《上阳子金丹大要》

Master Shangyang said: After the Yellow Emperor cultivated the Great Way of the Golden Elixir, he ascended into the clouds; after Laozi cultivated, he became the founding master of Daoism. Since ancient times, countless people have attained the Dao and achieved immortality. To seek the Way of the Golden Elixir in books, one should take the Yinfujing and the Daodejing as foundations, then consult the Jinbi Jing and the Zhouyi Cantongqi.

The teachings passed down through five generations from the line of Heshang Gong to the Perfected Wei Boyang. The Celestial Master Zhang Daoling understood Wei Boyang’s intent and attained the Dao through alchemical practice. He subdued demons and spread the teachings; the Immortal Elder rescued souls in the netherworld, and Xu Jingyang slew a flood dragon. These were deeds performed by immortals in response to the needs of the age, to set the world right and avert calamities. For them, such duties were simply matters they took on after becoming immortals.

After the Daoist teachings of Huayang, Xuanfu, Yunfang, Lü Dongbin, and others had been transmitted in succession, practitioners continued from generation to generation in the caves of remote mountains. Some completed their cultivation and lived in seclusion, concerned only with their own practice and unwilling to make a name for themselves in the world. How could anyone count them all? Others taught the Dao publicly and left behind prefaces, biographies, and poems. Some lived in seclusion, while others rose to prominence; how could we know them all? Those whose merit was profound, who held rank among the celestial emperors and governed the cycles of calamity, are even harder to number.

Haichan, Liu Haichan, received the teachings from Chunyang, Lü Dongbin, and passed them on to Ziyang, Zhang Boduan. Xinglin, Shi Tai; Zixian, Xue Daoguang; Nimowan, Chen Nan; and Haiqiong, Bai Yuchan, continued the transmission in turn. Patriarch Chongyang, Wang Chongyang, received the Dao from Chunyang and passed it on to Danyang, Ma Yu, thereby founding the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) school. Immortals such as Changchun, Changzhen, Changsheng, Yuyang, Guangning, and Qingjing transmitted branches of the teachings, bringing the alchemical classics and secrets of cultivation into wide circulation.

Among these works, the Perfected Ziyang’s Wuzhen Pian explains the subject in considerable detail, with Wumingzi and others providing evidence and clarification. I, Huangfang Gong, received the Dao from Danyang and passed it on to Taixu, who in turn passed it to Ziqiong. I, Yuanduzi, then received the teachings from Ziqiong. Yuanduzi was exceptionally intelligent and learned, well versed in a broad range of books. He wrote commentaries that brought together Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, producing works such as Xianfo Tongyuan and Jindan Nanwen. By then, the principles of the alchemical classics had been explained very fully.

He took pity on practitioners who so often strayed into heterodox paths and mistook the false for the true. So in his writings he pointed out that the foundation of cultivation is simply the prenatal One Qi. Terms such as mercury, cinnabar, black mercury, white metal, the timing of the fire, drawing out and adding, setting up the furnace, and establishing the cauldron may be used as names. But it is a mistake to treat them as actual methods of cultivation.

The Yinfu Jing says, “Heaven’s nature is embodied in the human being, while the human mind is like a set of ingenious mechanisms.” It also says, “Heaven and Earth make use of the myriad things; the myriad things make use of people; and people, in turn, make use of the myriad things.” It further says, “People know that wondrous things can reveal wonder, but they do not know that the root, which is formless and acts without action, is precisely what allows wonder to appear.”

The Daode Jing speaks of the “wondrous opening of being and nonbeing” and the “mysterious female’s sacred vessel”—the subtle gateway through which the Dao gives life to and transforms the myriad things. Its teachings that “the highest goodness is like water” and “does not dare to place itself before all under Heaven” are also statements of ultimate truth. Liezi riding the wind and Zhuang Zhou transforming into a great Peng bird and soaring far away are allegories, yet they contain profound meaning.

The Jinbi Jing and the Cantong Qi clearly discuss gold, mercury, the firing process, the energy of the waxing and waning moon, and the signs of the hexagram lines, using the hexagrams of the Yijing as a point of reference. Their subtle teaching is this: to cultivate and ingest the elixir in order to become an immortal, one must follow the principle that things of the same kind resonate with one another, take the waxing and waning of the moon as a model, and use it to determine the right time to gather lead. Nothing said in later generations has displaced this central teaching.

Immortals and sages devoted themselves to cultivating the Dao in order to guide people in later generations. The sole basis they relied on was the primordial, true unity of Qi—the original Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth separated.

In my early years, I, Zhixu, benefited from the good deeds of my ancestors and received the compassion of Heaven and Earth. After wandering in the human world, I was nearly forty when my master finally taught me the orthodox Way. Later, Master Qingcheng personally instructed me in the primordial unity of Qi (the innate, original vital energy), the Moon of Kan and Sun of Li (the Yin-Yang energies symbolized by Kan and Li in Golden Elixir cultivation), and the essentials of the Golden Elixir. He also taught me without reservation the secrets of gathering the ingredients, increasing and decreasing them, and applying the firing times (the art of judging timing and degree in the process of alchemical refinement).

Since receiving these teachings with reverence, I have lived cautiously, day and night, in fear of breaking my oath and disappointing my master’s hopes. I therefore cast aside my former shallow knowledge and learning, along with my afflictions and karmic consciousness (discriminating awareness shaped by habitual tendencies and karma), wishing to become a carefree and self-possessed person between Heaven and Earth. For a time, however, I did not know how to gather the materials needed for alchemical cultivation, and two years passed in this way. Now I seek out Lü Dongbin and associate with fellow cultivators, preparing to undertake the great work of my own cultivation.

I dared not keep what I had learned secret. After burning incense, I reported it to Heaven and made the matter known to the Holy Masters, the Seven Perfected (the seven perfected beings revered in Quanzhen Daoism), and the Five Patriarchs (the five ancestral masters honored in Daoism). I then consulted the alchemical scriptures left by various immortals and compiled this Essentials of the Golden Elixir. It explains in detail what was formerly forbidden to disclose, clarifying each point in turn and opening a path for those who later seek immortality and study the Dao. If someone of superior capacity and deep insight grasps its meaning and can share a life of freedom and ease with me, my wish will be fulfilled.

I have also reflected that events unfold in their proper order, and people differ in wisdom and folly. The more widely books circulate, the clearer their principles ought to become; yet as time passes, people seem ever more prone to confusion. Some regard the immortals as vague and unreal, while others believe that immortals and Buddhas are born that way and cannot be attained through cultivation by ordinary people. When attitudes have reached this point, what can be done? Laozi said, “I was not born a sage; I attained something through learning.” Those of middling and lesser capacity are even more confused: they want to talk about cultivation but will not study with care, and in the end willingly sink into the cycle of rebirth. This is truly lamentable.

Fortunately, in recent times, people of talent, virtue, and breadth of character have traveled widely to seek instruction. Their number is somewhat greater than in ancient times. They may not be able to ascend to immortality with their entire household as Xu Xun (also known as Jingyang) did, but who can say that the foretold time when an earthbound immortal appears once every eight hundred years will never arrive? If a discerning person encounters that time, resolves to act, and promptly seeks a master and instruction, there is hope of attaining the Dao.

The world holds countless paths, but whoever follows one with single-minded devotion will eventually reach the destination. Those who cherish the orthodox Way attract the company of noble people; those who chase the bizarre invite evil and strange influences to take advantage of them. Diligent weaving keeps one from freezing; diligent farming often keeps one fed. Learn archery, and you can hit the target; master the waters, and you can swim. So long as you cultivate with unwavering resolve, you will ultimately attain the way of the immortals and Buddhas.

When craftsmen set about their work, how could their skills naturally improve if they did not learn from a teacher? When students read the classics and sit for the examinations, how could they pass the imperial exams if they did not seek a teacher’s guidance? Those who devote themselves to accumulating good deeds and learning how to become immortals will surely have a true immortal come to guide them.

Laozi said, “Look closely at this body: it comes from nothingness, born through the convergence of causes and conditions.” My teacher repeatedly pointed out that the primordial Qi (vital energy that precedes the changes of postcelestial Yin-Yang) comes from nothingness. More precisely, although it comes from nothingness, it is neither sent down by Heaven nor produced by the Earth. It does not belong to my body, nor is it Jing (essence), blood, plants, or metals and stones. Since it is none of these, who can truly know it?

The Book of Changes says, “Find companions in the southwest, and act together with those of your kind.” It also says, “The noble person receives others with an open mind.” Buddhists call this the “Western Land of Lotus Blossoms,” a term for the Pure Land. Mazu called it “the waters of the Western River.” The Wuzhen pian says, “The medicine in the southwest is our homeland,” and “The moon’s light shines all day over the western river.” It also says, “When lead meets Gui and is born, gather it quickly,” and “Take the treasure in the heart of Kan and transform the Yin within the belly of Li.” The Perfected One Taiyi says in the Song on Dispelling Delusion, “What is the Dao? Taiyi contains the true Qi.” Does Taiyi not refer to the west?

The southwest is where Metal and Fire are found; Kan and Gui are where Water and lead are found. Black lead refers to the primordial Qi, concealed in the northern waters. Yet it has no fixed location to begin with, which is why it is said to “come from nothingness.” The Cantong qi says, “The Perfected One hides in the deep abyss, floating and keeping to the center of the compass.” Once you grasp this principle, why worry that you cannot complete the One Qi, attain the Dao, and become an immortal?

Yin-Yang, husband and wife, man and woman, lead and mercury, Dragon and Tiger, cauldron and furnace: all these names refer to the primordial Qi. Its appearance is like fine rain and dense mist, like dust drifting before a bright window, or like a pearl the size of a millet grain. Its principle is easy to understand, and its cultivation is easy to bring to completion; there is nothing difficult about it. Thus my teacher said, “Let body and spirit follow their nature, and Jing and Qi will naturally function.” It is like Heaven and Earth, which do not strive to act, yet all things naturally grow and transform.

Those who cultivate the Dao, if fortunate enough to receive the oral instructions of a true teacher, will worry that time is passing quickly and hurry to gather the materials needed for refining the Elixir and complete their own cultivation as soon as possible. How could they have time to chase fame and wealth or chat idly with others? Those who have not received the true formula can only quietly speculate and secretly puzzle over the Elixir scriptures, achieving nothing in the end. So they cite sources far and wide, force together strained interpretations, and talk idly to while away the years. What is so surprising about that?

Moreover, some ignorant people invent Elixir books and pass them off under the names of ancient sages. Examples include Ge Xianweng’s Instructions on Preserving Life and Nourishing Vitality, Bodhidharma’s Treatise on Embryonic Breathing, Zhaozhou’s Song of the Twelve Double Hours, and Pang Gong’s Ode to the River Cart, as well as books and practices such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade and the Six-Character Qi method. There are many other titles, and none should be trusted lightly. The Cantong qi and the Wuzhen pian should be taken as the principal guides. Yet how could anyone expect to understand them through personal insight alone without meeting a sage teacher who transmits the teachings directly? The Yellow Emperor studied under Guang Chengzi; Laozi studied under Shang Rong; Confucius studied under Laozi; and Shakyamuni studied under Gautama. Even sages sought true teachers. How absurd, then, for mediocre people of later generations to think they can understand everything on their own! There are indeed people of exceptional ability who, after receiving a little guidance from a teacher, practice on their own in a secluded place, unknown to others. When one day they complete the Dao and reveal supernatural powers, people think they attained sudden awakening. Such cases do exist.

The practice of the Golden Elixir has more than one profound principle. Its subject matter includes such things as the ingredients, the vessel (a metaphorical implement used in alchemical practice), the Mysterious Female (the Daoist name for the deep and wondrous gateway of generation and transformation), Yin-Yang, Great Change, Zi and Gui, Return and Zhen, Initial and Completion, and Water and Fire.

The Golden Elixir, the core term in Daoist internal alchemy (Neidan), has more than one subtle principle. The names for its medicines and vessels; the mysterious female, the crucial place where Yin and Yang unite and gestate in cultivation; Yin-Yang; the Great Change; Zi and Gui; Return and Zhen; Tun and Meng; Water and Fire; Metal and Wood; the mother hidden and the child in the womb; feelings and nature; Dragon and Tiger; lead and mercury; host and guest; the knife and measure; matchmaker and bride; white and black; female and male; inversion; sinking and rising; the timing for gathering the medicines; the Qi of new moon, full moon, and the quarter phases, corresponding to changes in the moon; the advance and retreat of the fire’s timing; measures and symbols for the hexagram lines that mark the degree of the fire’s timing; withdrawing and adding; bathing; cooking and refining; warming and nourishing; changing the vessel; and casting off the womb—all have meanings of great depth. Even when a sage teacher gives repeated warnings and instruction, there is still the risk that students will misunderstand. How, then, could ordinary people grasp these things on their own?

Thus the Patriarch Lü Dongbin, Pure Yang, said: “At the time, I personally drank the wine measured by the knife and gauge. Who could have believed that, from nothingness, a baby could be nurtured?” Distinguishing clear from turbid water sources and understanding the barrier between Metal and Wood are difficult without a teacher’s guidance. Zhang Boduan, the Elder of Purple Yang, also said: “Even if your wisdom surpasses that of Yan Hui and Min Ziqian, do not force conjectures if you have not met a true teacher.”

Now I leave here a three-inch “touchstone” for distinguishing the genuine from the false.

Anyone who studies the way of the immortals must first undergo a period of scrutiny. If one is fortunate enough to receive instruction from a master of the Way, begin by using such books as The Seal of the Unity of the Three (Can Tong Qi), The Classic of the Dragon and Tiger (Longhu Jing), and Awakening to Reality (Wuzhen Pian) to question him, and see whether he understands them thoroughly. If a passage presents an idea in one direction, he should be able to grasp it from the opposite direction; he should be able to connect its meanings across and down; and whether the discussion moves from south to north or from west to east, he should understand the underlying principles. This is enough to reveal his level of understanding. Why? The words of sages and worthies can be interpreted by following the text, but their meaning can also be grasped from the reverse direction. Often, a single sentence contains two hidden keys.

If someone has learned only one set of explanations, then when faced with false teachers and ordinary people who speculate recklessly and interpret as they please, question them with these same books. They will be at a loss for words and unable to explain themselves: they will understand neither the direct meaning nor the indirect one. Even if they can explain a passage in its straightforward sense, they will be unable to answer when asked about it from the opposite direction. Scrutiny at this point reveals whether a person truly understands the essential principles. Yet finding the right person to receive the teaching is the hardest thing of all.

The patriarchs Pure Yang, the Sovereign Lord (Lü Dongbin), Haichan (Liu Haichan), and Chongyang (Wang Chongyang), among others, felt deep compassion because so few people in the world had truly heard the Dao. Even after attaining the rank of Sovereign Lord, they continued to vow to save and guide people. They therefore often appeared and disappeared in changing forms, moving among the ordinary world and teaching only those qualified to receive the transmission. Immortals can transmit the Way of the Golden Elixir to people, but they cannot guarantee that everyone will succeed in cultivating it. They can, however, recognize those who are certain to succeed, and so they transmit the teaching to them.

Those who can succeed show something distinctive when they listen and ask questions. A person of great wisdom approaches instruction with even greater humility; after hearing the principles, they consider how to put them into practice.

Shangyangzi said: Before I had heard of this Dao, I used to think that if I ever learned it, I would make sure everyone in the world understood it and would conceal nothing. But after I actually received the teaching, and had pondered it carefully and examined it deeply, I realized that very few people in the world are truly suited to receive such instruction. Pure Yang said: “Across the boundless universe, people are countless; how many men among them are truly men of stature?” A worldly person might hear this and ask: is a man of stature not simply a male? Only after I received the secret transmission from my teacher did I understand the intention of the true immortal sages and masters. Did they not wish for everyone to understand and for each person to succeed in cultivation? It is simply that most people fall short of what is required, while many others exceed it; and, on top of this, all kinds of obscurations and obstacles prevent people from encountering the Dao. Its principles cannot be conveyed entirely through words alone, but if words are not used at all, how can people hear of it?

Could it be that this principle cannot be realized, even though everyone is already complete and fully endowed with it? Sadly, most people in the world do not reach this state. Many, though they surpass ordinary people, are still obscured and hindered in various ways, unable to hear or understand the Great Dao. The principle is difficult to convey through words alone; yet if words are not used at all, how can anyone hear it?

The Great Dao is said to be impossible to teach through words because people at the time had limited insight and little learning, and were not ready to discuss it. Even if they were told, how could they believe and accept it, then put it into practice? This is what is meant by saying it “cannot be taught through words.” But if no words were used at all, how could it be passed from mouth to ear? People today take silence itself to be the Dao, unaware that it involves many subtle teachings, which simply should not be heard by those with no connection to them. Otherwise, if sages can understand and speak plainly, why has the Great Dao remained hidden and unseen from ancient times to the present, becoming ever harder to put into words?

Those who study the Dao in later generations have yet to open their discerning eye. One should first examine whether they are loyal, filial, and upright; whether they can distinguish good from evil; and whether they are wise rather than foolish. The Great Dao cannot be passed on to those of improper conduct who have not consistently been willing to do good.

Later generations of students have not yet opened their wisdom eyes—the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong, truth from falsehood. First, one should examine whether they are loyal, filial, and upright; whether they can distinguish good from evil; and whether their character is worthy or foolish. The Great Dao cannot be transmitted to people of corrupt character or to those who do not ordinarily delight in doing good. Above all, one must not covet profit and disclose it indiscriminately or transmit it carelessly. If the Dao is passed to an unsuitable person, both teacher and disciple may incur punishment. How, then, could one expect the disciple to respect the teacher and attain the Great Dao?

The Huangting Jing says that the one who transmits the teachings is called the teacher, while the recipient takes an oath of alliance in place of such demonstrations of resolve as cutting the hair or flesh. Teacher and disciple climb a mountain hand in hand and seal their alliance by drinking an elixir; only afterward may they read aloud the Golden Book and Jade Images, Daoist texts or esoteric methods. The subtle teachings of the Most High can open the way to the path of the immortals, and what they record is the way to immortality. Nothing between Heaven and Earth is more momentous. Without a solemn oath of alliance, who would dare disclose its hidden mysteries? It is clear that transmitting Daoist methods to an unsuitable person brings punishment. Ziyang—the Daoist Zhang Boduan—passed on the methods to unsuitable people three times and suffered calamity three times. The immortal scriptures describe this in detail. How could we fail to take it as a warning?

Yet to observe prohibitions rigidly and refuse to transmit the teachings would also obstruct later seekers of the Dao. It is not right for immortals to refuse to guide later students in this way. What one should do is examine potential recipients carefully and choose them with caution. I have considered this matter again and again, and so I wrote The Great Essentials of the Golden Elixir, setting out the essential points directly, without ornamental language, to make it easy for readers to follow.

The point of “essentials” lies in gathering the innate Qi (vital energy) that precedes Heaven and Earth when the moon appears in the Geng direction and Gui Water stirs at the hour of Zi. This Qi is “black lead.” At that moment, the elixir is pure and the source of water is clearest. But how the lunar sign appears must be taught through oral instructions, and how to identify the hour of Zi must likewise be conveyed directly from master to disciple.

Guangchengzi said to the Yellow Emperor: “Guard what is within and close off what is without. Knowing too much can bring ruin. I once led you up to the realm of Great Brightness, to the source of utmost Yang; I also led you through the gate of profound mystery, to the source of utmost Yin.” Laozi said: “Isn’t the space between Heaven and Earth like a bellows? It is empty, yet never exhausted; the more it moves, the more breath flows out. Speaking too much makes it easy to reach an end. Better to hold to the middle.” Confucius explained the Book of Changes: “The harmonious transformation of one Yin and one Yang is the Dao. Inclining wholly toward Yin or wholly toward Yang becomes a fault.” Wei Boyang said: “Things of the same kind join and follow one another; when their natures conflict, they cannot be refined into a treasure.” Lord Cui’s Mirror for Compounding the Medicine says: “This is the Dao of nature and life, not merely a matter of spirit and Qi; lead from the Water region is a single ingredient.” These words express the same idea.

The Dao of innate nature can sometimes be understood on one’s own; the mysteries of life’s mandate, however, must await transmission from a master. The Nameless Master said: “The crescent moon furnace is a Yin furnace, containing Yang Qi like a jade stamen; this is the tiger’s bowstring Qi. The cinnabar cauldron is a Yang cauldron, containing Yin Qi like mercury; this is the dragon’s bowstring Qi. The Golden Elixir is made by harmonizing and refining these two Qi.”

The spirit, Qi, and essence I speak of, as well as the practices of receiving, sending, moving, and stopping, are all directed by intention. Color, sound, fragrance, taste, and touch are also connected to intention. When intention stirs, action begins; when intention ceases, action ceases too. Therefore, to seek the Elixir and gather lead, one uses intention to receive it; to gather the fire and place it in the cauldron, one uses intention to send it in; to cook and bathe, one uses intention to keep watch; to warm, nourish, and transform, one uses intention to bring the work to completion. Lord Cui said: “In each of the twelve double-hours of the day, wherever intention reaches, there the practice may be carried out.” This is the great essential of Golden Elixir cultivation. If you carefully examine what has been said, as one tests gold with a touchstone, you can grasp the key to the great essential of the Golden Elixir.

Once you have mastered the essentials, you may seek Dao companions and gather resources to help you attain the Dao. Alas! Some people spend ten thousand gold pieces seeking rank and fame. How can their lives then be long? Others spend ten thousand gold pieces hoping to reverse death. How can a corpse come back to life? Fortune rises, declines, and comes to an end; only the Dao endures. Some hear of the Dao but will not receive it at once and advance with courage, beginning their practice early. Instead, they want to wait until their ambitions for fame and rank are fulfilled and all their affairs are finished before cultivating the Dao. They are deeply deluded. If Heaven suddenly grants them no more years and their lives end, regret will come too late. Fo Guo said: “Let go now, and you have truly let go. If you keep thinking you will let go once things are settled, they will never be settled.” A patriarch said: “Pile up gold and silver as high as mountains: can you buy your way to immortality?” Zhang Liang gave up high office and generous rewards to preserve himself; Ma Yifu gave up immense wealth to seek the Dao. Looking to the present through the lives of the ancients, who could match them? Those who come after us, looking back at today, should awaken early too.

Shangyangzi said: “After receiving a master’s transmission, a true practitioner should first seek out fellow cultivators of the Elixir.” Xue Zhenren said: “Now that I have obtained the formula for longevity, year after year I search the sea for a kindred spirit.” He also said: “For many years I have traveled the rivers and lakes seeking companions on the immortal path; I will not rest until I become an immortal.” Old Man Nimaru said: “Without like-minded people to remind one another, I fear the timing of the furnace’s fire will not be handled well.” Chen Huqiu said: “Every day I urgently seek fellow practitioners. I have traveled all through eastern Wu and found no one.”

When like-minded companions are found, they can advise and examine one another, make up for each other’s shortcomings, and attain the Dao together. If one meets a good-hearted companion who has not yet heard the teachings of the Dao but has resources, they can also exchange and support one another, helping each other succeed. Pang Yun gave up his wealth to seek the medicine; Fu Dashi sang of selling his wife and children. Both stories speak of this kind of mutual support.

In Buddhist practice, meditative stillness uses Earth to restrain lead and lead to restrain mercury, bringing lead and mercury into the cauldron while body and mind remain unmoving. This is called “cultivating meditation and entering samadhi.” The Chan some people speak of today is as fragile as a glass bottle: it breaks while walking and shatters when one sits down. There is only one kind of “leather sack Chan,” which cannot be pulled apart or bitten through. If someone sees through this Chan, lead and mercury will naturally unite. The three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism are one family; there are truly no two different paths. Those who divide them into sides and fight over which is higher are like blind people riding blind horses and competing with others to see who will win. Wouldn’t this make those with clear sight laugh?

Yuanwu said: “Chan cannot be investigated through intention and imagination. To use intention and imagination to investigate Chan is to violate the Dao and lose the work. To treat the work as a means of seeking the Dao also leads astray; imagined thoughts must be cut off. What is Chan? When all is open and unobstructed beneath your heels, this Chan without Chan is true Chan, wondrous beyond understanding like a rabbit carrying young. What is the Dao? When light shines from the crown of your head, this Dao without Dao is the true Dao, like a bright moon held within a clam.” The Buddhas and patriarchs left hundreds of koans, all placing the realization of one’s nature first. The great essential of the Golden Elixir therefore requires understanding both Chan and the Dao, so that the immortal path and the Buddhist teaching can each be confirmed; both nature and life must be understood. Once you have understood them, you should advance with still greater diligence.

Shangyangzi said: “This book, The Great Essentials of the Golden Elixir, gathers the writings of the immortals and sages, explains the mysteries of the innate One Qi, and awakens those who will cultivate the Dao in generations to come. It reveals and discloses especially much. Why is that? From my youth, I held this aspiration, but never met a true teacher and did not understand the essentials of cultivation. The various alchemical scriptures were too obscure to grasp. I could not find the key by thinking them over, nor a method by studying them. I often forgot to eat and sleep, and have always regretted it.”

The way of the immortals is often misunderstood because people cling to its outward forms and consequently dismiss it as empty speculation. Without the clear guidance of a sagely master, those who cultivate the Dao will end like ordinary people, declining and dying. So, following my master’s instructions, I have written out in detail the matters that are difficult to express in words and compiled them into this book, titled The Essentials of the Golden Elixir. It is meant to make up for past shortcomings and to give later cultivators a clear-sighted understanding of the true meaning. What is unsuitable to put into writing has been left unwritten; what is unsuitable to say aloud has been left unsaid. If later generations of cultivators have the good fortune, they will be able to read this book. One should read The Essentials of the Golden Elixir as though standing before a sagely master and personally receiving his instruction. Understand that the “medicinal ingredients” and “fire times” described in the book—the substances and stages used in alchemical refinement—are all present, and that the methods of cultivation and application are complete.

Master Shangyangzi says: The Essentials of the Golden Elixir consists of ten volumes. The first volume is divided into three chapters under the theme of “emptiness and nothingness,” symbolizing the Three Powers: Heaven, Earth, and humanity. The second volume has one chapter on the “upper medicine,” embodying the Dharma Body, the true body formed through cultivation. The third volume has nine chapters on wondrous applications, explaining the Nine Returns, stages in Neidan cultivation in which the ingredients return and are refined. The fourth volume has seven chapters on what must be understood, serving to confirm the Seven Reversions, the process of returning to the root and restoring the original state in Neidan cultivation. The fifth volume uses poems on accumulating merit to distinguish the true path from false teachings. The sixth presents an introductory discussion of accumulating good deeds, so that readers do not cling to outward appearances. The seventh guides living beings through questions and answers that illuminate the true meaning. The eighth provides illustrations of cultivating the true to serve as references for confirmation. The ninth, modeled on ancient methods yet going beyond conventional bounds, discusses the highest level. The tenth weighs the aims of ancient teachings and goes beyond earlier doctrines to discuss realizing one’s nature and becoming a Buddha. Every volume includes the lead and mercury and the fire times—that is, metaphors in Neidan for its ingredients and for the timing and measure of cultivation. If those who study the Dao cannot grasp the first volume, they should continue to the second; if they cannot understand the third, they should consult the “What Must Be Understood” section in the fourth. Read each volume thoroughly in sequence, and the contents of every volume will be complete.

When I wrote Essentials of the Golden Elixir, I explained the same point repeatedly so that readers could truly grasp it. I used colloquial expressions wherever possible to make the principles clear. I would rather risk revealing secret teachings and offending the scriptures than see later generations fail to awaken to the Dao directly.

Unless one has a celestial affinity from a previous life, it is difficult even to hear the title Essentials of the Golden Elixir, let alone obtain and read the book. Without deep karmic ties, one cannot grasp its purpose, much less understand it fully. Without great wisdom, one cannot enter the path of cultivation it points to, much less practice accordingly. Without profound merit, it is difficult to draw near to the Dao it describes, much less cultivate in accordance with it.

Shangyangzi said: Those who have cultivated to the point of shedding the mortal body and transforming spiritually can advance to higher levels of practice if they then obtain Essentials of the Golden Elixir. Those who have completed the ten-month sacred embryo—the stage in Neidan cultivation in which fetal breathing is nurtured over a period likened to ten months—can consult this book to verify the comings and goings of their practice. Those who are just beginning to cultivate and have obtained the medicine and brought it into the chamber—that is, acquired the “medicine” of Neidan cultivation and entered the stage of nurturing it—can follow the book to preserve and nourish their progress. Some hear the Daoist teachings yet remain confused and uncertain about difficult questions. Essentials of the Golden Elixir offers a “touchstone” for testing what is genuine and whether a teaching accords with actual practice. Once you have confirmed this, begin cultivating as soon as possible and do not hesitate any longer.

The “Poem on Entering the Dao” says: “It is difficult to gain a human body, yet now you have gained one; it is difficult to understand the true path…”

The “Poem on Entering the Dao” says: “The human body is hard to obtain, yet now you have obtained it. The right path of cultivation is hard to understand, yet now you understand it. If you do not take this life to cultivate and save yourself, in which life will you do so?”

Shangyangzi says: Even if you have obtained the Great Essentials of the Golden Elixir but cannot grasp its profound meaning, you can paint portraits of the three immortal masters Chunyang, Chongyang, and Danyang. Offer incense and flowers before them morning and evening, and focus your attention as you recite the Great Essentials of the Golden Elixir. Repeat the recitation—from once, to ten times, a hundred times, and then a thousand. As time passes, do not abandon your original sincerity; instead, apply yourself with ever greater diligence. You will then evoke a response, and a true immortal will descend in person to impart instruction. Those who study the way of the immortals may thereby awaken all at once, fully understand the principles of cultivation, and attain a clear and luminous state of mind. They will then step directly onto the path of practical cultivation.

Why is this so? Because the Jade Lord entrusted this office to the Perfected Lord Danyang, a revered Daoist deity, charging him with overseeing the registers of the immortals, inspecting the world, and assessing practitioners’ accomplishments and diligence. He then records those who qualify in the Cinnabar Terrace, where the registers of the immortals are kept, and assigns them their roles: perfected beings and immortal maidens who have already attained their goal descend to the human world to serve as teachers. He also issues documents to the offices responsible for the registers and allocates resources to help those who seek to study the immortal Way attain the supreme, wondrous Dao and ultimately become perfected beings.

Those who seek to study the immortal Way should focus their thoughts wholeheartedly and wait for the right conditions to arise. They should not fear hardship, but sincerely pursue the highest Dao. They should not think that becoming perfected beings is beyond their reach because the heavens are high and the earth is vast; nor should they assume that communication with the Dao is impossible because the cosmos is so immense. They should not believe that ordinary people cannot study and cultivate the Dao because it is profound and difficult to fathom, that people cannot cultivate themselves to perfection because Yin and Yang each have their appointed place, or that their nature and life are determined entirely by Heaven and have nothing to do with their own efforts. Those who seek the immortal Way should neither hold such views nor let these thoughts mislead them. With courage, diligence, and wisdom, they can widen the sea of their nature and nourish the source of life. Such people will have their names entered in the Cinnabar Register and devote themselves to exploring the Great Dao.

The moment of awakening described in Essentials of the Golden Elixir may come through something encountered in daily life, or while passing a scripture hall, riding in a boat, walking, looking in a mirror, or seeing one’s reflection in water. It may even come suddenly when one sees a man and woman engaged in sexual relations, witnesses an animal being slaughtered, watches children playing, or sees a monk sitting in stillness. Seize that moment and deepen your practice, and you can attain a state of empty clarity, freedom, and perfect harmony without obstruction.

It is like a poor man who digs inside his house and uncovers a cellar of gold and silver treasures left by his grandfather. Only then does he realize that they were his all along, buried for many years; once found, they are inexhaustible. Practitioners of the highest caliber, endowed with the capacity for the Mahayana, may read and recite Essentials of the Golden Elixir and suddenly remember their original nature, awakening with sudden clarity and experiencing the state of being both Buddha and immortal. This is like someone who treasures precious things finding an invaluable luminous pearl by the roadside, filled with boundless joy. Those who seek the immortal Way should regard life and death as the foremost concern, gather the ingredients for the elixir as soon as possible, and refine it in the alchemical furnace. In the end, they will ascend in broad daylight, rising straight to the realm of the Emperor. This is the very aspiration I have set for myself.

Nothing is more essential to the subtlety of the Great Dao than nature and life; and in cultivating nature and life, nothing is more crucial than bringing them back to one. The sages of antiquity often used outward things as skillful metaphors for the aim of uniting nature and life, refusing to speak of it directly. As a result, few people in the world understand the dual cultivation of nature and life.

I have added to this illustration not to presume to reveal Heaven’s secrets, but to explain the profound meaning of the Avatamsaka Sutra through its account of “ending the outflows” (putting an end to afflictions so that the mind no longer dissipates outward), and to bring together scattered teachings from various scriptures by gathering them in this illustration. Only then can one understand that the wisdom-life—the root of wisdom and life cultivated through practice—is nowhere else: it lies within this “aperture.” I have made this illustration in the hope that fellow cultivators will understand the key to the dual cultivation of nature and life and avoid straying into heterodox paths. The true seed, the fundamental capacity spoken of in cultivation, is nurtured here; the outflows are ended here; the relics are refined here; and the Great Dao is cultivated here.

This “aperture” is a place of emptiness, without form or image. When Qi (vital energy) stirs, it appears as an aperture; when the activating mechanism comes to rest, it becomes elusive and impossible to find. It is where true nature resides and the altar ground for cultivating the wisdom-life. It has many names, such as “the Dragon Palace beneath the Sea,” “the Land at the Snowy Mountain,” “the West,” “the Primordial Pass,” “the Land of Ultimate Bliss,” and “the Homeland of Limitlessness.” Though the names are many, they all refer to the same aperture. If cultivators do not understand this aperture, they will have no way to find the wisdom-life, even after a thousand lives and ten thousand kalpas.

This opening (the crucial point in cultivation where nature and life unite and the true seed of the internal elixir forms) is truly vast and important. It took shape before the parents had brought this body into the world, while the fetus was still being conceived; a person’s nature and life are lodged within it. The two blend and become one, full and harmonized, like a concentrated mass of fire in a furnace, containing the principle of Great Harmony. Thus, the signs of the precelestial state exist within this formless, imageless opening.

Before birth, the fetus formed by its parents has abundant Qi (vital energy), and its body is complete. When the body begins to move and the membranes rupture, it is like falling from a high mountain and striking the ground with a sudden cry. At that moment, nature and life separate. From then on, nature can no longer manifest life, nor life nature. A person grows from childhood to adulthood, ages, and finally dies.

Therefore, the Tathagata, moved by great compassion, passed on methods of cultivation, teaching people to return to a state like that within the womb and to remake their own nature and life. They gather their Shen (spirit) and Qi within this opening, bringing the two together as one to form the true seed. It is like the parents’ Jing (essence) and Qi entering the womb, joining as one and bringing a fetus into being. The principles are the same.

Within the opening is sovereign fire; before its gateway is ministerial fire; and throughout the body circulates people’s fire. When sovereign fire stirs, ministerial fire responds; when ministerial fire moves, people’s fire follows. When the three fires flow in their natural direction, a person remains ordinary; when they reverse course, one can attain the Dao (the Way). Thus, the source of a person’s nature and life flourishing, declining, and gradually being exhausted lies in this opening. Both ordinary people and sages arise from it. Cultivating other methods without cultivating this Way brings no benefit.

“The First Chapter of the Pavilion of Exhausted Leaks”

People throughout the world, in every household, do not know that within the body lies this essential opening, the seat of the wise life that governs existence—the inner clarity and root of life. They keep seeking outward, exhaust every effort, and in the end achieve nothing.

Of the wondrous workings of the Dao, nothing is better than the Dharma Wheel—the principles by which Qi moves during cultivation. Nothing describes its movement without straying from the right path more aptly than a road. Nothing explains its varying pace and progress more clearly than a set of rules. And nothing captures the exactness of its timing and number of cycles more fully than the methods for observing the proper times—ways of practicing according to seasons and stages.

This diagram presents the principles and methods in their entirety, and contains the true face of what was transmitted from the West: the authentic substance of the Daoist methods. At the heart of its subtle cultivation methods is breathing. The comings and goings of the breath are best described by opening and closing. To keep the practice on its path depends on true intent—focused thought that does not become scattered. And because the practice has a beginning and an end, it must follow defined boundaries: its prescribed scope and stages. Practitioners should set aside personal attachment and follow the methods transmitted by others. The diagram depicts everything in detail and fully reveals the secrets of Heaven. Even the dull-witted and ordinary people, if they obtain it, can succeed in cultivation.

Without the necessary Virtue, Heaven will not assist someone in cultivating the Dao, even if that person encounters these methods. Why? Virtue is to the Dao as wings are to a bird: without them, it cannot take flight. One must possess loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness, and keep the Five Precepts entirely pure before anything can be hoped for. The subtle and wondrous details are all contained in the Scripture of Wise Life. Compare the two scriptures, and you will grasp the truth within them.

Diagram of the Six Phases, Part Two

The first two illustrations originally describe the same process. Why, then, was this illustration added? It was drawn specifically out of concern that those cultivating the Dao might not know the path by which the Falun (wheel of energy) circulates within the body, so that fellow practitioners could understand it. If the Ren and Du channels are made to flow freely, the other channels will flow freely as well.

When deer sleep, their noses rest near their anuses; this is said to open the kidney channel. Cranes and tortoises, meanwhile, are said to have freely flowing Ren channels. They can all live for a thousand years—how much more so, then, can human beings? Once those cultivating the Dao have set the Falun in motion—the practice of circulating the body’s Qi—they nourish their wisdom life, the life formed through cultivation. Why should they worry that they cannot prolong their years, extend their lives, and attain the Great Dao?

Illustration of the Ren and Du Channels, Third

The subtle meaning conveyed by this illustration originally appears in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. Ordinary monks do not understand the Dao embryo, the inner state formed when Shen and Qi congeal through cultivation, because this illustration was not added earlier. Now that it has been explained, those cultivating the Dao can know that the Tathāgata, an honorific title for the Buddha, also has a Dao embryo, and that this kind of cultivation does indeed exist.

Illustration of the Dao Embryo, Fourth

The “embryo” is not some tangible, visible thing that can be made separately; it is simply one’s own Shen and Qi. First, let Shen enter Qi; then Qi envelops Shen. When Shen and Qi congeal together and the mind is quiet and still, this is called an “embryo.”

Only after Qi has gathered does Shen become manifest. Thus the scripture says that one must personally receive and cultivate the two Qi of awakening and response. As the embryo’s Qi gradually grows, and Qi becomes full and the embryo complete, it emerges through the crown of the head. This is what is meant by “forming and emerging from the womb,” and becoming a child of the Buddha.

Illustration of Emergence from the Womb, Fifth

The incantation text of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: At that time, the World-Honored One (Shakyamuni Buddha) sent forth a hundred jeweled rays of light from the protuberance on his crown. Within the light appeared a thousand-petaled jeweled lotus, and seated within it was an emanated Tathāgata (a manifestation of the Buddha). Ten streams of hundred-jeweled radiance issued from the crown of this figure, shining everywhere. The assembly looked up at the Buddha as he radiated light. When the Tathāgata proclaimed the divine incantation, this was the appearance of the Yang Shen (the manifest spirit-consciousness described in cultivation), and so it was called “the Buddha’s child.”

Without a method for cultivating the wisdom-life (cultivation related to the source of life), if one merely sits in meditation in barren stillness, how could one’s own Tathāgata sit within a jeweled lotus and shine forth as the Dharma body? Some say that the Yang Shen is merely a lesser path. But how could this so-called lesser path win the recognition of the world? Here, the secret of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra is being revealed to instruct later students: once you have cultivated this path, you can transcend immediately and never again fall into the dusty world.

Image of the Emanated Body, Figure Six

Image of Facing the Wall, Figure Seven

Image of Shattering, Figure Eight

II. On the Three Grades of Superior Medicine

The Yellow Emperor said, “Those who understand cultivation are called sages.” The Supreme Primordial Lord said to Laozi, “The practice of long life originates in the Elixir; the Elixir’s completion originates in spirit. Therefore, when you are about to unite the Elixir, you must bring body and mind into proper alignment.” The Outer View of the Yellow Court Scripture says, “Clear water in the Jade Pool nourishes the numinous root; if you cultivate with care, you can endure for a long time.” The Scripture of the Mind Seal says, “There are three superior medicines: spirit, Qi, and essence.”

When the sages speak of cultivation and uniting the Elixir, they mean refining and nourishing these three: essence, Qi, and spirit. From ancient times to the present, nothing else can take their place. Yet essence, Qi, and spirit may belong either to the postnatal or to the prenatal. The two accounts will be explained separately below.

Jing (essence) refers to the purest and finest part of something. What is good is called “Jing,” and what is inferior is called “coarse”; this is generally true of all things. For a person, Jing is most precious, yet also very scarce. The scripture says that when a man reaches sixteen, and his Jing-Qi has matured but has not yet been released, the amount of Jing in his body is about one sheng and six ge, equivalent to one jin. When fully stored, it can reach three sheng; after being depleted, it may fall below one sheng. Jing and Qi nourish each other: when Qi gathers, Jing becomes abundant; when Jing is abundant, Qi is vigorous as well.

The nutritious essence of everyday food is also called Jing, which is why the character for “Jing” is composed of the elements “rice” and “green.” When a man reaches sixteen, Jing may begin to be released. The scripture says that each act of intercourse depletes half a ge. A small loss can be replenished through the body’s daily processes of transformation and generation, but what is restored is only acquired Yin Jing. If primordial Jing—the Jing-Qi received before birth and serving as the foundation of life—is lost, it cannot be replenished. When losses are great and replenishment slight, Jing-Qi eventually becomes exhausted and the body grows weak. Thus, unrestrained desire depletes Jing; depleted Jing weakens Qi; weakened Qi brings illness, and in severe cases can threaten life.

Alas, how precious Jing is! How can one indulge desire and damage the body? The Patriarch of Danyang said, “Being infatuated with women is more dangerous than tigers and wolves. It ruins a person’s character and good deeds, depletes Jing and Shen, and can even cost a person their life. This is a major taboo in cultivating the Dao. The foolish think their lifespan has already been fixed, so they indulge their desires and seek only fleeting pleasure. The ancients warned: ‘When the lamp oil is spent, the flame goes out; when the marrow is exhausted, a person dies.’ From this we can see that Jing is the foundation that sustains the whole body. Without roots, how could a tree endure?”

Xiangchuan Weng said: Jing can generate Qi, and Qi can generate Shen. Jing-Qi circulates throughout the body and nourishes it; nothing is more important.

Those who cultivate health should first cherish and preserve their Jing and Qi. When Jing and Qi are abundant, Qi is strong; when Qi is strong, the spirit is vigorous; and when the spirit is vigorous, the body is healthy and less prone to illness. Within, the Five Viscera brim with vitality; without, the skin is lustrous, the face radiant, and the eyes and ears keen. Even in old age, one can remain energetic, with a firm and vibrant spirit.

It is common to see some elderly people whose desires have not waned. This shows that they expended little of their Jing and Qi when young. If they can continue to restrain their desires in old age, they may live longer.

No one preserves Jing and Qi more fully than an infant. An infant is born from the Yin-Yang Qi of its parents, then grows day by day. Laozi said, “An infant’s bones are weak and its sinews soft, yet it can clench its fists. Though it knows nothing of sexual union, its genitals become erect. This shows that its Jing and Qi are abundant.”

If an infant could understand how to preserve its own undivided and complete Jing and Qi, allowing none of it to diminish or be expended, then, once grown and clear-minded, it might encounter a person of high attainment in the Dao and receive methods for harmonizing Yin-Yang. It could then hope to become a true immortal who follows nature and achieves through Wuwei (non-action).

This matter is quite rare. What is being discussed here is the essence and Qi within the human body—the essence and Qi that came into being after Heaven and Earth were formed. The essence used in the Golden Elixir of Returning through Golden Liquids (a pill refined in Neidan cultivation) is something else.

The “essence” used in the Golden Elixir of Returning through Golden Liquids has the surname Jin, is called Jiusanlang, is named Yuanjing, and has the title Jinhua. Lord Shangfu resides west of the Jade Pool and rides a tiger when he comes and goes. In childhood he is called the Infant; when grown, he is called the Golden Lord. When he arrives at another household, he is called the host; he delights in the pear of the immortals. This is the essence that existed before Heaven and Earth, regarded as the most precious treasure in the human body. Laozi said, “Within the deep and mysterious, essence exists. This essence is utterly real, and within it are signs that bear witness.” He was referring to this.

Cultivators must first understand this essence. Once they do, they can become immortals. This is called the Golden Elixir of Returning through Golden Liquids. The Buddhist expression “sixteen-foot golden body” (a Buddha’s body, sixteen feet tall) is explained here as the state in which essence and Qi have been accumulated to the measure of sixteen liang.

The Pure Yang Venerable One said, “Swallowing essence and consuming Qi must begin with what has form. Once you understand the principle and return to your original nature, you enter the formless.” In the “Song of the Golden Elixir,” Haichan said, “Why do immortals still cherish the body? They, too, rely on this bodily shell to nourish the spirit.” Chen Niliwan said, “To cultivate the Great Medicine, one must rely on essence, Qi, and spirit. Gather them together, and join and refine them.” The “Great Medicine” here is the Golden Elixir of Returning through Golden Liquids.

It is said that Yao learned this Way from Wuchengzi and was eager to cultivate it. But, burdened by many affairs of state and worried he would not complete the work, he yielded the realm and passed the imperial throne to Shun, admonishing him: “Be refined and devoted; faithfully hold to the Middle Way.” When Shun passed the throne to Yu, he added: “The human mind is prone to deviation, while the Dao mind is subtle and hard to discern. Be refined and devoted; faithfully hold to the Middle Way.”

Later, Chan Master Longhu also said: “Human feelings are often strong, while feelings for the Dao are weak. How could ordinary people know that cultivating the Dao also depends on human feelings? If there are only human feelings, without the Dao’s efficacy, how long can those feelings endure? Be refined and devoted; faithfully hold to the Middle Way.”

From ancient times to the present, has anyone who cultivated to become an immortal or attain Buddhahood ever abandoned this “Jing” and taken another path? But Jing produced after birth and belonging to Yin—that is, seminal fluid—can do no more than strengthen the body and prolong life when carefully conserved. Is it not foolish for shallow students of the Dao to try to swallow this impure Jing, whether by taking menstrual blood from women or by circulating their own seminal fluid to replenish the brain, and to regard these practices as methods of cultivation?

Only the Jing that existed before Heaven, and belongs to Yang, is the Jing that sages use to refine the Elixir. The old immortal Yunfang said, “Mucus, saliva, seminal fluid, bodily fluids, Qi, blood, and other fluids—all seven belong to Yin.” He also said, “The body’s four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and the entire body belong to Yin. Who knows what Yang Jing is?” Zhao Zhongyi said, “Everything inside and outside the human body belongs to Yin. Do not seek Yang Jing within the body.” Bai Ziqing said, “This Jing is not the Jing produced during sexual union between a man and a woman; it is the saliva in the mouth of the Jade Emperor, a revered Daoist deity.” The monk Yunmen said, “Between Heaven and Earth, within the cosmos, there is a precious thing, secretly hidden inside the mountain of bodily form.”

When explaining the Book of Changes, Confucius said, “Through the union of male and female, the myriad things are transformed and born.” Those of the highest capacity who hear these words should be able to grasp what they point toward. Why? Because the text says “the myriad things are transformed and born”—an unusual expression. If Confucius had been speaking only of the ordinary principle of reproduction, he should have said, “Through the union of male and female, human beings are born.” Instead, he said, “the myriad things are transformed and born.” One must not casually pass over these words by taking them at face value. A cultivator of the highest capacity understands as soon as they hear them. How could those of middling or lesser capacity understand through guesswork if they have not met a true master for personal instruction and secret transmission?

My teacher, Yuanduzi, said, “What are nature and life? Nothing in a person is more pure, clean, and precious than Jing, Qi, and Shen. Few people in the world understand their principle.” The Yellow Court Scripture, a Daoist classic on visualization and nourishing life, says, “Keep the Jing chamber secure; do not let it leak away heedlessly. Conceal and cherish it, and you will live long.” When Guang Chengzi instructed the Yellow Emperor, he said, “Do not exhaust your body; do not disturb your Jing.” The Yellow Emperor cultivated in accordance with these words and later ascended to Heaven from Dinghu. Is it not a belittling of the cultivation path for later generations to call it the “methods of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi”? This is the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir; it should not be called an ordinary technique. Nothing in the world is more important than this. Through cultivation, everyone can become an immortal or attain Buddhahood.

Qi (the force that drives and sustains the workings of all things in Heaven and Earth) is the source from which everything in Heaven and Earth arises. Beyond Heaven and Earth, it surrounds them; within them, it drives their workings. The sun, moon, and stars shine because of it; winds, clouds, thunder, and rain change because of it; and the myriad things grow and are gathered in through the four seasons because of it. This is the Qi formed by the transformations of Yin and Yang between Heaven and Earth.

The human body, too, contains in full the Qi of Heaven and Earth’s Yin-Yang transformations. Through diligent cultivation and skillful use, it can be divided into two kinds: pre-heavenly Qi and post-heavenly Qi.

First, post-heavenly Qi arises from food and grain; this is why the character for “Qi” contains the element “rice.” It gathers in the stomach, which transforms grain into Qi. The Yellow Emperor said, “The Qi of the five viscera gathers in the stomach; from this, Qi is generated.” Ye Wenshu said, “When a person is first conceived, they receive Qi in the mother’s womb along with her breathing, and gradually grow. After birth, when the umbilical cord is cut, a small measure of primordial numinous Qi (the vital spirit present at life’s beginning) gathers below the navel.”

In this world, the first thing people cannot do without is Qi, and breathing is especially important. The functions of perception through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind all depend on Qi. Without it, colors, sounds, odors, flavors, sensations of touch, and thoughts in the mind could not be perceived.

With exhalation, the breath connects with the root of Heaven; with inhalation, it connects with the root of Earth. “Root of Heaven” and “root of Earth” were terms used by the ancients to explain how Qi connects with Heaven and Earth. Qi is said to circulate within the human body over a total distance of eight hundred and ten zhang, moving together with the meridians, whose abundance and decline are linked. Those who have stored abundant Qi and have strong bodies may have twice the amount; those depleted by overwork and sexual excess may have less than half. When people cherish their Jing and Qi, their Qi naturally becomes abundant; when Qi is abundant, Jing also flourishes. Each day, take in the finest nourishment from food; warm foods help replenish Qi. Qi is at its peak when a person reaches twenty. Restraining desire and reducing exertion keep Qi abundant and its movement calm; excessive desire and overwork diminish Qi and make its movement hurried. When Qi is low, the body grows weak; a weak body is prone to illness, and severe illness can endanger life. This can be observed in daily life: after sexual intercourse, breathing often becomes rapid. Ye Wenshu said, “Living beings are confused and benighted, intoxicated by sensual desire. Day and night they drain away their Jing and Qi, never knowing how much they have lost. Once the root is damaged, it is like a tree whose roots have withered; in the end, it must die.”

People in the world know only that cultivating life requires restraining desire, but they do not know that as soon as a thought arises, Qi disperses with it, and Jing is lost as Qi is depleted. Thus, those who cultivate the Dao should let the mind be like the Great Void, the vast and empty sky, so that inner awareness and the outside world become one. Ah, how could Qi not be cherished? The foolish strain themselves by day until exhausted, then indulge their desires at night and deplete their Jing and Qi. Their Qi gradually grows deficient. They do not know that Qi is the foundation of life. What flower, once severed from its roots, will not wither?

Those skilled in nurturing life first replenish and nourish their Qi. The way to nourish Qi is to reduce desire. When desires and emotions do not stir recklessly, Jing and Qi naturally generate one another. People with abundant Qi are less prone to illness: their will is firm within and their sinews and bones are strong; their limbs are vigorous and their movements nimble; their bodies are robust, their teeth white, and their lips red. Even in old age they do not grow feeble, and they walk with a light step.

No one preserves Qi as completely as an infant. An infant receives the Yin-Yang Qi of its parents, and as it grows day by day, its life Qi steadily increases. Nourished as well by milk and food, its body continues to grow. Laozi said, “Though it cries all day, its voice does not grow hoarse. This is harmony at its utmost.” Chen Jingyuan, known as Master Bixu, a Daoist scholar, explained: “This shows that the Qi of heavenly harmony is abundant and wholly pure.” A perfected person breathes deeply, as though the breath could reach the heels; an infant’s voice, too, does not grow hoarse. If, after becoming conscious, an infant could still preserve its undivided, pure Qi, keep it intact together with its Jing, and prevent it from being depleted or leaking away, then, upon growing up, it might also encounter a realized master who could point out the way to longevity. It might then become a true immortal who cultivates in accord with nature through Wuwei (non-action). But such people are rare.

The Patriarch of Danyang, Wang Chongyang, founder of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) tradition, said, “A plain diet nourishes Qi; putting aside anger cultivates one’s nature.” He also said, “The key to guarding Qi lies in preserving Jing, especially in preventing Jing and Qi from being depleted during sleep.” The Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture), a Daoist text on inner cultivation, says, “Original Qi gathers, and from it the stars are arrayed; purple clouds rise and fall, and amid the three-colored clouds, Original Qi pours into the five organs, nurturing the numinous root.” Confucius said, “When your blood and Qi are vigorous, guard against contention.”

When walking, a person may become short of breath and hoarse; during sleep, their breathing grows heavy and they may snore. Only when sitting quietly is the breath steady and gentle. Qi belongs to Fire, and the Spleen relies on Qi’s impetus to transform and transport. Sleeping too much damages Spleen Qi and turns the complexion yellow; eating cold food has a similar effect. Having eaten a great deal of cold rice, then engaging in sexual intercourse, may leave a person confused in spirit and yellow in complexion. Why does this happen? Food obstructs the movement of Qi, while people are greedy for food and sleep; too much sleep damages Spleen Qi. This is the Qi formed in the body after birth.

Heterodox teachings mislead people, telling them to swallow saliva and absorb this postnatal Qi, then treating these practices as a method of cultivating the Dao. This is as absurd as trying to cook sand into rice. Master Ziyang said: “Swallowing saliva and taking in the breath is what ordinary people do; only with the medicine can the transformations of creation be brought forth. If the cauldron holds no true seed, it is like boiling water and fire in an empty pot.”

Only the pre-heavenly “True Qi of the One” can be refined into the Returning Elixir, the elixir sought through internal alchemy. This Qi comes from the void. The scripture describes it through a series of other names: surnamed Bai, called “Lord Taiyi,” named “Original Qi,” styled “Bai,” and also known as “Ruler of the Cosmos” and “Gentleman of Plain Silk.” He dwells in the western riverlands, comes and goes on a white horse, was given the childhood name “True Seed,” and in old age is called “Old Man Whitehead.” When he arrives at the neighboring household, he is called “father and mother”; he likes turtles and is amorous. These names are all coded expressions for the pre-heavenly True Qi. The scripture regards it as the True Qi that precedes Heaven and Earth, and as a person’s most precious treasure.

The Yinfu Jing says: “Heaven’s greatest secret, when put into practice, is utterly impartial; grasp Qi, and you grasp the way of command.” Laozi said: “All things carry Yin and embrace Yang; when the Qi of Yin and Yang blend, harmony is achieved.” He also spoke of Qi as exhaled or blown out, vigorous or weak. A practitioner must first fully understand this Qi. When it is obtained, it is called the “Purple Golden Flower” or the “Mani Jewel,” a precious and perfectly rounded object. In his Jingzhong Yin, Perfected Lord Mao says: “Qi is the medicine for prolonging life; the mind is the spirit that directs Qi. If you understand what governs the movement of Qi, you are one who has attained the Dao.”

Hanchan Weng, a Daoist practitioner of the Elixir Way, says in Song of the Golden Elixir: “Refine and transform the body, causing Qi to return to the True Unity, the original Qi of the precelestial state; refine and transform Qi until it takes form, then go to pay homage at the Purple Palace, the dwelling of the Celestial Emperor.” Song of the Marrow of the Elixir says: “In the past, I met a master and received the true instructions. The key is simply to gather the mind and spirit and guide them into the Qi cavity, the place in Neidan practice where one visualizes and concentrates the spirit.” Awakening to Reality says: “The Dao gives rise to a single Qi from emptiness; this Qi immediately produces Yin and Yang.” The Perfected Master Shi says in Treatise on Returning to the Source: “Qi is the root of life within the body.”

The Nameless Master says: “The Qi of True Unity is born before Heaven and Earth take shape. It comes from emptiness, subtle and profound, indistinct, unseen, unheard, and beyond the grasp of the hand. How, then, can it condense into a Millet Pearl, a metaphor for an exceedingly tiny Elixir Pearl? The sages use what is substantial to reveal what is empty, and what exists to express nonexistence. What is substantial is True Yin and True Yang: things of the same kind that are responsive to one another. They exist in formless depths, unseen, unheard, and beyond grasp; how, then, can they condense into a Millet Pearl? The sages use what is substantial to reveal what is empty, and what exists to express nonexistence. What is substantial is True Yin and True Yang; what is empty is the Qi of the first quarter of the moon, when the two and eight first form their crescent—a metaphor for Qi arising as Yin and Yang first meet, before they take shape. It has Qi but no material form. When the two interact, they produce a thing. This so-called ‘One’ is the Qi of True Unity from before Heaven and Earth took shape; once condensed, it becomes an Elixir Pearl the size of a millet grain.”

Everything in Heaven and Earth that has taken shape and acquired substance belongs to the Qi that came after Heaven and Earth were formed; its nature is Yin. Only the Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth took shape is Yang. Cui Gong says in the Mirror for Compounding the Medicine: “Precelestial Qi, postcelestial Qi—those who obtain it are always as if drunk.” This Qi appears like dust drifting before a bright window, or like a fine mist or smoke.

What is precelestial Qi? Master Chongyang says: “Where the Five Phases have not yet arrived, before one’s parents were born.” This means the state before the Five Phases came into being, before one’s parents had given birth. Master Danyang says: “Let the breath not grow rough; keep the flow above and below broad and easy.” In other words, do not breathe harshly or hurriedly; let the breath flow smoothly and freely through the upper and lower parts of the body. The Seal of the Unity of the Three says: “Branches, stems, flowers, and leaves spread out, fruit hanging everywhere; set the root firmly, and do not lose its original nature.” The Awakening to Reality says: “To try every mismatched thing is labor in vain; how much better to let true lead unite with the sacred mechanism.”

“True lead” refers to the true One Qi generated within the workings of creation. The lead extracted from ore in the world is merely ordinary lead. What is true lead? It is the precelestial, true One Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth took shape. The Secret Diagram of the Seal says: “Li receives Ji and corresponds to the sun, Fire, the heart, cinnabar, the dragon, and mercury; Kan receives Wu and corresponds to the moon, Water, the kidneys, lead, the tiger, and Qi.” Through the trigrams of the Book of Changes and their correspondences with Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, this explains how Li and Kan respectively pair with the sun and moon, Fire and Water, the heart and kidneys, cinnabar and lead, the dragon and tiger, and mercury and Qi.

The Book of Changes says in its first line: “The hidden dragon—do not act.” Confucius explains in the Commentary on the Book of Changes: “The hidden dragon—do not act: Yang Qi lies concealed.” Readers from the Three Teachings—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism—should not skim over these texts in haste. They contain principles for serving as an official, attaining Buddhahood, and cultivating immortality, which require effort to understand.

Shangyangzi said, “When Yang Qi lies hidden deep within, it is difficult to seek out. Only a person with power can find it. When Bodhidharma first arrived in China, he said, ‘I see here in this divine land of Chixian [an ancient name for China] the signs of Mahayana Buddhism; surely someone will attain realization through practicing the Dao.’ Bodhidharma came to China hoping to rely on a person with power to seek this Qi and thereby realize his own Dao. Who would have thought that his visit to the Liang court would not go as he wished, and that he would not realize the Buddhist teaching until he reached Northern Wei? From this we can see that without power, this Qi cannot be obtained.

“Ziyang Zhenren achieved something through the support of Ma Chuhou; Wang Chongzhao, too, received help from Han Fugong. When Shi Xinglin instructed Xue Zixian, he said, ‘You can go to a large city with convenient transport and a great population, and rely on a person with power to cultivate.’ From this we can see that this Qi is often deeply concealed. How could anyone without power obtain it?

“Taiyi Zhenren said in the Song for Breaking Delusion: ‘What is the Dao? The Dao is Taiyi [the supreme, primordial Dao], which contains the true Qi.’ Bai Zhenren said, ‘This Qi is not the Qi of breathing; it is the Qi concealed within Taisu [the primordial state before Heaven and Earth had differentiated].’ My teacher said, ‘The primordial One Qi, which precedes the formation of Heaven and Earth and exists before the myriad things have differentiated, comes from emptiness.’ Shangyangzi said, “Whoever truly understands and can bear this teaching is a living immortal. To say it ‘comes from emptiness’ does not mean that it descends from Heaven. Since it does not descend from Heaven, it is not something a person inherently possesses.”

Mencius said, “I am good at nurturing my vast, steadfast qi.” This qi is immensely broad and strong. It must be nurtured through uprightness, and must not be harmed. He also said, “This qi arises from the long accumulation of righteousness; it cannot be attained by performing a single righteous deed by chance.” He further said, “Hold fast to your will and do not rashly stir your qi.” The will arrives first, and the qi follows; the will is the qi’s commander.

Since the will is the qi’s commander, it can direct the qi: summon it, and it comes; bid it stop, and it stops. Mencius also said that this qi must be in harmony with righteousness and the Dao. Those of keen wisdom can discern what is clear and what is turbid here.

Mencius spoke of being “good at nurturing” and of “nurturing through uprightness.” This shows that he was explaining the “straightness” described in the Book of Changes. The Book of Changes says, “When the Dao of Qian is still, it is focused; when it moves, it is upright. Thus it brings forth the myriad things.” The lotus in Zhou Dunyi’s “On the Love of the Lotus”—“its interior is open, and its exterior is straight”—expresses the same idea.

Mencius said that vast qi arises from the long accumulation of righteousness and cannot be gained by performing a single righteous deed by chance. He also said that it must be in harmony with righteousness and the Dao. From this we can see that he was discussing this qi in terms of benevolence and righteousness. He further said to hold fast to one’s will and not rashly stir one’s qi, for the will arrives first and the qi follows. This shows that Mencius understood not only how to nurture qi, but also how to guide it.

How should it be guided? Through uprightness. Where does qi come from? It arises through the accumulation of righteousness. How can it be discerned? By taking the will as its commander. The principles that can be known and observed in this way issue from above the crown of the head. For the practitioner, too, qi should be guided through uprightness, made to arise from righteousness, and directed by the will.

The Cantong qi says, “These two apertures are the gateways to the practice; the metal qi also responds to each other.” The Jingbi jing says, “This is the source from which creation and transformation arise; Yang qi stirs from the Earth of Kun, the sun’s shadow moves to the southern solstice, the Five Planets join in a string of pearls, and the sun and moon merge their radiance.” Through images of the movements of Heaven and Earth and the convergence of the sun, moon, and stars, these passages describe the mutual interaction and harmonious union of Yin-Yang qi.

In the Song of the Flowing Pearl, the Venerable Ge says: “Flowing Pearl, Flowing Pearl, you have made me toil and wander far and wide, reading many books. I have been so busy that I neglected sleep and meals, visiting every knowledgeable friend and refining away all the mercury and cinnabar. For thirty years I sighed day after day. Now I am sixty, and I fear I am about to fall into the three evil destinies—the Buddhist realms of suffering: hell, the hungry ghosts, and animals. Fortunately, I received instruction from a master and understood the original Qi within emptiness. True Yin and true Yang—the two Yin-Yang energies that work together in Neidan cultivation—move with each inhalation and exhalation. The Five Fluids, the body’s five kinds of bodily fluid, are nourished, and the inner chamber, a Neidan term for a place of cultivation within the body, releases a fluid like creamy milk. A perfected being, one who has attained the Dao, saved me; this takes the resolve of a great man.” The Venerable Ge wrote this song.

The Venerable Ge obtained this primordial, true and unified Qi—the subtle energy of the source, before Heaven and Earth came into being and before the source had divided. He cultivated it according to the instructions and eventually ascended into the sky in broad daylight, riding a purple cloud. People throughout the world in later generations have also benefited from his grace. “Heavenly spirits” refers to beings so mysterious that they can give rise to and transform the myriad things, yet manifest through particular forms.

The Huangting Jing says: “The Great Dao is not difficult to attain: keep the essential instructions, and you can nourish your true nature. From the Niwan Palace, the cultivation site in the head, to every joint throughout the body, there are divine beings.” The divine beings within the human body have so many names that they cannot all be listed.

The human body is divided into three regions—upper, middle, and lower—with eight divine beings in each. The upper region’s Eight Radiances are the spirits of the hair, brain, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, tongue, and teeth. The middle region’s Eight Radiances are the spirits of the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, left kidney, right kidney, gallbladder, and throat. The lower region’s Eight Radiances are the spirit of the kidneys; the spirits of the small and large intestines; the spirit of the torso; the spirit of the chest; the spirit of the diaphragm; the spirits of the two flanks; and the spirits of the left Yin and left Yang, and the right Yin and right Yang.

The human body also has Nine Palaces, chambers where inner divine beings reside: the heart spirit lives in the Palace of Crimson Mists; the kidney spirit in the Palace of Cinnabar Origin; the liver spirit in the Palace of the Orchid Terrace; the lung spirit in the Palace of the Minister; the spleen spirit in the Palace of the Yellow Court; the gallbladder spirit in the Palace of Heavenly Mist; the small-intestine spirit in the Palace of Mysterious Numinousness; the large-intestine spirit in the Palace of Wood Numinousness; and the bladder spirit in the Palace of the Jade Chamber.

The head has another set of palaces: the Twin Cinnabar Palace, the Bright Hall Palace, the Cinnabar Field Palace, the Niwan Palace, the Flowing Pearl Palace, the Great Emperor’s Palace, the Heavenly Court Palace, the Palace of Ultimate Perfection, the Mysterious Cinnabar Palace, and the Supreme Sovereign Palace. There are also the Golden Tower, the Double Gate, and the Twelve Pavilion Wardens. Outside the body are eighteen thousand Yang spirits, and within it are eighteen thousand Yin spirits, making thirty-six thousand spirits in all.

Only the Perfected One governs the Palace of Crimson Clouds, the palace within the human body associated with the heart and spirit. The Perfected One is also called the fleshly spirit, or the Heart King—the spiritual awareness that presides over body and mind. There are also the spirits of the three bodies, the four wisdoms, the three souls, the seven po, and the seven origins and eight consciousnesses, among many other names, too numerous to list one by one. The Heart King is the ruler of the whole person, and all the spirits obey its command. It can therefore remain clear and perceptive, becoming active or still at any moment and responding to external circumstances in countless ways. In the blink of an eye, it may seem to travel a thousand miles; in dreams, it may conjure all kinds of scenes. It can also anticipate the future and infer good or ill fortune. It perceives matters ranging from great affairs of the realm and state to minute details in remote, confined places. The Heart King is skilled at gathering in joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, as well as affection, aversion, and desire. It also changes with a person’s character: when a person is upright, the spirit is upright; when a person is fawning and crooked, the spirit too becomes perverse.

When a person cuts off desires and lets go of emotional attachments, Jing and Qi are full, and the spirit grows vigorous and luminous, lending the person a beautiful appearance. But when desires are excessive and body and mind are worn down, the spirit weakens and can no longer remain within itself. If a person drinks to excess and loses control, behaving filthily and without integrity, the spirit follows this state and may even encourage it.

The Wuzhen pian says, “It is a pity that Jing and Shen belong to Yin and are difficult to keep firmly within the body.” It also says, “If those who cultivate the Dao focus only on cultivating themselves, all they can do is refine Jing, refine Qi, and refine Shen. Yet these three are originally one, and all come into being only after Heaven and Earth are formed. They are purely Yin, without Yang. How, then, can they be transformed into a purely Yang body and transcend Heaven and Earth?” Here, the Jing, Qi, and Shen in question are those of the human body.

Ziyang—Zhang Boduan, whose religious name was Perfected One Ziyang—was perhaps seeking to remind people that without attaining the precelestial Yang spirit, the postcelestial Jing, Qi, and Shen generated within the body alone cannot be transformed into a purely Yang body that transcends Heaven and Earth.

The Realized One of Ziyang, Zhang Boduan, said that unless people first recognize the “Yang Spirit”—the innate awareness that existed before Heaven and Earth—and unite it with their own Jing, Qi, and Shen, they can never become immortals. As the legendary Fu Dashi says in his verse on the Diamond Sutra: “Even after passing through eighty thousand kalpas, in the end one still returns to emptiness and extinction.”

The spirit said to precede Heaven and Earth is also called the “Real Person Without Position.” Buddhists call it the “Buddha of Hridaya.” Once you recognize this spirit, you can put its wondrous capacity to use. It governs life and death: it brings people into death and into birth. Those who cultivate toward immortality or Buddhahood must let it guide their practice if they are to attain anything.

This spirit originally has no beginning or end, back or front, face, name, or title. Yet it can share the names and titles of Buddhas, and it can adapt to people’s forms of address and preferences. If someone’s surname and given name are Zhang San, it too is called Zhang San; if someone is named Jingang, it too is called Jingang; if someone takes the sobriquet Fayan, it likewise takes the name Fayan. If someone likes eating fire dates, it likes eating fire dates too. This is because its nature is to follow people’s preferences. It is precisely what is meant by the spirit that precedes Heaven and Earth. The Scripture of the Hidden Tally (Yinfu Jing) says: “People know that it manifests as spirit, but do not know that it is originally without form or trace. It is precisely for this reason that it can become spirit.”

A true cultivator must first understand this spirit and hold it in reverence. If one comprehends it completely, one can become an immortal. This spirit can command the “four mind spirits,” the “four wisdom spirits,” and the “eight consciousness spirits”—Buddhist classifications describing the functions of consciousness. It can not only make use of them, but also transform them, thereby bringing its wondrous powers into play.

Great practitioners must first understand this “spirit” (the inner awareness and mental activity), and treat it with reverence and care. If they understand it completely, they can become immortals. This spirit can direct the Four Mind Spirits, the Four Wisdom Spirits, and the Eight Consciousness Spirits. It can not only make use of them, but also transform them: the Eight Consciousnesses become the Eight Vajras, the Four Wisdoms become the Four Bodhisattvas, and the Four Minds become the Four Buddhas.

The Four Buddhas are named the Buddha of Hṛdaya, the Buddha of Ālayā, the Buddha of Citta, and the Buddha of Kṛdaya. The Four Bodhisattvas are the Bodhisattva of Great Accomplishment, the Bodhisattva of Wondrous Observation Wisdom, the Bodhisattva of Equality Wisdom, and the Bodhisattva of Great Mirror Wisdom. The Eight Consciousness Vajras include the Vajra of Form Consciousness; the Vajras of Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch, and Dharma Consciousness; and the Vajras of Transmitting Consciousness and Storehouse Consciousness. Daoists call this spirit the “Spirit Sovereign,” though it has many other names. Those who do not understand cultivation are instead ruled by it. How, then, could they master and use it?

The Huangting Jing says: “Immortals and Daoist adepts are not born with supernatural powers; they attain the true Dao by gathering Jing and Qi.” It also says: “Carefully guard the small space within the heart, so that spirit returns to its own abode; even the aged can regain their strength.” The Patriarch Chunyang says: “When spirit, Qi, and blood return to the Three Essentials, south, north, east, and west become one.” He also says: “Spirit nourishes the numinous root, and Qi nourishes spirit; apart from this true Dao, there is no other truth.” Master Cao says: “Cultivation depends on spirit and Qi; if they are unsettled, cultivation is futile.” He also says: “Spirit pertains to nature, and Qi pertains to life; when spirit does not rush outward, Qi naturally settles.” Celestial Master Xujing says: “If spirit scatters outward, gather it back; when spirit returns to the body, Qi will naturally return as well.” Master Bai says: “The spirit spoken of here is not the mind-spirit of ordinary thought and activity; it may be spoken of alongside the Primordial Beginning.”

All these teachings concern the three things: spirit, Qi, and Jing. When they interact, following their natural course gives rise to human beings; reversing their course brings forth the Neidan Elixir.

What is meant by “following the natural course”? From the One, the Two emerge. A perfected person once said, “The Shen spoken of here is not the Shen of thought and discernment; it may be discussed alongside the Primordial Beginning.” All of this depends on three things: Shen, Qi, and Jing. Shen, Qi, and Jing respond to one another and, following their natural transformations, give rise to the human being. Reverse this process, and the Elixir can be refined.

What is meant by “following the natural course”? The One gives rise to the Two, the Two gives rise to the Three, and the Three gives rise to the myriad things. Thus, the void transforms and gives rise to Shen; Shen transforms and gives rise to Qi; Qi transforms and gives rise to Jing; Jing transforms and gives rise to form, and the formed body becomes a human being. What is meant by “reversing the course”? The myriad things originally contain Shen, Qi, and Jing; then one returns from Three to Two, and from Two to One. Those who understand this principle can nurture their spirit and preserve their form, cultivate the body to refine Jing, gather Jing to transform it into Qi, refine Qi until it joins with Shen, and then refine Shen until it returns to the void. In this way, the Golden Elixir can be refined. What one seeks to return to is that which existed before Heaven and Earth.

To obtain this, one must rely on the wondrous workings of the Shen that precedes Heaven and Earth, setting in motion the “eight consciousnesses”—eight functions associated with the activity of mind and awareness. They gather the Elixir and take lead, guard and secure the medicine, and carry and protect it; all of this depends on their power. Among the eight consciousnesses, the “Dharma-consciousness Shen” governs human intention: when intention stirs, it acts; when intention ceases, it too ceases. There is also the “Bodhisattva of Equality-Wisdom,” who governs the Vajra of the transmitting consciousness, and the “Bodhisattva of Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom,” who governs the Vajra of the storehouse consciousness. All of these follow the direction of the intention Shen: when intention sends them, they go; when it calls them back, they return. At the beginning of cultivation, refining the Elixir depends entirely on this Shen; hence the term “immortal.”

Although you have already obtained this “spirit,” you must still know where it resides. The Song of the Golden Elixir says, “The body is like a house, and the house is like the body; the one who dwells within it may be likened to the spirit.” It also says, “The place where the spirit resides at the center of the body is originally empty, still, and unoccupied; innate, true Qi comes there of its own accord.”

The Classic for Nourishing Life says that the Lower Dantian lies three inches below the navel, covers an area about four inches across, and is situated between the spine and the two kidneys. It describes its left, right, upper, lower, and central regions through the five colors—blue-green, white, yellow, black, and red. It calls this place the “Great Sea,” because it stores a person’s blood and Qi. It is also called the “Great Central Pole,” meaning that it lies at the center of the body, between above and below and in all four directions. This Dantian, occupying the central and proper position, is the “Spirit Chamber of the Golden Embryo,” the Spirit Chamber spoken of in alchemical practice.

The Classic of Gold and Jade says, “The Spirit Chamber is the key to refining the elixir and the foundation of all the ingredients. Cinnabar and mercury each occupy their proper place; Yang Qi emerges from here, and Yin Qi enters here.” It also says, “Only by making use of the Spirit Chamber can the Golden Elixir be refined.” And it says, “Once the Spirit Chamber’s position is established, transformation takes place within it.”

Here, “Spirit Chamber” refers to the cauldron of the Upper and Lower Dantian—the place that receives and combines the ingredients in alchemical terminology. “Establishing positions” means matching Yin and Yang, the female and the male, according to a set relationship. “Transformation” refers to the roles played by lead and mercury in the alchemical process.

My master said, “The sages feared that the secrets of Heaven might be disclosed. Thus Daoism takes ‘wondrous being within true emptiness’ as its foundation, and often uses names such as cinnabar, mercury, red lead, black mercury, infant, maiden, Ding Gong, Huang Po, yellow sprouts, and white snow as metaphors. These expressions can easily mislead people into thinking they refer to actual substances, and so the deluded make wild guesses.

“Those who study the Dao take statements that seem plausible but are false to be real. They believe that the ‘Golden Mother’ is a substance to be gathered and refined outside the body. Fixated on physical matter, they may even sink into impure practices such as gathering and replenishing through sexual union. In the end, they still fail to understand the wonder of ‘true emptiness.’

“Buddhism takes ‘wondrous emptiness that is not empty’ as its foundation, and often uses things such as foxes and monkeys, dogs, dew-covered pillars, temple poles, yellow blossoms, green bamboo, sticks and fly whisks, flowers and grasses, lanterns, Buddha halls, the waters of the Western River, and Zhaozhou’s tea as metaphors. These examples seem to make no sense at all and are difficult to understand. When scholars cannot think them through or discuss them, they call them ‘Chan riddles.’ As a result, they become attached to ‘nothingness,’ falling into stagnant, lifeless sitting in emptiness; some even pursue trance and out-of-body states. In the end, they too fail to understand the wonder of ‘not being empty.’ Who would know that Chan Buddhism worries people may fall into the dead emptiness of lifeless sitting, while Daoism likewise warns against taking crooked and deviant paths?”

Seeking Buddhahood and cultivating immortality is, in the end, a matter of great importance. From a single sentence spoken by my teacher, I grasped the essential point. It was as though a bright mirror hung in a lofty hall within me, reflecting everything that came and went. Now I will point out a great Dao for all to walk together.

Perfected Peng said, “In a single day, one can gather the vital energy of Heaven and Earth accumulated over 4,220 years.” The Nameless Master said, “Heaven, the first, gives rise to Water; in the human body, this is Jing. Earth, the second, gives rise to Fire; in the human body, this is Shen.” Great practitioners have long cultivated by observing with subtle awareness. The words of Perfected Peng and the Nameless Master explain that cultivation involves gathering the vital energy of Heaven and Earth and nurturing the body’s Jing and Shen.

Practitioners must use the Bodhisattva of Wondrous Observation Wisdom (a Buddhist term referring here to the wisdom of observing and discerning) to regulate and direct their practice, and put the Hridaya Buddha (referring here to the heart or spirit-mind) to work. On the night of the third day of the eighth month, during the Zi and Gui hours (traditional hours and cyclical dating by Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches), hurry to western Sichuan to gather lead and obtain gold. Swiftly ride the White Tiger (a force symbolized in Neidan practice), and return with the Vajra who Transmits Consciousness. Then hand them over to the Bodhisattva of Wondrous Observation Wisdom, who sends them into the spirit chamber (an inner place where Shen and Qi are nurtured and preserved), to be received, locked away, and sealed together with the Divine Lords Gouchen and Tengshe (Daoist deities).

At first, the Dragon and Tiger battle; later, they are subdued. The Bodhisattva of Wondrous Observation Wisdom and the Buddha of Dry Heart (referring here to the spirit-mind) must work together without being apart for even a moment, guarding the practice day and night. After ten months of such protection, a golden ascetic, named Perfected Shangyang, will take charge of the practice within the body. The two Buddhas will continue to watch over him as before, not allowing him to leave easily or travel far. After a cycle of two years, once the two Buddhas have handed the fruits of the practice over to Perfected Shangyang, rewards may be given according to merit. Elder Zhengyang said, “Moving freely throughout Heaven and Earth, one is not directed by those close to oneself.” This describes precisely that state.

Zhang Silian’s Instructions on Emerging from the Spirit says, “Having attained the complete original substance of Taiji, one can see one’s original face. The single spark of innate true nature has the postnatal body as its dwelling.” Patriarch Lü said, “When the nine years of fire-phase cultivation have truly been completed, the Gate of Heaven at the crown of the head suddenly opens, and the Perfected One appears, endowed with great spiritual powers. From then on, one may congratulate him on becoming a Celestial Immortal.”

The postnatal Shen and the innate Shen, accompanied by countless millions of attendants, join the one who has become a Perfected One in riding a cloud chariot straight to the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the collective name for Daoist high deities and their abodes), where they receive their ranks in the immortal realm. This is called ascending to Heaven in broad daylight: a great man has accomplished the great undertaking of cultivating immortality.

The alchemical scriptures Jinbi and Guwen state that nothing in alchemical practice is more important than “gold and fire.” Here, “gold and fire” refers to true lead, a specialized term in Neidan cultivation.

The scriptures also say: “The Primordial Sovereign begins refining mercury; the spirit chamber, the inner or symbolic place used for alchemical work, holds within it the qi of the empty mystery. The qi of dark whiteness gives birth to the Metal Lord, and so the lofty first foundation is established.” “The spirit chamber is used to carry out the refinement; only then can the Golden Elixir take form.” Master Boyang says: “Only when gold returns to its original nature can it be called the Reverted Elixir.”

Shangyangzi explains that the “gold” here is not worldly metal. It is the so-called “Metal Lord,” referring to the metal nature or true lead in Neidan practice.

Shangyangzi said, “‘Gold’ does not mean the gold spoken of in the everyday world. Rather, ‘lead’ is used to refer to gold. Lead is considered the source of gold and silver, so alchemical methods refer to it collectively as ‘gold.’ What is meant here is neither the gold and silver treasures of the world nor metals mined from earth and stone. It is the primordial Qi (the fundamental energy from before the generation of all things), which must be sought within the acquired physical form. Great practitioners trace back to the state before the Taiji (the source from which Heaven, Earth, and all things had not yet differentiated), and through understanding and seeking it, they can reach the true origin. Thus, high immortals and supreme sages seek, after Heaven and Earth have taken shape and all things have acquired form, the Qi that existed before their birth, and use it to refine pure Yang. This is why it is called the Elixir.

“Pure Yang corresponds to the Qian trigram, and pure Yin to the Kun trigram. Yang contained within Yin is the Kan trigram; Yin contained within Yang is the Li trigram. By analogy with the human body, practitioners take the Yang line from the center of Kan and place it in Li, transforming Li’s Yin line into Yang until Li becomes Qian. This is why it is called pure Yang. The line at the center of Kan belongs to Metal, so it is called the Golden Elixir. What is sought is something innate that has not yet appeared in bodily form. A person or thing that has taken form after Heaven and Earth came into being is not the Golden Elixir. Yet the Golden Elixir is not gold, lead, or silver; it refers to that current of Qi. Shangyangzi’s teacher, Yuanduzi, expressed this meaning when he said, ‘The innate One Qi comes from the midst of emptiness and nothingness.’

“The Huangting Jing says, ‘The returning child embraces yellow and enters the Dantian; within the secluded chamber, brightness shines upon the gate of Yang.’ This means gathering and settling Jing and Qi in the Dantian (the place in Daoist Neidan where Jing and Qi are stored and cultivated), so that the inner, quiet place grows bright and illuminates the gate through which Yang Qi arises. The scripture also says, ‘Breathe the primordial Qi in pursuit of immortality.’

“Master Wei Lü’s Book of the Great Learning of the Innate says, ‘The sage can make the One Qi return to its source and restore its original destiny, so that the original Shen (the primordial spirit) joins with the Dao, generating life without end and governing the myriad forms. This is called “attaining the One,” and it is provisionally called the Elixir. This is no ordinary art. It is the wondrous principle of the Qian Dao’s movement and transformation, the unfathomable changes of Yin and Yang, and the supreme, true reality of Taiji. It encompasses the roots of nature and life and is called “the return of the Golden Liquid to the True.” It is a path of cultivation in which both body and spirit reach a refined state. It is exceedingly simple, and once achieved, it endures. With the secret instructions, even a dull person can quickly enter the realm of the sages. What is called an immortal is one who can dispel Yin and transform it into Yang, embrace and preserve the original Shen, and thereby attain immortality.’

“Danyang Weng said, ‘When nature and temperament are settled, desires fade; when the body is empty and still, Qi can move; when thoughts are quiet, the spirit comes alive; when Yang Qi flourishes, Yin Qi recedes.’

“After receiving an oath-bound transmission from a true master, a great practitioner should promptly remove the Yin Qi within and bring Yang Qi to its utmost purity. Yingchanzi said, ‘The Yang Qi in ordinary people does not run out before they die; the Yin Qi in great practitioners must be entirely removed before they can become immortals.’ When thoughts cease, Yin Qi recedes; when false entanglements disperse, Yang Qi grows. Once Yin has been entirely removed and Yang is fully pure, the Golden Elixir is refined. When the elixir is mature, consciousness ascends to the realm of immortals: this is what is called becoming an immortal.”

“Humanity steals from the myriad things” means that people draw upon the essence of all things. “The sun and moon have their measures; the great and the small have their numbers. From these arise sage-like accomplishments, and wondrous powers emerge” means that the movements of Heaven and Earth each follow their own patterns and measures. Only by following these patterns can one achieve subtle and profound effects and bring forth wondrous workings.

The Jinbi Jing says, “Refine silver within lead, and wondrous things will arise of themselves.” The Cantong qi says, “Things of the same kind are easy to work with in practice; things of different kinds are difficult to bring into subtle accord.” These passages use alchemy to explain that the “medicinal substances” used in cultivation must be compatible in nature.

Patriarch Danyang explains the correspondences in cultivation step by step: Shen and Qi are nature and life; nature and life are the Dragon and Tiger; the Dragon and Tiger are lead and mercury; lead and mercury are Water and Fire; Water and Fire are the Infant and Maiden—the Infant and the Maiden symbolize Yin and Yang coming together—and the Infant and Maiden are true Yin and true Yang. Here, lead and mercury, Water and Fire, and the Dragon and Tiger are all Neidan terms for Yin and Yang within the human body, Shen and Qi, and their interactions.

The Venerable Ziyang says, “Merely swallowing saliva and taking in Qi are ordinary people’s practices; only when true medicinal substances are present can transformation be brought about. If the cauldron and furnace contain no true seed, it is like boiling an empty pot with Water and Fire.” This stresses that Neidan cultivation requires more than outward practices of swallowing and breathing: it must also have the essential inner conditions. The “cauldron” refers to the furnace that metaphorically represents body and mind in cultivation, while the “true seed” refers to the fundamental medicinal substance that can set cultivation in motion.

He also says, “Know that the source from which the medicinal substance arises lies in the southwest.” This uses directional terminology from Neidan to indicate where the medicinal substance forms; it does not simply refer to the southwest as a direction in ordinary geography.

Shangyangzi says: Since ancient times, sages and immortals who attained the Dao have left behind alchemical texts, yet have refused to explain their principles fully and plainly. The “ingredients” described in these texts—along with Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, lead, mercury, cinnabar, and silver—are all metaphors. Yet worldly people take the smelting of metals to be cultivation, and mistake ordinary lead, mercury, cinnabar, and sulfur for elixirs. It is truly pitiful that they should mislead others in this way.

I will now make these principles clear. Know that although the ingredients described in alchemical texts are said to be sought among the myriad things, they are neither ordinary metals, stones, plants, and trees of the world, nor tangible substances with form and material nature. Yet they must also be understood through the body and mind, which do have form. They are like gold, but not the gold of the world; like water, but not ordinary water. The ingredients are further divided into inner and outer ingredients.

The outer ingredient is sought by drawing from the Kan trigram (which symbolizes Water, the kidneys, and so on) the precelestial True One Water; from this water one then seeks the precelestial, undisturbed lead, and from this lead gathers and refines the precelestial Qi of the Great One. This Qi is “white within black, Yang within Yin.” The Wuzhen pian says, “Take the solid center from the position of Kan”; this is what it means. True One Water is pure, authentic vital essence. It is regarded as the foundation of Heaven and Earth, the source of Yin and Yang, the basis of Water and Fire, the root of the sun and moon, and the progenitor of the myriad things.

The Qiqi tu says: Kan symbolizes Water and the moon, and corresponds in the human body to the kidneys. The kidneys can generate Jing, and Jing contains pure Yang Qi, which rises upward. Jing belongs to Yin and Qi to Yang, so lead is soft while silver is hard. The tiger belongs to Metal, and Metal generates Water. According to the alchemical principle that Yin and Yang give rise to one another through opposition, the mother conceals the offspring within her; hence it is said that the tiger is born from Water. When the tiger is paired with lead, this is called “Yang within Yin.” This passage speaks only of the outer ingredient.

The inner ingredient is sought by drawing from the Li trigram (which symbolizes Fire, the heart, and so on) the precelestial True One Fluid; from this fluid one then sets in motion the sand that has accumulated over a long time, and transforms it into the precelestial, utmost-true mercury. This mercury is “black within white, Yin within Yang.” The Wuzhen pian says, “Transform the Yin within the belly of the Li Palace”; this is precisely what it means. The Qiqi tu says: Li symbolizes Fire and the sun, and corresponds in the human body to the heart. The heart can generate blood, and blood contains pure, authentic fluid that flows downward to the lower part of the body. Blood belongs to Yang and fluid to Yin, so sand belongs to Yang and mercury to Yin. The dragon belongs to Wood, and Wood generates Fire. According to the alchemical principle that Yin and Yang give rise to one another through opposition, the mother conceals the offspring within her; hence it is said that the dragon is born from Fire. When the dragon is paired with mercury, this is called “Yin within Yang.” This passage speaks only of the inner ingredient.

Yingchanzi says: Those who study the Dao in general should begin with the outer ingredient, then proceed to cultivate the inner ingredient. Those with deep foundations and an innate understanding of the Dao may forgo refining the outer ingredient and cultivate the inner ingredient directly. The inner ingredient embodies Wuwei (non-action), which accomplishes everything; the outer ingredient involves deliberate action. The inner ingredient has no form or substance, yet truly exists; the outer ingredient has form and function, yet is not an actual elixir. The outer ingredient concerns the physical body, while the inner ingredient concerns the Dharma body; the outer ingredient is the Way of the terrestrial immortal, while the inner ingredient is the Way of the celestial immortal. The outer ingredient cultivates life, while the inner ingredient cultivates innate nature. Since the Dao encompasses Yin and Yang, the elixir is divided into inner and outer.

Wumingzi says: The Li trigram is Yang on the outside and Yin within, while the Kan trigram is Yin on the outside and Yang within. Use the Yang within Kan to transform the Yin within Li, and the result is the Qian trigram, a metaphor for the Golden Elixir. This is like the utmost Yang Qi congealing within a Yin root. Draw it forth to transform the Yin mercury within oneself, and the body can thereby be changed into a body of pure Yang.

Shangyangzi believed that discussing only one side without addressing the other was untenable. So he explained the matter repeatedly and without weariness, leaving behind these oral instructions on the alchemical method so that later practitioners could understand them.

Elder Haichan’s “Song of the Golden Elixir” says: “To transcend the ordinary and enter the realm of sages, one cannot do without both the Yin Elixir and the Yang Elixir. To refine the Yang Elixir, one must obtain the treasure of the precelestial realm, which contains the essence of the Five Phases and enfolds the Great Dao. To refine the Yin Elixir, one must recognize precelestial Qi and constantly protect the foundation of life through the roots of nature and life.”

The Yang Elixir is Waidan (external alchemy), also called the external medicine. The ancients believed that the mechanism of Heaven and Earth’s creative transformation operates within the “two-eight furnace” and can produce the elixir in less than half an hour. Once refined, it takes effect at once. It is the True One Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth took shape, called “True Lead,” and also known as the “Flowery Pool,” “Spirit Water,” and “True Gold.” Zhenyizi says: “When Heaven and Earth had not yet formed and all was chaos, True Lead existed before physical form. Heaven and Earth, Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, and all things gradually came into being from it.” Practitioners gather True Lead and place it in the “Suspended Embryo Cauldron”—an alchemical term for the vessel in which the ingredients are placed—then add “Mercury” to the furnace. This is called Waidan.

The Yin Elixir is Neidan (internal alchemy), also called the internal medicine. After practitioners obtain the external elixir and place it in the cauldron, they use the internal transformations of Yin and Yang to model the alchemical stages of firing. They advance and withdraw the firing process at the proper times, increasing or reducing the strength of the medicine so that the elixir can be gently nourished. Patriarch Danyang says: “The saliva in the heart descends, and the Qi in the kidneys rises. When they reach the Yellow Chamber—the internal site of cultivation in Neidan—and mingle without dispersing, the elixir congeals.”

The Wuzhen Pian says: “Do not merely keep watch over the medicine furnace and observe the firing stages. Simply observe Shen and the breath, and let them move naturally.” “Shen and the breath” here refers to what Zhuangzi called “the True Person breathing down to the heels,” and what Master Guangcheng called “the elixir furnace and River Chariot needing no hurried turning; the stillness of a crane’s embryo and the even, enduring breath of a tortoise arise naturally.” Tortoise breathing, heel breathing, and the breathing of Shen have different names but the same function. This inner breath and movement of Qi are called “True Fire,” used to refine and nourish the internal medicine.

After taking the elixir, without True Fire one cannot bring forth the sacred embryo, the state symbolizing the completion of the elixir in Neidan cultivation. Therefore, one should “sit quietly and observe Shen and the breath.” Heaven’s One gives birth to Water, which corresponds in the human body to Jing; Earth’s Two gives birth to Fire, which corresponds in the human body to Shen. The human spirit moves throughout the body, harmonizing Yin-Yang and coordinating with the breath. Then, using the breath to guide Shen and Qi, and Shen and Qi to set Water and Fire in motion, one refines and nourishes embryonic breathing with Water and Fire. Embryonic breathing continues without interruption, moving between Kan and Li, symbols of Water and Fire. When Kan and Li interact, Golden Fluid is produced. Once the Golden Fluid returns, the Neidan is complete.

The wondrous use of the vessel concerns the symbolism and function of the implements used in cultivation. The Yinfu Jing says, “There is a wondrous vessel from which the myriad forms arise.” The Supreme One says, “A vessel reveals its function in the midst of emptiness.” The Longhu Shang Jing says that the vessel’s center is rounded and raised, shaped like Penghu, the legendary mountain of immortals. Its interior is sealed and fine, with spirit and Qi moving within it. This is the basis for taking the furnace and cauldron as symbolic images.

The Huangting Jing says, “Qi enters and leaves through two openings, meeting at the Yellow Court, the place within the body where cultivation takes place; breathing in emptiness makes one’s own form appear.” Master Boyang says, “The method of using these two openings corresponds to Metal Qi.” Master Ziyang says, “First take Qian and Kun—Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang—as the vessel; then gather the medicine of the Crow and Rabbit, symbols of the Sun and Moon and of Yin-Yang Qi, and cook it through refinement.”

Shangyangzi says that the “cauldron vessel” in the methods of alchemy has many names. Without meeting a true master, it is hard to make informed guesses about what they mean. Some call it the “Cauldron Vessel of Qian and Kun” or the “Enclosure of Kan and Li”; others call it the “Single Aperture of the Mysterious Pass,” the “Divine Furnace of the Great One,” the “Spirit Chamber and Yellow Room,” or the “Cauldron of Primordial Unity.” There are also names such as “Yang Furnace,” “Yin Cauldron,” “Jade Furnace,” “Golden Cauldron,” “Crescent Moon Furnace,” “Suspended Womb Cauldron,” “Two-Eight Furnace,” “Cinnabar Cauldron,” “Upper and Lower Crucibles,” “Inner and Outer Cauldrons,” “Golden Chamber,” “Radiant Might Cauldron,” and “Eastern Yang Furnace of Creation.” Though the names are numerous, they refer to different things and serve different purposes.

Take, for example, the “Inner Cauldron” and the “Outer Cauldron.” The Inner Cauldron is the lower Dantian (energy center), an important place within the body for refining Jing, Qi, and Shen. It is generally located below the navel. Some say it is three inches below the navel; others place it behind the navel and in front of the kidneys. Still others say it lies opposite the navel in front and the kidneys behind, or below the navel and above the kidneys. These accounts are like shooting at a target in the dark: it is hard to hit upon the precise location. A person who follows the Dao need only grasp the lower Dantian’s essential center. It is where Shen and Qi return and are stored. Its span is about four inches, and it is also called the “Great Central Pole,” meaning that it lies at the center of the body, above and below, front and back, and left and right. It is also called the “Great Sea,” because it can store the blood and Qi of the whole body.

The Wuzhen Pian says, “Once true Jing has returned to the Golden Chamber, a single bright pearl will never move.” Li Qing’an says, “When coupling is complete in the Qian Palace, a single point falls into the Yellow Court.” The “Golden Chamber” and “Yellow Court” mentioned here refer to the Inner Cauldron, the Spirit Chamber.

The Outer Cauldron is also called the “Grain Spirit,” the “Divine Vessel,” the “Mysterious Pass,” the “Gate of the Mysterious Female,” the “Gate of the Myriad Wonders,” or the “Subtle Aperture of Being and Nonbeing.” What these names refer to is hidden and difficult to understand, like the sound of a key in a lock to someone who is deaf. For those cultivating the Dao, the essential thing is to recognize where refinement, nourishment, and gathering take place. Perfected Person Ziyang says, “If you would have the Grain Spirit live forever, you must establish its foundation through the Mysterious Female.” Ye Wenshu’s commentary says that the Mysterious Female is an aperture of primordial unity between the two kidneys. Wumingzi, however, considers this explanation mistaken, because the Mysterious Female should consist of two things; without these two things, how could the myriad things come into being? Thus both Neidan and Waidan are obtained from this source. The sages kept it secret, calling it the “Crescent Moon Furnace” and the “Suspended Womb Cauldron.” The Cantong Qi…

The Song of the Vessel and Furnace says: The furnace and vessel measure about three chi and five cun around, with an opening four cun and eight fen across and a two-cun-wide rim. They are one chi and two cun high, with an even thickness. The waist and base are each three cun wide; when set down, the vessel should rest steadily and gently. Yin is above, while Yang Qi moves downward. Use fierce fire at both ends and gentle fire in the middle. Refine for seventy days at the beginning and thirty at the end, for a total of two hundred and sixty days, adjusting the process as needed. Yin fire is white; the Yellow Sprout belongs to lead. Each of the two forces gathers in a proportion of seven parts, supporting one another.

The opening lines of The Awakening to Reality say: The furnace and vessel measure one chi and five cun around, with a hollow space of five cun in the middle and a height of one chi and two cun. Their shape resembles Penghu, and also the human body; they are divided into three levels, corresponding to the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The furnace top measures one chi and two cun around, and the opening is one chi across. An upright rim encircles it, two cun wide and two cun thick. The opening faces upward, and the pot resembles the moon turned on its back; for this reason, Zhang Sui called it the “Reclining Moon Furnace.” The above describes the external furnace apparatus.

Immortal masters use objects as metaphors so that later students of the Dao can grasp their meaning more easily. Take expressions such as “a circle of three and five, one cun and one fen”: without a true teacher’s detailed instruction, how could anyone understand them on their own? What is more, the passages that follow contain many layers of meaning. As Ye Wenshu himself relates, he understood them suddenly only after meeting a realized adept at Danchi. Could this really be a discussion of the “Mysterious Female”? What good is it to speculate recklessly from the written words alone, without a teacher’s transmission? Having received instruction from a teacher, later students of the Dao should understand the essential meaning and avoid clinging to the literal words or the shape of the apparatus.

Now, as for the “Yin Furnace and Yang Cauldron”: the Reclining Moon Furnace is a Yin Furnace, which contains a Yang Qi called “Jade Stamen”—that is, the “Tiger’s” string Qi. Why is it called the Reclining Moon? Because the shape formed by the furnace opening as it turns upward and downward resembles a crescent moon. It serves as a metaphor for the “Yin Sea,” which contains the innate, natural Qi of the True One.

To explain the terms “yin furnace and yang cauldron” in more detail: the “Crescent Furnace” is the yin furnace. Within it is the yang Qi of the Jade Pistil, also called the tiger’s cord Qi. Why is it called the Crescent Furnace? Because the furnace mouth, seen in its upward and downward curves, resembles a crescent moon; it refers to the yin sea. The fire of the naturally true One from before Heaven—the fire of primordial Qi—arises and gradually grows within it in step with the phases of the moon, which is why it is called the yin furnace.

The “Cinnabar Cauldron” is the yang cauldron. Within it is the yin Qi of mercury, also called the dragon’s cord Qi. It is also known as the “Suspended Womb” because it does not touch the ground, but hangs inside the furnace. The cauldron is placed eight inches into the furnace; its body and belly connect from top to bottom in a straight shape, which is why it is called the yang cauldron. Terms like these should not be taken literally; one must investigate the meaning they convey.

Chapter on the Wondrous Application of Gathering

The Yinfu Jing says: “To steal the moment of Creation’s transformation—no one under Heaven can see or know it. When a noble person obtains it, they hold fast to poverty; when a petty person obtains it, they disdain life.” The Huangting Jing says: “The Mysterious Orifice, the passage for breath near the throat, is a dwelling that receives Jing and Qi. Quickly guard your own Jing and Qi; do not let them dissipate.” The Cantong qi says: “At the moment of gathering, it appears white; after refinement, it turns vermilion.” It also says: “Above the stars Ang and Bi, the Zhen Trigram appears as a sign. Yang Qi begins to arise there, like the hidden dragon symbolized by the initial nine line.”

The Jinbi Jing says: “A lodestone attracts iron; even with an obstacle between them, they communicate secretly.” Master Zhengyang says: “The meeting of being and nonbeing is the basis for forming the Elixir.” The Realized Person Ziyang says: “When lead encounters the stirring of Gui Water, gather it at once.” He also says: “When sweet dew descends, Heaven and Earth join; where the yellow sprout grows, the Kan and Li Trigrams meet.” Zhu Zhen’s Commentary on the Changes says: “At the turning from the dark day to the new moon, the Kan moon and Li sun meet at Ren and Gui.” It also says: “At dusk on the third day, the moon symbolized by the Zhen Trigram rises in the direction of Geng.” These scriptures use terms drawn from furnaces and cauldrons, Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, trigrams, and lunar phases to explain how Neidan cultivation seizes the right moment to gather and refine Jing and Qi.

Shangyangzi says: “When reading, one must grasp what the ancients truly meant. What use is it merely to recite the words as they appear? Take the phrases ‘The Sun and Moon meet Ren and Gui; at dusk on the third day, Zhen begins to arise.’ Can these words be understood by guesswork alone? How much less can they be understood by someone who has only glanced over them in haste? They seem to speak of ‘having’ and ‘not having’ joining and merging. When Gui Qi first arises, one must gather it at the proper time; Heaven and Earth unite, and Kan and Li join. Without a true teacher’s direct instruction, these principles cannot be understood through forced conjecture alone. This is what is meant by the rare and profound truths.”

Here, “Ren and Gui” refer to the Water Qi in the Heavenly Stems; “Zhen,” “Kan,” and “Li” are hexagram images from the Book of Changes, also used symbolically in Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation. “Gathering” refers to seizing a particular moment according to the methods of cultivation. Shangyangzi stresses that such terms cannot be understood literally; one must grasp their meaning within Neidan.

What is meant by “joining”? It is joining by means of not joining. What is meant by “uniting”? It is uniting by means of not uniting. What is meant by “gathering”? It is gathering by means of not gathering. “Gathering without gathering” refers to opening up the primordial vastness—the undivided, indistinct state before Heaven and Earth separated—and gathering through not gathering. “Joining without joining” refers to opening up chaos—the original state before Heaven and Earth divided—and joining through not joining. “Uniting without uniting” means uniting through not uniting amid the mists of obscurity, in a realm that is faint, deep, and elusive.

When the primordial vastness has not yet divided, one must seek the state before the Great Beginning (Taiyi), the source before Heaven and Earth divided. Once chaos has parted, one must investigate the moment of joining and union. “Uniting without uniting” means uniting through not uniting amid the mists of obscurity. Before the primordial vastness divides, one must seek what came before the Great Beginning; after chaos has parted, one must investigate the moment when “Gui is born.” In the deep, formless realm, seek the true root.

What is the primordial vastness? Its form is like an egg just beginning to take shape, akin to the idea of the “central yellow.” What is chaos? It refers to the moon appearing in the direction of Geng and the Qi of Zhen arising in the direction of Mao and Bi. The egg’s beginning to divide symbolizes tracing the origins of the myriad things back to the initial state of Taiji. The moon’s appearance in the Geng direction, meanwhile, serves to infer the time of return after “Gui is born.”

What is meant by the mists of obscurity? It is an exhortation to probe deeply into the source of life’s beginning and place the seed in the Dantian’s receptive chamber at the Qian position.

The Nameless Master says, “Gui is born when the hour of Chou is about to arrive.” Master Ziyang says, “The White Tiger’s first scripture is a supreme treasure; the divine water of the Flower Pool is true gold.” Master Xiangchuan says, “When the day is Gui and the hour is Zi, gather quickly; do not miss the moment.” These sayings concern gathering and refining. But “Gui” and “Zi” here do not simply carry the literal meanings of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, nor is “Zhen” the Zhen line of a hexagram in the Book of Changes.

The essential point of cultivation that I describe is to bring Kan and Li together at the Gui hour, and to experience within the human body all these images: the moon appearing, the Qi of Zhen arising, the mists of obscurity, the egg just beginning to form, and the Great Beginning before division. Thus, the winter solstice does not invariably fall at the Zi hour.

Master Shangyang said, “Those who speak of ‘gathering’—the process of collecting and using Jing and Qi in alchemical practice—should first understand: What serves as the instrument for gathering? And what directs the gathering?

“Yuan Duzi said, ‘A person’s lucid awareness is the formless “Nonbeing”; it is Shen. The vital activity that swirls and flows is the formed “Being”; it is Qi.’ The Patriarch Zhengyang said, ‘What power enables one to enter Heaven above and Earth below? The wondrous, numinous workings must rely on Shen.’ These words express the very point: Shen, too, is a kind of ‘thing.’ In other words, gathering must rely on this awareness, this Shen.

“Master Danyang said, ‘Quickly set aside the distinction between self and others, and urgently break through the apertures of the Dragon and Tiger.’ Here, ‘Dragon and Tiger’ are symbolic terms in Neidan (internal alchemy), referring to the Yin-Yang Qi within the body and the key points through which it moves. The Cantong qi says, ‘The three treasures—ears, eyes, and mouth—must be closed, not opened outward. The True Person sinks into the abyss, then floats and roams, keeping to the center of the compass.’ These passages all speak of gathering one’s attention, drawing oneself inward, and quietly awaiting inner change.

“Yet single-minded concentration can be achieved only for a moment. Practitioners cannot complete their cultivation through that moment alone. Why is this?”

A practice accomplished over a period of time actually takes only half a shichen, or one double-hour. The practitioner enters a quiet chamber and begins the work, seeking to seize the creative powers of Heaven and Earth and the essences of the sun and moon, so that the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) gather and the Four Images come into harmony. The saying “Heaven’s gate is in the hands, Earth’s axis follows the heart” means that the key to cultivation lies in one’s own ability to maintain control. The True Person hides deep within; the sword flies to the moon’s cavern; Water and Fire join at the Yellow Path; the Dragon and Tiger contend on the Magpie Bridge. These are all metaphors in Neidan (internal alchemy) for the movement of Qi (vital energy) and the meeting of Yin-Yang. In an instant, the practitioner must grasp the essentials of the seventy-two pentads and seize the vital force that courses through Heaven and Earth over the course of a year, reversing it and returning it to the embryo’s origin. How could this be done without deep practice? The Patriarch of Pure Yang said, “The creative powers race against each other, and Dragon and Tiger do battle; when the fire is advanced, the two sides clash like fighting bulls, as the Dipper and Ox constellations contend.” This describes the key to practice during half a shichen.

Those with a deep foundation and suitable aptitude must first refine themselves and steady their hearts, even after receiving a master’s guidance, before they can undertake the practice of half a shichen. Without this foundation, to rush into a hazy, profound state during that period and seek the primordial One Qi—the original energy formed before birth—as fuel for the fire may put one in danger. Beginning the work in haste without first refining oneself will inevitably lead to loss of control, such as the White Tiger running wild and the Maiden fleeing. The scripture also uses images such as frost falling in summer, scorching heat in winter, the sun and moon falling out of their proper courses, and sudden wind and rain to describe the consequences of disordered practice: not only will the work fail, but one will bring disgrace upon oneself. If students do not reflect on their inadequate self-refinement and unsettled resolve, but instead complain that the alchemical classics are untrue or blame their master, they have misunderstood both the classics and their master’s teaching.

The Venerable Ziyang said, “If you wish to complete the Nine Reversions, you must first refine yourself and steady your heart.” The Patriarch of Pure Yang likewise said, “To return the Elixir through the Seven Returns, first refine yourself and wait for the right moment.” Refining oneself chiefly means abandoning sexual desire, ending attachment to love and affection, taking wealth lightly, and carefully cultivating virtue and upholding one’s conduct. When sexual desire is cast aside, Jing and Qi can be preserved; only with Jing and Qi abundant can one hope to subdue the Dragon and Tiger and then gather and refine the primordial One Qi. It is not enough to keep away from desire: one must cultivate oneself until desire no longer draws one along.

The Perfected Liu of Longevity spent three years cultivating in Luoyang; this is an example of refining oneself. The “trials in taverns and brothels” described by Venerable Nitan are likewise a way of testing oneself through varied circumstances. With long practice, thoughts gradually become clear and one naturally grows indifferent to passion and desire. This does not mean letting thoughts run free, but learning to subdue them. The first step in subduing them is to end attachment to love and affection. Passion is often stirred by external circumstances: attachment to circumstances gives rise to concern, and concern gives rise to love. End this attachment, so that you can face external things without being moved by them; only then can thoughts become clear. The Scripture of Clarity and Stillness says, “Look within at your own mind and know that the mind has no fixed substance; look outward at your form and know that form has no fixed substance; look at external things from afar and know that they, too, have no fixed substance.” Only by steadying the heart in this way can one refine Lead and temper Mercury, obtaining the supreme treasure spoken of in Neidan.

To obtain this supreme treasure, one must first prepare the conditions for cultivation: settle body and mind and set up the Elixir Cauldron. One must also have material resources to support the work. These can provide what cultivation requires, and can also help others and advance the Way. Using one’s resources to assist others can win their trust and goodwill. The Collection of a Hundred Chapters says, “When ordinary people seek treasures in Heaven, they must use worldly treasures in their search.” Thus worldly wealth, too, can be used to seek the supreme treasure of cultivation. Beyond this, one must help others through virtuous conduct: virtue can move Heaven and Earth, and good deeds can reach the spirits. Virtue means doing good in secret and accumulating the roots of goodness; conduct means upholding one’s dignity and not deceiving one’s own heart. When virtue and material resources complement each other, and one can face external things without attachment, the spirit becomes full and steady. Only with all four in place has one truly refined oneself and steadied the heart. Only then can one gather and refine the primordial true One Qi, practice the “two phases within one period,” and cultivate the Nine-Turn Great Reversion Elixir of Liquid Gold.

Self-refinement must continue day after day, without letting up. Only after many years of mature practice should one enter the quiet chamber and begin the work. In the chamber, one must settle the six faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—and allow the inner workings to emerge. The Cantong qi says, “Receive the Qi of the Li position into the channels of nourishment and defense; at the Kan position, rely not on the keen discernment of ear and eye. At the Dui position, unite without words; speak little and accord with the primordial undifferentiated state. Once these three are closed, relax the body and dwell in a quiet chamber; return the will to emptiness, and take thoughtlessness as your constant measure.” These words mean that one should temporarily restrain the senses and speech, and devote oneself to waiting for the right moment.

When gathering the medicine—a Neidan term for gathering and refining the body’s original Qi—one must guard it closely and remain alert. The hexagram Fu in the Book of Changes says, “What the Fu hexagram reveals—is it not the heart of Heaven and Earth?” It also says, “On the day of the winter solstice, the former kings closed the passes; merchants and travelers did not go about, and the ruler did not tour the regions.” These passages all illustrate the need for caution and stillness in cultivation. The Poem Pointing the Way says, “Close the mouth and eyes; lower the curtains and gaze in stillness. White snow swirls and crosses through the empty air. Gather it carefully; do not let it disperse. Wait in stillness for the solitary moon to rise.” Here, “Dui” refers to the mouth, “curtains” to the eyelids, and “white snow” to Waidan (external alchemy). The Venerable Zhengyang uses these images to admonish later practitioners to restrain the senses and guard the work carefully while gathering and refining.

Guangchengzi said to the Yellow Emperor, “Guard what is within and close off what is without; knowing too much can spoil things. I will lead you up to the realm of brightness, to the source of utmost Yang; I will also take you through the gate of darkness, to the source of utmost Yin.” He also said, “That thing has no end, yet people think it has a finish; it cannot be measured, yet people think they have reached its limit.”

Shangyangzi says, “What is regarded as the ultimate is the foundation on which a person stands. It can guide you into the deep and mysterious gate and bring you to the source of utmost Yin.” He also says, “That which is boundless and inexhaustible is nevertheless regarded by everyone as an endpoint; that which is unfathomable is nevertheless regarded by everyone as a limit.”

Shangyangzi says, “What is regarded as the ultimate is also the foundation on which people rely. The sources of utmost Yang and utmost Yin are the gate to a realm without end or measure; this is the ‘Mysterious Female,’ the Daoist name for the wondrous gate through which the myriad things come into being. The Perfected Ziyang says, ‘Once you gather the earth-soul to subdue cinnabar mercury, the heavenly hun will naturally come to master water-metal.’ The earth-soul is the bowstring Qi represented by the tiger: the Yang Qi within the Kan trigram, which symbolizes water and Yang contained within Yin. The heavenly hun is the bowstring Qi represented by the dragon: the Yin within the Li trigram, which symbolizes fire and Yin contained within Yang. The tiger corresponds to lead and represents the ruler, the dominant force, so it is taken first to subdue mercury. The dragon corresponds to mercury and represents the minister, the responsive force, so it is used afterward to regulate lead. Thus, the tiger uses the Yang fire contained within Yin to refine the Qian dragon, and the dragon then answers it with the Yin fire contained within Yang. Once lead and mercury join and congeal, they are immediately ingested into the Golden Chamber, the inner place where the Golden Elixir is nurtured. An ancient immortal’s poem says, ‘Fragrance arises from foulness; sweetness comes from bitterness.’”

The Elder of Pure Yang says, “Gather the medicine above the Nine Palaces, then guide it downward into the Yellow Court, the Dantian area around the spleen and stomach in Daoist internal cultivation. Draw lead from beneath the Crooked River, a Neidan term for a corresponding place within the body, then carry it upward to the inner courtyard. Jade liquid and golden liquid are both substances used in the circulation of the Reverted Elixir; they can refine the body and make water-Qi rise. Sovereign Fire and ministerial fire, meanwhile, are stirred by the circulation used in refining the body; they can fire the elixir and drive fire-Qi downward. Each turn of the Five Qi returning to their source, when the Qi of the five organs gather in one place, has its proper moment; each turn of the Three Flowers gathering at the crown, when Jing, Qi, and Shen gather at the head, has its appointed time. Once Shen and Qi have congealed, disturbances by demons often arise. At such times, circulate true fire to refine the body and make the Three Corpses, the three harmful spirits said to inhabit the body and drain life, disappear. Once the medicine is refined, even if the seas run dry, bathe it by circulating the rosy essence, the refined fluids of internal cultivation; then you can reach the state of entering water without stirring its surface.”

He also says, “When dragon and tiger unite, they transform into the Yellow Sprout, a sign that the Golden Elixir is beginning to form. Draw out lead and add mercury, and the Great Medicine can be refined. In the Mysterious Warrior Palace, the golden essence obtained through cultivation has just begun to rise; beneath Jade Capital Mountain, the symbolic site of the head in Daoist internal cultivation, true Qi has only just begun to ascend. Set the River Chariot, the internal route that carries Jing and Qi, in motion until it reaches the crown, and let jade liquid pour into the Central Passage within the body. Stir the dragon and tiger into action so that the golden essence soars; nurture the embryonic immortal, the spiritual embryo formed through Neidan cultivation, and true Qi will be born from it.”

Shangyangzi says: When a sage teacher—one who has attained the Dao—guides others in cultivation, he is always concerned that his teaching may not be complete enough. Cultivation is a matter of great importance. It is not like refining medicines by fire. When genuine cultivation begins, what is called “gathering” is not something another person can see with the eyes or hear with the ears.

What, then, is gathered and taken? I will explain it in more detail. What is gathered is primordial Qi; what is taken is “true One lead,” an Neidan term for the true Yang Qi spoken of in refinement and cultivation. This means gathering the Yang line within the Kan trigram and taking the “tiger in the water”—the Yang Qi concealed within Kan—bringing white out of darkness and Yang out of Yin.

This is certainly not the gathering of essence and taking of blood described by deviant paths. Nor is it the practice of returning sexual essence to the brain after intercourse, or bedroom arts such as “one deep thrust and nine shallow ones” or “the Three Peaks’ gathering and contest, with shifting movements.” Shangyangzi considers these practices the work of worldly, ignorant people. They do not seek out a true teacher, but pass their errors among themselves. In doing so, they not only waste their own efforts but also damage the Dao of cultivation.

Those who truly practice must investigate the root of human life, understand the original mind that existed before Taiji—the fundamental order from which the cosmos arises—and contemplate the mysteries that precede the appearance of creation and transformation, the arising and changing of the myriad things under Heaven and Earth. The text then uses the waxing and waning of the moon and its changing positions to illustrate the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang and the return of Yang Qi. At the end and beginning of the lunar month, the moon’s light disappears; afterward, reflecting the sun, it shines again. When “in the southwest, one gains a companion,” moonlight appears from the Geng position in the west and gradually gives rise to the movement of Yang Qi symbolized by the Zhen trigram.

Following this line of inquiry, one comes to understand that human beings are born by receiving the “Qi of the true One,” primordial, empty, profound, and mysterious. One also understands that beyond one’s mother there is a “Mother” who is the source of life, and through this recognizes the fundamental source of true lead.

What is the fundamental source of true lead? Before Heaven and Earth were divided, the undifferentiated Qi divided: Qian, symbolizing pure Yang, transformed into Xun, symbolizing wind, and later changed into Li, symbolizing fire. Its true Yang is concealed within Kan. Midway through, the text again asks, “What is the ancestral source of true lead?” and repeats the explanation beginning, “Once the undifferentiated whole had been divided, Qian then became Xun.”