《云笈七签》Vol. 29

“Zhen” corresponds to Mount Song among the Five Sacred Peaks, the spleen among the five organs, and the nose, which is linked to the spleen. Its governing virtue is “faithfulness,” and among the Five Classics it corresponds to the Book of Music. Its generating number is five and its completing number is ten; it is called “Yellow Primordial Essence.” Taking it can replenish the middle burner, where the spleen and stomach are located. The Great Plain Palace of the Yellow Court is where the spleen spirit resides. The spleen spirit can strengthen a person’s will and vital energy, nourish a nature of integrity, refine the five forms, harmonize the nine Qi, and bring the aid of sagacity, causing every kind of baleful force to submit. In this way, one can draw near to the Five Elders, the spirits of the five directions. Even the earth’s mountains cannot bury or seal one away, and the planet Saturn cannot spy on one from the side. This comes through the might of the imperial lords of the Five Planets and brings the benefits of the numinous origin.

The “Returning Elixir” is named in sequence: Ultimate One, Surging Two, Harmony Three, Praise Four, Turning Five, Pervading Six, Reaching Seven, Correcting Eight, Numinous Nine, and Ultimate Ten. It contains the unsurpassed true Dao. Are its meanings not plainly clear and visible?

A person’s talents and appearance cannot originally be learned from nothing. But when one encounters the Great Elixir, they can be transformed and made manifest, as one wishes. Thus the scripture says: “Nothing is absolutely impossible, and nothing is absolutely possible; everything is possible.” According to the Diagram of the Supreme Change in the Cantong Qi, this diagram takes “One” as its image. Only by setting aside all forms and beautiful things can one attain communion with the numinous. Ancient scriptures, the Instructions of the Primordial Lord, and the Transformation Diagrams by Caoyi Zi and Bitong Zi all record methods of elixir refinement; some also call the elixir the “Wish-Fulfilling Jewel.”

When the Celestial Emperor obtained it, it was called the “Pearl of the Crimson Palace”; when the celestial dragon obtained it, it was called the “Pearl atop the Head.” Cast into a sword, it can subdue every kind of evil spirit and baleful force. Made into a staff, it allows life and death to be transformed and wielded freely. Grind one pill of the elixir onto a mirror made of ordinary copper, and it can reveal all kinds of spirits, goblins, and hidden ancient objects. It is said that the Yellow Emperor’s treasured mirror worked the same way. With one pill of the elixir, the Primordial Lord could write talismans and perform arts of magic, achieve corpse liberation—that is, shed the physical form and ascend, as described in Daoism—and summon the numinous spirits of the Five Sacred Peaks, bringing them at once to do as commanded.

Yuanyang Zi said: “When the Way of Qian is set in motion, the Returning Elixir is refined. Withered trees can flourish anew; those who take it can live forever and roam the Purple Palace, the heavenly halls where immortals dwell.”

The perfected ones of antiquity also said: “Earth and stone, and the five metals, can all be transformed into treasures. Dry bones can be restored, and decayed flesh and blood can awaken anew.”

Gusong Zi said: “Those who take this elixir will see the sun and moon continue their long courses while their own lifespans keep increasing. The sea, too, will take shape, and withered trees can flourish anew. Those who take it can live forever and roam the Purple Palace.”

The ancient sages and perfected ones said: Soil and stone, along with all kinds of metals, can be transformed into precious treasures; dry bones can come back to life, and a decaying body can awaken once more.

Master Gusong said: Take this elixir, and as the days and months pass, your lifespan will continually lengthen. Even if the sea were to dry up, your spirit would grow ever stronger.

Master Bai said: After taking it, you can ascend beyond the Great Clarity (Taijing), the clear and empty celestial realm of Daoist teaching, and roam freely amid the transformations of creation. You will watch the sea become hills and see the lives of ordinary people as bubbles that gather and then vanish. This is not the work of Heaven and Earth themselves; it is truly the power of the Returned Elixir, the Daoist elixir that refines essence, replenishes Qi, and transforms body and life.

Ge Hong said: I have studied the Dao for more than thirty years and read tens of thousands of volumes of scriptures and oral instructions. Since antiquity, among the perfected high immortals, none has failed to regard the Returned Elixir and Liquid Gold, the Daoist elixir, as essential to cultivation.

The Golden Liquid Instructions of the Primordial Lady say: Take one pill the size of an acorn cup, and the body will take on the color of gold. Thus the Scripture of the Yellow Court says: “Though the Five Phases each differ, they all come from one source.”

It also says: “The Qi of the Three and Five—the Five Phases and their associated vital energies—combines and is, at its root, one.” The Song of the Eight Immortals says: “One thing contains five colors of light and forever becomes a blessing for the immortals.”

The Instructions on the Three Luminaries say: If even one primal energy is missing from the finest medicine, it is no different from rubble. Why is this so? The five organs each have their own original spirit, which sustains life and supports the body. When all five organs possess true Qi, the energies of the organs and bowels harmonize, and body and life flourish. When essence and Qi remain within the physical form, the breath is full and the body firm; the skin and spirit gather and become manifest, and the innate natures unite. Then one no longer falls into torpor and confusion.

If the five Qi are out of harmony, they restrain and harm one another. The result is that the nature and spirit transcend while the body declines and collapses; once the nature and spirit return to emptiness, the body too sinks into decay. The strengths and weaknesses of the Qi then disperse, the body is depleted and injured, and harmony cannot be attained. In the end, one cannot achieve long life and enduring vision. Consider the ordinary human body: if even one meridian goes awry, the others too become disordered and illness arises. How much more so when the numinous origins of the Five Phases are deficient…

What is a true elixir? Medicines such as the Four Yellows, Eight Minerals, and Five Metals are indeed condensed from the essential Qi of Heaven and Earth. But their Qi of the Five Phases is incomplete, their Yin-Yang is unbalanced, and their substance is stubborn and inert. Though they belong to the Five Phases, they have no fixed medicinal nature. They therefore cannot be considered superior elixirs, but only minor medicines for treating illness; in the end, they cannot bring long life or the transformation into an immortal.

Those who seek long life should take elixirs made from the five-colored lead and mercury, cinnabar, Yellow Sprout, and other substances. These medicines contain the five colors, five flavors, and Five Phases, and embody the principle that “what is obscure within appears at first to be nothing, yet is truly there”—that is, what is inward and subtle, difficult to perceive, yet real.

The Daoist Classic says: “Look for it, and it cannot be seen; listen for it, and it cannot be heard. Yet when put to use, it is never exhausted.”

Master Wei says: “What continues without end is called Yellow Sprout; what transforms without limit is called cinnabar.”

He also says: “Take it, and you will never die throughout your life. Once the mercury of Creation and Transformation has been refined, it can still preserve the root.”

Master Qingxia says: “Mercury is the essence of cinnabar; the sprout is the root of lead. As long as you understand their roots and lineage, you will not go wrong in using them.”

An ancient classic says: “The Golden Elixir can preserve the body; the supreme Dao can make the spirit whole. All other methods are ultimately futile toil. Yet without a master’s instruction, it is not easy to begin. Taking mineral medicines may therefore damage one’s life, and by the time regret comes, it will be too late. Those who study the Dao, and all people of virtue, should discern these matters with care. Here I have briefly set out the true essentials; this is no fabricated account.”

Scroll Seventy-Three, “Section on the Golden Elixir,” Part Eleven: “The Ancient Song of the Dragon and Tiger”—commentary by Perfected Yin.

The fourth is primordial Chaos Qi, the foundation of the Five Phases. Some say: First, azure vitriol acts as an agent; the agent transforms into Qi, and Qi then transforms into sinews. Second, it is Yang within Yin—the soul of the sun. The soul is the sun’s essence, and essence belongs to Yang. Yang is like a father, and the father is in turn like the amniotic sac. Third, it changes from a white liquid into solid ice. Ice is Yang within Yin; Yang forms the bones, and through Qi the bones become white liquid, which then becomes bone marrow. Fourth, there is mercury: as Qi within the body it becomes blood, and blood then becomes hair. The hair is enclosed externally by the skin, and the body is ultimately formed. From this we can see that the body takes three months to form, is born after ten months, and then undergoes two months of bathing and nourishment. Together, this makes exactly one year. The body receives its endowment from Heaven and takes shape, successively drawing on the Five Phases and their cyclical transformations. It is therefore called the supreme treasure between Heaven and Earth.

If people receive the vital energy of Heaven and Earth in its pure state, they too can become perfected beings—realized adepts who have succeeded in cultivating the Dao. The medicinal treasure of the great Dao immortals that I describe is unlike the precious objects of the world. Gold, silver, coral, agate, pearls, and the like are judged by their use and price, and ranked as valuable or worthless. Only the elixir of immortality I speak of shines with a clear radiance like the sun and moon. It is a treasure fashioned in accord with Heaven and Earth. Take it, and you may gain long life, enduring as long as Heaven and Earth.

All this depends on the primordial Chaos Qi of nature. In Heaven it appears as mist and dew; on Earth, as springs and flowing streams. Even in a deep green pool, the Way of nature is present. Those who seek immortality and study the Dao must not let their minds go astray, nor recklessly take medicines for refining gold and silver and consume them. If a Daoist obtains the Way of nature I have described—the supreme medicine condensed from the Chaos of the Four Qi—and persists in taking it for a thousand days, the path to divine transformation will prove near at hand. Without an adequate measure of the Four Qi, divine transformation has no foundation. It is like a perfected being lacking the Qi of the sun and moon: how could such a person become perfected?

From this we can see that perfected beings accord with the patterns and principles of Heaven and Earth, and thus become sages. Ordinary people, by contrast, follow the patterns and principles of things as they operate in their own time, and are called worthy or wise. Can the worthy and wise presume to call themselves sages? They merely understand the path they follow, adopt the workings of change in the world, and act according to certain methods. Whatever the foundations of their actions or the quality of their endowments, when their allotted time is up, they will ultimately turn to ashes. Only the medicine of divine transformation in my Palace of the Three Pure Ones is a true treasure.

In this way, one can preserve life and attain longevity, enduring until Heaven and Earth themselves come to an end. This Daoist method should not be passed on indiscriminately; if it is transmitted, it should be entrusted to someone truly suited to receive it. The Dao has no form: its foundation lies in the interaction of the Qi of the Five Phases. At first, a person has no clear resolve; later, intentions arise in the heart. If the heart harbors evil thoughts, the words spoken will be harsh. Harsh words lead to careless actions, and careless actions make it impossible to cultivate the Dao. Therefore, the alchemical methods are divided into three grades and should be transmitted to the wise, not the foolish. The foolish have minds obscured by worldly concerns. Even if they read the prescriptions and secrets of the immortals all day and ponder them repeatedly, they cannot comprehend the nature of the Dao, because that nature is revealed through the heart.

Fasting or reducing food, regulating the breath through breathing practices, nourishing the body through movement and breath, forgetting worldly affairs, cultivating the “Valley Spirit” and the hun and po souls, stilling the po and settling the Shen, and focusing the mind on guarding the One are all merely empty gateways to the Dao; they are not the fundamental principles of longevity. The elixir of the Nine Tripods is made by adjusting the firing process according to the four seasons, setting the gentle and fierce fires, and carefully tending the heat over a long period until the Great Elixir is formed. It is indeed precious and difficult to obtain, and even true adepts are hard to recognize.

Lead is like the outer casing of the elixir, surrounding it and protecting it. Azure jade—here referring to zengqing, a mineral used in alchemy—serves as a messenger capable of harmonizing wind and rain. Zengqing can act as the “agent” for various Golden Elixirs: a medium that guides the movement of their medicinal power. An agent is like Qi, and Qi is like sinews; when the sinews are strong, strength increases. Where the medicine’s power cannot reach, it is because zengqing is absent to guide it. Just as a person has no strength without food, what is eaten is transformed into Qi, and Qi, like a messenger, propels the medicine’s power. Without the strength derived from food, it is hard to accomplish anything. Every effect depends on strength to arise and grow stronger. Without strength, a medicine cannot manifest its efficacy, much less provide a secure foundation for life.

White liquid joins with golden flowers, and within water the Dragon and Tiger arise—alchemy terms for two forces or medicines formed through the interaction of Yin and Yang. The Dragon and Tiger originally derive from the Qi of the void. Responding to the right Way, they are transformed, and through their union with the four seasons and the earth, they become tangible things. Their natural emergence is like the steaming Qi of the four seasons, each finding its proper place. Born before the beginning, they open the source of the Dao; hence they are called the Dragon and Tiger. They originate in the Qi of the two Yin-Yang qualities joining and subduing one another. From the Tiger’s Qi, tangible substance arises; by following the natural Way, cultivating the good and removing the bad, one can refine it to completion.

The Three Ones rise only by following the prescribed rules. The “Three Ones” correspond to the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, the body’s centers for housing spirits and refining Qi; each has its own method for returning the soul and guarding the One. In refining medicines, one must also follow the rules governing the four Qi and the coordination of sinews, bones, blood, and flesh. Not the slightest mistake is permitted, nor may Yin-Yang or the seasons fall out of alignment. The firing process begins at the start of each month and is calculated by beginning with the first day and advancing in multiples of nine. This method of the Three Ones belongs to internal cultivation: the firing times of the twelve months govern the twelve double-hours, coordinated with the twelve directions; the Nine Palaces are traversed, the Eight Trigrams provide the patterns, and the Five Phases are brought into correspondence. The Yellow Emperor once asked the Elder Immortal about the method of the Three Ones, and a mnemonic was handed down as a result. Immortals have transmitted it from generation to generation. It should not be written in books, but passed on orally. Without observing the rules of the Three Ones, even someone who knows many minor methods and can transform substances into gold and silver and amass great wealth cannot escape death. Such things, in the end, are not ways to preserve life. To learn and understand this is what brings benefit.

Once the Reverted Elixir has been refined, it shines brilliantly, as though lit by the sun and moon. The stars, too, become clear and bright, as if a path could be seen among the clouds. When the Reverted Elixir is complete, it reveals a distinct radiance, like fire hidden within wood: the fire does not show itself, yet signs appear of red Qi shining through the green. After taking it for a thousand days, one can transform the physical body, shed the old body and renew it, become spiritually perceptive, settle the body and soul, and regain the vigor of youth…

Only a few attain spiritual communion, sensing the aid of heavenly spirits and thereby gaining access to the divine. Even so, they must not reveal the secrets carelessly. They should act with the same caution as before attaining the Dao. In this way, they can cultivate the Great Dao to completion. Even if their hidden merit—good deeds done without seeking recognition—has not yet reached its full measure, they may still obtain the Way that saves the world and leads to long life.

You should understand that the Great Dao has no form or trace, yet never loses its root. Those who cultivate the Dao should not harm the body bestowed by their parents. Apart from this proper path, those who recklessly try to refine mercury, gold, and silver in pursuit of immortality are not following a true method of cultivation. The oral instructions contain profound meanings, but few can grasp them.

Within a hundred years, the changes between life and death never cease. Immortal adepts pass their secrets down through generations and guard them for one another. How lamentable that the teachings circulating in the world are often mistaken; there is no other reason for this. (The supreme medicine in the oral instructions is a method that leads people toward long life. It is unlike worldly treasures: the medicine of the immortals is hammered and refined a thousand times, transformed again and again. Once the Golden Elixir has been refined anew and taken as medicine, it can make a person spiritually attuned and set them on the path to long life. Therefore, I cherish time and value life, placing no importance on wealth. The foolish value only worldly treasures, busying themselves with fleeting pleasures among wives and concubines and with glory and riches. They treat life as lightly as a walking corpse or wandering ghost, and in the end, when their time comes, they perish of their own accord. Countless people die within a hundred years; this is why the Primordial Lord laments.

Among the methods of medicine passed down in the world, the subtle Great Dao has been corrupted. The perfected person must not let people practice it recklessly. The four should each return to their proper occupations, uphold the Dao and remain content in poverty, and together complete this medicine for preserving life. It is also called “Mao and You, two eights”: take two eights from Mao and two eights from You, which together make one jin. The white liquid is white snow, also called “compressed ice.” Thus, Mao and You, two eights, must be brought together so that the two natures unite like cinnabar. Do not let ordinary people know the secret. Match the fire times in nines upon nines, corresponding to the position of Wu.

The Way of the Three Ones says: Every three days make one period; after three periods, a total of nine days, the count is complete. Signs of purple tinged with black show the Primordial Lord’s approval. The mnemonic verses handed down by later generations of immortals must be discussed with a master who understands their hidden meaning. Keep your resolve undivided; only then will you meet the conditions for long life.

Know that Heaven does not favor anyone by nature; it appears close to us only because of the human heart. Heaven has no private intentions; it appears partial only because of the human heart. Heaven brings no calamities; people bring them upon themselves, and they do not descend from Heaven. Those who study the Dao do not violate their master’s teachings, and children do not disobey their parents. Then the Way of Heaven can endure, and the way of the master can become more complete. So when discussing matters of the utmost importance, one must keep one’s resolve focused; and when discussing the most precious medicine, there is no second kind. When Heaven and humanity unite with the Dao, blessings naturally increase, and scattered thoughts no longer disturb the mind.

When there is too much bone, the flesh cannot adequately support it; when there is too much flesh, the bones cannot adequately support the body. Both bones and flesh depend on sinews and vessels to grow strong and gain strength. Without strength, one is like a bag that cannot hold anything: how could it stand upright? No infant fails to cling to its mother. An infant without its mother is like a medicine without its sinews and vessels. Medicine works through its principal agent; without strength, it naturally cannot produce wondrous transformations.

Those who understand can hear one sentence and discern its many layers of meaning. Those who do not understand may read a thousand volumes and a thousand sets of mnemonic verses and still remain ignorant. Many people eagerly seek immortality and the art of refining gold, yet refuse to study the books of the immortals and investigate their most precious secrets. They pursue the art of refinement without ever seeing even an ounce of gold, and unknowingly give up their lives in the process. The wise value precious medicines. Even before they have grasped the subtle path to such medicines, they first accumulate good deeds and De (Virtue). The spirits have no desire for profit. Those who keep to the Dao and are content with poverty will not be punished by Heaven. The blessings earned through good deeds come from teachings received from a master and from one’s own inner response. This teaching has been passed down since Fuxi and Xuanyuan. Among those who have sought immortality through the ages, how many have truly attained the Dao?

Another song says:

The numbers of generation and transformation reach their limit at one hundred and eight; Yin energy follows, gathering into form. When purple radiance appears, the Reverted Elixir is refined—a term for an internal alchemical elixir or a spiritual medicine in Daoism. Take it, and one gains long life; its wonders are beyond words.

Cinnabar is one substance alone; there is nothing else. The child and the mother generate one another in an endless cycle. People in the world do not know that it requires the expenditure of material resources before it congeals of its own accord. Once it displays a vivid purple color, it becomes the Returned Elixir, a pill made through Daoist cultivation and alchemical arts. The realm of longevity attained by consuming it is beyond words.

Another song says:

Cinnabar is one substance alone; child and mother engender one another without end. People in the world do not know that material resources must be expended. Those who grasp its hidden principle regard it as the secret for refining the Great Returned Elixir.

The Inscription on the Source of Truth says:

Some oral instructions are not openly revealed; some sequences are not described in detail. Only those who obtain and comprehend their true meaning may pass them on and explain them.

The medicinal substances have other names:

The first is called “Father of Earth,” the second “Mother of Water,” the third “Yellow Sprout,” and the fourth “Crystal of the Seventy-Two Stones.”

Another song says:

The Yellow Sprout, a name for an alchemical substance or a refined elixir, is born of Heaven; child and mother mingle with one another. Child and mother are never apart; the mother appears within the child.

The Song of Harmonious Union and Borrowed Forms says:

The mysterious principle lies right before us: Yin contains Yang, and from this the Dao reaches completion. Yin and Yang depend on one another. Only through their harmonizing and joining, followed by refinement and consumption, can one attain immortality.

Another song says:

The first is called “Formed Within the Measure,” the second “Name of the Great Dao.” Gather and replenish it continuously, without interruption, then refine it further; the medicine will naturally prove efficacious.

Another song of the medicine says:

In Heaven it appears as mist and dew; on Earth, as a spring. When the cycles of Yin and Yang have run their full course, whoever obtains it will ultimately keep it unspoken.

Another song says:

Calculate the firing and refining according to the sexagenary cycle, and observe the ten-day periods. Once child and mother have been distinguished, proceed as before. When the count of periods is complete, the cycle completes itself; from then on, it can be divided into two parts and the next stage begun.

Another song of the medicine says:

The first is called “True Source Autumn Stone,” the second “Completion.” Whoever obtains it will ultimately keep it unspoken.

Another song says:

Calculate the firing and refining according to the sexagenary cycle, and observe the ten-day periods. Once child and mother have been distinguished, proceed as before. When the count of periods is complete, the cycle completes itself; from then on, it can be divided into two parts and the next stage begun.

Another song of the medicine says:

The first is called “True Source Autumn Stone,” the second “Essence and Soul of the Great Dao.” When refining the Returned Elixir, gather and use it according to the proper method. To free oneself from the bonds of the mundane world is to become a true immortal.

Another song says:

The sun and moon are not my form; Yin and Yang will themselves congeal into substance. In the creative workings of Heaven and Earth, all things throughout the four directions ultimately return to unity.

The Song of the Chamber:

Setting up the altar and arranging the furnace and stove is like building a palace. The veiling method is applied repeatedly, covering them over; ten days make one cycle, and after each bathing they must be covered again. Once the cycles have accumulated sufficiently, numinous effects will naturally appear, and communication will extend throughout Heaven and Earth.

The spirit chamber—the upper and lower furnaces used in alchemical practice—is the pivot of the alchemical method and the foundation of all mineral medicines and stones. It is also known by names such as “cinnabar and mercury.” It can shift from Yang to Yin, its radiance flowing between the two sides. It is arranged according to the three axes and takes Water and Fire as its model. Its governance is like that of a king ruling the realm: military force suppresses rebellion, while civil virtue brings the people to peace. Earth’s virtue holds the throne; the sword is held while weapons are laid aside, bringing the four quarters to calm.

Kan and Li, the trigrams symbolizing Water and Fire, correspond respectively to the numbers one and two. The north and south alone form the meridian axis, and so stand at the head of the seventy-two positions. Hardness and softness receive their natures from the natural order; Metal and Fire each perform their roles, Water and Earth support one another, and male and female join as one, each acting in an orderly way. Transformation passes through “Before Completion” (Weiji), the state of not yet being complete, and ultimately returns to the beginning. The first nine serves as a measure of time, while the rhythm of harmonious Yang is used to gauge early and late. The cycle’s movement accords with the seasons: changes in the Yang lines end at the position of Ji. Pure Yang begins from Bing-Wu and continues from the Ding position through Hai. Water and Fire are arranged on one side, keeping their boundaries and forming cold and heat; east and west mark benevolence and righteousness, while transformations of the Five Phases bring the succession of the seasons.

When Yin and Yang are used in this way, following the principle of the Three Ones, their pattern can be mastered. Once the spirit chamber is set in place, transformations occur within it. “Setting the positions” refers to the hidden method of pairing male and female; what these transformations produce is cinnabar and mercury, that is, the two functions of Metal and Earth. These functions have no fixed positions. Like the stars Zhang, Yi, Fei, Xu, and Wei, they move and transform through empty space. Their natures are unsettled, but their correspondence between above and below remains constant.

Even when alone, the elixir substance continues to transform. It resides in the central palace, encompassing many minerals, and is the foundation of alchemical practice. As Yin and Yang restrain one another, the fire of the Vermilion Bird rises; purple radiance shines like the sun, while cinnabar and mercury gradually disappear and transform. Alchemical instructions are not invented at will, and their principles are not fabricated from nothing. These words are meant to clarify profound truths. One must seek their mystery, work it out through the changes of the lines, verify it through the trigrams, and explain it by means of the Five Phases.

The masculine Gold Essence within Kan interacts with the feminine Firelight within Li. Metal and fire constrain one another, as do water and earth. The virtue of earth presides in the position of metal, and the virtues of metal, fire, and earth work together. The forces within the Four Seas converge, bringing about peace throughout the realm. This is all due to the Yellow Emperor, lord of the central Earth virtue.

“Metal and fire” refers to the true methods of the Elixir. At the heart of alchemical practice, nothing matters more than metal and fire. One must penetrate the subtlest details and follow change: when Yang Qi stirs, Yin Qi recedes. Amid chaos, all ultimately returns to the One and the Nine, while precious vital essences preserve one another. The ingredients together weigh 384 zhu. According to this account, one jin equals sixteen liang; this is the basis for calculating the weight of a zhu.

After the Gold Essence undergoes one transformation, the Azure Dragon receives the talismanic command. At this point, the spirit chamber—the inner room or furnace chamber used for alchemical refinement—refines and nourishes the vital essences as fire and metal revolve and shift in turn. Masculine Yang transforms into emerald-dark water, while feminine Yin transforms into crimson-gold. Yin and Yang mingle, and their essences envelop primordial Qi. All things arise through emptiness, and each responds to change according to its kind. The enduring efficacy attributed to all kinds of elixirs comes from this.

The Primordial Lady, a revered Daoist deity often understood as a female immortal or a primordial divine being, first refined mercury; the spirit chamber, a secret room or vessel chamber used for alchemical work, contained the void. Qi of dark and pure whiteness congealed into the Golden Duke, an alchemical term often referring to lead, solemnly establishing the beginning of the alchemical process. The principles of three and five were brought into harmony, setting Jing and Qi in motion and nourishing them. The Dark Lady, a Daoist goddess, explained the sequence: Wu and Ji, the stem-branch signs representing central Earth, are the Celestial Talisman, the principle that harmonizes the workings of Heaven and Earth. Yet the Celestial Talisman’s efficacy gradually waned, making it difficult to accord any longer with the wondrous pattern. The intent of alchemy was therefore worked out in detail, without speaking directly of Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, and Yin-Yang.

Cinnabar, sulfur, and mercury are like the father in alchemy, while Wu and Ji are like the mother of gold. The pitch-pipe system corresponds to two and six; the pivot of the Northern Dipper corresponds to nine and three. The Red Youth plays among the Vermilion Bird, symbol of the southern celestial mansion, then transforms into the Azure Dragon, symbol of the eastern celestial mansion.

The Kun hexagram first changes into Zhen. On the third day, the moon appears at the Geng position, and the Dragon and Tiger, symbols of Yin-Yang Qi in alchemy, begin to unite. Kun then changes into Dui. On the eighth day, the moon appears at the Ding position in its first-quarter shape; the corresponding measure of metal is half a jin. For the third time, Kun changes into Qian. On the fifteenth day, the three Yang lines are complete, and the moon is full, shining toward the eastern Jia position. Metal and water are warmed and nurtured in a solar-like firing process, and the crimson essence flows and transforms into mercury; mercury seems to toy with bright jade ornaments.

After reaching fullness, the moon naturally begins to wane, diminishing gradually from the sixteenth day onward. Qian first becomes deficient and changes into Xun; at daybreak, the moon appears at the Xin position. Qian diminishes again and changes into Gen; on the twenty-third day comes the last quarter. The water corresponding to the last quarter measures half a jin, and the moon rises in the south from the Bing position. For the third time, Qian changes into Kun. On the thirtieth day, at the Yi position, the moon loses its light and finally sets there.

When the moon represented by Kun is completely dark, Earth, Wood, and Metal undergo transformation. Kun then gives rise to the Zhen Dragon, while Qian and Kun together encompass the beginning and end of the whole process. In this way, over thirty days, Kun successively gives rise to Zhen, Dui, and Qian, and Qian in turn gives rise to Xun, Gen, and Kun. The Eight Trigrams appear in sequence, turning and shifting without losing their central balance. After the firing process has been regulated for sixty days, the results of the transformation will emerge naturally.

The “Spirit Chamber” (the inner chamber symbolizing the furnace and crucible in alchemical practice, where the ingredients and the timing of the fire are brought together) has a corresponding form, likened to an egg. Mountains like the Five Sacred Peaks rise around a deep grotto; they converge with one another to form a crucial pivot. When the fire is first kindled, its force is mild and faint, like the initial stirring of the hexagram lines. Above rests the essence of gold; below is supported the form of Kun’s origin. Between them, the nature of mercury is harmonized and set flowing, closely matching the principle by which Heaven, Earth, and humanity correspond as the Three Powers. Qian moves, setting the sun, moon, and stars in motion; Kun is still, containing Yang Qi. When the Spirit Chamber is used in this way, the Golden Elixir can be refined. How could it fail to be secure?

The implements used in transformation encompass the changes by which substances ascend and congeal, and can open and close wondrous, numinous gateways. They are a storehouse of hidden mysteries, the source of the transformations of creation, and they also contain Yang Qi. When the Spirit Chamber is used in this way, the Golden Elixir can be refined. How could it fail to be secure?

Yang Qi stirs from the position of Kun; the sun’s shadow moves to the southern extreme; the Five Planets align, and the sun and moon unite. Gold sand is combined according to its measure, while breath and the ingredients respond to one another. The Canopy of Flowers shines down from above, and the Three Platforms lend support below. The offices responsible for directing and governing must guard it with utmost care.

Fire refines the Earth of the central palace, causing Metal to enter the Water of the north. The transformation of Earth, Water, and Metal takes sixty days. The key to natural transformation is first to preserve and nourish, then to let go. If the fire’s count is excessive and the proportions are wrong; if the nature of Water is unstable, so that the ingredients, though in one place, cannot unite; or if the forces of hardness and softness move too strongly and cannot blend with one another, none of this is the fire’s fault: the blame lies with Earth. Earth guards the central palace and encompasses the four directions. When the Three Luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars—move in due measure, peace can be attained. The five organs are nourished within the body, and the four limbs are thereby brought into harmony.

When the Water Qi is exhausted and its traces disappear, its radiance is concealed within and shines brightly. Metal and Water reflect one another, moist and still in their brightness. Regulate the fire’s timing and warm and nourish the nature of Water, so that once set in motion they transform together. Then one is not far from the Dao, and it may be attained. When Earth and Water are paired on their own, an emerald-like scene appears; when yellow and red mingle their essences, purple splendor spreads across the position of the sun. Only the sages deeply understand that Water can nourish and bring forth the myriad things. The virtue of Metal esteems white; lead is refined in pursuit of yellow. When it is generated in the central palace, gold will not scatter away or be burned off. After the Qi of Earth rises like smoke and clouds, being and nonbeing restrain one another, while above, the Azure Dragon keeps watch. The two formless forces take the One as their source and blend into red essence; purple…

Flowers open toward the sun, and water can nourish all things; only the sage understands the principle behind this. Metal belongs to Metal, whose virtue esteems the color white. Yet when refining lead, one must seek yellow within it. Earth lies at the center and can bring all things into being. Gold does not readily disperse or burn away in a fire. During refinement, smoke rises from the earth and clouds surge along with it.

Being and nonbeing restrain one another. Above, the Azure Dragon, a spirit creature symbolizing the east and the Qi of Wood, stands guard. Two “nothings” return to their source in one “something”; its wondrous transformations are beyond discernment. When silver is refined from lead, the marvelous substance forms on its own. Silver is the essence of gold, while lead is the spirit creature of the northern water Qi. Water is the pivot of the Dao and the beginning of Yin-Yang. Because it is the beginning, it can give rise to silver.

Lead can be transformed into yellow lead oxide, a yellow compound produced through refining, and resides within the Five Metals. Lead is black on the outside, its color having received the Qi of the north, yet within it contains the essence of silver. It is like someone clad in coarse clothes who keeps a precious jade hidden in their robes, seeming outwardly wild and foolish. Silver is the offspring of lead, concealed within it; mercury is lead’s child, hidden within the mother.

The pure and true substance is subtle and hard to see, seeming both present and absent. When heated in an ash pit, lead sinks and silver rises. Once the white treasure appears, it can be used to refine gold. Its outer shell is the essence of gold; water Qi surrounds the yellow liquid, which is about an inch in size and can be used to combine the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

When Heaven and Earth first separated, primordial chaos was like an egg: round, with a raised center, shaped like Penghu, the legendary island mountain in the sea. The structure of the furnace follows this model. Its body is sealed tightly and firm on all sides; every part is arranged in coordination so that the process of refinement proceeds without error. This is the principle of nature, whose wondrous transformations are inexhaustible.

Magnetite attracts iron; even when something lies between them, they respond to each other unseen. How much more, then, should the substances inside an egg combine with one another and bring about transformation? The nature of Metal and Earth is often accompanied by mercury. What is recorded in the Fire Register, the instructions for alchemical refinement, is no falsehood. What follows here explains the preceding text once more. Now that the art of the Elixir has been clarified, there should be no further doubt. I have therefore written this formula to supplement the Fire Register, hoping that students may grasp the comparisons it makes. The passage below says, “The words are earnestly spoken to the world; should they not be considered carefully?” This is what it means.

The Formula for Carefully Guarding the Yin Elixir

Throughout the ages, most people have been attached to their desires, thereby harming their bodies and shortening their lives. If they fail to take precautions early, it will be too late by the time they regret it. The Immortals’ Scripture says: “To wish to correct one’s faults when death is near, or to seek medicine after an illness has already taken hold, is like trying to undo things after the net of Heaven has been cast. How could there still be time?” Thus, the wise and discerning cherish life before it meets with danger, stay alert to calamities before they arise, and tend to the body before illness appears. They leave behind worldly life, gather in their minds, and return to the Great Dao.

Dao is Qi—the vital energy spoken of in Daoism—and Qi governs the body. This governing force rests in Jing, the vital essence that sustains life, and Jing is life’s foundation. Only by caring for Jing and cherishing Qi can one understand the essentials of life. The Scripture of the Yellow Court (a classic of Daoist inner cultivation) says: “Take care to guard the space within your heart. When the three spirits within the body return to the vital essence, one can pass from old age back to vigor. Nurture yourself well, making yourself as firm as a jade tree, and life will have support. Make haste to secure your vital essence, so that it may nourish you.” It also says: “If you wish for long life, be especially cautious and restrained in sexual relations. Why indulge in desire until death, leaving the spirit to weep? It is like breaching the sea and letting a hundred rivers rush away: the leaves fall, the tree withers, and its green is lost.” To live long, one must cherish Jing and preserve Qi. No one can attain long life and enduring vision without doing so.

Yin Elixir (the Daoist path of inner cultivation) encompasses many methods for governing and nourishing oneself, though most people do not understand them. Even those who devote themselves to cultivating Qi remain in danger if they do not restrain their desires. Thus it is said: “People are always the ones who lose the Dao; the Dao does not leave people. People are always the ones who abandon life; life does not leave people.” Those who cultivate body and mind should reflect deeply on this.

The Essential Instructions of Master Hanshan says: “If you grasp the true meaning of lead, the medicine will naturally reveal its wondrous efficacy; if you discern the proper way of mercury, the medicine will naturally become pure. Cultivate in this way and you will accord with the way of the sages, and Heaven and Earth will celebrate together.”

The Essential Teachings of Hanshanzi says: Once you grasp the true meaning of “lead,” the elixir’s marvelous qualities will naturally become apparent; once you recognize the right path of “mercury,” the elixir will seem to acquire spiritual power of its own. If you cultivate by the proper method, you can accord with the sacred Dao, and Heaven and Earth will celebrate together. This method depends on transmission from a master and is an important principle of Daoist cultivation. For this reason, the ancient sages did not explain it directly. Instead, they entrusted its meaning to the Zhouyi, the Five Phases, and tally seals. In discussions of the Way of the True Immortals, nothing surpasses the wonders of the Great Elixir.

Generally speaking, people have many doubts and misunderstandings about refining the Great Elixir. Those with wisdom, if they understand its principles, can put them into practice with undivided focus. Thus, the secret method seems easy but is difficult to accomplish; the work of cultivation is precious and must not be treated lightly. Long ago, three sages left their teachings inscribed on golden tablets under the title Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three). People copy it everywhere, but few truly understand it. Those who understand its principles dare not begin cultivating; those who know the method hesitate and put it off. Once doubt takes hold, time slips away in an instant: wealth and status dazzle the eyes, gold and jade occupy the mind, and thoughts of money and sex linger in the heart. A lifetime of a hundred years is wasted in this way, while few give thought to the Way of long life. People do not realize that indulgence in sexual desire exhausts the spirit and harms the body, while the years continue to pass. This is why there have always been so many doubts.

Some people claim that the elixir cultivated through this practice is the kind sought by emperors in ancient or recent times, and the ignorant raise Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han as objections. Qin Shi Huang said one thing but thought another, clinging to sensual pleasures and indulging his desires. Emperor Wu of Han longed for the realm of the immortals, yet kept his thoughts fixed on women. How could either have attained immortality? Why not cite the Yellow Emperor and the people of high antiquity instead? The Yellow Emperor transmitted the art of the Returning Elixir to the Mysterious Woman, a legendary female immortal. This means harmonizing in the Dantian the elements represented in alchemical language by “gold” and “mercury,” among others. Later generations did not understand the oral instructions and mistook the true teaching for the bedroom arts—that is, for a method of cultivation based on sexual union between men and women. Could the Supreme One’s female immortal have taught these methods with the intention of encouraging people to indulge in sexual desire? Influenced by this misunderstanding, the ignorant have imitated the wrong practices from generation to generation. Related verses are recorded in the Treatise on the Golden Elixir, which readers can consult to discern the truth.

From a young age, I admired the arts of the Dao. Fortunately, I received the true transmission, served my immortal master with reverence, and learned directly from his teachings. What I speak of is only the mystery of lead and mercury and the essentials of coordinating the Dragon and Tiger. In refining the elixir, one should remove the unsuitable ingredients among the “Four Yellows” and reduce the impurities among the “Eight Minerals.” The key lies in lead and mercury. They accord with the fundamental patterns of Heaven and Earth and contain the essences of the sun and moon. They follow the Dao of Heaven above and the principles of the Earth below, govern the seventy-two kinds of minerals, and gather the vital energies of Heaven and Earth. Once the elixir has been refined and taken, it can extend life. How could this be unbelievable?

Even the five grains can save people’s lives, so how could one fail to revere the divine elixir? Take yellow essence, a health supplement commonly used in Daoist practice: taken as a medicine, it can extend life. By contrast, eating goudu, a poisonous plant, is certain to bring death. These are facts plain to see. True sages therefore revere the divine elixir. Yet it is an exceptionally precious treasure. Among ten thousand people, those who obtain it have already formed a bond with it, accord with the Dao, and pursued it with single-minded devotion over a long time. It cannot be attained in a day or two.

Still, the wondrous efficacy of the Reverting Elixir cannot save someone from calamities they have brought upon themselves. Even sages, though compassionate, cannot remove the karmic consequences accumulated in a person’s past lives. This too depends on whether a person’s nature and mind can uphold the Dao’s teaching. For this reason, one must not blindly trust the magical arts of deluded and reckless people. The present work, Mirror of the Great Elixir, clarifies the method of cultivating the mind: only when the mind is clear can one avoid being misled by other substances during elixir refinement; if the substances do not accord with the elixir method, the elixir will have no efficacy. If the mind does not accord with the Dao, success in cultivation may instead bring calamity. These principles deserve serious heed. One should examine oneself and cultivate one’s nature.

When speaking of the Great Elixir—the elixir discussed in Daoist Neidan or Waidan cultivation—using “one Yin and one Yang” to explain the Dao accords with the workings of Heaven. Using “one metal and one stone” to explain the elixir accords with the workings of Heaven and Earth. “Metal” refers to the White Tiger within true lead; “stone” refers to the mercury within cinnabar.

Perfected Person Tao Zhi said, “If ordinary mercury is used, it will turn into white vapor.” This is true. Perfected Person Ma of the Divine Talisman White Snow Gate said, “Mercury and quicksilver are not the same thing. Those who do not understand use the wrong method.” From this we can see that cultivation transforms the ordinary into the sacred. Becoming a sage does not mean leaving the ordinary behind; it means passing from the ordinary into the sacred. The ordinary contains the ground of the sacred, and the sacred, too, emerges from the ordinary.

Mercury is originally contained in cinnabar. Once extracted from the cinnabar and combined with lead, it becomes a treasure; its color also returns to the original cinnabar hue. Cinnabar can no longer revert to the state of mercury. At this point it is called true mercury. Having obtained true mercury, one has passed from the ordinary into the sacred and can command the myriad spirits. This is what Perfected Person Ma meant when he said, “Mercury and quicksilver are distinct.” Later scholars lacked the insight to understand this and therefore became doubtful.

Perfected Person Tao said, “If one says it is not ordinary mercury,” and also, “Cinnabar comes from metal, and mercury is born from lead.” The subtle meaning here is difficult to grasp without careful reflection. Since ancient times, Perfected Persons have passed from the ordinary into the sacred, accorded with the Way of the Great Elixir, and ultimately ascended. Those who are deluded, however, are often confounded by these expressions.

The foundation of the elixir is one Yin and one Yang—that is, the two things called the Dragon and Tiger. Lead belongs to Water and is called the Northern River Chariot. Metal is born from Water: metal’s number is four and water’s is one, together making five. Mercury symbolizes the Azure Dragon and belongs to Wood. Wood generates Fire: wood’s number is three and fire’s is two. Cinnabar symbolizes Fire, and two and three together also make five. Five belongs to Earth, which has no fixed direction but is distributed across the four seasons. Water and Metal combine to make five, and Wood and Fire combine to make five as well. This is why it is called the “Returning Elixir of the Way of Three and Five.” This is the profound mystery of the Way of the Returning Elixir, which few truly understand. Those who understand it can be called sages. The pivot of transformation lies in the heart, from which change can also be turned.

Without understanding the true instructions, one may recite the formulas again and again, but without receiving a master’s transmission, success will remain out of reach. I recall that I was once deluded and traveled far across mountains and rivers, yet achieved nothing and wasted my money. Later, I suddenly received guidance, as if waking from drunkenness. The Great Dao is not far away; from right here, one can reach the heights.

Some people deliberately make teachings that are easy to pass on sound obscure, for fear that the ignorant will treat them lightly. If one then handles them carelessly, the heavenly officials will reduce one’s allotted years, and the spirits will take away one’s life. The Scripture of Admonitions by the Perfected says that although people everywhere wish to prolong their lives, if their bodies and nature and life are gradually encroached upon by the Yin realm, they will ultimately meet death. How could that be called a wondrous art for increasing the Yang vitality of life? As for those who do not cultivate…

If one only cares about nourishing and benefiting oneself while harming others and seizing their property, how could one possibly attain long life? Even if one meets an accomplished Perfected (Zhenren), if their aspirations and principles do not accord, that person will not transmit the Dao to someone unsuitable.

The Keyi (liturgy), namely the Daoist precepts and ritual norms, says that those who seek long life must cultivate the Huandan (returning elixir). To refine the Great Elixir, one must understand the furnace and cauldron; to understand the furnace and cauldron, one must also understand the fire phases (huohou); to understand the fire phases, one must also understand one’s own mind. Having understood the mind, one must still take into account the various difficulties of one’s person and the calamities inherited from past lives. Even if one considers oneself to have understood, one must not transmit it casually to others. If the Dao method is not transmitted, it will be lost; if it is transmitted to unsuitable people, it will bring disaster. Therefore, without understanding the mind-method (xinfa) within it, one cannot comprehend its myriad wonders.

The mind is the root of transcending the dusty world; elixirs are the medicine for prolonging life. After taking the elixir, the immortal bureaus of the yang world will record one’s name, while the registers of the yin world will erase it; thereafter, even if one goes elsewhere, one can liberate one’s spiritual consciousness and ascend as an upper immortal. This is the principle spoken by the true sages, and it does not deceive people.

I have understood the true intent of the ancient worthies. Having studied the three surviving writings of the sages—the Cantong qi, the Jinbi jing, and the Guwen Longhu zhuan—as well as the songs and mnemonic verses transmitted by the various Perfected, I found that none of them departs from the profound and mysterious principle of lead and mercury. Worrying that later generations might still have doubts and be unable to decide, I further wrote these contents into the Xinjing (Mirror of the Mind). This will surely elucidate the Great Dao and make manifest the true origin, remove the obstructions in the minds of those who study the Dao, and enable the ignorant to understand those deceptive teachings. If one can comprehend and accept it, it is like parting the dark clouds and seeing the bright moon. Now I explain it in order, so that people may understand its principle and no longer be misled.

◎ Preface to the Taiqing Shendan Zhongjing.

The Primordial Lady (a revered female immortal) says: The Primordial Lady is the teacher of the Supreme Lord. A being of this kind possesses great supernatural powers: she can harmonize Yin-Yang, command wind and rain, set the Five Planets on their courses and make them advance or retreat, regulate cold and heat, and ride upon nine dragons and twelve white tigers. All the immortals under Heaven are subject to her, and she governs human life and death.

In other words, she too once studied the arts of the Dao. Only after taking a divine elixir did she gain the abilities to harmonize Yin-Yang and command wind and rain, become the mistress of all the immortals, and govern human life and death. These abilities are not innate; how much less should ordinary cultivators of the Dao expect to possess them from birth! Strive diligently to attain long life, and do not grow lax. Those of superior capacity attain the Dao and rise to become immortal officials; those of middling capacity attain the Dao and dwell in Kunlun; those of lesser capacity attain the Dao and can still live long in the human world. The wise should cultivate diligently. What I say is no falsehood.

The Primordial Lady says: The so-called sages, spirit beings, and immortals all attained the Dao through cultivation; they were not born that way. Their virtue differs in degree, and the immortal offices they hold differ in rank. Thus, even when called spirits, sages, or immortals, they still bear the word “person,” showing that they were originally human. Heavenly spirits who are divine from birth are called only “spirits,” not “spirit persons.” “Spirit” means that light and Qi form their bodies; “person” indicates that they still have flesh and bones. Yet they have attained the Dao and can conceal their bodies and alter their appearance, so that people cannot see or hear them. All who have only just attained the Dao and become immortals are called “immortal persons.” If…

If a practitioner can ascend to Heaven and travel among the places where the great deities dwell, that person is called a “Perfected One.” If granted an official post in the Celestial Bureaucracy, that person is called a “Divine Person.”

Laozi and Taiyi asked the Primordial Sovereign: “When people attain long life by taking divine elixirs, is it the deities who secretly protect them, or does the power come from the medicines themselves?” The Primordial Sovereign replied: “The elixir brings the effect of long life, but the elixir can be successfully refined only through the help of the deities. Without their protection, it cannot be made. So when preparing to compound an elixir, one must keep body and mind upright, do good, and commit no wrongdoing. Only when the deities take pity and offer their protection can the elixir be successfully refined. Once the divine elixir has been taken, life has no end.”

Fascicle Seventy-Four: Prescriptions and Medicines, Part One

The Supreme Ultimate Perfected One’s “Numinous Recipe for the Immortals: Rice of Green Essence and Dry Stone” — Commentary by Lord Wang

The Numinous Recipe for the Immortals of Green Essence is a secret method of the Supreme Ultimate lineage. By rule, it may be transmitted to only ten people over a period of 2,200 years. If no suitable person is found, it must be kept hidden and never disclosed. If a suitable person is found, it may be transmitted to ten people at once; once that number has been reached, it must not be passed on further.

All recipients of the method must make a covenant, swearing not to publicize or disclose the secret. When receiving the method, they must present their master with thirty feet of blue silk and two pairs of golden bu (the specific objects meant here are unclear), as tokens in place of a blood oath. Anyone who transmits the method to an unsuitable person or reveals its precious scriptures will be punished by the Three Officials—the Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. After death, the offender will become a low-ranking spirit and will have to carry stones from Mount Meng to block the River of Jiyè. Everyone receiving the method must observe ritual abstinence for ten days, as must the transmitter. Only then may they meet face to face for the transmission.

The Supreme Ultimate Perfected One said: “People draw vital energy from the five grains. Their essence gathers and nourishes the embryo, sustaining the growth of all things. All things contain and store true Qi, and their transformation and coming into being also depend on the profound nourishment contained in the five grains.”

The Perfected One of Taiji said: People are conceived and grow by relying on the subtle Qi produced from grain to nourish the body. The formation of an embryo and the growth of all things likewise depend on the nourishment of grain Qi. People are born through their parents and naturally must rely on the life-giving Qi they receive at birth to sustain themselves. If they disregard where life comes from and abruptly cut off the source on which they depend, they often become depleted through rigid insistence, damaging the body and shortening life.

Therefore, one should follow the source of life, harmonizing and purifying Jing and Qi so that the body gradually changes at its most subtle levels. This makes it easier to nurture the Qi that circulates through the body and sustains its functions in everyday life, while the six bowels gradually transform the vital essence derived from grain. Using grain to gradually free oneself from dependence on grain is a good way to preserve life; beginning with life’s very source and ultimately dispelling dependence on it is a refined way of nourishing life.

Thus, one uses the eastward sunlight of Nanzhu to summon the vermilion spirit of Shiya; balances and harmonizes the five bodily fluids, and opens and fills the body’s passages and apertures. One lets the spirit dwell peacefully in the Three Palaces, the inner places where it is settled, while the hun and po souls become gentle and tranquil. At dawn, one rinses the mouth and drinks the Flowery Spring; at dusk, one drinks numinous essence, taps the Jade Pool in the mouth, and breathes in clear, mysterious Qi. Its essence nourishes the body, and the stomach is full without feeling empty. Thus, after taking one dose, one’s life is said to lengthen with the passing years. As the years go by, the medicine continues to work, and one can move lightly into the realm of the immortals. After taking one dose, life will not readily decline; the whole body seems protected by clouds of five colors, the body is stable, and the spirit and Qi are clear. One can also continue eating for a long time, with Qi and blood flowing through all the body’s passages and apertures. One may even go a whole year without feeling hungry and return to youth. When food is available, one eats; without food, one remains at ease and unharmed. This is a wondrous method of the highest immortals and an extraordinary formula for abstaining from grain.

Take one hu and five dou of raw, white, polished rice and pound and refine it further. Processed according to the method below, it is said to stabilize the body and clarify the spirit and Qi, to allow one to eat for a long time while keeping Qi and blood flowing through all the body’s passages and apertures, and even to keep one free of hunger for a whole year and restore youth. When food is available, one eats; without food, one remains at ease and unharmed. This is a marvelous formula of the highest immortals and an extraordinary method for abstaining from grain.

Select one hu and two dou of rice, then choose the green grains from it, such as the green rice of West Mountain in Yuzhang or the green dragon rice of Wu and Yue. Green rice is loose in texture and readily absorbs the Qi of medicines, so it should be used. During careful processing, keep chickens and dogs away, and prevent any filth from coming near or contaminating it.

Take five jin of leaves from the Nan-chu shrub. If the leaves are already dry, three jin will do. Some say that three jin is enough in any case. Stems and bark may also be added, which is said to improve the results. Gather a generous amount, enough to soak one hu and two dou of rice. There is no need to adhere strictly to the weights; adjust them to suit the circumstances.

The wood of this tree is hard, but its leaves resemble those of an herb, so it is called “Nan-chu shrub.” It is also known by other names, including Monkey Medicine, Man’s Continuance, Houzhuo, Weina Tree, and King of Herbs. It grows on famous mountains such as Mount Shaoshi in the Songshan range, Baodu Mountain, and Jitou Mountain, though it is not limited to these places. It is especially common in the Wu and Yue regions east of the Yangtze, where local people call it “Monkey Uncle” or “Dyeing Uncle,” names broadly similar to the others.

Boil the Nan-chu shrub to make a juice, then let it settle, clarify, and cool. Use it to soak the rice and steam it, and sprinkle the same juice over the rice as it cooks. Steam until the rice turns deep green; that is the proper color. Beforehand, set up a high rack and spread the cooked rice on it to dry. If you cannot obtain the other ingredients, you may prepare and eat this rice on its own. Eat two sheng a day, and avoid blood foods. The scripture says this rice strengthens the stomach Qi, nourishes the marrow, and eliminates the “Three Worms”—an ancient health term for disease-causing creatures believed to live inside the body. Its effects are simply slower than when other ingredients are added; it is still regarded as food of the immortals.

The Scripture of the Treasures of the Upper Origin says: “Eat the King of Herbs, and your Qi will be able to communicate with the spirits; drink the liquid of the Green Candle, and your life will not decline.” This refers to the method described here.

Before preparing the medicine, observe a three-day purification fast; only then may you make it. In particular, avoid sexual activity and anything impure, or the medicine will not work. This is a formula handed down by the Perfected of the Highest Rank. Daoists living in the mountains and forests need only follow this method. If you cannot gather all the ingredients, or are too poor to afford rice, you may take only the leaves of the Nan-chu shrub. They can be pounded into powder or made into pills with honey. The scripture says this herb is common and easy to find, yet people do not know what it is for; even when they do know, they often fail to use it. This is regrettable.

First-time users should prepare two or three batches of medicinal rice with the other ingredients. After eating these, they may switch to taking the Nan-chu shrub on its own. This is to strengthen the stomach Qi first. Those who can afford it may continue eating the medicinal rice with all the ingredients; it is said to work faster and to protect against all kinds of misfortune and illness. Medicinal rice made with only rice and Nan-chu shrub takes somewhat longer to work, but the scripture says it is still superior to taking sesame, Atractylodes, or cinnamon on their own. Taking it is said to restore a youthful appearance, sharpen the mind, prolong life, reduce illness, and free one from worry and anxious thoughts.

In your diet, avoid meat and blood foods, as well as fresh, raw foods. Cured meat is permitted. If taking the Nan-chu shrub without other ingredients, steam the leaves three times and dry them three times, until they are thoroughly dry. Each morning, soak one or two sheng in clean water and take them in two portions, as you would a meal; you may also swallow them with water. Alternatively, pound the leaves, mix them with white honey, and pound the mixture ten thousand times to make pills…

Prepare the medicine as pills the size of parasol tree seeds, and take them twice a day. Steam the ingredients three times and dry them in the sun three times, until completely dry. In the morning, soak them in one or two liters of clear water, then take the medicine in two portions, as you would eat a meal; you may also swallow it with water. Alternatively, pound the leaves into a powder, mix them with white honey, and pound the mixture repeatedly for ten thousand strokes. Make it into pills the size of parasol tree seeds and take them twice a day, fifty pills each time; this is even more effective. It is fine to eat as usual on the days you take the medicine. If you cannot eat, this will not cause any discomfort. In daily life, you should also often rinse and swallow the fluids of the Jade Pool—the Daoist name for the mouth—to replenish the six fluids, meaning the body’s bodily fluids.

Use seven liang of Kongqing (a mineral used in Daoist practice and ancient medicine) as a supplementary ingredient. Choose material that is pure, fine, and fresh; first pound it finely, then sift it through thick silk. The scripture says that Kongqing can nourish true Qi, strengthen stomach Qi, brighten the eyes, strengthen the sinews, replenish bodily fluids, and boost Jing and Qi, restoring a youthful appearance. It is a superior immortal medicine. If taken during sexual activity, however, it will make the breath foul and deplete the spirit, and may even cause illness or death soon afterward; therefore, use it with great caution.

Also use one jin of cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), choosing material that is pure and clean. First pound it finely, then sift it through silk. The scripture says that cinnabar can strengthen stomach Qi, brighten the eyes, strengthen the sinews, replenish bodily fluids, and boost Jing and Qi, restoring a youthful appearance. It also says that cinnabar has a vivid color and abundant Yang Qi. It can strengthen the bones, nourish the blood, strengthen the will, replenish the brain, increase Qi, and regulate lung Qi, allowing the joints throughout the body to move freely and the body’s functions to work in harmony. While taking it, avoid blood foods, contact with impure things, and sexual activity. Violating these prohibitions may lead to rebellious Qi, abdominal masses, and wasting of the bones.

Next, take two jin of high-grade, white fuling (Poria), free of frost damage. Add five sheng of water and boil it three times. Dry it by roasting, pound it finely, then sift it through fine silk. The scripture says that fuling can communicate with the spirits, summon numinous Qi, and harmonize the hun and po souls. It can also brighten the eyes, moisten the skin, strengthen the stomach and intestines, and open the heart and mind. Its Qi can further nourish that of nanzhu, a plant used in Daoist dietary formulas, harmonizing nutritive blood and defensive Qi—the two forms of Qi that, in Chinese medicine, circulate within the vessels and protect them from outside. Fuling may also simply be mixed into cooked rice and taken; this is especially effective.

While taking it, avoid sour foods, pork, and dog meat, and avoid contact with anything bloody. The scripture says that breaking these taboos prevents the medicine from exerting its power and brings no benefit to the body. Alternatively, pound cooked rice and fuling together, sift the mixture, and form it into honey pills. Take them in the same way as before.

Next, take five liang of tender shoots, leaves, and flowers of jingmu, the chaste tree. Dry them in the shade; dried leaves are better. Pound them carefully a thousand times, then sift them through fine silk. The scripture says that the leaves and flowers of jingmu can communicate with the spirits and enable one to see ghosts. When gathering jingmu, do not let chickens or dogs see you.

Anyone preparing this medicine must remain quiet and keep the process strictly secret. Do not reveal the medicine’s name to people whose interests differ from your own. If they learn of it, someone may disclose the formula, so be very cautious.

After crushing and sifting all four ingredients, put them in a mortar and pound them repeatedly ten thousand times. Then mix the powder into cooked green rice, stirring thoroughly. Place it in a cloth or silk bag and put the bag into a zeng (a vessel for steaming rice). Steam over low heat for about half a day, using enough water in the pot for the amount of rice being steamed. Turn the rice bag from time to time so it heats evenly on all sides. If the water in the pot boils away before the rice is fully steamed, add more as needed and continue steaming over low heat.

When the rice is done, take out the bag and spread the rice on a raised rack to dry in the sun until completely dry. (After mixing the powder into the cooked rice, moisten the rice with clear wine. If it is not fully steamed, add water as needed and continue steaming over low heat. When it is done, take out the bag and dry it on a raised rack.) Use a zeng large enough for the amount of rice. Once the bag is inside, cover the vessel tightly so no steam can escape and no dust can enter. While drying the rice, carefully separate the grains so they do not stick together. Dry them until they are completely dry and distinct. Alternatively, pound the dried rice into powder and use white honey to make pills about the size of parasol tree seeds. Take eighty pills a day in two doses; the text says this will grant long life and extend one’s years. It then adds that two dou of white honey and one hu of clear wine are to be combined for use.

Both ingredients should be of fine quality. Pour the honey into the wine and stir well. Then gradually mix small amounts of the wine-and-honey liquid into the rice until it is evenly moistened. Spread the rice out in the sun until completely dry, then moisten and dry it again as before. For a total of one hu and two dou of rice, repeat the moistening and drying seven or eight times, or ten times. Each time, add only a little liquid so the rice is evenly moistened, and dry it thoroughly in the sun.

After all the wine-and-honey liquid has been mixed into the rice, put the rice in a cloth bag and steam it as before. Remove it once steamed, then dry it in the sun until completely dry. Alternatively, pound it into pills about the size of parasol tree seeds. Take them twice a day, eighty pills each time.

You can also take one dou of wine and one dou of clear water—or water freshly drawn from a well at dawn—and mix them together, then pour the mixture over the rice until it is thoroughly soaked. Soak one or two jin of Nanzhu leaves, or boil them once, then remove them and strain out a deep blue, slightly thick juice. Add five sheng or one dou of white honey to the blue juice and stir well. Then, as before, gradually mix small amounts of the liquid into the rice until it is evenly moistened, and dry it in the sun. Repeat the moistening and drying until all the blue juice has been used. Steam the rice after each round, then finally dry it in the sun until completely dry. This completes the method for making Qingjing rice, a blue-colored nourishing rice prepared with Nanzhu leaf juice and other ingredients.

If the ingredients are incompatible when steamed together in a pot or steamer, they may be steamed separately. The ingredients should be combined on a Yin or Mao day in the first ten days of the month, using a separate pot and stove. If the prepared ingredients remain distinct, take five he (a traditional measure) with water. If they clump together and do not dissolve easily, pound them and make them into honey pills. Use the total amount of the five ingredients to make eighty pills, and take one or two each morning. Once prepared, seal them in a honey jar and take them out to dry at regular intervals. If making pills, prepare the entire batch at once. You may eat after taking the medicine.

At the beginning, there is no need to stop eating grain at once. Reduce your intake gradually: limit it to two and a half sheng (a traditional measure) a day at first, reduce it to two sheng after a year, one sheng after three years, and half a sheng after four years, then continue reducing until you eat none at all. The scripture says that by the fifth year, the body will feel light and the spirit clear, with striking results. After that, one may eat nine meals in a day or go without food for an entire year. Here, “grain” mainly means cereals; the scripture also says that flour-based foods are easier to reduce.

It is said that after taking “ㄒ rice,” no harm can injure the body and no illness can trouble it. It can also dispel distracting thoughts and eliminate the Three Corpses—the spirits said in Daoism to dwell within the body, record transgressions, and obstruct cultivation—while sharpening hearing and sight and making the steps light. After ten years, the spirit of Blue Essence, associated with the cultivation of Blue Essence Rice, will serve the practitioner. One will be able to vanish while sitting or standing, become invisible and transform, and summon wind and rain. A single dose adds a thousand years to one’s life; taken over a long period, it brings immortality.

In times of famine, when there is no grain, or when poverty makes rice unaffordable, one may take Nanzhu (a plant commonly used to prepare Blue Essence Rice) on its own, combine it with Poria, or mix it with honey; it may also be taken with pine needles or cypress leaves. These preparations do not necessarily require grain, but they cannot be called “ㄒ rice.” When taking them, practice breath regulation and swallowing saliva to harmonize Rong and Wei—the Qi that, in Chinese medicine, circulates inside and at the body’s surface to sustain its functions. This practice should be maintained regularly. “ㄒ rice” must be used together with Cloud Buds, a cultivation method or substance named in the original text, while Cloud Buds can be cultivated without “ㄒ rice.” If the ingredients are measured using the ancient system of weights, take two and a half he each day. There is no need to worry about taking too much; what matters is persisting in breath regulation and swallowing saliva to harmonize Rong and Wei.

This can be taken orally, so take only two and a half he measures each day to keep the dosage under control. When you first begin taking the medicine, you need not immediately give up grains. This is a precious art transmitted by the High Immortals, and a marvelous method of cultivation through abstaining from food.

The Great Shang’s Method for Cooking Giant Dodder with the Five Mineral Essences

(also called “The Great Emperor’s Formula for Protecting Life and the Five Viscera”)

The Perfected of Mount Heng said: “I once had a close disciple named Zhao Chengzi, the Immortal. As soon as he received my Scripture on Protecting Life and the Five Viscera, he began cultivating according to its methods. Later, Chengzi wished to return to the Great Yin—the realm of the dead—to change his appearance and dissolve his bodily form. So he deliberately died in a stone chamber at Dark Mound in Shanggu, Youzhou.

“Five or six years after his death, someone who had entered the mountains saw his white bones exposed in the dark chamber. He also noticed that the five viscera inside Chengzi’s belly were still intact and had not decayed. Five-colored radiance arose within them, clear and brilliant. The man exclaimed, ‘I had heard that the five viscera could be preserved from decay, and that radiance could arise within the chest among the white bones. Now at last I have seen it with my own eyes. Could this man have failed to complete his Daoist cultivation, and fallen short when tested halfway through?’ He reached out and moved the remains aside. In each of the five viscera he found a white stone that served as its guardian. The stones emitted five-colored radiance, and it seemed that shapes resembling faces and figures appeared within them. The man said, ‘Your five viscera have endured because these five stones gave rise to radiance. You have lost the means of cultivating the Dao, so give me these stones.’ With that, he took them and swallowed them.

“Four or five years later, the day came when Chengzi’s body was due to be restored to life. The man who had swallowed the stones suddenly saw all five fly one after another from his mouth. They were shaped like cicadas, accompanied by a faint rumble of thunder, and shone with brilliant five-colored light as they flew straight back into Chengzi’s five viscera. Chengzi’s body was thereby transformed. He rose to his feet as if he had merely slept off a night of drunkenness. The man, terrified and dazed, grew sicker by the day, so he went into the mountains to seek out Chengzi’s body. When he reached the stone chamber, he saw Chengzi sitting there, lying on his back and whistling loudly inside the cave, his face gleaming like jade. Chengzi asked him, ‘Who are you?’

“Suddenly, five old immortal sages appeared, dressed in brocade robes and wearing Fulu (talismans and registers), holding feathered staffs and wearing purple crowns. They said to Chengzi, ‘This is the man who once stole and swallowed the precious stones from your five viscera.’ No sooner had they spoken than foul sores broke out across the man’s face, and he lost the power of speech. By the time he returned home, the sores covered his whole body. Everyone in his family, young and old alike, died at the same time, and the entire clan was wiped out.”

The verse says: The Perfected Person of Golden Luminosity of the Supreme Ultimate engraved this scripture beside the eastern window of the Dark Vermilion Jade Hall in the Purple Tenuity Palace of the Imperial Lord of Taiwei. The scripture reads:

The five kinds of stone each have a different origin. Their essences and fluids come together to form the myriad things. Some things come to an end and die; others begin anew. In the end, all things return to their source, and the thousand transformations all return to the true Dao.

A person’s breath rises and disperses like drifting smoke, while the blood surges onward and Jing and Qi are depleted along with it. How sorrowful! Your wish to cultivate, ascend, and attain perfection is hard to fulfill. Why not strive to gather and refine cloud herbs and Dark Waves, nourish the body with the essence of flowers and plants, bring together the seven pure white spirit vegetables, and blend them with the White-Silk Flying Dragon?

After bathing, face east at dawn and compose your mind. Gather Jing and Qi, rouse the hun soul, and welcome the Supreme Emperor and the Five Lords, the revered gods of Heaven. Then bow in reverence to the spirits and settle and guard the Five Directions. Let life endure as long as Heaven and Earth, and allow the Qi within body and mind to flow freely in and out. Let each thing remain in its proper place, and let radiance arise within the five viscera.

This passage concerns the Great Book of the Eight Assemblies of Shangqing Dragon Script, a mysterious script found in the Shangqing scriptures that ordinary scholars of the world can scarcely understand. The Perfected Tai Su recognized another kind of script within it. After receiving it, he sought an explanation from the Lord of the Supreme Ultimate.

The text uses coded phrases for the ingredients: “Cloud-Grass, Dark Waves” means rich black sesame; “Flowery Essence of the Herb” means honey; “Spirit Vegetable of Five Lights and Seven Whites” means Chinese chives; and “White-Plain Flying Dragon” means white quartz.

To prepare the medicine, first plant the chives. Once they have grown, do not dig them up on the fifth day of the fifth month. Simply weed, mound earth around them, and tend them. Only after five years may they be harvested for the medicine; they are then called the “Spirit Vegetable of Five Lights and Seven Whites.”

The ingredients are ten jin of plump, white chive bulbs; one hu and five dou of black sesame; five dou of thick, white honey; twenty-six hu of pure water gathered from holes in the rock where springs emerge in high mountain dark cliffs; and five flawless pieces of white quartz. Carefully grind the quartz on a whetstone until each piece is round, about the size of a sparrow’s egg, and polished like a pearl, with no trace of the whetstone left on it.

Before beginning the refinement, observe ritual purification for one month or sixty days. When the purification is complete, begin on the ninth day of the ninth month. First ram earth to make a foundation two chi high, then build a small stove house and construct the stove, with its opening facing west. The house, too, should have a west-facing door. Set a large iron pot on the stove. At the hour of the Monkey or the hour of the Rooster on the ninth day of the ninth month, kneel facing the stove opening—that is, face east—and place the five pieces of white quartz in the pot.

First put in one piece of quartz and recite this invocation: “Lord Qingdi’s Stone, Three Primordial Ladies, Taiyi in charge of fate, Dark Mother who governs the soul, please strengthen my bones, calm my liver, guard and nourish the spirit of my liver, so that my liver may give forth radiance and be preserved forever.”

Then put in the second piece of quartz and continue reciting the invocation.

Place a white Imperial Lord Stone in the cauldron and offer this prayer:

“White Imperial Lord Stone, resting place of the Great One (a revered Daoist deity). Primordial Father regulates the Jing and Qi; Mysterious Mother guards the lungs. Protect and nourish the lung spirit so that its Qi endures and never declines. Flowers bloom in the lungs, enduring for ten trillion years.”

Then place another stone in the cauldron and offer this prayer:

“Red Imperial Lord Stone, whose voice resonates in harmony with the Emperor Lord. Mysterious Mother regulates the spirit and Qi; Peach Kang guards the heart. Protect and nourish the heart spirit so that it does not turn to ash or sink into ruin. Flowers bloom in the heart, flourishing like a forest of jade trees.”

Next, place another stone in the cauldron and offer this prayer:

“Black Imperial Lord Stone, sharing the measure of longevity with the Great One. Mysterious Mother and Primordial Father regulate the bodily fluids, blending and transforming them. Protect and nourish the kidney spirit so that it suffers no harm and falls into no disorder. Flowers bloom in the kidneys, and wishes are always fulfilled.”

Then place another stone in the cauldron and offer this prayer:

“Yellow Imperial Lord Stone, sharing power and Virtue with the Old Lord. The Great One and the Emperor Lord regulate the hun and po souls and guard the spleen. Protect and nourish the spleen spirit so that it does not collapse or decay. Flowers bloom in the spleen, and one can ascend to Heaven in broad daylight.”

Each time you place a stone, hold your breath for five counts—about the time it takes to breathe five times—before placing the next. Once all the stones are in, rise and bow toward the stove five times. Take five jin of Chinese chives, arranging them neatly over the five stones. Pour honey over the chives, then pour one hu and five dou of rendered fat over the honey. Put the rendered fat into the cauldron, carefully observing the prescribed depth, height, and position. Then slowly add clear water, leaving a little space at the top rather than filling the cauldron. Set the wooden lid loosely over it.

Begin the fire on the morning of the tenth day of the ninth month. Use dry, clean firewood with straight grain. Do not use wood eaten by insects or firewood with unclean bark. Cook slowly over a low flame, allowing the contents of the cauldron to simmer gently without boiling over; if they boil too fiercely, the five stones will melt and be ruined. Check the fire and the contents of the cauldron often. First note the level of the rendered fat. If the water boils away, add more promptly, until you have added a total of twenty-six hu. Once all the water has boiled away, continue cooking until the liquid level is two cun below the mark where the rendered fat was at the start. Judge the precise amount according to the conditions at the time. When all this is done, the preparation is complete. After the cauldron cools, pile fire ash beneath it and seal the lid tightly.

On the fifth day, slowly take out the five medicinal stones—the five substances prepared by alchemists. At dawn, face each of the five directions and bow once. After bowing, kneel and mix this cloud essence, the paste formed through decoction and refinement, into water flowing eastward, then take it in sequence. Use the remaining water and cloud essence to swallow the small stones. As each stone enters the mouth and goes down, listen for the sound of swallowing.

When taking the medicine again, follow the same procedure as when the stones were first placed in the cauldron: carry out each step according to the incantation before taking it. Afterward, bow once toward each of the five directions. When the medicine has finished decocting, if you take some to swallow the stones, listen for the sound as they go down. For the next dose, again follow the procedure used when the stones were first put into the cauldron, taking the medicine step by step according to the incantation. Afterward, bow once toward each of the five directions.

If the stones can no longer be seen once the medicine has finished decocting, there is no other reason for this: the Five Essences have gone into hiding and dispersed, concealing their numinous nature as they change form. They have simply dissolved into the cloud essence, so there is no need for concern. Take five ge each day, washed down with wine. The medicine’s effects will transform the body and restore its original nature, while nourishing each of the five organs in turn; within the organs, the five stones will also form anew. Be careful not to use a fierce fire. If the fire is too strong, the stones’ vital essences will scatter, leaving residue that becomes foul and rotten. The cloud essence will also develop a scorched, rank smell and become nearly impossible to take.

Cloud essence tastes sweet and fragrant, and is especially pleasant. It can strengthen the bones, replenish Jing and Qi, nourish the five organs, protect original Qi, gather bodily fluids, and nourish the hun and po souls. It is a superior medicine. Store it in a fine vessel and seal it tightly. Begin by taking two ge each day, then continue taking it daily. If the cloud essence is thick, you may take it out first, then add it back after taking the stone medicine and decoct them together until it sets into a firm paste that can be cut. Some people make it into pills and take thirty at a time, but generally it is better to take the cloud essence as it is. Choose whichever method is convenient; what suits the body and goes down smoothly is best. Regularly taking this cloud essence is beneficial.

If you finish the cloud essence first, prepare it again as before: place five liang of white quartz—a white quartz mineral—at the bottom of the cauldron as a weight, and put one small stone in for every liang, then make the prescribed invocation. This time, however, there is no need to grind it again.

If the ointment refined earlier has run out, refine it again using the original method. Place five liang of white quartz at the bottom of the cauldron to weigh it down, using one piece for each liang. Offer the prescribed invocations, but this time there is no need to round the stones by grinding them. Once the medicine is refined, continue taking it. When it is ready, remove the stones and cast them into a deep pool whose water flows eastward and is continually replenished. If you no longer wish to refine this ointment, that will not harm the Five-Stone medicine refined earlier.

This ointment is called “Mysterious Maiden’s Jade Liquid,” also known as “Flying Dragon’s Cloud Essence” or “Ointment Refined from the Essence of the Five Stones.” It is said that taking it for fifteen years makes the body transparent within and without, grants a lifespan as long as Heaven and Earth, and enables one to command ghosts and spirits. After three years of taking it, one can see at night.

The Perfected One said: This formula surpasses the preparation of the “Eight-Stone Elixir” and is far superior to the “Jade Broth of Mysterious Water and Mica.” Once these five stone medicines have been swallowed, they pass down the throat and enter the body, protecting the five viscera. Each stone medicine guards the aperture of one viscus, and five-colored radiance emerges from every aperture.

If a cultivator temporarily goes to the “Great Yin” (the netherworld), or passes for a time through the domains governed by the “Three Officials” (the Daoist Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water), then even if the body has rotted to ash, the blood has dispersed, and the channels have vanished, the five viscera will still grow back on their own, while the white bones remain as pure as jade. The Seven Po possess the body and attend upon it; the Three Hun guard the dwelling; the Three Origins rest for a time; the Great Spirit resides within; the Great One registers the spirits and souls; the Director of Life holds the tally; the Five Elders support the vital essence; and the Thearch protects the body’s form. After thirty, twenty, ten, or three years—the length of time is up to the cultivator—the cultivator can leave that place. Upon revival, the blood gathers again, flesh grows back, fluids are restored, and the body’s form returns to its original embryonic state and is reshaped. Its appearance may even surpass what it was in life. This is what is meant by the Perfected One refining the body in the Great Yin, passing through the Three Officials, and changing appearance.

The Thearch of the Great Tenuity Heaven chanted: “Refine the body in the Great Yin, and surpass the taking of the Nine-Turn Elixir. The countenance is beautiful and dignified, the complexion attuned to numinous clouds. Ascend to the palace towers of the Supreme Ultimate, receive the celestial scriptures, and become a Perfected One.”

The “Supreme Elbow” refers to this very method. The Great Emperor of the Heavenly Pole sang:

“Use the Qi of Great Yin to refine and nourish the body;

it surpasses taking the Nine-Transformation Elixir.

Your appearance will be beautiful and dignified,

your complexion in harmony with numinous clouds.

One day you will ascend the Taiji Gate,

receive the heavenly scripture, and become a perfected person.”

Eight Sections of the Jade Scripture Formula of the Supreme One, Kept at Hand

— Lu Daoyuan, Master Who Dwells Amid the Rosy Clouds

Long ago, Master Nest Dweller served the Youth of the Eastern Sea. He studied with single-minded diligence and respectfully observed the duties of a disciple. Whether in scorching heat and driving rain or bitter cold and deep winter, he never slackened. After twenty years, the Youth of the Eastern Sea finally taught him the wondrous methods orally and personally copied out the sages’ secret formulas. He said to him, “To ride a crane and ascend through the nine heavens is no easy matter. But to live freely between Heaven and Earth, preserve the Qi of pure emptiness, keep your appearance from aging and your mind and spirit clear, and live for hundreds of years without dying young—that can be achieved.”

Yet the secret arts of the immortals must not be passed on casually; they must be taught to someone worthy. During the Chang’an era, Master Nest Dweller judged Master Cold Perch to be virtuous, so he had him bathe and observe purification before transmitting these arts to him. In the eighth year of Zhenyuan, Master Cold Perch decided that, though I was unlearned, I could roam freely and live in seclusion. The people I kept company with were neither worldly men nor those chasing fame and profit. If this was the upright nature Heaven had bestowed on me, then teaching me would not be in vain. So he passed the arts on to me.

I consider Master Hidden Perch a man of learning and talent. In his youth, he earned a high degree, yet suddenly abandoned the scramble for an official career and quietly turned toward the Dao. In just six or seven years, he had nearly mastered all the mysterious methods and secret arts, though he seemed not yet to have encountered their most fundamental principle. Knowing that he had not passed these arts to me lightly, I have treasured this transmission for a long time; only now have I set these words down. I know him to be a man of purpose: in his heart he has forgotten rank and stipend, withdrawn from the world, and written poems in the manner of the Sao and the Ya. He has talent yet seems without talent; inwardly full, he appears empty and still. Surely he will be able to transform into an immortal and ride away on the clouds. Why speak only of longevity like that of a tortoise or crane?

In the Yichou year of the Baoli era, Lu Daoyuan, Master Who Dwells Amid the Rosy Clouds, respectfully presented a scroll of the secret essentials of the Eight Methods of the Supreme One to Lord Shi of Hidden Perch, and charged him: “Treasure it, and guard it with care!”

The first formula listed under the Qian Trigram is called “Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother’s Seven Essences Powder.” It contains three large liang of bamboo pith, processed by steaming it nine times and exposing it to the sun nine times. It treats water Qi and is also called the essence of the sun. Four large liang of kochia seed are called the essence of Great Yin; they treat the liver and are said to improve eyesight. Four large liang of yellow essence are called the essence of Wu and Ji and treat the spleen. Three large liang of turnip seed, steamed nine times, are said to ward off evil and improve eyesight. Three large liang of pine resin, which must be refined until mature, are said to be used for madness caused by wind, impediment disorders, and dampness. Four large liang of peach gum are called the essence of the five trees and are used for afflictions caused by ghosts. Five large liang of sesame, exposed to the sun nine times, are called the essence of the five grains. “Large liang” was an ancient unit of weight whose exact equivalent differed from modern units.

The note following the formula says that the Yellow Emperor ascended to Heaven after taking it. Anyone wishing to pass the formula on later must first set up an altar, burn incense, and report the matter to the Lord on High; it may be transmitted only after permission is granted. The recipient must swear to keep it secret, and it may be passed to only one person every forty years. Anyone who breaks the oath and reveals the formula will have their lifespan shortened by the Most High, and their descendants for seven generations will be investigated and punished by the Water Officials. The oath must therefore be observed with care.

The opening list of contents also names other formulas: the Kun Trigram’s “Fenghou’s Four-Fan Powder Formula”; the Gen Trigram’s “Lord Wang’s River Cart Formula”; the Xun Trigram’s “Queen Mother of the West’s Tortoise Terrace Four Youths Powder Formula”; the Li Trigram’s “Lord Peng’s Deer Antler Powder Formula”; the Dui Trigram’s “Lady Xia’s Apricot Golden Elixir Formula”; the Kan Trigram’s “Nanyue Perfected One Red Pine’s Gouqi Decoction Pills”; and the Zhen Trigram’s “Master Qingjing’s Rice Meal Formula.” “Gouqi” follows the original text.

The second recipe listed in the “Kun” category is “Feng Hou’s Four-Fan Powder Formula.” Its ingredients are: three large liang of Wulingzhi (used in traditional materia medica to promote blood circulation and relieve pain); three large liang of Xianlingpi (to tonify the kidneys and strengthen the sinews and bones); three large liang of pine resin (used for conditions such as wind epilepsy); three large liang of Zexie (to promote urination and support Kidney Qi); two large liang of Atractylodes (to increase Qi and strength); two large liang of dried ginger (to increase Qi and warm the middle); five large liang of raw dried Rehmannia root (to nourish marrow and blood); three large liang of Shichangpu (to benefit the heart and spirit); three large liang of cinnamon heartwood (to tonify deficiency); and four large liang of powdered mica (traditionally said to moisten the skin and make a person plump and fair).

According to legend, Feng Hou passed this formula to the Yellow Emperor, who passed it to Gaoqiuzi; Gaoqiuzi passed it to Lord Damao, and Lord Damao to Digu. Those receiving the transmission had to swear not to reveal it carelessly. Passing it lightly to an unsuitable person could implicate the recipient and bring calamity upon seven generations of ancestors. To prepare it, process the ten ingredients as prescribed, crush them, and sift them. Pound them 30,000 times, mix with refined white honey, then pound for a further 10,000 to 20,000 times. Take with wine three times a day, 30 pills each time.

The third recipe listed in the “Gen” category is “Lord Wang’s River Chariot Formula.” It calls for one Ziheche (placenta). Citing the “Song of the Queen Mother of the West,” it says: “One Ziheche, the dragon dives and transforms…” The text continues with instructions to pound it 10,000 to 20,000 times and take it with wine three times a day, 30 pills each time.

One placenta. According to the “Song of the Queen Mother of the West”: “One portion of purple river carriage can transform the body, restore youth, and make a withered poplar grow again.” The commentary below says that “purple river carriage” means a woman’s placenta. Wash away the blood with water from a flowing stream one hundred times, then wash it with wine fifty times. Dry it in the shade, then in the sun, and set it aside for use.

The other medicines are as follows: eight large liang of raw, dried rehmannia, to nourish the marrow and blood; four large liang of achyranthes, for the lower back and knees; three large liang of schisandra, to regulate the Five Viscera; four large liang of raspberry, to replenish deficient Kidney Yin; two large liang of morinda, with one additional liang if greater sexual vigor is desired, but omit it for women; three large liang of chebula peel, to regulate the Qi in the chest; two liang of trumpetflower, to nourish the sinews and bones; two large liang of Chinese lantern fruit, to counteract the toxins of various medicines; three large liang of alisma, to replenish deficiency in men and women; three large liang of chrysanthemum, to dispel wind pathogens from the sinews and channels; three large liang each of licorice and calamus, to nourish the spirit; three liang of dry lacquer, to dispel wind pathogens from the muscles and Five Viscera, fried until yellow; three liang of arborvitae seed, to replenish essence and Qi; three liang of poria, to calm the mind and spirit; three liang of cloud-hero, to tighten the intestines; two liang of yellow essence, to replenish the Spleen and Stomach; three liang of cistanche, to strengthen male reproductive capacity, but omit it for women; two liang of golden-hair dendrobium, to nourish the sinews and channels; two large liang of polygala, to strengthen the heart and aid memory; four large liang of apricot kernels, fried until dark yellow and with the tips and skins removed, to dispel stagnant blood and pathogenic influences; and four large liang of sesame, to promote longevity and preserve body and spirit.

Pound all twenty-two ingredients into a fine powder and mix with refined honey to make pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take thirty pills daily with wine. After taking three courses, it is said that one’s appearance will be like a young woman’s. In the past, Lord Wang passed this formula on to Su Linzi. The transmission required an oath sealed with a blood pact; otherwise, it would violate the precepts of the Most High, and calamity would extend to one’s ancestors.

“Xun,” “The Queen Mother of the West’s Four Maidens’ Powder from the Turtle Terrace,” fourth.

Seven liang of cinnabar ore, three liang of cinnabar, four large liang of sesame seeds (steamed nine times, exposed to the sun nine times, then fried until fragrant), four liang of asparagus root, five liang of poria, three liang of Atractylodes, five liang of dried polygonatum, and four liang of peach kernels (with the skins and tips removed).

Sift and pound these eight ingredients together thirty thousand times. Take the powder in winter; in summer, make it into pills by mixing it with honey, each about the size of a parasol tree seed. Resolve to take it for eight years, and your appearance will become like that of an infant, with skin soft and smooth as congealed fat.

In the past, the Queen Mother of the West passed this formula to the Great Mao Lord, who in turn passed it to Di Ai. They made a covenant, swearing neither to neglect taking it nor to reveal the formula. In summer, make it into pills by mixing it with honey, each about the size of a parasol tree seed. Resolve to take it for eight years, and your appearance will become like that of an infant, with skin soft and smooth as congealed fat. If you reveal this formula, the Most High will punish you according to the precepts. Be sure to exercise caution!

○ⅵ “Li,” “Lord Peng’s Formula for Powdered Elk Antler,” Fifth

Three liang of elk antler, quantity unrestricted. Split the antler and cut it into pieces about three fen thick and five cun long. Remove the marrow and any debris from inside. Soak the pieces in rice-washing water for three days in summer or ten days in winter, changing the water once. After soaking for about a month or longer, when the antler seems to have softened, take it out and steam it in a covered steamer, laying mulberry bark over it. Steam until it is soft and mushy like taro, then expose it to the sun to dry and grind it into powder. Add one liang of processed, fire-subdued sulfur to every jin of elk-antler powder. Take three qian mixed with wine.

The formula explains that elk eat sweet flag, whose essence fills their antlers. Lord Peng took this formula and, it is said, lived for 779 years before entering Lung-Lung Mountain, after which his whereabouts became unknown. Some people now say that Lord Peng died, but this is mistaken. Others have also transmitted this formula, and someone found it in a stone cave on Humming Crane Mountain; the wording is the same in every version. This formula must not be proclaimed publicly.

○ⅷ “Dui,” “Lady Xia’s Formula for Apricot Golden Elixir,” Sixth

Take six dou of apricots. Grind them with water and strain out one shi and eight dou of apricot juice. Pour the juice into an iron pot and cook it. First rub the pot with mutton fat until all three jin of fat have been used. Then pour in the apricot juice and simmer it over a chaff fire for forty-nine days. Next, boil goji berries into a paste and make them into pills the size of soybeans. Take one pill each day; three liang of the medicine make one course of treatment. According to legend, after taking three courses, Xia Ji regained the appearance of a young woman and later ascended to Heaven in broad daylight. This recipe comes from the Shang Jing of Xianmenzi. The scripture requires an oath of secrecy and claims that anyone who reveals it will bring calamity upon seven generations of their descendants; this claim should be treated with caution.

Another recipe: Apricot Golden Elixir

Take three dou of apricots and remove the kernels. Briefly boil the apricots in boiling water for three or four rolling boils. While they are still hot, rub them by hand to remove the skins, then pound them thoroughly. Put them in a basin and press out the juice. Strain off seven or eight dou of apricot juice and discard the pulp. Take a large pot with a capacity of one shi and set it over a chaff fire. Rub the inside of the pot with four jin of mutton fat until all the fat has adhered to and melted into the pot. Once the pot is hot, rub it repeatedly again until all four jin of fat have been used. Pour in the apricot juice and boil it over a chaff fire and a silkworm-dropping fire for four or five days, until the medicine is ready and golden in color. For each dose, take an amount about the size of an egg yolk and swallow it as one would give medicine to a small child, three times a day. The scripture says that after one hundred days, even the person’s parents will no longer recognize them, and their appearance will have become beautiful.

Kan: “Pills of Goji Berry Decoction by the Perfected of Mount Heng, Red Pine,” Section Seven

Take thirty jin of goji roots and peel off the root bark, setting it aside. Steam the bark nine times and dry it in the sun nine times, then pound it into powder. Add water to the remaining root core—about three shi—and boil it down repeatedly until it thickens to the consistency of thin syrup. Add the prepared root-bark powder and mix well, then form the mixture into pills the size of parasol tree seeds. The scripture claims that completing one dose will extend one’s life by one hundred years. According to legend, Red Pine, from the north, passed this recipe to Li Babo and required an oath of secrecy; anyone who revealed it without permission would suffer Heaven’s punishment.

Zhen: “Recipe for Rice of the Azure Essence Master,” Section Eight

Take one shi of white millet and soak it in the juice of the southern candle plant (a plant used medicinally). Steam it and dry it in the sun nine times each, and in the end you will obtain more than three dou. Take one spoonful with food each day. After one month, reduce the dose to half a spoonful; after two months, reduce it to one third of a spoonful. After finishing one batch, it is said that the intestines will turn into sinews, cold winds will be unable to harm you, your beard and sideburns will become black as fine silk, and your complexion will be as white as ice and jade. Anyone who takes this recipe can also command the Six Ding (the six guardian deities of Daoism) and be protected by heavenly soldiers. Keep this recipe secret and do not pass it on casually. It is said that carefully guarding its secrecy allows one to attain the Dao and become an immortal; never divulge it lightly.

The Supreme One’s Highest Recipe for Immortality through Consuming Auspicious Blossoms and Cloud Dust (an explanation of the highest recipe for immortality through consuming auspicious blossoms and cloud dust)

Mao fruit (fruit that grows in spring) is the jewel of spring; ju-sheng (seeds of the sesame family) is the mysterious spirit of autumn; cinnabar dates are the lingzhi of abundant Yang energy; and poria is a hidden embryo within crimson dawn. Combine the essences of these five substances, then refine their essence by washing it with the Three Qi. This can harmonize the Six Qi, nourish the hun and po souls, and protect the spirit. If you follow the recipe, you can take your place among the celestial immortals. The elderly can regain their vigor and youthful appearance; no harm can approach them, and their lifespan can extend to ten thousand years.

Take one hu of Mao fruit gathered in spring. It is called “Mao fruit” because it is full of Yang essence, and so it ranks first among medicines. If you cannot prepare the medicine in time that spring, put the Mao fruit in a sealed container and seal it with clay; open it when needed. The following spring, do not use it if its quality is poor, and do not use any that has spoiled. A note adds that Mao fruit readily becomes worm-eaten and is difficult to preserve. Wait until its Yang essence is abundant, then store it in a dry, clean container. If the Mao fruit turns to liquid, squeeze and strain out the dregs, and use the juice to mix the medicine.

Three dou of black ju-sheng (black sesame) meal. First toast it until fragrant, then pound it into a fine meal.

Ten jin of poria. Pound it carefully and sift it into a fine meal. Five sheng of white honey.

One dou of dried dates. Select large dates, peel and pit them, steam them, and pound them until they can be mixed evenly. Then add five… of clear, well-aged wine.

Mix the six medicinal ingredients thoroughly and place them in a cauldron. Simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens like sugar and can be rolled into pills, then remove it. Put it into a container of honey, and pound it in batches three thousand times. Make pills about the size of an egg yolk and take three each day. First pound the ingredients into an extremely fine powder and sift them through fine, lightweight silk. Then put them in the cauldron to cook, stirring often and keeping the lid on. Prepare the medicine in a secluded place, where few people can see or hear you.

It is said that after taking this medicine for six years, white hair turns black, the face regains the appearance of a child, one walks as lightly as if flying, and the body gives off a jade-like sheen. Calamities can no longer cause harm, and one can ride the clouds into Heaven and become a perfected person.

Another account lists the effects according to how long the medicine is taken: after one year, the eyes become clear, the ears keen, and the mind strong and able to communicate with the divine; after two years, the effects grow more pronounced; after three years, scars and dark spots disappear; after four years, the body is at ease and original Qi is abundant; after five years, one walks as lightly as if flying; after six years, white hair turns black and the face looks like an infant’s. This medicine is said to nourish the fetal origin, increase original Qi, replenish Jing, and open Shen. It is a superior prescription for becoming an immortal. Countless Daoists are said to have ascended to immortality by taking this medicine alone. It is unlike ordinary prescriptions and should be prepared and taken according to its instructions.

◎ Record of Reliable Accounts of the Lingfei Powder Prescription (with an appended method for mica)

I and Huishu of Boling, an investigating censor at the Censorate, shared an aspiration to leave the dust of the world behind, preserve our bodies, and roam freely among mountains and seas. We once spoke together about those who seek the Dao and study the art of becoming immortals, and lamented that they pursue lofty, abstruse, absurd, and unfounded teachings, while regarding practical concerns close at hand as beneath them, and thus merely chase after distant things…

I and Inspector Cha, a man from the Xiantai, and Huishu, a man from Boling, all aspire to withdraw from the world, preserve our bodies, and wander freely beyond the mountains and seas. We often speak of those who seek learning: they investigate lofty and mysterious principles but scorn practical, immediate knowledge; they pursue only what is distant and insubstantial, looking down on ordinary, everyday matters. It is as though they could ascend to immortality at any moment. They believe that taking the Golden Elixir and sitting back to wait will prolong their lives, and that they will soon be entered into the registers of the immortals.

In truth, if the mind is not devoted to cultivating the Dao, and the body is trained no differently from those of ordinary people, neither teeth nor hair will be preserved, and the face will gradually age. This is the result of Qi and blood being depleted within the body, with outward changes following in turn. Such people have not yet escaped illness, while their desires continually torment body and mind. Their lives are therefore short, sometimes shorter than the ordinary span of human life. They are countless, and this happens day after day.

What we do now must be different. We must seek reliable methods. First, we observe whether our teeth and appearance improve, and whether we have become different from ordinary people. Only after confirming that our lives are not yet near their limit can we hope to endure for a long time and cultivate ourselves into immortals. We must also train the spirit until it is clear, still, and empty, and seek substances such as lingzhi and powdered jade to take as nourishment. So we agreed to search out essential methods, first seeking to preserve the body and rescue our physical form. Whenever we learned something new, we would explain it to each other and offer one another guidance.

Some time later, Huishu said to me, “Someone was speaking of Commandant Pei. His hair turned white early, but later he regained the appearance of a child. When asked what he had taken, he said it was the effect of the Lingfei Powder. Everyone knows this formula is recorded in the twenty-eighth scroll of the Qianjin.”

Huishu added, “I hear that Junyi, an assistant director in the Office of Meritorious Affairs and a man from Fanyang, often discussed and investigated this formula with Wu Dan, a gentleman of the household who cultivates the Way of Qi. Wu Dan said: ‘The Qianjin has recently been abridged…’”

Uncle Hui also said: I heard that the assistant director of the Bureau of Merit, Junyi of Fanyang, often discussed this formula with Officer Wu Dan, who practiced methods for cultivating Qi. Wu Dan said, “The Qianjin gives only a brief account of this formula, and much of it is inaccurate. The formula originally comes from the Taiching Immortal Scripture. We should try to find the original text, then prepare and take it according to its instructions.”

Junyi made a private note of this, though he did not know whether he could find the original. At the time, he was staying at the residence of the late Chancellor Li Mi. One day, with nothing to do, he happened to enter a small Buddhist chamber. Buddhist scriptures filled the desk; most were damaged or incomplete and piled there in disorder. He had leafed through nearly half of them when he came upon a scroll with its opening intact and its writing clear. It was titled The True Scripture of Great Clarity. When he opened it, he found that it was the very scroll containing the formula for the Lingfei Powder. Junyi read the scripture closely, delighted that his hopes had been fulfilled, and immediately took this numinous text to show Wu Dan. Wu Dan burned incense, washed his hands, and received it reverently. He said to Junyi, “This is a numinous and efficacious object secretly left behind by a divine official and specially preserved in an immortal book. It is fit for later students to study.”

Uncle Hui said that Junyi and I were close friends who trusted one another. Keeping to our agreement, I went to visit him and asked him to tell Wu Dan about the matter as soon as possible and to let me make a copy. I drove to his door, asked him about it, and heard his account. I was then able to copy the formula and keep it with Uncle Hui. One of its ingredients is chiefly made from cloud powder.

That year, I accepted an appointment and went to serve at Zhongling; Mount Lu lay within my jurisdiction. There, torrents from the Furnace Peak waterfall rush down, and streams run through the mountain ravines. Local residents and practitioners draw clear spring water from the mountains, wash and sun-dry it until it shines like flowing frost and is as pure as white snow. They then shape it into forms like nine pearls and spiraled shells, as if made by the work of Heaven. They take this substance to village and town markets to sell for their livelihood. Shops often keep a plentiful stock, and there is no limit to how much may be taken each day. Of the rare ingredients in this formula, this is the only one that can be obtained so readily. It truly seems that Heaven has provided this means to fulfill my wish and benefit others who share my interests. Otherwise, how could things have coincided so perfectly, as though they had been arranged in advance?

I have privately treasured this account of a wondrous method and have never forgotten it, whether at rest or in my daily routine. I traveled several stages through the Shangluo region, stopping along the way to rest and lodge. At an inn, a guest from Neixiang said, “There was a clerk named Deng Rong serving under the former county magistrate. It seems we once agreed to speak about this matter.”

I have privately treasured this account and remembered it day and night. Deng Rong served as a clerk during the former county magistrate’s tenure. Though he was over seventy-five, neither his bearing nor his hair showed signs of age; his eyes were bright and clear, and when he handled complicated affairs and received guests, his energy matched that of a man in his prime. I asked him what he had obtained. He said, “I often come across miraculous prescriptions.”

I made inquiries locally about the prescription and learned that these effects were caused by taking Lingfei Powder. I also asked about how it had been transmitted, and was told that it truly had medicinal efficacy. Someone said, “Long ago, I met Registrar Tang. A Daoist personally passed a prescription on to him, saying it was a superior formula of the immortals. If you want to see what it can do, it can quickly change the hair at the temples.”

Deng Rong had a close acquaintance whose face and hair had grown old. Wanting to test the medicine’s effects, he asked Deng Rong for a dose. After taking it for thirty days, the man’s appearance and hair had visibly returned to how they had been before. Deng Rong took only half a dose and also saw results, which remained unchanged for several decades. Sadly, he did not finish the course, so the medicine’s effects were not fully realized. Later, he was banished to a distant place, fell into hardship, and lost much of his property. Now he looks much like an ordinary person, though there are still some differences.

Deng Rong also said that when he was in Chang’an, he heard that the two imperial sons-in-law, Zhang and Pei, had both witnessed the medicine’s effect on the eyes with their own eyes, confirming what had been reported earlier. It seems, then, that this prescription is truly wondrous, and reports of it have been repeatedly verified. Some saw its effects firsthand, while others asked about them directly; these accounts accumulated into clear evidence. The reclusive scholar Sun, a man of high standing in the Daoist tradition and well versed in the essentials of esoteric arts, took special care to collect and record this prescription. Surely this was no coincidence.

By good fortune, Huishu, Xing Junyi, and I met, and at last we obtained the prescription. We agreed to take it with sincere commitment and test its efficacy. If unusual results emerge in the future, we will continue this record. On the fifth day of the fourth month in the seventh year of Yuanhe, Gao Yang Qi Tui recorded these facts.

○ Prescription for Lingfei Powder (found in volume 153 of the Scripture of Great Clarity)

Anyone who wishes to summon the myriad spirits and seek ascent to immortality should first purify body and mind, observe a fast, and bathe. Wash the hair with scented water; better still, wash the whole body. Only after one hundred days may the spirits be summoned. Those who seek immortality should take the “Numinous Flight Powder” handed down by the Perfected Ones of the Northern, Western, and Central Marchmounts. Whoever obtains and takes it is certain to become an immortal.

The Perfected One said: Anyone who hopes to attain the agelessness of the immortals and live forever, to turn white hair black again, regrow fallen teeth, restore a lustrous complexion and radiant skin, and even reveal inner conditions through outward appearance, should take the Numinous Flight Powder.

Laojun said: This prescription is a key to the arts and the foundation for the transformations of the Way of the immortals. For a Daoist who takes it, becoming an immortal is no difficult matter; a practitioner of the arts who takes it can roam Mount Hua; an ordinary person who takes it can reclaim years that have passed; and an old person who takes it can recover a youthful appearance.

Laojun said: The essential effects of taking this medicine are these: for a Daoist, becoming an immortal is no difficult matter; for a practitioner of the arts, it makes roaming Mount Hua possible; for an ordinary person, it restores years that have passed; and for an old person, it brings back a youthful appearance.

Laojun said: Taking this medicine can prevent aging. After ten days of taking it, one is said to be able to go without food for three years; after five years, one is said to be able to live for 2,624 years. I am not the only one to have achieved this. Many people have attained the Dao, preserved themselves, and become immortals.

The prescription contains: one jin of refined mica; half a jin of poria (or one jin); seven liang of arborvitae seeds; seven liang of stalactite; five liang of chrysanthemum (or fifteen liang); four liang of atractylodes (another version gives seven liang of ginseng); twelve liang of dried Rehmannia root (or fifteen liang); seven liang of cassia bark; and seven liang of teasel root.

Grind these nine ingredients finely and sift them. Then take nineteen jin of fresh asparagus roots and pound them into a paste. Squeeze out the juice and use it to make pills: if there is plenty of juice, mix it with the powdered ingredients; if there is little, use it to knead the mixture. Place the pills in a copper vessel and suspend it beneath a steamer. Steam them with one hu and two dou of millet. Remove the pills, dry them in the sun, then grind them finely and sift them. Take one square-inch spoonful each morning; this was an ancient measure for powdered medicine. The text says the medicine is non-toxic and may be taken in large quantities. If taken regularly with meals, the body is said to feel light and healthy after ten days; after twenty days, hearing and sight are said to become keen and clear.

After taking the medicine for seventy days, white hair will turn black, and all the original teeth will fall out. The lost teeth can then grow back. Take fourteen portions of the medicine and mix them with white honey in a ratio of forty-nine portions. Pound the mixture two hundred times, then form it into pills the size of parasol tree seeds. This will make eighty-one pills. Dry them in the sun and examine the inside and outside of the pills. If they are clear and shining, like bright moon pearls or the luminous essence of fireflies, or if they are red or white, they are the medicine immortals carry with them and take regularly.

To make hair grow again, take seven pills each day until new hair appears. Afterward, the hair will neither turn white nor fall out. Those who wish to enter the mountains and go without food may also take this medicine: seven pills a day are said to keep hunger at bay. If the hair has not yet fallen out or turned white, taking only the powdered medicine is said to allow one to live five or six hundred years without white hair. If the hair has already turned white, taking the medicine as described above is said to delay its falling out until the age of one hundred and seventeen. Those who seek the Dao and cultivate immortality must attain the state of the immortals, so that their hair and teeth grow back and their appearance is restored to that of a thirty-year-old. Taking medicine in pursuit of the Dao can keep the hair from turning white. For older people whose teeth have already fallen out, taking medicine is also said to be an important means of attaining immortality. Seeking release solely through losing the teeth and abandoning the physical body is a lower path in Daoist methods.

It is said that anyone who takes this Lingfei San will have twice their strength after three days; after five days, their blood and Qi will be vigorous; after seven days, their body will feel light; after ten days, their complexion will be radiant and their thoughts clear; and after fifteen days, they will work without fatigue and walk at an easy pace as fast as a horse. After twenty days, their strength will surpass what it was before. After thirty-five days, they will be able to see objects at night as though they were lit.

Method for Treating Mica

Pound one jin of white salt together with one jin of mica. Pound the mica into a paste; do not sift it. Put it in a thick cloth bag and knead and grind it, then rinse it with water until all the saltiness has been washed away. Place it in a silk bag and hang it up to dry.

First, crush the mica without sifting it. Put it in a bag made of several layers of cloth and knead it, then wash it with water until every trace of saltiness is gone. Afterward, place it in a silk bag and hang it up to dry; it will turn into powder. Another method is to boil the mica in salt brine until it has completely dissolved into a muddy paste, then pound it into powder.

There is another method: take one jin of mica and one jin of coarse salt, soak them in a copper vessel for three or four days, then steam them for a day. Finally, put them in a mortar and pound them into powder.

You can also refine one jin of mica by boiling it in three sheng of water prepared with sodium sulfate, then powder it, dry it in the sun, and spread it out to inspect in the sunlight. It is fit for use only when no sharp splinters can be seen. If any remain, do not take it. Taking mica over a long period without refining it thoroughly, while sharp splinters remain, may endanger a person’s life, so it must be processed with care. The author copied this method from the Zhengjing Shangchuan, which he obtained from Lu Sixun. The scripture says to crush the mica, knead it in a bag made of several layers of cloth, then transfer it to a leather bag and knead it again. In general, grinding and pounding it with water from Mount Lu produces the finest powder; one may not be able to achieve this level of fineness at home. Coarse, hard splinters may injure whoever takes it, so use caution.

After taking the medicine, avoid eating carp. It is best to avoid all fish, since knives and cutting boards may have been contaminated by fish and could cause considerable harm.

Also avoid raw meat containing blood, dried meat, and similar foods. Blood soup is cooked blood and is not forbidden. Do not eat raw scallions, raw garlic, raw Chinese chives, strong vinegar, peaches, plums, papaya, or other sour foods. Also avoid drinking running water that has not been boiled. If you are traveling along a river or stream and have no well water, boil the water before drinking it. Barley weakens the medicine’s effects, so eat it with caution as well.

When taking this medicine, abstaining from meat and other blood foods and quietly nourishing the heart Qi can help it take effect more quickly. Since this method cannot be taught in person, I have made a special note of it here.

Sun the Reclusive Scholar says in Secrets of Nourishing Life: “It has been nearly thirty years since I first obtained this formula. At first, I simply thought it was wonderful and pleasing, but I still had doubts and did not dare to take it. For many years I kept asking questions and seeking confirmation. Later, some earnest people who sought the Dao took it and truly saw results, so I followed the formula. The effects proved just as it described. As long as you practice consistently, your efforts will not be wasted.”

Preface to the Secrets of Refining and Taking Mica for Immortality

The Materia Medica Classic, in its section on minerals and stones, says: “Mica tastes sweet, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats the decay of skin and muscles, as well as conditions caused by cold or fever. Taken while traveling by cart or boat, it can dispel harmful influences, calm the five organs, increase Jing and Qi, brighten the eyes, lower Qi, and strengthen the skin. It can also reconnect what has been severed, replenish the middle Qi, treat the five strains and seven injuries, weakness and depletion, and deficiency of Qi, and stop diarrhea. Taken over a long period, it can make the body light and supple, prolong life, keep the complexion radiant and free from decline, enable one to withstand cold and heat, elevate one’s aspirations, and bring one to the realm of the immortals.”

Mica also has several names. One is “Cloud Pearl,” usually reddish in color; another is “Cloud Flower,” which has all five colors; another is “Cloud Hero,” usually bluish-green; another is “Cloud Fluid,” usually white; another is “Cloud Sand,” which is blue-green and yellow; and another is “Phosphor Stone,” which is pure white. It occurs among the rocks in the valleys of Mount Tai, at Mount Qiyun, and at Mount Beiding in Langya. It is gathered in the second month. Alisma may be used with it. It should not be combined with fish scales, nor should it be processed with water that has flowed repeatedly.

According to the Immortals’ Scripture, there are eight kinds of mica. Viewed facing the sun, yellow and white mica with more blue-green in it is called “Cloud Hero”; blue-green and yellow mica with more red in it is called “Cloud Pearl”; mica that shifts between yellow and white like ice and dew is called “Cloud Sand”; translucent yellow-white mica is called “Cloud Fluid”; pure white mica that is bright, clear, and transparent is called “Phosphor Stone”; and blue-white mica with more black in it is called “Mica.” These six kinds are all suitable for taking, though each has its own appropriate season. Mica that is white but dull, entirely black, or marked with rust-like streaks is called “Cloud Gall”; mixed, blackish mica with a hard texture is called “Earth Lujing.” Neither of these kinds is suitable for taking.

Mica must be refined by a special method, with careful attention to detail. Otherwise, after it enters the stomach and intestines, it can cause serious harm and leave a person weak and depleted. It can be made into pills or powder, or simply pounded and sifted into a fine powder. Langya lies northeast of Pengcheng, and mica is also found in Qingzhou. Today, the best quality in the Jiangdong region comes from Mount Lu. It is said to grow over time when cultivated in sandy soil. In present-day refining, alum is used, causing the mica to soften and crumble into an extremely fine powder. Mica must not come into contact with dew from plants. The text also says that flowing water from the east is best for processing it, though water collected from beneath the eaves in the fifth month may also be used.

The Bencao Jing says: Mica (a layered mineral that can be peeled into sheets) is a superior-grade medicine. It tastes sweet and is non-toxic. It occurs among the rocks of the Tai Mountains, Qiyun Mountain, and Beiding Mountain in Langya, and is harvested in the second month. Alisma is used in combination with it. There are eight kinds of mica, each with its own name; they can be distinguished only by examining them in sunlight.

The kind that is yellow-white with a strong greenish tinge is called “Cloud Blossom” and is suited for use in spring. The text says that taking it makes the body light and agile, removes the sensation of cold when entering water, and adds four thousand years to one’s life.

The kind with vivid blue-green and yellow coloring, with a strong reddish tinge, is called “Cloud Pearl” and is suited for use in summer. The text says that taking it makes the body light and agile, enables one to withstand heat and cold, and adds three thousand years to one’s life.

The kind with cloudlike coloring, shifting between white and yellow, is called “Cloud Sand” and is suited for use in late summer. The text says that taking it makes the body light and agile, causes the body to shine, enables one to withstand wind and cold, and adds two thousand years to one’s life.

The kind that is yellow-white and translucent is called “Cloud Fluid” and is suited for use in autumn. The text says that taking it strengthens the sinews and bones, opens the channels, and adds one thousand years to one’s life.

The kind that is blue-white with a strong black tinge is called “Mica” and is suited for use in winter. The text says that taking it makes the body light and agile, and that even entering a fire will not scorch the body; it adds five thousand years to one’s life.

The kind that is pure white, bright, and transparent is called “Phosphor Stone” and may be taken in any season. The text says that taking it strengthens the sinews and bones, opens the channels, and adds five thousand years to one’s life.

The kind that is uniformly dark black, with black streaks like iron, is called “Cloud Gall” and must not be taken. It is said to cause urinary disease and sores.

Minerals that are mottled black and thick and hard are mixed with copper and iron. They are called “Earth Green” and must not be taken; they are said to damage a person’s life.

In addition, a red, heavy mineral called “Yang-raising Stone” is the root of the “Five Clouds.” It is used as a medicine in its own right and must not be taken as mica. The root of the “Five Clouds” is one inch thick, and the text says it is already eighteen hundred years old. Put it in a new basin with mud and sand, cover it, and leave it in a cool place. After a long time, it will grow by itself.

The text also says that mica has five names: the purest kind is called “Cloud Radiance,” the next “Cloud Blossom,” the third “Cloud Pearl,” the fourth “Mica,” and the fifth “Phosphor Stone.”

The method for preparing mica described in Seven Slips from the Cloudy Satchel (Yunji Qiqian) is, in broad outline, as follows:

First peel the mica into thin layers and remove any sand or earth. Alternatively, soak it for several days in east-flowing water, then break it up and separate it into pieces. Rinse it repeatedly in clean water, about a hundred times, until it is thoroughly clean. Then choose either the slow or the fast method, as needed.

For the slow method, soak the mica for one hundred days in white porcelain, using water collected in May from a thatched roof’s eaves. When you take it out, if any scale or impurities remain, rinse it several more times in east-flowing water and drain it. Keep the fine, cloudy portion in a separate vessel. In August, have two people hold opposite ends of a piece of new cloth, or tie the cloth to a bamboo pole, and sweep it over clean grass in the countryside to collect the morning dew. Wring out the dew and keep collecting it until there is enough to cover the mica; it need not all be gathered in a single day. After soaking the mica in dew for at least sixty days, it is ready to use. Keep it in a warm place while soaking and protect it from frost.

To make the mica into powder, drain and dry it, put it in a leather bag, and tie the opening tightly. Knead and press the bag repeatedly by hand. If you work from morning until noon, the mica will break down into a fine powder. Sift it through silk; then keep kneading the coarse pieces left behind until as much as possible has passed through. If the powder is still not fine enough, rub a little between your fingers to inspect it. If you can still see shiny flecks, put it in a large wooden basin, add a little water to make a paste, and grind it for a long time. Add water and wash the mixture, then use fine silk to filter out the powder. Grind and wash the coarse residue again, repeating until you have extracted as much as possible. Finally, let the mixture settle and clarify.

The text also gives several alternative methods. You can knead the mica for a whole day, sift it through coarser gauze or ramie cloth, and grind it in a dry white porcelain basin; then filter it through silk as described above. Or you can grind it first, wash and settle it through coarse silk, and let it dry before placing it in a leather bag and kneading it into smaller pieces; finally, sift it through fine silk. Another option is to soak it in dew for one hundred days, then remove it, dry and pound it, and filter it through a silk bag in water; once the mixture has settled and clarified, process it further. Whichever method you use, the key is to make the powder extremely fine, like flour. It is ready when rubbing it between your fingers reveals no glinting particles. If it still seems too coarse, boil it in dew, remove it and hang it up to dry, then pound it and sift it through heavy silk.

For the fast method, put thoroughly rinsed mica, peeled into thin layers, into a silk bag and immerse it in hot water. Then take it out and plunge it into cold water. Repeat this alternation between hot and cold ten times, changing the water each time, until the mica has become cold and soft. Remove it and dry it in the sun, then put it in a leather bag and beat it to make a powder.

Another method: Place three jin of alum in a leather bag and soak it in hot water. Take it out, put it into hot water again, then place it in cold water. Alternate between hot and cold ten times, changing the water each time, until the alum has cooled. Once it has softened, take it out and dry it in the sun. Put it back in the leather bag and pound it until it becomes powder.

Another method: Place three jin of alum in a leather bag and soak it in hot water until it dissolves. Then soak mica—a mineral used in Daoist alchemical preparation—in the alum solution overnight, until it softens like paper. Rinse it with clean water to remove the scum, then grind and knead it until it reaches the desired consistency; it will quickly become powder. Alum is slightly toxic, so be sure to rinse it thoroughly.

Another method: Soak four jin of alum in four dou of east-flowing water and collect the liquid in a yellow ceramic vessel. Heat ten jin of mica until red-hot and place it in the liquid. Take it out and heat it again, repeating this process three times. Then put an egg-sized lump of salt into the liquid, add the mica, and heat it until the liquid has evaporated completely. Rinse with clean water to remove the scum, then soak it and leave it to settle. The mica will break down into powder on its own. If the powder is not fine enough, knead it and pass it through a sieve. Saltpeter can also be used.

Another method: Take ten jin of mica, five jin of scallion whites, and three sheng of salt. Cover them with water and boil. Once the scallions are cooked, remove them. Rinse the mica with clean water until no taste of salt remains, then grind and knead it until it reaches the desired consistency. Be sure to make the powder fine.

Another method: Pound the leaves of ma mu and use their juice to soak the mica. The mica will soften into a mudlike paste and can then be ground into powder. Ma mu grows in mountain valleys. It has the form of a catalpa tree and is white all over; its leaves resemble those of the ailanthus but are smaller. When a branch is broken, white sap flows out. Local mountain people steam it and eat it.

Another method: Boil eight sheng of dew into a decoction and divide it in two. Use one portion to rinse twenty jin of mica, then repeat the process. Separately, boil two sheng of dew into a decoction, add ten jin of mirabilite, and soak the mica in it for twenty days. Take it out, place it in a silk bag, and hang it under the eaves to air and dry in the sun. Then soak it in water and rinse it by filtering. Put it in a leather bag and pound it from morning until noon, then sift it through fine silk. Pound the residue left in the sieve again. In the end, this yields five sheng of fine powder.

Another method is to take ten jin of thin mica flakes and two jin of saltpeter. Put them in a silk bag, place the bag in a bronze vessel, and add one sheng of wine and two and a half sheng of water. Boil over charcoal. Remove the silk bag and place it in cold water, then boil it again in wine. Repeat the boiling and cooling ten times, until the mica becomes soft and finely broken. Next, pound it in water so that its liquid separates out. Let it stand until clear, then make it into powder. This method comes from the Yuqing Method.

Another method is to take washed mica and boil and cool it ten times in a decoction of burnet-root ash, until it becomes soft and finely broken. Then pound it in water so that its liquid separates out. Let it stand until clear, then make it into powder. This method comes from the Yuqing Method.

Another method is to soak washed mica in a decoction of burnet-root ash for one month, then filter it carefully and grind it. Rinse it repeatedly with boiling water, more than ten times, to remove the smell of the ash decoction, then let it coagulate and dry. Take ten jin of mica and five jin of cinnamon, and pound and grind them finely together. Add two and a half sheng of water and boil until the cinnamon’s flavor has been completely extracted. Strain out the herbs, keeping the liquid; dissolve the mica in it and mix it into a paste. This method comes from the Cui Wenzi Method.

Another method is to soak mica in sour wine (vinegar) for forty-five days. Remove it, rinse and stir it in water to remove the sourness, then let it coagulate. Put the mica in a single-layer silk bag and knead it in water so that its liquid separates out. Let it stand until clear. This method comes from the Yue Shi Method.

Another method is to take three sheng of water collected from a thatched roof and bring it to a boil in a bronze vessel. Add three liang of alum. Strain out the residue and put the mica into the liquid. Remove it and process it by grinding; then rinse and stir it in water to remove the sourness, and let it coagulate. Next, put it in a single-layer silk bag and knead it in water so that its liquid separates out. Let it stand until clear. This method comes from the Yue Shi Method.

Another method is to take three sheng of water collected from a thatched roof, bring it to a boil in a bronze vessel, add three liang of alum, and strain out the residue. Add one jin of mica and boil until it has come to a boil five or six times, then remove it. Dry and grind it, then wash it into a powder.

Whenever mica is refined, the work must be done carefully and thoroughly. Otherwise, it may damage the internal organs and cause illness; mica may even grow inside the intestines, making the condition impossible to cure. For this reason, specialists in prescriptions and medicinal preparations describe these methods in detail and warn that treatment with hot water is better than refining over a fire. The amount taken should not vary from time to time: rather than taking a large dose at once, it is better to take small amounts over a long period.

Methods by which the immortals took mica (twenty-six methods)

The mica formula in Zhongshan Shuqing’s Plain Book of the Jade Repository beneath the Cypress and Cinnamon.

Take one jin of mica displaying the full range of five colors. Break it carefully into small pieces, then soak it for one hundred days in water dripping from a thatched roof and dew gathered from all the grasses in autumn. Put it in a leather bag and pound it to powder, then sift it through silk. Place the powder in a bamboo tube, seal the opening, and suspend it beneath a steaming pot. Weigh it down with one shi of white sand and steam it for one day. When steam begins to escape, take it down. Add one shi of millet and rice, steam it for one day, and take it down when steam begins to escape. Then add one shi of panicled millet and rice, steam it for one day, and take it down when steam begins to escape. Next, blend it with one sheng of white honey in a bronze vessel, heating it in a hot-water bath until it can be rolled into pills about the size of sesame seeds.

Take the medicine when the stars rise, three pills at a time, twice a day. After thirty days, increase the pills to the size of parasol-tree seeds and take three at a time. After that, regularly take nine pills at cockcrow. After thirty days of taking it, the body is said to become light and the eyes bright; after fifty days, the abdomen itches; after seventy days, the “three worms” said in traditional medicine to infest the body are expelled; after eighty days, the skin becomes lustrous; after ninety days, one can enter water without drowning, the complexion turns pale, and the body undergoes “bone transformation,” a bodily metamorphosis in Daoist cultivation. After three hundred days, one can run as fast as a fine horse; after a year, one becomes a perfected person, someone who has attained the Dao. Another account says that people over seventy can become immortals only after taking it for four hundred and fifty days. This recipe uses one jin of mica; increase the ingredients proportionally when making a larger batch. Another account calls for two sheng of mica.

Recipe for Yao Shihui’s use of mica

Take three jin of mica powder and five sheng of “cloud essence,” the name used in the source, whose precise meaning is unclear. Cook until the mixture is nearly dry, then add three sheng of pine resin and let it melt. Add three sheng of cliff honey, honey gathered among the mountain crags, and mix well. Steam everything together from morning until evening, then take it down. Once cooled, the medicine will solidify on its own, in both cold and hot weather. Take it as medicinal food, one pill about the size of a marble, three times a day. You may drink water and eat seven dates. Long-term use is said to enable one to cross mountains and seas, live forever, and remain unharmed by cold or heat.

Recipe for Han Zhong’s use of mica

Han Zhong took mica powder and steamed it with three sheng of cliff honey. After steaming it from morning until evening, he took it down; once cooled, the medicine solidified, in both cold and hot weather. He made it into medicinal food, one pill about the size of a marble, and took it three times a day. You may drink water and eat seven dates. Long-term use is said to enable one to cross mountains and seas, live forever, and remain unharmed by cold or heat.

Another formula for Han Zhong taking mica (Han Zhong’s mica formula)

Take one sheng of mica powder and two sheng of barley meal. Boil them together until cooked, then strain out the solids and take the liquid. The formula claims that taking it gives the body a lustrous appearance, enables one to live forever, and allows one to transcend the mortal world.

Formulas for Chisongzi taking mica (two mica formulas attributed to Chisongzi)

Take three jin of mica and one jin of saltpeter. Soak the mica in rich, well-fermented wine for three days, then pound it thoroughly. Put it into a new bamboo tube and add the saltpeter. Pour in one and a half sheng of rich, well-fermented wine. Heat it over a fire until dry, stirring constantly; after a while, it will turn into a paste. Remove it and leave it on a board for half a day, until it becomes a fine powder.

Each morning, take one fangcun bi (an ancient measure for powdered medicine, about one small spoonful) with jinghua water (water freshly drawn from a well at dawn), once a day. After taking it for three days, the formula says to pound the medicine thoroughly again, put it in a new bamboo tube, add saltpeter and one and a half sheng of rich, well-fermented wine, then heat it until dry and stir it into a paste as before. Leave it on a board for half a day until it becomes a fine powder. Each morning, take one fangcun bi with jinghua water, once a day.

According to the formula, after taking it for one hundred days, the “Three Corpses” (spirits said in Daoism to lurk within the body and obstruct cultivation) will be expelled, black as mud. Put them in a tube and bury it in a graveyard. About one hundred days later, you will feel melancholy and unhappy; once you get through this period, things will improve. After taking it for two hundred days, you will regain your youth and become like a child. When the medicine is used up, it can be prepared again.

Another formula

Steam white scallion stalks until cooked, mash them, and squeeze out two sheng of juice. Mix one jin each of cinnamon powder and mica powder with the scallion juice, and put the mixture into a new bamboo tube. Steam it beneath a shi of rice until it liquefies. Remove it and leave it in the sun until it dries and solidifies into powder. Taking it is said to restore youth. This formula uses mica and Alisma as companion ingredients.

Another formula

Take one jin of mica, two liang of Alisma (ground into powder), eight liang of Asparagus cochinchinensis (ground into powder), and eight liang of poria (ground into powder). Combine the four ingredients into a powder. Take one fangcun bi each morning, gradually increasing the amount.

Another formula

Take one jin of mica, two liang of Alisma (ground into powder), eight liang of Asparagus cochinchinensis (ground into powder), and eight liang of poria (ground into powder).

Grind the four ingredients above into a powder. Take one fangcun bi measure (an ancient medicine measure, roughly a small spoonful) each morning, gradually increasing the dose to three measures. It is better to swallow it with wine.

The Nine Immortals Lord says: Mix the powder with White Dew water and take one fangcun bi measure three times a day. After taking it for one hundred days, the body will begin to shine. After two hundred days, the Three Corpses and Hidden Corpse—the three insect spirits said to dwell in the human body, along with the harmful forces associated with them—will be expelled, and evil blood will also flow from the nose.

People differ in their inborn constitutions, and the Qi they receive differs as well: some are weak, some robust, some have internal heat, and some have internal cold. When first taking the medicine, the body will show certain reactions. Adjust the formula carefully according to how you feel. If you feel heat inside the body, or dryness in the lips and mouth, add two or three cooling ingredients.