《崔公入药镜注解》

The learning of the immortals is not something ordinary people can all hear of and practice. Only those of deep foundation, great capacity, and firm resolve, together with lofty scholars of clear and penetrating insight, are suited to cultivate it.

What, then, must the practitioner do? Outwardly, one must investigate the principles by which Heaven and Earth move and transform; inwardly, one must understand the essentials of how body and mind operate. Even so, had Confucius not personally sought instruction from Laozi, there would have been no praise of him as “like a dragon”; had Shakyamuni not been an ancient sage come again, he would not have possessed insight that transcends the mundane world. Thus those who study the Dao (the Way) are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, while those who truly attain anything are as rare as the horn of a qilin. This is for no other reason than whether or not one has received the transmission.

The learning of the immortals amounts, in the end, to nothing more than cultivating nature and life (mind-nature and life), returning to the root and reverting to the source. One gathers the Primordial One Qi (vital energy—the fundamental original energy prior to the acquired activities of body and mind) as the basis of elixir refinement, and then employs the acquired Qi, circulating it according to the fire times (the regulation of breath and of the course of practice). When nature is refined by the fire times, the Golden Shen (the firm, indestructible spirit) is not destroyed; when life is refined by the fire times, the Qi of the Dao can long endure. In this way one can entirely cast off the turbid Yin body and transform it into a body of pure Yang, returning to the source. Going further, one attains wondrous transformation and unobstructed freedom, responding to the moment with inexhaustible function—is this not marvelous indeed?

I see that many today cultivate the way of the immortals, yet once the true secrets are discussed with them, each clings to one partial view, and the opinions they hold do not accord with the Way correctly transmitted by the masters of old. I find that the whole of Cui Gong’s Ruyaojing (Mirror for Compounding the Medicine), eighty-two sentences in all, is concise in wording yet complete in meaning, and threads together the essentials of the various elixir classics (Jing). Not presuming upon my own capacity, I have relied on the oral instructions transmitted by my teacher and, after every four sentences of the scripture, added a passage of commentary to reveal the deeper meaning within, hoping it may serve as a guide for those who come after.

Hereafter, those who share my aspiration may well recite it attentively and ponder it with care; I trust they will surely gain the effect of divine illumination and inner realization. Some may say that my commentary is not to be relied upon, yet the words of Lord Cui should be regarded as true and trustworthy. If one simply practices according to them, follows them with sincere faith, and circulates and refines within one’s own person, the work required for cultivating immortality is thereby brought to completion.

Preface by Hunranzi of Xiujiang.

Pre-Heaven Qi (Xiantian Qi, vital energy) and Post-Heaven Qi (Houtian Qi): those who have attained the Dao (the Way) often seem to carry a touch of intoxication.

Pre-Heaven Qi refers to the Ancestral Qi (Zuqi), the source-breath from which the myriad things originally arise. In the human body it is said to dwell at the true center between Heaven and Earth, in the hidden place of the Gate of Life—that is, the “Heart of Heaven” (Tianxin). Immortal cultivation consists chiefly in gathering and taking in this single Pre-Heaven Qi as the foundation of elixir refinement. Post-Heaven Qi, by contrast, is the breath of ordinary exhalation and inhalation as it comes and goes. On the out-breath one seems to connect with the root of Heaven; on the in-breath one seems to connect with the root of Earth. Between breaths, the dragon intones and clouds arise, the tiger roars and wind is born; the breath continues unbroken, as if present yet hard to grasp. When it is returned to the Ancestral Qi and inner and outer Qi unite, they congeal into the Reverted Elixir (Huandan)—the elixir formed through the practice of Neidan (internal alchemy). The practitioner feels as if fire were burning in the Dantian (energy center); warmth courses freely through the four limbs, and the spirit seems dazed, as if intoxicated. That marvelous sensation is held within. This is the meaning of “one who obtains it often seems drunk.”

The Daodejing says: “The valley spirit does not die; this is called the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is the root of Heaven and Earth. Continuous, as if present—its use is without strain.” The meaning is that the wondrous function of emptiness and stillness, able to generate and transform, never ceases; this is called the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin). The gate of the Mysterious Female is the source of all things in Heaven and Earth. It exists in unbroken continuity, yet when put to use it does not appear effortful. The Kun hexagram of the Yijing says: “The yellow center penetrates the pattern; in the correct position it dwells in the body; beauty lies within and flows freely through the four limbs.” The meaning is that what is inwardly centered and upright communicates freely and rests securely in its place; beauty is contained within and is expressed smoothly through the four limbs. The scripture uses this to describe the state, after refining and nourishing practice, in which the inner movement of Qi is full and the whole body is open and unobstructed.

The sun and the moon each have their moments of conjunction; one must thoroughly investigate the principle of Wu and Ji and determine the positions of Geng and Jia. Wu and Ji, and Geng and Jia, are all Heavenly Stem terms in traditional numerological arts and in Neidan; here they indicate the coordination of Yin-Yang and the arrangement of timing and orientation in cultivation.

Sun and moon refer to the sun and the Great Yin (Taiyin, the moon). The celestial bodies take the ecliptic as their path of motion. A full circuit of heaven comprises three hundred sixty-five and one-quarter degrees, and heaven completes one revolution each day. The sun and moon travel along the ecliptic, now rising and now descending, entering and departing by turns; day and night are thereby formed, and cold and heat are likewise determined.

At the winter solstice, the Qi (vital energy) of one Yang germinates in the hexagram Fu (Return): the sun begins to move northward and the moon southward. At the summer solstice, the Qi of one Yin germinates in the hexagram Gou (Encounter): the sun begins to move southward and the moon northward. The sun travels one degree each day and meets the moon in about thirty days. The moon itself has no light; it shines by borrowing the light of the sun. The moon travels a little more than twelve degrees each day and completes one full circuit of heaven in about thirty days. At the end and the beginning of each month, the moon meets the sun in the celestial station through which it is passing; this is called the conjunction of sun and moon. The day of hui (the last day of the lunar month) is like the close of a year, and the day of shuo (the first day of the lunar month) is like the opening of a year. After sun and moon meet, they separate; after they separate, they meet again.

The moon grows bright by borrowing the sun’s light: the Yang hun (ethereal soul) gradually increases, and the Yin po (corporeal soul) gradually recedes. On the night of the eighth, Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang) are each half, which is called the upper chord. On the night of the fifteenth, the moon stands opposite the sun, which is called wang (the full moon), and the moon is then round. When fullness reaches its limit, waning begins, so the Yin po gradually increases and the Yang hun gradually recedes. On the night of the twenty-third, Yin and Yang are again each half, which is called the lower chord. On the night of the thirtieth comes hui, and the moon once more meets the sun. This is the pattern in heaven whereby the sun has its conjunctions and the moon likewise has its conjunctions.

Turning back to oneself, our body is also like a small heaven and earth, and within it there are likewise sun and moon. One takes the body as analogous to Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth), takes Kan and Li (Water and Fire) as the medicines, and takes the movement of sun and moon as the fire timing (huohou, the moments and measures to be mastered in refining the elixir). Ordinary people pass through these changes every day yet do not understand the principle within them. In truth, the human body is no different from heaven and earth or from the sun and moon. In making the elixir, one turns the twin wheels of sun and moon so that Yin and Yang gather within a single breath; one brings sun and moon back into the cauldron so that Yin and Yang unite, and then cooks and refines them until they coalesce into the sacred embryo (the elixir embryo of which Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation speaks). This is the principle of the meeting of sun and moon within oneself. What Liaozhenzi said—“The jade pool constantly drips the marrow of Yin and Yang; the golden cauldron at times cooks the Jing (essence) of sun and moon”—speaks precisely of this.

Once the conjunction of sun and moon is understood, one must further inquire into the root of Wu and Ji. Wu and Ji belong to central Earth: Water and Fire dwell apart above and below, while Wood and Metal are arrayed to east and west. Wood is the mother of Fire, and Metal is the mother of Water. Without the harmonizing of the Earth of Wu and Ji, Water and Fire cannot aid each other, nor can Metal and Wood be brought together. In carrying out refinement and transformation, one uses the Earth of Wu to rise from the position of Kan (Water) and advance the Yang fire, and uses the Earth of Ji to descend from the position of Li (Fire) and withdraw the Yin tally (the measure, in elixir work, that accompanies the circulation of Yin Qi), gathering the Four Images (Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal) into a single furnace. This is the function of Wu and Ji.

Once Wu and Ji are clarified, one must further determine the positions of Geng and Jia. Geng belongs to the Metal of the west and also symbolizes feeling and the tiger; Jia belongs to the Wood of the east and also symbolizes nature and the dragon. Human desire easily runs unchecked: on seeing external things one pursues them, wild as a tiger, and thus often injures one’s original nature. When nature is bewildered by feeling and cannot take charge, it is like a dragon galloping without rest, so nature and feeling stand apart from each other. Those who have succeeded in cultivation can restrain them. When such a moment arrives, it is precisely the time to set to work: one must avail oneself of the “Yellow Dame” (Huangpo, symbolizing the power that harmonizes and mediates), turn the handle of the Dipper (symbolizing the pivot that regulates the movement of Yin and Yang), and within a single breath bring Metal and Wood together and unite feeling and nature, letting dragon and tiger enter the cauldron so that the mind becomes empty, still, and lucid. This is the principle of determining Geng and Jia. The subtle efficacy of the elixir method lies in enabling the Wood of Jia and the Metal of Geng each to obtain its generation and transformation; those who study and practice cannot fail to understand this.

The upper Magpie Bridge and the lower Magpie Bridge: Heaven above responds with the stars, and Earth below responds with the tides.

The jiaji of the human body—the region on either side of the spine—is like the Milky Way in the sky. Where the Milky Way forms a divide, there is the teaching of Geng and Jia. The elixir method is applied with exquisite subtlety, and it lays particular stress on the generation of Jia and the generation of Geng; this is something the practitioner cannot afford not to know.

The upper Magpie Bridge and the lower Magpie Bridge: Heaven above responds with the stars, and Earth below responds with the tides.

The jiaji of the human body is like the Milky Way in the sky. When the Milky Way is cut off, spirit magpies build a bridge to join it, and from this comes the name “Magpie Bridge”; the human tongue is also called the Magpie Bridge. In refining the elixir, the Yellow Dame, an image of harmonizing and guiding, leads the Infant—a term of Neidan (internal alchemy) for the inner yang Qi (vital energy)—upward to the Niwan, the upper Dantian (energy center) in the head, to unite with the Lovely Maiden, a Neidan term for the inner yin Qi. This is called the “upper Magpie Bridge.” The Yellow Dame then guides the Infant and the Lovely Maiden to return together to the bridal chamber, a Neidan term for the place of cultivation within the body. They must descend by way of the Niwan, and so this is called the “lower Magpie Bridge.” The Yellow Dame, the Infant, and the Lovely Maiden are not things that actually exist; they are only metaphors, and what they refer to does not go beyond the three: body, heart-mind, and intention. When one circulates and refines in stillness, inwardly one uses Tiangang—a star of the Northern Dipper, here indicating the power that sets things turning—to mobilize the mechanism of Qi, and outwardly one uses the handle of the Dipper, the handle of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, to drive transformation. When the fire is raised, one feels the true Qi surging upward in a billow, like a tide at its first rise, flowing straight up against the current. Hence it is said, “Heaven responds with the stars; Earth responds with the tide.” What the elixir scriptures say—“The work is not difficult, and the medicines are not far away; set the heavenly wheel in motion, and Earth below responds with the tide”—means precisely this.

Raise the wind of Xun and circulate the fire of Kun; enter the Yellow Chamber and perfect the supreme treasure.

The method of refining the elixir is to cultivate the true lead and the true mercury within oneself—Neidan terms likened, respectively, to the Yin-Yang Jing (essence) and Qi within the body. When lead meets the moment at which Gui water is stirred into motion, one must rouse the Xun wind (Xun wind, a Neidan term for the breath that impels cultivation), fan the wind of the furnace, and turn the fire of the Kun palace (Kun fire, a Neidan term for the fire of cultivation), causing it to sink and settle below. One then draws yang Qi out from within Kan and supplies it to the yin Qi within Li, so that this takes on the image of the Qian trigram, and afterward returns to the position of Kun and comes to rest. In a short while the true fire rises to smelt and refine; lead grows clear and mercury grows pure, congealing into a golden embryo of emptiness—the symbolic fruit of Neidan cultivation—which will not be destroyed even through the passage of kalpas. This is what is meant by “entering the Yellow Chamber and becoming the supreme treasure.”

The Duren Jing (Scripture of Salvation) says: “Regulate the five kinds of primordial Qi (vital energy)—the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) that constitute heaven, earth, and the myriad things—so that the hundred spirits mingle and return to oneness; through repeated circulation, bring the divinities back to their proper places, and when the myriad Qi are in harmony, one may become an immortal.” Xiao Tingzhi says: “The great medicine is formed of Jing (essence), Qi, and Shen (spirit). They accord by nature and are intimate with one another. Circulate the mechanism of Qi so that they blend and return to the true fundamental body; the work of cultivation advances day by day.” This is precisely the principle being set forth.

Water must not run dry, and fire must not grow cold. Miss by even a little, and the elixir cannot be refined.

The essential point of internal refinement in cultivating the true is that the water in the cauldron must not dry up and the fire in the furnace must not die out and turn cold. What the Dan Jing (Elixir Scriptures) mean by “Always keep the golden cauldron warm with hot water and fire; do not let the fire of the jade furnace be made cold” is exactly this.

From the standpoint of preparing Waidan (external alchemy), in refining the elixir one must employ martial fire and civil fire (the fiercer and the gentler phases of heat); the key is to harmonize the strength of the fire. If the firing goes too far, the fire is too scorching and the water too abundant; if the firing falls short, the water dries up and the fire grows cold. One must master the pauses and the rhythm of the firing so that water and fire are brought into balance. After one ke of circulation through the celestial circuit (that is, operation through one complete cycle), the elixir in the cauldron congeals of itself. If the firing deviates by even a little, the elixir cannot be refined.

The immortal masters say that the medicine is distinguished as mature or tender, and that the firing likewise has its quantity and its measure; those who study the practice cannot fail to know this. Liaozhenzi says: “The seven reversions and nine returns (a Daoist alchemical term for the process in which the elixir repeatedly transforms and reverts) require that one understand the key that governs them; the work of cultivation must not err in the slightest.” The Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality) also says: “In general, everything depends on the power of cultivation and practice; if there is even a slight discrepancy, the elixir cannot be refined.” This, too, is the same principle.

The lead dragon ascends and the mercury tiger descends. One must drive these two things, and not leave them free to run unchecked.

Lead is a single point of true Yang Qi (vital energy) within the Kan trigram (symbolizing water), and is called the “dragon”; mercury is a single point of true Yin Qi within the Li trigram (symbolizing fire), and is called the “tiger.” In elixir refining, one employs Wu earth (the internal cultivation method corresponding to Yang earth) to draw forth the lead within Kan: wood generates fire, the force of fire moves upward and rises to the Niwan (the cultivation site at the center of the head), and so it is said that “the lead dragon ascends.” One employs Ji earth (the internal cultivation method corresponding to Yin earth) to gather in the mercury within Li: metal generates water, the force of water moves downward and flows into the Dantian (energy center), the internal cultivation site in the abdomen, and so it is said that “the mercury tiger descends.”

To gather and hold this dragon and tiger, one must use martial fire (the stronger degree of refining heat), and only then will the lead dragon ascend; one must also use civil fire (the gentler degree of refining heat), and only then will the mercury tiger descend. The breath circulates through the whole body, and the subtlety lies in holding firm with strength. By forcefully gathering the dragon and tiger and taking them into the dinglu (the symbolic vessel of elixir refining), and through cooking and refining, they are transformed into “royal nectar.” Thus it is said that in driving these two forces, one must not let them scatter and escape. Zhang Ziyang said: “The white tiger of the Western Mountain is wild and unrestrained in temperament; the azure dragon of the Eastern Sea cannot be withstood. Seize them with both hands and set them to fight, refining them into a single piece of purple-gold frost.” This is exactly what is meant.

The elixir is produced in Kun (symbolizing earth and Yin), and the seed is planted in Qian (symbolizing heaven and Yang). So long as the mind and will are perfectly sincere, one follows the natural Dao (the Way).

Zhang Ziyang said: “To know where the medicine is produced, one need only look to the southwest, for that is where its root lies.” The “southwest” spoken of here refers to the Kun position within the human body, symbolizing earth and the yin, yielding side. The abdomen belongs to Kun, and the head belongs to Qian, symbolizing heaven and the yang, firm side. Kun lies below, like the furnace of elixir refining; Qian lies above, like the cauldron. The great medicine of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is produced in the Kun position and nurtured in the Qian position.

When refining the elixir and gathering the medicine, one begins from the Kun position, letting the Qi (vital energy) sink to the Weilu point, an acupoint near the base of the spine, to be warmed and nourished. When the “dragon” appears, martial fire—a stronger degree of firing—must be added, driving the Qi of true Yang upward so that it travels in reverse to the Qian palace, joins there, and then returns to the Kun position. The movement then stops, and with fierce firing it is cooked, refined, and forged until it finally congeals into the supreme treasure. Thus it is said that the great medicine is produced at Kun and nurtured at Qian.

There is also the moment when the Prior Heaven medicine arises. At that time one must look inward to the mind, gather the spirit, and hold it firmly so that it neither scatters nor leaks; all of this assists the firing. Ancient immortals often left this crucial point unspoken. It is called the most profound secret—who could readily know it? In cultivation, what matters is a sincere and reverent mind. Moving the Qi is like “fighting in the wild,” and danger must be guarded against; the method should model itself on heaven and earth and follow natural change. Thus it is said that only utmost sincerity can accord with the natural.

One steals the hidden spring of heaven and earth and seizes the marvel of creative transformation; one sets the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) in motion and fuses the Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

To raise and command the Qi of heaven and earth, master the changes of Yin-Yang, gather the Five Phases, and bring the Bagua into union—this is the learning of immortal cultivation. Here “heaven and earth” means Qian and Kun, and “creative transformation” means the changes of Yin-Yang; the Five Phases are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The original text then merely says “Bagua,” without further explaining its meaning.

To gather and command the Qi (vital energy) of heaven and earth in its entirety, to master the transformations of Yin-Yang, to assemble the Qi of the Five Phases, and to bring the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) into union—this is the learning of immortal self-cultivation. Heaven and earth are Qian and Kun; creative transformation refers to the movement and change of Yin and Yang; the Five Phases are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; the Eight Trigrams are Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Xun, Gen, and Dui.

Heaven and earth are vast, and transformation is hidden and profound. The Five Phases are distributed through them, and the Eight Trigrams ring them in array. By what method can these powers be taken up and gathered together? To “steal” (dao) is to take and make use of; to “seize” (duo) is to obtain; to “cluster” (zan) is to assemble; to “join” (hui) is to merge. What is spoken of here is the method of the elixir refiners, whose subtlety lies in oral transmission. The essential of elixir refinement rests only in the most minute timing and signs.

When the moment arrives and the mechanism of Qi changes, when the medicines are generated and Shen (spirit) and intent become aware of them, one should close the Wind Pass and seal the Gen Gate (the apertures used in cultivation to restrain the breath), turn the Celestial Gang and rotate the Dipper’s handle (taking the motion of the heavens as a figure for mobilizing the mechanisms of Qi within the body), and within a single breath apply the fu-fire, gathering the orthodox Qi of the three thousand six hundred days of one year and reversing the crucial mechanisms of Qi of the seventy-two hou (in antiquity five days made one hou, and a year comprised seventy-two hou), so that the Five Phases invert and intermingle and the Eight Trigrams unite, all finally returning into the Earth Cauldron (in elixir refinement, a metaphor for the furnace-vessel in which the medicines are placed, or for the site of cultivation within the body).

One then seals it firmly, pauses briefly to regulate and harmonize the breath, and refines it with fierce martial fire until the sacred embryo is formed (the elixir-embryo spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy)). Thus, with only the work of a single quarter-hour, one can gather the transformations of a whole year’s seasonal terms. The Elixir Classic (Danjing) says: “If the human heart can accord with the heart of Heaven, Yin and Yang may be reversed in a moment.”

This means that through a single exhalation and a single inhalation one can imperceptibly alter the regular course by which heaven and earth revolve. In a day a person exhales roughly 13,500 times and inhales 13,500 times. One exhalation together with one inhalation counts as a single breath, and within that one breath the measure of heaven’s movement is imperceptibly altered by 13,500 years. A year of 360 days contains 4,680,000 breaths in all, imperceptibly altering the measure of heaven’s movement by 4,860,000 years. In this way the turbid Yin body can be wholly exchanged for a body of pure Yang, and one reaches a realm of spiritual marvel and spontaneous freedom: when gathered, form can appear; when dispersed, one is like the wind, passing in and out between being and non-being, now hidden and now manifest, beyond all reckoning. Is this not wondrous?

Water is true water, and fire is true fire. When water and fire blend, one can endure for a long time without decline.

Water lies in the north; among the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) it corresponds to the Kan trigram, and in the human body it corresponds to the kidneys. Fire lies in the south; among the Bagua it corresponds to the Li trigram, and in the human body it corresponds to the heart. Fire is hidden within water, and water is likewise hidden within fire. In the human heart there is a point of true fluid, called “true water”; in the kidneys there is a point of true Yang, called “true fire.” Water and fire stand apart, one above and one below—how can they be brought to blend? One must rely on the true earth of Wu and Ji (the harmonizing power symbolized by the earth-nature functions of the spleen, the stomach, and the like) to restrain and guide them, so that true fire rises and true water descends, and the two together return into the earth cauldron (an alchemical term for the inner place in the body where the ingredients are gathered and the elixir is refined). When water and fire reach mutual completion (that is, when water and fire blend in harmony), the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is formed. Pure, unitary Yang Qi (vital energy) thereby comes into being, and one may share the longevity of heaven. Hence it is said: “When water and fire join, one never grows old.”

Water can flow, and fire can burn upward; these principles can also be verified in the human body.

Water is above, and so it can flow downward and moisten; fire is below, and so its flames can rise. This is the natural pattern of the rising and falling of water and fire between heaven and earth. When a person refines the elixir in the body and works with water and fire, it is the same. Thus it is said that these principles can be verified within oneself.

What is spoken of here is nature and life (in Daoist cultivation, the spiritual nature and the root of life), not Shen (spirit) and Qi as they are ordinarily understood. The lead of the water region (a term of Neidan, or internal alchemy, referring to the alchemical ingredient associated with the water of the kidneys) is in fact only a single ingredient.

“Xing” and “ming” refer to a person’s original nature and the root of life; they are not the Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) put to use after birth. The “xing” spoken of here is the original nature of luminous spirit, and “ming” is the Qi of life. Joined together, xing and ming are the prenatal root, whereas the circulation and transformations of Shen and Qi belong to postnatal function.

A person engaged in cultivation who wishes to make original nature clear and lucid and the foundation of life firm must, at the outset, seek out and gather and refine the “lead of the water region.” “Lead of the water region” is a term of Neidan (internal alchemy). Because Qian (Yang) enters Kun (Yin), Kun becomes the Kan trigram, and Kan symbolizes water; hidden within the water of Kan is the metal of Qian, that is, a single thread of prenatal true Yang. The commentary holds that this bit of true Yang lies concealed within the body, and that when the sign of “Yang stirring at the zi hour” appears inside the body, it must be gathered and refined without delay. The “zi hour” here does not necessarily mean midnight by the clock, but the moment when Yang Qi first stirs.

When gathering and refining, one uses intention to induce the firing process and to hasten the emergence of true Yang. The commentary describes this process with the phrase “fire forces metal into motion, and it turns in reverse,” and says that in this way the “great elixir” can congeal within the cauldron. The “cauldron” is, in Neidan cultivation, a metaphor for the body or for the place of refining and nourishing, while the “great elixir” refers to the Neidan brought to completion through practice. In the commentary, the passages on “Yang stirring at the zi hour” and on the firing process of gathering and refining are repetitive, but their meaning is the same.

This “single taste” refers precisely to the true lead hidden in water, that is, to prenatal true Yang. The commentary regards it as the root of the great Dao (the Way), and quotes the words of Yunfang to urge people to realize it with care: the crux of life and death lies in oneself, and the Dao of longevity must also be cultivated by oneself. What the elixir Jing (scripture/classic) call “a single taste of metal in the water of the Flowery Pool” likewise refers to this true metal within water.

“Return to the aperture of the root; restore the pass of life. Pierce the Weilu and reach the Niwan.” This means that cultivation should cause the dynamic of Qi to return to the root and restore the original source of life, and should lead it through the Weilu (the aperture at the lower end of the spine) up to the Niwan (the aperture in the head). All of these are terms used in Neidan cultivation to describe the path along which the dynamic of Qi travels.

The marvelous efficacy of elixir cultivation lies in understanding the One Aperture of the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan yiqiao)—the crucial place, in practice, where body, mind, and the movement of Qi (vital energy) converge—so that innate nature settles and returns to its proper place, and one thereby grasps the principle that the myriad things return to the root and life returns to its source. This process must proceed through the circulation of the Three Passes; thus it is said that the aperture of returning to the root is the pass of returning to life (fuming).

At the time of returning to life, Shen (spirit) and intention must be guided down to the sea bottom (Haidi, here the cultivation site in the lower body). One visualizes fire and Qi warming and nourishing there, so that Jing (essence) transforms into Qi. One then activates the pivot of the crown gate—the key mechanism—and slowly draws upward from the Tail Gate (Weilu, the site at the lower end of the spine) until one reaches the Mud Pill (Niwan, the cultivation site within the crown of the head), so that Qi meets, is refined and transformed, and at last becomes Shen. When Shen rests securely in the Mud Pill, this “original palace,” there appears the scene of the myriad spirits assembling in court. Hence it is said that once the dynamic of Qi penetrates the Tail Gate, it can reach through to the Mud Pill.

Fire Master Wang Zhenjun (a cultivator venerated in Daoism) says in the Aozhi (Profound Purport): “The three passes of the spine pierce the crown gate; holding a flower in the mouth and riding a deer, one moves as if upon the clouds. Grasping the flower and riding the deer, one treads the clouds and departs; suddenly an ox-cart comes forward to meet one.” The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “If one wishes for long life without death, one should cultivate Kunlun.” The Huanyuan Pian (On Returning to the Origin) says: “After awakening to the Dao (the Way), the realm of the mind is bright and open; sitting calmly and upright, one circulates the Celestial Pass.” The Daode Jing (Classic of the Dao and of De, Virtue/Power) says: “Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to life.” These sayings speak of precisely this principle.

The true bellows and pipe, and the true cauldron and furnace, are both “being within non-being, and non-being within being.”

“Tuo” is a hollow vessel, and also the bellows; “yue” is the pipe of the bellows, and also an aperture. Day and night, with each exhalation and inhalation, the breath is like the wind driven by a bellows. The wind flows through the pipe, as though the furnace fire burned along with it. When, over a long time, one keeps mind and spirit in mutual dependence with the breath, so that the Dantian (energy center, the cultivation site below the navel) constantly feels warm, the body is then like an inner bellows and pipe. The Daode Jing says: “Between Heaven and Earth, it is much like a bellows: empty, yet never exhausted; the more it is worked, the more breath pours forth.” This is what is meant.

The “cauldron” belongs to Qian (Heaven) and represents nature (xing); the “furnace” belongs to Kun (Earth) and represents life (ming). Once the bellows and pipe within the body have been set in motion, one must gather the medicine and place it in the cauldron.

When gathering the medicine, one must apply martial fire—a stronger use of the firing process—setting the work in motion by means of the nature within and bringing transformation about by means of the life without. In a moment Heaven and Earth unite as one body, Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) meet, and they congeal into the reverted elixir, the elixir crystallized in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, to serve as the sacred embryo, the inner foundation formed by cultivation. This is the true cauldron and furnace.

Once the reverted elixir has appeared and taken form, one warms and nourishes it with civil fire, a gentler use of the firing process: empty the mind and hold to nature, and fill the abdomen so as to nourish life. In a state of hazy elusiveness and hidden depth, being arises from non-being, and being returns again to non-being. This is stillness at its extreme turning into movement, and movement at its extreme returning once more to stillness. Hence it is said: “Within non-being there is being; within being there is non-being.”

Entrust the Yellow Dame (huangpo) to serve as matchmaker for the Lovely Maiden (chanü). Gently, and in silence, raise it.

The Yellow Dame and the Lovely Maiden, symbolic names in the art of Neidan, are both designations borrowed in order to explain cultivation. The Yellow Dame refers to the earth of Kun, that is, wu-ji earth, and it also refers to intention (yi). The Lovely Maiden refers to the metal of Dui; Dui symbolizes the young girl, and the metal lies hidden in water.

In refining the elixir, one must take the Yellow Dame as matchmaker so that the Lovely Maiden is brought into communion: conceal the fire within wu-earth, and let the fire impel the metal. When the fire is first circulated, the Qi that has been received is still soft and weak; one should turn the aperture of the crown gate and, from the tail cavity, gently and silently raise it upward. After a short while the force of the fire gradually grows strong, and the River Chariot (heche)—the Neidan image for the way Qi circulates—must not be allowed to stop. One is to move the Qi into the Southern Palace and then send it back to its original place, so that the Lovely Maiden is wed to the Metal Lord (jingong) and the two become an old married couple.

Master Cui (Cui Gong) urges this again and again because people of the world do not understand the essential point of the reverted elixir. He therefore uses the saying “entrust the Yellow Dame to act as matchmaker for the Lovely Maiden,” wishing that others may grasp the principle within it. The Wuzhen pian says: “The Lovely Maiden roams, and she has her own way; what goes before must be short, what follows after must be long; when she returns she enters the Yellow Dame’s dwelling, and is wed to a Metal Lord to become the old husband.” This is precisely the meaning.

In the course of a single day there are twelve double-hours; wherever intention reaches, the practice may be carried out.

The “intention” spoken of here is the functioning of nature; it is true earth. What is called “what goes before must be short, what follows after must be long; on returning one enters the place of the Yellow Dame and is wed to the Metal Lord, becoming an old married couple” speaks of precisely this principle.

Entrust the Yellow Dame to serve as matchmaker for the Lovely Maiden. Gently, and in silence, raise it.

The Yellow Dame and the Lovely Maiden are both names borrowed to explain cultivation. The Yellow Dame refers to the earth of Kun, that is, wu-ji earth, and also to intention. The Lovely Maiden refers to the metal of Dui; Dui symbolizes the young girl, and the metal is hidden in water. In refining the elixir one must borrow the Yellow Dame as matchmaker so that the Lovely Maiden is brought into communion, concealing the fire in wu-earth and letting the fire impel the metal. When the fire is first circulated, the Qi is still soft and weak; from the tail cavity one should gently and silently raise it upward. After a moment the force of the fire gradually grows strong, and the River Chariot must not stop; one then moves the Qi into the Southern Palace and sends it back to its original place, so that the Lovely Maiden is wed to the Metal Lord.

In a day there are twelve double-hours, and wherever intention reaches, the practice may be carried out.

Intention (yi) is the function of nature (xing); it is also True Earth, a term of Neidan (internal alchemy) for the intention that harmonizes and connects body and mind. The twelve double-hours of a day correspond to the solar-term changes of the twelve months of a year: the six double-hours from the zi hour to the chen and si hours belong to Yang, and the six double-hours from the wu hour to the xu and hai hours belong to Yin. The first arising of Yang Qi (vital energy), as in “the return of the single Yang,” corresponds to the zi hour within the human body; the first arising of Yin Qi, as in the initial appearance of Yin symbolized by the Gou hexagram, corresponds to the wu hour within the human body.

Water and Fire are divided between north and south, while Wood and Metal stand apart in east and west. How can these Four Images (four powers used in the art of Neidan to symbolize different movements of Qi) be brought together? One must rely on intention to connect and harmonize them. In this way, the inner workings of the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth can be experienced within the body even in a moment.

Throughout the twelve double-hours of the day, whether in daylight or at night, one must concentrate on this and maintain lucid awareness. When a thought arises, use intention to advance the firing times (the regulation of the movement of Qi in Neidan cultivation); when thought ceases, let the firing times be gently nurtured. Wherever intention can reach, one may practice in this manner.

The text following “seized by intention” is repeated once in the original; its meaning is still that awareness must be kept throughout the whole day, advancing the firing times when a thought arises and gently nurturing the firing times when thought ceases.

By ingesting the daogui (a Neidan term for the subtle medicine or essence that has been refined), one can glimpse the mysteries of the creative transformations of the Dao (the Way) of Heaven; by knowing how to distinguish the new moon from the full moon (the beginning of the month and the full moon), one can understand the changes of dusk and dawn.

“Yin” means to partake of or to taste; “dao” refers to the Metal within water; and “gui” refers to the true earth of wu and ji, a Daoist term for the Qi (vital energy) of the central Earth. This passage says that, when refining the elixir and gathering the medicine, one must obtain the Metal within water. Metal cannot rise of its own accord; it must rely on wu-earth transforming into Fire, so that Fire forces the Metal to move and ascend to the Mud-pill Palace, the site of internal refinement above the head. When the Metal arrives there, it turns into true fluid, like jade nectar and sweet dew; a single drop falls into the Yellow Court, the site spoken of in the cultivation of the body, and when tasted the fluids are sweet and delicious. It is therefore called “drinking the daogui.”

“Kui” means to observe. The sense is that one can observe the patterns by which the Dao (the Way) of Heaven moves and changes, and thereby grasp the timing of Heaven for cultivation, turning the pivotal mechanism within oneself as one would the handle of the Northern Dipper; even in an extremely brief moment, one can also draw upon the creative power of Heaven and Earth. It is therefore called “peering into Heaven’s ingenuity.” What the Yinfu Jing (scripture/classic) means by “Observe the Dao of Heaven and hold to the movements of Heaven” is precisely this principle. A poem by Chunyang (Lü Dongbin) says, “Crisscrossing the Northern Dipper, the mind’s design is ingenious; inverting the Southern Asterism, the courage is bold,” and this carries the same meaning.

Distinguishing “shuo” and “wang” may be approached on different scales. In terms of a year, the winter solstice is shuo and the summer solstice is wang; in terms of a month, the first day is shuo and the fifteenth is wang; in terms of a day, the zi hour is shuo and the wu hour is wang; in terms of a single hour, the first quarter-mark is shuo and the exact fourth quarter-mark is wang; in terms of the sixty-four hexagrams, the hexagram Fu is shuo and the hexagram Gou is wang; in terms of the human body, the tail cavity is shuo and the Mud-pill is wang, advancing the fire at the zi position is shuo, and withdrawing the tally at the wu position is wang. Here, “advancing the fire” and “withdrawing the tally” are expressions in Neidan (internal alchemy) for circulating the firing schedule and regulating the breath.

Once these are understood, one must also grasp “dawn” and “dusk,” that is, morning and evening. Among the hexagram images there is the principle of “Zhun in the morning and Meng in the evening”: when the six lines of one hexagram are inverted and put to use, two hexagrams are formed. The morning hexagram Zhun symbolizes one yang arising from below; the evening hexagram Meng symbolizes one yin arising from above. With one yang and one yin, one advance and one withdrawal, the movements and changes of the human body correspond with Heaven and Earth. One who fully understands this principle may pursue longevity and lasting vision, and stand alongside such immortal perfected ones as Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin. What, then, is there to doubt?

Recognize the “floating” and the “sinking,” and understand which is host and which is guest; one must also bring them together so that they meet, and not allow them to separate.

“Floating” refers to mercury, and “sinking” refers to lead. The mercury of the Li trigram dwells above, and so is called “floating”; the lead of the Kan trigram dwells below, and so is called “sinking.” The method of cultivating Neidan (internal alchemy) is to raise what sinks below and to lower what floats above. This is what is meant by “recognizing the floating and the sinking.”

After recognizing the floating and the sinking, one must also understand host and guest. Here the “host” refers to life, and the “guest” refers to nature. When a person has a body, there is life; once there is life, there is also innate nature. Nature exists by relying on life, and life in turn operates together with nature. Life is like the mother of nature and is therefore the host; nature is like the child of life and is therefore the guest. In daily life, a person acts by means of the body. When the immortal masters say, “Let him be the host, and I the guest,” they are likewise speaking of the relationship between host and guest.

Once host and guest are understood, lead and mercury are to be kept in one furnace, and host and guest in one chamber. One must continuously concentrate Shen (spirit) and apply effort, so that mind and spirit return to unity. Commentators say that throughout the twelve double-hours of the day one should turn the light around and shine it back—that is, gather in mind and spirit and turn one’s contemplation inward upon oneself. When practice has accumulated to fullness, one can unite with the Great Void. When the moment ripens and the movement of Qi (vital energy) is aroused, there appears the scene of fire rising from beneath the navel and water surging up toward the crown of the head. These mysterious transformations are often not deliberately sought, but arise of themselves.

Confucius said, “The Dao (the Way) cannot be left even for a moment; what can be left is not the Dao.” Master Cheng also said that ordinary thoughts should be settled within the body. Celestial Master Xujing (Xujing Tianshi, a Daoist honorific title) said, “As soon as the spirit goes out, it must be drawn back; when the spirit returns into the body, Qi naturally turns back. Persist in this from morning until evening, and a numinous embryo will naturally form.” This shows precisely that cultivation must bring mind, spirit, and the movement of Qi together, and not let them scatter and separate.

When gathering the medicine, one must regulate the firing. When the movement of Qi is aroused and the moment is right, one must receive it by following its course; if it is mishandled, what is auspicious may turn perilous.

The moment of gathering the medicine is the time when the single Yang Qi (vital energy) within the body sprouts anew. When this moment arrives, one should “close the gate” and devote oneself wholly to internal refinement. The key to advancing the fire—using intention to regulate the breath within the body—lies in harmonizing it to just the right degree: Qi circulates through the three passes, the several important apertures spoken of in internal refinement; one celestial circuit is divided into three stages; and after it has flowed once around, it returns to its starting place, so that the workings of Qi within the body condense and the Real is formed. At this point the practitioner alone feels Shen (spirit) and Qi revive, in an ease and joy hard to put into words. Hence it is said that “receiving Qi is auspicious,” meaning that to receive this working of Qi and put it to use is favorable.

Between advancing the fire and withdrawing the tally—drawing in the firing schedule so that the breath returns to calm—one must keep an intention that is single-minded, sincere, and reverent, and must not let it break off. The slightest error may turn the work inauspicious. One must therefore guard it carefully with a subtle and concentrated mind; this is what is meant by “guarding against danger in a battle in the wild.” The scripture says: “Join them where dragon and tiger meet; at this moment it is like crossing a small bridge.” This speaks precisely of the need, in the course of practice, to grasp the firing schedule with care. Some say that if one’s nature and feelings are quiet and one simply follows what is naturally so—sitting when one wishes to sit, sleeping when one wishes to sleep—why distinguish gathering the medicine from regulating the fire? They say this because they do not understand the process of inner creative transformation, and it is not worth discussing the matter with them in detail.

When the firing schedule—the grasp, in internal refinement, of the movement of the breath and of the timing of its regulation—is already sufficient, one must not injure the elixir. Heaven and earth are numinously wondrous; creative transformation is strange and marvelous.

When refinement reaches the point at which the yellow sprout, the vitality newly born in Neidan (internal alchemy), fills the cauldron and furnace, white snow, a metaphor for a scene of internal refinement, spreads all about, and the infant, a metaphor for the elixir having condensed and taken form, appears, this shows that the firing schedule is already enough. At this time one should only bathe and warmly nourish—that is, let body and mind grow quiet and nurture them in calm balance. If one does not know to stop when it is enough, and still insists on continuing to advance the fire, one will instead injure the elixir. After the elixir is complete, heaven and earth mingle, and Shen and Qi are of themselves numinous and subtle. Just as the immortal masters said, “The empty chamber gives birth to brightness, and spiritual illumination comes of itself,” and so this is called “the numen of heaven and earth.” At this time one should cherish and protect it, regulating the breath until it is extremely fine. Within stillness and concentration, what is inside does not leak outward, and what is outside does not intrude; one forgets both bodily form and external things, the mind is like the Great Void, and one maintains a single Qi of pure Yang. This is “the strangeness of creative transformation,” meaning that the changes within are wondrous and hard to fathom.

When the embryo is first formed, one must observe one’s natal mandate; when at last the embryo is shed, one must observe the four cardinal positions.

Since the kalpas of remote antiquity, the Heavenly Root (the fundamental source of the generation and transformation of Heaven and Earth) has rested within chaos; it is the place where the embryonic origin is formed. At the very beginning of cultivation, one must refine Jing (essence) and transform it into Qi (vital energy), the original energy of life; refine Qi and transform it into Shen (spirit); refine Shen and transform it into emptiness; and then refine emptiness so as to unite with the Dao (the Way), forming the sacred embryo (the inner embryonic origin attained by the cultivator). When the sacred embryo has just taken form, one must constantly guard and hold it at the stem of life (the place where the root of life resides). Hence it is said: “When the embryo is first conceived, one must watch over one’s original life-mandate.”

After ten months the embryonic origin reaches completion. Shen is then moved to the Niwan Palace (the cultivation site within the head) of the upper Dantian (energy center), and the spirit is nourished and regulated so that it may emerge from the shell. When the work of cultivation is at last complete, the Lord on High sends down a decree, the void is broken open, and the perfected person (Zhenren) ascends, borne upon crimson clouds and riding a white crane, free to come and go through east, west, south, and north, with no place beyond reach. Hence it is said: “When at last the embryo is shed, one must look to the Four Cardinal Positions (the orthodox stations of the four directions).” The Chant in Stillness says: “One morning, when the work of cultivation is complete, those nearby know nothing of it; on all four sides appear palaces and towers glowing as in the night.” This is what is meant.

Practice in closest secrecy, and every phrase meets with a response.

These two lines sum up the preceding eighty lines. They speak of the subtle essential art of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) of the great Dao, and of advancing the fire and withdrawing the fu (regulating the firing times and the advance and retreat of the phase-markers in the course of refining the elixir). Applied within one’s own person, it is like an empty valley returning a sound, a yangsui taking fire, or a fangzhu taking water: Shen and Qi come into sympathetic resonance, and how swift is the response! Hence it is said: “Practice in closest secrecy, and every phrase meets with a response.” An elixir scripture (Dan Jing) says: “It is not seen, and it is not heard; yet when it is called, it answers.” This is what is meant.

Hanging the Golden Cord (Gua Jinsuo)

At the first watch one sits upright in stillness and begins to regulate and refine primordial Qi. The heart-mind and Shen sink into chaos; there is neither speech nor thought, and one only preserves and guards true intention. The breath, fine, long, and unbroken, is brought into harmony with the Central Palace (the cultivation site at the center of the body). Let the mechanism of Qi be turned ever so slightly, and Heaven and Earth may be held within an elixir body no larger than a grain of millet.

Note: In the original text, the passage from “the breath unbroken and continuous” through “every phrase meets with a response” is repeated; the above combines it according to the sense.

At the second watch, all around is still and quiet, and the mind should constantly be kept empty, clear, and settled. Silently gathering in the mind and Shen (spirit) and turning one’s gaze back upon oneself, one can discern that “being” lies stored within “non-being.” In this way the welter of thoughts and disturbances can be driven off, like a golden lion roaring in fury and shaking the earth. In a brief moment the practice shows its effect, as if one might share the lifespan of heaven and earth.

At the third watch the cock crows, just when, at the winter solstice, Yang Qi (vital energy) first arises. Using the water of the Kan trigram to replenish the fire of the Li trigram—two of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams)—one sends Jing (essence) and Qi straight to the Niwan (the site of cultivation in the crown of the head). Circulating the fire-timing of the celestial circuit, one brings lead and mercury together within the furnace and cauldron. After nine cycles of refinement and transformation, the elixir is completed, as if white snow were drifting into the realm of the immortals.

At the fourth watch the mind is peaceful and joyful, and none of the myriad affairs is taken to heart. The Huachi (the place where the fluids gather) is full, and with it one nourishes the spiritual root within the body (the name, in cultivation, for the root of life). In quiet stability it is as if heaven and earth were all gathered into a single mind, while immortal music arrives without cease. The great Dao (the Way) is vast, empty, and still; those who succeed in cultivation seem to have their names entered on the golden register of the celestial realm.

At the fifth watch the moon sinks in the west, and one gradually senses the east growing light. The perfected persons (zhenren) cultivating the Dao in the mountain valleys—their forms and realms of attainment can already be clearly seen. At the Yuhu (the portal of cultivation within the body) a luan bird circles, and a golden dragon coils about the crown of the head. Once the void is broken open, myriad rays of golden light appear.

In this passage, the Annotated Commentary on Master Cui’s Mirror for Entering the Medicine (Cui gong ruyao jing zhujie) uses the hours of the night-watch drums and the birth of Yang at the winter solstice to describe the process of stilling the mind, circulating Qi, and refining the elixir, through to the manifestation of the attained state. The original text of the “fifth watch” section contains repeated wording; the above merges the repetitions according to the sense of the passage and retains what follows.