and the cinnabar water, and read the charge according to the proper procedure. So-and-so takes an oath of his own accord: if he violates the precepts, or transmits the method to an unsuitable person, he is willing to bear in his own person the punishment symbolized by the oath-knife, and all shall be carried out according to the command. We earnestly ask the presiding deities to forward this document, and to dispatch the deities of the covenant, together with the true officials of the local soil and the region, to come, register, and oversee the matter, so that the covenant document may take effect, with the corresponding signs of verification as proof. I, your servant So-and-so, in reverent fear, respectfully submit this memorial.

Section Three: The Petition Ritual for Receiving the Method of Qi-Ingestion.

I respectfully state in accordance with this document: Disciple So-and-so, a native of such-and-such commandery, such-and-such county, such-and-such township, and such-and-such hamlet, is one of the male and female officers, of such-and-such years of age. So-and-so cultivates and observes the registers and the precepts, and meritorious deeds have already been fulfilled.

So-and-so has previously received and practiced the scriptural methods (Jing) of ingesting Qi (vital energy), and delights in drawing in primordial Qi. Today falls on an auspicious day and at a favorable hour, when heaven and earth are clear and bright and the mediating Qi of Yin-Yang blends together in harmony. A memorial is therefore submitted, requesting to receive the Qi of the Celestial Official and earnestly inviting the deity of the Celestial Official to descend and inspect.

With a heart of utmost sincerity, So-and-so respectfully bows and submits this memorial. It is prayed that the deities who preside over this matter will permit the document to pass, and will grant that the deity of the Celestial Official who governs Qi descend to protect and aid, so that So-and-so may adopt the qi-ingestion methods of the eight guidings, the four guidings, and the single guiding, and draw in pure Qi that has been refined and harmonized through one hundred and twenty cycles. May this pure Qi enter the body and spread through the various palaces and offices (that is, the internal viscera and the places where the movement of Qi takes place), refining and nourishing the sinews and bones, so that the body is freed from the suffering of hunger and thirst and may attain long life and ascent in deliverance. Gracious permission is earnestly sought, and a double-hour is to be chosen for the practice. Disciple So-and-so, in reverent awe, respectfully submits this address.

The fourth item of ritual protocol for submitting a memorial during the practice of qi-ingestion sets forth the rites and norms by which, when cultivating the ingestion of Qi, one presents a memorial to pray to and invite the deities.

I respectfully state the matter in accordance with this document. Disciple So-and-so, of a certain age, delights in the Dao (the Way) of long life and of prolonging life without death. The disciple formerly studied under Master So-and-so, received and wore the true offices, registers, precepts, talismans, and covenants of the Daoist teaching—that is, the priest’s office-registers, the certificates of the precepts, the ritual talismans, and the like—and for many years down to the present has never dared to violate the precepts and covenants. Cultivating good deeds, with merit gradually brought to completion, the disciple has come to enjoy the joy of the original source of the Great Dao.

Formerly, in a certain year, month, and day, the disciple was further favored when Master So-and-so transmitted the essential instructions for ingesting Qi (vital energy) and the scriptural methods of exhaling and humming, of gathering Qi and drawing Qi in, and conferred the essential instructions that must be practiced in accordance with the covenant, which ought to be reverently received, upheld, and cultivated. Today the wang-xiang signs are auspicious, the day is fortunate and the hour favorable; heaven and earth are clear and bright, and the harmoniously balanced Qi of Yin-Yang mingles together. I respectfully follow the Keyi (liturgy) of the master’s lineage, bow to present a memorial and submit a petition to state the case, and request that the deities who preside over documents permit this document to pass, and dispatch the celestial officials, the gods who administer Qi, to come, inspect, and protect, so that this matter may be accomplished.

I earnestly beg the deities to enable Disciple So-and-so to take in the Qi of the eight guidings, the four guidings, and the one guiding, together with the breath that has been refined one hundred and twenty times, harmonious in form and clear and upright. May this Qi enter the disciple’s body, circulate and flow throughout the body, refine and nourish and transform the sinews and bones, so that the disciple neither hungers nor thirsts and may attain long life and ascent to deliverance. I earnestly beg that you look down in compassion and grant your assent.

Golden Elixir (Jindan) Divine Methods, Fifth Section

First take one jin of Golden Jing (essence), one jin of five-colored zhi herbs, and one jin of five-colored Jade Jing. Five immortals refine and prepare the Golden Jing, and five jade maidens refine and prepare the five-colored zhi herbs; these are then placed in a golden cauldron and decocted. After seven days the medicine is complete, and one thereafter observes fasting and purification for one hundred days. On a yin day of the second month the medicines are combined, and on the wuyin day they are taken. At the mao hour after sunrise, one faces east and bows eight times toward the sun, then tilts the head back and swallows a single pill the size of an egg yolk. One can then ascend to heaven and mount the Purple Palace (the dwelling of the Celestial Emperor), and the Five Emperors of heaven will come down to receive one.

What is here called Golden Jing is the white, ring-shaped Qi (vital energy) above the lungs; Jade Jing is the Qi in the knot of the throat. The azure, vermilion, white, black, and yellow zhi refer respectively to the nine-orifice vessels in the liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, and spleen. The Golden Elixir is the Qi upon the tongue, and the golden cauldron is the central yellow Qi. The five immortals refer to the five yang stems—jia, bing, wu, geng, and ren—and the five jade maidens refer to the five yin stems—yi, ding, ji, xin, and gui. If a person can hold these inner Qi and divinities in meditative visualization, the entire household can ascend as immortals.

If the Son of Heaven takes this elixir, the realm will be peaceful and well ordered: the five kinds of pestilence and malign disease will subside, ghosts and spirits will hide themselves and no longer work harm, warfare will cease, and the common people will live in ease. Above there will be no statutory levies, and below there will be no need to transport supplies. Even grasses and trees will be nourished—how much more so the person who compounds and refines the elixir? One jin of the Golden Elixir yields only a single pill, heavier than heaven, earth, and the mountains, and nothing among the myriad things of the world can compare with it.

Huagaizi asked Yuzi, “People all say that heaven and earth are divided into nine layers. Is this so?” Yuzi laughed and said, “How could there truly be nine layers of heaven above? I have traveled throughout the human world, recording good deeds, removing evil matters, and seeking out the worthy. By night I can roam above the Nine Heavens, and downward I can pass beneath the Nine Earths. Heaven has nine stars, and so is called the Nine Heavens; earth has nine palaces, and so is called the Nine Earths; a person has nine apertures, and so these are called the nine orifices. The Northern Dipper has nine stars, two of which lie hidden in the yin; a person has nine orifices, two of which likewise lie hidden in the yin. Kuigang (a stellar deity of the Northern Dipper, also called Xuanji) governs the myriad spirits and commands the eight directions. Dwelling between heaven and earth, if one can understand the Dao (the Way) of Kuigang, one can come into being together with heaven and earth and shine together with the sun and moon, and amid the transformations of the indistinct and elusive ascend into the Grand Clarity (Taiqing). Such a principle is sufficient to serve as a lasting rule for later generations to follow.”

Yuzi went on, “Above are the Nine Heavens, and below the Nine Earths; heaven has nine stars, and earth has nine palaces. In the east the Qi of Wood flourishes; this is called the Azure Heaven, which governs warmth and gives birth to and nurtures the myriad things. In the south the Qi of Fire flourishes; this is called the Vermilion Heaven, which governs heat and nourishes the myriad things. In the west the Qi of Metal flourishes; this is called the Brilliant Heaven, which governs coolness and brings the myriad things to maturity. In the north the Qi of Water flourishes; this is called the Dark Heaven, which governs cold and causes the myriad things to wither and fall. In the center the Qi of Earth flourishes; this is called the Round Heaven, which governs wind. The northwest is the highest; it is called the High Heaven and governs clarity. The southeast is called the Primordial Heaven and governs Qi. The southwest is called the Cool Heaven and governs yin. The northeast is called the August Heaven and governs government. The lords of the Nine Heavens are collectively called the August Heaven.”

Yuzi then listed the lords of the Nine Heavens. The first is the Great August Lord, styled the High Heaven, who governs clear Qi and cherishes the Perfected, the sages, and practitioners of the Dao, and is therefore honored as the Supreme Thearch of the August Heaven, the Great Unity Lord of the Dao. The second is the Northern Pole Lord, named Beichen, styled the True Heaven, who governs the winds of the eight directions and the commands of emperors and kings, and regulates the myriad things. The third is the Clear Yang Lord, styled the Azure Heaven, who governs the color azure, gives birth to and nurtures the myriad things, and records the Perfected. The fourth is the Great Yang Lord, styled the Fiery Heaven, who governs hot Qi and causes the myriad things to grow and ripen. The fifth is the Primordial Lord, styled the Cool Heaven, who governs the Perfected and the immortals and brings the myriad things to maturity. The sixth is the Lesser Yang Lord, styled the Brilliant Heaven, who brings the myriad things to completion. The seventh is the Great Yin Lord, styled the Dark Heaven, who governs cold Qi and causes the myriad things to wither and fall. The eighth is the Lord Who Opens Heaven, styled the High Heaven, who governs calamities, anomalies, and transformations. The ninth is the Yang Lord, styled the Primordial Heaven, who governs Qi, presides over clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning, and commands the myriad spirits.

The scripture further says that if one cultivates according to this method, whatever is sought will be granted as wished. Seeking the Dao, one obtains the Dao, rises to become an immortal king, enters and leaves the Mysterious Gate, and enjoys peace, happiness, and long life. Seeking office, one obtains high rank; seeking wealth, one obtains goods and silks. Whatever the heart conceives and wishes for can all be realized. A woman may become a person of noble standing, and a man may become a marquis or a king. If one attains flight and ascension as an immortal, then even in youth one can soar aloft into heaven, and one can also tread the Dipper and pace the Gang (a Daoist ritual of walking according to the positions of the stars and the Dipper)—and not merely pace the Gang alone.

The “Three Offices and Six Records” are also called the Three Commands, the Three Lives, the Three Treasures, and the Six Harms. The practitioner should visualize the Mysterious Qi becoming a hedge that protects the body, the Primordial Qi becoming a dwelling, and the Inaugural Qi becoming bed and mat. The Mysterious Qi of heaven is clear and upright; it descends from the crown of the head and enters the body, comes to rest in the liver, runs through in connection with the Nine Heavens, and then goes out through the two eyes. The Primordial Qi of water is pure white; it enters the body from beneath the channels on the left and right, comes to rest in the lungs, runs through in connection with the Nine Heavens, and then goes out through the two nostrils. The Inaugural Qi of earth is proper yellow; it enters the body from beneath the left and right feet, comes to rest in the spleen, runs through in connection with the Nine Heavens, and then goes out through the mouth. May these three Qi arrive together, covering the whole body, year after year, never exhausted.

One then visualizes the twenty-seven lords of living Qi within the human body. The hair is the Qingcheng Lord; the head is the Lord of the Three Platforms; the eyebrows are the Lord of the Eight Extremes; the two ears are the Jueming Lord; the left eye is the Lord of Mysterious Brightness; the right eye is the Lord of Primordial Brightness; the nose is the Lord of the Wondrous Portal of the Encompassing Heaven; the mouth is the Lord of the Jade Portal of Arrayed Origins; the teeth are the Lord of the Eight Kings; the tongue is the Wuji Lord; the throat is, respectively, the Commandant Lord and the Lord of the Nine Ministers. The liver is the Lord of the Crimson Palace; the lungs are the Huagai Lord; the gallbladder is the Lord of Long Life; the heart is the Lord of Cinnabar Origin; the navel is the Purple-White Lord; the spleen is the Lord of the Yellow Court; the stomach is the Lord of the Great Granary; the large intestine is the Food-Mother Lord; the small intestine is the Daoyin Lord; the left and right kidneys are, respectively, the Lord of Mysterious Subtlety and the Lord of Mysterious Origin; the inner storehouse is the Yuedao Lord; the triple burner is the Lord of the Mysterious Elder; the two knees are the Lord of the Small Carriage That Paces To and Fro; the two feet are the Lord of Thunder, Lightning, and Cloud Qi. May these twenty-seven lords of living Qi ever abide within the body and not depart of their own accord.

Next, one should visualize the three divine lords within one’s own body and have them remain securely in the Niwan (the divine residence within the head), the Jianggong (Crimson Palace, where the heart is located), and the Dantian (energy center, three inches below the navel), not departing at will.

The Zhenren (Perfected Person), whose courtesy name is Zidan, dwells in the heart, presiding over a person’s heart-spirit and the host of spirits and thereby enabling long life. The Chizi (Red Infant), whose courtesy name is Taishang, dwells in the head and presides over the prolongation of years and the increase of longevity; he restrains spiritual nature and desire, returning a person to clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), and he illuminates and examines all affairs. The deity of the upper position is in the brain and is named the Red Infant; the deity of the middle position is in the heart and is named the Perfected Person; the deity of the lower position, three inches below the navel, is named the Ying’er (Babe).

The Dao (the Way) of human life is entirely bound up with these three inner deities. If one continues to visualize them with single-minded concentration, one will be able to see them. The brain is called the Ziwei Palace (Palace of Purple Tenuity), the heart is called the Dongfang Palace (Palace of the Cavern Chamber), and the place three inches below the navel is called the Dantian Palace. If a person regularly visualizes the deities and the Qi (vital energy) within these three palaces, one can attain changsheng jiushi, long life and lasting vision (living long while remaining clear and lucid).

Next, one visualizes the five palaces within the human body, together with the six bowels and the five viscera. According to the correspondences of the Five Phases (Wuxing: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), the liver belongs to Wood and is called the Palace of Wood; the heart belongs to Fire and is called the Palace of Fire; the lungs belong to Metal and are called the Palace of Metal; the kidneys belong to Water and are called the Palace of Water; and the spleen belongs to Earth and is called the Palace of Earth. These are the five viscera. The scripture further likens the body to government offices and the titles of generals: the liver is the Office of the General of the Left, the lungs the Office of the General of the Right, the heart the Office of the General of the Front, the kidneys the Office of the General of the Rear, the navel the Office of the Grand General of the Central Cavalry, and the head the Office of the Upper General. The point is that, by understanding the internal structure of the body, one can also come to recognize the corresponding relations that appear in its outward aspect.

Each of the viscera and bowels has its own names of palace and office. The lungs are called the Jade Hall Palace and the Office of the Imperial Secretary; the heart, the Crimson Hall Palace and the Office of Primordial Yang; the liver, the Clear Cool Palace and the Orchid Terrace Office; the gallbladder, the Purple Tenuity Palace and the Office of the Primordial Ultimate; the kidneys, the Secluded Pasture Palace and the Office of Great Harmony; and the spleen, the Central Yellow Palace and the Office of Great Simplicity. The scripture collectively calls these the Six Offices. The five viscera each store something of their own: the lungs store the po, the corporeal soul; the liver stores the hun, the ethereal soul; the heart stores Shen (spirit); the kidneys store Jing (essence); and the spleen stores the will.

The Five Phases have different correspondences in different domains: in heaven they are the five planets, on earth they are the Five Phases, within the human body they are the five viscera, and in color they are the five colors. The five planets are the Year Star (Jupiter) in the east, the Dazzling Deluder (Mars) in the south, Great White (Venus) in the west, the Chronograph Star (Mercury) in the north, and the Quelling Star (Saturn) in the center. The Five Phases are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The five viscera are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The five colors are blue-green, vermilion, white, black, and yellow.

The scripture then explains intermediate colors—colors formed when two colors are mixed—by assigning the heavenly stems to the Five Phases and pairing them through Yin-Yang. For example, yellow joined with blue-green makes green, white joined with vermilion makes a light red, vermilion joined with black makes purple, and black joined with yellow makes gan, a blue-black. It also assigns to the ten heavenly stems, in sequence, the names Wood, Grove, Fire, Ash, Earth, Ocher, Metal, Ore, Water, and Mud, and by this means shows the different forms taken by the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases.

The Qi of each of the Five Phases has its own function. The Qi of Wood causes the myriad things to sprout forth; the Qi of Fire causes them to grow to maturity; the Qi of Metal causes them to decline and perish; and the Qi of Water causes them to withdraw and lie hidden. In the three months of spring, grasses and trees bud and grow, so it is said that the Qi of Wood governs birth. In summer the myriad things reach completion, so it is said that the Qi of Fire governs growth. In autumn the myriad things wither and fall, so it is said that the Qi of Metal governs killing. In winter, living creatures that move about go into hiding and no longer take flight, so it is said that the Qi of Water governs storage.

The scripture also uses the transformations of Yin-Yang and the conversion of living things to explain the Five Phases. It says that Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water each pair with another phase, first coming into being in accordance with Yang Qi and then transforming in accordance with Yin Qi. From this arise the names known as the azure grain of the east, the cinnabar grain of the south, a certain grain of the center, the plain grain of the west, and the dark grain of the north. These accounts take as examples the elm changing into beans, mulberries changing into wheat, melons changing into millet, jujubes changing into rice, and tangerines changing into soybeans, expressing the idea that the myriad things change along with the Qi of the Five Phases.

Why must the Five Phases be paired like husband and wife? The scripture explains that this is because they constrain one another. When Earth would go east, Wood comes to overcome Earth; when Wood would go west, Metal comes to fell Wood; when Metal would go south, Fire comes to melt Metal; when Fire would go north, Water comes to extinguish Fire; when Water would go south, Earth comes to block Water. Through the Yin-Yang spousal relations of the heavenly stems, it shows that the mutual overcoming of the Five Phases can also be understood as their fitting together with one another.

When the Five Phases overcome one another, they sometimes cause injury or death, and sometimes do not go so far. The scripture holds that Wood and Fire belong to Yang Qi and possess a nature that generates and nurtures, so Wood piercing Earth and Fire burning Metal are not in every case described as total destruction. Metal felling Wood and Water extinguishing Fire, by contrast, are regarded as Yin Qi carrying out punishment and injury. The five viscera are likewise classified according to the Five Phases: the heart belongs to Fire, the liver to Wood, the lungs to Metal, the kidneys to Water, and the spleen to Earth. The scripture goes further, using the assignment of the heavenly stems to explain the relations among the viscera and bowels and the Qi of Water, Fire, and Earth. It holds, for example, that the spleen belongs to Earth and, even after being influenced by the Qi of Water, still resides at the center of the body.

Finally, the scripture sets out several statements about the earthly branches in relation to directions and the circulation of Qi. Wood is born from the Qi of the hai hour, flourishes at the mao hour, and declines to exhaustion at the wei hour. Water is born from the Qi of the shen hour, flourishes at the zi hour, and declines to exhaustion at the chen hour. It further links the day-branches hai, mao, shen, zi, and others with such names as “Yin Thief” and “Greedy Wolf,” and it lists the chen day as treachery, the wei day as deviance, the xu day as rectitude, and the chou day as impartiality, using these to distinguish different qualities such as treachery and deviance, evil, and fairness and uprightness.

If the method of abstaining from grain is dominated by the Qi (vital energy) of the “Greedy Wolf” (Tanlang), it must not be carried out. The chen day belongs to treachery, the wei day to deviance, the xu day to rectitude, and the chou day to impartiality; when practicing it, one should clearly distinguish the qualities of treachery, deviance, evil, impartiality, and rectitude.

The formula for decocting genuine cinnabar for abstaining from grain calls for three liang of white honey, half a jin of white wax, and three liang of genuine cinnabar, three materials in all. First melt the white wax over the fire, then add the genuine cinnabar and the white honey, and decoct the mixture over the fire, applying heat nine times and removing it from the fire nine times in turn. When the medicine is ready, roll it into pills the size of Chinese parasol-tree seeds. Take one pill each day, three times in all. It is said that this can make the body light and vigorous and the strength ample, so that one feels no hunger all year long. While preparing it, do not let women see it; it should be compounded alone in a secluded place.

A formula for prolonging life: in the seventh month, gather two sheng of paper-mulberry fruit of a true red color, dry it in the shade, pound it fine, and take it with water, one square-inch-spoonful at a time. The scripture (Jing) says that after prolonged use one will see ghosts, as well as things beneath the ground.

Three jin of cinnabar are carefully pounded fine, sifted through a close-woven silk sieve, and placed in a copper jar. Nine sheng of pure vinegar are then poured in; the mixture is stirred into a paste and dried in a place of high heat. Once dry, vinegar is sprinkled over it and it is dried again, following the same procedure as before. For each jin of cinnabar, three sheng of vinegar are used. Only after this repeated processing is the medicine considered prepared. It is then exposed continuously to the sun for thirty days. When the cinnabar has turned purple, does not stick to the hands when stirred, and draws out like malt sugar, it is judged to meet the standard.

The medicine is formed into pills the size of hemp seeds and taken with jinghua water (well water drawn for the first time at dawn), three pills a day, customarily in the morning. Before taking the medicine, one must first observe a fast and purification for thirty days, and then bathe and cleanse the body with five-fragrance water (bathwater to which various aromatic substances have been added).

The scripture claims that after one day of taking the medicine, the “Three Worms” (in Daoist and ancient medical thought, worm-spirits believed to lodge in the human body and impair health) will be expelled; after six days, the various illnesses of the body will all be cured; after sixty days, one will begin to see; after one year, white hair will turn black and teeth that have fallen out will grow again; after two years, one’s appearance will become like that at the age of fifteen. Thereafter, divine beings will come of their own accord.

When taking the medicine, the dose is increased by one pill each day, up to a maximum of nine pills. After more than three years of taking it, it is said that divine beings will arrive, clad in robes of purple zhi and orchid and bearing trays that present purple zhi and orchids. On seeing them one should not be afraid, but set the mind at ease and steady one’s intention. The scripture states that thereafter the myriad things will come of themselves, and the hundred ghosts and spirits will all become visible and submit to being commanded. Among these spirits, one is named Shang (“Above”), one is named Shou (“Longevity”), and one is named Heng (“Constancy”); it is said that all of them can summon the myriad things and can also call the hundred ghosts so that they come.

The scripture further says that the one who takes the medicine can enter into water, fire, wood, metal, stone, earth, and the like, passing in and out without hindrance, transforming at will, and seeing as far as ten thousand li away. The power of the Dao (the Way) will flourish, and one will also be able to gaze inwardly upon the five viscera. After becoming a True Person (zhenren), one will be recognized by all the spirits and will be able to enter and leave the realms of darkness. This is the state of “what the Dao brings to completion.” The scripture claims that one’s lifespan may reach eighteen thousand years, and that continued taking of the medicine brings long life without death.

While taking the medicine, one may drink only a small amount of water. In preparing the medicine one must fast and maintain purity; the medicine is to be compounded before the summer solstice and is not to be taken after the summer solstice. The prohibitions include consuming blood, drinking wine, and eating the various kinds of meat and raw vegetables. The scripture states that this formula must not be casually transmitted to unworthy persons, or else disaster will befall one’s descendants. The conclusion praises it as a secret formula of the immortals, of extremely fine efficacy.

The foundation of cultivation lies in concentrating spirit and thought, ingesting Fulu (talismans and registers), guarding the heart and Shen (spirit), and cultivating Qi (vital energy). Anyone who cultivates Qi should first ingest this talisman and abstain from the five grains for a full year, and only then transmit the method to worthy and virtuous persons, so that they clearly understand it and carry it out with care according to the rules. The Fulu are written in cinnabar.

After the first two talismans have been ingested, hunger may be felt for as long as a hundred days; this further talisman may then be taken as an aid.

The foregoing are the divine talismans for ingesting Qi and cutting off grains—that is, regulating the breath so as to take in Qi and ceasing to eat the five grains. In the early morning, draw well water, or water that flows toward the east. Each day swallow six talismans, taking all six at one time, and make this a regular practice. The preliminary method of ingesting Qi is as follows. Beginning at the mao hour (about five to seven in the morning), face the mao direction; at the chen hour (about seven to nine), face the chen direction; at the si hour (about nine to eleven), face the si direction; and at the wu hour (about eleven to one in the afternoon), face the wu direction. From after noon until the hai hour (about nine to eleven at night) is the time of “dead Qi,” and Qi must not be gathered.

When ingesting Qi one should also avoid strong wind, heavy rain, thunder and lightning, and weather that is cold, overcast, or dim. Only when the sky is clear and the sun has risen may Qi be gathered. If Qi is gathered after the si or wu hour, Yin Qi overcomes Yang Qi (Yin-Yang), the five viscera are injured, and ingesting Qi brings no benefit. This should be understood and carefully observed.

Grades and Methods of Ingesting Talismans (Seven)

The talisman of Bian Que for reviving those who have suddenly collapsed as if dead is said to come from the Perfected One of Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity). It is used to treat sudden strike by malign influence—a sudden assault by pathogenic Qi—“flying corpse” entering the abdomen, the Daoist medical name for an acute attack that seems as if some malign entity has invaded, as well as severe abdominal pain and lockjaw. Write the talisman in water with cinnabar, or write it on paper to form a Fulu. Swallow three pellets of the talismanic medicine; if there is no improvement, repeat the procedure until it has been done three times in all. The talisman may also be written in large characters across the chest and abdomen; either method, it is said, can bring a cure.

The secret talisman of Young Lord Chang Sang

This talisman treats injury to the heart from contracting pathogenic Qi, together with inability to breathe freely. Write the talisman in cinnabar on white paper, making three copies, and place them in succession into three cups of washing broth, hot water used for washing or cleansing. Beginning with the first cup on the left, drink the three cups in order; recovery, it is said, will follow.

This talisman is also used for sudden abdominal pain and distension, breath on the point of failing, and symptoms resembling an attack of flying corpse. With cinnabar write the talisman large across the patient’s abdomen, preferably covering the whole abdomen; the Fulu may also be ingested.

These two talismans (fu) can treat cases in which a person suddenly encounters evil influences and intrusive ghosts, suffers stabbing pain in the chest, breathes only faintly, and is nearly at the point of expiring. The method is to take white paper and write the talisman in cinnabar. First complete the writing in the form of the “flying corpse,” then write this talisman on the patient’s abdomen, covering as much of the whole abdomen as possible and extending the writing somewhat longer vertically, which gives a better effect. The patient may also swallow the talisman.

These two talismans treat sudden disturbance by evil influences, stabbing pain in the chest, and breath on the verge of failing. First have the patient swallow the upper talisman; if after a while there is still no improvement, then have the patient swallow the lower one. If that still has no effect, begin again with the upper talisman. Even if the patient has already died, so long as the area below the pit of the stomach remains warm and shows a slight stir, swallowing the talisman is said to be able to bring about a cure. If the patient’s jaws are locked and the mouth cannot be opened, one tooth may be broken off and the talisman placed in the mouth; it is enough for the talisman to remain in the mouth, and it need not be swallowed into the abdomen. The talisman may also be placed inside a scallion leaf, inserted into the nose as deeply as possible, and then pushed farther with water; once the passage is cleared, continue pushing, and this can revive the patient. This talisman is said to be highly efficacious.

Celestial Master Zhang (Tianshi, the Celestial Master venerated in Daoism) further says that there is a method used by Bian Que, a famous physician of antiquity, for suddenly restoring the dead to life. It was originally transmitted by the Lady of the Southern Marchmount, a deity venerated in Daoism, and is therefore included here. When writing the talisman, one should first wash the hands clean and only then begin, facing the Moon King and writing while holding the breath. The method is first to draw an outline all around the outside of the talismanic script in blue-black, and then to write the talismanic script within it in cinnabar. If blue-black pigment and cinnabar are unavailable, ink may also be used. For a talisman that treats illness caused by evil, tiger bone and true pearls (pearls) should first be ground and blended together, after which a brush is used to write the talismanic script.

The Perfected Person of Great Simplicity (Dasu Zhenren) transmitted to Lord Pei two methods of becoming a Perfected Person. The first is the “Dao (the Way) of Racing to the Sun”: every morning, just as the sun rises, one faces the sun, closes the eyes, holds the breath, and counts to ten breaths, then swallows the sunlight ten times. Each time, one must visualize in the mind the sunlight entering the mouth; after swallowing it, one further visualizes the Azure Thearch Lord coming out of the sunlight to one’s left side, the Red Thearch Lord coming to the right side, the White Thearch Lord coming behind, the Black Thearch Lord coming onto the left hand, and the Yellow Thearch Lord coming onto the right hand. When all five Thearch Lords have arrived, one then visualizes a carriage of the solar-fire mirror and crimson clouds (a divine carriage imaged upon sunlight), drawn by nine dragons, driving out of the sun and stopping before oneself. One then rides in this carriage together with the Five Thearchs and races toward the sun.

Lord Pei lived in the empty mountains, practicing and concentrating on visualization. After one year, the images he visualized gradually appeared; after two years, the Five Thearchs manifested beside him, riding the sunlight; after three years, he could talk and laugh with them all day long; after five years, the Lord of the Sun and the Five Thearchs had him mount a carriage of flying dragons and travel east to the Heaven of the Solar Cavern. He toured the Palace of the Great Vehicle on the Long Mound and the City of the Eight Extremes, ascended the Terrace of Luminous Perfection, and sat in the Hall of the Rare Grove, where they transmitted to him the “Stanzas of Wielding the Spirits” and the Talismans of the Nine Realms. He also ate the azure Jing (essence) of the sun and drank the cloud-blue mysterious marrow (the immortals’ Jing and Qi (vital energy) and numinous liquors spoken of in the scripture (Jing)). From then on he went out roaming every day with the Five Thearchs and the Lord of the Sun. This is what is called the “Dao of Racing to the Sun.”

Within the sun there are likewise Five Thearchs, one of whom is called the Lord of the Sun. The “Central Chapter of the Hidden Writings of the Most High” says that anyone who wishes to cultivate and become a Perfected Person should visualize the Lord of the Sun driving a vermilion phoenix and riding the clouds of celestial radiance, traveling east to tour the Rare Grove, and entering the Thearch’s Gate to cultivate with full concentration. One will then obtain the essential Dao, be ranked among the numinous officials of Highest Clarity, become a Perfected Official, and take charge of the writs of Yuyi. This is the first of the two methods of becoming a Perfected Person.

The second is the “Dao of Racing to the Moon”: every evening one faces the moon, closes the eyes, holds the breath, and counts to nine breaths, then swallows the moonlight nine times. One must visualize the moonlight entering the mouth and being swallowed, and then visualize the Azure Thearch Lady coming out of the moonlight to one’s left side, the Red Thearch Lady coming to the right side, the White Thearch Lady coming behind, the Black Thearch Lady coming onto the left hand, and the Yellow Thearch Lady coming onto the right hand. When all five Thearch Ladies have arrived, one then visualizes a carriage of flowing numina and flying clouds, drawn by ten dragons, driving out of the moonlight and stopping in front. One rides in this carriage together with the five Thearch Ladies and races toward the moon.

Lord Pei lived in the empty mountains, practicing and concentrating on visualization. After one year, the images he visualized gradually appeared; after two years, the five Thearch Ladies manifested beside him, riding the moonlight, and laughed together with him; after five years, the lunar ladies of the Five Thearchs rode with him in a carriage of flying dragons and traveled west to the Gate of the Six Domains, the Mound of the Eight Endings, the Palace of Concordant Dawn, and the City of the Eight Effulgences. They ascended the Terrace of the Seven Numina and sat in the Hall of Great Harmony, where they transmitted to him the Stanzas of Shooting Stars and Night Radiance and the Talismans of the Ten Brilliances. He also ate the yellow-purple nectar and drank the cloud ointment of lunar florescence (the immortals’ foods and numinous liquors spoken of in the scripture). From then on he went out roaming every night with the five Thearch Ladies. This is what is called the “Dao of Racing to the Moon.”

Within the moon there are likewise five Thearch Ladies. The Outer Scripture says that the Lady of the Lord of the Sun is sovereign of the sun and the moon. The “Central Chapter of the Hidden Writings of the Most High” says that anyone who wishes to ascend to heaven should visualize the Moon Lady driving ten flying dragons and riding the carriage of flowing numina, traveling west to the Six Domains, and entering the Thearch’s Hall to cultivate with full concentration. One will then be granted an audience with the Celestial Sovereign and take charge of the writs of Jielin.

Lord Pei said that by day one faces the sun and concentrates on visualizing the Five Thearchs within the sun, and by night one faces the moon and concentrates on visualizing the five Ladies within the moon. After five years of cultivation, the divine spirits in the sun and the moon all arrive, ride flying dragons together with the practitioner, and roam upward into the Grand Mystery (the lofty and profound realm spoken of in Daoism). When one first begins to study, the Five Numina appear, transmit scriptures, and bestow numinous mushrooms; once the practice is accomplished, the Five Thearchs and Ladies within the sun and moon drive carriages and ride clouds together with the practitioner, pay court to the Three Origins, and bow at the Golden Portal. The practitioner obtains jade numina and golden perfection, is able to command the host of spirits, and has jade maidens and jade lads in attendance. The practitioner also receives the Divine Tiger Talisman, used to subdue the gods of the Six Heavens; receives the Flowing-Gold Bell, used to summon the host of Jing; and holds the blue-haired staff of authority, with which to tour the Nine Palaces. All these attainments come from visualization that penetrates the subtle and refined, and from resonance with the heart of Heaven. Therefore divine spirits descend upon the practitioner’s person and cause the practitioner to ascend to the Thearch’s court.

What a person cultivating the Dao practices are precisely these methods; this does not mean that one has already become an immortal. If one lives in a sealed chamber and cannot see the sun or the moon, one may visualize in the mind alone, and need not see the sun or the moon with one’s own eyes. If one does face the sun and moon in visualization, one must concentrate with wholehearted devotion and exert every effort in contemplative visualization. When mind and Shen (spirit) are unified, one can commune with the Dao. The scripture also says that one must first visualize the five stars within the body; if one concentrates on the Dao, the perfected numina will likewise be complete, and one will be able to discern what is in people’s minds.

So long as one’s resolve in cultivating the Dao is firm, even if one is old and frail and one’s appearance has withered, one can in an instant return from old age to youth. What matters is the quality of one’s resolve; cultivating the Dao makes no distinction between old and young. The scripture closes by bearing witness with the speaker’s own experience, indicating that the speaker is precisely such a practitioner.

There is yet another method: one prepares a document for submission as a memorial. Take a piece of material one chi and two cun in length and write on it in cinnabar, clearly stating the commandery, county, township, and village, together with the person’s name. One also writes out one’s wish for long life, for ascending as an immortal and passing beyond the world, and for flying upward to the Shangqing (Highest Clarity) heavens, and then petitions the Zhenren (Perfected), the host of deities, the assembled spirits of the Five Marchmounts (Wuyue), and the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus (Sanguan Jiufu), praying that one’s offenses be removed.

After the document has been written, use blue-green silk to tie a pair of gold rings together, roll the document up, and wrap it securely. Then face north and perform the ritual bow once more, place the document on a stone, and burn it with fire until it is reduced to ashes. Hide the gold rings in a secluded crevice among the stones, and when leaving do not look back at them. A pair of shoes may also be used in place of the gold rings; the ancients called these “congrong zhuzi” (beads of easy composure).

The text warns that one must not allow loose-tongued or jealous people to steal these objects. Those who steal them gain no benefit and instead bring death upon themselves. If this method is followed, the Five Thearchs (Wudi) in heaven and the Three Officials and Nine Bureaus will transmit orders among themselves, pardon the person’s transgressions, enter that person in the registers of the immortals, record the person’s appearance, and fix the name in the rolls. When one enters the mountains in search of zhi plants and numinous medicines, there will be gains to be had. Divine immortals and jade maidens will come to offer protection, and tigers, wolves, and every kind of harm will not dare to encroach. The immortals will bless and assist the practitioner, helping that person attain the Dao (the Way) and awaken the mind. Evil ghosts and aged mei-demons will not dare to come and harass. Practicing this method is easy and attended by few misfortunes. If a Daoist does not know this method, entering the mountains readily brings much illness and adversity, and one is repeatedly tested by ghostly beings. Living in the human world, one likewise meets with many setbacks, is beset by sickness, and finds one’s wishes hard to fulfill. One who can carry out this Way may achieve long life and become an immortal.

Chapter Eight: Taboos for Those Who Establish Their Resolve to Study the Dao, Nourish the Shen (Spirit), and Seek Immortality

Those who set a firm resolve to study the Dao, nourish the Shen, and seek immortality should bathe often in ordinary times, so as to welcome numinous Qi (vital energy) and the jade maidens (female immortals among the divine beings). If one does not bathe, Shen and Qi will not descend.

Those who practice the arts of the Dao (the Way) should ordinarily keep silent and speak little. If one claims to be studying the Dao while letting these matters leak out, the Three Officials (Sanguan)—the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, who oversee the examination of human conduct—will send calamity down upon that person, so particular caution is required.

If the affairs of studying the Dao are divulged, each disclosure deducts one suan (a unit the ancients used to reckon the years of a lifespan).

Before one quiets the mind and concentrates on cultivation, incense should first be burned close at hand. Those who cultivate the Dao should live alone in a single room and not lodge together with others. Clothing and other articles should also not be lent to others, lest one invite evil Qi (vital energy) and inauspiciousness.

Those of like mind—that is, those who have formed a covenant of companionship in the Dao—should avoid defilement. Seeing a corpse damages true Qi (the vital energy of life nourished through cultivation).

While taking powdered mica, one should not engage in sexual relations, nor eat foods that contain blood; otherwise life cannot be prolonged, and in time the joints will develop sores and swellings. Those who take jade ought also to take realgar; otherwise, after a long while, fever will set in, and the interior of the body will be injured as though flushed through with water, which may even prove fatal. After taking jade filings, one should cease sexual activity. When taking jade liquor, one should drink cold water and must not eat hot food.

In taking the various kinds of jade, one should in every case abstain from the five pungent foods—scallions, garlic, and other acrid foods—and from foods that contain blood; otherwise long life cannot be gained. If one eats pork while taking herbal medicines, the illness will on the contrary grow worse. Before taking mica, it is best first to take sesame for a year; although not doing so will not necessarily harm the body, one may also take the mica afterward.

Those who take realgar and the eight minerals—the eight mineral medicines spoken of in Daoism—should all abstain from foods that contain blood; otherwise, over a long time, paralysis of one side of the body may result, and the greatest care must be taken. After one has taken elixir medicines, entering a defiled household, or eating meat and rank foods, will harm the body, and all who study the Dao should avoid this.

When taking Solomon’s seal (huangjing), one must not eat plums; when taking medicines of the wood category, one must not eat peaches; when taking rehmannia (dihuang), one must not eat beef; when taking Chinese asparagus root (tianmendong), one must not eat carp.

When entering the mountains to gather herbs, one should likewise avoid meat and rank foods. When taking Solomon’s seal one must not eat plums, and when taking medicines of the wood category one must not eat peaches; when taking rehmannia one must not eat beef, and when taking Chinese asparagus root one must not eat carp.

Anyone who enters the mountains to cultivate and concentrates on cunsi (focused visualization) must not hear a dog bark, and should be especially cautious.

All who enter the mountains should cut off distracting thoughts for one hundred days. Otherwise, they may be startled and see tigers, wolves, pit vipers, and other such animals.

When entering the mountains to gather and process the “eight stones” (the eight mineral medicines spoken of in Daoism), leading a white dog and carrying a white chicken in one’s arms will enable one to find the place that is needed.

Those who enter the mountains to gather lingzhi should choose a time when dark clouds cover the sky and the sun cannot be seen, and should not pick it on a clear day. They should also carry one dou of white guan, so that what they seek is more easily obtained. The measures for the medicines are: two beans make one daogui, two daogui make one pinch, and two pinches make one square-inch spoon. When a powdered medicine is made into pills to be taken, the amount of one square-inch spoon can be formed into about ten pills, each the size of a wutong seed.

The method of preparing the “Lord Lao Riding the Dragon Talisman” (the name of a Daoist Fulu [talismans and registers] method) is as follows: take five jin of cinnabar and three jin of mercury, grind the cinnabar to powder and mix it with the mercury, and place it where water drips from the eaves on the east side of the house. After a full one hundred days, walk the Pace of Yu (a Daoist stepping method) and circulate Qi (vital energy) in order to take it for use. Then add three jin of mica powder and place it in a steamer; each spoonful of the medicine can be made into ten pills, the size of a wutong seed.

The Old Lord’s (Laojun) Formula for Riding the Dragon: Take five jin of cinnabar and three jin of mercury. Grind the cinnabar fine, mix it with the mercury, and place the mixture where rainwater runs off the eaves on the eastern side of the house. After one hundred days, pace and guide the Qi (vital energy) according to the Yu Pace (the Daoist ritual gait of pacing the stars and treading the Dipper), and then take out the medicine. Add three jin of mica powder, place it in a zeng (a vessel for steaming food), and steam it for a day and a night so that the medicine is thoroughly blended. Then add one sheng of white honey and stir; seal the mouth of the vessel tightly with wax and wrap it layer upon layer. On the day of the Beginning of Spring, place the medicine at the bottom of a well, and take it out on the day of the Autumn Equinox. When finished, the medicine looks like mercury. Each dose is one cunbi (a single spoonful measured with the ancient implement used to portion medicines), taken three times a day, and fasting and abstinence are observed throughout the period of taking the medicine. In this way one can mount the clouds and travel up and down, free of all constraint, attended by jade lads, with a range of movement reaching ten thousand li.

In preparing this medicine, it is best first to observe fasting and abstinence. Do not go to households of mourning and burial, and do not come into contact with any defiling things, with women, or with chickens and dogs, lest sincere intention be impaired. This medicine can bring a person to divine transformation. I also have more than a thousand scrolls of formulas for ingestion. From ancient times to the present, these eight methods circulating in the world have been regarded as wondrous secrets. Properly speaking, one need not cling rigidly to the sequence of sun, moon, and seasons, and yet one can still command the host of spirits, transform one’s appearance and change one’s bodily form, undergo marvelous transformations and unite with the Qi of primordial chaos, and in broad daylight withdraw beneath the earth, without this standing in the way of the Nine Classics. All things employed by the Dao are presented in memorial to Taiyi (the Supreme Deity); all things used in gathering firewood and the like come from blessed lands. Of late I have already transmitted this method, and none who received the teaching failed to obtain what they wished. If one can put it into practice even in some small measure, one may become an immortal.

The following dates are all “days when the Heavenly Granary opens” (auspicious days on which, according to tradition, the Heavenly Granary stands open), suitable for entering famous mountains to gather auspicious things: the first day of the first month, the twenty-fifth day of the second month, the twentieth day of the third month, the sixteenth day of the fourth month, the eleventh day of the fifth month, the sixth day of the sixth month, the second day of the seventh month, the twenty-fifth day of the eighth month, the twenty-first day of the ninth month, the sixteenth day of the tenth month, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and the sixth day of the twelfth month.

The following dates are also said to be days when the Heavenly Granary opens, suitable for entering famous mountains to gather auspicious things: the zi day of the first month, the chou day of the second month, the yin day of the third month, the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month, the twenty-first day of the ninth month, the sixteenth day of the tenth month, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, and the sixth day of the twelfth month.

The zi day of the first month, the chou day of the second month, the yin day of the third month, and so on in the same sequence through the twelve earthly branches until the hai day of the twelfth month—these days are called “Earth Granary Opening Days” (Dicang kairi). At such times one may enter a famous mountain and dwell there for a long period; it is said that one can remain secure and free from harm.

Methods of the immortals hold that if one regularly bathes with five kinds of incense on the Six Ding days (Liuding ri, particular days connected with the Daoist reckoning of stems and branches), the body can be made pure. Sweeping one’s dwelling on a Six Ding day is said to let one see clearly a thousand li away. After five years of cultivation, one can pass in and out without obstruction and penetrate to the clarity of the spirits; entering water, one does not drown, and entering fire, one is not harmed; one drifts among the clouds and, in a single movement, flies a thousand li. If one can practice this method, one may long endure.

Various Formulas for Treating Worms, Chapter Ten

Take a handful of the eastward-growing root of zhuyu, cut into short lengths, and one dou of good rice, and brew them together. When the brewing is finished, strain off the dregs. Take no food the night before. The next morning drink a full dose; it is said that the worms will pass out with the stool.

Another formula: Take a bundle, one chi in length, of the eastward-growing root of zhuyu and eight sheng of hemp seed, and soak them overnight in eight sheng of Mysterious Water (Xuanshui, here a kind of water used in Daoist methods). Fast the night before. The next morning, after straining off the dregs, take the whole amount. It is said that the corpse-worms will then be expelled.

Another formula: One sheng of zhuyu, pounded and sieved, then soaked overnight in two dou of clear Mysterious Water. Fast the night before. After straining off the dregs, take one sheng. It is said that the worms can all be expelled, and that one may live to the age of one hundred and twenty.

Another formula: Strain off the dregs. Take no food the night before, and the next morning swallow the whole dose. It is said that the corpse-worms will then be expelled.

Another formula: One sheng of zhuyu, pounded and sieved, and soaked overnight in two dou of clear Mysterious Water. Fast the night before. After straining off the dregs, take one sheng. It is said that the worms can all be expelled, and that one may live to the age of one hundred and twenty.

Another formula: One sheng of wuyi, ground to powder and mixed with one sheng of hemp-seed juice. Take no food the night before, and swallow the whole dose. It is said that all nine worms will be expelled, and that one may live to the age of one hundred and twenty.

Another formula: Four cypress seeds, four fermented soybeans, four peach kernels, and four croton seeds. Stir-fry each of these four ingredients separately until yellow, pound and sieve them, and blend them with honey into pills the size of hemp seeds. A child takes two pills; one who has come of age takes two pills the size of small beans; a grown adult takes three pills the size of soybeans. It is said that a great quantity of worms can thereby be expelled.

There is also another formula: take one jin of mulberry white bark (the white inner bark of the mulberry tree), soak it in Xuan Shui (Mysterious Water), and then decoct it over a gentle fire until three sheng remain, and strain off the dregs. Do not eat on the night before taking it. First take one and a half sheng; if this feels hard to bear, take one sheng, and the worms will then be expelled. Take it once more the next day, and the worms will certainly be expelled. This formula is not used only to treat worms; it can also treat aversion to cold and other illnesses. Taken over a long period, the illness will not recur. When taking the medicine, first eat roasted jujubes, and then take the medicine to treat the worms; it is said that this can also make the will firm and the eyes bright.

The Secret Formulas of Huainan say: grind realgar into powder, mix it with “Hundun Bai” (Primordial White), and form pills the size of soybeans. Take three pills, and one will be able to see a thousand li away.

When first entering a famous mountain, if one wishes to live in seclusion and to transcend the world and become an immortal, one must, in accordance with the method, go out from the Tiancang (Heavenly Storehouse) and enter through the Dihu (Earthly Door). The six Gui are the Heavenly Storehouse, and the six Ji are the Earthly Door. If one wishes to obtain the aid of Heaven’s timing, one should act on a Tianxin (Heavenly Heart) day and at a Heavenly Heart hour; seeking the Dao (the Way) and attaining immortality will then be auspicious.

When first entering the mountains to seek immortality, one should choose a Heavenly Heart day: the six Ji hours of a Yin day. The so-called Heavenly Heart hours are the hours Jisi, Jimao, Jichou, Jihai, Jiyou, and Jiwei.

For the first journey, one should choose a day of this kind. When entering a famous mountain, one usually selects a Jiazi day, or a Kai day (Opening day) or a Chu day (Removal day). Cut five cun of silk of each of the five colors (colored silk fabric), place them on a large stone, and what one undertakes will go smoothly.

When setting out, one must avoid the “Three Geng, Three Xin, and Three Ren.” The so-called Three Geng means a Geng day, a Geng hour, and entering the Geng direction; Three Xin and Three Ren are understood in the same way.

When one wishes to enter mountain forests, wilderness, or marshland, snakes are restrained by this method: on reaching the foot of the mountain and preparing to enter, first even out the breath, and with the left hand grasp a handful of grass from the left side; even out the breath again, and place the grass on the path; even out the breath once more, press the grass down with a stone, and one may then pass through.

The method for driving off and avoiding snakes when entering mountain forests and wild marshes is as follows. On reaching the foot of the mountain and preparing to enter, first regulate and even the breath once in a continuous round, and with the left hand take a handful of grass from the left side; then regulate and even the breath once more and place the grass in the center of the path; then regulate and even the breath once again, press the grass down with a stone, and one may continue forward without looking back. If others are to travel along, have them pass through from the front first. After everyone has gone by, the interdiction may be carried out. Place the grass in the middle of the road, then stand still and regulate and even the breath once; as each person passes, that person must regulate and even the breath once, and each must receive this breath. Once all have passed, one may leave, and again must not look back. After walking several hundred paces, one may proceed freely. The scripture (Jing) says that whether one moves ahead or behind, on meeting a snake the snake will turn into cord, and on meeting a tiger the tiger will turn into stone.

The taboo method by which the Perfected protect the body when entering the mountains is this: the left hand holds a knife, which is called “wogu” (a kind of grasping hand gesture). On entering the mountain, regulate the Qi (vital energy) thirty-eight times; on leaving the mountain, regulate the Qi twenty-eight times, and then there is nothing to fear.

The method for treating sudden abdominal pain caused by insect poison is this: if it is suspected to come from something of the toad, tadpole, or dung-beetle kind, take “Qin Yan shi shui” (a medicinal material mentioned in the scripture, whose exact referent is unclear) and ingest two qianbi (an ancient unit of medicinal dosage). It is said that this can cause the creatures in the abdomen to be vomited out.