《云笈七签》Vol. 31

Upper-grade medicines nourish life, middle-grade medicines regulate the body and mind, and lower-grade medicines treat illness. Taken together, these three functions are enough to explain what medicines can do. Can such medicines really be compared with “seed-stone” and considered equal in effect? Seed-stone’s medicinal power has only just filled the body, yet what was weak has already become accessible. Can the effects of the two be placed on the same level?

People today do not know how to care for their bodies. They make themselves vulnerable and frail, attend only to the present, and give no thought to the long term. They believe that human life has a fixed limit unrelated to taking medicine. Yet a dose of poison can kill in an instant, and swallowing aconite can also bring death quickly. If medicines can shorten life, how can they not also lengthen it? To believe that medicines can harm people but not that they can nourish them—is this not confused and foolish?

Moreover, some animals that eat iron absorb its coarse, heavy Qi and nevertheless become strong and swift, unlike other animals. If people can take in the pure, light, and clear part of medicines, they should likewise be able to attain an extraordinary constitution. There is no reason they should fail to extend their years as a result.

I believe the wondrous efficacy of Yindan, a Daoist elixir, has no equal. I have therefore restated an old recipe and given it a new title, hoping that discerning readers will understand it and judge whether my account is sound. Other minor effects, as well as the methods and proportions for preparing and blending the ingredients, will also be included in due course in the text that follows.

Written by Su You on the fifteenth day of the first month, in the renwu year, the second year of the Kaiyao era of the Great Tang (682).

◎ “Nourishing the Spirit and Preserving Life: The Upper-Grade Elixir,” Part One

○ “On the Efficacy of Yindan,” First

Commentary: In general, iron Yindan has a steady, mild nature. If one wishes to take it on its own, its effects often appear rather slowly, probably because …

The organs and viscera were weak to begin with, which is why these conditions arose. If they had originally been strong, how could this have happened? Why do mild herbal medicines often take effect so quickly? It is like taking dodder with clear wine, or combining iris with yellow ginseng. Herbs are therefore used first to guide the process, in the hope that their medicinal forces will circulate together and take effect.

Herbal medicines act quickly, but their effects fade easily. Iron-based medicines take effect more slowly, but last longer. So when someone feels better soon after taking medicine, that is only the effect of the herbs; it has nothing to do with the iron-based medicine. Iron acts slowly and heavily, and will not produce an immediate effect when first taken. If people decide the medicine is ineffective and stop midway, they are like someone who gives up digging a well halfway through: all their labor comes to nothing. That is why all three grades of formulas include plant medicines to promote circulation and support the medicine’s effects. The Classic of the Materia Medica (Shennong Bencao Jing) says that upper- and middle-grade medicines are suitable for long-term use. In formulating the three grades of prescriptions today, different medicines are likewise combined. It is like the meeting of the Queen of Ji and the Grand Duke: to cross a great river, one also needs a boat and oars; success depends on each working together.

Although iron elixirs and Golden Elixirs belong to the same class, long-term use of iron elixirs does not cause a sudden reaction. There is therefore no special method for counteracting their effects or treating harm from them. For example, people commonly use iron vessels to hold food, yet no one has ever heard of anyone contracting “iron sickness” from this. From this we can see that iron elixirs can be taken over the long term.

As for substances such as sulfur, mica, and stalactite, some people boil them into decoctions or steep them in wine, while others make them into pills or powders. Many people take them, and many suffer harm when the substances take effect. They often disrupt sleep and appetite, and can even cause the back to rupture and ulcerate or the brain to split open. In summer, wearing a heavy fur coat and drinking hot wine still cannot stop the chills; in winter, sitting in spring water and eating cold foods cannot suppress the heat within. Even small amounts can cause harm, while larger doses can shorten one’s life. These are conditions people have witnessed firsthand, and they have been known throughout the ages. How, then, can these substances be suitable for long-term use? How can they be compared with iron-based medicines?

Old medical formularies say that iron can strengthen the muscles, increase tolerance for pain, improve eyesight, calm the mind, nourish the bone marrow and skin, and settle the hun and po. It can also cure illnesses such as wind-heat, debility, palpitations, and epilepsy. Taken over a long period, it can make a person strong and vigorous, able to face a hundred opponents alone; it also makes the will firm and decisive and the mind powerful. Whatever one has seen or heard will never be forgotten. Iron can also prolong life, allow a person to stop eating ordinary food, keep the temples black, and turn white hair black again. It can cure the Five Taxations (five kinds of debility), the Seven Injuries (seven kinds of deficiency), the Eight Winds (various pathogenic winds), and the Twelve Bi syndromes (twelve types of painful obstruction). After taking it for a thousand days, one can walk as fast as a galloping horse.

The Bencao Jing records that iron tastes pungent and sweet, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. Wrought iron and iron essence are slightly warm; long-term use can produce a little heat. Pig iron and iron solution, by contrast, are slightly cold. Despite these differences in temperature, all have the effects of improving eyesight, calming the heart, settling the hun and po, nourishing the five viscera, and strengthening the skin. They can also dispel restlessness, remove dark moles, and treat wind-heat, wind lodged in the skin, epilepsy, palpitations, mental confusion, malignant sores, guoju (a kind of skin ulcer), scabies and itching, blockage of Qi in the chest and diaphragm, indigestion, various malignant ailments of the lower body, prolapse of the genitals, abdominal illnesses, pinworms, and the Five Hemorrhoids.

The Bielu says that iron filings, heated in a fire and then put into wine to drink, can treat “thief wind” and wind zhu (illness caused by invading wind). It also says that if an iron lump is heated until red-hot, placed in salted vinegar, wrapped in blue cloth, and held under the armpit for a while, it can eliminate fox odor and the smell of sweat. Iron solution, and the liquid produced when blacksmiths grind iron, are said to render women infertile if clarified and drunk. Another remedy uses refined iron and pinellia…

Iron decoction can treat illnesses such as Qi obstruction and reflux. The Ancient Records of Immortal Prescriptions mentions an iron elixir. This is no ordinary medicine, and the fainthearted and cautious would not dare take it. There is also a method of refining iron until it becomes liquid and drinking it; it is said to calm the mind, strengthen memory, dispel wind, and clear heat. Another method involves taking iron filings, though its effects ultimately do not match those of liquid iron.

According to the Classics and Prescriptions, Past and Present, neither gold nor jade should be taken casually, since they can cause the heart and intestines to burn and ulcerate; this is because they are poisonous. Only silver and iron are suitable for long-term use, since they are not poisonous. Some people have taken iron medicines for a long time. Within a year, they notice a slight change in their bodies; in the second year, their strength gradually increases; and after the third year, they are ten times stronger and healthier than usual. They continue to grow stronger, and even the breath exhaled from their mouths and noses becomes full and vigorous. No other medicine, even taken in combination, can surpass it.

However, this medicine makes sexual desire and potency exceptionally strong. In daily life, whether walking or sitting, the penis often becomes erect and stays that way. To remedy this drawback, one may follow another prescription, the author’s own Formula for Opening Nature and Closing Passion, included in the Upper Grade Treatise.

Recently, some people have modified prescriptions of this kind, adding various medicines from the lands of the Hu peoples. They claim these strengthen the heart without increasing sexual potency. The author believes that most such prescriptions use more than ten ingredients, including pepper, long pepper, su-mi, dried ginger, bi, and chengjia, mixed with the iron elixir. Given the properties of these medicines—they are warming, nourishing, and also help Qi descend—how could they fail to strengthen sexual potency? In the author’s view, this claim is a lie, crafted to pander to popular taste and deceive ordinary people.

Alas, this is probably the result of people valuing what comes from afar and looking down on what is close at hand. The ingredients in the author’s Formula for Opening Nature and Closing Passion all come from the Central Plains, so there is no need to seek them in distant regions. The formula has also been tested many times. It is therefore now made public for the reference of worthy people aspiring to study the Dao, but not shared with those who pander to popular taste. Its effects are indeed rare and remarkable. The method of preparation is as follows.

Method for Refining the Yindan, Part Two

To refine the Iron Divine Elixir, first distinguish the qualities of the different kinds of iron and choose the best material. According to an old formula, the finest iron comes from Baizhang in Yazhou and Dongqu in Jianzhou. Iron from Dulu in Lingzhou is second in quality, while iron from Wusheng in Bingzhou is inferior. Iron produced in Niuyangke and the two prefectures of Guang and Chen can be forged directly, without repeated pouring and refining. Articles made from this iron will naturally be hard.

Iron from the four prefectures of Jialing, Rong, Zi, and Guang is similar in usefulness to iron from Guang and Chen. But to harden it through pouring and refining, Baizhang iron must be added before it can be forged. Only after it has been refined in this way is it fit to take as a medicine. Iron from Qizhou, Zhongzhou, Yuzhou, and other places is weak in quality and unsuitable. The iron from Xiazhou is also considered second-rate, since Xiazhou borders Dangyang. In general, commonly used iron is inferior to the finest iron from Dangyang in Jingzhou.

Since ancient times, iron from Chu has been tough and keen-edged. Those who take it, too, become agile and strong. This is because the outstanding vitality of the Jiang-Han region resonates with its mountains and rivers. Iron takes shape by absorbing the Qi of mountains and rivers, so those who take Iron Elixir should likewise become strong and agile.

It is also said that the army in Liaodong had a thousand swords that could cut through both people and armor in a single stroke. No other swords could match them when crossed in combat. When people asked why, they were told that these swords had been made from Dangyang iron. Everyone found this astonishing and prized the swords highly. This shows that Dangyang iron is exceptionally tough, and that it is the best choice for refining today.

When pouring and refining the iron to harden it, use charcoal made from oak or chestnut. Charcoal from other woods is unsuitable. The key to controlling the fire is to judge accurately when it has reached the proper intensity. If the heat is misjudged, the refined iron will be unusable.

The formula says: Take one hundred jin of wrought iron. Give preference to iron that formed naturally; next, use iron that has been pounded and refined, and poured and refined at least five times.

Take the iron described earlier and forge it into a mirror. Make a hole in the center, large enough to admit one finger and shaped like a jade bi disc. The mirror should be more than five inches and less than one foot in diameter, and about three fen thick. Scrape and polish both sides until they are perfectly smooth and clean. Alternatively, forge the iron into a square mirror seven inches long, four inches wide, and three fen thick, with a small hole near the top. Once all one hundred jin of iron has been used, the mirror is complete.

○ Next, the method for making “Divine Water”

Take one sheng of salt from the viscera (it may also be prepared by boiling), ten liang of magnetic ironstone drawn from Xuantai (the kind with hair is also suitable), and one and a half sheng of pure flower water. Measure all the ingredients above in large liang.

Mix the flower spring water with salt and stir until the salt dissolves. Then add the iron-attracting powder, one of the materials used in the scripture’s preparation. When the mixture is used up, prepare another in the same proportions. Spray this divine water on both sides of the mirror until its surfaces are thoroughly wet. Then thread the mirror plates onto a long iron rod, leaving about three fen between each plate.

First bury an urn in the ground to support the iron rod. Stack the mirror plates one by one on the rod, then cover the urn’s mouth with an ordinary basin turned upside down. It is best to use an old urn that once held things, but a new one will do if no old urn is available. Cover the basin with about one chi of soil, sprinkling salt water over it each day to keep the soil damp. After 150 days, dig it up. A rust-like substance will have formed on the mirror surfaces. Scrape it off with a hard knife; it will be purplish red.

Put the scraped material in an iron mortar and grind it with a jade pestle and clear wine until it is extremely fine. Add more wine so the powder floats, then pour the floating portion into another vessel. Once it has settled, remove the sediment at the bottom and dry it in the sun. Add wine and grind it again, then float and settle it as before. Repeat this process several times, after which it may be taken. Grind the remaining coarse particles more finely and repeat the floating process until all the material has been treated.

Do not let women, children, chickens, dogs, or anything unclean approach the place where the urn is buried. If someone previously suffered from cold Qi or abdominal accumulations—conditions involving swelling and pain—and wishes to gain weight, add one tenth part powdered stalactite to the divine water described above. To strengthen the male organ, add one tenth part powdered actinolite, grinding it very finely in either case. Do not add actinolite unless the person is over seventy. The actinolite must be the black and white varieties from Mount Tai; those from other places are unsuitable.

There is another method: take one dou of clear water, preferably collected on the second day of the ninth month, and mix it with one jin of dark-platform iron-attracting material, or iron fuzz. Spray the mixture onto the mirror until a thick coating forms. Follow the remaining steps as before.

The method is to make a small hole in the bottom of an earthen jar and dig a narrow channel beneath it, so that water is always flowing through the channel. Place the jar somewhere sheltered from wind and sunlight. After a hundred days, the preparation will be ready. If a large quantity of the medicinal ingredients or finished product is needed, some can be taken out earlier; if it is urgently needed, fifty days will also suffice. In my view, this method is especially suitable in the mountains.

Another account says that if the jar is to be buried the next day, one should observe purification and clear the mind the night before. When burying it, do not let women, children, chickens, dogs, or sick people see. Choose a day marked as “Completion,” “Fullness,” or “Removal,” and bury it in a place regarded as blessed, prosperous, and clean. This is best.

Formula for Opening Nature and Closing Desire, Third

The treatise says: In my view, the Supreme Dao is profound and mysterious, and few seek it. Even among those who cherish life and are willing to cultivate the Dao, few can persevere to the end. This is largely because old habits have not yet been dispelled and desires remain. Thus, it is impossible to know when the vermilion fire of the Southern Palace—symbolizing the fire that refines and transforms the body—will be brought to completion, or when the black register of the Northern Office—the underworld’s list of the dead—will be erased.

Concerned about these matters, I consulted related scriptures and prescriptions and devised the formula Opening Nature and Closing Desire to put an end to lust and distracting thoughts. I tried it repeatedly, and my state of mind gradually became as calm as cooling ashes. In this way, those who cultivate the Dao can settle their spirit and strengthen their resolve; those who cultivate health can replenish their vital essence and prolong life. The formula can also treat various illnesses and drive away demons and malign influences. If taken regularly and without interruption, it may set one on the path to becoming an immortal. That is why I devised this formula and consider it truly worthy of attention.

The ingredients and amounts are as follows: yindan, thirty-two parts; daylily root, twenty-four parts, dried in the sun; privet fruit, twenty-four parts; black nightshade seeds, twenty-four parts, chopped and dried in the sun; green aucklandia root, twenty-four parts; sophora root, eighteen parts, chopped and dried in the sun; white melon seeds, ten parts, choosing sweet-tasting ones; dried grapes, twenty-eight parts, choosing those from Longxi; wild rice shoots, twenty parts, gathered in the eighth or ninth month; mistletoe fruit, eighteen parts, from any kind of tree; Du Ku root, twelve parts, chopped and dried in the sun; and lotus seeds, thirty-two parts, with the skins and hearts removed and dried in the sun.

Prepare the twelve ingredients listed on the right by the usual method. In a clean room, have a clean, unmarried youth pound them and sift them. If any of the ingredients are oily, moist seeds, pound them together into a paste, as finely as possible. Mix this paste with the remaining powdered ingredients and continue pounding until the mixture is fine and even. When preparing the medicine in spring, make the pills with cherry juice. In other seasons, simmer hemp-seed juice into a thin paste and use it to make pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take twenty pills twice a day, with wine, honeyed water, or a ginger drink. Avoid the five pungent foods, blood foods, and stale, foul-smelling foods.

The Second Formula

Yindan, twelve parts; a handful of Chinese chive bulbs, sun-dried; three he of Sophora seeds, soaked for seven days; eight parts of daylily root, sliced and fried; three parts of water caltrop shoots, gathered in the eighth month; six parts of licorice, roasted; five he of Chinese chive seeds, fried until yellow; six parts of coix seeds.

Prepare these eight ingredients by the usual method. In a clean room, have a youth pound and sift them, then mix with white honey and form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take with jujube decoction, twenty-five pills twice a day, gradually increasing to sixty pills as the regular dose. Avoid pork, garlic, fish, blood-and-flour soup, the five pungent foods, and stale, foul-smelling foods.

The Fourth Formula: To Preserve the Spirit and Guard the Center, Settle the Hun and Stabilize the Po, and Enable One to Leave the Ordinary World and, by Taking It Long-Term, Become an Immortal (Begin on a Jianwang Day)

This is a formula for long-term use, said to nourish the spirit, guard the balance of body and mind, and settle the Hun and Po. It is claimed to enable one to leave the ordinary world and cultivate into an immortal. Begin taking it on a Jianwang Day.

Yindan, 120 parts; Poria with spirit, 81 parts; ginseng, 36 parts; red arrowroot, 10 parts, with the core removed; Ophiopogon, 24 parts; Achyranthes, 32 parts.

Mix these six ingredients with jujube paste or white honey and form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. If taking them with wine, each dose is…

Grind the six ingredients into a powder and mix them with jujube paste or white honey to form pills about the size of a tung tree seed. If taking them with wine, take twelve pills at a time, twice a day, gradually increasing to twenty-four pills per dose. They may be taken continuously in all four seasons. The scripture says that after taking them for a thousand days, the intestines will be transformed into sinews, the complexion will become childlike, white hair will turn black, lost teeth will grow back, and one’s strength will surpass that of ten people. After three thousand days, one will be able to travel five hundred li in a day, run fast enough to catch a swift horse, and command ghosts and spirits. After seven thousand days, the body and marrow will both be renewed; the spirits of the Five Sacred Mountains will come to pay homage, and the Azure-Waisted Jade Maidens—female immortals in Daoist legend—will come as attendants. After ten thousand days, one will ascend to Heaven in broad daylight, pay audience to the exalted deity Supreme Jade Lord (Taishang Yuchen Jun), and receive the title of Immortal Lord, with a lifespan equal to Heaven and Earth.

While taking the medicine, avoid strong vinegar and stale, spoiled foods, and keep away from households holding funerals or observing mourning. When preparing the medicine, do not let children, women, chickens, dogs, or people with physical disabilities or impairments see it.

Formula for the Five Rulers to Preserve Youth, Restore White Hair, Strengthen the Marrow, Open Communication with the Spirits, and Prolong Life Through Long-Term Use

(Begin on a day marked by one of the Six Ding)

The formula lists six ingredients and their quantities: Yindan, 120 fen; poria, 32 fen; Shimu fruit, 81 fen; Achyranthes root, 72 fen; cassia bark, 24 fen; and asparagus root, 32 fen.

Mix the six ingredients with jujube paste or white honey to make pills the size of tung tree seeds. If taking them with wine, take twelve pills at a time, twice a day, gradually increasing to twenty-four pills per dose, and continue taking them throughout all four seasons. If you already have a wind disorder, add 32 fen of saposhnikovia root; for a Qi disorder, add 28 fen of tangerine peel; if you have distention and fullness in the heart and abdomen, then add …

Use twenty-four parts of bitter orange, prepared by dry roasting. For those with dry, withered skin, add thirty-two parts of arborvitae seed. For those with a deficient heart spirit and low energy, add twenty-four parts of polygala root, with its woody core removed. For those who emit semen in their sleep, add twenty-four parts of white dragon bone. For those whose semen is difficult to discharge, add twenty-four parts of Chinese taxillus. For those with symptoms of cold in the body, add twenty-eight parts of dried ginger. For those with symptoms of heat in the body, add twenty-eight parts of raw dried rehmannia root.

Take this formula for one month, and, it is said, the “wind” in the skin will be completely dispelled. After one hundred days, the “wind” in the sinews and vessels will also be gone; after one year, the “wind” in the body will be gone; after two years, the “wind” in the bone marrow will be gone; and after one thousand days, the “wind” in the five zang organs and six fu organs will be gone as well. After three thousand days, it is said, the entire body will be transformed: sores and scars will disappear, white hair will turn black, fallen teeth will grow back, and one’s appearance will resemble that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old. Each day one will become more intelligent and gradually escape the contamination of the mundane world. One will be able to see spirits and ghosts, command the Six Ding Jade Maidens (Daoist deities), and make the body as light as the wind. One will see all kinds of things day and night and gain enough strength to carry heavy loads across mountains and rivers. Demons and evil spirits will dare not approach, and the spirits of every mountain and forest will come to pay their respects. This formula should be kept strictly secret; observe the prohibitions as described above.

“Formula of the Six Lords for Stabilizing the Spirit, Enriching Marrow and Flesh, Making the Body Hard as Iron, and Strengthening Physical Power and Courage So That One Person Can Stand Against a Hundred—For Long-Term Use” means: This is a formula for long-term use, said to stabilize the spirit, nourish the bone marrow and muscles, make the body hard as iron, and strengthen physical power and courage, enabling one person to stand against a hundred. Begin taking it on a “Wang day,” a term in Daoist date selection for a particular auspicious day.

One hundred and twenty parts of elixir; eighty-one parts of dried rehmannia root; seventy-two parts of steamed dodder seed; twenty-four parts of poria (used after processing); thirty-two parts of creeping wormwood; and seventy-two parts of Morinda root.

Combine the six ingredients listed above with honey and form pills about the size of a parasol tree seed. If you drink alcohol, take twenty-four pills with wine twice a day. Increase the dose by two pills each day until you reach thirty-two, then keep to that amount. After one hundred days, it is said that Yang Qi will greatly increase, the voice will grow strong and resonant, and one’s steps will become light as the wind. After a year, all kinds of illness are said to disappear; the sinews, bones, and marrow will become strong and full, and one’s strength will equal that of a hundred people. In sexual relations, one will be able to endure a hundred times in a single night without tiring. The face will become smooth and radiant, the complexion blossom-like. One will be able to penetrate dark and hidden realms, perceive what lies in the underworld, see all things, subdue ghosts and spirits, and fulfill whatever one wishes. Even when an epidemic spreads, the body will remain uninfected.

After ten years, it is said, one will ascend through the clouds, visit the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the three pure realms in Daoism), roam the Five Peaks, travel to Yuanjiao (a legendary immortal mountain), and enter and leave Fangzhu (a legendary immortal realm). One will dwell with the immortals and sages and escape life and death forever. Once the medicine’s effects appear, do not reveal them to others, or its efficacy will be greatly diminished. This is the greatest taboo among the immortals. That is why the ancients had good reason to retreat and live in seclusion in famous mountains and great marshes when taking medicine. Be sure to exercise caution.

Seven Ingredients to Open the Heart and Increase Wisdom

One hundred and twenty parts of lead powder, eighty-one parts of calamus, thirty-two parts of Polygala root, forty-nine parts of ginseng, twenty-four parts of tortoise shell (roasted), twenty-four parts of Dioscorea, and twelve parts of dragon bone.

Combine these seven ingredients with honey and form pills about the size of a parasol tree seed. Take twenty-four pills with wine three times a day. Then increase the dose by two pills each time until you reach thirty-two, and keep to that amount. After one hundred days, the mind and spirit are said to become open and clear; after two hundred days, hearing and sight will sharpen; after three hundred days, one will learn ten things from hearing one. After three years, one will see clearly at night as if by lamplight, recite ten thousand words by day, and never forget what one has read after a single reading. One will also attain long life and far sight, in a state like that of a spirit.

Avoid sheep’s blood, maltose, and food that is old and foul-smelling.

○ Eight: A formula for preventing all illnesses by taking Yindan alone, without combining it with medicinal herbs or elixirs (begin taking it on a Jiazi day)

Yindan, 360 portions.

Combine the ingredients above with twice their amount of jujube paste and roll the mixture into pills. Then grind them so the medicinal ingredients blend thoroughly. Make the pills about the size of hemp seeds. Take seven pills at a time with wine or well water drawn at dawn, once in the morning and once in the evening. Gradually increase the dose, up to a customary maximum of twenty pills at a time.

After one hundred days, it is said, the lower back and kidneys will be strengthened; after three hundred days, all five viscera will be strengthened. After one thousand days, it is said, the bone marrow will be strong, and at night one will be able to have intercourse with a hundred women without feeling tired. Any children born as a result are said to be as wise as spirits, radiant in appearance, and youthful like young boys. After three thousand days, it is said, one will be able to walk three hundred li in a day, lift a thousand-jin weight, weigh three hundred and sixty jin, and snap trees one chi in diameter. If one can take it for ten thousand days, one is certain to attain the Dao and become an immortal. Still, rather than taking this elixir alone, it is better to combine it with three to five kinds of superior medicines, which is said to bring results more quickly.

◎ Nine: On prolonging life and clarifying the mind and spirit

The treatise says: The superior-grade medicine, a high-grade substance used in Daoist cultivation, can nourish life and calm the mind and spirit. Those who take it must follow advanced methods of cultivation. If they sincerely devote themselves to the Dao, practice hardship and restraint, and focus on seeking transcendence, then through such cultivation they may hope to become immortals.

If they do not seek immortality and freedom from the secular world, but simply wish to enjoy human life, then after taking the medicine they should still abstain from sexual activity for a year. This allows the medicine’s potency to work fully and makes the bone marrow rich and strong. In this way, all illnesses can be dispelled and true Qi can enter the body. Once these conditions are established in body and mind, the organs will become settled and purified, inside and out will be clear, and the hun and po souls will grow strong. Within, one will accord with the Dao; without, one will be able to ward off evil influences. The medicine’s various effects are just as the scriptures describe.

If they still cannot abstain completely from sexual activity and remain immersed in worldly pleasures, then after taking the medicine for a hundred days, the effects of occasional release can be inferred. If they cannot exercise careful restraint, taking the medicine will bring no benefit. This is like trying to put out a fire by pouring water on it while fanning the flames; it is better simply to remove the firewood. Thus the scripture says…

Keeping silkworms and chickens, along with other chores, can leave people no time for cultivation and may even make it difficult to meet their everyday needs. This is the situation meant here. The place where one lives and carries out daily activities should be kept as quiet and clean as possible. Clothes and other belongings should also be clean and fragrant. Do not lend your shoes or daily necessities to others, lest they pick up miscellaneous influences and hinder the settling of vital energy.

When miscellaneous influences intrude, the hun and po souls are easily scattered. One may have all kinds of dreams, and the mind and spirit become unclear. When the mind and spirit are unclear, resolve is hard to maintain; when resolve falters, the emotions readily become agitated and unsettled. With the emotions disturbed, it is easy to begin tasks and fail to finish them. As a result, few people can persist to the end in using medicinal substances to nourish life.

Keep your dwelling quiet, your clothes clean and fragrant, and your medicines pure and fresh. Then settle the mind and spirit, take the medicines without interruption, set your intention on longevity, reduce social engagements, and focus on inner observation of body and mind. Follow the prescribed methods and observe the prohibitions; cultivate the breath and cherish Jing (essence). If you persist in this for ten years, immortals of every kind will come to your side. Immortal officials such as Qingyao Chengji will serve and protect you; the Six Jia talisman officers—the Six Jia divine generals—will await your commands; the Twelve Guardian Warriors will answer your call, and the Eight Envoys of Heaven will respond to your wishes. If you can cultivate to this point, you will already have attained the realm of the immortals. Why, then, cling to what the elders say?

Pungent foods, meat, and blood-rich foods are great taboos in the cultivation of immortals; do not enter places that are ominous or polluted, either. For the purpose of treating illness, however, these restrictions may be set aside briefly. The three grades of medicinal preparations, in pill or powder form, may be chosen according to one’s circumstances and the season. There is no single fixed way to take them: simply observe the proper measure in nourishing the body, and apply the principles flexibly by drawing on what is similar. The essentials of the highest method of nourishing life are, in broad outline, all contained here.

Middle Grade: Harmonizing the Body and Nurturing Nature and Life, Chapter Two

Ten prescriptions for disorders of the head and face, to harmonize the body, take over a long period, preserve one’s appearance, and turn white hair black again (begin taking them on the day of the Beginning of Spring)

Yindan, thirty-six parts; Sophora seeds, nineteen parts; Yeqian, twelve parts; achyranthes root, twenty-four parts; saposhnikovia root, twelve parts.

Prepare the five ingredients above as honey pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills twice a day, then increase the dose by two pills each time until thirty pills per dose becomes the regular amount. After one hundred days, all kinds of ailments affecting the body, face, and head will be cured. After a full year, white hair will turn black, the complexion will be like that of a child, the body will feel light and strong, and the eyes will be clear. After a thousand days, it is said, one will be able to see ghosts and spirits and see by their light at night. Avoid all kinds of meat and stale, foul-smelling foods.

○ Formula Eleven treats various ailments of the heart and abdomen, harmonizes the body, and may be taken long-term to prolong life, restore youth, and brighten the eyes. After a thousand days, it is said, one will be able to see ghosts and spirits and see by their light at night. Avoid all kinds of meat and stale, foul-smelling foods.

○ Formula Eleven treats various ailments of the heart and abdomen and harmonizes the body. Taken long-term, it prolongs life, restores youth, and turns white hair black. Begin taking it at the start of spring.

Yindan, 36 parts; Feilian, 12 parts; ginseng, 11 parts; white atractylodes, 12 parts; poria, 20 parts.

Prepare the five ingredients above as honey pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills twice a day, then increase the dose by two pills each time until thirty pills per dose becomes the regular amount. After one hundred days, all kinds of ailments affecting the body, heart, and abdomen will be cured. After a full year, white hair will turn black, the face will look like that of a fifteen-year-old girl, one will be able to eat four or five meals a day, and the mind and spirit will be at ease. After a thousand days, it is said, one will be able to command mountain spirits. Avoid peaches, plums, strong vinegar, and stale, foul-smelling foods.

○ Formula Twelve treats various ailments of the limbs and harmonizes the body. Taken long-term, it restores one’s youthful appearance and turns white hair black. Begin taking it in the month containing the summer solstice.

Yindan, 32 parts; Asiatic cornelian cherry, 18 parts; achyranthes, 12 parts; buttercup, 12 parts; eucommia, 12 parts.

Prepare the five ingredients above as honey pills, each about the size of a parasol-tree seed. Take twenty pills twice a day. Gradually increase the dose by two pills each time, until thirty pills becomes the regular dose. After taking them for one hundred days, all kinds of ailments in the limbs and throughout the body will be cured. After one year, the lower back and legs will feel light and strong, sexual function will remain vigorous, white hair will turn black, and hearing and eyesight will improve. Continued use for one thousand days is said to kill the corpse worms (in Daoist belief, spirits that dwell in the human body and harm body and mind), relax the limbs, harmonize Qi and blood, make the joints supple, dispel cold conditions in the head, and increase the chances of having children. Avoid eating fish, meat, and stale or foul-smelling foods.

13. A formula for treating various chest ailments, harmonizing the body, supporting long-term use, and restoring white hair to its original color (Begin taking it on the day Autumn Begins)

Yindan, thirty-six parts; Baizhi, six parts; Fangfeng, twelve parts; Xixin, six parts; Niuxi, twenty parts; and honey-prepared Gancao, eighteen parts.

Prepare the six ingredients above as honey pills, each about the size of a parasol-tree seed. Take twenty pills twice a day. Gradually increase the dose by two pills each time, until thirty pills becomes the regular dose. After taking them for one hundred days, all kinds of ailments in the chest and back throughout the body will be cured. After one year, hearing and eyesight will improve, the breath will become fragrant, the skin will be rosy and lustrous, the head and face will feel light, Wind evil will be dispelled, the nine orifices will be opened, the Five Viscera will be at peace, and vexation and distension will be relieved. Avoid raw vegetables, stale or foul-smelling foods, and songcai (cabbage-family vegetables), among other things.

14. A formula for those with little good fortune and little personal charm, to make them well liked and attractive and to prolong life (Begin taking it on the day Spring Begins)

Yindan, seventy-two parts; Maimendong, thirty-two parts; Wansui, twenty-four parts; Niuxi, twenty-four parts; Shishi, twenty-four parts; and Duyancang, twenty-four parts.

Prepare the six ingredients above as honey pills, each about the size of a parasol-tree seed. Take twenty pills twice a day, increasing the dose by two pills each time until thirty-two pills becomes the regular dose. After taking them for fourteen …

Make the six ingredients above into honey pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills twice a day, increasing the dose by two pills each time until thirty-two pills becomes the regular amount. After one hundred days, the skin will become smooth and radiant; after two hundred days, the face will look like that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old; after three hundred days, one’s appearance will become even more beautiful, and everyone who sees the person will be pleased. The person’s bearing will be so graceful that it is hard to describe, and requests will readily be granted. Avoid the five pungent foods—such as scallions, garlic, and Chinese chives—as well as fish, meat, stale or foul-smelling foods, raw vegetables, and the like.

Fifteen: A formula to benefit the joints, limbs, and nine orifices (the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and openings for urination and defecation), promote the free flow of the hundred vessels, increase appetite, make the body light and vigorous, and prolong life. Begin taking it on a Jian day, an auspicious day in the traditional system for selecting dates.

Yindan, eighty-four parts; asparagus root, forty-two parts; Sophora root, twenty-four parts; atractylodes, twenty-four parts; Aucklandia root, twelve parts; dodder seed, twelve parts; cinnamon bark, twenty-four parts; licorice, twelve parts; poria, twenty-four parts; and achyranthes root, twenty-four parts.

Make the ten ingredients above into honey pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take fifteen pills twice a day, increasing the dose by two pills each time, up to a maximum of twenty-four pills. To enlarge and firm the penis, add twenty-four parts each of Morinda root and cistanche. To ease urination, add twenty-one parts of Alisma. For severe wind disorders, add thirty parts of saposhnikovia root. For frequent head-wind, add twenty-four parts each of chuanxiong and cornus fruit, and twenty parts of Chinese yam. For severe internal injury, add twenty-eight parts of deer antler glue and twenty parts of charred teasel root. If there is heat within the body, add twenty-four parts of dried rehmannia root. Avoid peaches, plums, garlic and other allium vegetables, stale or foul-smelling foods, carp, vinegar, and the like.

Sixteen: A formula to calm the spirit and strengthen memory.

Yindan, eighty-one parts; saposhnikovia root, thirty-four parts; polygala root, twenty-four parts; asparagus root, twenty-one parts; calamus, twenty-four parts (select the nine-jointed variety); ginseng, twelve parts; poria, twenty-four parts; and tetrapanax pith, twelve parts.

The eight ingredients listed above are mixed with honey and made into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills twice a day, increasing the dose by two pills each day until reaching a maximum of twenty-eight. After three hundred days, one is said to remember everything from the past; after six hundred days, to recall clearly everything one has studied in life; and after nine hundred days, to remember for life any text of ten thousand characters one has read. The pills are also said to brighten the mind, soften the voice, dispel various heat and wind illnesses, and bring the body and spirit to health and the internal organs to harmony. After nine years of taking them, one is said to become divinely intelligent and radiant in appearance; with prolonged use, they are said ultimately to enable one to become an immortal. While taking the medicine, avoid mutton, maltose, carp, strongly sour vinegar, stale or foul-smelling foods, and the Five Pungent Foods (spicy and stimulating foods commonly grouped under this name).

Formula Seventeen: For weakness of the heart and spirit, fear, and distressing palpitations (said to be prepared on a “Stability” day)

Yindan, eighty-one parts; poria, forty-nine parts; selaginella, thirty-one parts; dragon bone, twelve parts (ground to a fine powder); and ginseng, twelve parts.

Grind the five ingredients into powder, then mix with honey and form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twelve pills twice a day, increasing the dose by two pills each day until reaching a maximum of twenty-four. After one hundred days, fear is said to subside. After two hundred days, one is said to remain unstartled even by a sudden clap of thunder, to face danger without fear, and to gain calmness of spirit and firmness of purpose. The pills are also said to prolong life, fill out the flesh, and restore a childlike appearance. With prolonged use, their effects are said to be wondrous. While taking the medicine, avoid strongly sour vinegar, pork, and stale or foul-smelling foods.

Formula Eighteen: For warding off evil ghosts, apparitions, mountain spirits, wangliang demons, and similar beings (said to be prepared on the fifth day of the fifth month or on the La-day festival)

Yindan, forty-nine parts; storax, thirty parts; green costus root, twenty-four parts; benzoin, twenty-four parts; musk, twelve parts; raw rhinoceros horn, twenty-four parts; antelope horn, twelve parts; and white agarwood, twenty-four parts.

Use date paste to form the eight ingredients into pills the size of small beans. Take …

Prepare the eight medicinal ingredients in the right-hand column as date-paste pills, each about the size of an adzuki bean. Take seven pills twice a day. After no more than seven days, illnesses caused by evil spirits will be cured. Alternatively, combine the seven pills into one and burn it over incense. Let the smoke waft over the patient’s private parts. If the patient has symptoms of choking or difficulty breathing through the nostrils, fumigate once in the morning and once in the evening; this is said to bring a cure.

When traveling in the mountains or camping outdoors, burn this medicine. It is said that the demons will hide their tracks and dare not approach. If you wish to summon the true gods, burn it, and the immortal officials are said to arrive while Jade Maidens protect your body. Take it for a long time: after one hundred days, your clothes and sweat will give off a fragrance; after one thousand days, the scent from your bed and pillow, and from your breath and speech, will carry far—its effects are beyond description. Another account says that if you stand facing the wind, the fragrance can travel thirty li. In time, no harmful influence will be able to invade you, and the demons will quickly disperse. After ten thousand days of cultivation, you will have completed the Dao, ascend to immortality in broad daylight, command ghosts and spirits, widely save living beings, and live forever, enduring as long as Heaven and Earth. While taking the medicine, avoid the Five Pungent foods—strongly scented pungent foods—as well as raw fish and meat, raw vegetables, peaches and plums, and stale or foul-smelling foods.

Nineteen: Formula for avoiding the world during famine and remaining free from hunger when grain supplies run out (Begin counting from the day the cultivation period is complete)

Yindan, 120 parts; Baizhu, 36 parts; Tianhuashen, 30 parts; Tianmendong, 91 parts (remove the cores); genuine Suhe, 24 parts; Fuling, 39 parts; pine and cypress, 12 parts; refined wax, 49 parts; Qingmuxiang, 24 parts; dried Rehmannia root, 36 parts; yellow soybeans, 49 parts; white bark of pine roots, 22 parts.

Grind the twelve ingredients listed above into a fine powder. Add three jin of refined butter and shape the mixture into pills in a cauldron, each about the size of a marble. Take five pills each day. Long-term use is said to dispel hunger and thirst; they are best taken with cold water or fine wine. After taking them, the body feels light and strong, the eyes grow bright, and one can work without tiring. Even when venturing into dangerous mountain terrain, one will come to no harm. Continued use enables one to become an immortal.

This medicine can also ward off evil spirits, venomous insects, and snakes, which will not dare come near. It can greatly reduce the need for sleep as well. Dreams are said to be like events personally experienced at dawn, with consciousness in communication with spirits. Long-term use can also bring knowledge of the underworld, but this should be kept secret.

While taking the medicine, avoid bloody foods, raw vegetables, carp, excessive amounts of rice, and stale or foul-smelling food. If you wish to practice grain abstention (stopping the eating of grain during cultivation), eat no other food at all.

Twenty. On Foods Suited to Nurturing One’s Nature (Chapter Twenty: On Suitable Foods for Nurturing Body and Mind)

This passage says that taking middle-grade medicines is the foundation of cultivation. The medicines should be taken alongside daoyin, a practice that nourishes the body through breathing and physical movements; the results are better when more advanced methods are practiced as well. During the course of taking the medicines, sexual activity should be strictly limited: generally, ejaculation should occur only once a month, and once every forty days for people over fifty. The author maintains that this will not interfere with taking the medicines, but that their power has not yet fully unfolded and the marrow still needs to be replenished, so restraint is necessary.

The text claims that if one persists until ejaculation occurs only once every three years, one can withstand a hundred women. It also says the medicines are like an iron mirror that reveals the body’s form: even ghosts and spirits fear their sharpness, and seductive spirits are exposed in their ugliness. Thus, demons and wandering spirits can never intrude throughout one’s life. According to the text, one takes a single dose only once every three years, each dose weighing as much as a hundred jin, and the total period of taking it exceeds a thousand days. Even if the medicine’s power has not yet fully developed, spiritual beings will guard the practitioner, and its effects will be as described above.

The climate varies with the seasons, so the method of taking the medicines should be adjusted to the circumstances. The specific dates for taking them are given in the commentary below. During this period, one should also eat beef, mutton, venison, deer, pheasant, rabbit, chicken, duck, goose, and foods such as wine and wheat products to help the medicines take effect. This is the general principle; the rest should be done as usual. Each person’s constitution, physical condition, and strength differ. For some, the medicine’s effects become clear within a year; for others, they take several years to appear. This is due to differences in constitution and climate and is nothing to be surprised at. The above concerns taking this medicine by itself. If herbal medicines are taken as well, one should follow the relevant prescriptions exactly, and judge the degree of their effects according to what those prescriptions state.

Those who cultivate the supreme Way and disregard wives and children may practice the more advanced “True Method of Closing Off Desire,” a cultivation method that abstains from sexual desire. The author says this can strengthen the body and sharpen the mind, while ending the impulse toward indulgence for a long time. If one achieves this, the vermilion chambers and purple rooms—the places of sexual relations—can naturally be left behind. The author also says that he took Yindan for nearly a year and had already seen its effects confirmed during that time, with results too profound to express in writing. He regrets that he understood this so late and missed the opportunity. He therefore wrote these words and shared them widely, hoping that people of the Way would understand his intentions.

The following title, “Lower-Grade Remedies for Treating Illness and Dispelling Ailments, Third Chapter,” refers to a chapter on using lower-grade medicines to treat disease and relieve suffering. The repeated phrase “not expressible by the writing brush…” at the end is a remnant of a sentence from the preceding text.

Those who possess the Dao know my aspirations.

Lower-Grade Remedies for Healing Illness and Relieving Ailments, Part Three

21. A formula for treating heart-related conditions, including heart-wind weakness and forgetfulness (prepare the formula on a wu or si day)

Thirty-two parts yindan, twenty-four parts poria, twelve parts polygala root, and twelve parts ginseng.

Grind the four ingredients and mix them with honey to form pills the size of firmiana seeds. Take twelve pills twice a day, increasing the dose by two pills at a time, up to a maximum of twenty-four pills. When the medicine runs out, prepare another batch. Stop taking it once the illness is cured. Avoid foods with a strong vinegar taste and food that is stale or foul-smelling.

22. A formula for treating spleen-related conditions, including spleen-wind weakness and inability to eat (prepare the formula on a gengzi day)

Thirty-six parts yindan, twenty-four parts atractylodes, twelve parts licorice, and thirteen parts cardamom, with the husks removed.

Grind the four ingredients and mix them with honey to form pills the size of firmiana seeds. Take fifteen pills twice a day, gradually increasing the dose to twenty pills as the regular amount. Avoid peaches, plums, garlic and other allium vegetables, as well as raw, cold, and hard-to-digest foods.

23. A formula for treating lung-related conditions, including lung-wind weakness, cough, and Qi surging upward (prepare the formula on a ren or gui day)

Thirty-six parts yindan, twenty-four parts asparagus root, fourteen parts schisandra berries, and five ge of perilla seeds.

Grind the four ingredients and mix them with honey to form pills the size of firmiana seeds. Take fifteen pills twice a day, gradually increasing the dose to twenty-one pills as the regular amount. Avoid carp, raw fish and meat, foods with a strong vinegar taste, and salty foods.

24. A formula for treating kidney-related conditions, including kidney-wind weakness and lower back pain (prepare on a chosen day)

Thirty-six parts yindan, twenty-four parts eucommia bark, twenty-four parts achyranthes root, and eighteen parts deer antler glue, roasted.

Grind the four ingredients and mix them with honey to form pills the size of firmiana seeds. Take twenty pills twice a day, gradually increasing the dose to thirty pills as the regular amount. Avoid raw vegetables and raw fish.

○ Twenty-Five: A Formula for Liver Qi Deficiency, Dim Vision, and Liver-Related Illnesses (prepared on a Bingzi day)

Thirty-six parts Yindan, twenty-four parts plantain seed, eighteen parts sophora seed, and eighteen parts cassia seed.

Grind these four ingredients into powder and form pills with honey. Take ten pills at a time, gradually increasing to thirty pills as the regular dose. Avoid the five pungent foods, as well as spicy, hot, or poisonous substances.

○ Twenty-Six: A Formula for the Five Taxations and Seven Injuries, the Eight Winds and Twelve Bi Syndromes, and Qi Deficiency, Fatigue, and Sexual Weakness (can be taken in any season)

Eighty-one parts Yindan, thirty-nine parts cistanche, twenty-four parts white gelatin (roasted), twenty-four parts saposhnikovia root, twelve parts cnidium seed, eighteen parts dodder seed, twelve parts Chinese yam, twelve parts poria, eighteen parts schisandra, eighteen parts eucommia bark, twelve parts cassia bark, and twenty-four parts achyranthes root.

Form these twelve ingredients into pills with honey. Take twenty-five pills at a time, twice a day, gradually increasing to thirty pills as the regular dose. Avoid vinegar, raw vegetables, and stale foods with an unpleasant odor.

○ Twenty-Seven: A Formula for Sexual Weakness

Eighty parts Yindan, formed into pills with honey. Take twenty-five pills at a time, twice a day, gradually increasing to thirty pills as the regular dose. Avoid vinegar, raw vegetables, and stale foods with an unpleasant odor.

○ Twenty-Seven: A Formula for Sexual Weakness

Eighty-one parts Yindan, twenty-four parts bark of ba ji tian, twenty-four parts dodder seed, and twenty-four parts cnidium seed.

Combine these four ingredients with sparrow eggs and form pills. Take twenty pills at a time. Chicken eggs may also be used; gradually increase the dose to thirty pills. Follow the same dietary restrictions as above.

○ Twenty-Eight: A Formula for Undigested Food, Cold Pain and Distension in the Chest and Abdomen, Rumbling in the Intestines, and Inability to Eat

Eighteen parts Yindan, twelve parts angelica, twenty parts dried ginger, twelve parts atractylodes, ten parts turmeric (roasted), ten parts licorice, ten parts magnolia bark (roasted), and ten parts evodia.

The formulas and methods of use for several pills are listed above. In the formulas, “fen” is a unit of medicinal weight; “honey pills” are made by mixing medicinal powder with honey; and “roasting” here means heating the medicinal ingredients, while “pao” refers to processing them. “Observe the prohibitions as before” means that the restrictions during treatment are the same as those listed earlier.

The twenty-ninth formula is for treating accumulations in the abdomen, with wasting of the abdominal area and abdominal distension. Its ingredients are yindan, turtle shell, cicada shell, Chinese thorowax root, rhubarb, aconite, fang kui, and mulberry fungus. The turtle shell and cicada shell are to be roasted, and the aconite processed. Make the eight ingredients into honey pills and take ten pills twice a day. The scripture says that even longstanding, deeply rooted illness can be cured with this treatment.

The next formula is said to treat “Five Corpse and Nine Worms,” bone steaming, and transmissible corpse disease. These are terms in ancient medical texts for a group of serious conditions that were difficult to cure and persisted over time. The scripture lists Chinese thorowax root, rhubarb, aconite, fang kui, and mulberry fungus among the ingredients, and instructs that they be made into honey pills. Take ten pills twice a day; observe the same restrictions during treatment as those given earlier.

The following formula is titled as a treatment for “Five Corpse and Nine Worms,” bone steaming, and transmissible corpse disease. It is also said to prevent the illness from repeatedly spreading and endangering the whole family. Its ingredients are yindan, otter liver, benzoin, Styrax resin, ghost courier, white atractylodes, and green costus root. It may be made into pills or powder as needed: take seven pills twice a day, or one qian and seven fen of powder per dose. Observe the same restrictions during treatment as those given earlier.

The thirty-first formula is for treating scabies and leprosy, abscesses and ulcers, spasms of the hands and feet, and conditions such as ulceration of the bridge of the nose. It contains twelve ingredients: yindan, asparagus root, dried snake, poria, genuine magnolia bark, sophora root, gardenia seed, white atractylodes, cocklebur fruit, dried rehmannia root, Chinese thorowax root, and bitter orange. Make the ingredients into honey pills and take thirty-six pills twice a day. The scripture says that after taking them continuously for more than one hundred days, and allowing about a year to pass, all the conditions will be cured; in extremely severe cases, treatment may continue for up to one thousand days. After recovery, the complexion will be better than before the illness. The same restrictions apply as before.

The thirty-second formula is titled as a treatment for wasting-thirst. The scripture goes on to say that even those who drink water day and night and are severely ill can be cured; even in the gravest cases, treatment need last no more than one thousand days. After recovery, the complexion will be better than before the illness. The same restrictions apply during treatment as before.

Thirty-Two: A Formula for Treating Wasting Thirst, with Drinking Water Day and Night Without Stop—Sometimes as Much as One Shi in a Day—and Being Unable to Eat

Yindan, forty parts; ku shen, thirty-two parts; zhi mu, twenty-eight parts; gua lou, thirty-two parts; huang lian, thirty-eight parts; mai men dong, twenty-four parts, with the core removed.

Combine these six ingredients with fresh Rehmannia juice and bamboo sap, and form them into pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Have several people roll the pills together. After drying them in the sun, take thirty pills with thorn-root juice twice a day, gradually increasing the dose to forty pills. Follow the dietary restrictions described earlier.

Thirty-Three: A Formula for Treating Dysentery, with Yellow or Red Watery Stools or Fresh Blood, and Attacks That Occur Irregularly

Yindan, twelve parts; fu ling, eighteen parts; huang lian, twenty-four parts; huang qin, twenty-four parts; huang bai, eighteen parts; dragon bone, twelve parts; rhinoceros horn, twelve parts.

Sift these seven ingredients into a fine powder. Take one fangcun spoonful at a time with a drink, twice a day, gradually increasing the dose to no more than three fangcun spoonfuls. Follow the dietary restrictions described earlier. A fangcun spoonful is an ancient measure or implement for dispensing medicinal powder, referring to the amount that fits in a square-inch spoon.

Thirty-Four: A Formula for Treating Cold Dysentery, Pus and Blood in the Stools, Pain at the Anus, and Fullness and Distention in the Lower Abdomen

Yindan, twelve parts; dried ginger, twenty-four parts; wu zhu yu, twenty-four parts; huang lian, twenty parts; hou po, twenty parts, roasted; dou kou, twenty parts, peeled; bai zhu, twelve parts; chi shi zhi, eighteen parts.

Sift these eight ingredients into a fine powder. Take one fangcun spoonful at a time with a drink, twice a day, gradually increasing the dose to two fangcun spoonfuls. Stop taking it once the illness has resolved. Follow the dietary restrictions described earlier.

Thirty-Five: A Formula for Treating Convulsions in Children, with Severe Fever That Occurs at Regular Intervals

Yindan, twenty-eight parts; dragon teeth, twelve parts; ox bezoar, thirteen parts; fu ling, six parts; ginseng, eight parts; python gall, eight parts; mai men dong, eight parts; licorice, six parts, roasted.

Grind the eight ingredients listed above into a fine powder. Take five qian at a time, mixed with cow’s milk, twice daily. After finishing this dose, the convulsions will subside. It is also said to prevent a person from ever contracting seasonal epidemic illnesses, while calming the mind and spirit, sharpening intelligence, strengthening memory, and preventing diseases such as Wenqi and Wugu. The same prohibitions apply as mentioned earlier.

Thirty-six. A Formula for Treating Dim Vision and the Thirty-Six Ailments of the Eyes (Prepare it on an “Open Day,” an auspicious day in traditional date selection.)

Yindan, eighty-one parts; jizi, forty-nine parts; plantain seeds, seventy-two parts; cassia seeds, thirty-two parts; and huai seeds, twenty-two parts.

Pound these five ingredients into a fine powder and mix with Ophiopogon juice to form pills. Take twenty pills after meals, twice daily. Prepare another batch after finishing this one. If you can keep taking them for a full thousand days, it is said that you will see light at night. With prolonged use, you will also be able to leap over deep ravines, and your body will become light and nimble, your vision bright, and your mind and spirit clear. Avoid the Five Pungent Foods, alcohol, meat, and stale or foul-smelling foods.

Thirty-seven. A Formula for Treating Deafness and the Thirty-Six Ailments of the Ears (Prepare it on an Open Day.)

Yindan, eighty-one parts; magnetite, thirty-eight parts; calamus, eighteen parts; tongcao, eighteen parts; and Scrophularia, eighteen parts.

Mix these five ingredients with scallion juice to form pills. Take twenty-eight pills at a time, twice daily. After taking them for a full thousand days, it is said that you will be able to hear people speaking from a hundred paces away. If you continue taking them for a full ten thousand days, you will be able to communicate with all things and hear any warnings or admonitions. The same prohibitions apply as mentioned earlier.

Thirty-eight. A Formula for Treating Nasal Congestion and the Thirty-Six Ailments of the Nose (Prepare it on an Open Day.)

Yindan, eighty-one parts; tongcao, thirty-two parts; asarum, twenty-eight parts; prepared dried ginger, thirty-eight parts; and cattail pollen, twelve parts.

Pound these five ingredients into a fine powder and mix with fresh Rehmannia juice to form pills. Take twenty-eight pills at a time, twice daily. After taking them for a full thousand days, it is said that you will be able to smell fragrances from a hundred paces away. If you continue taking them for a full ten thousand days, when others smell a medicinal substance, you will be able to tell whether it is good or bad.

A prescription for treating a bluish-black tongue and thirty-six kinds of diseases in the mouth: Make the medicine into pills and take twenty-eight pills each time, twice a day. After taking it for one thousand days, you will be able to smell fragrances from within a hundred paces. After ten thousand days, smelling a medicine will let you tell whether it is good or bad.

Thirty-Nine: A prescription for treating a bluish-black tongue and thirty-six kinds of diseases in the mouth

Yindan, eighty-one parts; Huanglian, seventy-two parts; Shengma, thirty-two parts; Tanheng, twenty-eight parts; Tianmendong, twenty-eight parts (remove the core).

Mix these five ingredients with sugar and form them into pills. Take twenty-eight pills each time, twice a day. After taking them for one thousand days, your lips will be red and lustrous like cinnabar, your complexion will be flushed and fair, and your flesh will be supple and smooth. When you speak with others, everyone who sees you will be delighted. The benefits are too numerous to describe one by one. The restrictions are the same as in the preceding method.

Forty: A prescription for treating rough skin, skin cracked and scaly, numerous scars and sores, and thirty-six kinds of diseases within the body

Yindan, eighty-one parts; Qianqiu, seventy-two parts; dried Rehmannia, seventy-two parts; ginseng, thirty parts; Maimendong, seventy-two parts (remove the core).

Mix these five ingredients with butter and honey and form them into pills. Take thirty-two pills each time, twice a day. After taking them for one thousand days, your body will become smooth, lustrous, and fair; your stride will grow broad, your bearing elegant, and you will also gain many extraordinary abilities. After ten thousand days, your appearance will resemble that of a fifteen-year-old girl. Both people and ghosts who see you will feel affection for you. The good deeds you undertake will all go as you wish.

Forty-One: A prescription for treating weakness of the heart Qi, palpitations, trembling, excessive sweating, and thirty-six kinds of diseases of the heart (prepare on an auspicious day)

Yindan, eighty-two parts; ginseng, seventy-two parts; poria, thirty-two parts; galangal, eighty parts; red halloysite, twenty-eight parts.

Prepare pills from the five ingredients above, simmering them together in lilyturf-root juice. Take thirty-two pills twice a day. After one hundred days, all illnesses will be cured. After one thousand days, you will be able to infer many things from a single example; even the sound of thunder will not startle you, and your spirit will be calm and your resolve firm. After ten thousand days, you will be able to grasp whatever you see before you by making connections, understanding it at a glance. The galangal may be replaced with a larger amount of sweet flag if the medicine is to be taken for a long time.

○ Forty-Two: A Prescription for Treating Yin Hernia and Related Illnesses

Yindan (a medicinal name in the original text), forty parts; tribulus fruit, twelve parts; peach kernels, forty parts; one civet’s genital organ, singed to remove the hair; and twenty-four parts of seaweed (use horsehair seaweed that sinks in water).

Grind the five ingredients into powder and form them with honey into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with wine twice a day. Afterward, eat and drink without restriction. Avoid contact with unclean things; after one hundred days of taking the medicine, there are no further restrictions.

○ Forty-Three: A Prescription for Treating Rectal Prolapse in Children, Whether Caused by Weakness or Exposure to Cold

Yindan, thirty parts; selaginella, twelve parts; cistanche, ten parts; and dodder seed, ten parts.

Form the four ingredients with honey into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with wine twice a day. There are no restrictions. Also apply Yindan to the anus; applying it three to five times should be enough to cure the condition.

○ Forty-Four: A Prescription for Treating Consumptive Weakness and the Five Hemorrhoids

Yindan, thirty parts; dodder seed, twelve parts; raspberry fruit, twelve parts; schisandra fruit, twelve parts; achyranthes root, twenty parts; dried rehmannia root, twenty parts; angelica root, twelve parts; and cinnamon bark, twelve parts.

Form the eight ingredients into pills with honey and take them with wine. After one hundred days, the condition should be cured. Once the medicine is finished, another batch may be prepared and taken. Avoid sexual activity, raw vegetables, and stale, foul-smelling food.

○ Forty-Five: Discussion of Eliminating Illness and Observing Restrictions

The treatise says: Lower-grade medicines are mainly used to treat illness. After taking them for a time, even if the condition improves somewhat, one need only take a few doses. Once the illness is cured, if one can continue taking the medicine over the long term, it may not only treat disease but also lead toward the state of immortal longevity.

When taking Yindan (a name for an alchemical medicine), one must especially avoid pork and drinking to the point of intoxication, or various adverse effects, such as vomiting, may occur. Other foods pose no particular obstacle. The three grades of medicines discussed earlier contain herbal ingredients as well, which is why they come with those dietary restrictions.

In general, it is always best to be cautious and moderate when taking medicine. This will preserve the medicine’s efficacy and bring benefits more quickly. Even ordinary people should not eat much stale or unclean food. Eating too much can make the mind dull and clouded, and disrupt the True Qi (the vital energy within the body believed to sustain life). When True Qi is disturbed, pathogenic influences take advantage of the weakness, and diseases arise one after another, soon threatening life. How much more, then, if one hopes to prolong life and cultivate oneself into an immortal? How could anyone concerned with health preservation fail to make every effort to follow these teachings?

What is discussed here is only a general outline. Methods of taking medicine can be inferred by analogy with similar cases. Anyone who is taking medicine according to the prescribed method and whose illness has not yet been fully cured must not have sexual intercourse. If this prohibition is broken once, the medicine’s efficacy will be impaired for ten days; twice, for a hundred days; three times, and the full course of medicine will lose all its effect and may bring on other illnesses, to say nothing of the original condition. Those who are ill should take this seriously.

It has been nearly twenty years since I began taking medicine. During that time, I have personally experienced both good and bad outcomes involving prohibitions, restraint, and violations of precepts and techniques. I now set them all down for those taking medicine to understand. Those who receive this knowledge should observe it earnestly and should not keep it to themselves. Secretly accruing De (Virtue/Power) by helping others brings great merit.

Yindan Formula One: Yindan, twenty-eight parts; ginseng, ten parts; dendrobium, six parts; dodder seed, six parts; goji berry, six parts; achyranthes root, six parts; poria, six parts; cinnamon bark, four parts; polygala root, six parts; Chinese yam, six parts; cistanche, six parts; cnidium seed, four parts.

Take the twelve ingredients above by the usual method.

Yindan Formula Two: Yindan, four parts; ginseng, poria, polygala root, Chinese yam, schisandra, eucommia bark, and licorice, two liang each. The original text stops after the character “rabbit”; the listed ingredients also do not match the stated total of “twelve ingredients,” so this can only be interpreted according to the text as it survives. Take the ingredients above by the usual method.

Take four parts of Yin Dan. Use two liang each of ginseng, poria, polygala root, Chinese yam, schisandra, eucommia bark, licorice, dodder seed, achyranthes root, teasel root, Chinese angelica, and dwarf lilyturf root (with the core removed); eight liang of jujube paste; two liang of morinda root; and three liang of cistanche—for a total of sixteen ingredients.

Prepare them according to the method given earlier. Take twice daily, twenty pills each time, gradually increasing to thirty pills as the standard dose. “Ancient Iron Yin Powder Formula” is the title of the following formula.

Medicines of the metal class—here, iron germ—can be stored for a long time without spoiling on their own, because they form naturally. Since they arise naturally, they are called “germ.” For treating various stubborn illnesses, remedies are hard to make effective without germ; and iron is indispensable for preparing medicines and transforming metals. Iron germ is tough and solid, sharp and swift. At times it shines brightly on the ground; at times it can melt and change shape. Evil spirits fear having their forms revealed by its light, while ghosts and spirits fear its sharpness.

People value medicines made from jade and stone, yet do not know that iron germ can strengthen sinews and bones, increase physical strength, invigorate the spirit, and make the body strong, brave, and nimble. It can also treat the Five Taxations and Seven Injuries, restore weakness in the lower back and legs, and is especially suited to cases of debility. It is said to turn white hair black, prolong life, replenish Jing and fill the marrow, invigorate Yin-Yang, and extend one’s years. It should not be taken casually without three to five women as companions. Its benefits are numerous and difficult to record one by one.

To prepare it, select fine, hard iron. Steam it, then hammer it into thin tablets shaped like ceremonial tablets, polishing both sides. Make thirty or forty pieces. Wipe them clean with fresh water, place them on their sides in an earthenware jar, and set the jar on a bamboo mat. Cover the mouth of the jar, seal it with clay, and leave it in a cool, damp place. After one hundred days, take out the iron tablets; germ will have grown on them. Scrape it off with a bamboo comb. The resulting powder is reddish yellow. Put it in a jar or bowl, grind it with a jade pestle, and sift it three times. Soak it in wine for three days. If the wine becomes slightly cloudy, pour it into another vessel and collect the fine powder that floats up with the wine; discard the part that settles at the bottom. Let the wine stand for another day, then pour it off and keep the iron germ sediment. Dry it in the sun, then use date flesh to form pills about the size of wutong seeds. At first, take fifteen pills twice a day, gradually increasing to thirty. It is better to take them with clarified wine. It is said to have no prohibitions.

◎ A later generation of renowned physicians making iron germ powder

Take one hundred jin of refined, wrought iron and forge it into thin sheets of whatever size you need, about three fen thick. Scrape and polish both sides of each sheet until they are smooth and gleaming like mirrors. You may choose the length and shape yourself.

Once the sheets are ready, take one ge of white salt and one liang of powdered magnetite, and add one and a half ge of water. Stir until the salt dissolves, then add the magnetite powder. If you use more magnetite powder, adjust the other ingredients in the same proportion. Sprinkle the salt water over the iron sheets, then place them on their sides in an earthenware jar and seal its mouth. An old jar that once held fermented bean paste is best; a new jar will not do.

After sealing the jar, bury it in a shaded place out of the sun, covering it with about one chi of soil. Sprinkle the salt water over the sheets each day using the method described above.

The Illustrations of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks depict the shapes of mountains and waterways. The mountains in the illustrations wind and turn, with hills rising and falling in uneven succession, their ridges extending and curling in varying lengths. The streams twist like strokes in ancient writing, while the mountain peaks have sharply defined, rugged edges. The patterns of clouds and trees seem to take the shape of written characters. Thus the Lord of the Dao, Pure and True, surveyed the forms and configurations of mountains and waterways from heaven, inferred their courses and tendencies, and, following rhythms resembling those of writing, named each mountain in accordance with its form.

Possessing the Illustration of the True Form of the Eastern Peak can calm the spirit, prolong life, preserve the body, and ensure lasting health. When entering forests or trekking through river valleys, various kinds of lingzhi fungi will gather of their own accord. Possessing the Illustration of the True Form of the Southern Peak can ward off the Five Plagues and fires. If someone plots to harm you, the calamity will instead rebound upon that person. Possessing the Illustration of the True Form of the Central Peak brings success and profit in all undertakings, great wealth, and the fulfillment of every wish, without requiring physical exertion. Possessing the Illustration of the True Form of the Western Peak can ward off harm from weapons: even entering a battlefield, one will not be wounded by blades. The spirits of mountains and waterways will show you respect and come to welcome you. Possessing the Illustration of the True Form of the Northern Peak can avert disaster when entering the water and fulfill every wish, without requiring physical exertion. It can also dispel all kinds of poison, command dragons, and bring lasting good fortune and prosperity. With illustrations of all five peaks, one can traverse heaven and earth in every direction. When people and spirits see someone carrying an illustration, they will respond with joy.

When the Yellow Emperor campaigned against the regional lords, he fought Chiyou on the plains of Zhuolu and captured him. The lords then jointly honored Xuanyuan as Son of Heaven, replacing the Shennong clan; he was the Yellow Emperor. When anyone in the realm refused to submit, the Yellow Emperor sent out troops to subdue them, cutting paths through mountains and traveling everywhere. He never settled in one place. Traveling east, he reached the coast and climbed Mount Tai and Daizong. Traveling west, he went to Mount Kongtong and climbed Mount Jitou. Traveling south, he reached the region of the Yangtze and climbed Mount Xiong and Mount Xiang. In his northern campaign against the Xunyu, an ancient northern people, he climbed Mount Fufu. Later, he established a settlement at the foot of Mount Zhuolu, but continued to move from place to place, without a fixed residence.

The Yellow Emperor surveyed the famous mountains in the four directions and found that each had subsidiary peaks that supported the mandate of Heaven. Only the Southern Peak stood alone, without an attendant mountain. He therefore submitted a memorial to the Three Heavens Supreme Lord of the Dao, a revered Daoist deity, requesting that Mount Huo and Mount Qian be appointed as subsidiary mountains of the Southern Peak. Once the request was approved, the Yellow Emperor went in person to visit these mountains and drew their forms with his own hand, adding them after the illustrations of the Five Sacred Peaks. Later, he also ordered that Mount Qingcheng be honored as the Office of the Elder…

The forms of these divine envoys follow one another in an established sequence. This system of teaching began in the time of the Yellow Emperor.

The Lord of Mount Tai, Ruler of the Eastern Peak, commands 5,900 gods. He governs life and death, serves as commander of all ghosts, and is the deity honored in sacrifices of meat and blood. After death, the ghosts, gods, and malign spirits worshipped in popular rites must go to Mount Tai to be judged and punished. Anyone who carries the “True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks,” Daoist talismanic diagrams depicting the shapes of the five peaks, will be greeted and saluted by the gods of the mountains and rivers when entering a sacred mountain, forest, or Mount Tai. The Lord of Mount Tai wears a blue robe and a seven-tiered crown of deep green jade, bears the Seal of Universal Yang and Peace, and rides a blue dragon. He comes to greet the bearer with his assembled officials.

The Lord of Mount Heng, Ruler of the Southern Peak, commands 70,700 immortals. When someone enters a mountain under the jurisdiction of the Southern Peak, its mountain gods come out to greet them. The Lord of the Southern Peak wears a vermilion robe and a crown of the Nine Elixirs and Sun Essence, bears the Seal of Night Radiance and Celestial Truth, and rides a red dragon. He comes to greet the bearer with his assembled officials.

The Lord of Mount Songgao, Ruler of the Central Peak, commands 30,000 immortal officials and Jade Maidens. When a Daoist enters a mountain under the jurisdiction of the Central Peak, its mountain spirits come to greet and pay homage. The Lord of the Central Peak wears a plain yellow robe and a crown of Yellow Jade and the Great One, bears the Seal of Divine Ancestry and Yang Harmony, and rides a yellow dragon. He comes to greet the bearer with his assembled officials. As ruler of the earth gods of the five directions, the Lord of the Central Peak should be shown due reverence. The Most High often appoints virtuous and eminent Perfected Ones of the Three Heavens to serve in this divine office.

The Lord of Mount Hua, Ruler of the Western Peak, commands 4,100 immortal officials and Jade Maidens. When a Daoist enters the mountains or rivers under his jurisdiction, their gods come to greet them. The Lord of Mount Hua wears a plain white robe and a crown of the Primordial Beginning and the Nine Currents, bears the Seal of Opening Heaven and Communing with the True, and rides a white dragon to greet the bearer.

The Lord of Mount Heng, the Northern Peak, commands seven thousand immortals and jade maidens. When Daoists enter the mountains and rivers under his jurisdiction, the mountain gods come out to welcome them. The Lord of the Northern Peak wears a black robe, a Taizhen Mingling Crown, and the Seal of Longjin Wuzhen. Riding a black dragon, he comes to greet the Daoists.

The Elder of Qingcheng was appointed by the Yellow Emperor. He oversees the terrestrial immortals, ranks above the gods of the Five Peaks, and commands the various officials. He leads ten thousand immortal officials. When Daoists enter the mountain, they see the Elder wearing a radiant vermilion robe and a Canopy-of-Heaven Crown, bearing the Seal of the Three Courts. He rides in a ceremonial carriage, leading the gods and spirits to welcome them.

The Envoy of Mount Lu was appointed by the Yellow Emperor. His rank is equivalent to that of a censor. He commands the immortal officials and also serves as an inspector of the Five Peaks. When Daoists enter Mount Lu, the Envoy comes to greet them wearing a vermilion robe and a Pinghua Crown, bearing the Seal of the Three-Heaven True Form. He rides in a ceremonial carriage.

The Heir Apparent of Mount Huo, the Southern Peak, was appointed by the Yellow Emperor. He serves as deputy to the Lord of Mount Heng and is also responsible for inspecting the Five Peaks. When Daoists enter his mountain, the Envoy comes to greet them wearing a vermilion robe and a Pinghua Crown, bearing the Seal of the Three-Heaven True Form. He rides in a ceremonial carriage.

The Heir Apparent of Mount Huo, the Southern Peak, was appointed by the Yellow Emperor. He is the deputy of the Lord of Mount Heng and commands thirty thousand spirit officials. Above, he harmonizes the Qi of Heaven and Earth; below, he aids the people. He also examines and verifies the immortals and commands the water spirits. Mount Huo is steep and rugged, a place where all the gods and spirits obey his commands. When Daoists enter his domain, the Heir Apparent comes to welcome them wearing a blue brocade robe and a Qiming Crown, bearing the Dao Lord’s jade tablet. Sometimes he rides in a ceremonial carriage; at other times, he drives dragons and tigers.

The Lord of Qianshan, a divine being who assists the sovereign, was appointed by the Yellow Emperor as deputy lord of Hengyue, the Southern Marchmount, and often took part in governing affairs. His present office is that of an aide. When a Daoist enters Qianshan, its lord comes to welcome him, wearing robes embroidered with purple patterns of light, a Canling crown, and the seal of the Vermilion Palace, and riding in a red dragon carriage.

The Lords Who Assist the Marchmounts all serve their respective Marchmount Lords and take part in handling official affairs. When a Daoist enters a mountain under their jurisdiction, these assisting lords come to welcome him wearing vermilion robes and Xianhua crowns, and carrying the Supreme One’s True Form insignia. Their carriages vary.

Dongfang Shuo said: The opening catalog of the ancient book Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Marchmounts was composed by Shennong. Its source is the ancient Supreme One’s book of the Eight Assemblies of the Regions, borne aloft through the heavens; its ritual texts had circulated even before the appearance of bird-track writing. Without an immortal to translate, annotate, and reveal them, they would ultimately remain unintelligible. A Daoist who wishes to wear this diagram should first obtain the forms of the mountains, then copy out the ancient scrolls in full, and finally inscribe this passage on the outside.

The Chart of the Immortals says: All responses in the world are fulfilled with subtlety and completeness. Whether in heaven or among people, in the mountains or on the waters, ascending or sinking, expressed in writing or without writing, they are all proof of true essence—that is, the genuine, subtle Qi. Anything that bears writing is collectively called a “fu,” a written sign that serves as a token of trust and a means of confirming a response. Fu are used to verify responses, and whether a response comes depends above all on virtuous deeds.

Good conduct and merit do not produce false responses, and the path of cultivation cannot be followed on a whim. Only when one understands this and establishes a record of virtuous deeds and practice may a fu appear. Even if a fu has appeared but no response has yet been received, one must continue to accumulate merit. If cultivation is not yet complete, one should observe the precepts, gather Qi and guard the spirit, regularly visualize the true form—the image of an immortal or deity—and receive, wear, and use the fu. In this way, subtle Qi enters the body and opens the way to wisdom.

Those with understanding should diligently and carefully follow these methods to dispel calamities and ward off evil. Cultivation with utmost sincerity brings confirmation; when confirmation comes, the deities descend, and what one prays for goes smoothly. These methods have therefore been handed down and put to use from generation to generation, continuing to the present day.

Later generations, however, often lack sufficient merit, and the methods they receive are frequently incomplete. Sometimes they encounter them through fortunate circumstances but fail to understand their intent and secret instructions. Few truly understand, which is why these methods are so precious. Precious methods must not be sought casually, nor may they be put into practice at will once received. A subject should choose a suitable ruler before presenting them, and a ruler should examine whether a subject is suitable before transmitting them. If a method is passed on to someone unsuited to receive it, both the transmitter and the recipient will invite calamity.

Those in subordinate positions who have not yet mastered the methods should follow the instruction of those above them. Until a presentation has been approved, they should continue their cultivation. Only by being careful and keeping confidence with one another can each preserve good fortune; only through harmony among all parties can they share peace and well-being. Rulers and subjects, parents and children, men and women, teachers and students, and friends should also explain these matters to one another. If doubts remain, they should not put the methods into practice. Only when they understand fully, have no misgivings, hold their convictions uprightly, and are united in purpose should they continue to follow them.

When people live in harmony, they can surely commune with the spirits. Jades and silks, bells and drums are outward forms of ritual and music; the three sacrificial animals and the many delicacies belong to the appetites of the mouth and belly. Daoism teaches that desires should be gradually diminished and sets out precepts against killing. Those who understand the principle will be awakened and enlightened by it, and will no longer resort to convoluted arguments.

The ancient events are recorded here to explain the circumstances of the time. This does not mean that the principle should change with shifts in popular customs. Thus, offerings of the three sacrificial animals may be discontinued in ritual. Those who cultivate the Way of contemplating the Mysterious should not cling to the words and lose sight of the principle. They should grasp it at its root and hold fast to its source as they investigate its transformations: the source is One; from One comes Two, and Two in turn are the parents. This constant Way must not be forgotten; it should be kept in mind at all times.

The Laojun Zhongjing says: The Eastern Father (also called the Eastern Lord) is the clear, Yang Qi, and the ancestor of all the gods. He governs the east and dwells on Mount Penglai. His surname is Wuwei, and his courtesy name is Junjie. There is also an Eastern Father within the human body, located at the crown of the head. His Jing and Qi appear as the sun, which dwells in the left eye. He is named Fuxi and styled Yanchang.

The Western Mother is the Qi of Great Yin. Her surname is Ziran, and her courtesy name is Junsi. In the lower realm, she governs the Golden City on Mount Kunlun, where nine layers of multicolored clouds rise above the mountain, whose peak towers ten thousand zhang high. In the upper realm, she corresponds to the Northern Dipper, the Canopy, the Purple Chamber, and the region beneath the Northern Pole Star. There is also a Western Mother within the human body, located in the right eye. Her surname is Taiyin, her name is Xuanguang, and her courtesy name is Yanyu.

People must receive the protection of the Eastern Father and Western Mother in their eyes in order to walk, see clearly, hear keenly, distinguish beauty from ugliness, and govern the gods within the body. Their bond is like a mother’s concern for her child, and the child’s concern for the mother. When their Jing and Qi communicate and respond to one another, they can endure for a long time.

Between a person’s breasts is the Jing and Qi of the myriad gods, formed through the union of Yin and Yang. Beneath the left breast is the sun, and beneath the right is the moon: these are the dwelling places of the Eastern Father and Western Mother. They govern the eyes above, move about at the crown of the head, pause beneath the breasts, and reside in the Crimson Palace, the palace where the heart is located. These are the Yin and Yang Qi within the body. To attain longevity and the Dao, one must harmonize the Yin and Yang Qi. Qi contains spirits; when spirits manifest their efficacy, there are talismans. A talisman depends on a spirit, and the spirit is the talisman’s source. What is this source? It is the parents of Taiyi.

Taiyi is the ancestor and the ruler at the source of all things. The father is the Eastern Emperor, and the mother is the Western Sovereign. They respond to the prayers of living beings and come as soon as they are called to mind. They come from nowhere in particular and depart for no fixed destination. When living beings call upon them with sincere devotion, each receives a response. It is said that they dwell at Kunlai, where they have built a palace, and gather at the Great Peak, dwelling at the head of the Five Sacred Peaks. The source of talismanic credentials begins here as well.

Primordial Qi circulates, and the Qi of the Northern Dipper descends and spreads. As Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth unite, the Eastern Father and Western Mother likewise change their dwelling places. A practitioner who obtains this power can unite the dark and yellow Qi, command the Six Jia divine generals, and bring the Five Phases into proper order. At the end of each year, on the Three Primes days, and on the birthdays of the various sovereigns, one should pay respects and offer greetings to the parents, cultivate Fulu, accumulate De, and thereby receive the Dao of the Mysterious Origin, so as to direct the myriad things and ensure that rewards and punishments are justly assigned.

After the primordial Qi has been swept clear, talismans should be used to set things right. Ritual practice generally begins on the birthday of the sovereign: one receives the talismans and then puts them to use. Anyone who is required to make obeisance should turn toward the direction of the sun’s shadow.

The True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks and the Illustrated Records of the Immortals both originated with the Perfected One of Great Mystery. They carry forward the subtle foundation of the Great Dao, enabling the regulation and nurturing of all things and establishing clear standards for reward and punishment. The Qi of the Great Beginning—the primordial Qi present when Heaven and Earth first came into being—washes away disorder, then talismans and registers set things back on the proper course. At the beginning of each new king’s reign, the king received talismans and registers and put the associated laws and practices into effect. Anyone required to pay respects had to face the direction of the sun when making the bow.

In the early Han dynasty, Sima Jizhu became a student of the Transcendent Woman of Great Mystery. He sought her instruction and received the Five Sacred Peaks. The Transcendent Woman of Great Mystery was titled Lady of the Western Spirit Capital. She lived in the Great Abundance Palace, in a stone chamber on Mount Weiyu, and possessed many subtle arts, including the teachings of the Five Sacred Peaks. Sima Jizhu presented what he had received to Emperor Wen of Han. The emperor did not devote himself to studying it, so Sima Jizhu passed it on to Jia Yi. Jia Yi had not yet mastered it and understood only its basic principles. Emperor Wen…

After accepting the blessings bestowed through the sacrifice, Emperor Wen of Han sat in the Xuanshi Hall, the main hall of the front palace of Weiyang Palace. Once a sacrifice had ended, people called the blessings granted by the spirits “li.” Emperor Wen then asked about ghosts and spirits, and Jia Yi gave him a detailed answer. The emperor sighed, “It has been a long time since I saw Jia Sheng. I thought I was his superior, but now I see that I still fall short of him.” Despite these words, Emperor Wen continued to keep Jia Yi at a distance. After Jia Yi’s fortunes declined, the methods he had transmitted were no longer put into practice.

Later, Emperor Wu of Han took an interest in Daoist arts, and the fangshi Shaojun recommended practitioners to him. The Queen Mother of the West responded by sending down a text and image, but Xuanming could not devote himself to its practice and soon lost it. Their fellow student Jizhu, along with the Daoist masters Jishou and Ximen Junhui, were skilled in the use of chart prophecies, techniques that used images and coded language to predict good and ill fortune. They foresaw that Liu Ji would become emperor. After Emperor Guangwu restored the Han, they presented these arts to the court, but he was occupied with affairs of state and did not fully put his trust in them.

In the seventh year of Jianwu, a solar eclipse occurred, followed by a succession of ominous signs. Yin-Yang fell out of balance, warfare continued across the regions, and rebellions and banditry broke out everywhere. In the eighth year of Jianwu, Emperor Guangwu led a campaign west in person. Bandits were active in Yingchuan, rebellion broke out in Hedong, and strange signs appeared in the capital. The court therefore prayed for blessings from the spirits. At the time, the Daoist arts of the fangshi were widely trusted. The court summoned the Daoist master Guo Xian to replace Zhang Kan as Guanglu Xun, an official responsible for palace affairs. Guo accompanied the emperor to the southern suburb and was put in charge of the sacrifices. He made offerings to all Five Sacred Peaks, performed a Jiao rite—a ceremony in which an altar was established to address the spirits—and observed precepts while cultivating merit. Later, these practices could not be continued, and the Daoist arts were lost once again.

During Emperor Huan’s reign, Zhongfu practiced divination at a market in Liaodong, using his earnings to provide wine and food as offerings and to pray for the people’s blessings. If outsiders observed purification and performed the proper rites, he would arrange a Jiao ceremony for them. People near and far spoke of his benevolence, but the court was wary of such practices. Li Gong withdrew from the world, while Zuo Sheng kept a low profile. Ge Xiaoxian performed these purification rites for Sun Quan, and they repeatedly proved effective. Li Fanghui conducted a Jiao ceremony for Emperor Wu of Jin, and auspicious signs appeared.

The troubles of the secular world are difficult to wash away. Practitioners often make a good beginning but rarely persevere to the end. After Emperor Yuan crossed the Yangtze, Bao Taixuan submitted memorials to the court many times and won the respect of Chancellor Wang. Bao Taixuan had served as Chief Administrator of Guangzhou and Governor of Nanhai, where he spread moral instruction. He later transmitted the Daoist arts to Ge Hong, who passed them on to Teng Shu; Teng Shu in turn transmitted them to Le Xuanzhen. These methods gradually spread, but their core remained sincerity, and their practice was best kept discreet.

After the Queen Mother of the West descended into the Han palace, Emperor Wu saw a scroll inside a purple brocade pouch among her headscarf and personal belongings. He asked, “Is this a book belonging to the immortals and spirits? May I see its title?” The Queen Mother of the West took out the book and showed it to him. “This is the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks (a pictorial record of the landscape and spiritual beings of the Five Sacred Peaks). Yesterday, the immortals of Mount Qingcheng came to ask me for it, and now I must give it to them. It comes from the Three Heavens’ Supreme One, the highest deity revered in Daoism, and is a secret and precious text. How could it be suitable for someone of your mortal station to carry? For now, I will give you the Scripture of the Birth of Numinosity. This scripture can help you communicate with the spirits and strengthen your resolve.”

Emperor Wu kept bowing and continued to plead. The Queen Mother of the West said, “In the first year of the Qingxu era of the August Sovereign, the Dao Lord of the Three Heavens looked down upon the Six Directions, the lands in every direction, and surveyed the seas and rivers…”

After determining the length and height of the mountains and rivers, they were given names, regarded as pillars supporting Heaven, and placed according to their geographical positions. The Five Sacred Peaks formed the foundation, with corresponding guardian mountains established beside them. Kunling was revered as the dwelling place of numinous immortals, Pengqiu as the lodging of perfected beings, the water deities were placed at the source of utter Yin, and the Great Emperor was made to reside in the wilds of Fusang.

Thus, Fangzhang Mountain came to be known as the place that governs longevity, while the island in the Canglang Sea became a hall where the Nine Elders were nourished. Zuying, Xuanyan, Changyuan, Liusheng, and Fenglin Juku each also became the name of a continent. All these places lie within the mysterious channels of the vast Cangliu Sea. Its waters, both blue and black, flow together, while its waves surge and stir the many spirits. Immortals and Jade Maidens gather in the Cangming Sea. Their names are too many to know in full, yet their actual whereabouts are clearly marked.

Following the prescribed order of mountain ranges and their sources, one observes the winding courses and configurations of rivers and peaks: ridges turn back, hills and mounds twist and stretch, peaks rise high, and mountain spines run long. Their overall forms curve and coil like written characters. Names were therefore chosen by taking images from the terrain, and true names assigned to them. Their shapes were then secretly drawn in the Mysterious Terrace, where Daoist texts and diagrams are kept in secret, and made into numinous seals of authenticity. Immortals wear them as if carrying official credentials; when Daoist practitioners hold these seals and travel through mountains and rivers, all the gods and spirits respectfully come out to welcome them.

Though you are not yet fully upright, you often go to mountains and marshes, sincerely seeking the Dao, and have never forgotten your resolve to cultivate it. I admire this sincerity, and so I now entrust this to you. You must carry it out with reverence and caution, as though serving a ruler and a father. If you disclose it to ordinary people, disaster is certain to follow.

The Lady (the Queen Mother of the West) said to the Emperor: “The Mother has now opened the hidden and wondrous scriptures stored in the jade casket and brought forth the secret writings of the Purple Terrace. She bestows upon you the Book of the Eight Assemblies and the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks. These are treasures of the highest order, profound laws of the Supreme Lord. Unless you had received Heaven’s mandate and were in accord with the spirits, you could not have seen these texts.

“Now, although you have obtained the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks and seen the wondrous principles they contain, you have not yet received the Secret Talismans of the Five Emperors and Six Jia, Left and Right, for Spiritual Flight; the Register of the Jade Maidens of Six Ding of Great Yin, for Communicating with the True and Attaining the Spirits; the Book of Six Wu of Great Yang, for Summoning Spirits and the Celestial Light that Refines Essence; the Writings of the Left One, the Mixed Cavern of the Eastern Mound; the Statutes of the Right Geng, the Plain Radiance that Captures and Slays; the Eight Arts of Ren and Gui for Sixfold Evasion and Concealment within the Earth; the Nine Crimson Spotted Talismans of Bing and Ding for Entering Fire; the Method of Six Xin for Entering Metal and Bringing Forth Yellow Water and Moonlight; the Sixfold Endowment and Tenfold Decisions of Ji, the Stone Essence and Golden Light that Conceal the Shadow and Transform the Form, with the Sixfold Spiritual Rites of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You; the Plain Writings and Secret Formulae of Earth’s Direct Paths at Chou, Chen, Wei, and Xu, for Long Life and the Purple Book of Three and Five, Following the Order; and the Inner Manifestation of the Purple Measure and Flame Light in the Central Direction at Yin, Si, Shen, and Hai. These secret methods concern how to summon the spirits of mountains, pay homage to the gods of the earth, gather the essences and spirits of all things, drive away the myriad ghosts, summon tigers and leopards, and command flood dragons. For now, you understand only part of them; you have not yet seen the rest.”

The Emperor left his seat and bowed until his forehead touched the ground. “I am merely a mortal from the turbid world below, and have not yet cultivated pure sincerity. To hear the Dao today is a rare opportunity in my life. The Holy Mother is now about to bestow upon me the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks. I shall cultivate them…”

The Heavenly Emperor left his seat and bowed with his forehead to the ground. “I, Du Che, am merely a muddled and shallow person of the mortal world, far from pure and sincere. Today, I have been fortunate enough to hear the Great Dao; this is truly a rare opportunity in my life. The Holy Mother, the Queen Mother of the West, should now bestow upon me the True Forms—the Daoist secret charts and texts of the divine perfected ones—so that I may study them and use them to guide the people of the world. Since Your Ladyship is instructing Du Che, you should also transmit the arts for summoning spirits through the Six Jia, Six Ding, and Six Wu. I have been enlightened and have gained immeasurable benefit. I only hope you will instruct me and ease my longing for the Dao, so that the roots within me, now parched, may be moistened by numinous Yang, like plants scorched by a fierce fire that are fortunate enough to receive a nourishing rain. I dare not say more, yet Du Che continues to lay out his wishes.”

The Queen Mother then said to the Lady, “The True Forms are precious sacred writings, held in great esteem by the numinous officials. This child has kept watch and pleaded for them, vowing that he must obtain them. That is why I made an exception to the restrictions and bestowed them upon him. But the arts of the Five Emperors and Six Jia for communicating with the perfected and summoning spirits are profoundly mysterious. Only those who are pure and wholly sincere can practice them; they are unsuitable for people clouded by worldly concerns. I have now bestowed the True Forms upon Du Che, and you should care for him. I would like to ascend with you to Mount Xuanlong, Mount Yuye, and Mount Yaizhen, and visit the youth. The Supreme Hidden Book, which the prince seeks, is profound and mysterious; only the pure and wholly sincere can practice it. The secret teachings of the Three Nines that I possess cannot be disclosed to those who have attained only middling immortality. You once said that you would protect and assist the youth; now is the time. Since I can hardly turn away his request, it is not that I am simply unwilling to transmit the teachings. As for what has happened today, it brings an old memory to mind: later, at Zhuling, we ate numinous melons, and they tasted wonderful. That memory has stayed with me for a long time—seven thousand years by now. You have already told Du Che the titles of the twelve chapters of the True Forms; next, you should find a way to write them down. Why make the host bow in apology, even to the point of bleeding?”

The Lady said, “I am not begrudging the True Forms; I simply did not bring them with me just now. They are among the gathered writings of the Great Void, transmitted by the Perfected One Red Youth. Their transmission has always been differentiated between men and women, and they are given only to those who have already attained the Dao. I fear Du Che’s abilities may be insufficient and that he is not yet ready to study them.”

The Queen Mother of the West, a legendary female immortal, looked displeased and said, “There is a prohibition in the celestial realm against revealing the secrets of Heaven. The written precepts forbid it: scriptures must be transmitted to suitable people, and the Dao must be taught to those who truly understand it. Why did you tell someone of such meager aptitude the title of the Lingfei Chapter? To speak of it casually without transmitting its contents is to reveal it; to speak of it but not transmit it is to show off the Way of Heaven. Could this prohibition possibly be more lenient than the rules for formal transmission? I will separately order the Three Officials—the officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water, who oversee and assess such matters—to investigate your fault in revealing it carelessly.”

“My Text of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, which depicts the sacred mountains’ forms, was transmitted by the Supreme Celestial Emperor. It is exquisite and precious, a token of trust among celestial immortals. How could it be casually bestowed on Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han? It is only because Liu Che has devoted himself to imploring the spirits of mountains and rivers, repeatedly sought a response from the immortal Dao, and diligently practiced purification and cultivation, with the aim of transcending the mundane world. He simply had not met a worthy teacher, so we took notice of him. As for the methods of teaching people to become immortals, there is no need to begrudge them and withhold their transmission. Though you have methods for summoning spiritual responses, can you really claim them for yourself alone?”

“I am now transmitting the Text of the True Forms to Liu Che not because I believe he will certainly attain the Dao, but so that he may receive some verifiable signs of spiritual response, and not be confused in his quest for immortality. In this way, I also hope to guide those willing to follow the Dao and accept its teaching. I want people in the world to know that such numinous realities truly exist between Heaven and Earth, so that the arrogant skeptics may restrain themselves. That is my purpose.”

“Your temperament is unrestrained and fierce, and your eyes are often bloodshot. How could you possibly become a true immortal and fly through the air? Even with diligent cultivation, perhaps you could only come close to immortality. The written precepts say: ‘It is not hard to live forever; what is hard is to hear the Great Dao. It is not hard to hear the Dao; what is hard is to put it into practice. It is not hard to put it into practice; what is hard is to persevere to the end.’ A skilled artisan can teach people the rules and standards, but cannot make them naturally dexterous. Why, then, would the methods of the Dao need to be concealed?”

The woman said, “I will respectfully follow your instructions. However, I once received the Lingwen from Lord Daojing and Master Wuchang. They agreed to transmit it only once every four thousand years, from woman to woman and man to man. This is a precept established by the Highest One, the supreme deity revered in Daoism, to authenticate the talisman of Zhaosheng. The women to whom I transmitted it were all virtuous, eminent ladies. There were sixty-eight people in all who possessed the scripture, so it should not originally have been transmitted to a man.

“Recently, I learned that the young boy Qingzhen of Fuguang Mountain received the Liujia Lingfei from the Lord of the Central Primordial Heaven in Taiwei. It consists of twelve sections and is identical in content to what I transmitted. Qingzhen is a disciple whom I introduced to the practice of fire refinement. I have never heard that he received the Liujia from anyone else. Qingzhen is a male official, yet now you have specifically ordered that this method be obtained, intending to transmit it to Che.

“I told Che about these texts earlier because I pitied his yearning for the Dao and wanted him to devote himself to cultivation and strengthen his resolve. I meant for him to seek widely first and receive the transmission later. I also wanted to transmit the method to a man, so that he might accept and practice it in accordance with the precepts, earn it through diligence, and thereby understand the preciousness of the Way of Heavenly Truth. This was not a matter of taking it casually or flaunting and divulging the Way of Heaven. I hope you will not blame me.

“Mother’s Zhenxing, the secret illustrated scripture depicting the forms of the divine immortals, is exceedingly precious. Out of pity for his earnest dedication, I transmitted that to him as well. That was truly very inappropriate!”

The Queen Mother smiled and said, “Can even this be forgiven?” She then ordered her attendant Ji Lirong to go to Mount Fuguang and summon the young immortal Qingzhen.

The Lingfei of the Left and Right Six Jia records twelve methods for summoning spirits and deities. It was originally meant to be taught to Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han. A little while later, the attendant returned, carrying an eight-colored jade box decorated with phoenix patterns. She took out the Text of the Six Jia and said:

“Your disciple Ke Changyan was just ordered to go to the Jiang River, where I took charge of the Seven Source Lords of the Southern Perfected and dealt with the matter of dragons and fierce beasts. After finishing, I passed by here and, at the Queen Mother’s invitation, came to Liu Che’s residence. I did not expect the Supreme One of Heaven to descend into this dusty, impure world. How have you been of late, and what brings you here?

“Attendant Ji Lirong said that you wish to obtain the twelve chapters of the Golden Book of Secret Characters: The Left and Right Registers of the Six Jia Lingfei, intending to teach them to Liu Che and seal a copy for delivery by a messenger. Though Liu Che is eager to seek the Dao, he is ultimately no natural immortal. How could such a secret method be suitable for someone as lifeless as a walking corpse?

“I was recently at the emperor’s court and heard many people submit memorials saying that mountain spirits weep in overgrown woods, while lonely souls cry out in remote wastelands. His wars have brought the extermination of clans distinguished for their service, and his reckless use of troops has left the fields strewn with white bones. He gives free rein to his extravagant desires and cruelty without restraint. His crimes are already known in Heaven, and resentment has risen to the celestial court. His ill fame has reached the Dark Heaven; I fear he will never escape the mortal world and become an immortal. Still, since I have received your command, I dare not disobey.”

The Queen Mother smiled and said, “Many people do indeed condemn this child, but there is no need to reject him outright. Those who love the Dao and yearn to become immortals can, through single-minded cultivation, fasting, and reflecting on their faults, erase a hundred transgressions each time they do so. If they can restrain themselves, correct their faults and turn toward good, honor the true gods, and practice preserving the true and guarding the One—a method of cultivating and nourishing true Qi while keeping the spirit focused—then a month of such practice can erase a thousand transgressions. Liu Che has long yearned for the Great Dao and has been diligent in fasting. He has also prayed repeatedly at famous mountains, seeking transcendence. Weighing his merits against his faults, they are now nearly equal.

“From this day forward, however, he must cultivate with sincerity and diligence, and follow the words of the Lady of the Upper Origin, a female immortal of Heaven. He must no longer indulge in luxury and debauchery or rule with cruelty, causing the people hardship and death. Nor must he leave the lonely souls and destitute ghosts who urgently seek redress with nowhere to appeal, while the bodies of the war dead lie scattered everywhere and no one recognizes their service or rewards them.”

Then the Queen Mother rose from her seat, held the phoenix-patterned eight-colored jade box in both hands, and, facing the emperor beneath the open sky, offered a prayer.

The scripture says:

The ninefold heavens lie far away, vast and remote. The Most High (a Daoist honorific for the supreme divinity) sends forth radiance; divine light reveals hidden and subtle realms, making the pure, empty, and luminous domain clear. The Way of pure emptiness is wondrously subtle. Guarding the primordial Qi sustains life; concentrating the mind on the Dao brings one to the Dao’s realm; a tranquil mind and spirit can commune with the true gods. To make the mind and spirit serve one’s will harms the body, while settling Jing and Qi helps prolong life.

If one is granted and masters the methods of the Lingfei and the Liuding (Daoist arts associated with the Six Ding spirits), as well as the Left and Right Invocations of the Gods and Heavenly Light Glorifying the Essence, one can walk through empty space, conceal one’s form, live forever, and preserve youth. I transmit these methods, through which one may live for forty thousand years; the transmission should take place when the recipient is forty. If you violate the prohibitions and reveal the secrets, disaster will surely befall your entire clan. If you turn away from the natural truth of the Great Dao, you will sink into the netherworld. I have made the blessings and calamities clear, and solemnly warn Liu Che.

The revered master who transmits the methods is the Youth of Azure Truth. He serves as Director of Affairs to the Supreme Central Yellow Dao Lord and is an inner-chamber disciple of the Ten Heavenly Kings of the Primordial Beginning. His surname is [missing], his given name is Lingyang, and his courtesy name is Bihua. He looks like a child and is known in the immortal palaces as the Youth of Azure Truth. His nature is clear and penetrating, and he sees into the hidden and subtle. His sacred wisdom can meet the myriad transformations; like a wondrous, luminous mirror, he shines into the depths. His talents are exceptional, and he is rightly called a Perfected One. If you serve the master, you may act according to your own wishes; but if you fail to cherish the methods bestowed upon you, your life and destiny will be overturned and lost.

When she had finished speaking, the Lady pointed out the key passages of each method one by one and showed them to the emperor.

After explaining all twelve items, she admonished the emperor again: The Five Emperors are the essences of the true spirits of the five directions; the Six Jia are the numinous spirits who connect with the six orientations. Wear and revere them, and you may seek long life. The Supreme Emperor sealed this book away on the Terrace of Dark Radiance. You must treasure and safeguard it.

The Queen Mother said, “These three books of Heaven were written by the Most High (a revered Daoist deity). They are kept on Ziling Terrace, hidden away in the chamber of the numinous altar, sealed inside a splendid jade box, wrapped in orchid-decorated slips and brocade, bound with purple silk cord, and stamped with the seal of the Great Emperor. Whoever obtains these books must transmit them to one person every forty years. If no suitable person can be found, they may be transmitted once to two people every eighty years.

Those who attain the Dao may transmit them to one person every four hundred years; those who attain immortality, to one person every four thousand years; those who attain the Real, to one person every forty thousand years; and those who ascend to the realm of the Most High, to one person every four hundred thousand years. To transmit them to someone unsuitable is called divulging the Way of Heaven; to meet a suitable person and withhold them is called concealing Heaven’s treasure; to transmit them arbitrarily before the appointed time is called treating the Way of Heaven lightly; and to receive them without reverence is called neglecting the books of Heaven.

These four acts—divulging, concealing, treating lightly, and neglecting—are like blades and axes that bring death, and chariots that usher in calamity. Those who divulge the books of Heaven will die on the road; after death, they will suffer punishment in the form of earth, and their bones will be shattered. Those who conceal the books of Heaven will be blind and deaf in their next life, their lifespan will be shortened, and they will die young. Calamity will befall the parents of those who treat the Way of Heaven lightly, and they themselves will be punished at Xuandu (the celestial palace of Daoist legend). Those who neglect the books of Heaven will die suddenly and fall into an evil realm; in their next life, they will suffer abandonment and illness. These are the prohibitions and precepts of the Daoist tradition, offered as warnings to one another. They must be observed with the utmost care.”

The Queen Mother then bestowed upon him the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks (a Daoist diagram depicting the shapes of the Five Sacred Peaks). The Emperor bowed reverently and accepted it.

The Method of the Diagram of the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks (with Preface)

The disciple Ge Hong said, “The highest Dao has no form, and its subtle workings are difficult to express. The affairs of the immortals are indeed not suited to the investigation of ordinary people. Yet because people of the world cannot see the way in, they all believe that it does not exist. Even when they witness real proof, who would be willing to tell others about it? Thus, the pure and the turbid differ in substance, just as fragrance and stench…”

Ge Hong said, “The Great Dao has no concrete form, and the principles within it are so subtle that they are difficult to put into words. The affairs of the immortals are indeed not something shallow-minded people are suited to investigate. Yet because people in the world cannot see a way to enter, they all say that such things do not exist. Even when they witness genuine results with their own eyes, who would be willing to tell others? Thus clarity and turbidity are entirely different, just as fragrance and stench are utterly distinct.

“When Daoist practitioners obtain sacred books handed down in secret, they are permitted to pass them on to only one person. If so, genuine and efficacious scriptures will be seen by just one person; how can they be transmitted through a hundred generations and preserved? I believe that although transmission must certainly be entrusted to a suitable person, the books should not all be kept hidden. In the Jiangdong region, such books have never been available. If Lord Zheng keeps them secret and passes them on to no one, these scriptures will be lost forever.

“Some time ago I said to Lord Zheng, ‘There are many kinds of Daoist books, from the Great Characters of the Celestial Writings of the Three Sovereigns to subtle and wondrous sacred texts, and people diligently seek them out. Recently I suddenly heard that the True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks—a Daoist illustrated scripture depicting the topography of the Five Sacred Peaks—was among them, but no one in the Wu-Yue region had received it. Is this scripture unwilling to circulate because it is precious, and therefore not transmitted? I wonder whether you have this book. If you would allow a pearl mistaken for a fish’s eye to shine for a moment in the radiance of the Nine Suns, and a stone pellet from a muddy hill to appear briefly in the marketplace of Nanhe, then, should I be fortunate enough to behold the Way of Heavenly Reality, my resolve to seek the Dao would surely grow stronger.’ Here, “a pearl mistaken for a fish’s eye” and “a stone pellet from a muddy hill” are expressions of self-deprecation, while “the radiance of the Nine Suns” and “the marketplace of Nanhe” are metaphors for a place of great distinction and a precious opportunity.

“Lord Zheng replied, ‘I believe I have this book. The prohibitions on transmitting it are very strict, and it must not be disclosed casually. Passing it to an unsuitable person will certainly bring blame. Though ordinary Daoist practitioners may yearn in their hearts for purity and uprightness, their conduct is often not fully in keeping with it. When one’s De is deficient, calamity may follow. To hand a book that could bring calamity to such a person—would that not be to invite punishment upon oneself? For this reason, those who received the transmission before me did not dare pass it on lightly, and the book gradually ceased to circulate. That is precisely why. You are deeply sincere and will surely be able to grasp the hidden and subtle principles and understand what is obscure. That is why I am telling you. For now, do not spread it around. I received this book from Master Green Ox. Since receiving the Diagram, I have not passed it on to anyone. According to the rules of transmission among the immortals, one must pass it to a single person before leaving the world and withdrawing from view. The affairs of the world are turbulent, and I cannot remain here forever. In time, I should entrust this scripture to you.’

“About a year later, one night in the seventh month, Lord Zheng summoned me and said, ‘I am about to depart. You may prepare plain silk so that you can make a copy of the Diagram.’ Ge Hong then observed purification rites and offered sacrifices before receiving the transmission. Lord Zheng also taught him how to use the Diagram and the ritual procedures governing it.”

Master Azure Ox was the immortal Feng Junda, originally from Longxi. At first, he took Coptis root for more than fifty years. He later entered Bird-and-Rat Mountain to cultivate, and then took and refined mercury for more than a hundred years. After returning to his hometown, he still looked about thirty years old. He often rode a blue ox, so people called him the “Daoist of the Blue Ox.”

When traveling, if he heard that someone was gravely ill and near death, he would give them medicine from the bamboo tube at his waist, whether he knew them or not. Sometimes he also treated the sick with acupuncture, and his treatments often worked at once. Many people were saved by him, but he never told anyone his name. People knew only that he rode a blue ox, and called him by that name. He lived among humans for another two hundred years or more, then entered Dark Mound Mountain. No one ever learned what became of him.

Master Azure Ox said: “If a household keeps a copy of the Five Sacred Peaks in Their True Forms”—a Daoist book depicting the shapes of the Five Sacred Peaks—“each peak will send five spirits to guard it. The spirits of the mountains and rivers near one’s dwelling also often send attendants to protect anyone who possesses the book. If a wicked person tries to harm its possessor, that person will instead meet with disaster. The image can also ward off the calamities of warfare and plague, protecting people even amid the blades and weapons of battle.

“This image also watches for people’s treachery and impurity, exposing improper conduct. Those who act improperly will bring disaster upon themselves, while treachery and impurity will bring calamity upon their household; one should therefore take exceptional care. If you carry this image or hold it in your hand as you enter the mountains and forests, the spirits of the mountains, rivers, and water sources will all come out to welcome you. Such a venerable and efficacious image is treated with humility and respect even by ghosts and spirits. How much more, then, should ordinary people avoid treating it carelessly or neglectfully?”

Lord Zheng said: “At home, one should perform the sacrifice once every year…”

Zheng Jun says: People who live at home should make an offering to the Diagram once a year. This sacred Daoist image or talismanic diagram can bring prosperity to the household, smooth progress in official affairs, success in travel and other undertakings, protection from calamity and misfortune, fulfillment of one’s wishes, and a longer life. Those who practice alone in the mountains and forests need not perform the offering. The mountains and forests are quiet and secluded, the practitioner can focus without distracting thoughts, and there is no way to obtain offerings such as wine and meat. Reverence in the heart is enough.

The home is a disorderly place, with women, chickens, and dogs coming and going, while dust and foul vapors gather inside. Careless words may also arise, showing disrespect and defiling the spirit’s Qi; a woman might even give birth inside the house. Therefore, one should observe purification and make an offering to the numinous Diagram to dispel calamities. Observe purification for three days on the date assigned to the month’s earthly branch. At midnight, perform the rite in a courtyard or private chamber, facing west, where no one else can see.

The offerings should consist of twenty-five jin of white rice cakes and dried meat, along with one hu of clear wine. Place ten cups of wine on an offering table; if there is no table, a new cloth may be spread out instead. Light two incense burners. For a large-scale offering, put the remaining wine in separate vessels to the left of the seat. At each libation, arrange rice cakes, flowers, and dried meat in turn. Put the remaining dried meat on a plate to the right of the seat. Cover the offerings with edible greens, placing the flowers and dried meat beneath them. Fruit, if available, is even better.

Once the offerings have been arranged, the host stands; there is no need to kneel or bow. Then place the petition, written in vermilion ink, on the offering table, and set the Diagram behind it. If there are other words to be spoken during the rite, speak clearly and audibly. The offerings must not be eaten until the ceremony is over.

After the offering, burn the petition in the room where the rite took place. When the smoke has dispersed, collect the ashes and mix them with water. Let each member of the household take a little and sprinkle or wash their face, eyes, hands, and feet. The scripture says this will brighten the eyes, ward off illness and military calamities, drive away ghosts, remove the Qi of corpses, and settle the spirit and soul.

If a household is wealthy and wishes to prepare more abundant and precious offerings to honor the deities, that is also good. The same applies when making offerings to mountains and rivers: what matters is the abundance of the offering. In ancient times, people commonly used the great or lesser sacrificial offerings—categories of sacrificial animals including oxen, sheep, and pigs—and prepared rice, cakes, and other foods in generous quantities.

When transmitting this method, use five jin of rice cakes, flowers, and dried meat, and two dou of wine. The sacrificial food may be shared only with people who share one’s aspirations. For a large-scale offering with abundant food, it may also be shared with the whole family. Eating the sacrificial food is said to dispel calamities and misfortune and ward off all kinds of harmful vapors. The “Petition for the Five Sacred Peaks” should be written on the finest paper, in vermilion ink.

On a certain day in a certain month of a certain year, a man named Jia from a village in a county of a prefecture, aged a certain number of years, reverently observes the provisions of the Daoming Statutes. He sets up a purification offering and petitions the Lords of the Five Sacred Peaks, as well as the heir lords of Mount Huo and Mount Qian, the Elder of Mount Qingcheng, the emissary of Mount Lu, and the divine lords of the eight auxiliary sacred mountains.

The Lord of Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak, is assisted by the spirits of Mount Luofu and Mount Kuocang.

The Lord of Mount Heng, the Southern Peak, and the heir lords of Mount Huo and Mount Qian, appointed by the Yellow Emperor.

The Lord of Mount Songgao, the Central Peak, is assisted by the spirits of Mount Shaoshi and Mount Wudang.

The Lord of Mount Hua, the Western Peak, is assisted by the spirits of Mount Dif ei and Mount Cang.

The Lord of Mount Heng, the Southern Peak, and the heir lords of Mount Huo and Mount Qian, appointed by the Yellow Emperor.

The Lord of Mount Songgao, the Central Peak, is assisted by the spirits of Mount Shaoshi and Mount Wudang.

The Lord of Mount Hua, the Western Peak, is assisted by the spirits of Mount Dif ei and Mount Nüji.

The Lord of Mount Heng, the Northern Peak, is assisted by the spirits of Mount Hefeng and Mount Baodu.

All the divine officials of Taiyue, the Perfected Immortals of the thousand mountains and myriad rivers and of the mountain ranges in every region, the great gods who govern local water sources, lakes, marshes, and hills, and the divine beings who received the mysterious registers of the Three Heavens of Taiqing and descended among humankind under the names of Flying Essences: please ascend and descend upon the place where the purification ritual is being held, in the commandery, county, township, ward, or village.

I, so-and-so, once, on such-and-such a date, received from my former master the transmission of the True Images and numinous writings, which have endured for a thousand years. In accordance with the rules of the Scripture of the Nine Capitals and Thousand Luminaries and the talisman of the Venerable of the Nine Qi, Revealer of Life, the Lords of the Five Sacred Peaks jointly dispatched twenty-five divine beings. The thousand mountains and myriad springs also sent attendant officials to guard the numinous diagrams and documents and protect my body.

I was born and raised in the dusty world, and my conduct often departs from the laws of the Dao. My natural abilities are insufficient to penetrate the true Dao; my understanding is shallow and my ritual skills unrefined. I am still unable to leave the turmoil of the world and withdraw into the mountains and forests. Carrying numinous diagrams, I cannot help but risk being tainted by impure influences. The prohibitions of the Dao are strict, and I fear that I may violate them. Therefore, I make this offering with care, observe purification and pray, sincerely inviting the gods to witness my utmost devotion.

May the gods grant me, so-and-so, long life without aging, and leave no obstacle in my path. May danger and calamity recede; may even what is hard as metal or stone be melted away. May Jing, light, Shen, and Qi—the life essence and spiritual power spoken of in Daoism—remain within my body. May my wishes be fulfilled, and may my household prosper in abundance. May those who plot against me or speak against me suffer the consequences themselves; may those who slander me be harmed in turn. May these twenty-five divine beings and the thousand numinous officials protect me for a long time and guard the numinous writings. When the sun and moon have turned and the seasons have passed, I will make another report.

I reside in such-and-such commandery, county, township, and ward. Through the Messengers of the Nine Lights and the Illustrious and Mighty Officer, I respectfully submit this ritual petition. It should be written out in full in the style of Daoist memorials and documents. The names of the mountain gods, commandery, county, township, and village, as well as the date and personal name given at the beginning, should be filled in according to convention. The wording that follows may be adjusted as appropriate, with passages added or omitted. This is the annual sacrificial rite. If a libationer presides over the sacrifice, a Daoist ritual seat—the place or altar where Daoist rites are performed—should also be established.

Lord Zheng said: “The text beginning with ‘May the gods partake’ is a talismanic text used by the Lord of the Way Most High to summon the gods. It is a rule secretly transmitted by the Immortals. It came from the Woman of Lu and was later entrusted to Master Feng.”

Long ago, the Yellow Emperor traveled throughout the world and later visited the spirits. He found that the Eastern, Central, Western, and Northern Peaks each had a mountain assisting it in its charge, while Hengshan alone stood apart, without an assisting mountain. The Yellow Emperor therefore presented a petition to Heaven with Changyu, Limu, Fangming, and the others. The Supreme High One, in the third heaven, then appointed Huoshan and Qianshan as deputy rulers of the Southern Peak, honored Mount Qingcheng as its elder, and appointed Mount Lu as its envoy. He ordered them to assist Hengshan together, and stationed a ding cauldron there so that a person of genuine De (Virtue) could preside over Hengshan. The “deputy ruler” is Hengshan’s second-in-command. Some people in the Wu-Yue region call Huoshan a peak, but this is not accurate.

◎ Petition for Bestowing the Diagram

I was born in the womb as a mortal of flesh, a descendant of those born from white bones. I sank into drink, behaved noisily and wickedly, and became deeply mired in the murky affairs of the world. Fortunately, an opportunity came with the turning of my fate, allowing me to follow the Great Dao, cleanse myself of corrupt customs, and receive permission to begin anew.

I must cultivate my nature and be careful never to violate the Daoist laws, aspiring toward the numinous and perfected. I will strive diligently day and night and dare not slacken. On a certain day and month in a certain year, under the cyclical designation of a certain year, while residing in a certain place, I received the True Form (the Daoist diagram of true form) from my former masters, A and B. In accordance with the Code of the Nine Capitals of Dry Radiance (the ritual precepts for transmitting true diagrams), I was granted permission to transmit this diagram. Now, according to the Daoist method, I should pass it on to someone who is careful and trustworthy.

There is now a Daoist who shares my aspirations, named A, from a certain district, county, township, and village. He is a man of about a certain age. He is careful and diligent, and will surely spread the numinous and wondrous teaching and propagate the spirit of the true Dao. Therefore, in a certain month of this year, I make a vow to bestow the true diagram upon him and seal the covenant with silk as its token, strictly forbidding its disclosure. May the Dao of Heaven and those close to us protect us with one heart, and may we always care for one another. We must not abandon the root to pursue the branches, nor covet honor and profit. The covenant of five and eight, the true diagram, the silk pledge, and the prohibition on disclosure will determine the blessings and misfortunes that follow. One must assess oneself and scrutinize the other person before deciding how to entrust the teaching. I have respectfully prepared offerings for the purification ritual and the talismanic token, and now present them with reverence.

◎ Petition for Receiving the Diagram

I am a body of flesh and blood, born from the womb, a descendant passed down through generations of frail bones. Born into a polluted world, I have suffered defilement and endured the trials of karmic burdens. Faults accumulated in the past have piled up like mountains, bringing disaster in their wake. Now, through Heaven’s revelation, I have been able to hear the teachings of the sages. My heart has suddenly opened, and I am resolved to amend my ways, cherish life, and love the Great Dao. I look up in reverence to the spirits and their responses, hoping to receive a true answer and to be washed clean and purified, with my life prolonged. I am willing always to cast off defilement and follow the Way of goodness, becoming a worthy person who cultivates the Dao. To seek longevity, one must receive Heaven’s revelation; to climb mountains and cross rivers, one must rely on the spirits’ aid.

With undivided attention, I turn toward the Daoist tradition and dare not harbor a second thought. I respectfully present offerings to the gods as proof of my sincerity. From this day forward, I accept the Wuyue Zhenxing (True Forms of the Five Sacred Peaks, a Daoist talismanic register depicting the peaks and used in devotional practice), treasure it on my person, and uphold it always. For the term of the oath, the “five and eight” period, I will never disclose it to outsiders. Those who transmit it shall remain close to one another and harbor no divided intentions; together they shall honor the ritual offerings and treat one another with sincerity. From this day forward, I accept the Wuyue Zhenxing, treasure and uphold it, and remain steadfast to the end. Throughout the “five and eight” period, I will never disclose it. Those who transmit it shall be close to one another and care for fellow practitioners who share the same Qi. I will not change my conduct for honor or disgrace, and will be protected by Heaven’s precepts. I dare not grow lax or violate the prohibitions; I will observe and keep the ritual instructions firmly in mind.

I respectfully make this offering through a pure fast, thereby beginning the rite. Please enter my name in the registers and submit a memorial to the Three Heavens, addressing the Most High. Remove the Three Corpses (spirits said in Daoism to dwell within the human body and record its faults) from the body of [name], and enter [name] in the Register of Life, the roll of those who attain longevity. Then inscribe the name on a jade tablet and seal it away in the Vermilion Palace, a divine residence in Heaven. May each of the Five Sacred Peaks send five spirits; may the thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers dispatch their attendant officials in due time to guard and protect the talismanic register, granting it eternal protection. May [name] attain long life without death, with a lifespan extending for tens of millions of years.

◎ This rite was performed by Bao Jing of the Jin dynasty.

After consulting the Inner Truth and Profound Writings in the Jade Casket of the Nine Keys of the Yellow Emperor, I learned that this book is said to have been compiled by the Supreme Ones of the Three Heavens. I once heard from elders that images of this kind were painted everywhere in the Purple Orchid Palace of the Queen Mother of the West. The walls of the palace, and the garments worn by its jade maidens and immortals, were also adorned with them. In the past, the Central Yellow Great One was ordered to carry this image to famous mountains and pass it on to those who lived in seclusion, cultivated the Dao, and were listed in the registers of immortals. It was agreed that it would be transmitted once every five years. Without the proper opportunity and allotted destiny, one could not see its contents. The images that the Lady of Lu once found in the mountains were of this same kind.

Immortals and Daoist practitioners who cultivate the Mysterious Way wear these talismanic inscriptions. When they enter mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and marshes, the numinous spirits along the way come to welcome them beyond the boundary. Each of the Five Sacred Peaks governs its own territory: the eastern mountains fall under the Eastern Peak, and the same applies to the Western, Southern, and Northern Peaks. The plains, rivers, the Huai River, and the central hills and mountains all fall under the Central Peak.

Those who enter the mountains to gather divine medicines such as the Eight Minerals, Stone Elephant, Stone Brain, Flowing Cinnabar Pearls, Flying Joints, Yellow Seeds, Stone Marrow, Cassia Blossoms, and fungus herbs cannot obtain these immortal treasures without wearing the talismans of the Five Sacred Peaks. The talismans may be made of blue or white silk, or placed in a purple pouch. They may be tied on the head, worn over the chest, or fastened behind the elbow. Mountains, large or small, all have numinous spirits. When these spirits appear, they identify themselves by saying, “So-and-so, of such-and-such a mountain,” and come forward to welcome the wearer and pay their respects.

The Perfected Ones of the Highest One regarded these talismanic inscriptions as bamboo credentials and written documents used to pass through and transmit commands. The spirits of the Five Sacred Peaks were responsible for guarding these images and texts, much as the official seals and credentials used by the two supervisory commissioners in the government of the present age.

The form of the tally is designed to summon the spirits of hills and mountains to come and pay their respects. The transmission of this method is strictly restricted: it may be passed on only once every forty years, and both parties must seal their solemn pledge by drinking one another’s blood. In any household that preserves this document, each of the Lords of the Five Sacred Peaks appoints five spirits to guard it. The spirits of nearby mountains, rivers, springs, and lakes also send attendants to protect the person. If anyone bears hatred or envy toward this person and schemes to slander them, attack them with violence or treachery, harm them as a thief, or have them detained by the authorities, the twenty-five spirits appointed by the Five Sacred Peaks, together with the attendant officials of the mountains and rivers, will report the matter to the Lord of the Sacred Peak governing that place.