《清微丹诀》

There are three kinds of superior medicine: Shen (spirit), Qi (vital energy), and Jing (essence). By nurturing Jing one can generate Qi; by refining and cultivating Qi one can make Shen abundant. Then, by using the bodily form to cultivate the spirit, one can retain the form and prolong one’s time in the world. The body is the dwelling place of Shen and Qi. Therefore, when the body is stable and at ease, Jing can be firmly guarded; when Jing is firmly guarded, Qi becomes abundant; when Qi is abundant, Shen becomes complete; and when Shen is complete, long life can be attained. If Jing is depleted, Qi will be exhausted; if Qi is exhausted, Shen will depart; and if Shen departs, the person dies.

Therefore, one who wishes for long life must refine Jing so as to transform it into Qi, refine Qi so as to transform it into Shen, and refine Shen so as to unite with the Dao (the Way). When this stage is reached, the cultivation is complete. What the methods of the Dao call “completing the form” refers to the refining of Jing. In practice, the six faculties (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) must not be stirred by external things, and the thoughts must be single-minded and pure. At the appointed time one enters a quiet chamber, sits upright, concentrates Shen and rests in stillness for a while, and then performs such methods as “whipping the Red Dragon.” What is called “whipping the Red Dragon” is stirring the saliva in the mouth with the tongue, then pressing the tongue against the upper palate, which the ancients called “striking upward the seventy-two celestial dragons.” The scripture holds that this causes the fire of Li to descend and the water of Kan to ascend (a way of speaking, in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), of the rising and falling of Yin-Yang within the body), so that they meet in the Yellow Court (the central palace and inner site of refinement spoken of in Neidan cultivation of the human body), settle the true Qi, and refine away yin pathogens. At this time cold sweat may be discharged. One does this five times, so as to correspond to the number three hundred and sixty-five of the celestial circuit. When the light of Yang fills the entire body and the state of pure Yang is reached, this is the way of completing the form and nurturing Qi; the calamities of former days can be removed, and illness will subside. When one has come to be without aversion and without attachment, without craving and without indulgence, one then refines Qi so as to unite it with Shen.

When refining Qi, one draws in the thoughts and regulates the breath evenly, so that the heart-mind grows still and the breath long and continuous; one guards the spirit chamber (the inner place where Shen and Qi are preserved and nourished) and lets Qi return to the Dantian (energy center). In the navel there is a faint rising and falling like breathing, unbroken and continuous; both hands encircle the navel, keeping the elixir fire gentle and warm. The six faculties are settled, and one forgets external things and oneself—this is the method of refining Qi. One walks without impatience and speaks without haste, and then refines Shen so as to unite with the Dao.

When refining Shen, one enters the quiet chamber and sits upright. Once Shen and Qi have settled, the breath seems to have ceased its going out and coming in, the mind no longer holds stray thoughts, and one concentrates on a single thought without clinging to it. One looks but does not see, and listens but does not hear. When Qi comes to a stop it becomes the inner breath; when Shen condenses it is as if an embryo has formed. The state of mind is dim and secluded, deep and mysteriously still, and one’s thoughts seem to roam in the vast sky, beholding a vision of light like a golden kumquat. It is neither inside the body nor outside the body. One need only keep to this vision, which is like moonlight and like a reflection in a mirror.

By holding fast with mental intention, one enters a profound and elusive state, and the heart-mind and Shen (spirit) seem to roam through the vast sky. At this moment a vision appears, bright as a golden kumquat, neither inside the body nor outside it. One then holds this vision so that it does not disperse; it is like moonlight, and also like an image in a mirror.

Continuing to hold it, one must at first not let it depart. Gradually the vision manifests of itself within the elusive state and grows as large as a cartwheel. The bodily form reveals the intent of Shen, and the intent of Shen likewise appears within the form; form and Shen intermingle. When joy arises in the heart, that luminous scene disperses of its own accord. At this point it is as if the sun and moon illuminate the void; both form and Shen attain a subtle and wondrous state and unite with the Dao (the Way). When Shen returns into the body, the true Shen becomes spontaneously luminous and clear.

If one can persist in cultivation for a thousand days, one may leave the bodily form and ascend; with a hundred days of cultivation, one may transcend the ordinary and enter the realm of the sage. “Neither pivot nor mechanism” means not deliberately manipulating or arranging; the principle within it will manifest of itself.

Chapter Two: The Practice of Cultivation in the Chamber.

This aperture is no ordinary aperture. It is the place formed by the conjoining of Heaven and Earth, called the “Shenqi cavity” (shenqi xue, the site in cultivation where one stores Shen (spirit) and condenses Qi (vital energy)). Stored within it is the Jing (essence) of Kan and Li (Kan and Li being symbols of water and fire). It lies below the heart and above the kidneys; according to the directions given in the text, the liver is to its west and the lung to its left. It is neither the intestines nor the stomach, but a place where breath circulates of itself. This is the aperture spoken of.

A popular tradition says that the Shenqi cavity lies one cun and three fen below the navel; this is incorrect. It should lie one cun and three fen directly above the navel. More precisely, it is the empty space behind the navel, in front of the kidneys, to the left of the large intestine and to the right of the small intestine. When intention reaches it, the aperture seems to open. This place is called the “Yellow Chamber” (huangfang, a symbolic expression for the gestation of the Neidan (internal alchemy)), where the Jing of the Qian Father and the blood of the Kun Mother conjoin to form an embryo. It is named the Shenqi cavity, and the Jing of water and fire is stored within it.

On its left side there is a fire aperture. In ordinary practice one may train by day or by night, without being bound to fixed hours, three, five, or seven times on each occasion. One may also sit cross-legged at the appointed time, with the left foot above and the right foot below, eyes closed in quiet sitting, settling mind and Shen in the undivided state of primordial chaos and not letting intention run outward. One then moves the “Red Dragon” (chilong, the Daoist term for the tongue) to strike upward seventy-two times, whereupon it is said that true fire descends and the numinous spring wells up. Next one presses the tongue against the upper palate; when the mouth fills with saliva, one rinses five to seven times and swallows. While swallowing, one imagines the breaths merging into one, and a vast numinous light filling and overflowing.

One may also, when an altar is set up, memorialize one’s teacher, perform the ritual, and practice this method freely in accordance with it. In practice one must forget bodily form and the discriminating mind, so that self and things are both forgotten. After cultivating in this way for twenty-one days, or for a month, one presses with the hands on either side of the aperture. If one feels heat, as if scorched by fire, and a throbbing to left and right, this is taken as a sign of response. This is what is meant by “gathering it as embryonic breathing and guarding it as the aperture”: one gathers the breath until it returns to a state like embryonic breathing (taixi), and one guards the aperture.

If one cultivates diligently in this way for half a year or a year without interruption, the text says that the calamities of former lives will be eliminated. Cultivation at a higher level—that is, the great Dao (the Way) of the Golden Elixir (jindan)—does not lie elsewhere; its crux lies within this very practice.

Chapter Three: Approaching the Altar, Summoning, and Conjoining (the third chapter, on the methods of setting up and approaching the altar, and of summoning and gathering)

Close the eyes and settle the mind and Shen (spirit). Gather the Qi (vital energy) in the still-undivided state of chaos so that it neither goes out nor comes in, and circulate the One Qi—the primordial Qi of which Daoism speaks—seven times. Then, forming the sword mudra (jianjue, a Daoist hand-seal), carry out the method of refining the true writ by fire. Swallow the true writ into the Ancestral Palace (Zugong, an inner palace of the body in cultivation), send it through the Three Passes (Sanguan, the three barriers along the course of the Qi), and raise it into the Heavenly Gate (Tianmen, the cultivation aperture of the head). Let the mind’s intent roam the vast sky. Then open the eyes and gaze straight ahead, visualizing three characters giving off golden light; the radiance passes in and out and illuminates heaven and earth. Issue the command so that the myriad perfected (wanzhen, the many divine true beings) carry it out as ordered.

Chapter Four: On Deployment

The Perfected One Lei Kun says: When the ears grow hot, it is as if the wind has risen; the Qi in the eyes turns to cloud; a stirring in the abdomen is thunder; sweat that flows out, whether much or little, is like falling rain; and when the sight grows dizzy, fire arises. Settle yourself by the method of the inward breath, then apply the ritual instructions set forth in this chapter.

The Perfected Kun says: when the ears grow hot, wind arises; the Qi (vital energy) in the eyes turns into clouds; stirring in the abdomen is the rumble of thunder; sweat that flows out, whether much or little, is rain; and when dizziness comes before the eyes, fire is born.

The breath gradually grows calm, and one enters a settled state. After a long time, once Shen (spirit) and the breath have both been harmonized, one goes on waiting quietly: inner scenes do not appear, and outer scenes do not enter. One feels only that the body no longer belongs to oneself, that heaven and earth are vast and empty of all things, and that one has entered the brightness of meditative absorption. At times the ancestral masters appear and issue commands summoning thunder, with a host of perfected immortals in attendance. When the mind wishes to set in motion the five transformations of wind, cloud, thunder, rain, and fire, they gather and respond.

In working the method, one dispatches, then proceeds, then gathers in, in that order, and circulates the One Qi—the primordial Qi of which Daoism speaks—seven times; this is the subtle art within it. Looking closely, one sees the Qi of Heaven descending and the Qi of Earth ascending, steaming the mountains and boiling the seas, joining and mingling in the Yellow Center (the central, median position) and brewing into the five transformations. When the method is worked at the altar, one trips the crucial trigger, so that the transformations are set going through the corresponding apertures.

When the ears grow hot, both hands press the Jade Patterns (particular lines on the hands, or ritual hand-seals) and circulate, drawing upward from between the waist and the kidneys to the ears; one brush upward sets the south wind in motion, downward the north wind, forward the east wind, and backward the west wind.

When clouds arise in the eyes, send the Qi upward by the previous method, then gaze straight into the open sky, so that the cloud-Qi scatters and the breath flows; the moment the eyes move, the working ceases.

When thunder stirs in the abdomen, circulate by the layout method (the specific way of moving Qi while the rite is performed), drawing upward from the waist to the ears; with the layout method, lift and draw at the ears, and after three presses set it in motion, whereupon sweat flows without stopping. If the urge to urinate or defecate grows urgent, vibrate the body so that all the apertures open, and a great rain will pour down.

When dizziness appears before the eyes, likewise send the Qi upward by the previous method; a flash of the gaze to the left sets the transformation on the left in motion, and a flash to the right sets the transformation on the right in motion.

The keys to setting all these transformations in motion must be grasped in a state of extreme quiet, within meditative absorption. This is what is called “being arising out of non-being.” It must not be taken as acting with no intention at all, nor may one harbor a forceful intention and strive after it. When daily practice has grown pure and mature, efficacy comes of itself at this point; one cannot even explain why it should be so efficacious. In prayer and in driving out evil, the response is as swift as a drumstick striking a drum. Beyond this mystery there is no further mystery. This is a method not transmitted even for a thousand in gold; to obtain it is to gain the supreme treasure.

Seated Practice and the Method of Sleep (what follows is the title of the section on seated practice and the method of sleep)

The Gate of the Mysterious Female (Xuanpin)—in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), the crucial place within the body where the movements of Qi (vital energy) converge and life is conceived—lies between the two kidneys. It is called the “Great Sea,” and is also known as the “Weak Waters.” This is the Dantian (energy center): the left side pertains to blue-green, the right to white, and the upper region to red, while Qi occupies the center and pertains to yellow. Here men store Jing (essence) and women store blood. It is the place where life is nurtured, the root of the human being, and the source of the Five Qi, that is, the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

Within it is a divine tortoise that breathes primordial Qi. When primordial Qi flows, it transforms into wind and rain; when it surges and intermingles, it becomes thunder and lightning, courses through the four limbs, and reaches every place. The left and right kidneys are where the essential radiance of the sun and moon resides, and where the dragon and the tiger transform. The navel in front is called Kunlun, and is also compared to a great mountain, a deep abyss, and five cities. Within the cities are Perfected Persons, namely the Five Emperors. Outside the five cities are eight emissaries, the great deities of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Together with Taiyi—the deity who commands the host of spirits—the eight emissaries are called the Nine Ministers. Above is the Twelve-Storied Tower, and within the tower are twelve deities; adding the deities of the Triple Burner, they come to twenty-seven grand officers, and adding the deities of the four limbs, they come to eighty-one prime officers.

The Supreme Perfected of Taiyi dwells in the navel and commands the thirteen thousand divine generals within the body. The suburban altar is set in the Naohu of the crown of the head, an acupuncture point at the back of the skull; the temple is set at the top of the nape; the altar of She is at the left end of the spleen; and the altar of Ji is at the end of the large intestine. The Earl of Wind is on the right below the navel, the Master of Rain at the end of the small intestine, the Duke of Thunder in the right kidney of the Great Sea, and the Mother of Lightning at the upper right of the Eight Gates, upon the summit of the Weak Waters. In the whole body there are thirty-six divine palaces, each with its officials and assistants, all of whom take their orders from the Perfected of Taiyi.

When a person sleeps, one should, according to the method, gather and contain oneself so that the deities within the body assemble. Only by cutting off the Three Corpses—inner spirits that, as Daoism teaches, hinder cultivation—and subduing the Six Thieves, a metaphor for the sensory desires that disturb the mind, can one accord with the creative transformations of Heaven and Earth and discern the principles of Heaven and Earth. Although Heaven and Earth are vast, they can all be experienced within one’s own body.

In practice, one draws the body inward, sits upright with the legs crossed, lets the gaze fall on the tip of the nose, and concentrates mind and Shen (spirit) on the Mysterious Female, and then brings spirit and bodily form to rest. Qi and Shen guard one another. Wherever the mind’s thought reaches, it sets the movement of Qi turning, and the intent of Shen follows and moves of itself. One gathers the mind and spirit with single-minded sincerity and reverence. With every breath, one visualizes the deities within the body coming together. The eyes gaze at the tip of the nose, then look inward upon the Ancestral Residence—in Neidan cultivation, the site where one visualizes the movements of Qi converging—so that the mind grows ever quieter, and one visualizes and circulates the One Qi, the Qi of primordial origin, seven times.

Creative Transformation of the Taizhu (Taizhu Zaohua)

The hymn says that one method can give rise to ten thousand methods, and that the ten thousand methods ultimately return to nothingness. The Most High (Taishang—an honorific in Daoism for the supreme deity or the Great Dao) says: “If inner cultivation errs by even a hair’s breadth, the result will differ enormously. The efficacy of cultivation has its levels, yet attainment of the Great Dao (Dao) is not ranked higher or lower according to who comes earlier or later. Later students should ponder this with care. Do not practice the method lightly merely because it seems easy to obtain; if you resolve to cultivate it, you should do so in earnest.”

This method is the key to all methods, and the pivot of the Three Caverns (Dongzhen, Dongxuan, and Dongshen—the three major classifications of the Daoist scriptures). In cultivation one should nourish the spirit (Shen) and primordial Qi (Qi), train the body, and condense the essence (Jing) and Qi; cast off distracting thoughts, abstain from cravings and desires, slay the Three Corpses (Sanshi—spirits that Daoism holds dwell in the human body, incite people to do wrong, and harm the lifespan), and relinquish the One Qi (Yiqi—the primordial Qi of the origin, as Daoism terms it). No thoughts arise within, and nothing outside provokes distractions. One remains single-minded and simple, settles into stillness, and follows the natural course; only then may one sit securely and practice with reverence, so as to preserve life and extend one’s years in longevity.

First, with both hands, perform the “Great Sha” (Dasha—the hand seal or method of circulating Qi indicated in the original) and guide it to the crown of the head. Rinse the mouth once or twice and swallow; on the third rinse, let the mouth fill with saliva. The first two mouthfuls are thick spittle produced by the five flavors, so the third is taken. This is what is called the Golden Liquid Returned Elixir (Jinye Huandan—a term of Daoist internal cultivation, referring to swallowing the saliva in the mouth for use in inner refinement). Then curl the tongue downward, so that the savor of the saliva remains and its fragrance gathers, and close the two apertures. With both eyes, visualize inwardly the Niwan (the spirit chamber in the brain, as Daoism describes it), contemplating clouds of Qi in the five colors. Then sit level, with the left hand covering the right and the left foot crossed over the right, and concentrate the visualization in the heart.

When one spirit is brought through, the ten thousand spirits are all brought through; when one aperture is brought through, the nine apertures are brought through together.

I receive the two Qi of Yin-Yang, the left hand covering the right and the left foot crossed over the right, and concentrate the visualization in the heart.

When one spirit is brought through, the ten thousand spirits are all brought through; when one aperture is brought through, the nine apertures are brought through together.

I receive the two Qi of Yin-Yang, and when the method is enacted, heaven and earth are shaken.

Gang

When the spirits return to their places, even the mountains collapse; when baleful Qi withdraws, demons, aberrations, and sprites are shattered.

The key to ritual methods lies neither in relying on talismans alone nor in clinging rigidly to incantations. One must first join one’s own upright Zhengqi—upright Qi (vital energy)—with the spirit-generals. When a method is put into action, the crucial point is the Dou, the Dipper. The power governed by the Dou must combine both the upright and the oblique: the Qi of the four cardinal positions, from which one takes the sense of what is centered and correct. Qi-Gang is the baleful force possessed by the Dou. In cultivating the method, one must move oneself in accordance with the course of the Dipper stars in heaven, and what is called the “oblique” works in just the same way.

Where, then, are my own Dou and Gang? One must understand the Gang and the Dou within oneself and put the three to use together; only then can the practice prove efficacious and freely responsive. In quiet concentration, the subtlety of the aperture can appear. In actual application, one comes to grasp the pattern of its silent working, while Shen (spirit) and Qi grow clear and luminous, like the autumn moon. Within stillness there is wondrous principle, and within the method there is profound mystery; even while remaining silent and unmoving, one can still perceive. The spirit-generals originally dwell in heaven—how can one unite with them? One need only abide between the two Dippers and within the fixed light, linking them through one’s own Shen and Qi so that the spirit-generals join with oneself. Then every kind of illness can be removed and malign spirits brought to submission.

De (Virtue/Power) is the warrant of the Dao (the Way), and sincerity is the root of practicing the method. Without De, there is nothing sufficient to be called the Dao; without sincerity, there is nothing sufficient to be called the method. One who keeps the Dao ought to be upright, so that a rightful method can carry out teaching and transformation. Follow the norms without partiality, and the spirit-generals will of themselves obey one’s commands. The method is what sets the self aright; the Dao is what one uses to preserve the self. So long as neither of these two is lacking and one’s resolve remains firm and unchanging, even princes, dukes, and high ministers can be brought to peaceful submission. This is why the Dao is able to become the method.

Today, when ritual methods are transmitted, some ancestral masters travel the world in the manner of itinerant performers. They have only the names of the methods and no genuine cultivation. They either merely borrow the Dao in order to work a method, or rely on technique in order to work yet more technique. Later students are thus left ignorant of the root of the method, and still less do they understand the Dao. If the heart within turns against the Dao, how could one truly practice the method?

Heaven does not speak, yet it moves in silence; Earth does not speak, yet it brings the myriad things to growth; the Dao does not speak, yet it embraces all that exists; the method does not speak, yet it can manifest numinous response. Heaven descends by means of Qi, and Earth rises by means of Qi; the Dao takes Qi as its governing principle, and the method likewise transforms through Qi. The spirit-generals in heaven correspond to the deities on earth, and the tokens of the Dao correspond to the seals of the method. Cultivating the Dao must begin from the method: first clarify the root of Heaven and Earth, then inquire into Shen and Qi.

By employing the power of Heaven’s silent operation, one can call forth thunder, rain, and lightning, and can also embody the generating of spring and the killing of autumn, with transformations without end. Earth silently bears the myriad things, causing fruits, root-shoots, and seedlings to grow and be nourished; the power of that bearing is profound and immeasurable. The Dao embraces Heaven, Earth, and human beings and is present everywhere. Only when this is achieved can one understand the Dao and practice the method. The cultivator must set the self upright, make mind and intention sincere, and bring Shen and Qi into harmony. The Dao is the method, and the method is the Dao. Then the celestial generals abide by the regulations, the earth deities guard the gates, the Yuanchen—spirits associated with the movement of the seasons and the days—carry out their commands, and numinous light remains ever present. From this one may expel malign influences and cure illness, reach upward to the heavenly court, and also summon wind and thunder and transform the workings of creation.

At the outset one need not pursue many side matters. If one simply holds fast to the single word “upright,” there is nowhere one cannot reach. One must not treat the Dao as a gate and the method as a door and from there give rise to every kind of obstruction; otherwise the spirit-generals may be driven by malign spirits, and then nothing can save the situation. Those who cultivate the true and study the Dao should take these words as a warning and a precept.

The vast creative transformation of Heaven and Earth all resides in a single aperture. If a person can recognize this aperture, the myriad methods can all be opened through. The aperture described in the Zhonggong Zhixuan Tu, the Diagram of the Central Palace Pointing to the Mystery, is also called the “single aperture of the mysterious pass” or the “gate of the mysterious female.” It faces the navel in front and the kidneys behind. Pure white like floss and joined like a ring, it extends about one cun and two fen. The essential quintessence of the whole body gathers here, at a place roughly one cun above the navel.

In the text, Qi is a character in common Daoist use, referring to the primordial energy that constitutes life and the movement of Heaven and Earth. Dou concerns the symbolism and application of the Northern Dipper and the Dipper asterism. Gang refers to the power associated with Dipper methods.

First inhale, so that the breath is aligned with the navel in front and the kidneys behind. The Qi (vital energy) one visualizes is white as cotton fluff, continuous and encircling, and about one cun and two fen in extent. It is where the concentrated essence of the whole body’s Jing (essence) and Qi gathers, about one cun above the navel.

Draw in the water of the Heavenly River and bring it into the body; then circulate the water of the Yellow River, sending it in reverse so that it pours in through the paired passes of the jiaji along the spine, and immediately afterward inject pale ink-water into the talisman.

Obtain the harmonious Qi of Heaven and Earth. For every fifteen strokes drawn, inhale once, then breathe the Qi into the talisman; in this way it becomes clouds and rain.

Within the water and fire governed by Xuanwu (the water deity of the North) are two numinous beings, the turtle and the snake, located beneath Xuanwu.

With a reverent and upright mind, guard what is within, so that every obscurity returns to the single current of primordial Qi; with fitting moral principle, regulate what is without, so that the myriad spirits return to the one Shen (spirit).

The One Aperture of the Mysterious Pass (the crucial point in cultivation symbolizing the gathering of innate primordial Qi) is the single Qi of the Prior Heaven. It is the essence of all methods and the pivot of Golden Elixir cultivation: in the Lingbao method it is called the Mysterious Pearl; in the Shenxiao method, the True King; in the Thunder method, the Thunder Ancestor; in the method of refinement and deliverance, Water and Fire; in the Southern Pole method, the Round Radiance; in the method of Lord Lao, the Master of the Method; and in the talisman-water method, the Numinous Light. It is the Qi of True Unity and can transform without end. The scripture says that it can subdue the demons of the Six Heavens and pursue and seize the sprites of the Nine Earths, so that the souls of the dead, having passed through refinement and deliverance, ascend to Heaven, and that the offenses accumulated over successive lifetimes are dissolved. This is an extremely secret method within the ritual arts of the Dao (the Way). It should not be lightly disclosed; otherwise one incurs Heaven’s condemnation, and the blame is not light.

Qingwei Seated Practice

Whenever one enters the quiet chamber, one should wash the feet, sit with the body upright, hold both hands in the wogu posture (the seated meditation posture of clenching the fists and keeping them closed), and set aside every care. Let the mind grow still, as if one were in the time when Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and chaos had not yet been divided, and as if one were within the round radiance in empty space; and again, as if within the single aperture of that round radiance one were wholly one with chaos. Then body and mind are both forgotten, clear and at peace, and light shines throughout the ten directions. Heaven and Earth cannot fathom it, nor can ghosts and spirits detect it. Morning and evening seated practice should be the same, and this method should be used often.

Inner Refinement of the Yin-Yang Thunder Deities

In this method one first visualizes the two images of Kan and Li (water and fire), causes them to rise to the Niwan Palace (the cultivation site at the center of the head), and then has them appear as the two Dippers joined together. The subtlety lies precisely in this union.

The Qi (vital energy) of Kan and Li blends together and converges in the Mud-pill Palace (Niwan Gong). The two forces meet, and light shines before the neck. The fire in the heart and the water in the kidneys circulate with their rising and descending. Once the Xuanji—here referring to the Qi-mechanism or ritual formula that operates along both sides—is set in motion, it spreads to either side. After these two divine generals (the “Two Commanders”) have been refined, there is no need to state it outright; the power of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) and of the stellar deities of the Three Terraces (Santai) manifests of itself. In a moment, thunder and rain descend in full abundance, and their transformations and workings may continue for thousands upon thousands of myriads of years.

When the method is performed, incense and paper may both be used, and a talisman (Fu) may also be employed. If one urgently prays for clear weather, one writes in cinnabar, moving the brush upward from its tip. Prayers for clear skies in all four seasons use the method of “pointing to Kan”; other matters are carried out according to the particular circumstances, following what the trigram image indicates. In the case of “Water and Fire Already Completed” (Jiji), one moves the brush downward from its tip.

Here “Kan” and “Li” are the images of water and fire among the Eight Trigrams (Bagua). “Fire of the heart and water of the kidneys” is a common expression in internal alchemy (Neidan), used to describe the corresponding Yin-Yang Qi within the human body and its rising and descending. The passage as a whole, in terminology that joins the refining of Qi, talismanic method, and prayers for rain and for clear weather, sets forth how the rite is performed and the effects it brings.