《参同契阐幽》Vol. 4

Interpretation

The essence of the Red Dragon is absorbed by the Golden Tiger, hence the saying, “The Dragon exhales into the Tiger; the Tiger inhales the Dragon’s essence.” The natures of the two medicines are bound to one another and draw close. After they unite, they drink together and merge into one. As they merge, they join and swallow one another, finally congealing into a Golden Elixir the size of a millet grain. This passage explains how the two medicines unite and merge, focusing on the meaning of the word “eat.”

Yinghuo (Mars) remains in the west, while Taibai (Venus) crosses the sky. When the energy of punishment and destruction arrives, what in the world can escape being subdued? A civet guards the mice, and sparrows fear the goshawk. When each meets the force that overcomes it, how could it dare make a sound?

This section describes how the two medicines restrain one another. The Qi of the Five Phases moves in an interwoven cycle: Fire can melt Metal, so when Fire enters the western position of Metal, it is like Yinghuo remaining in the west. Metal can cut Wood, so when Metal moves into the eastern position of Wood, it is like Taibai crossing the sky. Fire overcomes Metal, and Metal overcomes Wood; in this cycle, everything restrains something else. The passage focuses on this reverse action of subduing, hence the phrase “where the killing Qi arrives.” Wood meets Metal, and Metal meets Fire; each naturally yields, like a mouse seeing a civet or a sparrow seeing a goshawk. At the sight of its predator, it is subdued and falls silent—not because it is forced to keep quiet, but because this is its nature.

This passage explains how the two medicines constrain one another: this is the meaning of “subdue.” The two things can merge without ceasing to restrain each other. Their restraint contains the potential for life, while their union transforms restraint into life. This interplay of subduing and consuming lies at the heart of the Returning Elixir chapter. The “consuming while subdued” described here is not the technique of ingesting external substances taught by heterodox schools.

In the appendix, Baoyizi says: “A person’s nature and life are rooted in the Mao position. The sun rises at Mao, and all things depend on it for life; thus all things establish their life by borrowing the sun’s vital essence. The sun’s Flowing Pearl, which symbolizes the true Yang at the root of life, is the treasure of nature and life. Yet this treasure resides in Shen, and Shen easily wanders off and becomes distracted by thoughts. It resides in Jing, and Jing easily becomes full and difficult to preserve. This is why it is said to ‘constantly wish to leave the person.’ It must be subdued by Golden Florescence, a Daoist term symbolizing true Metal and true Yang.”

Chapter Twenty-Five: Examining What Is True and False

If you do not understand the principles, you must not speak carelessly. Some people exhaust their family wealth, leaving their wives and children poor and hungry. Since ancient times, countless people have loved the Dao, yet very few have truly encountered the correct Way and completed their cultivation. Searching far and wide for so-called precious medicines often takes one away from the Great Dao. If you truly encounter the genuine Way, you should recognize its beginnings, compare things of the same kind, and trace the changes of things from beginning to end.

This section says that there are true and false forms of “subduing and consuming” in cultivation, and that those who study the Dao should learn to distinguish them as early as possible. The Great Dao of the Golden Elixir encompasses the transformations of Heaven and Earth and the images and principles of the Yi. It is vast and subtle. Only by understanding Yin-Yang and deeply comprehending the workings of creation can one grasp its mysteries. If you speak and act recklessly without understanding the principles, you may end up practicing the furnace-and-fire techniques of Waidan, even exhausting your family’s wealth and leaving your wife and children destitute, yet still failing to wake up.

Since ancient times, many people have loved the Dao, but loving it does not mean one will encounter the correct Way; encountering the correct Way does not mean one will complete the work. Some abandon the root of their own life and run into the mountains to seek mercury or dig in the earth for lead, collecting all kinds of minerals and stones because they mistake them for medicines of immortality. This takes them far from the Great Dao. Those who study the Dao and seek a teacher should first learn to distinguish truth from falsehood. If they meet a genuine teacher, they can ask about the roots of nature and life, the resonance of things of the same kind, and the reverse use of the Five Phases. If the teacher explains these principles clearly from beginning to end, without evasion, that provides a basis for judging whether the medicine and the teaching lineage are genuine. Hence the instruction: “Compare things by kind, and investigate their course from beginning to end.”

The Five Phases can also become parents through their overcoming relationships. The mother holds and nourishes the fluid of life; the father directs and bestows the impulse of life. When Jing and Qi gather, form takes shape and can become firm and endure. If one examines the true Way without revealing it, one can cultivate the correct Way. This is as dependable as raising a pole and seeing its shadow, or calling into a valley and hearing an echo: the response is sure, because it follows the natural laws of Heaven and Earth.

This section explains how the Great Elixir is formed by reversing the overcoming relationships of the Five Phases. This is one way to recognize the first signs of the correct Way. In the ordinary Five Phases, the generating relationships establish parenthood; in the Elixir Way, the overcoming relationships are transformed into parenthood. Without restraint, new life cannot arise. When Metal overcomes Wood, the movement of Metal gives rise to Water. Wood, drawn to Water’s nourishment, forgets that Metal restrains it. Thus the one that overcomes becomes the father, while the one that overcomes and can also give life becomes the mother. The same principle can be applied to all Five Phases.

The mother belongs to Kun and governs nourishment and growth; her nature is quiet and receptive. After union, she receives the true seed bestowed by the father Qian and nurtures it in the central palace, where it gradually forms an infant. Hence the phrase “the mother holds the nourishing fluid.” The father belongs to Qian and governs beginnings and the emergence of life; his nature is active and giving. At the start of the union, Qi spreads and Jing flows, bestowing life upon the mother Kun. This is the true seed, hence the phrase “the father directs and bestows.” The father gives and the mother nourishes; their essences unite and form a true embryo. If cultivation continues, the Dharma Body can endure like something made of Metal or stone. But only by being careful and single-minded, and preventing Jing and Qi from leaking away, can one complete the Great Dao. The mystery of reversing the Five Phases lies precisely in transforming restraint into life. Once this is understood, the Great Elixir can be completed as naturally as a pole casts a shadow or a valley returns an echo.

If you swallow an inch of wild kudzu root or an ounce of croton seed, you will immediately collapse, stiff and unable to bend or raise your head. At that point, even if King Wen of Zhou divined for you, Confucius interpreted the hexagram, Bian Que applied acupuncture, and Wu Xian beat the ritual drum, how could they make you revive and walk again?

This section uses poison as a comparison to explain the efficacy of “subduing and consuming.” People know that swallowing poison kills, but they do not know that, according to the scripture, taking the Golden Elixir can free a cultivator from death. Poison can stop a person’s breath, and even the sages cannot bring them back to life; the Golden Elixir, by contrast, enables one to transcend life and death. The scripture also says that after the Golden Elixir enters the mouth, even wild kudzu root or croton seed can no longer harm the person. The author uses this contrast to stress that overcoming among the Five Phases, the congealing of Jing into form, and the action of consuming the Golden Elixir cannot be compared with heterodox and false arts.

This chapter is devoted to distinguishing true from false forms of “subduing and consuming.” It warns later students of the Dao not to be deceived by people who preach blindly.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Lead and Mercury Join

The Riverbank Maiden, who symbolizes nimble and subtle true Mercury, is wondrous and mysterious. When she encounters Fire, she flies away and leaves not the slightest trace. She vanishes like a ghost and hides like a dragon; no one knows where she is. If you wish to subdue her, you must take Yellow Sprout, which symbolizes true Lead, as your foundation.

If things are not matched as Yin and Yang, they violate the Way of Heaven and the source of life. A hen sitting alone on her eggs cannot hatch chicks that develop fully. Why? Because Yin and Yang have not yet joined, the Qi of Three and Five has not blended, and firmness and softness remain apart. The laws by which creation brings forth all things are simply the way Heaven and Earth naturally work. Fire rises when it moves, and water flows downward; no one has taught them to behave this way. Their natures were established when they first came into being, and do not change at will.

Observe how firmness and softness naturally join in the union of male and female, binding together so tightly that they are difficult to separate, like a perfectly matched tally. This is not achieved by force or technique. A boy is born with his body bent forward, and a girl with her body lying face upward; this is established from the moment they receive Qi in the womb. The same posture remains after birth and even after death. Their parents did not teach them to lie this way; it was determined at the time of their union.

This chapter explains how the two medicines, true Lead and true Mercury, restrain one another and work together.

The Riverbank Maiden is wondrous and mysterious; when she meets Fire, she flies away without a trace, vanishing from sight and becoming impossible to find. To subdue her, one must take Yellow Sprout as the foundation.

This section explains that controlling Mercury with Lead is part of Golden Elixir cultivation. The Li trigram symbolizes the sun and the Qian body, and represents the root of nature. Hidden within it is one Yin, which belongs to the true Water of Kun and is true Mercury. Because Yin is contained within Yang, it is called the “Maiden.” The Kan trigram symbolizes the great Yin and the Kun body, and represents the root of life. Hidden within it is one Yang, which belongs to the true Metal of Qian and is true Lead. Because Metal is born within Water, it is called “Yellow Sprout.”

The Maiden is a metaphor for the postcelestial mind. The original nature is still and unmoving, but later transforms into a mind that responds to external things, sensitive and quick to change. In an instant, it can travel everywhere and connect past and present. Hence it is said to be “subtle and most mysterious.” The human mind is naturally clear and bright, but when mixed with postcelestial perceptions and feelings, it readily pursues external things. When it encounters circumstances, thoughts arise; when it meets opportunities, feelings emerge. It is in constant flux, like ordinary Mercury that flies off when it meets Fire, impossible to grasp. Hence the phrases “when it meets Fire, it flies, leaving not a trace of dust,” and “it vanishes like a ghost and hides like a dragon.”

To subdue this nimble and elusive true Mercury, one needs the true Lead in Kan. The Yang line in Kan comes from Qian Metal; it is something of the same kind as oneself. Following desire, it turns into emotion; reversing course, it returns to original nature. When true Metal returns to its nature and restores its source, Yellow Sprout can unite with the Maiden, settling her as a ruler restrains a minister or a husband guides his wife. This is the same meaning as the Flowing Pearl and Golden Florescence mentioned earlier.

If things are not matched as Yin and Yang, they violate the Way of Heaven and the source of life. A hen sitting alone on her eggs cannot hatch chicks that develop fully. Why? Because Yin and Yang have not yet joined, the Qi of Three and Five has not blended, and firmness and softness remain apart. The laws by which creation brings forth all things are simply the way Heaven and Earth naturally work.

This section explains why cultivating only one force does not accord with the correct Way. The union of Yin and Yang is the Dao; having Yin without Yang, or Yang without Yin, violates the laws by which Qian begins life and Kun nurtures it. When a hen sits on eggs, a trace of true Yang from the rooster must first be present within them for the embryos to develop into chicks. Without a rooster, the hen’s eggs cannot produce chicks because Yin and Yang have not been joined.

The Elixir Way follows the same principle. The Four Images—East Three and South Two, North One and West Four—must come together through the true Earth at the center, which symbolizes the hub that harmonizes Yin and Yang. They combine as Three and Five, and only then can the sacred embryo form. If the Qi of Three and Five does not unite, there is only solitary Yin or solitary Yang, firmness and softness divided; no true embryo can form. Yin receives and gestates, while Yang bestows and initiates. This is the natural order of Heaven and Earth. Neither an ordinary human embryo nor the sacred embryo of cultivation can arise from one thing alone. Thus nature and life must be cultivated together. Cultivating life without nature, or nature without life, violates the Way of Heaven and can lead to heterodox paths, even the practice of sexual energy harvesting.

Fire rises when it moves, and water flows downward; no one has taught them to behave this way. This nature was established when things first came into being and cannot be altered at will.

This section explains that after the two medicines unite, each returns to its original nature. Water and Fire most clearly reveal the workings of true Yin and true Yang: Fire belongs to Yang and, when active, burns upward; Water belongs to Yin and, when flowing, moistens downward. They are not sentient beings who need a teacher to instruct them. The human body is the same: the Fire in Kan tends upward, while the Water in Li tends downward. Each bears the nature of the father Qian or the mother Kun, and should ultimately return to its source. The Rujing Jing says, “Water can flow and Fire can flame; within the body, this can be verified.” That is the principle being described.

The union of man and woman can illustrate how Kan and Li return to their source. In their union, the firm one is above and the yielding one below; they join like a perfectly matched tally, not through some contrived technique. Their postures and natures were established when they first received Qi in the womb: the man’s body bends forward, the woman’s lies face upward, and this remains so after birth and even after death. Their parents did not teach them these postures; they were determined when their parents united.

Once the principles of Yin and Yang in the world are understood, the Yin and Yang of cultivation can also be understood. Primordial Qian is above and Kun below; postcelestial Li is above and Kan below. Fire rising and Water descending reflect the natures that Kan, the male, and Li, the female, receive from the father Qian and the mother Kun. Qian and Kun unite to form Kan and Li. Their positions change, but their original natures remain. When Kan and Li unite in turn, they can return to the original positions of Qian and Kun, just as the body after death still presents the bent-forward and face-up postures seen at birth. This is the meaning of the saying, “The nature received at the beginning does not change.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Refining the Souls

Kan, the male, symbolizes the Moon; Li, the female, symbolizes the Sun. The Sun bestows its favor, while the Moon unfolds its radiance. The Moon receives the Sun’s transformation without suffering any loss to its form. If Yang misses the proper moment for union, Yin Qi will erode the sunlight, bringing about the phases of dark and new Moon and the eclipses of Sun and Moon. Yin and Yang then conceal and overpower one another. The sunlight disappears, and the encroachment of Yin brings disaster.

Male and female need one another, nourishing each other through a cycle of receiving and releasing; the male and female principles alternate, each seeking its own kind. Metal transforms into Water, whose nature is to flow without restraint; Fire transforms into Earth, which prevents Water from flowing recklessly. The male acts outwardly and bestows, while the female remains still and stores within. If the movement exceeds its proper limit, the female constrains the male. The Moon’s po restrains the Sun’s hun, preventing it from becoming excessive. Neither too cold nor too hot, their advance and retreat follow the right timing. Yin and Yang each attain harmony, and together display the sign of union.

This chapter describes how the Sun’s hun and the Moon’s po restrain one another and thereby form the Golden Elixir.

Kan, the male, symbolizes the Moon; Li, the female, symbolizes the Sun. The Sun bestows its favor, while the Moon unfolds its radiance. The Moon receives the Sun’s transformation without suffering any loss to its form.

This section explains the mystery of the Sun and Moon uniting and transforming one another. In the Elixir Way, Kan and Li are the medicines; that is, they are the Sun’s hun and the Moon’s po. In the transformations of Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon reflect one another and each contains the essence of the other. In the human body, their blending is represented by Water and Fire already joined. The principle by which they restrain each other is the same in both cases.

Kan belongs to northern Water and corresponds to the Moon in the heavens. The Moon belongs to great Yin and should symbolize Kun and the female, but true Yang from Qian is hidden within it, so it is instead called “male.” Li belongs to southern Fire and corresponds to the Sun. The Sun belongs to great Yang and should symbolize Qian and the male, but true Water from Kun is hidden within it, so it is instead called “female.” This is the reversed meaning of the lines in the Wuzhen Pian: “The Sun, dwelling in the position of Li, is instead female; Kan, paired with the Moon Palace, is instead male.”

Li originally belongs to Qian. The father Qian acts and occupies the outside; once transformed into the female Li, however, its nature turns inward. Although the Sun shines outward, it also constantly turns its light back toward the Moon, gathering Yang light within the Yin soul. Hence the phrase “The Sun bestows its Virtue.” Kan originally belongs to Kun. The mother Kun is still and occupies the inside; once transformed into the male Kan, however, its nature turns outward. Though the Moon’s essence is concealed within, it constantly responds to the Sun’s Qi and borrows the Yang soul’s light. Hence the phrase “The Moon unfolds its radiance.”

As the dark and new Moon alternate, Sun and Moon meet. The Sun’s hun enters the Moon’s po, which receives it and forms an embryo. If their union occurs at the proper time, neither loses its original radiance. Hence the phrase “The Moon receives the Sun’s transformation, and its form is not harmed.” The Elixir Way follows the same principle: a person’s sunlight and moon essence continually turn inward and unite, forming the foundation of the Golden Elixir.

If Yang misses the proper moment for union, Yin Qi will erode the sunlight, bringing about eclipses of Sun and Moon as they conceal and overpower one another. The sunlight disappears, and the encroachment of Yin brings disaster.

This section describes a disorder in the interaction of Sun and Moon. At the dark and new Moon, they meet. If the Yang soul can restrain the Yin po, its original light remains even while lodged within Yin. But if the Yang light cannot take the lead and sinks into Water without emerging, it misses the proper moment for union. It is then overpowered by Yin, and its radiance is damaged.

Thus at the dark and new Moon, Yang essence sinks into darkness, Fire grows weak, and Water becomes strong. Yin Qi obscures the Sun, Water overwhelms Fire, and an eclipse occurs. The Sun’s light is originally full and bright, but when Yin Qi encroaches upon it, its form is temporarily hidden and an eclipse results. In human cultivation, this corresponds to Yang Qi sinking to the bottom of Water when Kan and Li first unite. If the timing of advance and retreat is even slightly mistaken, the true Fire sinks into Water and cannot return to the furnace.

Male and female need one another, nourishing each other through receiving and releasing; the male and female principles alternate, each seeking its own kind. Metal transforms into Water, whose nature is to flow without restraint; Fire transforms into Earth, which prevents Water from flowing recklessly. The male acts outwardly and bestows, while the female remains still and stores within. If the movement exceeds its proper limit, the female constrains the male. The Moon’s po restrains the Sun’s hun, preventing it from becoming excessive. Neither too cold nor too hot, their advance and retreat follow the right timing. Yin and Yang become harmonious and together display the sign of union.

This section describes union along the correct Way, much like the earlier passage on Yin and Yang “drinking and consuming one another, with their union occurring naturally.” Kan, the male, and Li, the female, need one another: the Moon’s po draws in the essence of the Golden Crow, the true Yang within the Sun; the Sun’s hun exhales the essence of the Jade Rabbit, the true Yin within the Moon. Through this cycle of receiving and releasing, the true seed is nourished.

After Qian and Kun divide into Kan and Li, Yin and Yang interweave. Yet the true Fire in Kan still wishes to return to Qian, and the true Water in Li still wishes to return to Kun, each seeking its own kind. Metal and Wood, hun and po, may occupy opposite positions, but they can still meet. The true Metal in Li transforms into true Water, whose nature is to flow without restraint; when Water overflows, it overcomes the true Fire in Kan. The Wu-Earth produced by the true Fire in Kan can restrain Water and prevent it from flowing recklessly. This is the meaning of “Fire transforms into Earth, and Water cannot flow.”

The Moon’s essence in Kan is originally hidden in the depths. But the true Fire of the Sun within it bears the nature of the father Qian, and Fire is active and should be used outwardly. Hence the phrase “the male moves and bestows outward.” The Sun’s light in Li is originally manifest outside. But the true Water of the great Yin within it bears the nature of the mother Kun, and Water is still and should be stored within. Hence the phrase “the female is still and stores within.” This is the reverse application of the principle that “the Sun bestows its Virtue, and the Moon unfolds its radiance.”

When the two meet, movement and stillness must each stay within their limits. If Yang, once it has moved, sinks too deeply and can enter but not emerge, the Sun’s true Fire will be disturbed by overflowing Water Qi. It is like a man who indulges too much and is trapped by a woman; hence the phrase “if it exceeds the limit, it is constrained by the female.” Once Fire transforms into Earth and Earth restrains Water, the Moon’s po can restrain the Sun’s hun and keep it from becoming excessive. Hence the phrase “the po reins in the hun.”

The hun and po restrain one another, balancing Water and Fire. The Fire is advanced without becoming too hot and withdrawn without becoming too cold; the advance and retreat of Yin and Yang both follow the right timing. Water and Fire are harmonized, and the disasters of Sun and Moon being obscured no longer occur. Finally, the Sun’s light and the Moon’s essence unite. Metal essence gives off light, true Yang arises in accordance with the tally, and the great Golden Elixir medicine is produced. “Verifying the tally” refers to the sign that the two things correspond and fulfill their agreement.

This chapter explains how the hun and po restrain each other, harmonize Water and Fire, and complete Golden Elixir cultivation through reversal and reversed application. It should be read alongside the related chapters that precede it.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Three Houses Meet

The Wood essence in Cinnabar joins with Metal; Metal joins with Water, and Wood accompanies Fire. The four blend into one and reveal the forms of Dragon and Tiger: the Dragon belongs to Yang and has an odd number; the Tiger belongs to Yin and has an even number. The liver is Green Wood and is the father; the lungs are White Metal and are the mother. Li Fire is red and is the daughter; Kidney Water is black and is the son. The son is the beginning of the Five Phases. The spleen is yellow and is the ancestor. The three things return to one family, and all return to Wu and Ji Earth.

This chapter explains how body, mind, and intention return to one and form the Elixir. Human beings are the heart of Heaven and Earth and can therefore participate in the transformations of Heaven and Earth. At the beginning of life, primordial ancestral Qi enters the central palace first, undivided and whole, like the undifferentiated Taiji. After birth, Taiji divides: above is the Heavenly Pass, which holds Qian nature; below is the Earth Axis, which holds Kun life; between Heaven and Earth is the empty valley, which holds the original Shen. From this unity, differentiation begins and the Three Powers take shape; once the Three Powers are established, the Four Images form as well.

Qian is the root of primordial nature; after dividing, it becomes Li and transforms into the postcelestial mind. Kun is the root of primordial life; after dividing, it becomes Kan and transforms into the postcelestial body. Li then transforms into Zhen: there is Wood within Fire, symbolizing hun residing in the heart. Kan then transforms into Dui: there is Metal within Water, symbolizing po stored in the body. One Qi divides into two bodies, and the two bodies divide into the Four Images.

Among the Four Images, Wood and Fire in the southeast both belong to the Yang quarter, while Water and Metal in the northwest belong to the Yin quarter. Southern Li Fire is red like Cinnabar and contains true Mercury, the essence of Wood. Northern Kan Water is black and contains the essence of Metal within black Lead. Wood contains Metal and Metal contains Wood: Metal Qi gestates in the Mao position, where Wood flourishes; Wood Qi gestates in the You position, where Metal flourishes. The hun needs the Yin po to attach itself to, and the po needs the Yang hun to rely on. Though Metal and Wood are divided between two sides, hun and po can in fact unite as one. Hence the phrase “the Wood essence in Cinnabar joins with Metal.”

Heaven One gives birth to Water, represented by the Black Tortoise. In the human body it corresponds to Kidney Jing and opens at the ears. Earth Four gives birth to Metal, represented by the White Tiger. In the body it corresponds to lung po and opens at the nose. Jing and po both belong to the body; hence the phrase “Metal and Water join.” Earth Two gives birth to Fire, represented by the Vermilion Bird. In the body it corresponds to heart Shen and opens at the tongue. Heaven Three gives birth to Wood, represented by the Azure Dragon. In the body it corresponds to liver hun and opens at the eyes. Hun and Shen both belong to the heart; hence the phrase “Wood and Fire are companions.”

In ordinary people, body and mind are divided, Water and Fire do not interact, and Metal and Wood remain apart. If those who cultivate the Dao can, in their daily practice, gather in the gaze, steady the hearing, even out the breath through the nose, and close the Qi of the tongue—settling the body and gathering Shen, hun, and po in the central palace—then Wood, Fire, Metal, and Water meet on the Yellow Path. This is what “the four blend in undifferentiated unity” means. Within that undifferentiated state, the Four Images can unite as one, and the Four Images can also reappear from that unity. Wood and Fire are companions: Wood fluid arises from Li, which is called “the Dragon emerging from Fire.” Metal and Water join: Metal essence forms within Kan, which is called “the Tiger arising from Water.” This is the image of Dragon and Tiger. The Dragon comes from Heaven Three Wood, has an odd number, and belongs to Yang; the Tiger comes from Earth Four Metal, has an even number, and belongs to Yin. Once the Five Phases are reversed, the Yin-Yang attributes of Dragon and Tiger are also reversed.

The Cantong Qi pairs the Five Viscera with the Five Phases: liver Wood and lung Metal are the parents; Li Fire and Kidney Water are their children. Heaven One gives birth to Water, which is generated first, so it is called “the son, the beginning of the Five Phases.” The ancestral Qi is stored in Kun Earth and is the source of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire, hence the phrase “the spleen, yellow, is the ancestor.” The myriad transformations of the Five Phases ultimately return to the central palace: this is returning to the root and restoring life.

The hun of liver Wood and the Shen of heart Fire both emerge from the heart of Li; the po of lung Metal and the Jing of Kidney Water both belong to the body of Kan. Wu-Earth in Kan and Ji-Earth in Li join to form the central Earth, which symbolizes true intention. Body and mind are difficult to unite, but true intention draws them together, bringing north and south, east and west into the central Yellow Earth vessel, where they congeal into a Golden Elixir. This is “the three houses meet and form the infant”: three things return to one family and finally return to the central palace, returning to the root and restoring life, back to the original source.

The postcelestial body and mind are primordial nature and life; body, mind, and intention correspond to original Jing, original Qi, and original Shen. The postcelestial true Earth corresponds to the primordial ancestral Earth. The three return to one family, just as Taiji contains all three and yet remains one. At this stage of cultivation, one can experience the heart of Heaven and Earth. If one further realizes one’s original face from before birth, one will know that Heaven and Earth will eventually be destroyed but one’s nature will not; the void will eventually end, but one’s nature is endless.

This chapter reveals the mysteries of the Dao, and the commentator explains them in detail. Readers should examine it carefully rather than read through without grasping its meaning.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Reversal of Punishment and Virtue

Firmness and softness alternate, each passing through different positions. The Dragon is in the west and the Tiger in the east, their positions arranged by Mao and You. When Punishment and Virtue meet, they delight in one another. Punishment governs restraint and killing; Virtue governs growth. In the second month, elm fruit falls as the Big Dipper’s ladle points to Mao. In the eighth month, wheat grows as the Heavenly Dipper occupies You. Zi and Wu exchange positions and become the framework for north and south. The numbers from one to nine cycle and return. Original Qi is stored in the positions of Xu and Wei, and at Zi it spreads Jing.

This chapter explains the mystery of Punishment and Virtue transforming into one another along the two cords of Dragon and Tiger. The Elixir Way takes Water and Fire as its substance and Metal and Wood as its function. Zi and Wu establish north and south; Mao and You govern the movement of east and west. Their positions must intersect to correspond to the circuit of Heaven.

According to the ordinary order of Heaven and Earth, Heaven has Yin and Yang, while Earth has firmness and softness. Zi Water is north, Wu Fire is south, Mao Wood is east, and You Metal is west. From Zi to Si is Yang and firm, moving through the southeast; from Wu to Hai is Yin and yielding, moving through the northwest. The twelve earthly branches, the twenty-eight lodges, and the degrees of the celestial circuit each have fixed positions. But when the handle of the Dipper turns, directions change and firmness and softness exchange places. What was fixed is no longer fixed. Hence the phrase “Firmness and softness alternate in their rise, passing through different positions.”

Zhen Wood is the Dragon, originally located in the eastern Mao position; Dui Metal is the Tiger, originally located in the western You position. When their positions change, the Dragon is instead in You and the Tiger in Mao, hence “the Dragon in the west, the Tiger in the east.” The Dragon originally belongs to the east, where life-giving Qi rises and symbolizes Virtue. When it turns west, Wood Qi follows Metal and Virtue becomes Punishment. The Tiger originally belongs to the west, where killing Qi prevails and symbolizes Punishment. When it turns east, Metal Qi follows Wood and Punishment becomes Virtue. When Metal and Wood unite, kindness arises from harm and they meet in joy, hence the phrase “Punishment and Virtue meet, and they delight in one another.” People know that Punishment governs killing, but do not know that the impulse to kill contains the impulse to give life. They know that Virtue governs growth, but do not know that the impulse to grow also contains the impulse to kill.

In the second month, Mao Wood rules and plants flourish, yet the fruit of the elm falls. This is because Xu joins with Mao and the River Chief comes to the Mao position: life contains killing. In the eighth month, You Metal rules and plants wither, yet wheat begins to grow. This is because Chen joins with You and the Heavenly Dipper occupies the You position: killing contains life. Understanding the transformations of Heaven and Earth makes it possible to understand the transformations within the body. When Metal and Wood unite, cultivators should turn the Heavenly Dipper and reverse the handle of the Northern Ladle, guard the outer gates and close the inner Elixir Gate, and harmonize body and mind through stillness. Thus Punishment becomes Virtue, killing becomes life, and the two medicines merge into one.

Mao in the east, You in the west, Wu in the south, and Zi in the north form the framework of the celestial circuit. In the Elixir Way, the handle of the Dipper turns in reverse. Once east and west have changed, north and south must also exchange. Yang Qi begins to arise at Zi, so Fire should by rights be born at Zi. But the true Fire in Kan originally comes from the south; now, turning right with Zi, it returns to the south. Yin Qi begins to arise at Wu, so Water should by rights be born at Wu. But the true Water in Li originally comes from the north; now, turning east with Wu, it returns to the north. Once north and south exchange, the image of the celestial circuit is reversed as well. Hence the phrase “Zi becomes south and Wu becomes north, each forming the other’s framework.”

The reverse use of the postcelestial Five Phases is founded on the numerical pattern of the Luo Writing. The Luo Writing runs from one to nine: Kan occupies One, and Li occupies Nine. After Zi and Wu exchange positions in the north and south, Kan becomes the end and turns into Kun; Li becomes the beginning and turns into Qian. One and Nine cycle and return, forming the work of nine revolutions. Hence the phrase “The numbers One and Nine end and begin again.”

Heaven One gives birth to Water. The northern Kan position corresponds to the lodges Xu and Wei, where the source of creation lies. In the human body, Xu and Wei correspond to the place where the Ren and Du channels meet, where Water and Fire also arise together. Xu belongs to the Sun and Wei to the Moon, symbolizing true Water and true Fire concealing and containing one another. If students of the Dao can preserve emptiness and stillness, allowing the light of southern Li to shine into northern Kan, then original Jing in Li and original Qi in Kan can nourish one another. When stillness reaches its utmost, true Yang is produced in the Northern Sea, where it can serve as the foundation of the Great Elixir. This passage explains how Water and Fire already joined produce the great medicine. It belongs to the same process of cultivation as Metal and Wood uniting: the exchange of Zi and Wu is the substance of Sun and Moon; the Dragon in the west and Tiger in the east are the function of the two cords. The key is to bathe and cleanse repeatedly, transforming the impulses to give life and to kill into one another and reuniting the Four Images.

Chapter Thirty: Yin and Yang in Interaction

The Guan-guan osprey dwells on the sandbar in the river. A gentle and beautiful woman is a fitting companion for a noble man. The male bird does not roost alone, and the female does not live in solitude. In the Black Tortoise, the tortoise and snake coil around one another, illustrating that Yin and Yang, male and female, should need each other.

Suppose two women lived together. Though both were beautiful, even if Su Qin acted as their matchmaker and Zhang Yi arranged the marriage, using their eloquence and exquisite words to reconcile them heart to heart and join them as a couple, they still could not truly unite—even if they lived together until their hair turned white and their teeth fell out.

If the medicines are not of the same kind, if their names and natures differ, if their proportions are wrong and the governing order is lost, then even if the Yellow Emperor tended the furnace and Taiyi controlled the Fire, the Eight Lords pounded the medicine and the Prince of Huainan prepared it, and they built a high altar, laid out jade steps, offered precious sacrifices, and knelt to pray to gods and spirits, bathing and fasting in full expectation, all would still be like mending a pot with glue or applying brine to a sore, adding ice to cold or hot broth to heat. Trying to make a tortoise fly or a snake dance would only take them farther from the Way.

This chapter explains that true Yin and true Yang must resonate as things of the same kind if one is to complete the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.

The ospreys dwell in pairs; a gentle woman is a fitting companion for a noble man. The male bird does not live alone, and the female does not live in solitude. The tortoise and snake coiled together form the image of the Black Tortoise, illustrating that Yin and Yang, male and female, should need one another.

This section explains how Yin and Yang each respond to their own kind. Confucius says in the Commentary on the Yi that “one Yin and one Yang constitute the Dao”; Qibo says in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon that “an excess of Yin or Yang is illness.” The ancient sages all held that only by matching true Yin with true Yang can one pass from the ordinary to the sacred. In the things of the world, a pair of ospreys represents mutual response, while a tortoise and snake coiling together as the Black Tortoise represent a female and a male relying on one another. The tortoise and snake correspond to the northern Black Tortoise and belong to Kan; the osprey corresponds to the southern Vermilion Bird and belongs to Li. The union of Kan, the male, and Li, the female, within the human body follows the same principle.

Suppose two women lived together. Though they were beautiful, and even if they had matchmakers like Su Qin and Zhang Yi, they could not truly unite.

This section uses two women as a metaphor to explain why cultivating only one force is not the correct Way. In the Yi, Kun and Qian, Li and Kan, Xun and Zhen, and Dui and Gen are all paired as Yin and Yang; only then can they interact. Li and Dui are both Yin, symbolizing two women living together whose aims cannot be joined. Even an eloquent intermediary cannot make up for the absence of a Yin-Yang match. Cultivating one thing alone is like solitary Yin without Yang.

If the medicines are not of the same kind, if their names and natures differ, if their proportions are wrong and the governing order is lost, then even if the Yellow Emperor tended the furnace, Taiyi controlled the Fire, the Eight Lords pounded and refined the medicine, and the Prince of Huainan prepared it, no amount of altar building, sacrifice, fasting, or prayer to the gods could help. It would be like mending a pot with glue or applying brine to a sore, adding ice when cold or broth when hot, or demanding that a tortoise fly and a snake leap: each attempt would violate the nature of things more and more.

This section explains that medicines of different kinds cannot unite to form the Elixir. By “the same kind,” one means the life root in Li and the nature root in Kan. Only when one Yin and one Yang are matched do they become true Lead and true Mercury. Ordinary people do not understand that true Lead and true Mercury arise in the primordial state and have no material form. Instead they search for postcelestial minerals and mistake various metals and stones for medicines of immortality. Their medicines are therefore not of the same kind. Even those who know the medicines cannot form the Elixir if they do not know when and how to gather and refine them; the proportions may be wrong and the sequence disordered.

If one does not seek instruction from a genuine teacher in the Great Way of “subduing and consuming,” but hopes instead to succeed by chance with the furnace-and-fire techniques of Waidan, even a sage would fail to refine it. Since the medicines are not truly of the same kind, it is like mending a pot with glue or applying brine to a sore—nothing fits. Adding ice when cold or broth when hot, or asking a tortoise to fly and a snake to leap, all go against the nature of things.

The Great Dao cannot be separated from Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang are nature and life. The Elixir scriptures sometimes use man and woman as metaphors for one’s own numinous father and sacred mother, not for men and women in the ordinary world. Sometimes they use Lead and Mercury to refer to original Jing in Li and original Qi in Kan, not to material ores of Lead and Mercury. Some people are led by these metaphors into sexual energy harvesting or the heterodox techniques of Waidan, treating men and women as Yin and Yang, and cinnabar and mercury as medicines in order to satisfy lust or greed. Others turn to cultivating body and mind, but mistake the body for the illusory body composed of the four great elements and the mind for the lump of flesh within the chest. Some concentrate on moving Jing and Qi; others concentrate on seated meditation. Each may grasp only one side. To cultivate life without understanding nature, or to investigate nature without cultivating life, is to be partial to Yin or Yang and falls short of the complete Great Dao.

Wei Boyang wrote the Cantong Qi, using the nature and emotions of the Yi and the images of the furnace and Fire to clarify the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi. From beginning to end, it describes two medicines that arise from the same source but have different names, with the aim of enabling people to fulfill their nature and establish their life. The author repeatedly distinguishes truth from falsehood because he fears that heterodox arts will confuse the correct Way. He hopes that later students of the Dao will abandon the false and return to the correct, removing what is counterfeit and preserving what is genuine.

Chapter Thirty-One: The Completion of “Subduing and Consuming”

The ancient sages embraced mystery and truth. They cultivated the Nine Tripods, and when their work was complete, they withdrew from public view. They nurtured Jing and preserved Shen, bringing their own Virtue into accord with the Sun, Moon, and stars. Jing and Qi filled their skin, their sinews and bones grew firm, evil Qi was expelled, and upright Qi remained. Through long accumulation of practice, they finally transformed their bodies and became immortals.

Concerned that later lovers of the Dao might take the wrong path, they gathered materials from many sources, explained ancient writings, and wrote books to guide those who came after them. But they revealed only the branches and concealed the root, and used various names to obscure the true meaning, creating many winding and difficult passages. After receiving such a book, students would lock it in a cabinet and fail to understand it throughout their lives. Their descendants passed it down from generation to generation, still confused and ultimately knowing nothing. Officials stopped serving in office, farmers neglected their fields, merchants abandoned their goods, and people of aspiration were left poor.

I felt deep sorrow about this and therefore compiled the present text, making it clear and easy to understand and keeping the account concise. I set things out in sections, checked the principles, and arranged them in sequence. Though I have also used some intricate phrases, an entryway remains. The wise should think carefully and contemplate with full attention. Practice diligently, morning and night without pause. After three years of “subduing and consuming,” one can lighten the body and travel far, cross Fire without being burned, enter Water without getting wet, appear or disappear, and enjoy long, carefree life. Once the Dao is completed and Virtue fulfilled, one withdraws and waits for the right moment. When summoned by Taiyi, the Daoist exalted deity, one may move to the Central Continent; when one’s merit is complete, one ascends to Heaven and receives Fulu.

This chapter sums up the results of cultivating “subduing and consuming” and also concludes the middle section of the Cantong Qi.

The ancient sages embraced mystery and truth, refined and nourished the Nine Tripods, and withdrew from public view once their work was complete. They preserved Jing and Shen, bringing body and mind into accord with the Virtue of the Sun, Moon, and stars. Jing and Qi filled them, their skin became lustrous and their sinews and bones firm; evil Qi retreated and upright Qi endured. After long cultivation, both body and Shen were transformed, and they finally became immortals. “Embracing mystery and holding to truth” means keeping to the center, holding to the One, returning to the root, and restoring life. “Refining the Nine Tripods” means completing the nine revolutions of cultivation. “Transforming the body and becoming immortal” means that body and Shen become wondrous and unite with the truth of the Dao.

The ancient sages took pity on later students of the Dao, so they wrote books and explained the roots of nature and life, hoping to guide those who came after them into the Way. But because they feared revealing Heaven’s secrets, they showed only part of the trail and concealed the root. They used names such as Dragon and Tiger, Yellow Sprout, and Golden Florescence in place of the real things, leading students to study repeatedly and understand their meaning. Unfortunately, many could not awaken to the Dao and were unwilling to seek a teacher with an open mind. Though they received a book, they treated it like a treasure locked in a cabinet, never understanding it in their lives. It passed through generations, yet they remained confused. In the end, they were like officials who did not serve, farmers who did not plow, and merchants who did not trade: they abandoned what they already possessed. Those with aspirations to cultivate the Dao were left in hardship for a long time. If they do not wish to be confused by the words in books, they should seek a genuine teacher.

I felt deep sorrow about this, so I compiled the present text, striving to make it clear, accessible, and orderly, so that its principles could be verified. Wei Boyang wrote the Cantong Qi, deriving the images of Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li from the Yi, using the names of Dragon, Tiger, Lead, and Mercury, and bringing them back to the teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi on fulfilling nature and establishing life. His language is concise and clearly arranged. It reveals clues while preserving the root, preventing Heaven’s secrets from being fully disclosed while leaving an entryway. Readers who investigate it repeatedly can find that entry. The Great Dao is complete in everyone, whether rich or poor, noble or humble.

Practice diligently, morning and night without pause. After three years of “subduing and consuming,” one can lighten the body and travel far, cross Fire without being burned, enter Water without getting wet, appear or disappear, and enjoy long, carefree life. Once the Dao is completed and Virtue fulfilled, one withdraws and waits for the right moment. When summoned by Taiyi, one moves to the Central Continent; when one’s merit is complete, one ascends to Heaven and receives Fulu.

This section describes students who understand the Cantong Qi and become immortals through cultivating “subduing and consuming.” Cultivation requires both understanding and practice. After understanding the principles, one must put them diligently into practice. Once one meets a genuine teacher and understands the meaning of “subduing and consuming,” one should cultivate single-mindedly and without ceasing, morning and night. Though the Golden Elixir can congeal in a single moment, establishing the foundation, forming the embryo, and nourishing it warm all take time. Such periods are often described as one hundred days, ten months, or three years; in practice, they depend on the work of cultivation. When nourishment is sufficient and the sacred embryo mature, one can escape the constraints of bodily form and come and go freely. The scripture’s images of crossing Fire without being burned, entering Water without getting wet, and being able to remain or disappear describe the liberation of the Dharma Body and its freedom to transform.

After “the Dao is completed and Virtue fulfilled,” one waits for the time of ascent. The scripture also uses stories of Taiyi, the Central Continent, and receiving registers to describe being ennobled and ascending to immortality when one’s work is complete. The commentator explains that these can also be read as inner symbols: the Central Continent is one’s own Elixir Gate, Taiyi is one’s original Shen, ascent is a return to one’s inner source, and receiving Fulu means restoring one’s original appearance as Qian. If one understands the aim of refining Shen until it merges with emptiness, and refining emptiness until it merges with the Dao, the outer images of ascent to immortality are simply metaphors.

Although this chapter ends with the completion of “subduing and consuming,” it actually sums up the middle section. Earlier chapters discuss Governing and Nourishing Nature, explaining the images of Heaven and Earth and the key points of nature and life. Beginning with the Sun’s Flowing Pearl, the text discusses gathering, matching, and refining. Only here is the account of “subduing and consuming” complete.

Lower Section

The upper and middle sections are each divided into three parts—Governing, Nourishing Nature, and “Subduing and Consuming.” Their organization is complete, but their contents remain scattered among different places. This section connects the three and brings them together as one. The first chapter explains the function of the cauldron and furnace; the second, the timing of the Fire; the third shows that the three paths arise from one source; the fourth explains that the Four Images must return to emptiness to accord with the primordial Way of the Limitless; and the final chapter explains the author’s purpose in writing. The five chapters correspond from beginning to end, completing the central meaning of the “three correspondences.” Readers should study them alongside the two preceding sections to see the structure of the whole book.

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Wondrous Function of the Cauldron and Furnace

The cauldron is round and accords with Three and Five, with a diameter of just over one inch. The furnace mouth corresponds to the four cardinal directions and four corners and is two inches wide. It is one foot and two inches long, with an even thickness. The furnace belly aligns with the Three Powers. Sit quietly within it and warm the medicine. Yin Qi is above, while Yang moves downward. Use martial Fire at the beginning and end, and civil Fire in the middle. The beginning lasts seventy days and the end thirty days, making two hundred and sixty days altogether; keep the heat evenly regulated.

Yin Fire is pure and white; Yellow Sprout is Lead. The two kinds of Fire gather and join, assisting the True Person within. Illuminate the brain and establish the ascent to the Mysterious Pass. The infant rests in the central palace and is preserved there. It travels to and fro, yet does not leave the gate. As it gradually grows, its nature becomes pure and true; it returns again to the One and goes back to its source.

Learn to cherish and respect it, as a ruler and minister treat one another. To complete a full cycle of work, one must labor diligently. Guard it closely; do not sink into confusion and lose it. The path is long and deep. If you can understand this principle, you can bring Qian and Kun together. Touch the mouth with a tiny measure of medicine, and the hun and po will be purified; you will attain longevity and dwell in the realm of immortals.

Those who love the Dao should seek its root, examine the Five Phases, and determine their proportions. Think carefully; there is no need for many words. Conceal it and guard it closely; do not write it down and pass it on in a text. Ride a white crane or a dragon, roam through the Great Void, pay homage to the immortal sovereign, receive the celestial chart, and become a True Person.

Though this chapter discusses the wondrous function of the cauldron and furnace, it also contains the medicines and the timing of the Fire. It sums up the whole Cantong Qi. The function of the Golden Elixir lies entirely in the vessel. Only by understanding the vessel can one gather the medicines; only by understanding the medicines can one refine them with Fire. Since all three are interconnected, the author wrote this chapter to bring the preceding material together.

Phrases such as “round as Three and Five, one inch and a fraction” use measurements to describe the images of the cauldron and furnace. There are two ways of understanding them. In refining the Golden Elixir, the domain of Li symbolizes the suspended cauldron, the domain of Kan the reclining crescent furnace, and the spiritual chamber at the center is the person. In refining the Returning Elixir, Qian above is the cauldron and Kun below the furnace, while the Yellow Court at the center is the person. In general, both are divided into upper, middle, and lower levels, corresponding to Heaven, Earth, and humanity, the Three Powers. The cauldron and furnace take their models from Qian and Kun: the round symbolizes Heaven and the square symbolizes Earth. The round form corresponds to the numbers Three and Five. At the center is an empty chamber of about one inch, symbolizing the heart of Heaven. The square furnace mouth corresponds to the four directions and the Eight Trigrams; the two-inch division above and below symbolizes the furnace lip. The length of one foot and two inches symbolizes the twelve double-hours. The advance and retreat of Yin and Yang, the temperature of the Fire, and the alternation of heat and cold must all be even. The cauldron and furnace are not sought outside the body; their images are taken from Heaven and Earth and from oneself.

The furnace belly corresponds to the central palace. When Water and Fire meet in the center, the three houses meet. During cultivation, one need only sit quietly and keep to the center, without striving. When Water and Fire are harmonized and the temperature is moderate, the true seed forms naturally. Li Fire is originally above, but the true Water in Li wishes to descend to Wu-Earth. Kan Water is originally below, but the true Fire in Kan wishes to rise toward Ji-Earth. The true Earth in the middle mediates between them. There are two kinds of Fire: martial Fire for refining and civil Fire for bathing and nourishing. Zi and Wu are the key points for advancing and retreating the Fire, while Mao and You are used for bathing with civil Fire. The numbers seventy, thirty days, and two hundred and sixty in the text symbolize stages of cultivation and the arrangement of Yin-Yang Fire. The essential point is to keep the temperature moderate and the advance and retreat appropriate. The secret of the timing of the Fire lies in adjusting things at the right moment, not in mechanically adhering to the clock.

Yin Fire refers to true Mercury in Li; Yellow Sprout refers to true Lead in Kan. After the two unite, they assist the True Person within. The great medicine is first born in the Kun furnace. When the time comes, true intention guides it upward to the Qian cauldron, the Heavenly Valley and the place of the brain portal. After the medicine rises to the Heavenly Valley, it descends into the Yellow Court, like an infant settling in the central palace. At first it is only the size of a millet grain. Once sufficiently nourished and warmed, it gradually grows; emotion returns to nature and becomes pure.

The true seed originally comes from Taiji. Later it divides into Yin and Yang, the three houses, the Four Images, and the Five Phases. This is the process of the One dividing into the myriad things. Cultivation makes the two things unite and the three return to one; the Four Images and Five Phases also gradually return to the One. This is returning to the original source. Here, “the One” can also be connected with the idea of returning to unity in Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. The whole passage emphasizes keeping to the center, holding to the One, and nourishing the root.

This section discusses guarding against danger. Primordial ancestral Qi is the ruler; postcelestial Jing and Qi are the ministers. After obtaining the primordial Qi of Oneness, one must still use Jing and Qi to nourish and protect it, like a minister honoring the ruler and the ruler caring for the minister. Refining through nine revolutions, forming the embryo, and warming it all require sustained effort without slackening. Once original Shen is held in the Elixir Gate, true intention must guard it without a moment’s absence, so it is not lost through confusion or dullness.

Original Shen seems to travel a long and mysterious road. In refining the Golden Elixir, a single union of Kan and Li can produce the true seed; refining the Returning Elixir also requires refining Jing into Qi and Qi into Shen, and setting up the cauldron and furnace again. A daogui is a tiny measure of the Elixir medicine. When the scripture says that taking it purifies the hun and po, it means that Yin po recedes and Yang hun becomes clear. Once the hun and po are purified, original nature remains alone, no longer drawn along by the changes of life and death.

Those who love the Dao should seek the root, which means holding to the One and returning to the source. All transformations depend on the Five Phases: used in the ordinary direction, they make ordinary people; used in reverse, they make sages. The rules for reversing the Five Phases are exceedingly subtle. If the medicines or the proportions of the Fire timing are even slightly mistaken, the Elixir cannot congeal. The secret of the Fire timing must be understood heart to heart between teacher and disciple. It can be felt inwardly, but should not be casually written down and passed on. Hence the phrases “Think carefully; there is no need to discuss it” and “Conceal it and guard it; do not transmit it in writing.”

After the sacred embryo matures and emerges from the womb, the scripture describes the achievement of cultivation with images of riding white cranes or dragons, wandering through the Great Void, paying homage to an immortal sovereign, and receiving the celestial chart. The commentator explains these as inner images: the dragon and crane symbolize original Qi, the Great Void symbolizes the original aperture, the immortal sovereign symbolizes original Shen, and the celestial chart symbolizes one’s original face. What truly matters is recognizing one’s nature without being confused by external names and forms.

This chapter explains how the cauldron and furnace, medicines, and timing of the Fire are interconnected. It must be read alongside the next chapter to understand the complete meaning of the “three correspondences.”

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Complete Work of the Fire Timing

The images of Heaven and Earth are the greatest of all. The River of Heaven is deep and remote, stretching tens of thousands of miles. When the River Drum star approaches the Ji constellation, people are alarmed and afraid. If the Sun’s shadow moves irregularly, disaster will come within nine years. After the Heavenly Emperor observes the situation, the king withdraws and makes corrections. When the celestial pivot shifts in height, the Qi of disaster disperses. The waters of the Yangzi, Huai, and Yellow Rivers dry up and ultimately flow into the sea.

The Yin and Yang, male and female, of Heaven and Earth move back and forth between Zi and Wu. Yin and Yang’s transformations have their roots in Yin and Shen; they go in and out, coming and going, and cycle from beginning to end. Follow the movement of the Dipper and grasp the governing order of celestial time. Place the medicine in the steaming mountain and refine it, with blazing Fire laid beneath. The White Tiger leads the way, and the Azure Fluid follows to harmonize it. The Vermilion Bird flies and plays, and five-colored radiance rises. When a net is cast, it is held down and cannot fly; it cries in sorrow like an infant longing for its mother. Turned upside down and thrown into the boiling cauldron, its feathers are damaged and broken.

Before half the water clock has passed, Dragon scales begin to grow. Five-colored radiance flashes, and its transformations have no fixed form. In the cauldron it boils and surges, tumbling without rest; layers pile upon one another, crossing and bracing. Its form resembles ice in deep winter, or stalactites emerging between railings. It rises and falls irregularly, layers crossing and supporting one another.

When Yin and Yang are matched, they remain together in quiet simplicity. The Azure Dragon is at the sixth degree of the Fang lodge, flourishing in spring in the eastern Mao position. The White Tiger is at the seventh degree of the Mao lodge, bringing autumn’s restraint in the western You position. The Vermilion Bird is at the second degree of the Zhang lodge, in the southern Wu position. When all three come together, they are like one family. At first there are only two medicines, but they eventually transform into Three and Five. Three and Five unite into one and gather together in a single place. Refine them according to the method described above, using an appropriate number of days. First they appear white, then yellow, and finally the red permeates within and without. This is called the First Tripod; when taken, the medicine is the size of a large millet grain.

All this comes about naturally; it is not a false or heterodox art. The vapors of mountains and marshes rise together, forming clouds that become rain. When the earth dries out, it becomes dust; when Fire goes out, it becomes Earth. Yellow cork tree bark dyes things yellow, and indigo dyes them green. Boiled hide becomes glue, and fermented malt becomes wine. Things of the same kind work readily together; things of different kinds can hardly be made to cooperate. This wondrous art truly exists. Examine it carefully and you will know that it is no deception.

Transmit it to those who live hundreds of millions of generations from now, clearly and plainly, so that it can be tested. It is as bright as stars reflected in the River of Heaven and as clear as the hundred rivers flowing into the sea. Consider it repeatedly and compare its parts from beginning to end. After a thousand readings, the principles gradually become visible; after ten thousand, one can see the first signs. The spirits may suddenly reveal it, and the mind may suddenly understand. Seek the beginning and follow the clues, and an entrance will surely be found. The Way of Heaven is impartial; it is always transmitted to the worthy and wise.

This chapter uses the images of the celestial circuit to explain the full function of the Fire timing, while also including the cauldron and furnace and the medicines. It sums up the whole Cantong Qi. The first two sections separately discuss Governing, Nourishing Nature, and “Subduing and Consuming”; the cauldron and furnace, medicines, and Fire timing are scattered throughout them. The preceding chapter summarized the function of the Golden Elixir and its warming and nourishing through “Three and Five return to One.” This chapter goes further and completes the account of the union and refinement of the Returning Elixir.

The most important images here are those of Heaven and Earth. The River of Heaven stretches for thousands of miles. If the River Drum star departs from its position in the Ji constellation, it symbolizes disorder in the movements of Heaven and Earth and causes people to be alarmed. If the Sun’s shadow advances or recedes at the wrong time, it brings disaster. The text invokes celestial signs to warn rulers to correct their faults; in cultivation, it reminds practitioners not to misjudge the advance and retreat of the Fire timing. The human body is a small Heaven and Earth. The Heavenly Pass, Earth Axis, and upper and lower Dantian have corresponding movements. Acting before the time is right may cause Jing and Qi to scatter and the meridians to become disordered; if the Fire timing advances or retreats incorrectly, all nine revolutions may fail. The “Emperor” symbolizes primordial nature, while the “king” symbolizes the postcelestial mind. Nature is still and mind is active; the Fire timing can be properly regulated only when the two work together. The ascent and descent of the pivot of Heaven and Earth must also remain moderate. Then the Qi of disaster can disperse.

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