《还真集》

The way of immortals (xiandao) has a long history. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor once asked Guangchengzi about the Dao, and so the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi came to be called "Huang-Lao" (Huanglao). Guangchengzi is said to have been Laozi, and the doctrine of the immortal Way began with this exchange. Figures such as Xiao Fu of the Xia dynasty, Wanqiu of the Shang dynasty, and Wang Qiao of the Zhou dynasty appeared in high antiquity. It was not until King Mu of Zhou built a thatched tower to host worthy scholars that the notion of the immortal Way became widely known.

Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were devoted to the techniques of the fangshi (masters of arts), who refined elixirs and prescribed the taking of drugs. Wang Cizhong, Dongfang Shuo, and others were associated with the immortal Way, yet none of them truly became disciples and studied the Dao under a teacher. As a result, claims that mixed the false and the absurd multiplied, and some of them even cost people their lives. It is therefore not surprising that learned men of the age criticized these claims.

In the Han dynasty, Wei Boyang composed the Zhouyi cantong qi (Kinship of the Three in Accord with the Changes) in imitation of the Classic of Changes (Yijing), building on the Ancient Text Classic of the Dragon and Tiger and developing its ideas. In this way he clarified the Way of Neidan (internal alchemy). Neidan emphasizes cultivating the body and mind according to the natural regularities of shen (spirit) and qi (vital energy), and it does not rely on external practices such as ingesting metals, minerals, and herbs, or on guiding breath with clouds and mists. It also draws on hexagram lines and the hours of the day to explain the principles of cultivation, so that they accord with the patterns of Yin-Yang, odd and even numbers, and the symbols and numbers of the Changes.

Afterward, Zhongli Yunfang (Zhongli Quan) transmitted the Way to Lü Yan (Lü Dongbin) of the Tang dynasty. Lü Yan inherited the teachings of his predecessors and set forth their purport in verse and discourse, so that the essential meaning of the Way was made known. In later dynasties, there were no shortage of successors to this Way. In the Song dynasty, Zhang Ziyang, Shi Xinglin, Chen Niwan, Bai Yuchan, Li Yuxi, and Li Qing'an were all outstanding figures of their time. Their words and intent were not inferior to those of Wei Boyang, and each of them had deep personal insight and an understanding that went beyond words.

These men were separated by hundreds or even thousands of years, yet why do their teachings match like the two halves of a tally? It is because, across a thousand generations, the principle remains the same and human hearts share the same nature. Where differences arise, they usually stem from false and absurd claims: some were made only to cater to worldly tastes, and others were meant to mislead later generations. How could such claims truly accord with the natural Way of body, mind, shen, and qi?

The ancients transmitted the Dao only when they found a suitable person to receive it, and the Way does not spread without cause. A master will not casually reveal profound and mysterious secrets. A student who has not accumulated merit over a long period or practiced cultivation in earnest, but instead works only at surface appearances and empty reputation, and broadcasts himself everywhere, is not worth discussing the Great Dao with, let alone truly understanding its principles.

The author of the Huanzhen Ji (Collection of Returning to the True) is Hunran Zi (Hunran Zi), a native of Xiujiang in Nanchang. His original surname can no longer be determined. He was learned across many fields and once encountered an extraordinary person who passed on esoteric teachings, yet he remained diligent in his writing. I had long read his discourses, and when we occasionally met at a guesthouse, I was too hurried to examine them closely. This spring, my fellow practitioner Yuan Wenyi returned from the Wu region with the Huanzhen Ji that he had compiled and asked me to write a preface. I read it again and again and concluded that the book truly penetrates the essentials of the Golden Liquor Returning Elixir (Jinye Huandan), the core principles of Daoist internal alchemy (neidan). It explains profound principles clearly, allowing the reader to understand the foundations of cultivation and how to apply them. If one practices according to it, then even when compared with earlier masters such as Ziyang and Qing'an, it would be hard to say who is superior.

Moreover, I have long been troubled by the shallow, arrogant, and deviant tendencies of the world, which have been in disorder and decline for a long time and seem difficult to fully remove. I greatly admire the arguments in this book and believe they are sufficient to revive a declining age. If a person of firm resolve possesses the discernment to tell raw jade from fine jade, then the spirit consciousness can wander in the realm where chaos first arises and the myriad things have not yet separated, and the qi nourished through refinement can reach the deep, misty origin. This is not a difficult thing. Perhaps this is what it means to thoroughly investigate the transformations of all things from beginning to end, and to reach the state of subtle penetration and full understanding of the creative process? If one day I can summon the yellow crane to descend from the sky, we can still discuss the Dao together on the banks of the Xiang River, among the mountains, islands, and sandbars. This book has already been placed at the front of the collection for readers to await.

Written in the fifth month of summer in the Hongwu renshen year, by Zhang Yuchu, Successor Celestial Master (Tianshi), who composed this preface.

Essentials of the Golden Elixir (Jindan Miaozhi)

Three points like stars: the principle they contain is the most profound. A curved hook hangs like a reclining crescent moon (yanyue), used to determine the rising and sinking of Yin and Yang.

If one comprehends the mysterious key within, then the earth, mountains, and rivers can all be transformed into gold.

The mysterious principle is vast and boundless. What the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism have transmitted in private lineages is the same "mystery."

By grasping the true mechanism of creation and transformation contained within, one realizes that the movement of the sun and moon never departs from the Way of Heaven.

The Mysterious Gate (xuanguan), a single aperture, lies at the center, neither in front nor behind, suspended alone in empty space. This is the crucial point where the body and mind gather their concentration and where qi circulation converges in internal alchemy practice.

Quietly turning the light inward and illuminating within at this place, spirit and qi will naturally blend and unite with the mysterious Dao.

The white jade ring is formed by two circles. Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang) revolve, and originally they emerge from the same source.

Within that single point lies a true message……

Oral Instructions on Cultivation (Xiulian Koujue)

Quiet the mind and gather the spirit (shen), turn the light inward to illuminate the interior, and abide steadily in this place. Spirit and qi (vital energy) will then naturally merge and return to a state of profound and mysterious unity. Like a ring of white jade with two linked circles, the revolving movement of Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) originally issues from one source. The point at the center holds true information, and it should not be discussed lightly without transmission from a teacher. A single orifice contains the efficacy of creation, and the three great medicines condense and fuse within it. The Xun wind, one of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and here standing for wind, fans the fire in the furnace and refines the divine elixir until the pills in the cauldron glow with abundant red light.

To nurture the infant (yuanshen), a term in internal alchemy (neidan) for the primordial spirit or embryo of the elixir, is like carrying a child for ten months. When the practice reaches this stage, one can transcend the mundane world. Spiritual transformations appear everywhere, and a perfect, round light shines forth from the crown of the head. Upon attaining the Golden Immortal (Jinxian), a Daoist state of perfected transcendence, one is free from birth and death, and a single point of light illuminates the great thousandfold world. Emptiness shatters, the complete original self is revealed, and one returns to the state that existed before one's parents gave birth to one.

In studying the Dao and practicing cultivation, the first requirement is to identify clearly the furnace and cauldron within the body. The second is to recognize the complete and flawless medicinals, and the third is to understand the rules governing the advance and retreat of the fire timing (huohou). Only when these three are clear may one begin the practice. The Patriarch said, "Once you know where to begin, begin right there." Someone asked, "What counts as beginning to practice?" Alas, this refers to the actual work itself.

The essential method is to practice continuously through the twelve double-hours of day and night without interruption. When the mind is empty and still, free of desire, turn the light inward to nourish one's nature. When the time of "Gui arising at the winter solstice" arrives, one should enter seclusion for quiet cultivation to restore the root of life. Internally, one turns the Tiangang (Celestial Pivot, the direction pointed to by the handle of the Big Dipper, here referring to inner circulation) while remaining still. Externally, one turns the handle of the Dipper to drive the movement. Let the one qi circulate and the Three Origins (sanyuan) return to unity. Refine with the true fire to form the golden embryo and the empty qi, which is called "returning the elixir through talisman fire" (fuhuo huandan). Practiced persistently over a long time, the embryo gradually condenses into form, merges with the Great Void, and at last attains union with the Dao and realization of the true.

The Three Treasures of the Human Body

The Mysterious Gateway (Xuanguan yiqiao) is the crucial point in the body's internal cultivation. It lies above the kidneys and below the heart. In terms of the Five Phases (Wuxing) and their directions, the liver is in the west and the lungs are in the east. It is neither biased nor partial, stands independently in the void, is neither inside nor outside the body, and is the root of the Dao (the Way) of Primordial Beginning.

When the practitioner is free of desire, the gateway nourishes one's original nature. When the methods are applied, it mobilizes both body and mind. The bellows of the furnace are opened and the Xun wind, which symbolizes wood qi, is stirred. True qi begins to move in the sea of qi, which refers to the area of the lower Dantian (Dantian), and it rolls like thunder, startling the dormant qi of the Dragon and the Tiger. The fire of Kan water rises and travels to the Li palace. The Yellow Crone, a mediating intention that harmonizes the process, guides the "Woman" and the "Metal Lord," which symbolize the Yin-Yang elements of inner alchemy (Neidan), such as lead and mercury, so that they unite. The three families meet and merge in harmony. The elixir is refined through nine cycles, and the light within the cauldron shines like rosy clouds.

Through diligent gathering and refining, the elixir qi gradually condenses and becomes full. Sustained, unbroken guarding prevents the errors and dangers that arise from "wild battle" (yezhan). Once the Spirit Embryo (Lingtai), which symbolizes the inner life produced by inner alchemy, has matured, the yang qi becomes pure and abundant. The practitioner must also accumulate merit and do good, so that their achievements rise to the heavenly realms. In the end, they shed the mortal body, transform spiritually, and ascend, and the wondrous functions of the Dao are inexhaustible.

The Three Treasures of the Human Body (Renshen Sanbao)

The Three Treasures of Former Heaven are three fundamental things innate in nature: Primordial Jing (jing), Primordial Qi (qi), and Primordial Shen (shen).

The Three Treasures of Later Heaven are three functions that appear in bodily activity: the jing produced through sexual union, the qi of breath, and the shen of thought and reflection.

Human beings possess three precious roots within the body, all of which arise from Heaven and Earth. They first take form in the Xiantian (Prior Heaven, the root state before the myriad things come into being), where they are wondrously joined as one. They appear through particular bodily forms only in the Houtian (Posterior Heaven, the state after things have come into being, when form and daily activity manifest). Without the Prior Heaven, the Posterior Heaven cannot come into being; without the Posterior Heaven, the Prior Heaven cannot be accomplished. The two are originally one, differing only in how they are expressed, so one must not harm the Posterior Heaven in a way that depletes the Prior Heaven.

Therefore, one refines the jiaogan jing (the essence produced by the body's reproductive activity) with the Yuan Jing (the subtle root essence of the Prior Heaven), refines the breathing Qi with the Yuan Qi (the vital root Qi of the Prior Heaven), and refines the discursive Shen (the mind's thinking and reflection) with the Yuan Shen (the root spirit of the Prior Heaven). Unite these three into one body, join them with the Dao, and return to what is real. In this way, the Yuan Jing is preserved and the jiaogan jing does not leak away. The Yuan Qi is steadied and the breathing Qi is not wastefully dissipated. The Yuan Shen is made full and the discursive Shen is no longer disturbed. There is no other method of cultivating immortality than preserving these three. The Patriarch (Zushi) said: "When Jing is abundant, one does not crave desire; when Qi is abundant, one does not crave food; when Shen is abundant, one does not crave sleep." He also said: "When all three are genuine and complete, one will surely become a Flying Immortal (feixian); when all three are complete and genuine, one will surely ascend." These words have fully exhausted the principle, and those who study should reflect on them carefully.

The Three Passes of the Human Body

Draw forth the solid yang Qi from Kan (the trigram position representing the kidneys, water, and the yin side),

and use it to transform the yin substance contained within the belly of Li (the palace representing the heart, fire, and the yang side).

The human body has three gates, namely Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). The first gate is refining Jing to transform it into Qi, which means extracting the Yang from within Kan (the Water trigram) and supplementing it into Li (the Fire trigram). The second gate is refining Qi to transform it into Shen, using Qi to replenish the Yin within Li so that it becomes Qian. The third gate is refining Shen to return to emptiness, returning the transforming operation of the Qian Origin to the Kun position and ultimately forming the Neidan (internal elixir). Once the elixir is complete, Shen and Qi become clear and luminous, merging into one with Taixu (the original substance of the cosmos, the vast void). Interior and exterior are pure and undefiled, and one naturally accords with the Dao and attains the True.

Therefore, in stillness one should nourish one's inherent nature, and in motion one should restore the root of life. When nature (xing) and life (ming) are cultivated together, both form and spirit can reach a refined state. This is the essential method of Fuhuo Huandan (returning the elixir through fire and talisman). To illustrate this, the following verses are composed.

When the moment arrives for the Guishui (Water of the Gui stem) to stir within the body, take the Yang Qi from Kan to supplement Li.

The positions of the Northern Dipper and the Southern Chen seem to reverse, and within a single moment the foundation of the elixir is established.

Banshengdang (The Half-Pint Cauldron)

Like the half-pint cauldron, it stands between heaven and earth, and the Dragon and Tiger (symbolizing the Yin and Yang Qi within the body) are gathered together to be refined.

First refine with strong fire ten times, then nurture with gentle fire. After nine cycles of transformation the Neidan is completed, and one may enter the realm of Penglai and Yingzhou (the immortal isles).

"Banshengdang" is another name for the earthen cauldron. It lies at the exact center of the human heaven and earth, namely the Wuji palace (representing the Spleen Earth and the central position), and is also called the Acupoint of Shen and Qi. Once this gate is obtained, Yin and Yang can unite, and nature and life can be revived. Patriarch Lü Chunyang's saying, "Within a grain of millet a world is hidden; within a half-pint cauldron the mountains and rivers are cooked," expresses exactly this meaning. Practitioners should not force speculation but must receive the oral transmission of a wise master before they can understand. An old saying goes: "Wear through iron shoes in search and it is nowhere to be found; when it comes, it costs no effort at all."

Diagram of the Transformations of the Five Phases

The Five Phases are the five subtle and numinous functions possessed by the Three Powers (Sancai: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity). Although the forms of the transformations of the Five Phases differ, their principle is one. Therefore, the Five Phases appear in heaven as the Five Stars and the Five Emperors, and in the diagram…

The Five Phases are the five kinds of vital breath (qi) that make up the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Though the Five Phases change in endless ways and take many forms, their fundamental Dao is one and the same. Thus they appear in the heavens as the Five Stars and Five Emperors, on the earth as the Five Sacred Peaks and Five Spirits, and in the human body as the Five Viscera and Five Constants. When we reduce them to a single person, the principle of the Five Phases is still the same, and when we extend them to all things, they likewise follow the pattern of the Five Phases.

Therefore, the essentials of cultivating the perfected (xiuzhen), that is, disciplining body and mind in order to accord with the Dao, lie in circulating the Five Qi. If one can keep the Five Qi complete and undispersed, merge them into the Great Void (taixu), the vast and boundless emptiness, and condense them into the "Empty Qi Golden Embryo" (kongqi jintai), this is called the spiritual elixir (lingdan). But if the mind-spirit (xin shen) is clouded and chases after external things, the Five Qi instead become the "Five Thieves," which harm one's innate nature.

Someone asks: "What are the Five Thieves?" The Five Thieves are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and mind-intention. Those whose capacities are deficient and whose practice is shallow are often led astray in their nature by these five senses and this consciousness. The Scripture of Hidden Accord (Yinfu Jing) says: "Heaven has five thieves, and those who see them prosper." Buddhism also teaches "no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or dharmas," and this is precisely the principle at issue. The work of cultivation that realizes the Dao makes use of the "Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown" (sanhua juding), in which Essence (jing), Qi, and Spirit (shen) converge at the top of the head, and the "Five Qi Facing the Origin" (wuqi chaoyuan), in which the qi of the five viscera returns to its source. Through these, one naturally transcends the transformations of the Five Phases.

Diagram of the Great Dao and the Mind's Changes

The Heavenly Dao differentiates into creation and transformation from within its unified root.

Within the human heart arises the guiding order by which all affairs are governed.

"Heart-Yi" (xin yi, contemplating the changes of yin and yang in the Yijing with the heart) is the root of the Great Dao. The Dao generates and transforms the myriad things without departing from the "Fifty-Five Numbers of the River Chart" (hetu wushiwu shu), the numbers that the River Chart symbolizes for the generation of heaven and earth, and so the sages follow it. When Laozi says, "Nameless, it is the beginning of heaven and earth; named, it is the mother of the myriad things," the "beginning of the nameless" refers to the union of three and five into true unity, while the "mother of the named" refers to the division of three and five into the true forms of the myriad things.

Therefore, what lies above form is called heaven, what lies below form is called earth, and between heaven and earth, correlated and born together, is the human being. Human beings, together with heaven and earth, are called the "Three Powers" (sancai). When the Three Powers accord with the Dao, the myriad things are transformed from the same primal qi. Only human beings fully receive the numinous refinement of heaven and earth: heaven endows them with shen (spirit), earth endows them with jing (essence), and the harmonious qi of heaven and earth endows them with qi (vital breath). When these three are complete within one body, it is like the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) in its undivided wholeness.

Zhou Dunyi's statement, "From Wuji (the Ultimate of Non-Being) comes Taiji; in motion it generates yang, and in stillness it generates yin," expresses exactly this principle. When yang reaches its extreme of motion, it turns to stillness and contains yin within stillness; when yin reaches its extreme of stillness, it turns to motion and gathers yang within motion. Through the mutual interaction of yin and yang, the Five Qi arise; as the Five Qi differentiate, they form the Eight Trigrams (bagua); as the Eight Trigrams cycle, they form the four seasons; and as the four seasons transform without cease, they give birth to the myriad things. When the myriad things flourish, each at last returns to its root. This is the constant law of transformation of the Dao.

Viewed from the perspective of the Dao of internal alchemy (neidan), the practice is nothing other than employing the "Heart-Yi" to redirect yin and yang, so that shen and qi (the subtle vital energy within the human body) return to their origin and their source. Hence the Qian and Kun hexagrams are taken as the gateways of the Yijing, Kan and Li as the pivots of the movement of sun and moon, and Zhen and Dui as symbols of spring and autumn, with the hours of mao and you marking the boundaries of these seasons.

In cultivating the Dao, one internally stores and holds the three and the five, keeping them steady and unmoving; externally, one follows the generation and transformation of the Five Phases. The East belongs to Wood, number three, which generates Fire in the South, number two; the West belongs to Metal, number four, which generates Water in the North, number one. Each of the four images returns to its place behind its number, and then one employs the empty Wu and Ji (Earth of the center, represented by one and five) to divide and regulate them: the Earth of Wu is led into the Kan position, so that Wood generates Fire and is warmed and refined, and Metal is compelled to generate Water, so that it flows and boils.

At this moment, one moves the mechanism at the upper aperture and slowly draws the yang from within Kan to replenish the yin of the Li palace, transforming the Li hexagram into Qian. Afterward, the Earth of Ji retreats from the Li position, carrying the fire of the process, to gather the Five Qi and set them circulating through the thirty degrees of the heavens, until they reach the Kun palace, where the returning elixir (huandan) is formed. When Wu and Ji each return to their proper places and one takes the "dao-gui" (the measuring spoon, symbol of the elixir pill), the original nature becomes clear and settled, the Four Qi become bright and pure, and one returns to the state of emptiness and stillness; the numbers "five" and "ten" also return to their undifferentiated state.

The Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate says, "The true essence of Wuji, the refined essence of Two and Five, unite wondrously and congeal." This is precisely the principle being described. Zhang Ziyang's Awakening to Reality (Wuzhen Pian) says that among the characters three, five, and one, very few people throughout the ages have truly understood their meaning. The three of the East and the two of the South unite to form five; the one of the North and the four of the West also unite to form five. Wu and Ji then emerge from the generating number five, and when the three families meet, an infant is formed. This infant is the embodied entity that contains true qi; after ten months of gestation within the womb is complete, it enters the foundation for becoming a sage. The principles have now been fully laid out above, and those who study should contemplate them carefully.

The hexagrams Zhun (Difficulty at the Beginning) and Meng (Youthful Inexperience) use their images to illustrate the principle of advancing the fire and withdrawing the fu in alchemical practice. When yang qi rises from below, this is called Zhun. When yin qi retreats from above, this is called Meng.

Zhun has Zhen (Arousing) below and Kan (The Abysmal) above. In Zhen, the first-line yang corresponds to Gengzi, and in Kan, the fourth-line yin corresponds to Wushen. Meng has Kan below and Gen (Keeping Still) above. In Kan, the first-line yin corresponds to Wuyin, and in Gen, the fourth-line yang corresponds to Bingxu. The hours zi, shen, yin, and xu are each linked to the hexagram principles of yuan, heng, li, and zhen. Overturning one hexagram produces two. The two interlace and interact, so motion and stillness depend on each other. The principle is the same for all sixty hexagrams.

Each hexagram has six lines, so two hexagrams together have twelve. By analogy with the year, there are twelve months, and by analogy with the day, there are twelve shichen (two-hour periods). Advancing yang takes up six lines, and retreating yin also takes up six. The alchemists' phrase "zhao zhun mu meng" (in the morning Zhun, in the evening Meng) uses this comparison to explain the advance and retreat of the internal alchemical fire timing, as well as the subtle changes in breath, its opening and closing, and the waxing and waning of qi.

Wei Boyang says in the Cantong qi (Kinship of the Three): "Zhun uses zi and shen; Meng uses yin and xu. Each of the sixty hexagrams has its corresponding times; here we take Zhun and Meng as examples." This passage does not exhaust the principle. The Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality) also says: "The sources of the Southern and Northern lineages overturn the hexagram images; dawn and dusk fire timing accords with the Celestial Pivot." Its meaning is already clear. Those who study the Dao should not assume they understand from the written words alone. They must seek a true teacher to recognize the hexagram images within their own bodies. The hexagram images are, in the end, also a kind of analogy, which the sages reluctantly used to guide later students. If one can point out the key in a single sentence, the principles of heaven and earth will align with the self.

Zhoutian huohou tu (Diagram of Fire Timing in the Cosmic Cycle), Diagram Eleven:

Thirty spokes

converge upon a single hub.

The so-called "Zhoutian huohou" (cyclical fire timing) refers to the regularities by which Heaven and Earth open and close and Yin and Yang move and transform. Viewed broadly, it exists between Heaven and Earth. Viewed narrowly, it also exists within the human body, and the generation of all things follows corresponding rhythms of fire timing. The Book of Changes says, "One closing and one opening is called change; ceaseless movement to and fro is called penetration." The meaning is that a single opening and closing is called change, and movement that continues without stopping is called penetration.

The human body also has movements that correspond to Heaven and Earth. On the exhalation it responds to the Heavenly Root (tiangen), and on the inhalation it responds to the Earthly Root (digen). The breath spoken of here is not the air that passes in and out of the mouth and nose, but the breath that moves within the body. Earlier patriarchs used words and symbols to guide those who would later cultivate. The Longhu jing (Classic of the Dragon and Tiger), the Cantong qi (Kinship of the Three), the Huoji (Record of Fire), and other texts all elucidate the principles of fire timing, with the aim of guiding people to practice this Way.

In cultivation, one must gather the rhythm of a year into a single month, gather a month into a single day, gather a day into a single double-hour, and then gather a double-hour into a single breath. Through the work of this one breath, one advances the Yang fire and retreats the Yin tally (using the rhythm of inner alchemy to move the Yang qi and gather in the Yin qi), draws upon the upright qi of three thousand six hundred days, turns the pivotal junctures of the seventy-two hou (the divisions of the seasonal calendar in ancient times), and condenses them into a pearl the size of a millet grain, which is then made to descend into the Yellow Court (Huangting, the region of the body cultivated in Daoist neidan). Afterward, one empties and purifies body and mind and lets them merge and blend, so that the fanqi (the primordial vital energy spoken of in Daoism) condenses into perfection, completing the work of forming the sacred embryo. This practice is called "returning the elixir through the fire of talismans" (fuhuo huandan).

Zhang Ziyang said, "There is no need to divide the noon and midnight positions by the hours on the clepsydra, nor to rely on hexagram lines to arrange Qian and Kun." Liaozhenzi said, "The great medicine is composed of essence, qi, and spirit, which are naturally drawn to and joined with one another. Circulate the breath so that they blend and return to the true body; cultivate them day after day, and the work will steadily advance." Shao Yong also said, "When Qian meets Xun, one may observe the lunar cavern; where the earth stirs with thunder, one may tread out the heavenly root. The heavenly root and the lunar cavern move to and fro, and the thirty-six palaces are filled everywhere with the spirit of spring." These words all clarify the principle of fire timing.

Even if a cultivator can guard essence, qi, and spirit so that they do not dissipate, yet does not practice the work of fire timing, the practice still leans toward Yin, and in the end one can only accomplish a Yin spirit (yinshen) and cannot refine a Yang spirit (yangshen). For this reason Lü Chunyang used the image of an unfired "kiln-head brick." A clay brick that has not been fired is, in the end, still only earth; how could it become solid? The human body is likewise like an unfired brick. If one does not refine the medicinal substances according to the work of fire timing, one cannot reach the state in which both form and spirit are refined and one merges with the Dao and attains the true.

Therefore it is said that the sages transmitted the medicines but did not transmit the fire timing. The essentials of fire timing have been little known since ancient times. The patriarchs did not absolutely refuse to pass on this secret method; they transmitted it only to suitable persons. How could it be something that can be explained easily?

Neidan (internal alchemy, a body of practices centered on cultivating the inner jing, qi, and shen) rests on three key elements: the cauldron vessel (dingqi), the medicinals (yaowu), and the firing timing (huohou).

The cauldron vessel has many alternate names, including Heart of Heaven (tianxin), Mysterious Pass (xuanguan), Earthen Kettle (tufu), Yellow Court (huangting), Yellow Chamber (huangfang), Central Palace (zhonggong), Spirit Terrace (lingtai), Vessel Heaven (hutian), Primal Palace (yuangong), Mysterious Female (xuanpin), Purple Mansion (zifu), Crescent Furnace (yanyuelu), Gate of Wuji (wujimen), Pass of Return to Life (fumingguan), Cave of Spirit Breath (shenqi xue), Cinnabar Cauldron (zhusha ding), Altar of Guarding the One (shouyi tan), Cave of the Dragon and Tiger (longhu xue), Dwelling of the Yellow Matron (huangpo she), and Vajra Ring (jingang quan). Each is a different designation for the single concept of the cauldron vessel in internal alchemical practice.

The medicinals likewise have many alternate names, such as Golden Essence (jinjing), Red Lead (hongqian), Black Mercury (heigong), Cinnabar (zhusha), Quicksilver (shuiyin), Kan Male (kan nan), Li Female (li nü), Azure Turtle (cang gui), Red Serpent (chi she), Golden Lord (jin gong), Yellow Matron (huang po), Infant (yinger), Maiden (chanü), Fire Dragon (huo long), Water Tiger (shui hu), Jade Fluid (yuye), Gold in Water (shuizhong jin), Yang within Yin (yin zhong yang), and White Tiger Marrow (baihu sui). Many of these are symbolic. They do not all refer to physical substances.

The firing timing also has many alternate names, including Spirit within Qi (qi zhong shen), Yang within Yin (yin nei yang), the Twenty-Four Solar Periods (ershisi qi), the Seventy-Two Pentads (qishi'er hou), the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (ershiba xiu), the Sixty-Four Hexagrams (liushisi gua), the Twelve Regional Domains (shi'er fenye), the Sun and Moon Joined Like Jade Discs (riyue hebi), the Rising and Falling Tides (haichao shengjiang), the Thirty-Two Heavens (sanshi'er tian), the Thirty Literary Lines (sanshi wen yao), and the Seventy Martial Refinements (qishi wu lian). These names borrow from meteorology, astronomy, and the trigrams to express the practitioner's grasp of timing and progress during cultivation.

The so-called "three essentials" (sanyao) are the key to xiuzhen (cultivation aimed at returning to the origin and realizing the true). There are three main points in xiuzhen, and the first is to understand the cauldron vessel. The text then goes on to mention the rising and falling tides, the thirty-two heavens, the thirty literary lines, and the seventy martial refinements.

There are three essentials for cultivating the true Way (zhendao): understanding the cauldron and vessel (dingqi), understanding the medicinals (yaowu), and understanding the fire timing (huohou). Once all three are clear, one may begin cultivation. Many accounts discuss these matters, but most differ only in name. The purpose of setting out these key points is to help students of the Dao (Dao) dispel their doubts.

The "cauldron and vessel" refers to the Heavenly Heart (tianxin), the mind-spirit (shen) that steadies and governs body and mind during practice. The "medicinals" refer to essence and qi (jing and qi). The "fire timing" refers to the application of shen and qi, the primordial vital energy (yuanqi) that Daoists speak of. Throughout the twelve double-hours of the day, one should practice "turning the light around" (huiguang fanzhao), gathering the mind inward and illuminating from within. Thoughts should flow on unbroken, yet seem almost absent, like a hen incubating her eggs or a dragon nurturing a pearl. In this way, shen naturally commands qi, qi nourishes shen, and the two merge with the heart into a single whole, as though they dwell together with Taixu (the vast, boundless void).

When this state is reached, the distinction between medicinals and fire timing dissolves. Shen and qi become one indivisible whole, as though a single shen transforms into myriad spirits and a single qi into myriad qi. Yet the heart-field and the sea of nature (that is, the inner mind and original nature) cannot remain still for long. When stillness reaches its extreme, movement necessarily arises, and from movement yang is born. Here, "yang" refers to the stirring of yang qi within the body, like the first emergence of yang at the winter solstice, when the water of the gui stem begins to rise.

At this point, one should retreat into seclusion (biguan), gathering body and mind to focus wholly on practice, and apply the fire timing. One stirs the Xun wind, which symbolizes the wind-qi within the body. One fans the furnace supports, which symbolize the bodily and mental conditions that aid refinement. One regulates the five qi (the qi of the Five Phases) and gathers the myriad spirits. One circulates the Wu earth, which symbolizes the spleen earth or the central intention, and seals the trigrams Gen and Dui (in this context, the orifices used in refinement). From Kan one draws out yang, and upward into Li one replenishes yin. When the intention moves without pause, one uses the Ji earth to gather the medicinals, unite them in one place, and deliver them into the cauldron. The Xun gate is then opened, and one refines with true fire until the Golden Elixir (jindan) is formed, which will not perish even after myriad kalpas.

Therefore, the Golden Elixir grows ever firmer, and one's accumulated effort grows ever deeper. If one practices diligently in this manner, there is hope of attaining the Way of the immortals. This is no empty claim.

End of Volume One of the Huanzhen Ji (Collection of Returning to Truth)

Huanzhen Ji, Volume Two

Composed by Hunran Zi

Treatise

On the Secret Essentials of the Returning Elixir (Huandan Miyao Lun)

What is called the "Returning Elixir" (huándān) is the Dao of returning to one's origin and restoring one's source. A person receives life from the jīng (essence) of the father and the blood of the mother, and at birth the Primordial Jing, Primordial Qi, and Primordial Shen are all complete and pure. As one gradually grows up, the four sensory gates of eye, ear, nose, and tongue are drawn outward by the external world. The clear original nature is stirred by form, sound, fragrance, and flavor, and becomes tainted with habits that grow ever deeper. Over the years, the Primordial Jing turns into the jīng produced by sexual union between man and woman, the Primordial Qi turns into the breath of respiration, and the Primordial Shen turns into the spirit of thought and deliberation. These three innate roots continually dissipate, and it becomes difficult to restore their original purity.

For this reason, the ancestral masters left teachings, recorded in the alchemical classics, that explain how to repair them. When Jing is depleted, replenish it with Jing; when Qi is depleted, replenish it with Qi; when Shen is depleted, replenish it with Shen. This is using the Dao of returning to origin to bring each of them back to wholeness. And how is restoration recognized? When Jing is full, it can serve as a deep foundation; when Qi is full, it can serve as a firm root; when Shen is full, it can reach a subtle convergence. If people can preserve these three, they are the true medicinals within the body.

Nevertheless, even so, if one does not understand the method of "talisman-fire refinement" (fúhuǒ pēngliàn), which refines Jing, Qi, and Shen through an inner rhythm and the timing of the fire, one remains only on the Yin side. In the end, one cannot reach the cultivated state in which both body and spirit attain wondrous perfection.

The Dao of the human body corresponds to Heaven and Earth, so a single breath of cultivation can draw in the effects of a full year of Heaven and Earth's transformations. Qián and Kūn (Heaven and Earth) serve as the cauldron, the sun and moon serve as water and fire, the golden crow and jade hare (images of the sun and moon) serve as the medicinals, Yin-Yang serves as the pivot of transformation, and the Dragon and Tiger (symbols of the interacting Yin and Yang Qi) serve as the wondrous function. Zǐ and Wǔ correspond to the winter and summer solstices, and Mǎo and Yǒu correspond to the spring and autumn equinoxes. These are all metaphors drawn from the images of Heaven and Earth. Ultimately, they say nothing more than the three matters of body, mind, and intention: the body is linked to Jing, the mind to Qi, and intention to Shen. "Returning" means reversing the direction in which these three dissipate, and "restoring" means bringing them back to their original truth. When Jing, Qi, and Shen are all complete and have returned to their origin, this is called the Returning Elixir.

Fearing that those who cultivate the Dao may cling to partial views and fail to grasp its principles, I do not fear Heaven’s punishment and can only reveal this celestial secret. Whenever you enter a quiet chamber to refine the Elixir, your mind must be clear and empty, your nature calm, so that Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) merge in the Middle Field, one of the Dantian (energy centers), usually referring to the Middle Dantian.

When the first Yang stirs within the body, this is the winter solstice within the body. At this moment, withdraw into seclusion and gather the Shen, using Wu Earth—the intent or harmonizing energy in Neidan (internal alchemy)—to seal the Deep Abyss, a symbol of a hidden inner gate. For now, do not employ the subtle power of the Hidden Dragon. Wait until the Dragon Appears in the Field, then activate the gate at the crown of the head and slowly raise it from the Palace of Great Mystery, an inner palace in Neidan. In one lift, passing through three periods, the Flying Dragon pierces straight through the Three Passes, the body’s inner barriers. In a second lift, passing through three periods, guide it to unite in the Southern Palace. This is taking Yang from within Kan to replenish the Yin within Li.

From the hour of the Rat to the hour of the Snake, the six Yang lines gather to form Qian. Thereafter, Yang continues to grow. When it reaches the stage of five Yang lines, the first Yin is born and the Yin of Kun begins to act. At this point, use Ji Earth—the intent or energy of the Spleen Earth in Neidan—to follow the image of the Li trigram and move backward through the Yin Tally. Pass through the Golden Gate and Magpie Bridge, inner gates along the course of Qi, then enter the Towering Passages and Crimson Palace, referring respectively to an inner passage and the Heart Palace, before sending it back to the Earth Cauldron, a symbolic vessel for refining the Elixir. From the hour of the Horse to the hour of the Pig, circulate the six Yin Tallies. Yang returns to the position of Kun, the two gates of Xun—the openings through which Qi enters and leaves—swing open, and the true fire refines the Qi of emptiness into a Golden Embryo. This is called “Returning the Elixir.”

In this way, gather the ingredients at the appointed times and circulate Qi according to the prescribed method. Refine and nourish them diligently, until formless Qi condenses into form. After ten months, when the work is complete, shed the embryo and change the cauldron, moving the Shen to the Muddy Pellet, the upper Dantian in the head. Once the Gate of Heaven has burst open, continue to nourish and protect it so that the original Shen can leave the body. At this stage, above all, keep your practice grounded and make not the slightest mistake. Continue until spiritual powers are perfected and transformations flow freely, enabling you to pass through stone and pierce metal, manifest as circumstances require, and roam freely among the clouds and heavens, enjoying endless bliss as a true immortal beyond the reach of tribulations. All this is attained through a person’s firm and resolute cultivation.

The subtlety of the alchemical method is that it begins with “deliberate action”—conscious practice and effort—and ends with “non-action” (Wuwei)—acting without contrivance and following nature. Nature, the human mind and spirit, is established through life, its root and vital energies; life, in turn, is nurtured through cultivating nature. When nature and life merge into one, they share the same substance as the vast, boundless Void. One who reaches this state can roam freely among the clouds and heavens, with endless joy, becoming a true immortal beyond the reach of tribulations. These states are attained through practice sustained by firm resolve.

The subtlety of the alchemical method is that it begins with deliberate action and ends with non-action. Nature is established through life, and life is fulfilled through cultivating nature. When nature and life merge into one and share the same substance as the Void, what death or life could still bind them? This is the great method passed down by sages through the generations, unchanged. To abandon it and seek some other mysterious method is to enter a deviant path.

Some people cut off distracting thoughts and cling to stillness and emptiness; some abstain from grains; some focus on visualization and silently perform acts of reverence; some swallow clouds and ingest Qi; some rub the body and practice Daoyin exercises. Some visualize fire burning the navel; some treat women as furnaces, believing that keeping the penis from flagging during intercourse is the superior method. Some use menstrual blood as an ingredient for refining the elixir and regard sexual union as a subtle technique. Others enter a room to meditate at the Zi or Wu hour, or stop tending the alchemical fire during the Mao or You months. These minor methods are too numerous to count. They are all deviant byways, unworthy of discussion as the Great Dao.

The Patriarch said, “There are three thousand six hundred gates to the Dao. Each person takes one of them as fundamental, but the truly subtle and mysterious principle lies beyond those three thousand six hundred gates.” These words say it all. Those who study and practice must not become attached to any single method, lest they lose their way. Did the ancients not say, “If at the outset one never meets a teacher who truly understands, then in old age one becomes someone who clings to an old method and never changes”? The essentials of cultivating the Dao lie in investigating things and principles, fully understanding one’s nature, and deepening true knowledge by observing things. Only then can one return to the root and restore one’s original life, and so attain the Great Dao. Without guidance from a true teacher, even someone with the gifts and virtue of Yan Hui or Min Ziqian could not reach it. Those who study and practice should reflect on this carefully.

On the Interfusion of Nature and Life

“Nature” refers to the spark of original spirit within the human body—the inner clarity of awareness. “Life” refers to the spark of primordial Yang, the true Qi within the body, which is the foundation of life. Without Nature, Life cannot unfold; apart from Life, Nature cannot take form.

Before a person is born, this clarity of awareness is held within the void, pure and bright, neither diminished nor excessive. After birth, primordial Qi—the vital energy that is life’s foundation—dwells in a hidden, still aperture between the two kidneys. Life is established there, and Nature, too, takes its place within the body. The place where Nature and Life are established is called the “Heavenly Heart”; hence the saying, “What Heaven commands is called Nature.”

Nature is the clarity of awareness that governs the whole body, while Life is the foundation that sustains it. In responding to the many affairs of daily life, one relies on Nature; in carrying out particular tasks, one depends on the body. Nature can set change and transformation in motion, while Life can transform Yin-Yang. When Nature responds to things, Life is its basis and Nature its function; when Life undergoes transformation, Nature is its basis and Life its function. “Basis” means what something rests upon; “function” means what it does. Basis and function arise from the same source, with no separation between what is manifest and what is hidden. This is what may be called the Dao. Neither Nature nor Life alone can bring the work to completion.

The key to cultivating the “Return of the Elixir” (the practice of refining within so that body and mind return to their original state) is to unite Shen and Qi, restoring the original wholeness of nature and life. Here, “nature” refers to a person’s inherent nature and belongs to Qian; “life” refers to the foundation of life and belongs to Kun. The root of Qian belongs to Metal, and the root of Kun belongs to Earth. Qian Metal is hidden within Kun Earth, like a child and mother who depend on one another: nature is the child, and life is the mother. The alchemical scripture’s saying, “Let the other be the master, and me the guest,” refers to using the body as the basis for cultivation.

The Book of Changes says, “Great indeed is the creative power of Qian, from which all things begin.” This refers to nature. It also says, “Vast indeed is the receptive power of Kun, through which all things grow.” This refers to life. The Dao De Jing says, “Ever free of desire, one observes its subtlety”; this points to the substance of nature, which belongs to Qian. “Ever full of desire, one observes its manifestations”; this points to the function of life, which belongs to Kun. Qian and Kun are the gateway of the Book of Changes and the foundation of the substance and function of nature and life.

Nature and life are Shen and Qi; Shen and Qi are lead and mercury (terms in Neidan that symbolize Yin-Yang essences); lead and mercury are Kan and Li (trigrams that symbolize water and fire, and Yin and Yang); Kan and Li are the sun and moon; and the sun and moon are water and fire. When water and fire achieve mutual balance, they blend and coalesce in a subtle way. This is the path of cultivation in which nature and life merge.

When nature and life merge, the mind is empty, lucid, and clear, without form or name and without distinction between substance and function. When nature and life stir and manifest, Yang Qi is set in motion and Yin and Yang divide; form and name arise, as do substance and function. At this stage, cultivating the Lingbao Scripture for Deliverance from Suffering divides substance and function into inner and outer aspects. Within, nature abides in the central palace (a position symbolizing the pivot of body and mind in inner cultivation) and moves; this is called “substance.” Without, emotion sets the Dipper’s handle in motion (the handle of the Northern Dipper, here symbolizing the pivot of circulation), revolving in an endless cycle; this is called “function.” With a sincere heart to preserve and nourish it, and the true Dao to put it into practice, the Elixir will coalesce in the vessel and gradually form the “sacred embryo” (a Neidan metaphor for matured Jing, Qi, and Shen). This is like an infant gestating in the mother’s womb: after ten months, when its Qi is full, it undergoes transformation and is born, reaching the state of “a body beyond the body,” in which the perfected person appears. At this point, the great work of dual cultivation of nature and life is complete.

All who study the Dao should bring the Elixir to coalesce in the vessel and nurture the sacred embryo. It is like an infant gestating in the mother’s womb: after ten months, when its Qi is full, it undergoes transformation and is born, reaching the state of a body beyond the body, in which the perfected person appears.

Cultivated adepts of the Dao and worthy practitioners of Chan should not cling to one side alone. They must cultivate both nature and life—the mind and character together with the life force and body—in order to realize the Great Dao. Patriarch Lü said, “To cultivate the Golden Elixir (Neidan, internal alchemy) without cultivating the mind and nature is the greatest failing in practice. To understand one’s true nature without cultivating life is to remain far from sagehood, even after enduring countless kalpas.” These words say it all.

If one cultivates nature but not life, then after death one’s nature becomes a yin spirit, unable to manifest spiritual powers. If one cultivates life but not nature, the body may endure, yet one remains confined to bodily form and cannot transcend the cycles of calamity. Both are cases of neglecting either Yin or Yang: they are one-sided and unbalanced forms of cultivation.

So what does dual cultivation of nature and life really mean? Have you not heard that understanding the mind and nature opens the way to the sage’s realm: one’s thoughts can communicate with those of others, and one’s wisdom becomes so vast that nothing is unknown. Understanding the Dao of life brings longevity: the body withstands calamities without perishing, can transform into many forms, and adapts to each place it reaches. Only by cultivating nature and life together can one be said to have truly attained the Dao. Only when body and spirit have both reached a wondrous state can one realize the Golden Immortal—the revered immortal state in Daoism. What is there to doubt? What is there to doubt?

On Restraining Anger and Curbing Desire

Curbing anger and quelling desire are central to the sages’ self-cultivation and careful conduct. To curb anger is to restrain the mind; to quell desire is to put an end to craving. When the mind is restrained, anger does not arise; when thoughts subside, desire does not take root. With no anger, the mind becomes clear of itself; with no desire, the emotions grow calm of themselves. When the mind is clear and the temperament settled, the Dao naturally gathers within body and mind. Thus, the gentleman who cultivates this principle moves toward good fortune, while the petty person who violates it invites misfortune.

If anger is not restrained, the fire within the heart surges upward and obscures one’s original nature. If desire is not quelled, Yang Jing—the body’s Yang essence—drains downward, and the sea of suffering, a metaphor for being mired in desire with no easy escape, heaves in turmoil. One is then caught in the cycle of birth and death, submerged in sensual desire. The original, pure Qi endowed by Heaven and Earth also dissipates unseen, taking shelter in Kun, the Yin symbol among the Eight Trigrams.

Thereafter, Kun takes on a single Yang line from Qian, the Yang symbol among the Eight Trigrams, and transforms into Kan. Qian, diminished by Kun’s injury, loses one Yang line and transforms into Li. These changes in Yin and Yang are explained through the Yi hexagrams Kan and Li. As Yin Qi gathers within Li, anger arises; as Yang Qi gathers within Kan, desire arises. Look closely: anger springs from Qi, and desire from Jing. When Qi stirs, greed and anger arise; when Jing stirs, delusion and attachment take hold. Outwardly, one clashes and contends with people and things; inwardly, one depletes one’s own spirit. In the end, one falls into darkness and confusion, losing the true Dao for a long time. How sorrowful.

I therefore cite the words of the sages of old as a guide for later generations who study the Dao.

The Most High said, “Bring the mind to the utmost clarity and emptiness, and steadfastly maintain stillness and purity. As all things grow and change together, I observe how they return to their roots.” The Book of Changes says of the Return hexagram, “Does it not reveal the very heart of Heaven and Earth, where life goes on without end?”

Gautama, the Buddhist name for Shakyamuni Buddha, said, “Do not cling to forms and give rise to thoughts; do not cling to sounds, scents, tastes, sensations, or ideas and give rise to thoughts. Give rise to a pure mind by clinging to nothing.” He also said, “All forms are illusory. If you can see that forms are not real and unchanging, you will see the Tathagata.”

Confucius said, “The Dao cannot be separated from people for even a moment; what can be separated from people is not the Dao.” He also said, “Set the heart right and make your thoughts sincere; do not depart from benevolence even for the time it takes to eat a meal.” Yan Hui did not direct his anger at others or repeat the same mistake. He restrained himself and brought his words and actions into accord with ritual propriety, never departing from benevolence over the long term. Zengzi said, “Many eyes are watching, many fingers are pointing—is this not something to fear? Therefore, the noble person is careful even when alone.” Zisi said, “Without deep-rooted De, one cannot reach the Great Dao.”

Mencius said, “I am skilled at nurturing my vast, noble Qi—a spirit filled with righteousness and strength. It fills the space between Heaven and Earth, immense and unyielding. I need only nurture it with integrity and not harm it.” All these sayings teach the restraint of anger and the curbing of desire, so that the Dao of harmony and balance between Heaven and Earth may be guarded and preserved.

For practitioners of the alchemical tradition, this is “taking Kan to replenish Li,” an internal alchemy term for using water to replenish fire, and the principle of water and fire reaching completion. For Chan practitioners, it is “turning the light around and reflecting inward,” gathering the mind and spirit to look within until the state in which external things stir the heart returns to emptiness and stillness. For Confucians, it is the principle of restraining oneself and returning to ritual propriety, setting the heart right, and making one’s thoughts sincere. This shows that the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism share the same underlying principle, though they use different names. At root, they all depend on the wondrous workings of the One Mind. Therefore, Heaven and Earth have only one Dao, and the sages have only one heart.

Those who study the Dao should not take the words “restrain anger and curb desire” lightly. They are crucial to cultivating the true and returning to one’s original nature. The key to cultivation lies in reduction: lessen external desires and increase inner cultivation. When the mind is settled, Qi becomes harmonious; when Qi is harmonious, the spirit becomes peaceful; when the spirit is peaceful, one can reach the Dao’s state of emptiness, stillness, and balanced harmony.

Once this state is reached, one can transcend the transformations of Yin-Yang and escape the bonds of life and death, moving freely without hindrance or attachment. One may ascend to the immortal isle of Penglai, roam through the blessed grotto-heavens, and transform with ease. Is this not the utmost mystery?

Dreams arise from changes in Qi (vital energy). When Yang Qi can govern Yin Qi, the Hun (ethereal soul) can direct the Po (corporeal soul). Though the spirit may sometimes move about in dreams, what it sees remains clear and bright. This is a subtle and mysterious state. When Yin Qi instead governs Yang Qi, the Po suppresses the Hun, and the mind is obscured by external things and desires. Dreams then become muddled and indistinct, and nothing can be seen clearly.

The dreams of the ancient sages are said to have arisen when the mind united with the Dao and responded to it. According to tradition, Shennong, concerned that the people suffered from illness, journeyed in a dream to the heavenly court, where the Heavenly Sovereign gave him a book for identifying and tasting plants. Xuanyuan, who yearned for the Great Dao, dreamed that he visited the lands of Huaxu and the Great Court. Zhuang Zhou, while discussing the Dao, dreamed he had become a butterfly. Confucius, who praised and explained the Zhouyi, dreamed of the Duke of Zhou. These dreams were understood as signs that the sages’ Yang spirits were luminous and clear: though they were in dreams, they were not clouded or drowsy. Thus the scriptures say, “Though dreaming, it is not a dream,” and describe this as the wondrous working of spirit leaving the body.

The dreams of ordinary people are far removed from this. They covet all manner of things, drifting in a sea of desire and lingering in a river of passion, unaware that their small portion of original spirit—the human being’s fundamental spirit—dwells in the head during the day. When the eyes greedily seek forms, the spirit is affected by those forms: this is “dreaming through the eyes.” When the ears greedily seek sounds, the spirit is affected by sounds: this is “dreaming through the ears.” When the nose greedily seeks fragrances, the spirit clings to them: this is “dreaming through the nose.” When the mouth and tongue crave flavors, the spirit is affected by them: this is “dreaming through the mouth.”

At night, the spirit returns to the heart to rest. As soon as one falls asleep, the Yin Po—the part of the spirit connected with the body and Yin forces—envelops the Hun, and dreams grow dim and murky. Anything may appear, in confusion and inversion, transformed by the mind’s thoughts. Thus there are dreams with the eyes open and dreams after closing the eyes and falling asleep. This is because the mind is not clear and pure, and the spirit cannot remain settled within. Over time, the spirit gradually dissipates, and one falls into the Six Destinies—the six realms through which beings pass in the cycle of rebirth—and into states of inversion and illusion. The ancients said that the root of birth and death lies in a single thought. The transformations of creation are like dreams and illusions; they too are roots of birth and death.

Those who have attained the Dao deeply therefore have no dreams: by day their minds are free and untroubled, and by night they are equally at peace. The spirit guards Qi, and Qi nourishes the spirit; the two merge as one, rising beyond the sway of Yin and Yang, and so there are naturally no dreams. If those who cultivate the Dao can understand that what appears in a dream is itself a dream, and remain lucid within it, exercising their own mastery, they can transcend birth and death and no longer be obscured by Yin and Yang. Those who study the Dao should reflect on this carefully.

Nature is that point of utmost spiritual luminosity innate in each person: the original spirit within the human body, the spirit at the source. Before a person is born to their parents, it has not increased; after birth, it does not diminish. It is complete in itself from the outset, with nothing in excess and nothing lacking.

Thus, people are not born with an innately bad nature. Their temperaments differ, however, as do the endowments they receive. We can therefore speak of “original nature” and “nature shaped by temperament.” Original nature is the basis of perception and activity; nature shaped by temperament takes the form of emotions and desires such as greed, anger, delusion, and attachment.

Those of superior capacity, once they realize their nature, have no concerns in their hearts, and the principles of all things become clear to them. Those of middling capacity are partly enlightened and partly confused: when they hold to their nature, it becomes manifest; when they let go of that discipline, it is obscured. Those of lesser capacity have no anchor for mind and spirit. As thoughts arise, they stir up emotions, and people become attached to whatever they encounter. From this, human dispositions may seem to differ in degree.

Someone asks: “Buddhism says that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. Why, then, do people’s dispositions differ? Tigers and wolves have affection between parent and offspring; bees and ants have a ruler-and-subject order. They are not without Buddha-nature; their bodies and endowments are simply different. The nature of humans and all things is the same, though their forms differ.”

Nature is like the moon in the sky; physical form is like water on the ground. When the water is clear, the moon’s reflection is bright; when the water is turbid, the reflection is dim. The difference in brightness does not lie in the moon itself, but in the clarity or murkiness of the water. People become sages, wise men, and worthy persons because the Qi they receive is clear; they become foolish, confused, or wicked because the Qi they receive is turbid. The Buddhist saying, “A thousand rivers with water, a thousand moons; ten thousand miles without clouds, ten thousand miles of sky,” expresses this very principle.

This luminous nature has no shape or appearance and is not bound by past or present. It can pass through stone and penetrate metal, yet at its source it cannot be put into words. If those who cultivate the Dao can investigate it thoroughly and see it clearly, they will not be swayed by changing circumstances. They will turn inward to observe their own minds and steadily hold to this single thought, allowing their thoughts to merge into one, as if standing alone in the midst of empty space. In this way, they naturally establish firm protection; all forces that disturb the spirit will dissipate, and their cultivation can be compared with that of the Buddhas of old.

Those who study the Dao but do not understand true nature, and do not know the inward practice of quiet stillness through which they observe the mind, may memorize many Buddhist and Daoist scriptures and speak with great eloquence. In the end, they merely waste their energy, gaining nothing for their own cultivation. Any practice that involves deliberate contrivance and reliance on external methods may succeed or fail; to cling to outward forms in pursuit of truth is ultimately delusion.

Yet if Wuwei (non-action) is understood simply as doing nothing at all, one may fall into rigid emptiness, a hollow void. When hungry, eat; when thirsty, drink: one must still respond to daily life with lively naturalness. The principle symbolized by this “○” is like a pearl rolling freely on a round plate, moving with ease and fitting in everywhere. To say it exists is wrong; to say it does not exist is also wrong. Clinging to anything at all is equally wrong. How should people understand this? Ah, after the rain, the river stretches open and still, the mountains rest in quiet color; a crow calls out, and the moon shines bright.

The Nine Songs of Harmonizing and Blending the Returning Wind

The First

The Celestial Sovereign comes from the south to the Purple Palace, the heavenly palace of Daoist tradition. He firmly closes the Three Passes and summons the Yellow Lad, a divine spirit or symbolic general in Daoist inner cultivation. From the east, he lashes his whip and rouses the hidden dragon beneath the sea. The dragon churns crimson waves and surges straight into the heavens.

The Six Ding, six guardian generals in Daoist tradition, hurl flames head-on. A fierce steed gallops up the peaks of Mount Kunlun. The Exorcising Bell rings out for ten thousand li as yin winds whirl around. The divine troops fight valiantly, mighty as tigers.

The Three Peng, the Three Corpse Spirits believed to hinder cultivation, are about to fall before an irresistible assault. The Six Thieves, inner desires and sensory disturbances to be subdued through cultivation, are also wiped out, their power spent. Once all is swept clean, the great work is complete and the world is renewed. Flowing Jing casts fire head-on; the fierce steed gallops up the peaks of Mount Kunlun. The Exorcising Bell rings out for ten thousand li as yin winds whirl around, and the divine troops fight valiantly, mighty as tigers.

The Three Peng are about to fall before an irresistible assault; the Six Thieves are wiped out, their power spent. Once all is swept clean, the great work is complete. The flowing vital essence shines with penetrating brilliance, revealing a bright, harmonious red glow.

The four quarters of Heaven and Earth return to unity. The sovereign ascends the imperial throne and rules the nine heavens. Officials from every region come to pay homage. The people live in peace, the country is at rest, and benevolence is widely extended.

The crops flourish, and the world displays the abundance of a great harvest. The year is rich and full.

The Second

The Immortal Lady of Nine Radiances ascends to the Yellow Court, the palace at the body’s center in Daoist inner cultivation. At the Tail Gate, a lower bodily pass in cultivation, sunlike Golden Jing rises. Its radiance transforms into the pure, icy Qi of the Moon Grotto, as though a clear spring were flowing in from the west.

The Flower Pool, the name for saliva in Daoist inner cultivation, nourishes the Yellow Sprout, the nascent vital energy of Neidan cultivation. Its deep roots are continually warmed by true Qi. Jade-like branches and leaves bloom with immortal flowers; the spring breeze carries the fragrance of Heaven.

The mind and spirit are clear and lucid, resting in profound stillness. True nature is held within and simplicity embraced, pure as an infant. Inner transformation contains inexhaustible meaning; Heaven and Earth, sun and moon, shine through day and night.

After ten months of concentrated nourishment, the embryo of the Inner Elixir matures. The Celestial Gate, the cultivation pass at the crown of the head, is split open with a peal of thunder. Jade leaves unfold; the spring breeze stirs, carrying the fragrance of Heaven.

The mind and spirit are clear and lucid, resting in profound stillness. True nature is held within and simplicity embraced, pure as an infant. Inner transformation contains inexhaustible meaning; Heaven and Earth, sun and moon, shine through day and night.

After ten months of concentrated nourishment, the sacred body takes shape. The Celestial Gate is split open, and thunder sounds. The True Person appears, beyond all rivals. Riding the clouds and mounted on a crane, he journeys to the Jade Capital, the celestial capital of Daoist tradition.

The Third

The Crimson Child of the east is named Mu Lang. At midnight, he embraces the Yang Qi rising from beneath the sea. The dragon takes flight, drawing his chariot up to Fusang, the divine tree in the east from which the sun rises. Its crimson disc ascends straight to the center of Heaven.

Its radiance illuminates garments patterned like brocade clouds. At that moment, he returns with the Maiden of the Pistil to the inner chamber. Their feelings unite, and spring warmth fills the room. A drop of true Jing falls, giving rise to the Qi of dark and yellow.

The body seems to rest in a state of undivided chaos, holding within it a clear and luminous Qi. Fragrance fills the mouth, and jade-like saliva flows forth. Swallowing this sweet liquid brings ease and well-being throughout the body, as though one had grown young again and could endure as long as Heaven and Earth.

Its Fourth Section

The Qian position, one of the Bagua directions and a symbol of Heaven, belongs to Metal and is dark in color; the Kun position, a symbol of Earth, contains soil. The wind of Xun rises, and the furnace flames brighten. After repeated refinement, strong iron as hard as vajra is produced, then forged into a keen sword of wisdom named Ganjiang.

Sharpened to three feet in length and keen as autumn frost, this sword strikes terror into ghosts and spirits and subdues dragons and tigers. Its seven stars shine through the night. Held in the hand, it can be wielded across or inverted, its transformations wondrous and beyond measure.

Its Fifth Section

A golden chamber, wrapped in empty Qi—Qi that is still and formless—contains the primordial Qi of Qianyuan, the source of the Way of Heaven. It lies behind the “Gate of Life” and before the “Secret Portal.” A rounded form rises high at its center, balanced and centered; from within it, one inch and two fen are apportioned to nurture mysterious Qi.

The Yang Lord commands Heaven and Earth’s innate workings, while the Qi of the four directions revolves without cease in accordance with the Four Virtues, the qualities associated with spring, summer, autumn, and winter. On Mount Kunlun, a spring flows westward, plunging down as if it were a thousand-foot Milky Way.

Dew falls over the Golden Valley Garden, where the immortal peaches blossom once every three thousand years. Pluck and eat these peaches to settle the Dantian, the body’s center for cultivating essence and Qi, and become an immortal who lives forever.

When the moment comes, ascend straight to the summit of Mount Jiuhua, where white clouds and a yellow crane drift gracefully to greet you.

Its Sixth Section

The sun rises high and shines in all directions; above the heights of Qujiang, the Golden Crow, the mythical bird of the sun, takes flight. The Elder of the Central Emperor sits in the Jade Hall, holding a purple flute and playing a Daoist musical composition.

At the first note, the seas surge; at the second, the moonlight seems to fall; with the third, Heaven and Earth return to primordial chaos. From the celestial realm of Juntian comes a stately performance of court music.

Then, alone, one drinks the ambrosial brew, a metaphor for the purest, most refined sweet dew, and feels coolness throughout all five organs. The limbs seem intoxicated; the body is forgotten, and one no longer knows where one is.

Its Seventh Section

At dawn in the east, the first light appears. The Five Elders, Daoist deities symbolizing the five directions, go to pay homage at Zichen, the palace where the Sovereign resides, bearing three flowers—the refined essence achieved through cultivation—as an offering to the Sovereign. A single breath of harmony brings the warmth of spring back again.

The sun and moon at the center of Heaven shine with renewed brilliance. Celebration fills the four directions, and people come to offer their congratulations. After the music has been played nine times, the phoenixes, too, grow tame.

At high noon, the radiance of sun and moon shines anew. All four quarters come to celebrate, and guests gather in great numbers. The nine-part music has ended, and even the phoenixes are calm and tame; the East is warm, and its customs are simple and sincere.

Rivers and seas lie still and silent, while the mountains hide among clouds and mist. The people live in peace and contentment, and Heaven and Earth are clear and bright.

The Eighth

Clouds surge across the blue sky, and thunder rumbles. The sea wind blows, and rain falls from the East. Daylight grows dim and the mist thickens, seeming to linger without end; a fine rain drifts down, washing even the dust from the air.

After the rain, dark clouds and haze disperse. Heaven and Earth grow clear, and the mountains rise high. Dew drips among the pines, and the secluded meditation room is especially quiet; bright moonlight shines upon the numinous terrace, where the mind and spirit reside.

After taking a knife-tip measure of elixir—the instrument Daoist practitioners use to weigh medicine, here referring to the elixir—the true embryo, the inner essence and Qi formed through cultivation, gradually coalesces. Once the true embryo is nurtured to maturity, one can enter the realm of the sages. The scenery of the Gourd Heaven, a Daoist paradise, is beautiful and fills the heart with joy; wherever one goes, it is as though one were dwelling in the immortal realm of Penglai.

The Ninth

The morning sun shines upon the mountain rocks, raising purple clouds that drift on the wind toward Kunlun. The feathered canopy, an ornamented parasol used in the retinue of immortals, casts its shade, while clouds and Qi gather all around; numinous radiance flows and shimmers, and the jade glows with pure white brilliance.

Below the layered tower, a metaphor for the inner chambers of the body and the places of inner cultivation, lies the Gate of Wu and Ji, an inner alchemical aperture associated with the spleen and stomach and the central Earth Qi. Snowflakes fall thickly through the air. The numinous sprouts grow lush, and jade blossoms bloom like spring flowers; when the foundations are firm, life can endure.

When body and spirit alike reach the wondrous state, one can unite in truth with the Great Dao, roam freely, and remain forever an immortal of Penglai.

A Song on Cultivating the Dao, Given to Master Hunshen

To cultivate the Dao, one must first find true Earth, the “Earth” of Neidan cultivation that symbolizes the root, sustenance, and harmonizing force. Set up the tripod in the southwest; this is the foundation for gestating the elixir. The mysterious female gate, an inner bodily aperture in Daoist cultivation, opens to the left and right. Regulate the breath until it is long, gentle, and fine, and let Qi return to its source.

Let awareness dwell in the dark mystery of chaos, without dividing north from south or east from west. The Four Images and Five Phases, symbols used in Daoism to explain the transformations of Heaven and Earth and the human body, converge here. Gather the mind, turn inward, and contemplate the true emptiness.

True emptiness is bright and clear, without the slightest obstruction, like the boundless blue sky of autumn. Moonlight shines upon the celestial altar, and jade dew is cool and pure. In this state, it is as though one inhabits a world of one’s own and experiences true freedom.

When Yang first stirs, Heavenly Gui, the essence and Qi associated with the generation of life, arises. Thunder seems to sound at high noon, yet also as though it were the third watch of the night. Mount the tiger and seize lead, using tiger and lead as symbols for the Yin essence in Neidan cultivation, drawing it from the Water Palace, the part of the body associated with Kidney Water. Ride the dragon and capture mercury, using dragon and mercury as symbols for Yang essence, and bring it back to Vermilion Mound, a Daoist term for the place in inner cultivation associated with the mind-spirit and the regulation of the fire.

Use true fire to refine lead and mercury in the furnace, forging them into a substance as hard as iron. A pellet of elixir, no bigger than a grain of millet, falls into the Yellow Court, an important place in the body for inner cultivation. Great One, an important Daoist deity and a name for the source of the Great Dao, nurtures true Qi within; thus the sacred embryo is formed.

Spring breezes sweep across the earth, and the yellow sprouts—an image for newly born essence and Qi, or the first shoots of the Elixir in internal cultivation—grow luxuriantly. Drink a small dose of elixir, and sing a clear, jade-like song. Drunk, play a tune on the flute without holes, a symbol of wondrous music arising from within rather than from a physical instrument; its exquisite sound seems to soar out as celestial music.

To grasp the joy of this moment is truly delightful. Such a life of cultivation is pure and transcendent, unlike any other. The blind seem able to see clearly, and the deaf seem able to hear distinctly. A mute tastes honey: its sweetness fills the heart, yet cannot be put into words.

Without leaving home, one can understand all beneath Heaven; though traveling to and fro, one’s thoughts have no bounds. The Great Dao is vast and formless, impossible to describe in physical terms, and hidden in the elusive depths of mystery. Day and night, the sun and moon seem to shine without cease.

Free and at ease, one savors the joy of long life; breaking through the void, one casts off the mortal shell. One reaches upward to Heaven and downward to Earth, transcends life and death, and reveals a radiant divine light.

Without leaving home, one can understand all beneath Heaven; though traveling to and fro, one’s thoughts have no bounds. The Great Dao is vast and formless, impossible to describe in physical terms, and hidden in the elusive depths of mystery. Day and night, the sun and moon seem to shine without cease.

Free and at ease, one savors the joy of long life; breaking through the void, one casts off the mortal shell. One reaches upward to Heaven and downward to Earth, transcends life and death, and reveals a radiant divine light that illuminates the vast universe.

Complete three thousand good deeds in cultivation and accumulate eight hundred merits. Serve with loyalty and filial devotion, allowing the inner light to return and shine forth. Moved by this, the Celestial Emperor sends down an elixir edict. Then, riding the clouds, one ascends to the celestial palace in broad daylight.

Song of Hunran

The Daoist Hunran is unknown to worldly people, living in seclusion in an ordinary village. He comes and goes nowhere, yet remains forever; he has no form or name, yet appears with perfect clarity.

A single point of light is the scripture of the Dao, bright yet profound, concealed within stillness and emptiness. The Dao responds to the changing times and sometimes manifests; when chaos first opened, it dwelt in the realm of the Great Beginning.

Movement governs Yang, and stillness governs Yin; the generation of Heaven and Earth arises from a single breath—the movement of the Dao’s Qi. The One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and from this unfold the flourishing, arising, ceasing, and transformation of the myriad things.

The heavens revolve and the earth turns; the wheel of creation never stops. The sun and moon move in alternation, like a matched pair of jades. What does the Daoist Hunran do? Each day, when he meets people, he speaks to them of the Book of Changes.

The principles of creation in the Book of Changes are not hard to understand. It is like a sudden clap of thunder in a clear sky. A tiger roars on the eastern mountain, and a wild wind rises in the forest; a dragon leaps from the western river, raising waves a thousand feet high.

In an instant, tiger and dragon return together. The dust settles in all eight directions, and the sky clears to a deep blue. Hunran is now joyful alone, washing his feet in a place of mysterious quiet and sitting peacefully on his mat.

Moonlight makes my bones and flesh clear and bright; fragrant liquid flows down from the Ninefold Flower Heaven. Drink it and enjoy it in peace, and you may endure forever. Drunk, play a tune on the holeless instrument, its hue blue-green. Hunran is now joyful alone, washing his feet in a place of mysterious quiet and sitting peacefully on his mat.

Moonlight shines, cleansing and clarifying my body and mind. From the heavens of the Nine Blossoms flows fragrant immortal dew. Drink and partake of it, and you may live forever, never growing old. In a drunken haze, play a flute without holes, a symbol of the Dao’s wondrous, formless, soundless music.

A vast sound expands outward, filling the worlds in all ten directions; a subtle sound draws inward, hidden in the depths. When the foundation is firmly laid, the Dao arises of its own accord. Thus one transcends death and returns to life, remaining forever united with the Dao.

Cultivation continues without interruption, quiet and single-minded, never departing from this Dao. It is like carrying a child for ten months: guard the life within and do not let it dissipate. When the moment arrives, break through the aperture at the crown of the head; ten thousand rays of rosy light illuminate the immortal realm of Penglai. The cultivator dwells in the Muddy Pellet Palace of the upper Dantian, the inner alchemical palace in the head, and pays homage to the sacred sovereign. The immortals of the Three Isles gather in the jade chamber. One becomes a carefree wanderer beyond the reach of tribulations, no longer like ordinary people of the dusty world. If people can understand this song of undivided wholeness, their study and practice will be complete.

Song of the Central Yang

The Master of the Bamboo Grove is quiet and refined in temperament, born above the Earth of Kun and below the Heaven of Qian. This Qi embraces the Taiji in its undivided wholeness, and so is called the “Central Yang”; within it, a single point of light is beyond price in this world.

It is neither behind nor ahead. It is as large as a millet grain, suspended in empty space. It brings forth the heavens and reveals countless forms; the handle of the Dipper turns ceaselessly through day and night.

It is neither below nor above, like the Golden Crow, another name for the sun, rising five zhang from the earth. From its mouth it bears forth a red sun, revealing Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding a white elephant. It is neither ahead, as large as a millet grain, suspended in empty space; it brings forth the heavens and their myriad forms, while the Dipper’s handle turns through day and night.

It is neither below nor above, like the Golden Crow rising five zhang from the earth, bearing a red sun in its mouth and revealing Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding a white elephant.

The Gate of Heaven closes and the Earth’s Gate opens. Qi flows through these openings, revealing the workings within. When the dragon sings, clouds rise and the sea swells; when the tiger roars, wind stirs and daylight darkens. At this moment, the dragon and tiger, symbolic Yin-Yang energies, return together to unity; the clouds disperse, the wind stills, and the sky grows clear and blue. The human gate is guarded and the ghost gate sealed, and from this one obtains a drop of Golden Essence, a symbol of the purest inner vital energy.

Refine it in the furnace fire and forge it into a precious sword, honing it until it is as keen and radiant as ice. It can guard against danger in perilous circumstances and bring peace to the realm; it can also cut down the Three Corpses, the malevolent spirits said to dwell within the body, and the Six Thieves, a metaphor for the six desires that disturb the mind.

When the Three Corpses are destroyed and the Six Thieves are gone, body and mind blend wholly with the Dao, firm as diamond. One passes from the ordinary into the sacred, transcends tribulation, and no longer falls into the underworld, but ascends to the heavens.

At this point, the joy is profound: even in the height of summer in the sixth month, white snow can fly. One feasts on ambrosia from the upper realms, the pure and sweet dew of the immortals, while jade nectar flows endlessly from the mouth.

Essence and blood are transformed into pure white Qi, and the bones seem to turn into fine jade. The whole body is cultivated until it feels light as a feather. After ten months of gentle nurturing, the spirit embryo (the inner life gradually formed through Neidan practice) has matured. The gateway at the crown of the head bursts open, and light appears.

It is neither born nor dead. Since ages beyond reckoning, it has had no fixed name or form. One spirit can transform into ten thousand spirits; all of this, it turns out, refers to Zhongyangzi (the author’s Daoist name).

“Song on Awakening to the True”

The Master Who Awakened to the True studied the teachings of Zhuangzi and Laozi. He grasped their hidden workings early on, turned back in time, and returned to the Great Dao. Receiving half a sentence of instruction from an immortal master was enough for him to clear away the many obstacles on the path of practice.

The original nature of the ancestral source (the human being’s true nature at its root) must be complete and clear: this is the essential aim. It is neither something tangible nor emptiness. It can pierce gold and pass through stone, transcend calamities spanning vast ages, and remain calm and Wuwei (non-action), while responding to all things and reaching through their transformations.

Thus, in cultivating Neidan (internal alchemy), one must work with the Mysterious Female (a Daoist term symbolizing the gateway through which Heaven and Earth come into being), refine mercury and smelt lead (Neidan terms for the intermingling of Yin-Yang essence and Qi), and stabilize the furnace and cauldron (metaphors for the body and mind on which cultivation depends). Day and night, keep the mind tranquil and turn awareness inward, as if embracing the myriad things and dwelling in an immortal realm.

When Yang Qi begins to stir, gather and refine it in time, allowing the currents of Qi to circle and mingle, and set the spirit banner in motion (a symbol of the force that guides the movement of Qi). The Yellow Boy at the bottom of the sea (an image in Neidan symbolizing true intent or Yang Qi) embraces the sun as it rises. The Azure Dragon rides upward in reverse, entering Southern Li (the direction associated with the south, Fire, and the Li trigram).

The White Tiger is drawn down to the Golden Gate (an immortal palace symbolizing an important inner aperture), while its feather canopy of radiant essence extends without end. The current of Qi passes straight through the tower of layered chambers (the inner passage around the throat) and enters the Crimson Palace (a Neidan term for the heart region), where it forms a round, moon-bright pearl.

The signs of the ten directions all return to the majesty of Heaven; white snow fills the cavern. Spirits and ghosts seem to wail, all traces of the myriad things vanish, and Heaven and Earth seem to become clear, gleaming glass.

At such a moment, the experience is deeply joyful. This is the formula for the Returning Elixir (the stage in Neidan practice when essence and Qi gather and return to their source). It is like a mute tasting honey: only the one who tastes it knows its sweetness. The practitioner directly experiences that the myriad things are, at their root, neither born nor destroyed.

After ten months of nurturing, the spirit embryo, like an infant, is formed. The gateway at the crown of the head bursts open, and the realm of the celestial immortals appears. When three thousand meritorious deeds are complete and eight hundred accomplishments are fulfilled, one rides a phoenix upward by day and ascends to the immortal realm of Penglai.

“Song on the Returning Elixir”

An extraordinary adept transmitted the secret of the Returning Elixir to me. The principles of the Ninefold Returning Elixir are profound and exacting. The one aperture of the Mysterious Pass (the crucial inner aperture in Neidan practice through which body and mind connect and essence and Qi circulate) is the source from which Heaven and Earth come into being. For lack of a better name, it is called the Elixir Furnace, or the Crescent Moon Furnace.

It is impartial and centered, with the Eight Trigrams and Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) arranged around it in protection. This is the aperture that the immortals mean when they speak of the foundation of the Elixir.

Stand upright and steady, and hold fast to the body’s center, with the Eight Trigrams and the Five Phases arranged around it. The immortals point to this as the foundation of alchemical practice: one need only let the Original Spirit return to the Qi Cavity, where the body’s vital energy gathers.

Spirit and Qi mingle and settle in the Dantian, the energy center in the abdomen. The mind is clear, still, and empty, able to illuminate what is deep and subtle. The human body’s four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—are all Yin. Turbid Yin depletes Yang Qi, keeping it from remaining pure.

The Dao flows from its root toward the branches, and thus gives rise to the physical body. For this reason, people suffer loss and imperfection. Those who understand this and cultivate themselves can attain long life; those who do not cultivate will perish along with their bodies.

I now teach you the “Song of Returning the Elixir,” which reveals every alchemical secret. The opening and closing transformations of Heaven and Earth are the gateway of the Yi; the sun and moon cycle in their courses, and the workings of creation never cease.

Observe the way of Heaven and follow its movements. Understand the “winter solstice” within the body—the moment in Neidan cultivation when Yang Qi first begins to arise. As Yang Qi is born at the winter solstice, gather and refine lead at once. Here “lead” is a Neidan term for the essence and Qi that are gathered for refinement. Hold fast to the three passes, the barriers through which Qi moves during cultivation, and apply yourself without slackening.

Then gather back the scattered mind, as though driving a warhorse into its pen. Rein in the mind-monkey, the restless, unsettled thoughts, and do not let them run wild. The Li Palace, the bodily region corresponding to the heart, stirs up a fierce wind and blows down flames, heating the “sea” below—the Dantian.

Before long, the hidden dragon appears in the field. Thunder shakes the Dragon Pass; here too, apply yourself without slackening. Then gather back the scattered mind, as though driving a warhorse into its pen. Rein in the mind-monkey and do not let it run wild. The Li Palace stirs up a fierce wind and blows down flames, heating the Dantian.

Before long, the hidden dragon appears in the field. Thunder roars, and the dragon soars aloft; golden light streaks past like lightning. The Yellow River churns with waves and surges straight to Heaven’s Gate, becoming sweet rain that washes away impurity.

The Golden Duke, a Neidan term often referring to Qi with the nature of metal, rides a tiger down from the western mountain and seizes the dragon pearl, his heart full of joy. He then returns it to the earthen crucible, the alchemical vessel or bodily site symbolized by the spleen’s earth, and seals it away securely. After winning the battle, one would rather hold fast to simplicity.

The sky is clear, with no clouds to veil it, and the breath is pure. The Elixir forms naturally in the cauldron. Spring warmth fills the grotto, and the Yellow Sprout gradually grows; on the cliff, the open, still space is filled with falling white snow. “Yellow Sprout” and “white snow” are symbolic terms in Neidan cultivation, describing changes in essence and Qi as they are refined.

After ten months of nurturing and refinement, the sacred embryo—the inner “embryo” matured through Neidan cultivation—is formed. Divine water and the Flowery Pool, Neidan terms for bodily fluids and the place where they gather, flow without end. The changes within are deep and subtle: soft as silk floss, hard as iron.

Through refinement, the bones of ordinary people are transformed into cold jade, and red blood is refined into white. Casting off the old embryo and changing to a new cauldron reveals the Yin Talisman, the principle that embodies Yin-Yang transformation in Neidan cultivation. Break through the void, and the scene before you will be unlike anything seen before.

The Yang Spirit, the pure Yang spiritual form described in cultivation, becomes luminous and unobstructed. It ascends alone upon red clouds to the Golden Palace in Heaven.

Five Poems on Walking in the Void

First

The One True Master, who dwells in the mysterious realm, pays daily homage to Kunlun. In an immortal land built among the clouds, jade-toned music rings out; in the Longhan era, golden wheels wheel through the sky.

The rain of the Dharma falls upon the blue-green sky, while celestial flowers drift down in profusion. The immortals listen in reverent silence; among them is a Lord of Longevity.

The Second

The One True Master Who Dwells in the Mysterious Realm (one who lives in seclusion in a wondrous realm, cultivates the Dao, and attains its truth) bows in homage to the Empty Emperor (a revered Daoist deity). He plays his flute, summoning nine phoenixes and sending a divine chariot soaring into the heavens.

The gods of Jade Capital (the celestial city of the immortals) gather, and rosy light shines from the Golden Chamber. The True One of Illuminated Truth (an immortal who has attained the Dao) appears amid the clouds and ascends calmly to the immortal hall.

The Third

The One True Master Who Dwells in the Mysterious Realm pays homage to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest deities of Daoism. The Azure Maiden holds a jade tally, while Yellow Youths surround the numinous banners.

He climbs a twelve-tiered tower of immortals, where the sun and moon shine together. An immortal bestows a divine elixir; once swallowed, it prolongs life.

The Fourth

The One True Master Who Dwells in the Mysterious Realm studies the Dao and attains longevity. The Three Blossoms (the blossoms of Jing, Qi, and Shen in cultivation) coalesce to form the foundation of the true Dao, while the Four Virtues (the virtues required for cultivating the Dao) circulate without cease.

The Crow Mother gives birth to numinous grace; Dragon Luo mingles with Great Mystery. Jade fluid (the refined essence produced in cultivation) nourishes the Five Viscera. When his cultivation is complete, he ascends into the clouds.

The Fifth

The One True Master of Untrammeled Freedom is a person who has transcended the mundane world and wafts beyond the clouds. The Three Heavens (the celestial realms in Daoism) open their wondrous transformations, and the stars at the furthest reaches of the eight directions revolve in response.

Jade pendants ring in the Mysterious Valley, while the spring banquet at the Jade Pool draws to a close. After a bout of drunken drinking, one casts off the bonds of the mundane world; a thousand years pass, yet the peaches of immortality remain fresh.

End of the Middle Scroll of the Collected Writings on Returning to the True

Written by Master Hunran

Poems

Seven-Character Regulated Verse

On the methods of Golden Elixir cultivation: thirty-six poems

One

Walking, standing, sitting upright, or lying down, one never departs from the Middle Way. When the moment arrives, the mind and spirit know it of themselves, and intention becomes clear. A single Qi circulates throughout, as Yin and Yang wax and wane in turn; the Five Phases gather, and change enters the stages of Initial Difficulty and Youthful Folly (hexagram names from the Book of Changes, referring here to the nascent and beginning stages of things).

The Azure Dragon rides backward, returning to the Mysterious Valley; the White Tiger is drawn into the Crimson Palace (the inner-cultivation site associated with the heart). In an instant, the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth complete their union, and the refined Returning Elixir glows red in the furnace.

Two

The Great Dao of the Earlier Heaven is originally Wuwei (non-action). As soon as the Heavenly Stem (the vital essence associated with reproductive and physiological changes in the body) begins to stir, one must discern the right moment. Once the Five Qi have blended, first close Xun (the trigram or direction associated with images such as wind and Wood); then draw forth one Yang and replenish Li (the trigram or direction associated with images such as Fire).

The cultivation’s impurities and tribulations, like snow swirling across the sky, disperse; the elixir in the cauldron congeals, as if jade branches were blossoming. From then on, it is best to continue nourishing it with a gentle fire, cultivating it quietly with an open mind, and guarding the nascent original Shen (spirit) within, cherishing it as one would cradle an infant.

Three

The stars of the Northern Dipper move as the stars of the Celestial Ladle turn. The cultivator gathers Golden Essence, the refined substance of Neidan (internal alchemy), and draws it into the Destiny Field, the place within the body where the elixir is cultivated. Wind and Qi (vital energy) circulate in the Xun Gate, the portal symbolizing wind and the movement of Qi, opening the aperture that drives out evil influences. In the Kun Furnace, symbolizing the vessel of cultivation, the fire rises to refine silver lead, symbolic materials in Neidan practice.

Spring vitality emerges in the homeland of body and mind, and the Three Blossoms—Jing (essence), Qi, and Shen—unfurl in splendor. The mind is like a sea and sky from which mist has cleared, revealing a full, round moon. In silence, forget words and keep to simplicity. The Dao (the Way), vast and boundless in its wordlessness, embraces principles both hidden and profound.

Four

A hundred years of human life are like foam floating on water. Do not wait until the years turn your hair white before you begin to cherish your time. The body is provisionally formed from the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind; the spirit, hun and po souls, and mind must be nurtured through cultivation.

There is little need to speak of meditating on the Chan and seeking the Dao, and one must not make rash demands when setting up the furnace and cauldron. If you grasp the essentials of this cultivation, you will understand that the immortal realm of Yingzhou is not far away: it is here within you, in the present moment.

Five

As Heaven and Earth open and close, Yin-Yang Qi divides and differentiates. Before and after the crescent moon, the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang should remain balanced. In cultivating the body, bring it into accord with Golden Liquid, the fluid that symbolizes refined essence in Neidan practice. In regulating the hun and po souls, first make the Mercury, a symbolic substance in Neidan, lively and nimble.

“The woman weds the Duke of Wood” uses the marriage of man and woman to symbolize the union of Yin and Yang, their feelings in perfect accord. “The child depends on the Heavenly Mother” describes the cultivated substance depending on Yin Qi and joining with it intimately. Gather the spirit and steady the breath, continually observing the mystery. Within the Neidan vessel lies another scene of spring.

Six

Through the Nine Cycles of Return and Seven Reversals, the processes by which the elixir repeatedly transforms and is refined in Neidan practice, cinnabar is refined. Eight ingredients gather and combine into one pure, exquisite substance. Spring deepens in the Mercury Furnace, bringing forth jade leaves; the fire in the Lead Furnace settles into balance, and golden flowers blossom.

Drink freely of the sweet elixir in the Hall of Eternal Spring, as a moon of wisdom illuminates a realm beyond the cosmic calamities. Heaven and Earth will one day come to an end, but the Dao I cultivate endures forever. I lie at ease on the heights of Kunlun, enjoying the serene beauty of clouds and rosy mists.

Seven

The Celestial Worthy Primordial Beginning of Jade Clarity, one of the highest deities revered in Daoism, summons the assembled immortals, and all the holy beings descend together into the Heaven of Millet Grains, a term in Neidan practice for a subtle inner realm. The Dragon and Tiger, symbols of Yin-Yang or the movement of Qi within the body, rise and race as the Northern Dipper turns. The phoenixes and luan birds, symbols of auspiciousness and harmony, fly low and dance, circling with the wind.

The immortals gather in the Primordial Palace in an instant. A single point of numinous clarity rises beyond the Sovereign, here referring to the highest ruler of the world or a supreme deity. Joy reaches its height; delight arises naturally in the heart, beyond the reach of words. White snow flies up from within the furnace and blankets the Zhi Field, symbolizing the place within the body where vital growth and elixir flourish.

Eight

Within the human body there is a world of its own, as Daoist internal alchemy often understands the body as corresponding to Heaven and Earth. It is as though Heaven and Earth, after being divided, have once again blended into a single whole. The currents of Qi run deep through the body like the Yellow River stretching for thousands of miles, while the gentle, clear Qi of the four seasons connects with the source of Heaven.

The dragon’s roar and tiger’s howl symbolize the union of Yin and Yang Qi within the body; the wailing of ghosts and cries of spirits symbolize the process of cultivation and refinement, fierce as a blazing fire. See through emptiness, and the heart is free of cares. Who could explain the mystery within?

Nine

Like a foreigner riding backward on an iron ox, both hands are forever playing a jade flute. A single aperture can awaken one from the dream of delusion in life and death; six tones pierce the doubts of past and present.

Spring warmth returns to Kun Mountain, a symbol of the body’s Yin regions, and the Yellow Sprout—the nascent Jing and Qi that emerge through cultivation—gradually grows. At the Xun Portal, a symbol of the opening through which the breath enters and leaves, the breeze is light and White Snow, a vision of Jing and Qi condensing, drifts down. Who truly understands this tune and song? Only Heaven knows the heart’s true feeling.

Ten

The wind scatters the last clouds, and the sky grows clear; moonlight shines on autumn waters, and the Great Elixir, the essence congealed through cultivation, takes form. One responds to the changes of things without seeking to gain anything in the heart. To reach upward to Heaven and extend downward to Earth is the highest method of cultivation.

Dao runs through Heaven, Earth, and humanity, the Three Powers, and Laozi most fully embodies this principle. Among the six generations who passed on the lamp in Chan Buddhism was Lu Neng, or Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch. With a single nod, one grasps the principle of firmness and strength. Why say more tangled words?

Eleven

Within the body, it is as though the winter solstice has arrived and the ashes in the measuring tube stir in response. Spring returns to the sea as the Big Dipper’s handle turns. In a single breath, the circuit of Qi divides into the Zi and Wu positions; fire rises at the Three Passes, as if wind and thunder were shaking the body.

The numinous fungus flourishes amid mist in the Jade Field, a symbol of the Dantian within the body; the peaches of immortality unfold, jeweled with dew, in the Golden Valley. One often drinks the ambrosia, a dew that in Daoist and Buddhist texts represents the wondrous, pure teaching, and feels pleasantly intoxicated; rosy light shines straight through the crown of the head.

Twelve

The Spirit Abyss, a symbol of a deep and tranquil inner state, lies still and profound, merging into the dark mystery. The Golden Mother, another name for the Daoist deity Queen Mother of the West, rides her flying wheel out through the Jade Gate. One goes straight upward to the Palace of Li, the place of the heart’s fire, to seek the Maiden; then returns to the Kun Chamber, the abode of Yin, with the aid of the Celestial Generals.

For a moment, the tiny inner Elixir, no bigger than a grain of millet, reveals its mysterious form; rivers and lakes stretching thousands of miles seem gathered within a pure vase. Ask what it truly means, and it is like white clouds veiling the depths and several peaks rising green: remote and difficult to express.

Thirteen

The One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and all things are contained within a tiny grain of essence. Quiet the mind and observe, and attachment to the form of “self” falls away; what appears within is only the empty, still realm of Dao.

Dao lies neither near nor far, and has no high or low. It belongs to none of the four directions: east, west, north, or south. When the season arrives, the melons ripen of themselves. Clear wind and bright moonlight fill the Xiang River’s pools.

Fourteen

Lower the eyelids and draw in the senses of sight and hearing, so that the mind and spirit grow calm and the original nature is kept secure. Strengthen what is within and empty the mind of thoughts; cultivate the Great Return Elixir, the fundamental alchemical method sought in Daoist Neidan. If, in a single moment, one can return to the source, the three medicines will condense into an elixir.

It is as though snow melts in the furnace: cultivation makes body and mind clear. Spring returns to a deep mountain valley, and the face takes on a rosy glow, as if after drinking wine. Through such cultivation, one can live in ease and freedom from worry, forgetting the troubles of the world. Since ancient times, benevolent people have loved to dwell among the mountains.

A single spark of primordial Jing and Qi, the vital energy of innate creation, first emerged from the Qi of the Origin. The Five Phases—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams, and the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity all took shape through its blending.

When the wise cultivate it, a radiance like that of a golden Buddha appears. When the deluded lose it, they are like a jade mountain collapsing. Who can know that reckless striving ultimately leads to illusion? In the end, only turning the mind back to the root brings one to Great Purity, a state of stillness and clarity.

The work of learning the Dao lies in renewing oneself day by day, never leaving innate nature for even a moment. If one wishes to understand the nature of the Three Lives—past, present, and future—within the mind’s narrow space, a single phrase can dissolve the dust and toil of countless ages.

Though Yan Hui, Confucius’s disciple, has passed away, his spirit seems still to endure. Though the immortal Qiu Chuji has departed, the lineage of the Dao remains strong. The subtle principle of the Golden Elixir has no other secret: it lies in bringing Qi and Shen into complete harmony.

The Gate of Heaven, a key aperture in the body or in Neidan cultivation, opens and closes as the Qi mechanism rises and descends. Shen and Qi nourish one another, turning blockage into free flow. The Mysterious Maiden, an immortal woman in Daoist legend, plays her flute and summons a colored phoenix; the Yellow Child, the childlike spirit of Neidan practice, embraces the sun and rides a blue dragon.

The Three Blossoms—Jing, Qi, and Shen—flourish and gather in the Golden Cauldron, the symbolic vessel of alchemy, while the myriad forms of the world spread in splendor across the blue sky. Without leaving the doorway, one can understand the transformations by which Heaven and Earth operate; all Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, lie within the grasp of the cultivator’s mind and spirit.

When gathering and refining “lead,” one must gather true lead, an Neidan term for true essence or true Yang Qi. To gather ordinary lead is to fall into error. Setting up a furnace and cauldron in response to the outer world is mere illusion; external methods such as swallowing clouds and ingesting Qi are fruitless as well.

The foundation of subduing the Dragon and Tiger, Neidan symbols for harmonizing Yin and Yang, Shen and Qi within the body, lies in one’s original nature. Capturing the Crow and Hare, symbols of the sun and moon or of Yin and Yang, requires no use of force. Only by penetrating this principle does one become ready to learn the Dao of the immortals.

The Dao’s substance is subtle, profound, and all-embracing, dwelling amid obscurity and mystery. How could ordinary people speak of it carelessly? Before Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) divided, there was no sequence of years or seasons. With an infant’s first cry, Heaven and Earth, Qian and Kun, came into view.

The Fire Dragon pursues the Mud Ox southward, while the Golden Tiger follows the Iron Horse westward. These are symbolic expressions used in Neidan (internal alchemy). If you can grasp the secrets of their movement and reversal, there is no need to fear that you will be unable to transcend the root of birth and death.

Twenty

Whenever Yang Qi first arises and the time is right to gather the medicine, advance the fire gently, beginning from the position of Danger. In cultivation, the inner circulation follows the steps of the Dipper—the method of walking or moving Qi according to the stars—while the outer cycle follows the shifting direction of the Dipper’s handle.

At midnight, Lord Gold, a Neidan term often referring to lead or primordial Qi, pays homage at the Jade Portal. The immortals of the Ten Isles, legendary beings of the seas beyond the world, gather at the Jade Pool. After drinking the ambrosia, a metaphor for a pure and exquisite essence, one often feels as if drunk or entranced. If you can see through emptiness, there is hope of attaining the Dao.

Twenty-one

The great Way of cultivating immortality is not hard to find; it is simply that one crucial secret contains profound principles. If you can know, in a dream, that you are dreaming, you will understand that there is no other mind outside your own.

Let the spirit and intention settle into the Sea of Qi, the Dantian area below the navel, to augment true mercury, a Neidan term symbolizing refined, true Qi. Set the firing process in motion in the Kun Furnace, which symbolizes the cauldron or a Yin part of the body, and refine away turbid Yin Qi. Once your achievements are complete, withdraw and remain still; unseen, you will naturally earn the respect of spirits and gods.

Twenty-two

A lesser hermit withdraws to the mountains and forests; a great hermit lives in the everyday world yet remains free of it. The principle is profound. If you can know, in a dream, that you are dreaming, you will understand that there is no other mind outside your own.

Let the spirit and intention settle into the Sea of Qi and augment true mercury; set the firing process in motion in the Kun Furnace and refine away turbid Yin Qi. Once your achievements are complete, withdraw and remain still; unseen, you will naturally earn the respect of spirits and gods.

Twenty-two

A lesser hermit withdraws to the mountains and forests; a great hermit lives in the everyday world. Wherever you go, you can follow what is natural and rest content. The greatest sound is contained in silence, and the most subtle form often exists before it takes visible shape.

In stillness, the Millet Pearl, a Neidan term symbolizing the tiny, pure true nature or inner elixir, seems to contain the whole cosmos. In motion, it is like thunder and lightning shaking mountains and rivers. Spirits and gods thereafter offer their constant protection, as if each month one could glimpse another world within the universe in a pot, the Daoist inner grotto-heaven or realm within a realm.

Twenty-three

Some regard the Way of the immortals as heterodox, but who has truly attained a state like Chen Tuan, the Daoist of the Northern Song? The three great medicines of Neidan, the three essential substances gathered and refined in cultivation, are collected in quiet repose; a single luminous pearl is contemplated in stillness.

Lying high above the white clouds, you use a mountain for your pillow. You sing across the vast blue sky, like the cry of a phoenix and the ringing of bells. You enter and leave the realm of Huaxu, the legendary ideal dreamland, with your spirit and intention roaming freely. The cosmos within the pot is vast, forming a world of its own.

Twenty-four

The spirit and intention dwell in Xiyi, the Dao-state beyond sight and hearing, serenely gazing at the blue sky; the Sea Gate, where the sun rises over the ocean, glows crimson first. The Tail Gate, a key point at the base of the spine, sets the inner fire in motion, carrying it through the Three Passes, the three key bodily apertures in Neidan practice. Essence and Qi flow like a feathered canopy, forming an unbroken current.

The Red Child, symbolizing the pure primordial spirit, rides a dragon back to the Crimson Palace, a symbol of the Dantian or the palace of the spirit. The Yellow Matron, a Neidan term for the mediator who harmonizes Yin and Yang, guides the woman to marry Lord Gold, symbolizing lead or primordial Qi. Through the cultivation of returning wind, the Qi of the spirit embryo, the sacred embryo formed in Neidan practice, is refined. The body then becomes like a pot containing a vast world of its own.

Twenty-Four

The spirit’s intent moves between the subtle and the indistinct, wandering at ease through the blue heavens. At the Sea Gate—the opening where the movement of Qi rises—red radiance first appears. The fire of the Tail Gate, the passage at the base of the spine, rises and runs through the Three Passes. Jing and Qi circulate like a feathered canopy, flowing together in a single channel.

The Red Child, symbolizing the original spirit or pristine nature, rides a dragon back to the Crimson Palace, the inner abode that represents the Dantian and chamber of the spirit. The Yellow Matron, an image of Yin-Yang in harmony, guides the woman to unite with the Golden Lord, a symbol of Metal Qi or Yang Qi. Through the cyclical movement and refinement of the returning wind, the Qi of the numinous embryo congeals. One may then enjoy boundless longevity, enduring as long as Heaven and Earth.

Twenty-Five

The Great Dao is Wuwei (non-action), and its subtle principles are profound. The work of cultivation must be sought through stillness and settled concentration. A hen brooding over her chicks suggests gathering the spirit, guarding one’s intent, and nurturing it without letting it scatter. When a horse gallops into the open country, one must quickly rein in the mind. These images of birds and animals remind practitioners to keep the mind and spirit focused and not let them run wild.

The sky is clear as a water mirror, and the waves ripple softly. Moonlight shines over Thunder City while the sound of the water clock grows quiet. The gentle fire in the alchemical furnace burns on without interruption, until at last the divine elixir, full and golden, is refined within the furnace and vessel.

Twenty-Six

Cultivating the Dao takes the Mysterious Female as its foundation. This symbolizes the hidden source from which all things arise and often refers to the fundamental passage in cultivation. Before advancing the fire in the process of refinement, one must first set in motion the Qi represented by the stars Dou and Wei. The hands seem to grasp the Sun Crow and Moon Hare, symbols of Yin and Yang and the essences of the sun and moon. Then one becomes able to direct the Tiger and Dragon, symbols of Yin and Yang Qi within the body.

Suddenly, one encounters a vast and lucid realm, like the full moon at mid-autumn. The scenery of the southwest is especially lovely: mountains, rivers, and earth itself seem transformed into clear, translucent glass.

Twenty-Seven

The Great Dao is inherent in the precelestial state, where originally there is nothing at all. Cultivation begins by working with “one Earth,” a symbol of Earth Qi that harmonizes and centers. Wind and thunder surge; golden light streams like lightning. Wood and Fire steam and rise, and the Jade Furnace ascends.

A bright pearl condenses, small as a grain of millet, and true Qi fills Penghu, an image of the immortal realm. When the time is ripe, the various passages open; radiance appears and gathers into a single mass, revealing a solitary, peerless piece of treasure.

Twenty-Eight

A person of great capacity is steadfast in temperament, clears the mind of desires, and preserves what is genuine. When Fan Zhongyan read the Book of Changes, he was so absorbed that it seemed he could deceive even ghosts and spirits. When Yang Zhen was offered gold, he remained unmoved, unwilling to deceive even Heaven.

Sitting quietly in meditation amid external circumstances, one does not cling to self and others. Responding to things as circumstances arise, one follows the way of the circle and the square. At ease and unrestrained, one is like a free-roaming immortal of Penglai.

Twenty-Nine

Even in the tiniest space, one can establish emptiness; all the myriad forms are contained within it. Awareness is complete and does not divide inner from outer. The Dharma Body—the pure nature embodied by an awakened person—responds numinously and manifests in many colors.

The immortal wine of the Jade Pool is always there to drink. The Way of Heaven speaks no words, yet reveals itself where things resonate and respond to one another. If one can penetrate this mystery, one may sit in majestic stillness, as though alone atop Wonderful Peak, a symbol of a lofty and pure realm.

Thirty

Among the three thousand six hundred kinds of heterodox arts and techniques, most people are led astray because they cling too tightly to what they pursue. Refining stones and transforming thatch—using arts such as stone refinement and the transmutation of plants to seek supernatural powers—is mere deluded action. Divorcing one’s wife and abstaining from food are likewise only stubborn, extreme forms of cultivation.

Better to transform the feelings stirred by external things and make the mind empty, clear, and still. This allows the water Qi circulating through the body’s circuit to reverse its course. Where does a spark of numinous awareness appear? Just there, when osmanthus blossoms send out their fragrance and the bright moon shines across the rooftops.

Thirty-One

The cultivator’s abode seems to lie before Kui and Gang and the handle of the Dipper (celestial directions that serve as bearings for Neidan practice). The Azure Dragon and White Tiger (symbols in Neidan of Yin-Yang and their associated Qi dynamics) revolve around one another within the body. The three medicines (the three substances used in Neidan cultivation) coalesce into the Three Treasures. In a brief moment, they can yield the result of a year’s cultivation.

The fire in the Golden Tripod (a metaphor for the place within the body where the Elixir is refined) is gentle, and the lead bud opens. The medicinal broth in the Jade Furnace is warm, and a mercury pearl forms into a sphere. Once the numinous embryo has been nurtured to maturity, the perfected person appears, breaks through empty space, and ascends to the ninth heaven.

Thirty-Two

The profound principles of the Book of Changes are not separate from oneself. The movement and stillness of Qi within the body accord with the changes of day and night. At the third watch, the Qi within the body stirs, first drawing from the Kan position (symbolizing Water and Yin). When Yin turns back in the fifth month, it then comes to rest at the Kun position (symbolizing Earth and Yin).

Fire refines the precious pearl until its radiance surpasses the moon’s. The Elixir congeals in the Golden Tripod, its Qi rising like clouds. When cultivation is complete, one transcends the Three Realms, ascends the Jade Steps alone, and pays homage to the Sovereign Emperor.

Thirty-Three

To know the compass within the body (the principles that guide the direction of Neidan cultivation), recognize that every inch within the body is a treasure. Find the correct acupoint by discerning it below the heart; seek the Three Terraces (a constellation name that also refers to relevant positions in cultivation) before you.

The Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit (symbols respectively of the sun and moon, and often of Yin and Yang) move through the eastern and western positions; the White Tiger and Azure Dragon stand to the left and right. The cultivation formulas must be passed from teacher to student by word of mouth. There is no other secret: cultivate pure Yin here and now within yourself.

Thirty-Four

The Moon Cave and Celestial Root (Neidan terms for the source of Yin-Yang transformations) are both within the body. From nonbeing, being arises; being then returns to nonbeing. Once Kan and Li have been brought into harmony (a symbol of Water and Fire in balance), the womb cauldron is suspended (a metaphor for the furnace in which the Elixir embryo develops). The subtle essence of Heaven and Earth is all contained within the millet-sized pearl (a metaphor for a tiny Neidan pearl containing Jing and Qi).

The Dao De Jing expounds its principles in five thousand words, while the method of Neidan transmits the intent of the Yinfu Jing. Those who study and practice must grasp its essential point. All these principles are embodied in the Taiji Diagram of Lianxi (Zhou Dunyi’s diagram explaining Taiji and the transformations of Yin and Yang).

Thirty-Five

The Dao is right before you, and also joins with the three places behind the body. How could ordinary people readily understand principles so profound? The Five Phases run in reverse, turning the Three Passes (the gateways through which Qi moves in Neidan practice). The myriad currents of Qi converge and are finally gathered into a single acupoint.

The stars encircle the Purple Tenuity enclosure, the central region of the northern sky, all facing north in homage. The ecliptic, the Sun’s yearly path, opens up and runs straight toward the south. From ancient times to the present, who first grasped the principle behind this? All the sages and perfected ones defer to Lao Dan, Laozi.

Thirty-Six

My home lies beneath Jiugong Mountain. Whenever I come and go, I ride in a chariot drawn by a white deer. I gather herbs whenever I please and ascend to the Purple Court, the realm of immortals. All day I preserve the spirit, gathering it inward, and refine cinnabar, a symbol of the Neidan gained through cultivation. Fragrance rises from the Flower Pool, the saliva in the mouth, and flows into golden liquid. The iron tree meets spring and puts forth jade blossoms. After ten months, the embryo of the primordial essence matures and the whole body takes shape. I ride a phoenix and luan bird, soaring among the rosy clouds.

Thirty-Four Miscellaneous Poems

Seven Verses on Transmitting the Oral Instructions to Gong Wuzhen

First

Constantly hold fast to the One, the root of the Dao, and the Dao will appear of itself. To understand “at noon, strike the third watch” is to practice at midday the work of the third watch. Thunder shakes the earth, setting wondrous workings in motion; the stars travel their celestial course, and the handle of the Northern Dipper turns with them.

Flames rise in the Golden Cauldron, dispelling Yin influences; the elixir congeals in the lead furnace, revealing a silvery gleam. Once you see through emptiness, you know there is nothing to gain. The celestial immortals will naturally enter the practitioner’s name in their registers.

Second

The first thing in learning the way of immortality is to recognize true emptiness, the stillness beyond distinctions of form. Dual cultivation of nature and life is the foundation of this tradition. In a single breath, refine and transform Yin energy, seizing a force fierce as a tiger; as the Three Yangs herald prosperity and Yang energy grows while Yin recedes, mount the flying dragon.

Fire rises in the jade furnace, and golden liquid boils. The spring in the Celestial Valley, a point within the head, begins to flow, and the earth’s channels open in response. After ten months, the Neidan matures like a fetus, and the spirit transforms of itself. Roam freely among the clouds: the Great Dao has no end.

Third

Sing a clear, unearthly song in the azure firmament, answering the first year as the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning resets the cycle of the sexagenary calendar. Primordial, pure Qi condenses into characters as large as a square zhang; wondrous scriptures shine through the nine heavens.

The body dwells in the realm of the Dao and ascends beyond the Floating Dawn, an immortal realm in Daoist tradition. The nature realizes non-birth and transcends the realm before the Sovereign Image, the ruler or source from which Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things manifest. The three realms and ten directions become one. Where, then, could one go to find a true immortal?

Fourth

A man who truly cultivates can also conceive; in a year, he can give birth to a child. Each child rides a white crane at birth and returns each morning to rest peacefully in the Numinous Terrace, the seat of the heart-spirit.

The Earth Mother is always there to support and care for them, while the Celestial Kitchen provides their nourishment. This is not my tradition deliberately turning the order upside down; rather, the Gate of Nature opens at the crown of the head.

Fifth

(The original provides only a heading here; no text is included.)

The highest Dao (the fundamental Great Way) in my tradition is Wuwei (non-action) by nature and relies on no deliberate contrivance. The white snow within the vessel joins with Kan and Li, symbols of water and fire, Yin and Yang, in Neidan practice. Drink three cups of “trouble-free wine” often, and it is as though you have received the support of the “Mother’s guiding power”; provisions will naturally be sent from the Heavenly Kitchen. It is not that my tradition turns the principles of Yin and Yang upside down and puts them to use. Rather, they arise from the Gate of Nature—the inner gate of one’s original nature—and open at the crown of the head.

Fifth

The highest Dao in my tradition is Wuwei by nature; the white snow within the vessel joins with Kan and Li. Drink three cups of trouble-free wine often, and in your leisure play a few turns of chess without competing for victory or defeat.

Draw in your radiance and silently guard the true original substance. Regulate your breathing until it is even, fine, and long, continuing without interruption; in this way, restore the foundation of life. Understand these two subtle workings, and in the end you can ascend the true ladder to Heaven.

Sixth

There is no need to say much about the formulas for cultivating immortality: a single phrase can encompass the vast treasury of the immortal scriptures. Yuanshi, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, suspends a pearl and brings forth transformation; the Vajra sets the Northern Dipper in motion, circulating through the entire circuit of Heaven—the movement of breath or inner Qi through the body.

First spur the Qi mechanism into motion, swift as a galloping horse, and open the Yellow Path, the channel along which Qi moves in Neidan practice. Then rinse the mouth with the Flower Pool—the saliva beneath the tongue—so that its fluid moistens the Red Field, the Dantian. Wind arises at the Xun Gate, the portal that symbolizes wind, and the Golden Tiger gives a roar. When the myriad Qi throughout the body move together, you can become an immortal.

Seventh

The upper aperture is sealed, while the lower aperture remains open and clear. A scene appears: the morning sun rising over the Eastern Pool, its red light spreading across the waters. Gradually warm and refine the Water Palace, the region associated with the water of the kidneys, then slowly raise the Qi mechanism to the Li Palace, associated with the fire of the heart.

Gather and refine the Great Medicine until the Three Flowers—the gathered states of Jing, Qi, and Shen—come together. Refine them into a perfect pearl, and its effects will appear in an instant. This is the formula for returning the Elixir, the Neidan process of returning to the origin and restoring the source. Once body and spirit have both reached wondrous perfection, you can realize the immortal Way.

Formula Taught to Xu Daosheng

The highest Dao of returning the Elixir is beyond words. Its subtlety lies in using precelestial Qi to set the postcelestial body in motion. When the two Qi merge, first make the mind and nature upright. When the first Yang stirs, promptly extract Lead—the Yang essence gathered and refined in Neidan practice.

Plant the medicine in the Qian region, the part of the body that symbolizes Qian Yang, and numinous smoke will gather. In the Golden Cauldron, the symbol of the alchemical vessel, a returning wind stirs and the fire blazes. From then on, it is like peace reigning throughout the land: from the Yuluo Terrace, you can admire the bright moon.

Formula Taught to Long Zhengzhong

A bell sounds at midnight in an empty valley. The Golden Crow, symbol of the sun, rises between sea and sky, casting a red glow. The union of Kan and Li—of Yin and Yang, water and fire—depends on Kun Earth, the power that bears and harmonizes. The refining of Lead and Mercury, in turn, relies on Xun Wind, which symbolizes the force of wind.

When the jade-like flower buds open, white snow seems to fall from the sky. Where the jade nectar flows, the earth’s springs open in turn. After returning to the origin and restoring the source, body and spirit alike reach a wondrous state. The Dragon’s Virtue, firm and vigorous Yang, is perfected in the Qian position, like the bright moon resting at the center.

Inner-Scenery Elixir Formula Presented to Chen Yuqi

The primordial Great Dao—the fundamental principle underlying all things before they came into being—requires no deliberate action. Yet to return to one’s original nature, one must still set the mechanisms of transformation in motion. The Jade Maiden, a feminine symbol in Neidan practice, holds a toad and rises to heaven; the Golden Lord, a masculine symbol in Neidan practice, rides a tiger back to the moon.

Lead dissolves, mercury is produced, and cinnabar coagulates. The cauldron and furnace transform; the furnace fire dies down, and a scene like drifting white snow fills the air. Continue turning inward and illuminating the self without interruption, and in time light will naturally appear within the body.

Presented to Cai Liaokong

Awakening to true emptiness—an unattainable state beyond outward forms—is the fundamental aim. The signs of true emptiness may seem insubstantial, yet it is not nothingness. The dragon returns to the sea as the clouds have just begun to disperse; □ gives a long cry among the cold rocks beneath the full moon.

With the wisdom eye, one sees through the Formless Realm, beyond material appearance. The Dharma Body, the abiding and imperishable reality beyond the physical body, dwells eternally in the Palace of Putuo. Contemplating things as they are, one sees the original self; that single point of light has remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.

Seeing Daoist Zou Qiuyun Off as He Returns to Dwell on Bie Mountain

Wearing a yellow cap and plain country clothes, he looks like a youth as he returns to dwell on the highest peak of Bie Mountain. Drunk, beneath the trees he plays an iron flute to the moon; a jade scripture, a Daoist talismanic edict or heavenly text, takes flight and summons the dragon from its cave.

He will rekindle the fire in the Golden Furnace and refine the Elixir; he will also call down the heavenly swans and plant pines again beside the rocky stream. Though we will be separated by a thousand miles, I imagine our hearts will still understand one another.

Presented to Yiyangzi

Within the aperture of the Mysterious Pass, the true nature of the Great Dao is contained. The workings of Heaven’s mechanism lie entirely in every movement and gesture. The moon shines over the mountain peak as the Golden Tiger cries out; thunder rumbles beneath the sea, and the Fire Dragon rises.

The three great medicines—the cooperating elements of Jing, Qi, and Shen in Neidan practice—are refined through adjustment and balancing. From their wondrous union, the numinous Elixir of nine transformations coagulates. When cultivation is complete and merit fulfilled, the spirit naturally transforms and ascends, roaming freely in the Heaven of Jade Clarity, the Daoist realm of subtle purity.

Presented to Xiao Yanjing: Instructions for Advancing on the Dao

Shen and Qi return to the Qi aperture and sink to the body’s center. Set the inner fire in motion, like flying flames that scorch the sky and boil the gold beneath the sea. The southern and northern stars establish above and below; east and west turn in unison, harmonizing ascent and descent, rising and sinking.

Let the Crow and Hare—the sun and moon, symbols of Yin and Yang—be bathed and nourished; preserve Shen and guard the true. When the Dragon and Tiger, symbols of Yin-Yang Qi, grow restless, subdue them with stillness and composure. As soon as the vital essence of Yin and Yang mingle, the Elixir naturally coagulates; a clear, bright radiance fills the Jade Grove, a symbol of an immortal realm or an inner state of cultivation.

Presented to Li Sidao of Quanzhen

The subtle principles of things great and small are all contained within a single body. On the Jade Terrace, the luminous pearl of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning hangs high day after day. The Kun Furnace, symbol of the Yin of Kun, turns and operates, refining the Golden Mother, the golden essence of Neidan practice. The pure, wondrous Brahma Qi circles and flows, coagulating into a jade scripture.

Moonlight falls across sea and sky, while the autumn scene is clear, serene, and deep. The clouds and mist disperse, and all is peaceful in the stone chamber; the mind, too, rests in its usual calm. You have long dwelt in the realm of immortals. Above the Jade Terrace, where the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun), one of the highest deities revered in Daoism, resides, a jewel-like radiance hangs in the sky all day. The Kun furnace, symbolizing Yin cultivation, turns; the Golden Mother, a symbolic term in Daoist Neidan, ascends. Pure, sacred breath swirls and congeals into a jade book.

Moonlight falls across sea and sky, and the autumn scene is clear and profound. The clouds and mist disperse, leaving the stone chamber as peaceful as ever. The immortal capital has long known your name. Phoenixes and cranes come to welcome you and lead you into the Great Void (Taixu), the boundless expanse.

Sent to Gong Wuzhen on the Work of Advancing in the Dao

When you understand the human mind, you can grasp the mind of the Dao. To find the mind of the Dao, you must begin in the depths of subtlety. Add the medicine to the Qian cauldron, symbolizing Yang cultivation, and refine lead and mercury together, terms commonly used in Neidan to symbolize Yin-Yang and transformations of essence and Qi. Let the firing process turn in the Kun furnace, transforming stone into gold. Here, the image of alchemy is a metaphor for refining body and mind.

Clear winds blow from the eight directions as tigers roar among the mountain crags. A thousand rivers reflect the bright moon, while dragons seem to sing beneath the sea. When the jade zither falls silent, its music becomes the sounds of the heavenly court; then it transforms into a clear, springlike melody, transcending the mundane world.

Presented to Huang Shouzhong: The Inner Meaning of Fulu and the Firing Process

The luminous pearl of Primordial Beginning hangs high, five zhang above; the Jade Perfected leads one upward to the middle of heaven. The Three Vehicles, a metaphor in Neidan cultivation for the movement of essence and Qi, roll forth with a thunderous tremor in the Kan position, which in the Bagua symbolizes water and Yin. One Qi circulates throughout, restoring nature and life to the Qian position, which in the Bagua symbolizes heaven and Yang.

In the Golden Cauldron, wondrous Qi gathers and cinnabar and mercury unite. The spirit furnace is still, and the tiger and dragon, symbols in Neidan of two Yin-Yang forces, sleep in peace. Only in stillness does the true message appear. Wisdom, complete and unobstructed, accords with the Great Dao before the myriad forms take shape.

Presented to the Lazy One

The lazy old man lies peacefully on the White Cloud Terrace. When one aperture opens, all the apertures throughout the body open with it. Light streams down from the eight corners, revealing the floating jade talismans. The Three Flowers, symbolizing Jing, Qi, and Shen, gather in the cauldron and form the Golden Embryo, a term in Neidan cultivation for the completion of the Elixir.

Holding a fishing rod, he seems able to catch a carp from a cup. In stillness, the true message appears; wisdom, complete and unobstructed, accords with the Great Dao before the myriad forms take shape.

Presented to the Lazy One

The lazy old man lies peacefully on the White Cloud Terrace. When one aperture opens, all the apertures throughout the body open with it. Light streams down from the eight corners, revealing the floating jade talismans. The Three Flowers gather in the cauldron and form the Golden Embryo.

Holding a fishing rod, he seems able to catch a carp from a cup; with a snap of his fingers, he seems able to summon thunder into his palm. His mind is clear and detached, free of cares and attachments. He lives at ease, and everywhere is like Penglai, the isle of immortals.

Presented to Wu Yungu

Pure Yang Qi gathers, and the Dao naturally becomes exalted. The Dharma Body, the transcendent form attained through cultivation, appears everywhere; every place is a realm of truth. In the radiance of a precious pearl, heaven and earth seem to lie enclosed; the sound of an iron flute seems to move spirits and gods.

He often sleeps in a drunken stupor, using a mountain for his pillow. He wanders far and wide, with the bright moon for a constant companion. When his cultivation is complete, he will pay court to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning and ascend to Jade Abode, the celestial realm, upon red clouds.

Imparting the Inner Alchemical Mystery to Hunxuanzi

How does one return to the root and recover the origin? By refining the golden radiance, a symbol of essence and Qi condensed to brilliance, while warming and nurturing the furnace and cauldron. As the stars shift and the Dipper turns, the Embryonic Immortal, a numinous image of the alchemical embryo in Neidan cultivation, dances. Tigers roar and dragons sing, while the Stone Maiden, an image of Yin-Yang union or cultivation freed from the constraints of worldly reproduction, raises her voice in song.

Violet clouds rise high above the deep valley, and cinnabar light fills the dwelling encircled by white clouds. There is no need to seek an immortal realm elsewhere in the human world, for one’s own body and mind, here and now, are the Great Luo Heaven (the highest heaven in Daoist cosmology).

Cinnabar Formula Presented to Li Yangao

Draw out lead and add mercury: their principle is secretly joined within. The Neidan in the golden cauldron congeals, as though it could be completed in an instant. Let the breath settle and the spirit-mind rest in its natural state; evenly tend and refine the cinnabar fire. Let body and mind move like the celestial bodies, quietly keeping to the path in search of the true realm.

The mind’s currents grow calm like a dragon chanting to the moon; the pores throughout the body turn cool and still, like a tiger roaring into the wind. Once cultivation has borne fruit, return to body and mind, and let awareness become clear and penetrating. Within the Jade Terrace and Purple Palace (Daoist immortal realms), delight knows no end.

Instructions Imparted to Shen Cunxin

Nurture the spirit-mind and hold it quietly, so that the heart contains the true nature. Let the Five Qi (energies corresponding to the five organs and Five Phases) return to their source, and the Dao will come naturally to fruition. When gathering the ingredients (the essence and Qi used in refining the Neidan), know how to remain unhurried amid activity; as for the suspended pearl (an image in Neidan practice), see light within the darkness.

The cinnabar fire appears in the jade furnace, and golden flowers shine brilliantly; the Silver River turns, while the handle of the Northern Dipper slants across the sky. The true nature is bright and clear, transcending external things; thoughts like floating clouds cannot obscure the clear original mind.

Ten Poems on Cultivating the True, Matching the Rhymes of a Poem Sent by the Recluse of Bamboo Spring

One

Dwelling in a humble lane, with only plain food and clear water, one can still be content. The Heavenly Mind (the natural order within one’s original nature) pervades all things and holds profound, mysterious principles. Before Fuxi, the workings of the myriad things already followed their proper patterns; before the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) appeared, the true nature had already awakened to non-arising (the state beyond birth and death).

Brahma Qi (pure, wondrous spiritual energy) encircles the Yellow Path (the course followed by celestial bodies), like the sun making its rounds. The lamp of wisdom shines eternally, illuminating the Red Bright Heaven (a Daoist celestial realm). The original nature does not turn with emptiness; why let empty fame stain the illusory worldly ties of this fleeting world?

Two

The Valley Spirit (the Dao’s empty, still, wondrous nature) endures without perishing, and the Dao appears at ease. One responds freely to myriad changes, while the root remains in mystery. The spirit-eye (inner spiritual clarity) is clear, able to behold the cycles of the world beyond the dust of the mundane; Kui and Gang (stars associated with cultivation in the Northern Dipper) remain before the Dipper.

Golden flowers gather in beauty amid the cinnabar fire of the Three Fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian). Jade characters shine forth, appearing in the Five-Zhang Heaven. The myriad teachings have no fixed distinctions or attachments from the beginning; the cultivator lives among ordinary people and follows circumstances, while keeping the heart clear.

Three

Those who delight in cultivating the Dao naturally feel at ease. Their feelings grow quiet, and with a single breath they merge into the deep and mysterious realm. The numinous immortals return riding through the air; immortal maidens bear flowers in their hands and scatter them before the seat.

A sword sweeps through the air, its gleam shooting straight toward the Northern Dipper; though the flute has no holes, when played it seems to resound throughout the celestial court. Once one’s achievements are complete and one’s reputation has spread, it is time to withdraw at the proper moment. In all things, one should follow human feeling and the conditions of the world.

Four

The prince sought the Way to immortality, his nature bright and clear. He quieted his mind and spirit and grasped profound, subtle principles. In cultivation, he draws the Yang Qi from the Kan trigram and uses it to replenish the Li trigram. The “Crow Mother,” symbolizing Yin and Yang, flies in and alights before his grotto.

After nine cycles of refinement, the Golden Elixir is complete in the crucible. The mind and spirit are clear, every stray thought gone, as pure as the sky reflected on the surface of water. When will I, too, be able to leave worldly affairs behind, seek instruction from the Master, and form a bond with him in the cultivation of the Dao?

Five

Laojun, the Daoist honorific for Laozi, expounds the Dao and De, making their principles clear and evident; every line of the Daodejing is profound and subtle. After the “ancestral Qi” gave rise to the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, wondrous divine workings appeared in the Realm of Great Clarity.

Laojun once lived for a long time beneath a pillar, serving as an archivist in the Zhou court. Later, he traveled west to Tiaozhi, where he transmitted the Buddha’s teaching through a seal and a covenant. If one can see these principles clearly, why remain so busy and attached to worldly ties?

Six

The Tathagata’s original nature is majestic and exalted. To seek the wondrous Dao, one need not look elsewhere for mystery. A single point of empty clarity and numinous awareness within the heart can transcend external things; all kinds of subtle realization emerge when the right conditions arrive.

When ice melts, it becomes water again; when the moon sets, it has not left the sky. I send these words to those who will study the Way in generations to come: may you form auspicious bonds at the Dharma assembly.

Seven

Confucius’s writings shine with a brilliance all their own, and the Doctrine of the Mean and the Great Learning also contain subtle, profound principles. Strategies for governing the world can all be understood through the Yellow River Chart; the Changes’ principles concerning transformations of human nature and mind are often expressed in the trigrams.

Confucius worried over whether the Great Dao would be passed on and often thought about what would come after him. He upheld benevolence without departing from human nature. When Laozi met Confucius, he praised him as unfathomable as a dragon. Confucius’s questions to Laozi about ritual were also a search for deeper principles.

Eight

Roaming freely beyond the world, the heart is at ease. One studies the Huangdi Yinfujing again and again, cultivating subtle and profound principles. Treading the Bugang pattern, the ritual steps of Daoism, one ascends to the Golden Palace; the spirit flies upward, frequently visiting the Jade Emperor.

When the stream swells to its banks, spring returns to the valley; clouds disperse across ten thousand miles, and the bright moon fills the sky. Who can grasp the wonder and delight of this scene? Only the “Yellow Dame” (Huangpo), a symbol in internal alchemy for harmonizing Yin and Yang and connecting lead and mercury, understands its cause.

Nine

The Dao of the immortals is clear, still, empty, and bright. It cannot be attained by chance; one must inwardly comprehend the true and wondrous principles. All the scenes before our eyes lie within the depths of the mind. How could ghosts and spirits understand the realm revealed by awakened awareness, the clear and luminous nature?

In the northern winter, thunder shakes the earth for three months; in the southern summer, snowflakes fill the sky in the sixth month. The untroubled and free find themselves in Yingzhou, the fabled island mountain of the immortals, wherever they go. Their wondrous transformations have no fixed form, yet they respond to every circumstance.

Ten

Seated quietly all day, body and mind settle into a blended stillness. The River Chariot (Heche), a symbol in internal alchemy for circulating vital energy and essence, moves along the centered and mysterious Way. Two currents of clear Qi surge straight up to the heavens, like a thousand-foot waterfall plunging into a mountain ravine.

Following change, one is not drawn along by outward circumstances. The key to becoming a perfected person lies only in one’s own nature. People call this fanciful and unreal; they laugh at my single-minded pursuit of stillness.

Zhi’an’s Poem for Wu Deying

Washing my ears among the clouds, I listen with delight to the sound of the spring. My mind is empty and still, unmoved by illusory thoughts. Though the elixir has been refined in the cinnabar furnace, its fire still burns. A grain of millet, a symbol in internal alchemy for the subtle art of the Elixir or an inner spiritual treasure, hangs in the air, with another world beyond.

The ripples across a thousand waters fade, and the wind falls still; the shadows of a thousand peaks are reflected below, and the moon has just become full. With a gourd ladle and a bamboo hat, one can find joy wherever one is. Why go seeking immortals in Penglai, the fabled island mountain?

Fuyuan’s Poem for the Daoist Guo of Wudang Palace

Long ago, in Ye City, I met an immortal who planted peaches and received from him alone the inner meaning of the Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture), a Daoist classic. I live on plants and do not seek things beyond myself; I am always refining fiery lead, a symbol in internal alchemy for cultivation within the furnace.

The spring warmth of the Three Fields (upper, middle, and lower Dantian) is like clouds giving birth to jade; a thousand clear, cold waters reflect the light, and the bright moon hangs high in the sky. Having fully awakened, I have no more cares in my heart. I roam freely through an immortal realm, everywhere as graceful as a crane in flight.

Jueju

Eighty-One Songs on the Marvellous Secrets of Talismanic Fire and Returning the Elixir

One

Set up the Elixir cauldron and arrange the furnace with precision; then bring together the rabbit’s marrow and the crow’s liver, symbols of Yin-Yang ingredients in internal alchemy. Once the nameless supreme treasure has been refined, why worry that one will not someday ride a phoenix to become an immortal?

Two

Observe the workings of Heaven and act in accordance with them; the transformations of all things follow the turning of the Northern Dipper’s handle. The Elixir Maiden, a symbolic image in internal alchemy, rides the wind on a white crane, passing over tier upon tier of towers. Ahead lie Penglai and Yingzhou, the island mountains of the immortals.

Three

Beneath the moon, the eight directions of Heaven and Earth appear vast and still, like a dragon clasping a luminous pearl to its breast. At midnight, Yang energy begins to rise, as though a golden rooster were announcing dawn. Six horses race toward the sky, driving a chariot of fire. They move sideways in step with the handle of the Northern Dipper. The medicine maiden rides the wind on a white crane, passing through tier upon tier of tall towers until she reaches the immortal realm of Penglai.

Three

Beneath the moon, the eight directions of Heaven and Earth lie vast and still, like a dragon clasping a luminous pearl. At midnight, Yang energy begins to rise, as though a golden rooster were announcing dawn. Six horses race toward the sky, driving a chariot of fire.

Four

True lead and true mercury—the Yin and Yang energies that work together in internal alchemy—quickly unite. They must be nurtured with a gentle fire and tempered with a fierce one. After nine cycles of refinement, they form the Golden Elixir, the foundation on which the practitioner can establish life and find security. All things in Heaven and Earth are contained within this pearl of an elixir, no larger than a grain of millet.

Five

At noon, thunder sounds on Kun Mountain, the mountain symbolizing the Yin side. The maiden of cinnabar, a term in internal alchemy often referring to Yin essence and energy, rides a dragon from the sea. Passing through the three passes—the gateways through which energy moves in cultivation—she returns to the cave dwelling. It is as though a spring breeze has arrived, bringing blossoms to a thousand peach trees.

Six

My home lies west of Lake Dongting. The moon has set; the cold pool is clear, and the handle of the Northern Dipper hangs low. At midnight, Wood Lad, a symbolic figure in internal alchemy, goes in search of Old Woman, another such figure. On the western mountain, he seizes the tiger and pursues the dragon, then brings them back together.

Seven

After passing through deliberate practice, one ultimately reaches Wuwei (non-action), acting without contrivance and following nature. When the spirit embryo—the name for the formed elixir body in internal alchemy—is nurtured, one steps onto the foundation of sagehood. Do not dismiss these rare Daoist cultivation terms as a joke: a man who carries cultivation to its utmost can “give birth in reverse.” This is a metaphor for the formation of the internal elixir, not for childbirth in the ordinary sense.

Eight

A white crane watches over the elixir furnace as the Great Returning Elixir is nurtured and refined. Deep in the night, the bright moon fills the empty mountains. Entering sitting in oblivion—a state in which, through meditation, one forgets the body, mind, and external things—the heart becomes clear as water. The autumn sky stretches for ten thousand miles, calm and still.

Nine

Set the celestial power represented by the Northern Dipper in motion, moving its handle. Draw Yang energy from the Kan position, which represents Water and Yin, to replenish the Li position, which represents Fire and Yang. When the Qian side, representing the Qian trigram and the Yang side, returns with the medicine, all that can be seen is the light of Heaven reflected in a green pool.

Ten

In a stone chamber, inhale and absorb the vapor, and close the Xun gate, the portal associated with the Xun position and symbolizing a cultivation gateway. Hold the Dipper’s handle upside down and gaze southward. The mountain scenery is unlike the mortal world: even in the sixth month, snowflakes fly and the cold bites.

Nine

Set the celestial power represented by the Northern Dipper in motion, moving its handle. Draw Yang energy from the Kan position to replenish the Li position. When the Qian side returns with the medicine, all that can be seen is the light of Heaven reflected in a green pool.

Ten

In a stone chamber, inhale and absorb the vapor, and close the Xun gate. Hold the Dipper’s handle upside down and gaze southward. The mountain scenery is unlike the mortal world: even in the sixth month, snowflakes fly and the cold is wintry.

Eleven

Ride the spirit raft, the legendary vessel that crosses to the River of Heaven, and drift over the sea tide. Then, on a circling wind, fly into the blue sky for ten thousand miles. Seize the azure dragon and send it to the Yellow House, a symbolic direction or place in internal alchemy, to be nurtured and refined. Win the luminous pearl and temper it in fire.

Twelve

Spend the night in Chang’e’s lofty palace on the moon, counting the autumn days amid the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. The circuit of the heavens within the body spans three hundred and sixty degrees; in half an hour, it completes one full revolution.

The clay ox beneath the sea transforms into a fiery ox. The Yellow Youth (an image of childlike purity in Daoist internal alchemy) rides backward on its back and ascends to Kunqiu (a mountain of immortals). He plays a tune on the flute, returning only when night has fallen. The moonlight is bright and white, the green mountains remain as before: it is autumn once again.

Fourteen

Quietly and without interruption, keep to the Great Void (a state of emptiness, stillness, and Wuwei). Whether walking or sitting, do not leave this state. Once the practice of returning to the source and restoring the root (returning to life’s original state) is complete, a Mani pearl (a jewel symbolizing the inner elixir) can be nurtured within.

Fifteen

The unbroken line in the middle of the Kan trigram (symbolizing water, the kidneys, and related things) is true lead (an internal alchemy term for the vital essence used in the elixir’s refinement). Draw one line from the Li palace (symbolizing fire, the heart, and related things) to complete the Qian trigram (symbolizing pure Yang). Then, with talismanic fire (a metaphor for regulating the fire in internal alchemy), return it to the Kun furnace (symbolizing the foundation that supports and nurtures the process) for refinement. The wondrous elixir script then shines forth, bursting into brilliant crimson light.

Sixteen

Within the vessel, continually harmonize Kan and Li (which respectively symbolize water and fire, and also refer to related energies in the body and mind). Only you know the scene within. In old age, a new spring arrives once more, and you again calculate the primordial cycle of sexagenary years, the Jiazi (a cycle marked by the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, here suggesting a renewed beginning in life and time).

Seventeen

Empty the heart and settle into stillness. In silence, let the curtain of the heart fall, allowing not a single stray thought to enter the void. Observe how the myriad things return as they sprout and grow, and use the reversal of the Five Phases (an internal alchemy practice that reverses the movement of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases) to regulate their ebb and flow.

Eighteen

To refine an indestructible body, the three kinds of medicines (the three forms of vital essence needed for internal alchemy) must all be present and pure. When the furnace’s water and fire have finished their work, one may become an immortal atop Penglai (a legendary island mountain in the sea).

Nineteen

When one Yang stirs into motion, gather and refine true lead (the vital essence referred to in internal alchemy). Turn the pivot of Heaven until the stars of the Dipper seem to revolve with it. In cultivation, advance three times and retreat three times, exerting yourself as you proceed. The fire-energy spreads throughout the body, as if it would burn across the sky.

Twenty

Lead the ox for ten thousand miles, crossing deep ravines and streams. Yellow flowers bloom along the way, and purple mists drift in the air. When the Knowing Maiden (an immortal woman in Daoist internal alchemy poetry) invites you, follow her across the river. Within the vessel lies another tier of pavilions, a world apart.

Twenty-one

The hornless ox treads upon purple clouds and often drives the cart of peace across the mountain ridges. Seeking a perfected person, go straight into the Western Pool (the immortal realm where the Queen Mother of the West dwells), and behold a thousand trees of jade peaches in bloom.

Twenty-two

To whom can one explain the principle of Kan and Li joining? Only you understand the message within. Traveling to the ends of the earth, you have no other purpose; in the end, you return to the sacred mountain to plant purple lingzhi (an immortal herb).

Twenty-three

I rode across the sea on a yellow crane and journeyed far away, then took the Jade Rabbit from the Moon Palace. The celestial wind carried me back to the immortal isle of Penglai, where ten thousand golden lotuses bloomed overnight.

Twenty-four

The “mysterious pass” is a crucial point in cultivation that cannot be seen or touched. It is originally formless and nameless; people call it, for want of a better explanation, the root from which Buddhas may be born and immortals attained. When the mind is settled and moves in accord with the natural Way, it reaches the state of “two and eight.” The greatest sound, paradoxically, is so quiet that it is hard to hear.

Twenty-five

There is a unified presence that came into being before Heaven and Earth: independent and lofty, it naturally stands beyond the myriad things. The Red Diagram, an image symbolizing Heaven’s mandate or the course of fate, appears; the time is set in motion, and the three lights—the sun, moon, and stars—shine clearly. The Dragon-Han era, a primeval age of cosmic tribulation in Daoist tradition, welcomes a new spring. It is the year of Jiazi.

Twenty-six

At midnight, the Wood Lad, a Daoist deity or image of cultivation, roams the eastern sea. The Fire Wheel rises, and he rides backward upon a dragon. He goes to the Southern Palace to pay audience to the Celestial Emperor. On his return, he sits quietly and watches celestial flowers bloom, while no Xun wind—the southeast wind, one of the Eight Winds—stirs around him.

Twenty-seven

With the doors shut, I sit in stillness and recite the Nanhua Jing, the Daoist honorific title for the Zhuangzi. A Dragon Maiden arrives lightly in a painted carriage. Gracefully, she enters through the pearl-like mouth, and the wind of wisdom scatters the clouds across the sky.

Twenty-eight

The Golden Lord, a Neidan term often referring to the golden or Yang aspect, rides a qilin beneath the sea. He climbs Mount Kunlun, walking upon purple clouds. By the Vermilion Bird Bridge he meets the Maiden, a Neidan term often referring to the Yin aspect. On their return, they go together to pay their respects to the Lord of Great Peace.

Twenty-nine

When the golden rooster first crows and Gui Water stirs, the Northern Dipper turns and the Milky Way shifts in sequence. Beginning at the Yin position, the third earthly branch corresponding to the east, and ending at the Shen position, the ninth branch corresponding to the west, the circling breaths mingle and merge, forming the foundation for the Elixir’s formation.

Twenty

When Jing, Qi, and Shen are all full and complete, this is the foundation for keeping body and mind intact in cultivation. If one can refine them in a furnace with the true timing of the fire, one may roam through the Three Realms—the Desire Realm, the Form Realm, and the Formless Realm—and enter the Golden Gate, the realm of immortals or of attained Dao.

Thirty-one

Nurture the Elixir in a lead furnace until the Great Elixir is refined. Before and after the crescent moon, keep to the right measure of “two and eight.” At this stage, there is no need to apply the timing of the fire deliberately; one may leisurely admire the green mountains from a height above Qujiang.

Thirty-two

The Blue Lad and the White Maiden are each on one side, and all depends on the Yellow Matron—a Neidan symbol for the force that harmonizes and brings things together—to unite them. She guides the pair into the grotto, where Yin and Yang join and their feelings come into harmony.

Thirty-three

The Two-Eight Vajra rides the Fire Wheel, and the waters of the Yellow River surge backward, rushing toward Mount Kunlun. As soon as the sword of wisdom is raised, the green mountains appear.

Thirty-two

The Blue Lad and the White Maiden are each on one side, and all depends on the Yellow Matron—a Neidan symbol for the force that harmonizes and brings things together—to unite them. She guides the pair into the grotto, where Yin and Yang join and their feelings come into harmony.

Thirty-three

The Twenty-Eight Vajra Warriors ride the wheel of fire. The Yellow River reverses its course and surges toward Kunlun. A stroke of the wisdom blade seems to split open empty space, cutting away the Three Corpses—the three foul spirits said in Daoism to dwell within the human body and hinder cultivation—and the Six Thieves, a metaphor for the six sensory desires that disturb the mind.

Thirty-Four

The principle of the great Golden Elixir medicine is not difficult to understand: the spirit and intent descend to refine, while the movement of Qi rises. The most wondrous part is the use of the formula called “Burning the Mountain Talisman,” which reveals the key to alchemical work.

Thirty-Five

A strange adept taught me the formula for returning the elixir, an Neidan method that restores and completes the elixir. I returned to Elixir Mountain and tried it out for myself. In a single breath, dragon and tiger battled; above the nine heavens, thunder and lightning shook Heaven’s Gate. These images describe the intense transformations that occur when Yin and Yang Qi meet during alchemical work.

Thirty-Six

Cultivating the Dao begins with refining body and mind, which contain profound mysteries of Heaven’s workings. Once you set these crucial points in motion, even yellow clay and black stone can be refined into gold. The image of refining gold shows that, once you grasp the essentials of cultivation, ordinary things too can be transformed.

Thirty-Seven

When clouds rise from the mountaintop, gather the medicinal sprout; fire lies hidden in the earth, and water can be made to burn within water. When using “drawing out and adding”—adjusting the firing process and increasing or reducing the ingredients—you must be focused and careful, like someone crossing a cliff on a narrow plank.

Thirty-Eight

Those who study immortality should not follow the kind of practice that clings to emptiness and does nothing. True mercury and true lead are the foundation of this school’s cultivation. Wu Earth circulates and returns, received by Ji Earth, until it is refined into a single mass of elixir, purple as gold.

Thirty-Nine

Students all speak of Chan principles, but when asked about Chan’s essential meaning, they cannot explain it. Little do they know that the wondrous transformations of my tradition are just like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.

Forty

As the bellows turn, wind feeds the flames and the furnace fire glows red. The broth in the earthen pot boils, its waves surging. The crow’s liver and hare’s marrow—alchemical terms for the Yin and Yang ingredients—are simmered together and soon refined into a numinous elixir.

Forty-One

The Great Dao of my tradition is not strange at all. Amid the sound of tapping bamboo and before the mountain crags, call to the black tortoise, a symbol of Yin essence in water. Fire drives Metal Qi into motion and makes it reverse; a tiger’s roar seems to scatter snowflakes. These images use Neidan terminology to describe the union of Yin and Yang and the movement of the firing process.

Forty-Two

Gathering and refining the lead medicine must accord with the timing of Heaven and the movement of Qi. Focus the spirit and follow the firing process at every step. Wu and Ji, symbols of central Earth Qi, return to their source; Geng and Jia, the Qi of Metal and Wood, unite, and the Golden Duke, a symbol of lead, brings back the Jade Toad, a symbol of mercury.

Forty-Three

Refine Jing into Qi, then refine Qi into Shen. When Shen and Qi harmonize, they are like mother and child drawn close to one another. The more they are refined, the firmer they become, and the elixir naturally matures; each refinement brings a new transformation.

The Magpie Bridge (the channel connecting the body’s upper and lower Qi pathways) reflects the setting sun and appears red; the three gates at the spinal region (the points along the back through which Qi flows in Daoist inner cultivation) are connected all the way through. If one can grasp the true, wondrous function of these two, external cultivation through gathering the medicine can work in harmony with inner integration.

Forty-five

External medicine (in inner cultivation, a deliberately applied method of practice) requires purposeful action to set change in motion; the internal Golden Elixir, by contrast, should be gently nurtured, without deliberate striving. When the time comes, silently sense the signs within. The footless child (an image symbolizing inner spirit or true Qi) then climbs the heavenly ladder backward.

Forty-six

Some deluded people presume to instruct and pass on teachings, claiming that a woman who abstains from sex and guards her essence is “drawing lead” (an inner alchemy term that uses lead as a metaphor for essence and Qi). If this is supposed to be the method of refining the Elixir, even the immortals in the Great Luo Heaven (the highest celestial realm in Daoism) would surely laugh to hear it.

Forty-seven

The Dao does not depart from one’s original mind. Gui Water (a term from the Five Phases, here using water as a metaphor for lead and essence-Qi) is lead. Before gathering lead, first secure the central field (the Dantian region described in inner cultivation). The original spirit (a person’s primordial spirit) moves continually between the three gates, drawing all the perfected spirits into the grotto-heaven (the sacred realm inhabited by immortals and perfected beings).

Forty-eight

In the grotto-heaven, clear and empty Qi condenses into a golden embryo. Qi then nourishes the numinous root, allowing the embryo-like internal Elixir to mature. After ten months, the embryo is born; spirit and Qi naturally come forth. The crown of the head seems to burst open, releasing a sound like thunder.

Forty-nine

The original spirit is the master of cultivation; its union with Yin-Yang takes place in an instant. Flying perfected beings from the ten directions lend their aid all at once, and in the end they together swallow up the void.

Fifty

Human nature is originally whole and unobstructed. Why spend all day laboring over the scriptures? The various scriptures are paths that guide people out of delusion; their purpose is simply to keep beings from losing their innate spirit.

Fifty-one

A person of the Dao guards the root. Lift the upper gate, and the lower gate will open in turn. Know that every place between Heaven and Earth where one may settle and live out one’s destiny lies within wordless silence.

Fifty-two

The front gate closes tightly while the rear gate opens, as though the roar of pines from ten thousand ravines surged through from the crown of the head. The firing process begins, smoke rises, and the Golden Cauldron seems to split open; the brocade-maned lion lets out a roar like spring thunder.

Fifty-three

A luminous pearl, small as a grain of millet, hangs shining at the center, its radiance streaming downward for five zhang. Advancing the fire and withdrawing the tally (the inner alchemy method of regulating the firing process and the advance and retreat of Qi) follow the course of Heaven; dragon essence…

A bright pearl the size of a millet grain hangs in midair, illuminating the center. Its light descends toward the ground for five zhang. As the fire advances and the tally retreats, the celestial image turns to the left; the dragon’s vital energy and the phoenix’s essence mingle and transform into the Qi of the mysterious yellow.

Fifty-four

Cultivating the Dao begins with nourishing the mind and nature as its foundation. Only after clearly seeing one’s original nature can one begin refining and nurturing life. When one understands the right moment for the medicines—the Jing, Qi, and other elements of Neidan practice—to mature, and diligently gathers and refines them, Shen and Qi naturally unite, bringing one to a wondrous, undivided state.

Fifty-five

In the crescent-moon furnace, the Great Returning Elixir is refined. The Qi of the Five Phases restrains and blends with itself, ultimately forming the Elixir. In only half an hour, it is as though one has reached the road to one’s home village. The state revealed by the tiger’s roar and the dragon’s cry is something quite different.

Fifty-six

When the five thieves—the five forces that disturb the mind—assail the heart and create obstacles to cultivation, one must quiet one’s thoughts with a firm and resolute will. Since ancient times, cultivating immortality has never required many complicated methods. The key is to shatter, all at once, the delusions that seem to fill the void.

Fifty-seven

Wood and Metal stand apart, while the Qi of the dragon and tiger rushes back and forth. The fire advances from the first line, proceeding step by step. Its flavor is like a mute biting through his tongue at midnight: impossible to put into words. How many truly understand the experience?

Fifty-eight

The home lies to the southwest, the position of Kun. Behind the body, another path leads to Kunlun, the Daoist realm of immortals and a place of cultivation within the body. Continually irrigating it with the divine water of the Flower Pond—the saliva in the mouth, or the sweet dew of cultivation—nurtures yellow blossoms and brings forth purple clouds.

Fifty-nine

Without a teacher’s instruction, do not take up seated meditation rashly. Making the mind like cold ashes and the body like dead wood is futile. Who knows that the secret of the talisman fire and Returning Elixir can turn the pivot in an instant, accomplishing what would otherwise take a year?

Sixty

Buddhahood and immortality arise from the same principle. If students take the wrong path in cultivation, their efforts will come to nothing. Once they understand how to refine and harmonize Jing, Qi, and Shen, the medicine will congeal in the crucible, and radiant purple flowers will appear.

Sixty-one

If one wishes to make the body, brief and illusory as it is, firm and enduring, the initial stage of active cultivation must serve as the foundation. Only when the cinnabar in the golden furnace has ripened can one enter the realm of Wuwei and abide in what is natural.

Sixty-two

The Maiden and the Infant are metaphors, and the Yellow Matron is only an image. The true message can pass through mountains and pierce stone; the key is not to seek it by rushing outward. Even without leaving home, one can understand its many principles.

Sixty-three

There is no need to speak of meditative stillness as a verbal ideal. If one can only make the teaching sound profound, one shuts oneself outside the gate. Even if one speaks quickly and eloquently, without genuine understanding in the heart, one ultimately does no more than waste one’s spirit.

Sixty-four

One need not know how to read the scriptures or ask others about the principles of Chan. One need only transform the “Three Natures”—the mind-nature, original nature, and other inner foundations spoken of in cultivation—within the “Three Fields”: the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, the three parts of the body regarded as places for refining and nourishing. When the “medicine of long life” is refined in the Jade Furnace, the symbolic vessel of alchemical practice, one can become a lesser immortal in the fairy realm of Penglai.

Sixty-four

Speaking of profound principles only makes people shut themselves away. Even with a quick tongue, if one has no true understanding within, all that follows is a needless expenditure of spirit.

Sixty-five

The workings of Heaven are not far away, and the elixir of immortality is not hard to find. Set the inner passes of cultivation in motion, and you can resonate with the Qi of Heaven and Earth. If, in a single breath, the mind and spirit settle into stillness and merge with the Dao, you can ascend to the Great Way. Once the elixir has formed, nourish it with the proper fire timing.

Sixty-six

The way of the immortals is exceedingly simple, yet it is hard to encounter, and hard even to hear half a sentence of true instruction. If you can receive personal guidance from a true master, you will understand that “my destiny lies with me, not with Heaven”—that through cultivation, one can take charge of one’s own fate.

Sixty-seven

The gate of the bellows—an image for stirring the breath—opens, and the Xun wind, the wind trigram of the Bagua, surges forth. A red sun appears in the deep pool. Lift your head and step onto the road to the blue empyrean; alone, bearing the golden toad, a symbol of the elixir or a numinous being of the moon, enter the Jade Palace.

Sixty-eight

Yuanshi, the revered Daoist deity Yuanshi Tianzun, hangs high in the heavens. A luminous pearl, small as a grain of millet, sends out flowing rays; its light enters the sea and congeals into a golden book. The numinous perfected ones ascend to Heaven and lead the way, spiraling upward through the sky. A host of sages and perfected beings gather at the Jade Pivot, the hub of the celestial realm.

Sixty-nine

Subdue the tiger and dragon, an image in Neidan cultivation for harmonizing and gathering the forces of body and mind, and draw them into the Jade Gourd. With profound cultivation, one receives the protection of spirits and gods. When meeting others, there is no need to cling to distinctions between self and other. To transcend death and attain new life: this is what makes a great man.

Seventy

The road ahead seems short, but the road behind is long. Ascend straight to Mount Jing and pay homage to the Jade Emperor. After the banquet at the Jade Pool ends, return to your grotto dwelling, having been granted the title Thunder Adjudicator, an office in charge of the Thunder Department.

Seventy-one

Powerful demons and strange spirits suddenly come to disturb you, repeatedly drawing you into illusions and confusion. Write a Fulu with a fire brush, a ritual implement symbolizing thunder and fire, and golden lightning flashes forth. All beings and spirits across the ten directions and three realms submit to its power.

Seventy-two

Often meet with the immortals in the Nine Palaces, riding in an emerald carriage drawn by flying dragons as you travel to and from the Cinnabar Empyrean. The original spirit looks back toward the foot of Mount Jing and sees a bright moon hanging before the terrace, illuminating the blue sky.

Seventy-three

Do not treat alchemical cultivation as empty talk. With each day of practice, one advances a little further along the immortal path. If you can also help others and support their moral instruction, why worry that this body cannot ascend to Heaven?

Only after a sudden awakening can one truly see clearly and pursue cultivation with resolve. Following the methods described in the Yinfu Jing, repeatedly train body and spirit. The Qi currents flow throughout the body; at a touch, it is as though they break through the void. Clouds disperse across the boundless sky, and the moonlight shines clear and new.

When the Four Seas are at peace, the state naturally becomes secure. If the ruler follows the Dao, the ministers will be filled with reverence. At such a time, one need only guide the people through civil virtue. Why resort to arms to conquer distant lands?

Heaven and the human world are not far apart. Immortals ride deer from Xuandu, the fabled realm of Daoist immortals, and ascend into the blue sky. Amid the sound of phoenix flutes, they enter the Palace of Heng’e, the moon palace, as the fragrance of ten thousand bushels of incense and osmanthus blossoms drifts on the wind.

In stillness, turn the light inward and contemplate the heart; all things seem to return to emptiness and silence. In a trance, one no longer knows whether one is in a crystal palace. The key mysteries of cultivation are not complicated. Once understood, they let one pass through stone and cross mountains, with every road open before them.

How could the secret formulas of the immortals be taught lightly? Only those of steadfast faith will receive them. If one can explain these essentials fully and understand them clearly, cultivation is like traveling along a road: every step accords with the Way of Heaven.

What the sages and perfected ones have passed down through the ages is the same heart of the Dao. Only those who grasp this heart transmission are true kindred spirits. Though they may read every book, they leave no trace of attachment; the Dao they realize runs through Heaven and Earth, shining from antiquity to the present.

The myriad volumes of alchemical writings all point toward mysterious chapters, each line inviting the reader to seek the secrets of the Great Dao. If one is willing to investigate the roots thoroughly, which school’s gateway could not lead to the Way of Heaven?

After Neidan has undergone nine transformations, one naturally rises beyond ordinary people. When the merit of cultivation is complete, one receives a response from the Emperor Lord. In broad daylight, an edict of investiture descends; the cultivator then rises into the purple mist and proceeds to the Golden Palace for an audience.

Nineteen Poems on Roaming Among the Immortals

One

With a qin in hand, I roam Mount Wuyi and climb Manting Peak. A note sounds from the iron flute. Beneath the bright moon, the pines suddenly roar in the wind, and autumn seems to descend upon the mountains.

Barefoot and with hair loose, he looks relaxed and carefree, like an immortal. He wears hemp clothing, leans on a bamboo staff, and has cloth bindings around his feet. Today, while passing through Zhongling City by chance, he smiles as he meets the immortal Hongya, and the two warmly clap one another on the shoulder as they catch up.

Three

Lang Chi once entered the Chu Mountains, delighting in their abundance of magical herbs and precious flowers, his pleasure without end. Even at the third watch of the night, the ritual drum, a Daoist ceremonial instrument, seemed to sound as if at midday. The Golden Crow, the mythical three-legged bird in the sun, rose from the sea and sky, turning the horizon crimson.

Four

A staff untouched by worldly dust belongs to an immortal atop Penglai, the mountain of the immortals. The Blue Crow, a messenger bearing news from the immortal realm, brings a letter from beyond the clouds. The peach blossoms bloom, having witnessed thousands of springs.

Five

Immortal Palm Peak and Dragon Gate Peak stretch together, their purple and emerald slopes reflecting one another. The heights of Mount Hua rise straight into the blue sky. Few people reach the foot of Lotus Peak, making it an ideal place to sleep peacefully amid the deep clouds.

Six

When cultivation makes the body light as a swallow, one can ride the purple clouds in flight. He arrives at Huayang Cave to pay a visit to Lord Mao, the Daoist immortal Mao Ying. The night is cold; before the rock face, the bright moon hangs high, its clear light falling on the plum blossoms and making them seem especially slender.

Seven

Wishing to visit Danchi and its realm of five celestial cities, he sits beneath a jade peach tree and plays the sheng. Facing the east wind, he drinks deeply of Magu’s immortal wine. He falls asleep beneath the eastern window, and when he wakes, the sky is already bright.

Eight

White clouds linger for ages beside Yuewang Terrace,