《吕祖全书》Vol. 2

This is the pre-heaven metal—the pure, unified essence spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy). When Shen (spirit) is used to transform and circulate Jing (essence), Jing no longer scatters or leaps upward; neither flying nor surging, it is then called Yuan Jing (original essence). This Yuan Jing is the spiritual root of Ming (the root of life). What is meant by returning the elixir is gathering the heart-mind inward: the outer world no longer confuses you, and the inner realm clears on its own. Heart is elixir and elixir is heart; those who awaken can keep this elixir-heart. Elixir-heart is Dao; elixir-Dao is heart.

Breath stays settled because the sacred embryo (the holy fetus formed in practice) abides in stillness, and the embryo exists because breath exists. Breath rises from the heart-mind; when the heart-mind is still, breath merges with it. The point of regulating breath is that every inhalation and exhalation returns to the root. That root is not something else on the side—it comes forth from emptiness; what is called “holding” is not fixating on an object, but keeping the “One” in the center. Qi passes through Xuannu (the mysterious female—the gateway where yin and yang meet and breath enters and leaves), circulating upward to the celestial court (the upper heavenly seat). Without real mastery, do not claim the teaching is deep. If you practice accordingly, it is like sound in an empty valley: the valley does not make the sound; because it is empty, the sound carries. When the outer world is seen as empty, the six demons (the various disturbances of the mind) withdraw on their own.

Then comes a recitation, in substance: Alas—people in the red dust all sink into fame and profit, never nurturing Xing (nature) and Ming (life), yet talk recklessly of death and birth; they do not investigate the mechanism of generating and gathering (the pivot of one outward pulse and one inward restraint), and only wear out their lives in vain. Before you are dead, you must first learn to “die” (still wandering thoughts); where life would sprout, you must “kill life” (hold back post-heaven impulse—not killing sentient beings). The ten thousand things are born and die, yet Yuanshen (the innate original spirit) can die and live again. If in this life you cannot leave worldly ties, chanting a thousand scriptures and ten thousand volumes is empty; only when every grasping is cut off can every thought empty out. The sword of wisdom can cut demons; when demons are stilled, the Great Dao is clear. If you will not climb the nine-tiered terrace, how can you see the void? People rely on the mouth alone—understanding on the lips, nothing done in the heart. It must be from the heart, not from the mouth; act from within and Dao completes itself. If you meet someone who truly acts from the heart, you may pour out all the lead and mercury (in Neidan, symbols of the pre-heaven medicinals) for them. The immortal master states the same: knowing with the mouth is less than walking with the heart; from the heart, Dao fulfills itself—only such a person is fit to receive what is poured out of lead and mercury.

After the Immortal Master finished expounding the scripture, he further addressed the assembly: if anyone sees or hears this scripture and can take it to heart and live by it, the Three Corpses (san shi—the three “corpse” parasites in Daoist lore that dwell in the body and drain one’s vitality) will withdraw far away, no evil forces will be able to harm them, and myriad spirits will guard and assist them. They need only withdraw from worldly dust, quiet their affairs, guard the heart, and settle their true nature—then they may step onto the path toward immortality. There are also three sections on Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit)—the three treasures prized in cultivation—texts of deep secrecy and the essential aim of returning to the root; together with what came before, there are eight sections in all, modeled on the Two Modes (Yin-Yang) and the six vacant line-positions in the Book of Changes. If you accumulate benevolence and cultivate virtue, I will spread this teaching widely in the world; but if those at the various planchette altars (ji tan) give way to jealousy, self-praise, or arrogance, the immortals’ secret key cannot be handed down. The place where this scripture is to be authenticated has not yet been chosen; only those who truly believe and take refuge in me will receive it. You should accept it in faith—I will surely confirm it with spiritual responses. When you come to the three scriptures that follow, you may journey to Penglai (the legendary isle of immortals on the eastern sea).

When the Immortal Master had finished, auspicious clouds descended from the sky and phoenixes flew while cranes danced. About fifteen hundred people watched from near and far; each bowed in gratitude toward the empty sky, accepted the teaching in faith, and withdrew.

Section Six: Preserving Essence and Securing Life

Sections six through eight originally had no titles when first expounded. Later Patriarch Lü revised the text, corrected errors, and added section names so that they match the form of the first five sections.

At that time the Immortal Master said: In ages past I passed through many kalpas. On the ninth day of the first month in the first year of the Tianbao reign, I ascended to the Yu Luo Xu Fan Heavenly Palace (a celestial palace in Daoist cosmology) and attended at the table of the Xu Huang Celestial Worthy—the Xu Huang being the Primordial Celestial Worthy (Yuanshi Tianzun)—together with the Realized Immortals of the ten directions, expounding the Great Zhou Fire-Subduing Cinnabar Elixir Formula (oral instructions on refining subdued cinnabar and cultivating the elixir). At that time countless holy beings from the ten directions, along with the star deities of the Southern Stars and the Northern Dipper, the Three Officials (Heaven, Earth, and Water), the Four Sages, and the spirits of the three realms and the Five Sacred Mountains, as well as Realized Immortals of perfect practice, all gathered in the Cloud Palace to hear this great Dharma.

Then the Celestial Worthy addressed the assembled Realized Immortals: Because people in the world are trapped in karmic obstructions and do not know how to awaken, drowning in the sea of desire, I have repeatedly commanded the Realized Immortals of perfect practice and the various immortal hosts to descend often to the mortal realm and promulgate the Various Scriptures of the Great Vehicle Lingbao for Salvation (the Lingbao scriptures used to deliver beings from suffering)—eighteen thousand fascicles in all—scattering them across the four divine continents of the world. Yet the beings of the four seas are like the blind: they know only to recite and do not understand the practice within; they serve without sincere heart, sins accumulate day by day, heart and mouth are not one, and so they fall into retribution, turn in the wheel of rebirth, drift and sink, stained by every kind of hellish obstruction, vainly falling into the path of animals, unable again to obtain a human body. Those reborn through evil retribution fill the cosmos; none can rescue them—deeply pitiable.

The great-grandfather once served as military governor of Zhedong; the grandfather served as Vice Minister of Rites; the father served as prefect of Haizhou.

The Celestial Worthy further instructed me: You have repeatedly cultivated virtue and the Way; your name is already entered in the register of immortals; merit and practice are complete, and all heavens honor you. Only your ties to the dusty world are not yet severed—deeply pitiable.

The great-grandfather once served as military governor of Zhedong; the grandfather served as Vice Minister of Rites; the father served as prefect of Haizhou.

Heaven further issued a decree to me, saying: “Through lifetime after lifetime you have cultivated virtue and the Dao (the Way); your name is already entered in the immortal registry, and your merit and conduct are complete. All heavens hold you in esteem. Only your karmic ties in the mundane world are not yet exhausted. You must be reborn in the late Tang: in the fourteenth year of the Zhenyuan reign, the year wuyin, on the fourteenth day of the fourth month, at the si hour (nine to eleven in the morning), you shall be born into the Lü family of Henan as a boy. I command the three perfected ones Kuzhu, Huolong, and Zhenyang to guide you and transmit the Dao, so that you may again attain rank among the immortals. The Perfected One Zhenyang is the later Immortal Master Zhongli Quan of Zhenyang. In the human world you shall spread my teaching on my behalf, so that heaven and earth alike turn toward the true teaching.”

I received the command and was born into the Lü family. From childhood I was exceptionally bright, understood filial piety and brotherly respect, spoke and acted with caution, kept joy and anger in measure, and urged my father to distribute grain and relieve the hungry. Later, on my way to the civil examinations, I met the Immortal Master Zhenyang and had the dream of the yellow millet (while the millet was still uncooked, I lived through a whole lifetime of glory and disgrace in the dream). When I woke I received my master’s oral instruction, then abandoned fame and office and devoted myself to self-cultivation. My name was listed at Penglai (the immortal isle at sea), and I served beside the Golden Gate (the Jade Emperor’s palace).

Again I received Heaven’s command to deliver those lost in the world: expounding the scriptures to transform beings, setting forth the stages of cultivating nature and life (xingsheng), and exhorting loyalty and filial piety as the root. With my fellow immortals I gathered these scriptures into eight grades: the first and second grades were transmitted and remain at Guangling (present-day Yangzhou); after the third and fourth were preached, they were entrusted to Jinling (present-day Nanjing); the fifth grade was proclaimed to the people at Piling (present-day Changzhou). Now the sixth and seventh grades, which treat Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), are sent down to Xinzhou (present-day Shangrao area in Jiangxi) and given to the members of your assembly; the final eighth grade—refining Shen (spirit) and returning to emptiness—together with spirit talismans and true incantations, is conferred at Linjiang and kept in secret, not openly transmitted.

I instruct each place: when the carving and printing of the scriptures is finished, exchange and circulate them among one another. Those with faith will naturally receive efficacious response; those who do not understand will remain unclear. What I attest is your heart, not the book in your hand; those who awaken will naturally gain, those who open to the teaching will naturally succeed. Each grade of the Eight Grades Scripture can settle the spirit, teach refining the form to preserve the body and regulating the breath to nourish the spirit; the wording is plain and the principle simple—once you enter it, you can extend it far.

Jing, qi, and shen are called the Three Spirits. Primordial jing and the jing lost through indulgence and leakage are not two kinds of jing; primordial qi and the qi of breathing are one and the same qi; the heart-substance is originally empty and void, and true nature has no second entity. The great void is vast and clear.

To transform jing, first guard xing (nature); to regulate qi, first empty the heart. Move to nourish qi, be still to refine emptiness; respond to things without reckless action, have awareness without being turned by circumstances. Only when emptiness reaches the utmost and stillness runs deep will qi turn back and shen return. This cannot be sought through merit or done through ritual propriety alone. Practicing only ritual propriety and merit is no more than worldly show.

Embrace and hold the primordial One, nurture plain simplicity, forget outer things, and hold emptiness within; in the dark obscurity (yaoming), true jing returns of itself. Jing has no fixed abode—it is ruined by emotional desire; when jing does not follow desire, the foundation of spirit is laid. Primordial jing becomes primordial qi (xiantian zhenqi); primordial qi in turn gathers into the bodily form. The kidneys are the storehouse of jing; the heart is where primordial qi dwells. Jing unites with the five viscera—sinking into lust it becomes dissipated jing; qi passes through the six fu-organs—when it exits the orifices it becomes breath. Without knowing how to nourish qi, jing cannot be cultivated; without knowing how to preserve jing, qi cannot return. When qi returns to the yuanhai (the root source where qi gathers), jing is preserved; when qi scatters through the six gates (the senses and outlets of leakage), jing flies away. Though the kidneys are the cavity where jing lodges, it is shen that moves and deploys jing. Thunder rises from the bottom of water—yang lodged within yin: that is the hexagram Zhun (initial union of yin and yang); water nourishes beneath the mountain—yang spread within yin: that is the hexagram Meng (obscurity about to clear). Without knowing how to ferment and ripen, when fire flares dry and fierce it bursts and scatters; without knowing how to cook and refine, the metal (primordial essence) sinks and cannot rise.

People today boast of themselves, yet they are blind and deaf: they say they see when they do not, say they hear when they do not. They drown in fame and gain, proud and unrestrained; the five colors blind the eyes, the five tones make one lose true simplicity.

To nourish the blood and refine essence is to preserve the linggen (spiritual root—the foundation of life). The true marrow of the Red Turtle (an image in Neidan tied to kidney water and true essence) turns into geng and xin (the Metal stems among the Heavenly Stems, i.e., metal nature). The Yellow Sprout (the first stirrings of the elixir embryo) breaks from the “earth,” and joins with Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth, Yin-Yang). The two qi of heart and kidney circulate back and forth, meeting and “swallowing” each other.

The right kidney belongs to yin and is Po (the corporeal soul attached to the body); the left kidney belongs to yang and is Hun (the ethereal soul that moves with qi). The lungs send heart fluid downward to nourish the kidneys; the liver gathers yuanjing (primordial essence) upward to moisten the heart. When the kidneys are cultivated, it is like a turtle drawing in its head and holding inward; when the heart is nurtured, it is like a dragon hiding its scales and not racing outward. If Shen (spirit) is not stirred by forms and colors, Jing (essence) can be kept; if Jing is not drained by desire, Qi can blend and harmonize.

Gather the full qi in the abdomen into one, and keep the heart empty, still, and bright. Refine with a gentle “warm fire” (mild wenhuo, slow-cooking inner heat), and nurture it with steady, unceasing effort like Qian (the hexagram of persistence). Its state seems now to fly, now to crouch; now forgotten, now present. To apply it takes no strain; to hold it is not stiff or stuck. Thus you and wu (being and non-being) give rise to each other, and nan and yi (hard and easy) complete each other.

The Tiger “receives Metal”: only when kidney qi is sufficient does liver qi arise; by borrowing liver qi to clear remaining yin in the kidneys, kidney qi passing through the liver becomes pure yang. The Dragon “matches Fire”: only when heart fluid is full does lung fluid flourish; by borrowing lung fluid to clear remaining yang in the heart, heart fluid passing through the lungs becomes pure yin. This is refining yang within yin and yin within yang—drawing water from the kidneys and metal from qi.

Metal is heavy and tends to sink, so its moistening flows downward and leaks easily. Fire is light and tends to rise, so its flame flares upward and scorches easily. Use Metal to check Fire, and use weight to check lightness.

After the winter solstice, yang rises from within the earth, and the earth “withdraws” its yin: Taiyin withdraws into Jueyin, Shaoyang adds into Yangming; Jueyin withdraws again into Shaoyin, and Yangming adds again into Taiyang. After the summer solstice, yin descends from Heaven, and Heaven “withdraws” its yang: Taiyang withdraws into Yangming, Shaoyin adds into Jueyin; Yangming withdraws again into Shaoyang, and Jueyin adds again into Taiyin. These names mark the successive stages of Yin-Yang advance and retreat.

It is like the sun bestowing light on the moon’s radiance, and the moon receiving the sun’s Hun from within the sun. Choutian (“drawing out and adding”) means one side decreases while the other increases. The wise should see: with water controlling fire, fire no longer has the fault of burning wood; with fire controlling water, water can perform the work of generating and activating Metal.

To still the mind, use seated meditation as the method. If the mind cannot stop, it will be disturbed and played with by demons. To nurture qi, keeping speech to a minimum is essential; if silence and reticence are relaxed, one will be obscured by evil influences. To fill and sustain jing: without qi to transform it, jing sinks and brings harm. To nurture qi: without guarding jing as the root, qi is hard to regulate and its effects hard to show. From this it is known: jing is governed by qi, qi is governed by shen; when shen merges with emptiness (xu), the three talents of heaven, earth, and humanity are accomplished.

Hence the verse: One is the root of heaven and earth; all things depend on it for life. From one and three unfold myriad changes—this is what is called heaven, earth, and humanity. Among the ten thousand things, the human is most numinous; the three talents are all complete in this body. What is most precious in my body? Jing, qi, and shen. Before earth was opened from yin, it held true yang within; before heaven was opened from yang, it held true yin within. The human already fully possesses the yin-yang body—why not refine the true within oneself? Worldlings are lost and never awake, leaving the root to seek wildly elsewhere. Recall how I first changed form at rebirth: it was all accomplished by sudden severance; only when form and the body of emptiness unite can one be called transforming and ascending. Out of compassion for human suffering, the Dharma was taught to deliver the blind and deaf. The blind still do not see; the deaf do not hear. They live in vain and die in confusion, bearing karma and wandering in samsara. If you will believe and cultivate, I will lead you upward. Before long the golden elixir writ descends, and even fish and dragons can tell false from true. Understand heaven and earth’s principle, and you may be called a true person.

The immortal master again told the assembly: This scripture I speak is a jewel of essentials. If people can believe and receive it, they can realize true origin. Where this scripture remains, those who devote themselves to the Way and attain fruition number eleven hundred; those who receive edict and proof of immortal rank exceed five hundred. Each received transmission, transformed, and ascended to the celestial capital; stipend and rank all advanced. You must still quiet the mind and regulate qi, refine shen and nurture emptiness. According to whether your effort is diligent, I will again petition on your behalf.

The assembly bowed to the master in truth and withdrew.

When qi merges with xuanyuan (the deep subtle origin; “xuan” here is the character for mystery/origin), one ascends to the celestial capital and stipend and rank rise together. You must still quiet the mind and regulate qi, refine shen and nurture emptiness, and according to the merit of diligent practice I will again petition. The assembly bowed to the master in truth, performed rites, and withdrew. The seventh section on qi merging with xuanyuan describes qi merging with xuanyuan.

At that time the Immortal Master (Patriarch Lü, Lü Dongbin) spoke again: The Yellow Emperor taught, “Observe the Way of Heaven; hold fast to the actions of Heaven.” These two lines come from the Scripture of the Hidden Talisman (Yinfu Jing)—a Daoist scripture traditionally ascribed to the Yellow Emperor that teaches how to observe the Way of Heaven and act in accord with it. Whoever can honor and follow it may attain long life.

Heaven and earth change with the movement of qi; Yin and Yang rise and fall, weaving warp and weft; cold and heat succeed one another in turn. I will use an analogy to explain this to you—listen closely.

The path the sun follows is called the Yellow Path (the ecliptic). The great circle that crosses the middle of the heavens and divides the northern and southern poles is called the celestial equator; it splits the sky into two halves. When spring turns toward summer, Yang reaches its limit and Yin is born; the heavens move swiftly and the qi is clear and bright. Thus five days make one hou (phenological term), three hou make one qi (solar term segment), six qi make one shi (season), and four seasons make one year. In a full year there are three hundred and sixty hou, and true qi gathers within them. Eighty-four thousand harmonizing qi occupy the center: forty-two thousand above are the Yang positions, and forty-two thousand below are the Yin positions. Though Heaven belongs to Yang, it holds true Yin within; though Earth belongs to Yin, it emits true Yang.

At the winter solstice node, qi issues from Yang; one qi ascends seven thousand li. Six such ascents total forty-two thousand li, and when Yang reaches the Yin position, the climate stays warm, matching the spring equinox. After six more ascents, Yang reaches its extreme and the weather turns fiercely hot—that is the summer solstice. At the summer solstice, Yin emerges from Heaven; one qi descends seven thousand li. Six such descents total forty-two thousand li, and when Yin reaches the Yang position, the air is clear and cool—that is the autumn equinox. After six more descents, Yin reaches its extreme and the weather turns bitterly cold—that is the winter solstice. Yin and Yang meet and fuse; the two qi follow one another in succession. Within Yang there is Yin, which borrows descent; at the limit of descent it returns to Yang. Within Yin there is Yang, which borrows ascent; at the limit of ascent it returns to Yin. Yang and Yin nurture each other and endure from antiquity without end.

The human body is endowed with the Two Polarities (Yin-Yang); its Qi coalesces from the Qi of one’s parents. The heart resonates with the Dipole of the Dipper (the Northern Dipper and the celestial pole); when form and body unite, Shen (spirit) dwells within. Heaven takes the Dipper as the pivot of its turning; the human takes the heart as the pivot of the whole person. The heart has two openings: on the left is Xuan (the profound yang aperture), on the right is Pin (the yin aperture). Below they connect with Qihai (the “sea” where yin and yang meet); above they open toward profound emptiness (xuanxu). The cauldron of yin and yang is in fact presided over by the heart. This yin within yang—when pure becomes the sage; when mixed and impure becomes the fool. Above the heart’s pivot Tianyuan (celestial primordial Qi) holds sway; below it Diyuan (terrestrial primordial Qi) holds sway. Blood and Qi circulate and transform in accord with the Two Polarities. “Heaven one generates water”—in the person this is Jing (essence); “earth two generates fire”—in the person this is Shen; “heaven three generates wood”—in the person this is Hun (the yang soul); “earth four generates metal”—in the person this is Po (the yin soul); “heaven five generates earth”—in the person this is the bodily form. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) blend into one whole; the Three Poles (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity) settle and abide; the Two Polarities nurture and transform—and from the “sea” arises the bright pearl (the inner elixir formed through internal refinement).

The kidneys are the storehouse where Jing is kept; they belong to yang within yin. Jing that receives yang Qi and, when condensed, gains spirit is called Po (the yin soul)—like sunlight resting on the moon; in the person, Hun (the yang soul) is used to nourish Po. Qi that receives yang Qi and, when dispersed, manifests as spirit is called Hun—like the moon receiving sunlight; in the person, Po is used to restrain Hun. Mutual generation between yin and yang is an innate power of the two Qi. Heaven obtains this Qi and achieves completion; earth obtains it and flourishes; the human obtains it and may cultivate long life. Guard the true form, and form and spirit become naturally luminous. Forget words and still discursive thought; protect the blood and refine Jing; use Shen to refine Qi, and use Qi to harbor Shen.

The True Lord of the Fire Wheel (the true nature of fire in the palm) sits in the Central Palace (the center of the body). When the heart is naturally empty, qi becomes clear and bright on its own; when Yellow Sprout (the true essence first produced in inner refinement) emerges from the earth, its subtle principle must be pursued to the end. Emptiness and nothingness without dust or color—the Dao arises from the Qian Palace (the head); rest the spirit and qi and nourish the root spirit. The kidneys have one hundred ninety-two string-like filaments. Refine lead (in inner alchemy, true yang in the kidneys) and return it to mercury (true yin in the heart); when mercury transforms, the spirit is nourished, and from the bright great sea flies forth the Red Cock (an image of yang qi stirring). Kidney qi rises from the earth, and its subtle principle too must be pursued to the end. Emptiness and nothingness without dust or color—the Dao arises from the Qian Palace; rest the spirit and qi and nourish the root spirit. The kidneys have one hundred ninety-two string-like filaments; refine lead and return it to mercury, mercury transforms and nourishes the spirit, and from the bright great sea flies forth the Red Cock. Kidney qi passes to the liver, liver qi passes to the heart; heart-mercury descends to meet below, like the sun bestowing virtue and the moon spreading its light—yang holds fast while yin receives, male and female need each other. From beginning to end, follow the way of earth; receive the way of heaven and transmit it abroad. The heart constantly steers qi; when qi merges, essence transforms. The heart constantly watches over the breath; when spirit remains, qi stays. Refine above the profound essence (the most subtle essence) to replenish the brain; refine the primordial essence in the middle to replenish the spirit; refine golden essence below to replenish the kidneys. Above, tune the spirit; in the middle, tune qi; below, tune essence. Essence is not ordinary essence—it is produced from qi; qi is not ordinary qi—the spirit is nurtured by qi. If essence and qi are ruined, how can the spirit be at peace?

To preserve Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) is called “life”; to hold fast to Shen (spirit) is called “nature.” Qi is like Huangpo—the inward intent that mediates water and fire in Neidan (internal alchemy), like a matchmaker—by it one adjusts Shen and guides Jing so that Jing, Qi, and Shen become three companions and water and fire find balance. It is as when a go-between brings two parties to marriage. Once the xuan zhu (the inwardly refined elixir pearl) appears, the mind settles, true Qi gathers, and the essences of Heaven and Earth intercourse: metal floats upward while wood sinks; firelight reaches the metal, and metal’s Qi ascends into the void to pay court at the Purple Court (the palace at the crown). Obstructions break open, the River Chariot (Qi cycling up the governing and down the conception vessels) runs without cease, and ordinary substance transforms and rises. Hexagrams such as Bo, Fu, Pi, and Tai alternate; the moon’s quarters, full moon, dark of moon, and brightness cycle; Yin and Yang wax and wane in turn. Kan water joins with metal’s essence, blood becomes white cream, and from this Qian and Kun are re-established.

When fire rises in the Dantian (energy center), true Qi steams and simmers; lead is cooked and mercury refined; the wood mother and the metal lord are paired. The numbers two and eight meet in ren and bing; one and three are smelted in jia and geng—this is the Neidan way of marking by stem-branch numerology the moments and positions where water and fire, metal and wood meet. The crux of cultivating both nature and life lies in this reversed, skillful application. Then appear the images of phoenix carriage and jade hall, elixir palace: a millet pearl is planted on the ocean floor, a crimson dragon is roused from the deep pool; earth thunder shakes, heaven’s rain nourishes, the dragon hides and the tiger crouches, cold and warmth are regulated. Something comes from nothing; the principle is subtle and the pivot hidden. The six caverns are pure and dustless, the three terraces bright and clear, myriad spirits pay homage at the ancestral aperture, and the one Qi returns to the root.

The Primordial Lord of the Great One (Taiyi yuanjun) rests in the Niwan Palace (upper Dantian in the head), bearing the child-Qi he has transformed, drawing luminous spirit upward. Then neither thunder nor lightning is felt, nor is one alarmed at blades before the face; to play a flute without holes or a zither without strings is the realm of leaving no trace— wholly spontaneous.

Alas! When the heart-mind can subdue the outer world, one may become an immortal; when the outer world overpowers the heart-mind, one remains an ordinary person. Learn to “die” before you are dead: whenever a rising thought appears, cut it off at once. People do not grasp this, so it is repeated again and again for your sake. Strip away qing-shi (emotional and discriminative consciousness), and Qi naturally returns to you; hold fast to xu ling (empty, luminous awareness), and Shen naturally grows clear. When Shen clings to the outer world, Qi scatters; when Shen returns to the inner chamber, Qi merges. Qi passing through the joints feels like wind moving or mist moistening; Qi coursing along the meridians is like thunder rising from the sea. When true Qi is full, you often feel satisfied; when heart-mind Qi is clear, dreams become lucid. When sweat and tears no longer leak outward, that is proof; when golden treasure appears, the work is done. Using xu and he (two kinds of breath regulation) to dry up mercury, cold and heat can hardly enter—then celestial flowers fall and auspicious Qi gathers.

Hold to wuwei (non-action), and Qi transforms on its own; hold to freedom from worry, and merit completes itself. This can only be verified by the heart-mind—do not seek signs with the eyes. If you look with the eyes, you invite contamination from the outer world and disturbance by demons. If the heart-mind does not master stillness, the Dao cannot stand firm; if Qi does not circulate, the true cannot be preserved. Moving yet not feeling movement transcends movement; still yet not feeling stillness goes beyond stillness. Utmost emptiness becomes brightness; utmost brightness becomes lustrous; when emptiness and brightness are forgotten, even empty space is shattered.

The verse adds: In movement, Shen and Qi move; in stillness, heart-mind and intent are stilled. When the Qi of the six fu-organs harmonizes, how can the Three Corpses (san shi) dare linger? Neither the mind of forgetting nor the mind of completeness is aroused—regulate the breath within true wisdom. Only by keeping Jing and Qi abundant can Shen settle. In every movement and stillness of daily life, Shen may be dragged down; forget the machinations on both sides of movement and stillness, and refined Shen can long abide in the world. If you drift with outer things, Shen is cast off by the realm. If you do not nourish Jing and Qi, how can Shen dwell? Refine Qi and refine Jing so that innate Qi and Shen constantly guide each other. When Qi gathers, the body can endure; when Shen disperses, the body is wasted in vain. To know how to guard Shen, do not let Jing and Qi fall into kui-li (separation). Turn it over in thought again and again, and do not fall onto the path of darkness.

When the Immortal Master had finished expounding the seventh section, white cranes cried out in the sky above and golden light enveloped the hall. He instructed the assembly to keep this scripture hidden away, saying: one must wait until, within the various ritual gatherings of my teaching, the actual fruits of cultivation are mutually verified and accord with one another—only then may it be transmitted and received in faith. Once the text was finalized, engraved, and published, it was left behind to instruct and transform living beings. If anyone financed the printing and circulation of a hundred thousand or a million copies, spreading them to endure between heaven and earth and proclaiming my teaching, I would again memorialized the Supreme Lord (Shangdi), so that person would be enrolled among the immortal palaces. If anyone destroyed my classic, the offense would be entered in the black register (the underworld’s book of sins), and they would forever fall into the three paths of suffering (hell, hungry ghosts, and the realm of animals). Observing heaven’s will and spreading instruction, I save those lost in delusion; correcting demonic obstructions, I expound the Great Dao. By grace of the two marshals, General Ma and General Guan (protective divine generals), the merit of this scripture was inspected. Those who could enter through faith, inquiry, and awakening would surely attain immortal rank—I myself would guide and deliver them. Those who blasphemed the spirits or slandered the scripture would be secretly examined by the heavenly deities; their guilt would be recorded and hard to escape. For now, store the scripture away and await one who can vigorously proclaim my teaching; do not worry how far the journey—come to hear and serve this subtle Dharma gate.

When the Immortal Master had finished speaking, each person bowed in homage and withdrew.

The preceding two sections were written at Xinzhou.

The Eighth Section on Divine Transformation and Non-Action

At that time Yuanshi Tianzun (Primordial Celestial Venerable), one of the highest deities venerated in Daoism, was in the Seven Treasures Grove, expounding to the immortals the essentials of the spiritual spring and elixir refinement (lingquan danzhi), and the profound subtle keys of the pure oneness of the Great Dao (zhenyi xuanji). Immortals of the grotto-heavens, the saints of the limitless, jade maidens and spirit consorts each held banners, flags, and canopies, and together listened to the wondrous teaching.

The Celestial Venerable ascended the throne, held the ruyi scepter in hand, and released a great radiance that illuminated every realm in the ten directions. Golden immortals of the Brahma palaces, great bodhisattvas, assembled perfected ones of the three realms, and the eight divisions of devas and nagas each rode cloud chariots to gather at the assembly, bathed in this light. The nine heavens opened without obstruction; heaven and earth above and below were one great brightness, and flying birds, beasts, and hidden living beings all received transformation and nurture.

Suddenly, malign grievance qi from below surged into the Seven Treasures Grove and lingered without dispersing. The sages of heaven were alarmed; they kowtowed before the Dao and begged for instruction.

The Celestial Venerable said: This turbid qi fills the realm of the Dao because people below are disloyal and unfilial, unkind and unjust, envious and deceitful, scheming with clever tricks, wicked and reckless, harming others to benefit themselves. The inspecting spirits of the nine heavens—the patrol, inquiry, daily duty, and correction officers—therefore jointly memorialized the throne. The Jade Emperor was enraged and sent down plague, locust plague, and famine, and let the people suffer drought and flood in turn, to warn the world to reflect and reform. People did not know repentance; instead they complained, slandered the sacred, resented heaven and earth, and their pent-up qi thus rushed up to the celestial court. Such turbid folly only adds demonic obstacles.

The Perfected One of Wondrous Conduct (Miaoxing Zhenren) stepped from the ranks, kowtowed, prostrated, and said: The Celestial Venerable is compassionate and broadly shelters all beings; people are blinded by karmic offenses. I beg you to look down with pity and save them.

The Celestial Venerable told the assembly: In former times, the Cao officials of the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Sacred Rivers, seeing how heavy were the disasters and sins across the four continents, pleaded with the Jade Emperor to show compassion and save living beings. The Jade Emperor had already commanded the True Person of Universal Wonder and Protective Assistance (that is, Master Lü, who would later receive his mission again) to descend to the human realm, expound the scriptures, and rescue those lost in delusion. Yet beings sunk in the sea of karma remained unchanged—still foolish and stubborn, not cultivating their own good conduct, vainly seeking wealth and blessings, tangled in greed and attachment, quarreling with one another so that right and wrong never ended. The scriptures that admonish the world they treated as waste paper; the roots of sin grew heavier day by day, until salvation was nearly impossible.

When the hosts of heaven and sages heard the Celestial Venerable’s words, they all prostrated themselves in the grove, weeping in grief, and petitioned the Celestial Venerable: The people of the dusty world have their hearts clouded by profit and desire; alive they suffer endless worry and torment, and after death they fall into hell with no end in sight. We beg the Celestial Venerable to extend compassion, to transform and deliver all universally with divine might, and to issue talismanic commands to lift disasters and calamities, so that Dao Qi (the primordial vital energy spoken of in Daoism) may descend together and the sacred presence arrive, and every disaster be extinguished.

The Celestial Venerable instructed them: The world is turbid; good and evil are hard to tell apart. There is no need for me to descend in person—I again command Master Lü to go forth to teach and save, to rescue living beings. The good and evil of the human realm shall be reported once each month. Those who reform and turn toward goodness shall receive increased fortune and longevity, extending to their descendants; those who do evil shall have calamities sent down upon them, misfortune reaching their whole household. Thus the punishments of heaven shall be made clear, as a warning to mortals in the world.

The True Person received the decree, kowtowed in thanks for heaven’s grace, took leave of the precious grove, and by wisdom and divine power rode forth in a cloud chariot drawn by cranes. When he reached Miaoyin Muding Village in Linjiang Prefecture, he saw from afar that Li Changpeng at the Moonlight Hermitage was seated in meditation, studying “true unity without delusion” (recognizing pure singleness and reality, without raising false thoughts). The True Person manifested his form in the hermitage and instructed him to set up the planchette (the rite of placing planchette and sand tray to invite the spirit to write). When Li Changpeng heard his teacher’s words, he burned incense and bowed a hundred times, then arranged the planchette and sand. The True Person descended at once.

The Perfected One then reiterated what he had said before and told Chang Peng: “I received the command of the Heavenly Emperor to travel through the five mausoleum regions, the four seas, the eight extremities, and the nine provinces, spreading teaching and transmitting the classics, drifting through a turbid world to save people through instruction. Yet human hearts are arrogant; they will not reflect on past faults, are stained by illusion, and act wrongly in many ways, clinging only to worldly wealth and not cultivating good fruit. Even when one or two people admire my Way, they are misled by false teachers and fall back into samsara. I think human hearts have reached a critical point; the principle of Heaven is hard to clarify, the Great Dao is not yet opened, while vulgar thoughts already fill the mind. When impermanence arrives, the body returns to earth and the hun and po scatter into the sky; water and fire separate, and one enters the four modes of birth (womb, egg, moisture, and transformation), turning through the six paths and taking form life after life, falling from kalpa to kalpa, with little hope of returning to what one originally was. As for refining spirit and returning to emptiness, there is no one who can be told.”

Chang Peng heard this instruction and bowed again before the planchette basket, saying: “Your disciple has karmic affinity and is blessed that the Master has descended. I beg you to reveal the Way of refining spirit; I wish to practice accordingly and ask for your compassionate deliverance.”

The Perfected One told him: “People in the world who study the mysterious Way daily envy immortals, yet they do not cultivate their own heart-mind, do not refine mercury and lead (the Yin and Yang qi of neidan), crave external realms and phenomena, and confuse their true root source, calling wrong right and holding to what is not good. They do not know that cultivating the heart-mind is the Dao: when the heart does not run outward, the spirit naturally settles; when spirit is settled, qi harmonizes, and when qi harmonizes, the inner elixir (Neidan) congeals.”

Cultivation takes opening and activation as its foundation and seeing one's nature (jian xing) as its root—that is, clearly discerning one's original mind-nature (xing). What is before you stays clear and undimmed; coming and going continue like a steady trickle. The subtle principle within the Great Void (taixu) and Dao-Qi (Dao vital energy) flows on without ceasing. More talk is not as good as nourishing simplicity (yang su); more debate is not as good as embracing the origin (bao yuan)—holding fast to the innate One (yi). When all directions connect and clarity shines forth, it is as though there were a dwelling place; when the three fields (san tian—the upper, middle, and lower dantian) rest unmoved, they anchor your root. Only when the self is whole can life arise; only by guarding the true origin does spirit become potent. Jing (essence) is the root of shen (spirit); qi is the master of shen; the body is the dwelling of shen. When shen is overused, it is ruined; when shen is overworked, it is cut off. Human life depends on shen; the form relies on qi for support. Being arises from non-being; form lodges itself along with shen. Work on the ground of the mind (xindi): set aside worldly cares, return to simplicity and genuineness (fan pu hai chun), and protect true qi.

It is like lighting a candle: when the wax is gone, the flame dies. It is like drawing water from a well: when the bucket leaks, the well runs dry. Cast off emotional desire; let your aspiration lie in rare speech (xi yan)—speaking little and not rashly. Within, be deep and still; the movement of breath continues in an unbroken thread. Three years without leakage—without outward dissipation of jing—and you can form the lower elixir (xia dan); the eyes gain light and your true mystery (zhen xuan) shows itself. Six years without leakage, and you can form the middle elixir (zhong dan); the original spirit (yuan shen) gradually emerges and the Great Dao (da dao) stands clear. Nine years without leakage, and the great elixir (da dan) is complete; the body can ascend and one is counted among the immortals.

Those who can govern qi keep shen clear and do not die; their forms rise to heaven. Those who chase worldly affairs find qi turbid and perish; their bodies are lost in the yellow springs. Understand the principle of life, and there is no pain of death; grasp the principle of death, and you find the source of life. To see within what is beyond seeing is the manifestation of spiritual clarity (ling ming); to cling to seeing within what is seen is to be bound by demons (mo). When exhaling, do not get entangled in outer concerns; when inhaling, do not sink into dry emptiness and one-sided stillness. Shen is the child of qi; qi is the mother of shen. Shen and qi follow each other, and the body goes along like a shadow. Once the embryonic mother (tai mu) is formed, the spirit-child (shen zi) naturally exists. Constantly embrace and guard shen (bao shou qi shen) to preserve the form. If the master is still present, how could the house collapse? Repair constantly: mend leaks and block wind and rain. Yet this frame of the four elements temporarily combined (si da jia he)—no more than a bag of pus and blood—how could such a foul body ascend?

Clinging to physical form as the basis for cultivation is merely chasing illusions—it is wasted effort. The true Dao nurtures Shen (spirit); the false path only nurtures the body. Inwardly, preserve nature and life; outwardly, do not bend to worldly sentiment. Yin virtue can subdue ghosts and demons; yang virtue can move and win people. Only when both kinds of virtue are complete can the fruit of the Dao be achieved.

Cut off worldly appetites and the smoke of vulgar desire; extinguish the heart of craving. Cultivate nature and life within, and accumulate hidden merit without. In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, hold only to empty spirit. If the body merely sits while the mind is driven by outer things, such sitting cultivates only “stubborn emptiness”—a dead, unlit void. What is called extraordinary is a body outside the body; what is called thorough completion is shattering empty space. The patriarch’s scripture says: “To know emptiness yet not cling to emptiness—this is called illumination. To reach a state where no deliberate thought is needed yet all is apt, where nothing is forced yet everything hits the mark, where spirit and intent lead each other, and one penetration melts ten thousand principles into one.”

Stillness without movement is the substance of the Pass Gate (Xuan Guan), the pivot where nature and life meet; a single stir and it opens—this is its function. The body unmoved while Qi (vital energy) gathers inward is called “drawing back”; the mind unmoved while Shen (spirit) increases inward is called “adding.” When Shen faintly stirs and Qi gradually condenses, this is returning to the origin.

Using stillness to govern stillness is called “civil refinement”; using stillness to govern movement is called “martial training.” When myriad conditions suddenly cease, it is called “forming the embryo”; embracing the true self and returning to empty openness is called “emerging from the embryo.” Do not fix on the body’s form, and do not stick to realms and things; when you hold to nothing in any direction, the Pass Gate can be attained. The subtle mechanism responds in truth: in speaking, silence, seeing, and hearing, the square inch of the heart stays clear and deep and unmoved, and substance and function naturally divide. When body, heart, and intent unite, the three houses gather; when the heart rests in empty stillness, response and resonance arise naturally.

The supreme Jing (essence) of the pre-heaven lies originally in emptiness and has no form; the principle of taking and filling belongs entirely to the Yellow Court (Huangting), the inner furnace. Like a puppet: pull the strings and the form moves; you must know that the trigger of its motion lies in responsiveness.

The primordial supreme Jing (essence) originally dwells in the empty aperture of non-being and has no form or substance. The work of taking and filling it all belongs to Huangting (the vital mid-body locus of inner cultivation). It is like a puppet: only when the strings are pulled does the body move; one must know that the mechanism that sets it in motion lies in the hand that controls it. Recognize the true mechanism embodied in this “hand,” and every application becomes clear—seeing outward things, one is no longer confused.

The lotus floats on still water. When the Mingbao (the primordial life treasure) has condensed, the Xingzhu (the luminous pearl of one’s true nature) is bright and clear; hidden and manifest support each other, being and non-being interweave. Shen (spirit) is originally utmost empty, Dao (the Way) is originally utmost still; therefore in emptiness there is no obstruction, and in stillness greed does not arise. Preserve one’s life and nature, observe change, and one will know how to return to the root.

Within the cosmos and among the Three Powers (Heaven, Earth, and Humanity), every form accords with Dao, and every thing holds spiritual intelligence. Seeking oneself amid endless generation and transformation, one can understand on one’s own. Following the way of Heaven, my heart does not cease, yet though it moves it does nothing forced; following the way of Earth in bearing all things, my body is quiet and does not cling. This is the pivot of Heaven and Earth opening and closing, and also the hub of my heart’s movement and stillness. Subdue body and mind and take Heaven and Earth as model.

The Supreme One (Taishang, honorific title for the highest Daoist deity) said: “If you value life too heavily, you will necessarily slight death.” Only “no-birth”—transcending birth and death—is higher than cherishing life. When life is dragged down by the body, birth and death are entangled; when nature is driven by thoughts, it sinks and floats. When life is stable and the heart empty and still, Dao hides in the nameless. Round brightness returns to the root, and all kalpas (cycles of fate and time) become empty. When the body is settled, form is firm; when form is firm, life is fulfilled. When the heart is settled, Shen is complete; when Shen is complete, nature is fulfilled. When Shen is whole and the foundation firm, embracing and guarding the primordial One can be accomplished.

Cutting off stray thoughts is the key to nurturing the fire (the warming inner cultivation fire); discerning empty non-being is the work of refining the medicine (the inner elixir within). The body takes Kun, the heart takes Qian—this is the root of returning to life. Who guards the Huachi (where saliva gathers and essence is refined)? Who receives the Zifu (the upper Dantian where spirit dwells)? The Jiaji double passes (gateways along the spine where Qi rises and falls) can descend and ascend; Qi rushes through the joints, Jing fills and Shen congeals, and the valley of empty non-being completes itself through the four seasons. The way of Heaven and Earth moves the ten thousand things without partiality; the One runs through all and yet always returns to emptiness. Apply this to Yan Hui and Zeng Shen: coarse food, plain water, bent arm for a pillow—Confucius’s joy lay therein.

The Purple Yang Perfected One (Zhang Boduan) said: Primordial qi swirls and thickens, opening heaven and earth; the truth within it has no end. Who presides over all this? It relies on the natural work of non-interference (wuwei)—not forcing, not dominating.

The deer opens the Governing Vessel (dumai) through the Weilu (the lower end of the spine); the turtle opens the Conception Vessel (renmai) through breathing at the nose. The crane joins through qi; the turtle joins through spirit (shen). When a person does not act recklessly, practicing day by day and renewing month by month, aligning with the stars above and the tides below, the work completes of itself.

What guards yang is the hun (soul); what guards yin is the po (corporeal soul). Therefore the perfected person refines the hun and merges it with the po; wisdom arises in the depths, the heart becomes utterly still, and spirit and qi gather together. A body like gold and a constitution like jade are originally forged through refining essence (jing); once the great medicine is fully cooked, the body grows light enough to rise and fly. In leisure one may hear celestial music, clear as bamboo strings; colored clouds swirl, and one steps steadily into the Southern Palace (the halls of heaven).

Long ago, only after receiving one’s master’s instruction could one become an immortal. The method of cultivation is this: lay a firm foundation of the elixir (danji), dig the well and seek “lead,” take “mercury” and refine it—use the clear spring that flows from the foot of the rock; do not mix in miscellaneous, light and impure things. In leisure there is celestial music, clear as bamboo strings; colored clouds swirl, and one steps steadily into the Southern Palace.

Long ago, only after receiving one’s master’s instruction could one become an immortal. The method of cultivation: lay a firm foundation of the elixir, dig the well and seek lead, take mercury and refine it—use the clear spring at the rock’s foot; do not use miscellaneous substances. From one qi, divide into the Two Modes (yinyang); with the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and human) set up the cauldron and vessel. Choose famous mountains and have worthy companions to assist. Also invite eminent Daoists and, according to Keyi (liturgy), recite the Scripture of the Jade Emperor, the Scripture of the Jade Pivot, the Three Origins Scripture, the Scripture of the True Warrior, and the scriptures of the Southern and Northern Dippers—chant the cave chapters aloud to wash away impure qi. When first entering the chamber, all put on new garments. After ancient immortals ascended, the elixir well still preserved their intent; how the altar and hall are to be built will be told separately. Build with care, cultivate with resolve, embrace the root, and return to emptiness. This scripture circulates in the world and fully reveals heaven’s secret. In silent stillness, devote yourself to practice, and spirit ascends to Purple Tenuity (Ziwei, the abode of the Jade Emperor); when merit is complete and virtue fulfilled, a jade edict will come to escort you.

Thus the verse: When essence (jing) is kept whole, the true self is preserved—the body is at peace and free of craving. When qi is kept whole, the heart can be nourished—when the heart is still, it is cut off from external things. When spirit (shen) is kept whole, one returns to emptiness—emptiness to the utmost, stillness to the depths. Water flows and therefore grows turbid; when water is sure to settle, it clears by itself. Movement and stillness both depend on the heart; when the heart is still, the Dao makes itself clear. Qi rises to Purple Tenuity; merit full and virtue complete—the jade edict comes to lead you away.

The adept then spoke in verse: Fully refine Jing (essence) to preserve true nature, and the body will be at peace and free of desire; fully refine Qi (vital energy) to nourish the heart, and when the heart is still, it will be cut off from external things; fully refine Shen (spirit) and return it to emptiness—when emptiness reaches its limit, stillness becomes deep and steady. When water flows it grows turbid; when water settles it becomes clear. Movement and stillness depend on the heart; when the heart is unified in stillness, the Dao is illumined. Qi gathers as in a womb, hidden within the mother’s belly (Neidan uses this image for essence, qi, and spirit gathering within the body—it is not a flesh-and-blood fetus); after ten months the qi is released, and within the body there is a body; when it emerges in a single morning, it separates from the mother. Today’s cultivators have black clouds blotting the sky, with no wind of wisdom; sun and moon are dim. When one yin arises, resentment is born; when one yang arises, desire is born—resentment rises from qi, desire swells from essence. Dragged away by the outer world, they lose north and south and do not understand birth and death—all because of love and desire. One must choke off desire and stop wandering thoughts, restrain anger and guard the heart. When the heart is at peace, qi is harmonious; when qi is harmonious, spirit is clear. Uphold the primordial unity and hold to oneness, transcend the three realms (realm of desire, realm of form, realm of formlessness) and enter emptiness, free and unbound, the body enrolled in the celestial court, not a thread hanging on the body (utterly without attachment), clarity shining for ten thousand miles.

The perfected one (Zhenren) also told Chang Peng (a personal name): What I speak now is the teaching found in the cloud repository (Yunji) of the spiritual spring and elixir decree—the secret scriptures of the Dao: refine until spirit returns to emptiness, the body is listed in the celestial court, not a thread left hanging, and clarity extends for ten thousand miles.

The True Person again addressed Chang Peng: What I am expounding now belongs to the class of Yunji secret texts such as the Lingquan Danzhao, and is a subtle scripture for refining the spirit and cultivating emptiness. Those who sincerely take refuge may receive it after swearing an oath before Heaven; if you meet someone who ought not to receive it, you must not grant it casually. Together with fellow practitioners throughout the Wuling region, complete these eight grades. The wisdom in the scripture can illuminate the cosmos, yet people who truly have faith are few. The boy of He City, named Qiyi (also written Qixuan), deeply admired my Dao and collected my various scriptures into one compilation, printing them to exhort and transform the world. In guiding those of the Daoist community, his merit is no small thing. If anyone prints and distributes a thousand or ten thousand copies—or countless copies—so that the text spreads across the land and through the four seas and the five Wuling regions, I shall memorialize the Heavenly Court on their behalf, so that their names are entered in the upper realm and blessings descend like the auspicious sign of the jade qilin. Wherever this scripture resides, calamities and obstructions cannot intrude, and the myriad spirits secretly protect it. Devout men and faithful women who morning and evening awaken to it and recite it may ascend in broad daylight into the realm of emptiness, achieve the sage’s path, and not fall into the yin offices. If anyone destroys the scripture or extinguishes the teaching, the City God and the gods of the neighborhood and community will report and denounce them, and the Thunder Department and Fire Department will immediately impose retribution. The merit of this scripture cannot be measured; you should receive it in faith, and you will surely revive the mysterious wind (the spirit of Daoism).

When the True Person had finished expounding the scripture, clouds drifted toward the Great Void, fragrance floated beneath the precious canopy, cranes flew outside the hall, auspicious mist filled the hall, and wondrous incense assailed the senses. Chang Peng bowed in thanks again and again, received it in faith, and carried it out in practice.

Hou Ba Pin Xian Jing (Immortal Scripture of the Later Eight Grades) (Volume Eleven)

Preface: With the title Fuyou, Lü [Dongbin] expounded the Zhengjing Huahua and proclaimed this secret immortal scripture on cultivating immortality, verifying the true, and returning the elixir.

Taishang Dongxuan Hua□ Chaoyuan Pin, the First

Pin of Forgetting Emotions, the Second

Pin of Contemplating the Mind, the Third

Pin of Stilling the Nature, the Fourth

Pin of Nourishing Qi, the Fifth

Pin of Laying the Foundation, the Sixth (the original reads “zhu lü,” i.e., establishing the foundation of practice)

Pin of Entering Emptiness, the Seventh

Pin of Shedding the Shell, the Eighth

“Colophon to the Engraved Hou Ba Pin Jing”

“Small Preface to the Hou Ba Pin Jing”

The Front Eight Treatises Scripture was expounded at Wuling and had long been carved and circulated; the Later Eight Treatises were expounded at Linjiang. Because the scripture contains questions and answers about pregnancy and touches on Waidan (external alchemy—the approach of refining elixirs with furnaces, cauldrons, and medicinal substances), a special admonition was given: do not pass it casually to those for whom it is unsuitable, lest slander follow. Patriarch Lü (Lü Dongbin) manifested at Longsha with the sole intent of teaching people to refine and nurture the three “medicines” of Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit), so as to transcend birth and death and attain the rank of a golden immortal—a highly accomplished transcendent. Not a single character speaks of Waidan or fangshu (bedroom arts); nor does it, like heterodox side paths, beguile the world with perverse doctrines.

Having warned against reckless transmission, one might think it should not be printed; yet if it is not printed, why expound it at all? Therefore Xu Taiji and others still had it published. What they valued was the joint cultivation of jade fluid and golden fluid, and the simultaneous completion of nature (liao xing—clearly seeing one’s original nature) and life (liao ming—fulfilling one’s vital destiny). Jade fluid and golden fluid are the two refined essences spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy); to “complete nature” is to clearly see one’s true nature, and to “complete life” is to fulfill the life force. The Li palace and the Kan palace (in Neidan, the Li trigram stands for heart-fire and the Kan trigram for kidney-water) deserve earnest study and deep reflection. Following the ordinary course makes one human; reversing it in practice leads to immortality—grasp this root and the myriad methods become one thread. The Great Dao must be held on both sides; the path of practice cannot lean to one side only.

As the ancients said: “When a superior person hears the Dao, he diligently puts it into practice; when an inferior person hears the Dao, he laughs loudly.” Those who cultivate in this world should not cling to the letter of the text and breed doubt and slander; they should strive to be superior persons who practice diligently, and not inferior ones who mock the Dao—only then may they read this Later Eight Treatises Scripture.

This is the preface to the carving and printing of the Later Eight Treatises Scripture: compiled by Liu Tishu, the Wuwuzi of Yiling; collated by his son Liu Yincheng (Qinghui) and his nephew Liu Yuncheng (Qingxu); and revised by Huang Chengshu, the Yixingzi of Shaxian (an ancient place name).

How critically important this is! Establishing the planchette-writing rite—to invoke the descent of spirits and receive their messages through the moving tray and brush—is precisely a guide for leading worldly people toward salvation; expounding scriptures and discoursing on the profound is truly a dharma boat on the sea of suffering. Moreover, the Huángjí Great Dào (the supreme Way) is something every person originally possesses: those who seek it may obtain it, and those who abandon it will lose it. This subtle and ultimate principle is written in spirit-texts meant to awaken the world. Those with karmic affinity cherish them like supreme treasures, while those with shallow roots treat them as waste paper. And how many are there who can truly comprehend them?

Nowadays those who study the arcane wear lofty caps and square robes, emptyly calling themselves “followers of the Dào,” showing off their talents and posing as lofty sages. They cannot humble themselves, are ashamed to ask others for guidance, refuse to seek out a clear-eyed master, and cling only to stale words on paper. Without the power of wisdom, how can they attain thorough understanding?

Therefore, through planchette writing, the Eight Grades Immortal Scripture (Bāpǐn Xiānjīng)—a text that ranks immortal cultivation by grades—is presented. Its sentences are plain and its principles straightforward, yet the hidden mystery is fully disclosed, to open the blocked understanding of later students and point out the path of true cultivation. If people can grasp it and act accordingly, over time they will naturally attain immortal spirit and may escape the cage of the mundane world and ascend into the clouds. If they only recite with their mouths and cannot actually cultivate and uphold it, what benefit is there?

The Former Eight Grades were long ago carved and circulated in the world; the Latter Eight Grades were kept hidden in Linjiang and not transmitted openly. Now, encountering my disciples at my knee, Xú Tàijí and Wú Tàilóng, we have jointly formed a good karmic bond, donated funds for printing, and made it flow through the world. This is truly the karmic opportunity of those who will study the Dào afterward, and a great merit in spreading this teaching of mine.

Alas! People today are mostly deluded and mistaken, and few are awakened. They wrongly take illusory splendor and prosperity for joy that never ages; they do not understand that time slips away easily, nor do they reflect on the length or brevity of life. When the breath fails to connect, they no longer know where they are bound. This spiritual nature!

Alas! People in the world today are mostly deluded and mistaken, with few who awaken. They wrongly take illusory splendor for joy that never fades, unaware that time passes quickly and never weighing whether life will be long or short. When breath fails in a single moment, they do not know where they are bound. The spirit enters another body and becomes all manner of different beings. Even if one’s rank reaches the highest grade and one’s salary counts in thousands of bushels, it is all the expenditure of worldly toil—none of it can be carried away!

Virtuous people should be urged: birth and death are the great matter; impermanence comes swiftly; a human body is hard to obtain, and the true Way is hard to hear. Arouse a courageous mind and exert diligent effort—read this scripture and draw near to it morning and evening. Ingest this spirit talisman (in Daoist practice the talisman is often dissolved in water and swallowed to purify body and mind and resonate with the divine), recite this secret mantra, examine body and mind, wash away defilement, understand the human way, and return to the root and restore the original. If one only reads and chants without penetrating to the root of xing and ming (dual cultivation of nature and life), one wastes the labor of my brush—and what benefit is there?

Written on the fifteenth day of the full moon in late spring of the yimao year of the Kangxi reign, at the Jiyun Pavilion.

Lü Dongbin, Patriarch of Fuyou, Promulgator of Orthodox Teaching and Transformation, expounds the Xianxian Zhenzhen Huandan Mimi Xianjing (Immortal Scripture on the Secret Wonder of Immortal Cultivation, Authenticating the True, and Returning the Elixir—a scripture on immortal cultivation, authenticating the true, and the secret wonder of the returning elixir; huandan is the elixir formed when essence, qi, and spirit are refined and returned inward in neidan practice).

The First Chapter of the Supreme Mystery of the Luminous Radiance Ascending to the Origin

At that time the Most High Lord of the Dao ascended the hall of the Seven Treasures and Nine Radiances in the Great Brahma Heaven, and took his seat before the screen where clouds and dragons flew up. Precious incense curled; the true immortals of the three realms and all the sages of the Yang Valley and water palaces gathered, and he expounded the Great Dao.

At that time, Lord Fuyou—the honorific title of Patriarch Lü, Lü Dongbin—together with the various wondrous Daoist immortals, each properly holding a court tablet, reported upward: “In antiquity, primordial unity opened heaven and earth and brought forth life from the vast void of primordial emptiness; through the Supreme Ultimate’s vast transforming work, forms condensed in obscure darkness. Light, clear qi rose and became Qian Heaven; heavy, turbid qi sank and became Kun Earth, thick and bearing the myriad things. Yin and Yang qi intertwined in harmonious blending, and the human way arose from this. Once human beings existed, they stood with heaven and earth as the three powers. All nurturing and transformation depend on spirit (Shen). Spirit can change: when stirred it becomes thunder; sun and moon shine upon one another; stars and the Northern Dipper are set in array; forests, mountains, grasses, and trees grow; birds and beasts fly or dive—every active thing relies on spirit. In the east, reflected light gives birth to wood; in the west, light shining down gives birth to metal; in the south, in motion appears the Vermilion Bird (red bird, belonging to fire); in the north, gestation belongs to Ren (water); at the center, Wu and Ji (earth) also turn in ceaseless cycles.”

The Dao Sovereign said, “Good! Good! What you have reported—why do you speak of these things?”

Then the Southern Cinnabar Elder spoke again together with Lord Fuyou: “The highest Dao is hard to meet; the deepest teaching is hard to hear. Human beings stand within the great transformation of heaven and earth; if they do not practice the five human relationships—ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend—they drift lost in birth and death, lose their original true nature, fall into corruption, and sink into the dark netherworld.”

The Dao Sovereign said, “You now hold compassionate concern and extend the profound intent, expounding the Way and Virtue (Dao and De) so that people may see the road ahead. And what you describe is exactly this: drifting lost in birth and death, losing the true original nature, falling into corruption, and sinking into the dark netherworld.”

The Dao Lord said: “You now cherish compassion and reveal the profound essentials, expounding the Dao and De so that people may see clearly what lies ahead. What you speak is the wondrous chapter: spirit can soar and fly, subtly harmonizing Yin and Yang, regulating the central inner ground so that transformations answer one another.

When the central upright position condenses into cloud and frost: the seven mansions of the azure dragon in the east rise from Fusang, called ‘Jia Wood’; in the west it joins with the White Tiger, which rests in its proper place; the Vermilion Bird soars; the north is the Black Tortoise; Wu and Ji of the center accompany one another. The Five Phases blend and merge, moved by the transforming power of the one Qi; water is Yin and fire is Yang. The upright virtue of the bright hall penetrates the three directions—this is called the ‘King of Medicine.’

Lately the people below have loved and grasped without measure and have lost their original condition. Blood and Qi waste away, sinews and bones wither, and the complexion fades—all because spirit has already been scattered.

Whoever would nurture spirit must first nurture Qi. To nurture Qi, the key is to forget words; yet forgetting words is still not as good as cutting off thought; and cutting off thought means returning everything to the heart. The heart is the functioning of the Dao, governing the whole person—nothing is greater. The work of refining the heart is that seeing and hearing give rise to no clinging, joy and anger do not arise, lust is forgotten and thoughts are severed, until body and mind are thoroughly awakened; one looks upon oneself yet there is no self, listens to oneself yet there is no self, leaving all realms behind—this is called entering the wondrous gate. Spirit has its going out and its sinking in; gathering and collecting are each set forth in turn. Such a great Dao is entrusted to the person of virtue.

Only you, Fu You, have accumulated merit; the dragon sand has appeared with your teaching, saving beings universally. Where in the world there are people who study with sincere hearts, you are commanded to teach widely, to lift up those sunk in delusion, and to make the great Dao shine everywhere.”

Then the True Lord reverently received the Dharma sound, bowed with the other perfected ones, and withdrew.

Chapter Two: On Forgetting Emotions.

Fuyu Zhenjun—the honorific title of Lü Dongbin—acting on the decrees of the Supreme Dao Sovereign, followed the immortal procession and, with the host of immortals, descended to the Riverside Water-Moon Hermitage (Shuiyue An) and addressed the assembly:

Among those in the world who devote themselves to the study of esoteric learning, who can truly accept and live by it? When people are caught by outer things, emotion binds them; once emotion is confused, the mind runs wild. If the mind cannot be clear and the spirit cannot be guarded, they drift through birth and death, nature and life adrift, unable to turn back and look within, while the path is thick with thorns. When one can stabilize and can cease, the mind naturally becomes pure. Where emotion has nothing to cling to, how can outer things move you? Consider dreams at night: like everything seen and heard by day, they are only illusory images. When the two devils cannot enter, the “earth” of intention (yitu) coalesces the true numinous spirit (zhenling), the true numinous does not scatter, and mind and intent guard one another like a walled city.

The Book of Changes (Yijing) says: “Keeping still in the back, one does not feel one’s body; walking in the courtyard, one does not see people.” This means the inner is not pulled by the outer, the outer does not disturb the inner; inner and outer are forgotten together, and empty numinosity appears of itself. Forget outer things and emotional desire, and the utmost Dao can be understood. When intention races outward and emotion tugs within, once intention disperses the spirit is disordered, and the person is ruined and overturned by emotion. The way of Heaven never ceases its turning—where could private feeling find a place? It slays in autumn and gives birth in spring. When Qi (vital energy) responds in communion, the transformations of the myriad things can be accomplished.

I once issued teachings on the essential points of refining Shen (spirit). The lad of Guangling received the transmission through sincere devotion; what was spoken fills eight chapters, meant to guide and deliver people from confusion; the customs of Weiyang (Yangzhou) were boastful and shallow. Most people acted recklessly and in vain, cast aside the teachings of sages, and threw themselves into a world of fraud and pretense. If you opened your heart in reverence to the profound Dao, outsiders would take it for error and bring only ridicule, stirring worldly suspicion as well. I wanted to speak yet could not—so it went for more than a year. Seeing you plead again and again, and knowing this touches the root of life and destiny, I set out this sacred text. You should grasp it and hold to it, receive it through insight of the heart, and not fabricate with deluded thoughts. Delusion makes people lost and foolish; awakening alone brings true awakening. The Dao is not empty talk: embrace the One, forget desire, look inward, practice again and again, settle in stillness and return to the supreme void; from that void one returns to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate)—that is the pivot of transformation. Once wisdom and awakening are gained, meeting the outer world no longer confuses you. The scripture says: “When the Dao is spoken in a word, it tastes utterly bland.” The hinge of Yin-Yang is nothing but turning the gaze back upon oneself. When feeling is forgotten, intention grows still; when intention is still, the heart is like dead ashes; when the heart is ash, outer things no longer pull it—outwardly one seems dull, yet in that dullness Shen stays alive; when Shen is alive, the Dao dwells within. What moves in daily life is just this pivot; when the pivot is not stained by the outer, nature settles and feeling returns to its place.

People of the world do not believe and accept this, so they break the teaching into scattered pieces: dragon and tiger, metal and wood, fire and water, serpent and tortoise, yellow sprout and white snow, the crimson maiden and the infant boy—the names used in Neidan (internal alchemy) for Yin-Yang, lead and mercury, and the like—all boil down to no more than two words. Invert ordinary right and wrong, forget until there is nothing left to forget, and subtle function naturally completes the transformation. Do not tangle and confuse these images—that is the pivot of Yin-Yang. The Book of Documents says: “Heaven fixes order and constant law; straighten the heart that goes awry.” When the heart is not led by evil, outer things naturally do not bind feeling. What the Book of Rites calls bearing and demeanor “solemn as if in thought” is exactly the work of applying this pivot. The Primordial Lord of the Great One (Taiyi Yuanjun), a revered deity in the Daoist tradition, holds the myriad spirits under awe and virtue; like a general whose orders brook no dissent, who would dare disobey? Defending the city and fighting in the field—guarding body-mind and circulating essence-Qi—each has its proper method, orthodox and unorthodox each in order; fire blazes like a boiling sea reflecting the sun, Qi turns at Kunlun (often the crown gate in practice), condensing into a precious pearl, transformation misty and full. When water is clear the moon appears; tide and breath answer each other and Qi arises. One who can forget feeling may then “gather” the medicine; those who see the principle understand of themselves.

The Supreme Venerable One (Taishang — honorific title for the supreme deity in Daoism) said: “Use the Dao to assist a human ruler; do not rely on military force to show strength.” Here “military force” (bing) is explained as the pearl refined in practice: qi transforms amid dense, intermingling vapor (yinun); when the water is clear the moon appears, when the tide responds qi is generated. Forget attachment and you can gather it; the wise person understands this by nature.

The Supreme Venerable One spoke this line again and interpreted “military force” as emotion (qing). When emotion stirs, outer things flare up—what is there to lean on? What you lean on is nothing but emotion lodged in you. Emotion can chase after things and can also drive the spirit-mind (shen). If kings and lords can hold fast, the ten thousand things transform on their own; as transformation proceeds desire is about to rise—then use the nameless uncut block (wuming zhi pu — the plain, nameless Dao) to still it. If emotion does not arise, it is the return of the one yang (yiyang laifu — the first stirring of yang); if emotion is retained even briefly, the yang line’s continuity is cut off. Respond to things yet forget emotion, and spirit opens of itself; inwardly turn the pivot of creation (zaohua zhi ji), and innate truth rests at ease.

People throughout the world are blind; they chatter endlessly, spirit scattered on things, emotion tugged by form and color. The ten thousand things collide like ten thousand mountains and a thousand valleys; they lose the straight path, seek side tracks and bends, drift ever farther from the root homeland (xingming benyuan — the source of nature-and-life), sink in emotion, and cast life away.

The way of inner cultivation is that emotion does not touch things—keep the female, preserve the male, return white through black (shou ci liu xiong, yi hei fan bai — hold yin, keep yang). You must forget, yet there is something you do not forget: what you do not forget is the pivot (ji); what you forget is things. When the pivot is alive, the aperture (qiao — the pass) becomes numinous. Forget things and life returns. It is like grass and trees in autumn: color withers, a hundred flowers fall, and only then does yang spread its blessing. This matches the hexagram of the zi month (eleventh lunar month), hence it aligns with the Fu (Return) hexagram. In using the pivot of things, observe their aperture, steal their qi, and return it to your own mystery. If you are used by things, that is the omen of overturn and loss. Watch the glory of things, see their ruin, turn back and seek—the Dao is right there.

The True Lord (Zhenjun — honorific for Lü Dongbin) warned again: Return that qi to my mystery. If you are used by things, that is the omen of overturn and loss. Watch the glory of things, see their ruin, turn back and seek—the Dao is here.

The True Lord again addressed the assembly: “In your pursuit of the Dao, why is it that reversing the flow can form the elixir (Neidan—the spiritual pill wrought in cultivation), while going with the flow only begets human life? Though you study the Way and know that the source must be set right, you do not see that the myriad schools all return to one root. If one only wishes to extend human ties and preserve ancestral rites, the patriarchs of successive generations did not treat that as their main theme, for what they pointed to was the path of returning to the source. When the forward course has produced a person, one is inevitably bound by worldly affairs: forms and colors fill the eyes, feelings linger on external things, repeated dissipation exhausts one, and spirit and Qi are lost—thus life is cut short. Since you earnestly beg instruction, the principle of generation may also be stated. Have you not heard that the human way begins with husband and wife—that is the logic of propagation? Guard your own Yuan Jing (primordial essence), and forget the craving that clings to outer things; regulate the partner’s cycle, and ride the peak of flourishing; the regular and the exceptional each have their order. Refining Qi and nurturing Shen—when Shen shifts, Qi congeals; above and below, intention aligns. Without utmost stillness, the command you issue will not be obeyed. Blood must not lack its guard; essence must not lack restraint. When this side is full and the other meets it in emptiness, Yin and Yang succeed one another. The tide must keep to the trusted period; Yang must keep to the moment of return—like a sea at boil—before gestation can nurture. Yield to the lead’s flower (the Yin essence in the elixir), match the mercury’s substance (the Yang spirit-substance); when mercury meets lead, the two Qi (Yin and Yang) accord with the method. Yin can hold Yang, and Yang in turn clings to Yin. The way of Yin-Yang is when metal and water are just balanced. Why borrow brute force or weary the mind? Silently follow the formula, and the subtlety is naturally complete. Shift the father-side Shen, draw in the mother-side Qi; Shen and Qi receive the tally, and essence and blood govern themselves. Turn this whole pattern inward in cultivation: contemplate and gather the refined, and recover your own Yuan Qi—that is what counts as the immortal’s work. Shen is what is called the sacred fire; fire is the medicine. When the medicine sprout rises, it is like the bellows (tuo yue) opening and closing. If you refine this with care, golden light shines bright, and the pearl forms without Yin and Yang going awry. Today’s blind students take gold for common stone—how can such words be shared with them? You will surely awaken on your own.”

At that time someone in the assembly bowed and, together with the others, asked: “We are enlightened by the Master’s teaching: the transformations of the ten thousand things are one continuous flow. The inner and outer cultivation handed down in the world ought to be united and practiced together. Once the inner elixir is achieved, outer accomplishment can also be complete. Of the subtle points within, we beg the Master to leave a general instruction for all.”

The True Lord spoke again: Shedding the mortal frame and attaining wondrous transformation—Neidan (internal alchemy) can be perfected in this way. Even if Waidan (external alchemy) is successfully compounded, how can it be obtained without De (virtue)? One should accumulate merit broadly and relieve sentient beings on a wide scale. Our path stresses reduction; only when reduction reaches its utmost can the elixir be fully achieved. In former times the Han Celestial Master (Zhang Daoling) sold grain at fair prices to aid the people—that was proof; later the Immortal Ge (Ge Xuan) refined elixirs to deliver souls in the netherworld, applied talismans and dispensed medicine, saving the world at large, supporting those in peril and relieving the destitute. Patriarch Xu of Jingyang (Xu Xun) likewise devoted himself to such merit. When merit and practice are complete, celestial spirits guard one; the elixir is not disturbed by evil demons. Refined to the full count of nine times nine, once ingested one may ascend in flight.

In antiquity a elixir well was left behind; its site can still be verified. Since you have come to ask, how could I not speak? This teaching is continued in the chapters that follow.

Though Waidan (external alchemy) arises from human artifice, one must distinguish essence from function, see essence through function, and let them interweave according to innate nature. Refining lead to obtain true lead is like panning gold from water. At first they belong to one household; afterward they split into two natures—wearing coarse garb without while cherishing fine jade within, like the sun rising from beneath the sea. When the elixir first forms, it is like the moon appearing in the geng direction (west); though likened to the moon, it is in truth the form of true lead. The dark soul is not harmed; in daylight it becomes gold—transcending the mundane and becoming an immortal. Transformation follows a path that can be traced; one must distinguish firing phases and hours according to the hexagram lines. Yin returns and yang revives; each returns to its root. Refining yang disperses it again; refining yin congeals it again. When the single yang first stirs, it must not be wasted; using yin to seed yang, yang can sprout on its own—this is called “true lead.”

Your refined essence belongs to the west in name, yet in fact it nourishes the east. Recognize the Yellow Sprout (the first stir of elixir life)—then both internal and external elixir can be refined. It is now appended to each chapter; consult it and you will understand.

The True Lord (a Daoist honorific for an immortal who has attained the Dao) said: In primordial chaos and primordial unity there is a supreme numinous spirit. It gives birth to Heaven and Earth and can refine Po and Hun (the corporeal and ethereal souls). The heart is where Shen (spirit) dwells; it harmonizes with Yin-Yang, governs every subtle turn, and responds to change without any fixed place. The Supreme Sovereign (Taishang Laojun) said: “The Dao must be realized through the heart, and the heart must be clarified through the Dao.” Understand the Dao by means of the heart, and turn the Dao back upon the heart; keep the heart like an empty valley—responsive yet never noisy, holding Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) within and turning the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Mencius said: “Ren (humaneness) is the human heart.” The humane person has nothing to treat as an enemy, and so can transform the myriad things. When the myriad things receive this teaching, the world returns to Ren. When the heart is at rest, Shen has somewhere to abide, and Shen is thereby nourished and kept alive. When the heart is settled, Shen becomes clear; when Shen is clear, disturbance from outer things falls still. Stillness without movement is the substance of the heart; immediate response when touched is the working of the heart; investigating things and extending knowledge is the heart’s luminous intelligence. Refining Qi to transform Shen (in internal alchemy, the stage of advancing from Qi to spirit) must begin with cultivating the heart; cultivating the heart and lessening desire is the root of practicing the Dao.

When the heart is plain and quiet, Shen naturally responds. Shen’s response has no fixed direction—it answers only as things arise, then turns back into oneself to accord with innate nature. To respond without clinging anywhere is to refuse to sink into attachment to “being.” Speaking of “no-mind” (wuxin) is meant to guard against the heart chasing worldly dust. When the heart carries no grime, grime does not arise of itself. The elixir is to be sought in the heart—how then call it “no-mind”? If one makes no-mind the very aim of the Dao, though inward cultivation may still be built up, one will dimly fall into stubborn emptiness (a dry, dead void without living vitality).

The foundation of guarding the Dao (the Way) is to make the heart-mind truly empty. Once the mind is empty, external things are empty within it as well; when things are empty, mind and Shen (spirit) become clear and bright. Uphold precepts, concentration, and wisdom—ethical discipline, meditative stillness, and insight—so the mind stays limpid; eat lightly and dress plainly to cut off the yin turbidity of outer things; know where to stop with fame and profit, and thus restore harmonious Qi (vital energy). When emotional thoughts arise and give birth to “things,” the mind shifts with them and turns into delusion, clinging to externals and the dusty world, tangled morning and night without end; then myriad demons assail. Mind and Shen turn upside down, and heavenly truth goes awry. Every such stirring of thought is called the “deluded mind.” While the deluded mind lives, true Shen dies—hence the saying; yet if the mind were truly dead, what would move Shen? If the body did not change along with it, one would be no better than a wooden puppet.

The mind is like a bright pearl, round and lustrous, set on a tray—lively yet unattached. In stillness, leave desire behind, and Shen arises naturally. Guard Shen without forgetting; embrace the primordial One and refine the form—body and Shen are tempered together, and numinous nature returns to the great void. Refining the mind is called yang; clinging to things is called yin. The teaching runs: until not a hair’s breadth of yin Qi remains unspent, one cannot attain immortality. You should grasp this.

The mind is the pivot of transformation, like the celestial pivot of the Dipper’s turning. Only when not a single thing stains it can one awaken to that pivot. The body may be small, yet the mind’s measure equals heaven and earth; extend and fill it further, and it can embrace heaven and earth. Break the barrel-hoop that binds the heart, and you will know true emptiness. Like a mirror reflecting things—when the thing goes, stillness returns. The substance was originally luminous; because of outer things it grows confused and is pushed about, unable to return to the root. This is the ailment of the habit-formed mind: “The human mind is perilous; the mind of the Dao is subtle.” Using the subtle to meet the perilous—how can peril not remain perilous?

Fan Jun (Fan’s “Admonition on the Heart”) said: “The heart is originally extremely subtle, yet it is besieged by all kinds of desires; how little of it can be preserved!” The noble person keeps sincerity, restrains wandering thoughts, and maintains reverence. When the heart, as sovereign of the body (the “heavenly ruler”), is settled and stable, every part of the body follows its command. Citing the past to illuminate the present aligns exactly with the internal alchemy classics (neidan jing). Ten thousand waters return to one source—how could the Great Way contradict itself? The body of the Dao is one; teachings may differ, yet all finally converge on goodness. A thousand lamps lit in one room, their light interpenetrating; nourishing qi and refining the form—none of this lies outside this single heart. When the mind is broad and the body is at ease (“pan” means comfortable and unhurried), that is the sign of entering the Way.

When the water is still, waves do not rise and the moon’s reflection is not disturbed; when the heart moves wrongly, it is like water stirred and rushing—hence turbidity. When the wind is still and the waves level, innate nature naturally rests in peace. Stillness is also like water: it clears because it returns to the source. Conceal the spirit, guard wisdom, guide the breath, gather the luminous mind, nurture the spirit through emptiness and stillness, and firmly grasp the spirit root (linggen—the root of life). What is abandoned is lost; what is held is preserved.

Heaven and earth have form; yin and yang have spirit; the wondrous transforms and begets the ten thousand things—what is precious is not giving rise to lust and desire. If people can hold to innate nature, what Way could they not understand? It is only because they cling to outer things that turmoil never ceases. Use the heart to refine nature (xing), use qi to preserve life (ming): refining the hun is called “nature,” refining the po is called “life” (the hun governs spirit, the po governs form and breath). When emotion stirs, one returns to nature; when nature is restored, one returns again to the work of life—this is the opportunity to “lay the lead” (zhu qian—establish the foundation of inner practice); more will be said later. Sweet dew moistens the heart; at the utmost of emptiness and stillness, illumination appears. Only when jing, qi, and shen are all stilled and settled do they not scatter and drift. Forget the distinctions among things, self, and others, lest gradual deviation arise. Be single-minded and unified; with sincerity, hold to the middle way (zhongdao). Practicing accordingly, the heart-mind naturally becomes clear and bright. Heaven has never spoken in words!

Confucius said: “Those who understand me will do so through the Spring and Autumn Annals; those who blame me will also do so through the Spring and Autumn Annals.” Those who have attained the Dao forget words—why need these sayings remain? They merely borrow the logic of yin and yang to liken internal alchemy (neidan) to external alchemy (waidan), and employ the spirit of the two qi—yet in truth they point to the barrier of hun and po. If one meets emotion with emotion, blood and pulse must flourish and breath must be full—then clarity and brightness arise of themselves. Heaven has never spoken in words!

Confucius said: “Those who understand me do so through the Spring and Autumn Annals (the chronicle he compiled); those who blame me do so through the Spring and Autumn Annals as well.” When the Dao has been attained, words may rightly be forgotten—so why should I leave these remarks behind? This is discourse on the principles of Yin-Yang, and on Neidan and Waidan within the body (Neidan refines and nurtures one’s own jing, qi, and shen; Waidan uses external substances in firing and refinement). What is borrowed is the numinous quality of the two qi of Yin and Yang; the crux truly lies in hun and po. When the other party meets you with feeling, blood must be abundant and qi vigorous; when I meet them with sincerity, jing must be firm and shen steadfast. If jing governs qi, yang binding a single yin produces a female—this is the Li hexagram (yang outside, yin inside). If qi governs jing, yin embracing a single yang yields a male—this is the Kan hexagram (yin outside, yang inside). Shen and qi belong to yang; without the two yin of jing and blood they cannot settle and abide. Jing and blood belong to yin; without the two yang of qi and shen they cannot be generated. When the feelings and nature of male and female do not harmonize, births are few. Jing arises from feeling; blood is nourished by qi. When jing and blood congeal together, they form the shape of an infant—combining into creation-and-transformation; the body relies on Yin-Yang, congealing into egg and embryo; shifting, shedding, and transformation depend entirely on divine accomplishment.

If one can consolidate jing, nourish qi, and govern shen, why worry about inability to generate life? The principle of ceaseless generation must begin with quieting the heart-mind. Governing shen and combining into creation-and-transformation—the body relies on Yin-Yang, congealing into egg and embryo; shifting, shedding, and transformation depend entirely on divine accomplishment.

One who can steadfastly preserve Jing (essence), skillfully nourish Qi (vital energy), and govern Shen (spirit) need not fear failing to attain longevity. The way of sustaining life must begin with settling the mind in stillness. When Shen can be gathered and not dissipated, the interplay of Yin and Yang becomes efficacious. Practice in accord with this method, and descendants may carry on the lineage. Cherish the root treasure of life; do not treat it lightly or play with it.

The “water-lead” in external alchemy (Waidan) contains the five colors within it. Before gold and water have separated, that corresponds to a still heart; when the numinous substance arises and the moon shows its “moth eyebrows” (the fine crescent of the new moon), that corresponds to movement of the heart. When cinnabar-mercury stirs, that corresponds to Hun (the yang aspect of spirit); when water-lead lies hidden in stillness, that corresponds to Po (the yin aspect of spirit). Mercury concealed within lead is Po hiding Hun; mercury emerging from lead is Hun holding Po. When the “child” steals the mother’s Qi, the body grows daily fuller; when the mother passes Qi to the child, she daily withers and declines. Thus theft and transmission alternate, and Yin and Yang cling to each other. Heaven and Earth connect and continue; only by seizing this measure of creation is it called xiantian—the source prior to formed substance—not something worldly vulgar matter can match.

Sulfur, arsenic, sal ammoniac, borax, cinnabar, and quicksilver are all the stuff of minerals and stones, the form of the houtian (what comes after form has taken shape). How could they be taken as xiantian? Refining Yin with Yin—myriad elixirs are hard to complete. Xiantian can transform houtian into usable treasure; houtian cannot transform xiantian into the efficacy of an elixir. Primordial Qi (Yuanqi) in its Wuwei (non-action) can refine the vulgar houtian body into a sage body; the houtian body, full of desires, cannot refine primordial Qi into the true. Therefore the lead and mercury in the furnace are the lead and mercury in the body.

I have a shenfu (talisman written in cinnabar), together with the method of preparing the medicine, which I transmit to you: write it beforehand with a cinnabar brush, reverently observe it each day, and at the yin hour (three to five a.m.) or mao hour (five to seven a.m.), when the decoction is ready, burn one talisman and mix its ash into the dose to drink—used to nourish the heart, drive off evil, refine Qi, and guard emptiness. This divine practice is unlike the mundane; long practice will prove itself. Do not transmit it to those unfit to receive it; treat it with caution and respect.

The True Lord (Zhenjun) said: Quieting and stabilizing one’s true nature (xing) is the root of gongfu (cultivation skill); nurturing and preserving life (ming) is the essential method of practice. When transformation (zaohua) is set in motion within emptiness and non-being (xuwu), one can turn aside the ordinary path that leads toward death.

Xing is linked to the heart-mind (xin); ming is linked to the body. The lead dragon and mercury tiger (in internal alchemy [Neidan], lead stands for primordial essence [yuan jing] and mercury for primordial spirit [yuan shen]; dragon and tiger symbolize the two) must be driven and subdued so that they rise, fall, and meet according to the seasonal nodes. Forget desires to nurture xing; empty the heart’s thoughts to nurture spirit (shen). The Supreme Lord (Taishang, Laozi) said: “Look closely at this body—it came from within emptiness.” Here, emptiness is xing. Xing is the true substance of the limitless (wuji) and the numinous clarity within grand emptiness (taixu). Once a person receives form and possesses this numinosity, it is called “xing”; once life is received from the Dao, it is called “ming.” Zisi (Confucius’s grandson) said: “What Heaven endows is called xing; walking in accord with xing is called the Dao (the Way).” Therefore, one who can fully bring xing into play can stand alongside Heaven and Earth. Xing, ming, and the Dao—how could these be three things? The Dao is xing and ming; xing and ming are the Dao.

The moment to take hold is this: xing is “at the edge of Heaven,” ming is “at the bottom of the sea.” Heaven and sea are only figures of speech. What is called jing (essence) and shen (spirit) are the foundations of xing and ming. Thus xing cannot stand without ming, and ming cannot exist without xing. When the heart-mind can be empty, xing is bright; when ming is firm, jing is generated. Maintain reverence and sincerity and settle the intention to consolidate this root; clear away discursive thought and wash the inner heart to bathe and nourish this body (in alchemy, “bathing” [ muyu ] means the gentle, unhurried tempering of the work during the nourishing phase). To nurture xing and preserve ming alike depends on xing returning to empty stillness and the heart entering non-action (wuwei); then jing naturally transforms into qi (vital energy), qi transforms into shen, and shen transforms into emptiness.

People today let xing be commanded by the heart, and the heart in turn is bound by outer things. The illuminating mind (zhao xin—the heart that can clearly reflect) is originally ever still; once it is applied, it can respond to ten thousand changes: though it moves in dealing with affairs, its root substance remains ever still. The deluded mind (wang xin) is constantly restless; even when the outer world is quiet, it gives rise to countless thoughts: though it seems still in dealing with affairs, its root substance is constantly in motion. When the illuminating mind turns back, that is the Dao; when the deluded mind chases outward, that is being enslaved by things. When the sky of the heart leaves outer things behind, the sky of xing leaves dust and defilement behind. Therefore, when the deluded mind is extinguished, the sky of xing is naturally true; when the illuminating mind is not diminished, the sky of xing is naturally clear.

Ming is linked to qi; xing is linked to shen.

Ming (life and destiny) depends on qi; xing (innate nature) depends on shen (spirit). Sink shen into the heart and gather qi in the body. When the mind is clear and discursive thought has stilled, that is enough to know ming; when thought is cut off and desire forgotten, that is enough to fulfill xing. Only with inner emptiness can one make use of outer things; only when mind and shen are quiet can one meet affairs. That human nature is originally good is what Mencius taught. Use xing to gather and restrain qing (emotion): when xing is settled, qing becomes genuine and pure, and one can see one’s original face and return life to its root (fuming guigen). Penetrate xing directly, and ming is naturally penetrated as well. Those of shallow root and limited capacity should first cultivate ming, then xing. Xing is master of the body; the body is guest. Let the body, as guest, nourish this xing and yield the seat of mastery to xing. When neither body nor mind stirs rashly, the tiger is subdued and the dragon lowered—qing and qi are restrained, shen and xing are settled—so that qing returns into xing; this is called Danxiang (the realm to which inner alchemy returns).

Refining xing is like tuning a zither string: too tight and the string breaks, too loose and there is no sound; for the instrument to play, tension must be just right. Qing arises from the heart, and the heart arises from xing. Qing is like surging waves, xing like flowing water; xing is Kunlun, the source of all transformation. The luminous awareness of xing holds the myriad forms within it. To preserve it, treat it as unseen and unheard—empty, still, and traceless, always in qingjing (clear stillness). Do not shift with custom or contend with things; whether gathering or releasing, always follow stability. Collect and conceal it, and the work of shen merges with emptiness. To know xing, first notice how it functions: in meeting all affairs, xing is not obstructed and does not lose its footing. What is called yuanshen (primordial spirit) is innate xing; what is called yushen (desiring spirit) is acquired xing. Innate xing is the root of luminous awareness; acquired xing is the form shaped by constitutional temperament. When temperament-as-xing returns to nothingness, yuan xing (primordial nature) appears of itself.

By guarding the center and reaching harmony, desire cannot shift this heart; when desire cannot shift it, qi holds to primordial unity (yuanyi); when primordial qi stays and does not scatter, shen is clear and qi flows on without break. Xing has no fixed place; ming has its own root. The root of luminous awareness lies in innate xing; acquired xing is the shape of temperament. When temperament-as-xing is absent, yuan xing is seen for what it is.

Hold fast to the central and upright, and reach harmony—then desire can no longer shake you. When desire does not stir, qi clings to and guards the original root; primordial qi stays with you and does not scatter, spirit and consciousness are clear and bright, and the breath flows on without break.

Nature (xing) has no fixed place from the start, and life (ming) has no fixed seat. When you quiet the mind and heart and work transformation and regulation, nature and life will naturally unite. Those of highest De (virtue/power) follow wuwei (non-action) and do not rely on forced seeking; when yin and yang resonate within the body, one roams together with heaven and earth. Hence Mencius said: “Those who can fully exert their heart-mind know their nature; knowing their nature, they know Heaven.” Nature manifests through principle; life depends on nature for its being. When nature is still, emotion is at ease, and one can again behold the heart of Heaven. Therefore, probing principle to the limit, fully realizing one’s nature, and on that basis settling life is like timely rain nourishing the ten thousand things—they flourish because of it. Yao and Shun rested in their own nature, governed with robes hanging and hands folded, ruling through wuwei; the world turned to them and the people were at peace—nothing more than following their inborn nature.

Students of the Way who can master the heaven of nature (xingtian—the inborn nature) and return to wuwei, merging with true emptiness—when emptiness reaches its extreme and stillness is solid and deep—the spirit will show the subtle stir of life.

The Dao embraces heaven and earth; nothing escapes nature. Nature, after all, lies only in settling and only in stillness. Do not harbor thoughts of flattery or compliance, and do not make distinctions of inside and outside. You should preserve it as the root-tie of your life (mingdi). The way of Qian (Heaven) assists the beginning of the ten thousand things, so it can bestow generation and transformation; the way of Kun (Earth) assists their completion, so it can receive and nurture. Though we say the body is formed by the gathering of essence (jing) and blood, in truth luminous spirit is produced from emptiness. A woman must harmonize menstrual blood so that blood-qi flourishes; a man must firmly guard the qi mechanism so that essence-qi congeals and settles. Whoever cannot stabilize nature—who can avoid swaying and overturning? Women’s temperament tends to be more partial; let qi be harmonized, spirit at ease, and feeling comfortable. Men’s temperament tends to be more forceful; let qi be gathered inward, spirit guarded within, and the heart-mind built firm. When the dragon and tiger are not wild, and the heart-ape and will-horse do not gallop—the dragon and tiger stand for yin-yang qi within the body, the ape and horse for restless deluded thoughts—the fear is only of falling headlong; the crux still lies in forgetting the bodily form.

The seasons of circulating refinement have their proper times; the divisions of firing (huohou—the phases and intensity of inner work) have their proper measure. When Yellow Dame (Huang Po—the inner “intent earth” at the central palace that mediates yin and yang) leads from the front, dragon and tiger naturally return to their nest. The tiger’s roar and the dragon’s flute answer each other; the two qi share the same node. When the pivot (xuanji—the hub of qi’s circulation within) turns once, the natural effect appears at once. This cannot be driven by force. When heart-ape and will-horse do not run wild, one will not stumble; what matters still is forgetting form.

Changes in climate follow fixed seasons; the distinction between yin and yang also has its proper measure. Huangpo—the mediator that harmonizes yin and yang within internal alchemy, often identified with true intention (zhenyi)—leads from the center, and qi naturally returns to its nest (the dantian). Tiger and Dragon answer each other; the two qi match and circulate like the pivot of the heavens (xuanji), and the natural work of creation appears at once. Qi must not float upward—if it rises, it scatters; nor must it sink downward—if it sinks, it falls away. Follow it with your original nature, and yin and yang will come of themselves.

Refine mind and spirit, guard essence and qi, and do not indulge desire. When desire lessens, the foundation holds; only then does practice bear fruit. Do not fear weakness in yang affairs; fear only scattered feeling. When feeling splits, spirit disperses and essence leaks outward with it. Therefore to preserve essence you must first nourish spirit; when spirit stays firm and lasting, essence too becomes solid and clear. Ordinary people do not grasp this and rely on drugs to bolster yang, thinking that unless the medicine is hot, yang has nothing to cling to—yet they do not see that when hot medicine enters the belly, qi disperses with the heat and essence flies away with it. This is not the true path but a foolish course toward death; students must utterly renounce it.

Within lead lies gold—that is the qi of emptiness (xuwu zhi qi, the pre-heaven single qi). If you miss the moment of gathering, the gold scatters and cannot coalesce. Lead wraps gold and water together in confusion. Only when water is still can gold be generated; as lead qi subsides, mercury grows. Those whose nature is clear and quiet practice daily; gold is retained and turbid water gradually dries up. If you do not inspect the firing times, when the water is gone the gold will also disperse. The bit of yang within lead is the Dragon, the true fire in Kan; the bit of yin within mercury is the Tiger, the true water in Li. Yin pressing yang makes it rise—like the tiger descending while the dragon leaps out—hence the saying “the moon appears in the Geng direction” (west, where one yang first shows). When the dragon is caught in the earth net and the sun stands at noon, the tiger emerges from the heaven net. Deluded people in the world burn lead to ash, call it “dead lead,” and still hope to use it to subdue dry mercury—yet they do not know that the gold qi in the lead is already gone, leaving only dust; how could that tame common cinnabar-water and refine the supreme treasure?

The verse says: “If you wish the mercury to ‘die,’ you must first ‘kill’ the mercury. If the mercury does not ‘die,’ how can you ‘kill’ the mercury?” What must die is the postnatal, ordinary mercury; what must die first is the gold contained in congenital lead. Lead belongs to water, so this gold is also called immortal mercury (xianshuiyin). After the immortal mercury has formed the elixir embryo (dantai) and shed the form of lead, the work of the nine revolutions (jiuzhuan) is complete, essence and spirit coalesce, it no longer flies away and scatters, and like something dead it is taken from the furnace—ordinary mercury, at the sight of it, is fixed along with it. If the yin phase (yinfu) of the immortal mercury has not yet withdrawn, dregs remain impure, and there is still risk of sinking or flying off—how then could postnatal ordinary mercury be fixed? People who do not understand this principle act rashly and recklessly, ruin their households, and never grasp the subtle transformations of external alchemy (waidan)—refining the elixir outside the body with furnace, crucible, and medicinals.

Section Five: On Nourishing Qi

The True Lord said: The Supreme One (Taishang, Laozi) once said, “Concentrate the qi and attain softness, be like an infant.” Primordial Qi (yuanqi) unfolds within the body; through spirit (shen) its function is displayed. Spirit is fire, and fire is the heart-mind. When a person chases desires, fire disperses with the breath and falls into guest qi (keqi)—disturbing, external influences—so the bodily form grows dim, one is carried through outer conditions, loses the root, cannot be self-mastering, and sinks into entanglements with circumstances. If the student can turn back within, look inward and become still, and guard the embryo breathing (taixi) in silent, continuous steadiness (wuwu mianmian), following the way heaven moves, they can turn and carry the myriad things. What is called nourishing qi is the “flood-like qi” (haoran zhi qi) of which Mencius spoke— utmost great and firm; nourish it by the upright path and do not harm it, and it can fill heaven and earth. Could there be a second kind of qi to stand beside it? Run along the correct road without ceasing, and transformation completes itself. Therefore in the heart-mind one neither forgets it nor forcefully assists it. Cultivate according to this principle, and qi can be fully formed.

Form does not generate itself; what generates form is qi. Qi does not generate itself either; what generates qi is the Dao. The Yijing says: “Without haste, yet swift; without walking, yet arriving.” What the elixir scriptures call the “three passes” (the three barrier points through which qi must pass in internal alchemy) can only be understood—they cannot be forced through by main strength. People who cultivate blindly today shut themselves indoors to refine qi; when qi cannot transform, toxic swellings appear one after another.

Look at how heaven’s operation never rests. Spring birth and autumn gathering are kinds resonating with each other through borrowed qi. When people do not follow heaven’s movement but rely on their own whims to guess and speculate—sitting to gather spirit, grasping essence and swallowing breath—they do not know that within sitting, every kind of worldly dust and disturbance is stirring and tugging at them. Even if closing the eyes brings momentary quiet, as soon as they leave meditation (can) they are confused and scattered; the moment they see the shapes and colors of outer things, habitual mind returns. Nourishing qi this way, hair gradually turns white and the complexion gradually withers yellow and fades.

Those who study the profound Way must preserve and nurture the body. Whether walking or sitting at rest, let qi constantly command shen; the moment shen rushes outward, immediately draw it back, to stabilize the root of origin and return to one’s own heart aperture—and then use qi to command jing.

The Embryonic Breathing Scripture (Taixi Jing), a Daoist classic on embryonic breathing, says: The embryo arises from hidden Qi; Qi in turn condenses within the formed embryo. When Qi enters the body, it is called life; when Shen leaves the form, it is called death. Where Shen moves, Qi moves; where Shen rests, Qi rests. One who can master them finds Shen and Qi naturally at rest. Begetting and transforming without claiming possession, acting without taking credit—only in non-attachment does true vitality appear. Use Shen to guide Qi: only stillness, only emptiness. Like a silkworm in its cocoon, Qi lies hidden within; in time it transforms and becomes a moth. If a person can conceal Shen within, how could one not ascend? Body and mind clinging to illusion is empty talk. When the true heart does not stir, true Qi naturally stabilizes; when intention does not chase external conditions, Shen is naturally clear; when the body is not pulled by sensual desire, Jing is naturally preserved. Jing that does not stir from sensual desire is called “preservation”; if one only speaks of it, it remains empty words. When the true heart does not stir, true Qi is self-secure; when intention does not follow conditions, Shen is self-luminous; when the body does not move in sensual color, Jing is self-long-lasting. Jing that does not beget sensual desire is preservation; Qi that does not dissipate on external things is solidity; Shen that does not chase external conditions is naturally luminous. Qi that neither separates nor changes recklessly can preserve the form; when Qi scatters and perishes, the form immediately collapses. A person is nothing but a mass of pus and blood—where is any root? Rotting at every moment, sinking in vain. Therefore Qi is master of the form and can generate being from non-being. To return to the source, what must be guarded is embryonic breathing (Taixi)—breath so fine and deep it is like breath in the womb: firmly hold emptiness to nourish Shen and Qi, gather back essence, absorb the finest in fluids, and follow Qi in transformation, descending and ascending. Heaven descends with Yin; earth rises with Yang; use the dragon to restrain the tiger, and the tiger receives the dragon’s submission. Heart corresponds to heaven, kidneys to earth; the two Qis follow each other. The dragon belongs to fire, the tiger to metal—in internal alchemy these are two kinds of Qi, not real animals—and neither runs wild. Gently and quietly warm and nourish; there is no fixed direction, yet there is its method. When Qi is harmonious, Shen is harmonious; when Shen is harmonious, Qi gathers inward; hidden and not unrestrained, it becomes jade nectar (the precious fluid of inner refinement). Use the dragon to control the tiger; the tiger receives the dragon’s descent; heart of heaven and kidneys of earth—two Qis in mutual follow; dragon fire and tiger metal—two things not mad. Gently warm and nourish; no fixed position, yet there is its pattern. Qi harmonious, Shen harmonious; Shen harmonious, Qi stored; stored and not asserting, transformed into jade nectar, then again transformed into Qi. Qi penetrates three places: the kidneys, the heart, and the region of the hundred meetings (Baihui at the crown). The ascent and descent of Qi take these as their direction. Do not force it with intention—once you seek, fire flares up; do not let intention scatter—once scattered, water overflows. The subtle mystery is utmost fine; it cannot be sought through the form; seeking from the form is not the path of the Dao.

The essential point lies here: one should silently comprehend it and keep it in the heart. One must gain something from the Dao and not use a mind of calculation to cling to it or get stuck in it. Guan Yinzi (a figure traditionally associated with Daoism in the Spring and Autumn period) said “turn back your outward tracks and accord with the Dao”—withdraw the mind from outward chasing and align with the Way. Confucius said “restrain yourself and return to your original substance”—discipline the self and come back to the innate bodily constitution. Only when one can act in this way does one truly understand how to nurture qi (vital energy).

When emotional and discursive thoughts arise, gather them in and return to original nature—this is the “inverse” (ni) direction. When the yang partner leads and the yin follows and yin and yang unite in harmony—this is the “compliant” (shun) direction. A flute has no sound of its own; only when qi is blown through it does it sound. A womb has no fixed form at first; only when qi gathers and condenses does an embryo take shape. Within the human way—the path of yin and yang between husband and wife—what matters is to bring the two qi into contact and union: neither cutting them off from each other nor deliberately fixating on appearances. The Dao of the inner elixir (Neidan) and the human way are simply the same affair pursued in the inverse and the compliant directions. For the two qi not to be lost, one must first regulate them so that the breath flows on continuously and steadily, using settled breathing as the measure of control. The yin side must first be aroused and activated; only then does the yang arrive. When the partner’s desire is already full, one may apply the restraint and mastery appropriate to union; at the same time one subdues body and mind and does not let essence (jing) be recklessly squandered.

Above, one must recognize the right heavenly timing; below, one must observe favorable terrain. To align with the celestial mechanism, one must first choose suitable conditions: a proper bodily form, a pleasing countenance, a gentle disposition, and a level, easy mind. With these in place, laying the foundation in practice has something to rest on, and the “water of the foundation” can be relied upon. It is like a long drought and fierce heat when the crops in the field are already withered: when rain comes, if it has not yet fallen in full measure and then stops—on soil that is moist and receptive, the crops revive and grow; on soil that is dry and unreceptive, the crops are baked and wilt instead. Only with morning and evening tending is the soil truly nourished; if one abandons it, it turns wild and offers nothing to depend on.

Among formulas handed down in the world, the Renzi Pill (a traditional tonic named from the stem ren and branch zi) is considered suitable. The pivot by which Qian and Kun turn is none other than the way of husband and wife; if people follow it, posterity can continue. But one must nurture qi in order to return to original yuan qi. If qi is not nurtured, essence becomes unstable and scattered. One must cherish spirit (shen), use shen to command qi, and use qi in turn to nourish jing. When jing is not spent outwardly but is firmly kept within the body, and one guards this “center” without losing it, that is the root of the mandate of Heaven (Tianming). Cultivated in the inverse direction one can become a sage; carried out in the compliant direction it is giving birth and living as a human being.

The Book of Changes says: “When the gentleman cultivates it, there is good fortune; when the petty person goes against it, there is misfortune.” The body is used to condense qi, and qi is used to nourish the body. Yang without yin cannot generate, and yin without yang cannot transform. Mercury and the dragon lean toward function and are prone to fly up and show themselves; lead and the tiger lean toward form and are prone to hide deep and remain concealed. Dragon-mercury, transformed by fire, tends to scatter and be lost; it must rely on tiger-lead and water to gather it in. Lead-tiger, stored in the hidden and lying dormant, must rely on the vaporizing fire of mercury to draw it forth.

What is meant by “drawing off lead and adding mercury”? How could lead be forcibly drawn out? After long refinement it returns on its own—because yang long endures and returns, yin turns into qi, and lead need not wait for anyone to draw it. When people say “mercury can wither lead,” they do not mean cooking lead to death and mercury to dryness; they mean that if one does not forcibly draw lead, lead withdraws and transforms by itself. As for adding mercury—from where would it be added from outside? After long refinement it returns to substantial form; because yin long supports it, yang receives it and becomes the solid, and mercury need not wait to be added—it establishes its root on its own. When people say “the mother can nourish the child,” they do not mean ending with withered lead and dry mercury; they mean that if one does not add mercury from outside, mercury replenishes itself. External alchemy (Waidan), too, is nothing more than the two qi answering each other and joining to complete the work.

Section 6: Consolidating Lead

This “true” [substance] is what comes into being when yin qi has long been assisting and yang receives and completes the bodily form. Mercury need not be added from outside; on its own it can establish its foundation. The saying “the mother can nourish the child” only means that when lead withers, mercury dries as well. So it is not that a person adds mercury, but that mercury adds itself. Waidan (external alchemy—the method of refining medicinals in furnace fire) is likewise nothing but yin and yang qi answering to each other and joining to form [the elixir].

The True Lord said: Lead is the root of life (ming), presiding within the body. If mind-nature is not yet pure and true, one borrows it to apply effort. One must examine one’s constitutional qi, gather and refine that single root sprout, and consolidate it. The elixir is born in the Northern Sea (the north belongs to water—the kidneys), corresponding to the hexagram Zhun (Water over Thunder); the medicinal seed is sown in the Southern Palace (the south belongs to fire—the heart), matching the hexagram Meng (Mountain over Water). The two qi respond to each other, and the myriad transformations all arise from this.

The True Person lies hidden in the deep abyss; only when kindred [forces] respond does he move accordingly. Kidney qi passes to the liver, liver qi passes to the heart; heart qi turns into fluid, and the fluid captures golden essence. The golden toad emits light, the red serpent coils upon it, the white tiger pursues outer things, and the green dragon drives it. The essence within lead has no fixed place; once it follows desire and scatters, it falls to one side. Shen (spirit) originally knows neither birth nor death, yet because of clinging to outer things it is spoiled. The heart is where shen dwells; the kidneys are where jing (essence) lodges. Huangting (the central cavern in the body) and the qi acupoint are the names of the cauldron and furnace. Fine channels link to one another; in trance it seems still there. Seek the formless within the formed—see nature by borrowing life: this is the true root of nature. Seek the formed within the formless—see life by borrowing nature: hence it is called empty mind (xuxin). Nature is heaven’s endowment, accomplished naturally; life is the spiritual pivot in the physical form—one must nurture and consolidate lead in the sea within the body. From heaven (the upper region) one takes mercury, transforms the essence of lead, and returns it into mercury. Jing arises from stillness, yet is also stirred by activity. Heart-fluid carries fire and descends to the kidney palace; kidney fire shines in stillness, and a point of yang qi steams upward. Riding the gathering of qi it rises, winding back along the channels; the hundred bones throughout the body are penetrated, shen is housed securely, and jing becomes clear and bright. This is like heaven sending down yin qi: at the summer solstice generation begins; through autumn into winter yin reaches its extreme and yang returns within the earth. Yang lies hidden long; when qi is full it must rise—suddenly it stirs, and the ten thousand things sprout with it. The lead and mercury here are not the metals of daily life, but the yin-yang medicinals spoken of in Neidan (internal alchemy) within the body.

Heaven’s operation unfolds within the body; its subtle workings are dense and profound. When Qi does not leak outward but stays rooted in the earth as its foundation, the human body corresponds to Heaven and Earth. With reverence the inner mind is kept upright, and one can align with Heaven and Earth. Simply remain tranquil and empty, preserving the primordial true Qi; hold the spirit in silent watchfulness, and in time success comes naturally. When the spirit rests in Wuwei (non-action), Qi rises and falls on its own. Therefore regulate food and drink, for fear of harming the Shen (spirit); cease lust and sexual desire, for fear of losing Jing (essence). When Jing is still and Shen is clear, Qi flows smoothly through the meridians: it arises from the Northern Sea (the region of kidney water), is gathered into the Southern Palace (the region of heart fire), then returned to the Yellow Court (the middle Dantian), mingling with the myriad spirits. Use intention to connect and turn toward empty stillness. Below the body are the two kidneys; beneath the tongue are two openings; there is also the Divine Water of the Flowery Pool (saliva in the mouth) and the Primordial Lord of the Purple Mansion (the sovereign of the spirit in the Purple Mansion).

The Most High said: “The Divine Water of the Flowery Pool descends to nourish the spiritual root.” If you cultivate in this way, life and nature can endure long. Do not cling to existence, nor one-sidedly hold to non-existence. Guard Jing until it transforms into Qi, and the spirit furnace forms by itself. The spirit fire refines downward to burn away impurity; refined essence floats upward; the two Qis unite, cultivating from being toward non-being. Like a dragon tending its pearl, you must apply it again and again with diligence before spiritual responsiveness grows sharp; like a hen brooding eggs, covering them with gentle warmth until gestation is complete. This is the beginning of receiving the embryo and the root of returning to life and nature. Fire comes to refine; water gives birth; Yin descends and Yang rises.

Heart fire belongs to Yang, yet its fluid belongs to Yin; kidney water belongs to Yin, yet its refined essence belongs to Yang. The Kan trigram is Yin wrapping Yang; the Li trigram is Yang wrapping Yin. Thunder rises from within water—Yin within that holds Yang; water flows upon the mountain—Yang within that holds Yin. Water tends downward and settles—this is the heart submitting to the kidney; thunder can mount heaven—this is the kidney submitting to the heart. The crux of heart and kidney lies in gathering these two Qis. If you seek only the visible heart and kidneys, you are instead pulled along by things. When Shen never leaves Qi and Qi never dissipates Jing, Shen, Jing, and Qi become one, and longevity is possible. When you can forge this “lead” (the true Yang essence in inner refinement), both form and spirit are fully complete: the spirit flies to the upper realm while the body remains in the human world. If you cannot hold fast, Qi scatters and the form is ruined, leaving only a sack of pus and blood—and all cultivation and insight come to nothing.

When fire is too arid, the inner elixir—the vital life nurtured within the body—is harmed; when water is too excessive, efficacy is hard to achieve. Both the yin and yang sides must be gathered in due measure; only when mind and intent align does affection run deep. The partner should be empty enough to receive, while you yourself stay full. Emptiness alone can respond to what comes from outside; fullness alone can sow the seed of life. A firm seed lets the sprout emerge; loose soil lets the myriad things flourish. At the time when menstrual flow has ceased and blood qi is depleted, if within three days red blood still pours freely, the “spring work” of conception is hard to see. One should welcome heaven’s spreading and issuing: yin qi arrives in its season, and yang qi takes it up and holds it. If a man’s desire is excessive and his mind drifts, it is like endless rain—reckless release without restraint—and the vital force rots. If a woman’s temperament is too hasty, it is like drought and scorching heat; once water meets her and she awakens, life force may surge abundantly. When blood receives essence, the embryo forms bone; when essence is given to blood, the embryo becomes flesh. Flesh and blood belong to yin; bone and essence belong to yang. Yin holds the form of yang; yang enfolds the radiance of yin. Within the man is yin; within the woman is yang. Blood can transform and bone can endure—how could essence be an ordinary thing! If one can return essence and reverse its circulation, the body need not decay.

The immortals cherished essence and only then reached the immortal realm. Indulgence and blazing desire scatter the corporeal soul and stretch the spirit—willingly becoming a soil-bound ghost, empty and lost in confusion. “Do not stir your essence; do not wear out your body”—words of the Supreme One; who will heed them? I speak today not to discuss lust, nor to jest about pleasure quarters; my heart is not in the dust of the world. Even grasses and trees can continue life; if the human way cannot be handed on, one treats the loss of posterity too lightly. Cultivate yin and yang qi within, accumulate hidden merit (yingong) without, restrain anger and block greed, nourish spirit and store essence. Act thus, and why doubt success? When yang is deficient, supplement yang; when yin blood is out of balance, regulate the menses—regulation and supplementation rely on medicine to complete the work.

I gather the world’s cultivation methods to nourish and sustain life; they must be guarded with care and must not be shown to those unworthy to receive them. Metal originally gives birth to lead; placed in water it does not wet—this responds to the Hexagram Zhun (initial sprouting). Earth arises from metal; placed in fire it does not scatter—this responds to the Hexagram Meng (nurturing and teaching). The Northern Sea produces lead; the Southern Palace gives birth to mercury—both rooted in water and earth, the subtle interplay of yin and yang. When water is fully depleted, metal appears, as when a child leaves the womb; kindred seek one another and, when called, come together.

Foxes and hares are not horses; can swallows and sparrows be phoenixes? The foolish of the world toy blindly with metal and stone. Refining metal relies on fire to transform its nature; gentle fire and intense fire must both be applied before one can leave the defiled cavern. To nurture metal one uses the cauldron (the vessel of cultivation) to raise the infant, then applies gentle warming until the sacred embryo forms. Golden light enfolds all; the precious moon hangs in the sky—such is the inner vision: the work of “building lead,” through ten months of transformation, with the Celestial River Chariot (qi circulation) turning day and night.

This inner cavern is precisely using the cauldron to nurture metal, raise the infant, warm and form the sacred embryo. Golden light enfolds all; the precious moon hangs in the sky—the inner vision is the work of building lead, ten months of change, the Celestial River Chariot turning day and night.

The principle here is the foundation of fixing mercury (making mercury stable), and also the method of cultivation; Pengzi (Peng Zu) was already close to this. It is the granary stipend of the Supreme Lord (Heavenly Emperor), the salary of immortals. Without merit and conduct, who would dare hold it? If not struck by heaven’s punishment, it is handed over to thunder for execution; merit may still be secretly taken away, and ahead lie a thousand wrong paths. One may hear of it by ear alone—one must not force the practice. When merit is complete and conduct full, one will naturally meet with guidance and uplift.

The True Lord (an honorific for an immortal who has attained the Dao) said: What is meant by “entering emptiness” is to empty all outward circumstances so that they can no longer disturb you; to empty all forms and appearances so that they can no longer delude you; to empty all desires so that they can no longer invade you; to empty all things so that they can no longer act upon you. Empty body and mind together to cultivate the foundation of spirit (Shen); empty Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) together to return to the true mechanism—the original vitality inherent in life. Whatever you see or hear, regard it with the eye of emptiness. The foundation within emptiness is exceedingly subtle.

The Supreme Lord (Taishang Laojun, i.e., Laozi) said: There is something that arose in undifferentiated unity, existing before Heaven and Earth. Silent and vast, it stands alone without change, circulates everywhere without ceasing. Dim and indistinct—within it are images and substance; in the dark obscurity there is also the subtle. This is spirit-nature held within nothingness.

Yanzi (Yan Hui, disciple of Confucius) said: The more you look up, the higher it seems; the more you probe, the firmer it seems—seeming to be ahead, then suddenly behind again.

The Yi (Book of Changes) calls it Qian Yuan (the originating qi symbolized by the hexagram Qian); Buddhism calls it true emptiness. That aperture within the void is called Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate). It was originally beyond naming; in truth it arises from “non-being.” The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) all return to it; the ordinances of the seven luminaries (Sun, Moon, and the five planets Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) accord with it.

The Supreme Lord also said: Do not look, do not listen—embrace and guard spirit and remain still; without sound, without odor, keep the “One” single-mindedly within.

When the heart aligns with subtle principle, once the heart grows perilous, worldly dust follows. Only by being unperturbed amid peril can one discern the subtle. Subtle principle can sink or soar; subtle sound is like a flute without holes playing, a zither without strings sounding. The subtle substance can make stone men speak and wooden horses neigh in the wind. This means that when stillness is cultivated to the utmost, one knows the subtle emptiness: emptiness that is not dead void—the wonder lies in the aperture and the mechanism (the inner pivotal gate and point of activation). This can be observed in daily life: when the ears are clear, the aperture within the ear has its wonder; when the eyes see far, the aperture within the eye has its wonder—and that is your Shen (spirit). The marvel is not in the ears or eyes themselves, but in Shen entering the aperture. The aperture of your heart can gather Shen back; the six gates (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) no longer race outward, and the seven emotions no longer arise.

Refine Shen until it returns to emptiness, and thus restore your spiritual root. This root is not something that exists as a solid object; it is the numinous clarity you possessed before birth. Only emptiness can transform, and only transformation can complete Shen; the Shen that does not settle on ordinary conscious mind is called true Shen. When it disperses it becomes Qi; when it gathers it becomes the true. What Zengzi (a disciple of Confucius) meant by “the one thread running through all,” and what Yanzi (Yan Hui) meant by “lǚ kōng” (kōng read in the level tone: the heart constantly empty)—that is the same point. Buddhist scriptures also say: the root of birth and death over countless kalpas—what is called “coming” is essence within emptiness; the subtle function of empty essence can harmonize with the myriad kinds of beings. The sutras also say: look and you do not see me, listen and you do not hear; leave behind all partial views and attachments, and that is called the wondrous Dao.

Ordinary people lose Shen and vainly wish to transform outer things, yet do not recognize the pivot of transformation, so they themselves are turned into things instead. Hence it is said: a child plays with a shadow and is played with by the shadow; a madman insults a painted image and is shamed by the image. These four lines come from Master Tan (Tan Qiao), Book of Transformation. If one does not understand true emptiness, what benefit is there?

Within this body of mine, the outburst of joy and anger, the sway of grief and pleasure, and being pulled off course by outer things—all are my illness. Turn the body into emptiness and let the body follow emptiness in transforming: what joy, what anger, what pleasure, what grief remain? Those who cannot enter emptiness are simply obscured by their own dust. Qi shows spirit through sound; awareness shows spirit through dreams; in the stillness of empty realm, one is no longer bound by the physical form. Empty upon empty, to the utmost limit—it is like sleep and dreams, seeing and hearing are gone; this can be called the return of Shen. Remain thus in oneness for several days, and the pivot of wisdom begins to turn. Inner and outer become clear and penetrating, the body is renewed, five-colored light appears on the person—this is the foundation of leaving yin turbidity behind, like a dragon changing its bones or a snake shedding its skin. Accumulate this over time, and you will neither move nor waver.

Then you may feel Qi rising upward like wind and rain in torrent; sweet moisture wells under the tongue, a jade pillar flows from the nose (what neidan scriptures call clear nasal discharge), the eyes emit light, warmth in the Dantian (energy center), then gradually rising as if a fierce wind lifts the ground, steaming up to Níwán (the upper Dantian at the crown)—one seems drunk or dazed. In the belly it is as if cloth is tearing, in the ears as if thunder rolls; pain above and below as if piercing bone and threading sinew; the sound of a thousand war drums and ten thousand waves together. The whole body burns like fire, red above and below, flowing through the hundred bones, circulating through the entire person, entering emptiness and reaching harmony. These signs are all recorded in alchemical classics. After obtaining them, go further still: the “zhōutiān” firing sequence (the practice in which Qi circulates along the governing and conception vessels while mastering advance and retreat of the “fire”) enters the body from here. Awakening from chaos, one re-establishes Heaven and Earth anew; the day of ascent and flight will come of itself—this cultivation will not be in vain. What you have gained today, do not treat lightly.

There is no pregnancy that cannot be formed through the father, and no birth that cannot be brought forth through the mother. Plants and trees all grow; every thing has its own seed. The so-called “response of the katydid” (the katydid is an insect that reproduces in great numbers; the ancients used it as a metaphor for flourishing descendants)—how could that be empty talk?

The treatise says: “Solitary yin cannot give life; solitary yang cannot bring completion.” Without yin, yang has nothing to attach to; what it attaches to is qi (vital energy). Without yang, yin has no master to follow; what it follows is jing (essence) (jing, qi, and shen discussed below are the three fundamentals of the human body in Daoism). Refining jing through emptiness (xu), jing becomes firm; refining qi through emptiness, qi becomes vigorous. Although jing is stored in the kidneys, responding with emptiness allows it to transform and generate, without the harm of lustful desire. Although qi governs the body, responding with emptiness allows it to flourish, without one side drying up and losing balance. Qi makes the blood flourish; shen (spirit) governs jing. Practicing while holding to emptiness is the true subtle efficacy of stillness and entering into emptiness.

Though passion joins in union, when working with qi one places the mind on outward visualization; though the bodies unite, shen rests calmly and quickly withdraws. When the man’s heart is already delighted and the woman’s mind is also joyful, one receives her yin water (the woman’s yin essence and fluid) to strengthen and augment the yang light (namely yang qi). When the fluids flow and one notices the moment of hurried breathing through the nose, yang takes charge, shifting shen, and causes qi to enter the scrotum. In the world there are also cases where both partners’ affection reaches its peak at the same time and the two qi harmonize beautifully, so that twins are conceived—this is not considered unusual.

Ordinary people cling to delusion and do not know restraint. They exhaust their Jing (essence) in craving: their complexion turns sallow, their form withers, their spirit wears down inwardly, and both body and Shen (spirit) grow weak and listless. This is the drag of turbid depletion. If one can hold to Jing, nourish emptiness and stillness, curb desire, and wait for the right moment, one may not only have children but also extend the root of life. You now face the world’s confusion; take this as a warning—do not treat a jewel like mud. To enter the realm of long life together would be a fine thing. To cling to these things and lose one’s life is to willingly become a lowly ghost.

In Neidan (internal alchemy), lead (symbolizing pre-heaven Jing) is refined through the nine cauldrons (nine stages of firing in the vessel); each cauldron has its pivot. Within this, true and false lead follow two paths. Use thirty parts soft fire (gentle, slow firing) to govern Qi (vital energy), and seventy parts martial fire (strong firing) to build the foundation. Transformations within give rise to all phenomena. Without the subtle art of nurturing warmth, how can one match the fineness of the void aperture (the empty locus where Qi gathers)? What is gathered is true lead, pearl-like in form, residing within “water lead”—hence it is said to issue from the kidney palace (the kidneys, storehouse of Jing). After shedding the shell, wondrous change produces yellow sprout (the first sprout of the elixir)—hence it is called “returning to where it belongs.” Mercury (symbolizing volatile heart-fluid) is like a snake, quick to change; it must be repeatedly restrained by lead so it does not scatter. Lead is like a tortoise, prone to sink; it must be bound and steered by mercury so it does not run off. Adding and withdrawing (adjusting medicinals and fire) should show signs like a water clock’s drip; coming and going should resemble the moon’s wax and wane. Though lead is already true, it is not yet refined to the end; without fire phases (the rhythm of advancing and retreating in firing), the form cannot shine—it cannot pass to sons, still less to grandsons. Before this, the nine cauldrons’ embryo transcendence yields a truly empty, numinous body; each cauldron is kept alive by mother Qi (the Qi that gestates the elixir embryo)—only then is attainment complete.

Embryo Transcendence, Section Eight

The True Monarch (Zhenjun—Patriarch Lü Dongbin) said: When fetal breathing (inner breath in stillness, fine and continuous as if present yet absent) is settled, the inner light is Shen. When harmonious Qi responds, emptiness at the utmost becomes truth. In trance and dim awareness, Qi circulates. Before this, the nine cauldrons’ embryo transcendence yields a body of true emptiness; each cauldron is nourished and preserved by mother Qi—only then is attainment gained.

The Perfected One (the immortal who has attained perfection) said: Once fetal breath (breathing as fine and subtle as an infant's in the womb) is settled, the light within the body transforms into spirit. The harmonious qi responds in kind; at the utmost of emptiness and stillness, one may attain true perfection. In the state of trance and dim awareness, qi fills and transforms into spirit. Yang essence manifests in form; suddenly the body feels light, transcending one's ancestors, rising together. When merit is complete and the Way is fully cultivated, the heavenly decree arrives; one mounts a crane and flies, one's name listed among the isles of Penglai and Yingzhou (paradise isles of immortals).

The Most High (Taishang Laojun) said: "To cultivate the Way, one must first be able to let go of worldly affairs; not clinging to any single method, yet keeping the heart always at rest. Once the heart is settled, above there is no covering, below there is no foundation." Mencius therefore said: "Vast and able to transform and nurture—this is called sagehood; sagehood so profound it cannot be fathomed—this is called spirit." This shows you how to shed the husk: let the physical form merge with emptiness, recognize the place of deep stillness and solidity, understand the pivot of wuwei (non-action), and master the wondrous use of the Three Passes (the three gates along the back: weilü, jiaji, and yuzhen). Establish the domain of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate). Replace knowing with not-knowing, recognition with non-recognition, hearing with non-hearing, action with non-action. Before you were born, was there ever a single thing? Once born into the world, the body enslaves you; myriad attachments arise, along with love, desire, greed, and anger. Arrogance, vanity, self-satisfaction, and ease—these habits transform the heart. Confucians call this "selfish desire"; Buddhists call it "net of obstruction"; Daoists call it "yin affliction" (the burden of turbid yin). Cast these off at once; they cling to the root of the thought "I." They were never truly mine; as things shift and change, let go of emotional attachment. Cut this habit as one slices a lotus root in two—no thread left connected; the heart must be fierce and decisive. As when the body has not yet been born, heart and body do not exist—what is there to cling to? Awakening suddenly, one turns away from the world's realms; the Four Elements (earth, water, fire, wind that compose the flesh) are nothing but pus and blood, like filth and dung—the eyes cannot bear to look, the nose cannot bear to smell. To sever all this in one stroke is called " resolving the heart." Once the heart is resolved, the entanglements of qi find rest; spirit is hidden within qi, spirit sinks and qi congeals—then one powerfully commands numinous clarity, splits open primordial chaos, light fills the Grand Clarity, pervading the ten directions, even shattering empty space. A single staff props up heaven and earth; a formless circle wraps the shape of heaven and earth—empty yet still, neither death nor life; spirit roams the eight directions (the farthest reaches in every direction), dwelling in the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing, the highest realm of Dao). Shedding the mortal husk, spirit is transformed; the body is refined and a form remains: the form still walks the world, yet spirit has ascended the Jade Court (heavenly palace). Speaking this supreme Way is to help you penetrate the true realm; when merit and practice are complete in the future, you will naturally be lifted and ascend.

All things may appear empty, yet they all emerge from “being”; what has form originally rests on what has no form. From the formless, spirit-intelligence arises; when father and mother unite, this single Nature (one’s true human nature) comes into being.

It is only because people are sunk in desire that they do not know how to gather in and restrain the spirit; they pour their true nature recklessly into love and lust. Those with resolve turn back and look inward at the roots of Foundation (Ji) and Life (Ming).

Ji is the vital energy from the father’s side; Life (Ming) is the embryo formed through the mother. The spiritual spark in the womb condenses from the Great Void. At the outset one must long and patiently refine Shen (spirit), firmly grasp and hold the Golden Essence (Jing, the pre-heaven refined qi), so that vitality spreads like spring filling the steps of a courtyard. If one indulges at the sight of spring, the fire nature turns harsh and dry, and the Spirit Elixir (the inner elixir of cultivation) can hardly be sustained.

One must be like the ten months in the womb, nurturing with embryo and talisman phases (gentle firing, slowly tending); the rule takes Zhun and Meng (the opening hexagrams of the Book of Changes, standing for birth and tender nurture) as its pattern. Each cycle of forming and transforming the embryo follows the same principle: one must ceaselessly nourish true nature.

Thus, after three years, the sacred work matures in stillness; one must also pity the poor and relieve distress, building merit. Alignment with the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) is the original root; these methods are set down in alchemical scriptures and may be taken up in practice.

The logic of advancing fire and retreating talismans (raising Yang fire, withdrawing Yin talismans according to the firing schedule)—when has it ever strayed from Yin-Yang? People in the world bandy post-heaven formulas and cheat wealthy families into their snares. Fools without discernment only envy others’ powerful arts, not seeing that one who has made himself king will hardly hand over the realm to someone else.

There must be a mother before there can be a child; how can a side-path “mother” match the real one? Pre-heaven and post-heaven are what Heaven separates; the matter stands opposed by nature and cannot be judged like ordinary things.

Silver is a post-heaven Yin thing; how could mercury and cinnabar be purely Yang in substance? Touch the furnace fire and they fly off and scatter—everyone is bewitched, families ruined. Without the true mother, true lead-qi (the “true lead” of inner alchemy) cannot coalesce—that is what is meant by gold under water (true gold hidden in water). Taking silver as the root of the mother is entirely the deceit of those who practice Waidan (external alchemy in the furnace).

“Having a mother yet no effect” means exactly this. The principle is plainly written in the classics. To discuss the Golden Valley (gold, silver, and worldly riches) at leisure is the final verdict on Waidan (refining stone and mineral drugs in the furnace).

When the master’s judgment was complete, heavenly fragrance grew thick and auspicious qi drifted above the hermitage (the quiet chamber for cultivation). Cranes called from the clouds; rosy light shone on the courtyard hangings; golden flowers and precious radiance covered the seats, and one strange auspicious sign after another appeared. The whole village kowtowed in wonder, calling the event rare beyond measure, then bowed in thanks and withdrew.

Xijiang Yue (a lyric tune): six pieces in all. The first two set forth the way of husband and wife; the last four use metaphor to show the power of Waidan (refining the elixir outside the body), in line with the scripture above—eight “grades” in total. If students turn them over again and again with care, they will find their own gain. Treasure them and keep them secret, so you do not betray my sincere wish to expound the teaching and deliver people. The first grade is the scripture; the other seven explain its meaning. Do not pass them rashly to the unworthy, lest slander follow. Beware—beware!

Heavenly Emperor Secret Incantation

Heaven gives birth to the cloud-dragon; the root of the Dao rises upward. It spreads fierce, upright qi and shines in Taiqing (the highest clarity among the Three Pure Realms). It aids the correct Way and keeps action fair and level. The Liu Jia (Six Jia spirit-generals) reach the original source; the form surpasses the nine heavens. Blessing and rank extend to descendants—first from one’s own true nature, then to the human sovereign (renhuang), so that people hold it in awe and gain long life. Liu Ding (Six Ding spirit-generals) and the Nine Qi (nine kinds of pre-heaven true breath; qi here means pre-heaven vital breath) are truly fulfilled in secret. Reverence to the end brings good fortune; the honored name of vast Heaven (Haotian) is preserved. Long cultivation of the Dao’s subtlety keeps the body full. Hear these true lines and you unite with the Dao in truth. Urgently obey the statutes of Yuanshi Tianzun (the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning, one of the supreme deities of Daoism).

Secret Method

On the Fulu (talisman), draw three circles—this is “Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown” (jing, qi, and shen meeting at the crown). Inside the talisman draw nine circles—“Nine Revolutions Returning the Elixir” (the elixir refined nine times and returned to the source), also called “Nine Dragons Upholding the Sage.” True Qi is the qi of the Dantian (the body’s store of essential breath). To write this talisman, you must spread pre-heaven Qi on the paper and only inscribe it when the morning is clear and the spirit refreshed—then it will be efficacious.

When the “three flowers gather on the crown” (a Daoist cultivation image in which Jing, essence, Qi, vital energy, and Shen, spirit, are said to blossom and converge at the top of the head), Heaven becomes my canopy. With the “nine-times returned elixir” (an elixir refined through repeated cycles) and the “Yi Qi true person” (a perfected being formed from the innate pre-heaven Yi Qi), if one recites only these four lines and cultivates for a full jie (twelve years), the body grows light and one may ascend in flight.

Eight Immortals Longevity Decoction

Polygonum multiflorum (He Shou Wu): Soften by soaking in rice-rinsing water, scrape off the skin with a bamboo knife, then steam with black beans for about the time of three sticks of incense; take out and dry in the sun. Amount: ten. Lycium root bark (Digupi): Wash in wine, dry in the sun. Amount: eight. White Poria: Remove the coarse outer layer, wash in wine, dry in the sun. Amount: eight. Ginseng: Choose pieces that are clean and bright; shade-drying is best. Amount: four. Raw Rehmannia root: Wash in wine overnight, then dry in the sun. Amount: four. Prepared Rehmannia root: Wash in wine, then dry in the sun. Amount: four. Asparagus root (Tianmen dong): Soak in wine for one or two hours, remove the heart (core), dry in the sun. Amount: four. Ophiopogon root (Maimen dong): Soak in wine for two hours, remove the heart, dry in the sun. Amount: four.

Jinlan Guan note: The above is this prescription. In the original it is arranged in vertical columns read from right to left, which differs from the layout on the webpage.

All ingredients are chopped into small pieces. Lycium root bark and white Poria serve as the sovereign drugs (chief medicinals); Polygonum multiflorum is used at more than double that amount as minister and assistant drugs.

This formula has long circulated among people as an elixir. In the second year of the Zhiyuan reign it was granted to the Wuyi recluse Feng Xian and published together in the world, but it had not been paired with talisman refinement. This talisman can slay the three corpses (in Daoist lore, three “corpse” spirits that harm cultivation), and this medicine can refine the five Qi (the qi of the Five Phases). Taken over a long time it can lead to immortality. One must avoid scallions, garlic, and radish, and also all kinds of beans.

Renzi Pills

Magnolia bark, ginseng, cassia heart, and myrrh: four parts each; frankincense: three; evodia fruit, acorus, bletilla, ampelopsis root, and white poria: one part each; achyranthes root and asarum: five qian each; angelica root and typhonium: a small amount each.

The ingredients above are ground into a fine powder and made into pills with refined honey, prepared on a renn day (one day in the sexagenary cycle), each pill about the size of a red bean. The formula includes changpu (acorus), baiji (bletilla), baijian (ampelopsis), and baifuling (white poria), one part each; niuxi (achyranthes) and xixin (asarum), five qian each; danggui (angelica) and baifuzi (typhonium), a small amount each. Take ten pills each time. The scripture says that when a man takes them they tonify and supplement; when a pregnant woman takes them she will conceive twins. They must be taken on an empty stomach, washed down with good wine; it is best for husband and wife to take them together.

Preface to the Engraved Hou Ba Pin Jing (Later Eight-Grade Scripture): The supreme Dao is transmitted alone; it is passed on only when the right person appears. Yet such a person is not easy to find. If one is deeply nurtured by Heaven and wishes in this life to hear the Great Dao, that is not something those of shallow capacity can reach—nor is it something those whose faith is not sincere can obtain.