《大成捷要》Vol. 2

Only after completing 360 cycles of calculation in accordance with the principle “nine for Qian, six for Kun,” with the Qi of Qian moving without the slightest error, can the immortal path be considered complete. Even the tiniest deviation can lead to a vast difference in the outcome. During cultivation, one must be especially cautious when practicing “bathing,” lest danger arise. If you hold not the slightest attachment and let every concern return to emptiness, what difficulty could there be?

This is a heavenly secret that has rarely been revealed since ancient times. I now explain these measures for the circulation of the celestial cycle and the secrets of refining the Elixir, hoping that all beings may find deliverance and fulfill their aspirations. Later generations who study the Dao, having learned this, must not spread it carelessly. Why did Zhang Ziyang suffer Heaven’s punishment three times? I now explain these measures for the circulation of the celestial cycle and the secrets of refining the Elixir, hoping that all beings may find deliverance and fulfill their aspirations. Later generations who study the Dao must not spread this carelessly. Why did Zhang Ziyang suffer Heaven’s punishment three times?

It is also said: apart from this method of “fire tally” (the method of regulating the firing process in Neidan cultivation), there is no principle by which to form the Elixir. If the “fire pearl” (a sign symbolizing the Elixir’s completion in Neidan cultivation) cannot appear, then there is no heavenly secret for entering sagehood. Those who cultivate the truth may read thousands upon thousands of alchemical texts, yet since ancient times few have been taught the firing process. Thus the firing process is supremely precious and must be transmitted orally and heart to heart from teacher to disciple. Since ancient times, people have dared not reveal this secret heavenly mystery lightly. How could anyone who knows it fail to be cautious?

Note: This was gained through Patriarch Zhongli’s (the immortal Zhongli Quan of Daoist legend) study and personal verification.

The heavenly mystery revealed when True Yang arises.

After the Mysterious Pass (the key gateway in Neidan practice through which Jing and Qi circulate and the Elixir forms) opens and the True Seed (the essential Jing and Qi needed for alchemical practice) emerges, it must be sealed and stabilized, bathed, and cultivated according to the prescribed measures for advancing the Fire and withdrawing the Talisman. When the number of Small Heavenly Circulation cycles reaches 360, the timing of advancing and withdrawing the Fire must be exact, with not the slightest excess or deficiency.

The scripture says that Lü Zu failed to complete the Elixir three times, and Qiu Zu failed four times, showing just how subtle the timing of the Fire is. If even one part of the Qi mechanism is not properly cultivated, the Elixir may dissipate from the furnace, wasting all the work done before. When practice reaches the stage called “the horse’s Yin organ hidden” (an Neidan term for the genitals contracting and withdrawing inward) and “the Yang Gate confined” (the state in which Yang Qi is about to be gathered in), if the Fire is sufficient and the medicinal Qi is active, the glans withdraws and the Elixir light appears. This shows that the Fire of the Small Heavenly Circulation has reached its limit, and one should know when to stop it.

The danger here is considerable: stopping before the Fire is sufficient prevents the Great Medicine from forming; stopping too late prevents True Qi from condensing. Either can throw the practice out of balance. If the glans has not withdrawn into the abdomen, one must not conclude that the Fire is sufficient. Even if external lights or shadows appear, they may not signal the first emergence of the Great Medicine; they often arise from delusive thoughts.

If the Fire is still insufficient but the signs of the horse’s Yin organ hidden, the glans withdrawing, and the Elixir light flashing do appear, the light may resemble lightning in a cloud or light arising in an empty room. At first it appears before the brows. After some time, it seems to rise from the lower Dantian to the eyes, shining and flickering brightly. This is the scene called “the first appearance of Yang Light”; the light flickers between the eyebrows. When Yang Light first appears, while the Fire is still insufficient and the Yang root has not yet contracted, each time Yang Qi stirs, one should gather and refine it through a single cycle of the Heavenly Circulation. Repeat this process of gathering and refining, alternating with quiet cultivation, until the prescribed total of 300 cycles is complete.

Continue practicing until the glans has contracted and no longer rises, and Yang Light appears for the second time. In stillness and concentration, one then feels the Elixir light surge from the lower Dantian and rise before the eyes, as though forcing them open. It flickers brightly two or three times in succession. When the Elixir light appears, it is as bright as a gold coin and as red as a fire pearl, like beads flowing from the corners of the eyes and falling in a sequence of two or three. One may even seem to hear them strike the body as they fall. This is the second appearance of Yang Light.

Once Yang Light has appeared for the second time, as long as the glans remains contracted and does not rise, any remaining generative vitality within the body will not leak out through the kidney ducts, but will stir within the body at the root of Qi. The Qi mechanism may stir once or twice from time to time; such occurrences are normal. At this stage, one must not continue the Fire of the Heavenly Circulation. One should immediately enter meditation, hold the light within and nurture it in stillness, gather the spirit and guard it silently, and wait for Yang Light to appear for the third time. Only after the signs of the third appearance arrive should one proceed with the seven days of practice to gather the Great Medicine. Then one may hope to reach the celestial rank and the realm of the Great Luo described in the scripture.

When the sunlight appears for the second time, stop applying the fire in good time. Here, “fire” refers to the method used in Neidan (internal alchemy) to circulate the breath of Qi as it rises and falls. Even after you stop directing the fire through the orbit, continue to nourish it gently, gather the spirit, and keep watch, waiting for the sunlight to appear for the third time.

Sometimes a day later, sometimes at the corresponding hour, the sunlight appears for the third time. It wells up from the Dantian (energy center), rises to the area before the eyes, and flashes like lightning between the eyebrows. It appears two or three times in succession, then ceases. This is called the moment when the “Great Medicine is produced,” and is also the vision of “moonlight shining brightly on the southwestern path.” After the sunlight appears for the third time, stop applying the fire immediately. If you do not stop in time, then by the time the sunlight appears for the fourth time, the Great Medicine will dissipate, and all your previous effort will have been wasted. Practitioners must therefore be cautious: as soon as it appears three times, they should promptly turn to the method of gathering the Great Medicine, so as not to miss the moment.

Understand that when gathering the Great Medicine, you must apply the method in good time to prevent it from dissipating.

When gathering the Great Medicine, if the mind and spirit cannot settle into “Great Stillness”—a state of deep, focused calm—the Neidan cannot congeal. If the breath of Qi cannot be stored in the “Primordial Sea Qi Cavity,” the place where breath is said to return and be stored in Neidan practice, the pearl of the Neidan will not appear. Both mind and spirit, and the breath, must be gathered within the Dantian. Even when the breath sometimes moves in and out, the mind and spirit must not leave the Qi Cavity.

Continue in this way for seven days, day and night, keeping the mind and gaze focused on the Qi Cavity until the postnatal breath of Qi is stored in the Primordial Sea and becomes still. Then the primordial True One Qi will naturally gather and form the Elixir. It takes the shape of a fire pearl, about the size of a pellet, and is produced in the “Kun Furnace,” a Neidan term for the furnace cauldron within the body used to refine the Elixir. This is the key to gathering the medicine: let the sunlight of both eyes rest steadily on the “One Cavity of the Mysterious Pass,” the crucial aperture in cultivation, without leaving it for even a moment. Continue for seven days, allowing the mind and spirit to settle into Great Stillness; the true Qi will gather naturally, and the Golden Elixir will form on its own.

“Instructions for Stopping the Fire” is the title of the following section.

If one does not understand when to stop the Fire or recognize the signs for gathering the Great Medicine, then even with cultivation, it is difficult to attain success. Only when the intent of the spirit settles into deep stillness can true Qi naturally gather and the Golden Elixir naturally form.

The Formula for Stopping the Fire

If one does not understand when to stop the Fire or recognize the signs for gathering the Great Medicine, cultivation is unlikely to succeed. Taking pity on later students, I therefore reveal the right time to stop the Fire: when the body draws inward like a turtle withdrawing into its shell, and the Yang light appears for the second time. The secret of gathering the Great Medicine lies in the moment when the moon’s radiance is clear and pure, and the Yang light appears for the third time.

If one stops the Fire as soon as the signs appear, it is too soon; if one waits until the fourth appearance, it is too late. Hold to the right moment—not too early, not too late: stop the Fire at the second appearance and gather the Medicine at the third. In this way, the Great Elixir of the Dragon and Tiger can be refined—the Elixir formed through the union of Yin and Yang in internal alchemy.

This is a celestial secret, kept from transmission since ancient times. Those fortunate enough to encounter it should cherish it and guard it with care.

“Stopping the Fire” and “gathering the Medicine” are terms from internal alchemy: stopping the Fire means bringing the processes of refinement to a halt at the right time, while gathering the Medicine means seizing the moment to collect the essence and Qi needed for cultivation. The two annotations state that these teachings arose from the study and personal realization of Limuozi and Qianyangzi.

When cultivating the “Great Medicine,” begin by gathering the light of true intent—single-minded, clear awareness—in the Dantian (energy center), and keep watch over the Mysterious Pass, the key point in Neidan (internal alchemy) practice. Simply observe it gently and quietly, keeping watch continuously. After three days, intensify your intent. Let the mind and spirit become alert, and keep your gaze focused; allow the breath to flow naturally, without trying to control it. Wait until the breath pauses of its own accord: only then will the Great Medicine arise. If the breath does not pause, the Great Medicine will not emerge.

If you keep watch too urgently, for only one, two, or three days, you will not attain the Elixir. If you wait too long, reaching five or six days, you will likewise fail to attain it. For the first three days, keep watch lightly, as though barely aware of it, maintaining gentle, quiet observation. For the next three or four days, remain attentive without interruption, as focused as a cat catching a mouse or a dragon nurturing a pearl. Let no distracting thoughts arise, and do not allow your attention to wander. In this way, the signs of the Six Roots (the faculties of perception and awareness: ears, eyes, nose, tongue, body, and mind) being stirred will appear.

“To cut off the Six Roots” means to gather in the ears, eyes, nose, tongue, body, and mind, so they do not scatter and leak outward. The practitioner should focus the light of true intent on the Qi cavity of the lower field, the cultivation point within the lower Dantian, and gather in the Six Roots to concentrate the life force from which the Great Medicine begins to emerge.

Note: These teachings were studied and realized through practice by the Perfected Yin Xi.

The secret formula for keeping the Six Roots from leaking outward.

What is meant by “sealing the six roots”? Below, press a wooden seat against the Valley Path (the anus) so that the body root—the source of bodily sensation and action—does not leak outward. Above, tightly clamp the nostrils so that the nose root does not leak outward. Focus the spirit on listening to the rhythm within the ears, without listening outward, so that the ear root does not leak outward. Bring the lips and teeth together and press the tongue against the upper palate, so that the tongue root does not leak outward. Close the mouth, lower the eyelids, and turn the light back inward—that is, gather the mind and contemplate within. Remain still and do not look outward, so that the eye root does not leak outward. Let no thought arise and do not let the mind wander; allow none of the six desires to emerge and let the six dusts—the objects of the external world that stir sensory responses—leave no stain. Thus the mind root does not leak outward. When all six roots are gathered in and no longer leak, the Great Medicine—the condensed state of essence and Qi in internal alchemy—will arise naturally. When spirit and Qi do not leak outward, the foundation of life can become secure.

Note: This understanding comes from the realized experience of the Perfected Taiyi in practice.

The Celestial Secret of the Six Roots’ Trembling

When the six roots no longer leak outward, signs of their trembling will naturally appear. They emerge in sequence, and the practitioner will see the spirit governing Qi. When spirit and Qi do not leak outward, the foundation of life can become secure.

Note: This understanding comes from the realized experience of the Perfected Taiyi in practice.

The Celestial Secret of the Six Roots’ Trembling

When the six roots no longer leak outward, signs of their trembling will naturally appear. Next, one experiences the spirit governing Qi and Qi nourishing the spirit. Continue to cultivate and nourish them until spirit and Qi settle into their true state and merge as one, condensing into the Great Medicine of the Golden Elixir. Then signs will arise naturally: the Dantian feels as if it is burning; the two kidneys feel as if they are being scalded in boiling liquid; golden light shines from the eyes; wind seems to stir behind the ears; a vulture’s cry is heard within the brain; the whole body surges, the limbs tremble, and the nose twitches. These are what are called the “signs of trembling.” After this, true intent settles, true breathing ceases, and the Great Medicine immediately arises. The seven stages of practice described above are celestial secrets for attaining sagehood and teachings transmitted in secret outside the religious tradition. I now explain them from the esoteric oral instructions preserved within Buddhism. In later generations, no one should reveal them carelessly to those who are not fit to receive them.

Note: This understanding comes from the realized experience of the Perfected Chongxu in practice.

The True Formula for the Celestial Secret of the Great Medicine’s Arising

When the Great Medicine—the substance formed by the gathering of essence and Qi in Neidan practice—is about to arise, the Qi cavity, the place where Qi gathers during cultivation, may feel stirred, trembling, and rotating for a day or two, or longer. Suddenly, there may be one movement, then another, in the Dantian Qi cavity, accompanied by slight pain. After several such movements, one gradually feels as though a mass is moving and turning around the navel inside the Dantian. It is about the size of a pellet and as hot as a fiery pearl.

At this point, continue to observe in stillness, allowing body and mind to grow ever calmer and more focused until they are clear, settled, and empty of disturbance. Once Shen and Qi have gathered inward, the mass will appear on its own, rolling and turning as it surges upward toward the heart. It cannot remain there, however, so it moves downward again. The Yang Gate, a lower bodily passage, is closed and cannot be entered; the mass therefore rolls near the Valley Passage, or anus. A wooden seat presses against the Valley Passage, so the mass once again lies concealed in the Qi cavity and becomes still.

If you use intention to draw it along, you fall into the deviant path of forced guidance. If you refuse to follow it altogether, you go against the principle of allowing its movement to proceed naturally. Neither is appropriate. Instead, find the right balance: neither push it forward nor obstruct it. Do not forget it, but do not deliberately encourage it; remain attentive, as though attending to it, yet also as though not attending.

Wait for the Great Medicine to set itself in motion before guiding it; do not guide it first and then wait for it to arise. After it has moved three times, True Intention—a focused yet unattached awareness in cultivation—and the Great Medicine may travel together. Only then can they pass through the Three Passes and the Nine Orifices, enter the Muddy Pellet, the upper Dantian in the head, and then descend to the Yellow Court, an important site within the body in cultivation. This is called “ingestion,” the key to “the Five Dragons bearing the Sage,” a metaphor for essence and Qi carrying and protecting the spirit and intention as they move through the body.

Note: This passage is presented as an account of the embodied experience of Laozi, the Supreme Lord.

The Secret of the Celestial Mechanism in the Deviant Path of Elixir Circulation

Zhang Liang said: The Great Medicine—the Jing and Qi consolidated through Neidan cultivation—appears in the Qi Cavity, where the movement of Qi gathers during practice. Know that around the Coccyx Pass, near the lower end of the spine, there are four branching paths: one rises to the position of the heart, one descends to the Valley Passage (the anus), one extends forward to the Yang Barrier, and one extends backward to the coccyx.

The Coccyx Pass naturally has seven openings. The three openings in the center—upper, middle, and lower—form the Yellow Path, the main course of the Governing Vessel. The other four openings, two on each side, form the Red Paths, its side channels. These side channels are filled with marrow, so breath cannot pass through them. Each of the open, traversable passages has an opening through which Qi and fluids—the Jing, Qi, and bodily fluids spoken of in cultivation—move along a “hot path.” The Coccyx Pass and the Valley Passage are, respectively, solid and open; together they are called the “Magpie Bridge.”

The Coccyx Pass, the Spinal Pass in the middle of the back, the Jade Pillow Pass at the back of the head, and the Yintang point on the bridge of the nose are all blocked by marrow, so breath cannot pass through them. The two openings beneath the nose, by contrast, are open and traversable; they are the channels through which ordinary breathing enters and leaves. Yintang and the nasal openings are, respectively, solid and open; together they are called the “Upper Magpie Bridge.” Both the upper and lower Magpie Bridges can allow true Qi to leak away, so they must be guarded with care. The mnemonic says: “Use a wooden seat below and a nose clip above. Keep the mind focused and undistracted; set aside every stray thought. What difficulty could remain?”

Note: This is an account of what Zhang Liang experienced through cultivation.

A Detailed Explanation of the Dangerous Mnemonic

Know that gathering and refining take a hundred days, while passing through the barriers requires seven days. Thus the mnemonic says again: “Use a wooden seat below and a nose clip above. Keep the mind focused and undistracted; set aside every stray thought. What difficulty could remain?”

Note: This is an account of what Zhang Liang experienced through cultivation.

You should know that after one hundred days of gathering and refining, one must still pass through the seven-day trial, which involves many dangers. The medicine—the inner alchemical substance cultivated in practice—arises at its appointed time: when the Mysterious Pass, where the movement of Qi begins and the apertures appear in internal alchemy, opens, the time has come. If you do not recognize the moment, you will miss it even when it is right before you. This is the danger of missing the proper time. Gathering the medicine also has signs: when the Jade Cavern blows from both sides, a term for the signs that appear when Qi begins to move, the signs have arrived. If you fail to recognize them, you will not obtain the true seed. This is the danger of missing the signs and delaying the passage through the trial.

The rising and descending movement of Qi must be distinguished between the Red Path and the Yellow Path. The center of the Governing Vessel, the channel running along the middle of the back, is the Yellow Path; the two sides are called the Red Path. If the mind and spirit grow confused and you cannot tell which path the Qi is following, the circulation of the Qi through the microcosmic orbit may fall into disorder. When advancing the fire, the method of using the firing process to propel cultivation, you must know that the Kun Furnace is where the fire begins and the Qian Summit is where it stops. Otherwise, the fire may be advanced incorrectly. When withdrawing the tally, the gradual easing of the firing process and gathering in of Qi, you must understand that it begins at the upper field and ends at the lower field; otherwise, errors may arise.

If the apertures have not truly opened, even gathered True Qi will disperse again. If the rising and descending movement does not follow the Yellow Path, Qi will run chaotically throughout the body. These are dangers encountered in passing through the trial. Even after the Three Passes, the three barriers spoken of in cultivation, have been crossed, danger remains in crossing the Upper Magpie Bridge, the cultivation aperture connecting the Conception and Governing Vessels. After ingesting the medicine, the stage in internal alchemy when one receives and takes in the elixir, Qi must be brought back to the Yellow Court, the central region in internal alchemical cultivation, and practice must continue for seven days. If you fail to maintain careful discipline and leave meditation on your own, your mind and spirit will scatter outward, and the Great Elixir will consequently be lost.

Every step of cultivation carries many dangers. Only after three years of nourishing the infant—a metaphor for continuing to nurture the elixir after it has matured—can one be considered free of these dangers.

This is the wondrous formula for passing the Great Medicine through the trial, gained through Master Ziyang’s study and firsthand realization.

Patriarch Lü of Pure Yang (Lü Dongbin) says: When the Great Medicine—the substance formed by the condensation of Jing and Qi in internal alchemy practice—passes through the barriers and apertures, the Golden Elixir is in the Qi cavity, where it is activated three times in succession. At this point, use true intent, a focused and undistracted mind, to guide the Sacred Embryo, a term for the state in which the internal elixir has coalesced, upward from the Tail Gate point. Its movement is like a maggot crawling, like fire steaming, or like heat spiraling. It rises from the waist and surges toward the Spinal Pinch point.

Focus now on the Spinal Pinch. Visualize two streams of Qi, one red and one black, escorting the elixir body forward: the fire dragon guards its right side, and the water dragon its left. Do not open the barrier too soon. Keep the spine straight and silently guard the Sacred Embryo. When the sensation of heat becomes distinct and the Qi is abundant, gradually open the Spinal Pinch barrier and let the Qi pass through. Focus on the water dragon to the left and the fire dragon to the right; the Azure Dragon, White Dragon, and Yellow Dragon also escort the elixir body upward. Guide it with the mind to the Jade Pillow, the aperture at the back of the head. Then tilt the head back and keep the upper Jade Pillow barrier closed.

Next, silently guard the Mysterious Pearl, a symbolic term in internal alchemy, without opening the barrier. When the heat becomes intense and the Qi is abundant, suddenly open the barrier and guide the elixir Qi into the palace of the brain to nourish the marrow sea of the Muddy Pellet, the Daoist term for the brain’s vital essence. Focus on guarding it there. This is called “the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.” After a brief pause, you will feel the upper Jade Pillow barrier close again. Then silently guard the Mysterious Pearl. When the heat becomes intense and the Qi is abundant, open the barrier again, guide the elixir Qi into the palace of the brain to nourish the marrow sea of the Muddy Pellet, and focus on guarding it there. The text says this, too, is called “the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.”

After a brief pause, you will feel sweet fluid descend in the mouth, shaped like sparrow’s eggs, falling one bead at a time like a steady drip of syrup. When it passes through the nasal aperture, be cautious: as soon as you sense the fluid, swallow it. As it passes through the Towering Chamber, or throat, focus on guiding it into the Yellow Court, an internal alchemy term for the area within the abdomen where one centers one’s practice. Once the Great Medicine has finished descending, circulate the Mao-You orbit once, a method of circulating Qi according to the Mao and You directions. Then practice the work of “hidden repose” for seven days, passing through a transformation from death to rebirth. After this, stop gathering and refining the Great Medicine and practice the Small Heavenly Circuit instead; also cease advancing the Fire and withdrawing the Talisman, the method of regulating the movement of the alchemical fire.

After mastering the secret of gathering the Great Medicine for seven days, practice the return of the Elixir through liquid jade and liquid gold, along with the Mao-You orbit. Circulate Qi upward on the left and downward on the right, and carry out the work of nourishing the embryo for ten months.

The Heavenly Mystery of Seven Days of Chaos

After the Great Medicine passes through the barriers and is consumed, this is called the “Great River Chariot,” also known as the “Five Dragons Bearing the Sage.” After consuming the elixir, one must first undertake the work of nourishing the embryo for ten months.

The Heavenly Mystery of Seven Days of Chaos

After the Great Medicine passes through the key passages, one ingests the Elixir. This is called the “Great River Cart,” or “Five Dragons Bearing the Sage.” After taking the Elixir, one must first complete a Mao-You orbit (circulating the inner Qi along a prescribed route) to bring the Great Medicine together. Then one settles quietly and establishes the foundation, undertaking seven days of “Great Stillness”: entering profound silence and resting completely.

During these seven days, body and mind seem to be in a state of chaos. One gently maintains awareness, continuous yet faint, neither deliberately drawing near nor letting go entirely. One bathes it with a soft fire (nourishing it with gentle, sustained intention), forgetting the body and releasing attachment to the self. Outwardly, one is unaware of the body; inwardly, one does not dwell on thoughts. At no moment should even a trace of distracting thought intrude. One keeps to the center and embraces the One (gathering the spirit and holding to the inner foundation), until it feels as though one has “died and come back to life.” Then, as if newly awakened from sleep, the postcelestial trigram pattern (the Yin-Yang changes of the postcelestial level) has shifted, and the primordial root (the foundation of original Qi) has emerged. At this point, without a companion (someone who cultivates alongside one and helps harmonize Water and Fire), how could it be preserved?

Note: These are the experiences that Patriarch Xue Daoguang, a Daoist Neidan practitioner, studied and verified through personal practice.

If the passage through the barriers is not genuine, danger follows. This is a crucial secret of cultivation.

If the skill of passing through the barriers is not genuine, and the process of ingesting and cultivating (refining and nourishing Neidan, and circulating and transforming Jing and Qi) is unclear, there is a danger that true Qi will become scattered and the original Shen will have nothing to rely on.

When the skills of passing through the barriers and ingesting and cultivating are truly mastered, fetal breathing should arise in the central palace (the Dantian area in the middle of the body). In stillness and concentration, one may sometimes hear or see unusual phenomena, and changes may appear in the Conception and Governing Vessels. For example, the Governing Vessel may become a heavenly ladder, the Conception Vessel a pagoda; a furnace for the Elixir may appear in the central palace; or the middle and lower Dantian may become vast realms of emptiness, as though they were another heaven and earth, unlike the human world. Dozens of changes may occur in a single day, each bringing extraordinary sights and sounds. These are regarded as signs and confirmations of truly passing through the barriers and ingesting and cultivating.

If one has no clear understanding when passing through the barriers, and is confused and uncertain during ingestion and cultivation, the central palace will not have the genuine experience of fetal breathing. Nor will changes appear in the Conception and Governing Vessels, or heaven-and-earth-like realms in the middle and lower Dantian. The vast realm of emptiness will also be utterly still, with no sign of Qi to be seen. This is what it means for true Qi to become scattered and the original Shen to have nothing to rely on. Is that not dangerous?

The oral instructions say: When circulating and refining the circuits of the heavens, move quickly without becoming restless, and slowly without becoming sluggish. Let the breath rise at the back and descend at the front, coordinating it with the various gates and points. As long as the circulation is smooth and real, what danger is there?

“Note: This is Li Xubai’s personal experience from studying and practicing” means that this is what Li Xubai personally experienced through his study and cultivation.

“Dangers in the key to the descent of sweet dew and the use of fire” is the title of the next section. It means that the section discusses the descent of sweet dew, the key to using fire, and the dangers involved.

Those who can truly pass through the barrier, when taking the restored elixir—the medicine refined through Neidan cultivation—will feel the Golden Elixir descending from the upper Dantian. A round, bright, burning sensation will arise naturally in the mouth, as if something has gathered on the tongue. At this point, be sure to keep the ears, eyes, and mouth closed and guarded. Do not actively direct the movement of Qi; simply wait quietly for the restored elixir to enter the mouth. When you sense that it has arrived, swallow it at once, send it through the throat, and let it settle in the central palace—the abdominal Dantian described in internal alchemy—then complete one cycle of the Mao-You orbit, circulating the inner Qi along its prescribed route. Afterward, gather the spirit and enter stillness, nurturing it quietly for seven days and sinking deeply into a state of undifferentiated silence. Only then can the sacred embryo, the embryonic form described in internal alchemy, coalesce.

If, after the elixir enters the central palace, you do not immediately gather the spirit and enter stillness, warming and nurturing it with the fire used to form the embryo, then fetal breathing will have no directing principle and cannot work its subtle effects. Even if you later enter stillness and apply the fire, the result cannot ultimately be called a numinous embryo. If thoughts race about during stillness, alternating between focus and distraction, it will be difficult to endure the ten months and bring the cultivation to completion. Even after ten months, if completion has not been achieved, what forms will surely be an illusory embryo, and the Yang Spirit—the refined consciousness that can leave the practitioner’s bodily form—will not be realized.

Thus it is said: “Before refining the restored elixir, first refine the self. Only after the self has been thoroughly refined should one refine the restored elixir; then the mind can die while the spirit lives.” During the nurturing of the embryo, the most important thing is not to let the mind and spirit drift apart and come together again. In the first hundred days, spirit and Qi must merge into one and remain undivided. If they separate and are then forcibly brought back together, the firing process cannot be completed, and the embryo cannot form. In the middle hundred days, spirit and Qi must return entirely to deep stillness. To take the absence of breathing as the breath, and the absence of fire as the fire, is to achieve true fetal breathing and fetal fire. If you can still sense yourself breathing, the mind cannot be at rest; if you can still sense the firing process underway, you have not entered the great stillness of emptiness and silence, and an illusory embryo is likely to form.

If you cling to fetal breathing and hold fast to “guarding,” deluded thoughts will arise. But if you do not apply the fire at all, you will lose the true purpose of the firing process. Remaining still without movement, and empty without transformation, leads only to a lesser attainment. In the final hundred days, cultivate to the utmost depth of the cessation of absorption, the profound stillness in which all mental activity ceases. When no sign of the spirit’s emergence appears, do not form the intention to seek it. Nor should you cling to what you see or hear, leaving stillness to pursue the outer world. Otherwise, even after the labor of ten months of cultivation, you will gain only a minor fruit of the kind called corpse liberation. Transcending the embryo, transforming the spirit, and ascending through flight will then be difficult to achieve.

This is an account of the cultivation experience called “Cao Huanyang.”

When the Great Medicine—the essence and Qi condensed through Neidan cultivation—rises to the crown of the head, this is called “the Great Medicine reaching the crown.” The scripture says that if a practitioner has ample strength, the Great Medicine can pass through the Three Passes—the gates through which Qi ascends during cultivation—and reach the Niwan, a Neidan term for the head, in a single ascent. Those whose Qi is weak must make three ascents before reaching the crown.

Once the Three Passes have been crossed and Qi has risen to the Niwan, what is called the Qi of the Nine Yangs—a state in which Yang Qi is abundant—reaches the head. The practitioner feels a fullness at the crown, as if it were swelling. The body tingles with a pleasant numbness, as though floating on the wind, bringing a feeling of great ease. The face itches as if touched by spider silk or crawling ants. The sensation spreads from the Yintang, between the eyebrows, to the bridge of the nose, the eye sockets, the cheekbones, and the cheeks. Saliva fills the mouth, sometimes faster than it can be swallowed. At this point, one does not wish to open the mouth or move, and seems to enter a state of chaos, forgetting where one is. The scripture also describes breathing and the pulse as having stopped, True Qi as filling the body, and any desire to eat as having vanished.

According to the scripture, in the early stages of cultivation, if breathing and the pulse have not yet stopped, one cannot completely abstain from food, but can only reduce one’s portions. After three months of cultivation, one may naturally stop eating; only after four months does this count as true fasting. The scripture sums this up with the saying, “When Qi is full, one has no desire for food.” If one still craves food, it indicates that Yin Qi has not yet been fully dispelled, Yang Qi is not yet pure enough, and the state of meditative stillness described in the scripture has not been attained.

With continued effort, one reaches the state described as “when Shen is full, one has no desire for sleep; when Qi is sufficient, one has no desire for food.” The mind no longer distinguishes between arising and ceasing, and remains in a state of quiet clarity. Breathing seems to have neither an in-breath nor an out-breath, and Qi neither comes nor stays. One perceives only a mass of auspicious light, both present and absent. This is called “Ningbao,” a term in Neidan cultivation for a state in which Qi has gathered and congealed. The scripture compares it to being in the womb. Even the sound of gongs and drums cannot be heard.

The scripture says that at this time a companion must stay nearby to watch over the practitioner. After twenty-one days, or three periods of seven days, the practitioner should be awakened. If they remain asleep, the scripture warns, the Original Spirit may leave the body in stillness and fall into the cycle of reincarnation. To awaken them, one should guide them from the Yin Qiao point, an acupuncture point named in the scripture, or gently pat their back and call their name until they regain awareness.

At this stage of cultivation, a steady, ever-bright moonlight naturally appears at the Yintang. By concentrating on guarding the center and embracing unity—keeping the mind centered and the spirit focused—the light will remain bright. A flash like lightning will also appear between the eyebrows. The scripture says that at this point, body and life are secure, Original Qi will not dissipate, and the mind and spirit can therefore remain in the world for a long time.

Finally, the scripture mentions the “Hundred Days of Laying the Foundation,” the stage of Neidan cultivation in which the foundation is firmly established, and the mysteries of the circulation of Qi through the Celestial Circuit. It says that these matters were originally secret teachings, but have now been written down in full. In the scripture’s view, only with the direct guidance and oral instruction of a worthy teacher can a practitioner transcend the ordinary and attain sagehood, becoming a Great Luo Celestial Immortal, a high-ranking immortal in Daoism.

The sky is clear, the air fresh, and the golden rooster crows. I have now taken the elixir, hoping to attain long life. I feel neither hungry nor thirsty—this is thanks to the numinous medicine bestowed by the immortals.

Lead and mercury—symbolic terms in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), often used for the Jing, Qi, and Shen within the body that must be brought into harmony—rest within the cauldron and furnace, refined into a priceless pearl. In the end, just “two words” are enough to read all the books in the world. This is the secret of the Primordial Sovereign, which can guide those who are lost in the world.

The Heart Seal Scripture says that when the Li trigram is combined with the returning wind, a priceless pearl can be refined. In the end, just “two words” are enough to read all the books in the world. This is the secret of the Primordial Sovereign, which can guide those who are lost in the world. The Patriarch Zhengyang grasped this secret through study and personal practice.

“Returning wind” means turning the breath back upon itself and setting it in motion. “Combining” means this: the original spirit, the governing principle of a person’s spirit, resides in the heart, while the original Qi resides in the kidneys. The two are originally far apart. Once Qi arises, it disperses outward. Although the original spirit is conscious, it cannot govern the original Qi, because there is no method for bringing spirit and Qi together. This scripture therefore teaches practitioners to use the breath to circulate Qi back upon itself, bringing spirit and Qi back to their root and restoring their original state, then joining the two. In this way, the original spirit can govern the original Qi, bringing spirit and Qi into unity.

Without the subtle function of “returning wind,” even if the original spirit tries to govern the original Qi, there is no way to know whether the Qi is truly under its control. This is an exceedingly secret and crucial key in refining the Golden Elixir. If we ask what happens after a hundred days of practice, the signs of success have already appeared: Qi is full and can settle, and the original spirit has grown accustomed to stillness. Continued practice can make it steadier still. At this point, the fire phase for the returning wind of the Microcosmic Orbit—a method of practice in Neidan that guides the movement of Qi along a route within the body—should cease. What follows explains why, once the fire phase of the Microcosmic Orbit is complete, it should be stopped.

It is also said: there is no need to distinguish the Zi and Wu hours by the clock, nor to arrange Qian and Kun according to the lines of the trigrams.

The Commentary on the Scripture of Embryonic Breathing says:

The embryo takes form within Qi that is concealed and settled.

The point three inches below the navel is called the Sea of Qi, and is also known as the Lower Dantian (energy center) and the Mysterious Female, the source from which life and original Qi are born. People commonly mistake the mouth and nose for the Mysterious Female, but this is wrong; the mouth and nose are merely the gates through which the Mysterious Female enters and leaves. “Mysterious” means water; “female” means mother…

The place three inches below the navel is called the “Sea of Qi,” or the “Lower Dantian” (energy center), also known as the “Mysterious Female”—a vital site where Jing and Qi are nurtured in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy). People often mistake the mouth and nose for the Mysterious Female, but they are only the gateways through which its Qi enters and leaves. “Mysterious” refers to water, and “Female” to the mother. The ancients believed that when Yin and Yang Qi respond to one another, they gather within what is called the “Water Mother.” After three months, the embryo forms; after ten months, its body is complete, and a human being is born. Those who cultivate the Dao often draw Qi inward below the navel and keep Shen (spirit) settled within the body, allowing Shen and Qi to unite and form the “Mysterious Embryo,” an inner formation likened to a fetus in Neidan practice. Once formed, the Mysterious Embryo can become a life form in its own right. This is the way to immortality described in Neidan cultivation.

“Qi breathes from within the unborn fetus” means that Qi is already moving and breathing before the fetus is born.

Shen is the child of Qi, and Qi is the mother of Shen. Shen and Qi depend on one another, like the body and its shadow. Once the fetal mother has formed, the child Shen naturally comes to rest, and Qi no longer disperses.

“When Qi enters the body, a person lives; when Shen leaves the body, a person dies.”

The Jing of Western Ascension says: “The body is the dwelling of Shen, and Shen is the master of the body. When the master is still, Shen remains in the body; when the master is restless, Shen departs. When Shen departs, Qi disperses—how then can life be preserved?” This is why a person’s ears, eyes, hands, and feet cannot act on their own: they must be directed by Shen. Those who cultivate the Dao and nurture life should gather and settle their mind and spirit, keeping Shen in its proper place. If Shen does not depart, how could the body, its dwelling, decay?

“Understand the principles of Shen and Qi, and you can attain long life; hold fast to emptiness to nourish and protect Shen and Qi.”

The Dao Jing says: “My life and destiny are in my own hands, not determined by Heaven and Earth. People often fail to understand the things between Heaven and Earth that bring them distress. Even when the highest principles can be understood, not everyone is able to put them into practice.” Those who truly understand should quiet the mind and let go of worries, preserve Qi and Jing (essence), and avoid being drawn along by external things and desires. By nurturing Shen and Qi with a calm and unassuming mind, they set themselves on the way to long life.

When Shen moves, Qi moves with it; when Shen settles, Qi settles with it.

Here, “intention” is like a horse that guides the breath: wherever the mind goes, the breath follows. To keep the Original Qi—the body’s fundamental vital energy—from leaving the Mysterious Female, a term in cultivation that refers to a place associated with the source of life and the movement of the breath, one must first focus on guarding the spirit. When the spirit remains within the body, the Qi will not dissipate. The body’s Qi will grow abundant, and hunger and thirst will naturally fade.

If you wish to live long, spirit and Qi must infuse one another and remain together. The Mystery of the Mainstay says, “So long as a trace of Yang Qi remains, one does not become a ghost; so long as a trace of Yin Qi remains, one does not become an immortal.” Here, Original Qi is called Yang Qi, while the Qi of food and drink is called Yin Qi. Regularly eat less and restrain your desires, allowing Original Qi to circulate within the body. As Original Qi grows strong, Yin Qi will recede of its own accord. When Yang Qi is strong and Yin Qi weak, illness will not arise. Only when the spirit is settled and the body at ease can long life be hoped for.

When no thoughts arise in the heart, and there is neither coming nor going, neither entering nor leaving, the spirit can naturally remain within.

In the womb, spirit and Qi were originally one. After birth, they are drawn outward by desires and things in the world, and spirit and Qi do not return to themselves even for a moment. Once you understand this, regularly quiet your feelings and thoughts, and do not let the spirit move in and out or wander back and forth at will. Keep up the practice over a long time without forgetting it, and the spirit will naturally settle.

Diligent practice is the true path.

The methods of cultivating the Real are, in broad terms, all laid out here. Yet the sages warn against seeking them recklessly. After practicing Embryonic Breathing, wait until the joints have opened, then continue practicing; the spirit will naturally settle.

Diligent practice is the true path.

After practicing Embryonic Breathing, wait until the joints are free and the body hair has relaxed. Then draw in Qi through the nose with the utmost subtlety, letting it seem to disperse through the pores of the limbs as it leaves, without returning. The breath then follows in succession: draw the Qi in, but do not breathe it out. Proceed slowly and calmly. Although the method is described as “drawing in without exhaling,” do not let the drawn-in Qi enter the throat. Let it disperse gently instead; in this way, the Qi within the body will also flow downward.

Each cycle consists of thirty-six breaths, with the inhalation marking its beginning. Let the exhalation be light and fine, and the inhalation long and gentle. You may practice this while sitting, lying down, walking, or standing, remaining calm and at ease. Avoid noisy, disorderly surroundings, and refrain from eating foods with a strong fishy or gamey odor. Although the practice is called “embryonic breathing,” it actually refers to Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation. This practice is not only used to treat illness but can also prolong life. Practice it steadily over a long period, and you may be numbered among the High Immortals, those who have attained the Dao.

It is easy to watch someone else embroider, but difficult to do it yourself. When you meet hardship, do not shrink from the effort. No one can avoid flaws in the way they conduct themselves; only by enduring trials without abandoning one’s resolve can one become a Buddha or an Immortal.

Only those who never turn back despite every setback can become sages. Those who devote themselves solely to fame and profit often struggle to see things through. Only when the clouds and mists part in the sky can one lift one’s head and breathe freely beneath the clear heavens.

If you wish to hone your edge, why fear hard work? At dawn, open the sword case and draw out the sword, a jade dragon in your hand. Its presence is awe-inspiring, its cold light seeming to congeal into three feet of ice. As its edge skims the stone, its spirit darts like a serpent.

The blood of the treacherous flows away unseen with the current; the violent and stubborn have now vanished with the traces of their defeat. Sweep away the world’s injustices, and ascend with you to the highest heavens.

Two Poems Presented to the Sword Immortal

The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), Daoism’s three highest deities, wield swordsmanship of wondrous skill, reaching into the realm of the spirits. They cut down monsters and destroy demons, leaving no trace behind. Snow blankets the sky as the Great White Star—or Mount Taibai—appears; sword Qi rises from the earth like a Green Dragon. Flying ten thousand miles, the sword reaches the easternmost edge, then descends like a rainbow over the Northern Sea. It ranges freely in every direction, meeting no obstacle. On its return, it still keeps to the Yellow Court, the inner palace central to internal cultivation.

Your swordsmanship is exquisite; bearing your divine skill, you fly through the blue sky. The Qi of spring and autumn holds the power both to give life and to kill; the forces of the Dragon and Tiger combine virtue with might. You cut down every glimmer of demonic evil and return to stillness. As wine rises after a bout of drinking, it seems that spirits and ghosts appear. Before long, you will be commanding thunder and lightning, and the Void Emperor in the heavens will summon you back.

Your swordsmanship is exquisite; bearing your divine skill, you fly through the blue sky. The Qi of spring and autumn holds the power both to give life and to kill; the forces of the Dragon and Tiger combine virtue with might. You cut down every glimmer of demonic evil and return to stillness. As wine rises after a bout of drinking, it seems that spirits and ghosts appear. Before long, you will be commanding thunder and lightning, and the Void Emperor in the heavens will summon you back.

Nurturing the Embryo in the Tenth Month

The second stage is the refinement of Qi into Shen, called “nurturing the embryo to intermediate completion.”

Wei Boyang said: During the period of nurturing the embryo, one should stay in a quiet retreat, close the door, and devote oneself to cultivation. Keep away from chickens, dogs, and women, avoid impure things so as not to violate taboos, and make sure there is no noise nearby.

The practice of nurturing the embryo uses the original spirit—the person’s fundamental spirit—as the bones of the immortal embryo formed through cultivation, and the Great Medicine—the refined Jing and Qi condensed through Neidan practice—as its flesh and blood. The original spirit governs the Great Medicine, while the Great Medicine provides the original spirit with a dwelling place. If the original spirit directs and observes, but one does not consume the Great Medicine, then even if one can enter meditation and project the spirit, one cannot shed the mortal embryo and manifest a new form. If one consumes the Great Medicine but lacks the original spirit to direct and observe it, then even if one can open the passes and orifices, what has just been gained will surely be lost again.

After consuming the Great Medicine, one must continually use the original spirit to govern it, while taking the Great Medicine as the original spirit’s place of return. The two merge without falling into disorder. First, the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and all the limbs and bones must return to emptiness and stillness, as if one had not yet been born, with nothing to depend on. Then let a single point of empty, numinous Nature-light settle within the central chamber of the Dantian, where it is gently nourished. It is as if present and yet absent, neither present nor absent: still and yet aware, bright and undimmed, standing majestically alone.

The ancients said: “The firing process is Wuwei and accords with nature. The true fire of nature can nourish the immortal embryo.” With no deluded thoughts in the mind, one guards the center and embraces unity over time. Yang Qi will naturally arise day by day and move along the proper path, transforming the Yin aspect within the original spirit. The Yin spirit, the Yin aspect of the spirit in contrast to the original spirit, will gradually fade, and distracting thoughts will no longer arise. In this way, the Qi of life and the spirit grow ever stronger and brighter, until drowsiness disappears entirely, allowing one to live long and remain in the world.

A Formula for Settling the Spirit in the Ancestral Aperture and Using Qi

Perfected Lord Xu Guayang said: The secret of nurturing the embryo for ten months lies in letting the original spirit settle within the ancestral aperture, the source aperture spoken of in cultivation, so that the mind and spirit enter a deep, indistinct state and return to the Great Void. It is as if present and yet absent, neither present nor absent. Then one nourishes it with a gentle fire, the mild and gradual firing process of internal cultivation, and harmonizes it precisely, without…

Perfected Lord Xu Guayang said: “The key to nurturing the embryo for ten months—the stage in internal alchemy when the Yang spirit matures—is to let the Original Spirit, the spirit of one’s original nature, settle within the Ancestral Orifice, where spirit and Qi are said to converge in cultivation. It enters a state of profound stillness and returns to the Great Void. It is both present and absent: attached to neither being nor nonbeing. Nurture it with a gentle, steady fire. When the balance is just right, neither scorching heat nor chilling cold will arise.

“If your practice is too fierce, the fire may burn too strongly, bringing the danger of a meditation session consumed by fire; the Yang spirit may also lose its place of refuge. The key is to remain aware without giving rise to distracting thoughts. Too many thoughts make the fire fierce; no awareness at all makes it turn cold. When the fire grows cold, mucus may stream from the nose like a jade pillar. There is even the danger of dying while seated or undergoing corpse liberation—the Daoist term for the body being left behind as the spirit departs.

“In sum, keep the True Intention—the focused intention that does not scatter—undispersed. Conceal the light within and remain silent; let the breath grow long and fine; stay alert within stillness, and let the light of spirit shine everywhere. This is the true regulation of the fire during the ten months of nurturing the embryo. How to regulate the medicines—the Jing, Qi, and Shen transformed in internal alchemy—depends on grasping the subtle changes in the fire. The understanding may be deep, yet putting it into practice is difficult. As the ancients said: ‘Let the True Intention flow without interruption; understand clearly, but do not cling. That is the work.’

“You should also know that the Elixir forms in the Qi Cavity, around the Lower Dantian, while the embryo is nurtured in the Yellow Court, the center of the body where embryonic breath is warmed and cultivated in internal alchemy. The Yellow Court is a place of emptiness and numinous mystery. If you form the Elixir only in the Lower Dantian but cannot shift the furnace and change the cauldron—that is, move the focus of cultivation from the Lower Dantian to the Middle Dantian for further nurturing—what forms in the end may be only the Yin spirit, making you a ghost immortal.

“‘Hidden away for seven days, nourished by Yin, the heavenly mechanism of life stirs again’: after seven days in concealment, Yin energy nourishes it and life begins to move anew.”

The Elder of the Sunken Sea said: The Five Dragons bearing the Sage signify that the Great Medicine has passed through the gates and apertures, and the sweet dew has descended. After taking it, one should enter a state of Great Hibernation lasting seven days. “Great Hibernation” means nurturing and refining oneself in profound stillness, like an animal in winter sleep. During cultivation, thoughts from outside do not enter, and inner distractions do not arise. In focused clarity, one senses only the Primordial Spirit—the spiritual sovereign described in Daoist Neidan cultivation—quietly illuminating. One no longer notices the breath’s long, steady movement. This accords with nurturing the elixir through the gentle fire, which leans neither toward being nor nonbeing.

The key to nurturing the Neidan and safeguarding embryonic breathing lies in the Primordial Spirit’s continuous awareness; otherwise, Primordial Qi cannot gather back day after day. When the spirit and intention rest quietly and the breath is gathered within, one enters profound chaos and stillness. During the seven days of Great Hibernation, it will seem as though the breath has stopped and the body has died. Only after seven days will signs of revival appear, and Jade Fluid—the bodily fluid in Neidan cultivation—will form again. This is called “Seven Returns and Nine Restorations.”

If one has not awakened after seven days, ring a bell or metal disc beside the ear, then slowly rub and pat the back with the palm while calling the person’s name. One may also gently press the Yin Qiao point, here referring to the Gate of Life and the Qi point, areas of the waist and abdomen associated with vital energy. The person will naturally awaken and return to life. Do not end the seated meditation at this point, lest the fire’s warmth fade and progress in elixir cultivation slow. If the person still cannot be awakened after seven days, the Primordial Spirit may leave the body amid stillness and fall into the six paths of rebirth. People believe this is sitting in transformation or corpse liberation, but they do not understand that it is neither; instead, it would render all the cultivation achieved up to that point futile.

Secret Instructions on the Celestial Mechanism of the Golden Fluid’s Return to the Elixir

The Perfected Ones of the Three Mao Peaks say: “Nurturing the embryo”—the stage in internal alchemy when the elixir Qi is cultivated and sustained—takes entering stillness as its principal method. After sitting quietly in meditation for a long time, you will naturally feel a little warmth rise from the Kan position, which symbolizes Kidney Water and the area around the lower Dantian, toward the heart. At this point, use true intent—focused thought that does not wander or act rashly—to guide it through the Tail Gate at the base of the spine, upward along the Spinal Clamp through the back, past the Jade Pillow at the back of the head, and into the Muddy Pellet, an internal alchemy term for the brain. It is as though something touches the brain; then, from the upper palate, it descends into the mouth, one droplet at a time. Its shape is like a sparrow’s egg, and its taste like yangsu, a kind of clarified butter. It transforms into golden liquid, falling drop by drop in a steady stream, with an aroma like refined cream and a taste like sweet dew.

At this point, quickly welcome it with your intent, then slowly swallow it past the Towering Hall of the throat. Follow its descent with your gaze and send it into the furnace and cauldron, a metaphor in internal alchemy for the body’s place of inner cultivation. Let the breath flow freely through the limbs, and feel at ease. Continue swallowing and receiving it without interruption for nine days. Once this cycle is complete, circulate it using the Mao-You Microcosmic Orbit, a breathing method that moves along the Mao and You directions, to gather it in. As soon as it has been gathered, immediately focus the spirit and quiet the mind, enter stillness, and nurture it until all is silent and thoughtless. This is the subtle wonder of the Lesser Kan-Li union, an internal alchemy term for the joining of Water and Fire.

Heavenly Mechanism □ Formula for the Return of the Elixir through Jade Liquid (“□” marks a missing or unclear character in the original).

Master Zhang Sanfeng says: From this point on, practitioners gradually enter deeper states of meditation. At times, it may feel as though the sun and moon have stopped moving and the celestial bodies have come to rest. Whenever body and mind sink into profound stillness, to the utmost point where all distinctions dissolve into chaos, the inner vitality stirs of its own accord.

At this moment, the Kun Palace—the lower abdomen, around the Dantian (energy center)—suddenly trembles like thunder. The abdomen may feel as though silk is being torn apart. True Qi (vital energy) then rises, coursing through the whole body and reaching the Niwan, an inner cultivation point at the crown of the head. The Moon Grotto, a cultivation point associated with the head, seems to stir with wind, and a round image of light appears between the brows. It then transforms into Jade Nectar, a term in Neidan (internal alchemy) for inner sensations such as the saliva in the mouth. It flows into the mouth, fragrant like borneol and cool as mint. Once you perceive the Jade Nectar, swallow it. Let it pass drop by drop through the Ninefold Tower—the throat—then guide it with your intention to the Central Palace, the Dantian region at the center of the body.

Continue this for seven days. The Jade Nectar will keep forming, so much that it cannot all be swallowed. Each time, circulate the Mao-You orbit, a method for guiding Qi by using the directions or times represented by Mao and You, to gather it in. Once the Jade Nectar has descended, draw in your spirit and enter stillness, keeping it in the Central Palace with undivided attention.

The return of the Golden and Jade Fluids—the precious inner essences and their condensation into an elixir in alchemical cultivation—takes place naturally in utter stillness and absence of intention. Do not miss it. This is the mystery of the great union of Kan and Li, in which water and fire, Yin and Yang, are brought into harmony.

The Patriarch Zhongli says: When a drop of “Golden Liquid and Jade Dew”—a term in Neidan cultivation for the state in which essence and Qi gather and transform—descends from the Upper Field, the upper Dantian in the head, to the Yellow Court, the central region of the body as understood in Neidan cultivation, immediately circulate the “Mao-You microcosmic orbit,” a method of moving internal Qi along a prescribed route and according to specific directions, to gather it in. Using focused intention and gaze, move from the navel of Kun, the lower abdomen, designated as Kun, to the crown of Qian, the top of the head, designated as Qian. First ascend on the left and descend on the right, completing and holding the movement for thirty-six counts, in a four-to-nine ratio; then ascend on the right and descend on the left, completing and holding it for twenty-four counts, in a four-to-six ratio. These are the counts used in the Mao-You microcosmic orbit.

The scripture compares this circulation to the rising and setting of the sun and moon. It says that the practice gathers all true Yang and overcomes the nine Yin, and calls it “gathering the inner elixir to secure the embryo garden”—that is, gathering the “medicine” refined within the body to stabilize the Elixir embryo. When the timing and number of circulations in the Great Orbit meet their requirements, the sun and moon cease their movement, and a “Mystic Pearl,” symbolizing the Elixir taking concentrated form in Neidan cultivation, naturally appears, bringing transcendence.

It also says that every day the Golden Liquid and Jade Dew must rise from the back and descend along the front. After each descent, circulate the Mao-You microcosmic orbit once to gather it in. Once the Return Elixir is complete, breathing and pulse naturally cease, and the “sun and moon joined as a single jade disk” appear. This is a sign that the light of Neidan has emerged and a true vision has taken form.

The Perfected Ziyang says: After the Return Elixir has formed, return to the central palace—the central location in the body in internal alchemy practice—to nurture the sacred embryo. This means continuing to nourish the Neidan that has already coalesced. After a long period of fumigating and nurturing, if stillness reaches its deepest level, you will lose awareness of the external world; your breathing will seem to stop, and the six pulses will seem to have come to a halt.

In this great stillness, you will feel only a current of wind descend from Heaven, pour into the Niwan—the cultivation center inside the head—and pass through the whole body from between the eyes. All the joints in the body will seem to open at once, and the bones may feel as though they are breaking apart. Your heart will feel cold as ice, while the Dantian (energy center) seems to burn with fire. At this time, do not be alarmed; simply gather your spirit and enter stillness. This is the moment when Metal and Wood unite. The Qi of the three palaces is full, the Yin and Yang energies complete, and spirit and Qi settle into a state that feels like drunkenness or a dream. Even if fierce fire, floodwaters, thunder and lightning, or rosy clouds seem to appear, simply focus your spirit and remain in stillness.

After this continues for a long time and you reach profound stillness, the Qi of true lead will appear as a full moon, while the Qi of true mercury will appear as a red sun. This is the union of lead and mercury, a term in internal alchemy for the coming together of two essential elements. In stillness, you will suddenly see the bright moon circling unsteadily before you. Use true intention to hold it in place and wait for the red sun to appear. Before long—after perhaps three to five breaths—you will feel the sunlight emerge and join with the moonlight. As the radiance of sun and moon mingles, two golden flowers will appear, shaped like elixirs and colored gold and red, with five distinct petals. This is the three flowers forming the embryonic breath, called the “Jade Pistil and Golden Flower.”

When you see this vision, hold your attention firmly and bring the sunlight and moonlight together, suspending them at the Yintang, between the eyebrows. Then use true intention to gather, condense, and store them, before drawing them in through the nose to the Void and Danger point in the Dantian, a cultivation site within it. From there, they will naturally rise along the back of the body and descend along the front, returning to the central palace and merging with the immortal embryo. Next, practice the Mao-You circuit, a method of directing Qi along prescribed routes in internal alchemy, alternating its ascent and descent on the left and right, and gather it through the method of collecting and drawing in. Continue to maintain stillness, enter deep quiescence, and return to the Great Void, so that the Elixir’s radiance shines day and night at the Yintang. This is called “the sacred sun firming the moon, illuminating the Golden Court.”

After the Sun and Moon join as one, a major barrier will arise. During deep meditation, you may suddenly feel a cold, painful surge rising from Yongquan, the point on the sole of the right foot. It passes through the leg and knee and continues to the area between the kidneys. The pain will not stop for three days. This is called “the sprout piercing the knee.”

When the pain reaches its height, it passes through the Mysterious Portal, a passage spoken of in cultivation, and travels upward along the spinal passage to the Mud Pill, a cultivation site within the head. Then imagine the space between the eyebrows as a red sun. Draw it into the central palace, lower it to the Dantian (energy center), and use the mind to send it to the place of pain, guiding it around with the gaze. The red light will condense into a shape like a fiery pearl and rise backward along the Tailbone point, a passage at the base of the spine. You may also again use the Samadhi True Fire, the fire of intent used in cultivation to refine body and mind, to intensify the process.

At this time, the joints throughout the body will crack one after another like beans frying in a pan. The bones and flesh will burn with heat, as if being cut by knives. Even a very resolute person may feel at a loss here. Apply the fire again; after three rounds, the Shen and Qi of all three hundred and sixty joints will surge together toward the Mud Pill. Thunder will seem to roar inside the head, and the crown of the skull will feel as though it has opened. At this point, the Lead Dragon and Mercury Tiger, metaphors in internal alchemy for Yin-Yang essence and Qi, will embrace tightly. The head will feel hard as stone, the abdomen hot as a furnace, and the experience will be difficult to describe. The Qi and blood throughout the body will seem to respond, with all kinds of movement and stillness intermingling.

Suddenly, sweet dew will descend. Gather a spark of Shen fire in the central palace where energies meet; it will condense into Golden Liquid and Jade Liquid, forming a Mysterious Pearl, a subtle elixir described in internal alchemy, the size of a millet grain. As it descends to the Yellow Court, a cultivation site within the body, inwardly observe the five organs and six bowels: they will seem as clear as if illuminated by candlelight. It may also feel as though the whole body has been burned through, revealing a red glow that fills the body and flows into every part. In the end, this transforms the body into one of pure Yang.

At this time, you may feel that you have lost control of yourself. Be sure to remember not to be afraid. The scripture explains these visions as the Yin spirit refusing to submit to True Yang and conjuring various states to unsettle the resolve to cultivate the Dao. If your mind remains firm and unmoved, and you continue to deepen your meditation, these demonic states will naturally recede.

Immediately visualize a black sphere between the eyebrows. Let it suddenly grow to the size of a fist. When you feel its chill pressing upon you, use your intent to draw it into the central palace. It will feel like sweet dew dripping into the heart, bringing coolness and ease. This is the vision associated with “ten months of gestation” and obtaining the elixir. Take care to record the year, month, and day on which you obtain the Mysterious Pearl, the Great Medicine. This is called “a man carrying a child.”

Next, still greater effort is required: guard the center and hold to the One, keeping to the inner core with undivided attention, and meditate for one hundred days in a quiet chamber. Do not let the breath move you from without, and let no distracting thoughts arise within. Become one with empty space, holding steady to a thread of numinous awareness. Gather the mind and Shen in the middle and lower fields, never straying by day or night, as though transforming into a vast realm of empty space. Practice this for five to seven days, and the mind will naturally settle and the Qi become harmonious. This is the “Great Opening of the Barrier,” when cultivation has reached this stage.

“Returning to the root and restoring life” means returning to one’s origins and recovering one’s true nature.

Zhi Yizi says: In Neidan cultivation, after symbolically letting the “pearl” fall into the “Yellow Court” (the central region of the body used in internal alchemy), one must gather the spirit and quiet the mind, entering a state of meditation. Before this, one knew only of the Original Spirit (the innate spiritual nature of a person), and let the mind-spirit quietly observe. One no longer notices the breath as it flows gently back and forth. This is what “neither existent nor nonexistent” means: one clings neither to existence nor to nonexistence.

When seated meditation reaches profound stillness, consciousness no longer responds to the outside world, the breath seems to have stopped completely, and the six pulses seem to cease their flow, one has entered meditation. In shallow stillness, this may last a day; consciousness is clouded and unaware, as if the breath had left the body and one had died. Medium stillness lasts three days, and deep stillness seven. At this point, do not suspect that you have died while seated, for the scripture explains this state as the beginning of spirit and Qi returning to their root and recovering their destiny, and of forming the embryo and nurturing the origin. A companion should keep watch, taking great care not to disturb the Yang Spirit (the pure-Yang spiritual form described in cultivation) as it begins to appear. The practitioner must not act on their own and recklessly emerge from meditation.

One should also follow the state in which the breath has stopped, gather the spirit, and enter an even deeper meditative state, awaiting the Primordial Qi (the original Qi regarded as the source of life) to appear from nothingness. The ancients said that people live and die because they breathe; without breath, there would be neither life nor death. When breathing stops, one enters meditation; once the breath has settled, the “embryo” of the Golden Elixir is firm as a mountain. With sustained practice—one hundred days of shallow stillness, two hundred days of medium stillness, and three hundred days of deep stillness—all things will respond and come into being from empty space. By day and night, gathering the spirit and keeping it within the foundation, the spirit-elixir can then form from nothingness. If one cannot enter meditation and return to nothingness, it is impossible to form the Elixir.

“Breathing hibernates in the Great Circuit of Heaven”: this means that breathing gathers inward, lies dormant within the body, and enters the stage of Great Circuit of Heaven cultivation.

The Perfected Left Mysterious One says: When first practicing the fire phase of the Great Circuit of Heaven, let the mind and spirit settle and bring the breath to a stop, so that body and mind enter meditative absorption. At first, hold the breath within for about eighty or ninety breaths; roughly half a quarter-hour counts as one cycle. Then gradually continue the practice in deeper absorption, still holding the breath within for about eighty or ninety breaths, with roughly half a quarter-hour counting as one cycle. Next, extend this gradually to around one hundred and ninety breaths, with roughly a quarter-hour counting as one cycle. When the breath has been held within for 1,350 breaths, about one double-hour counts as a single circulation; at 13,500 breaths, about one day counts as a full cycle. Proceeding into still deeper absorption, it may take ten days, a month, or even a hundred days or ten months to complete one cycle. At this stage, the original spirit (the innate spirit present before birth) and original Qi, together with the breath, condense and transform into a single mass of numinous light. Day and night are no longer distinguished, and the light remains ever present.

The sun’s soul and the moon’s spirit—terms in Neidan cultivation for Yin and Yang essences and Qi—seem temporarily to cease their movement, as though life were about to end. Yet after this apparent ending, life returns and the effects of transformation and refinement appear, as if one had risen from the dead. This is the true zi hour of “establishing life”: the crucial moment in cultivation when Yin and Yang meet and Yang Qi begins to stir.

When lead and mercury—symbols in Neidan of Yin and Yang essences and Qi—blend together, all thoughts fall silent, and one enters the cavity of chaos, an inner state in which body and mind merge into stillness, one must guard it with care. The slightest lapse may cause the spirit to leave the cavity or the Elixir to escape beyond the cauldron. The key to sustaining nature and life lies here, as does the danger of harming them. Quiet the mind and enter absorption; gather the spirit within the cavity. This is the most important instruction.

The ancients said: “At first, a single thought set me in motion, and I fell into the sea of suffering; now, with a single thought, I keep still and cross to the other shore.” Birth, death, and rebirth all turn on a single thought. In the early stages of cultivation, unless one applies a vigorous fire phase and hastens the refining, the gold of the Qian trigram—the Yang essence and Qi—cannot be extracted from the ore. Later, without the steady, close nurturing of the spirit-fire, the gold cannot transform. At this point, the bearing of body and mind expressed in one’s daily conduct all returns to emptiness and stillness. Constantly turn inward to observe the mind; at every moment look within. When the fire phase matures, the moon of one’s nature will naturally shine overhead: Yin Qi will be exhausted, and Yang Qi will be pure and complete.

A detailed account of the dangers of demonic states.

Bai Letian said: When one first begins cultivating in a quiet chamber, the three Hun souls and seven Po souls, the spirits of the three regions of the body, the Three Corpses and nine worms, and the various Yin spirits in the five viscera and six bowels may all refuse to settle down. Whenever stillness and concentration deepen to an extreme, they may conjure up all kinds of visions. One may see a red snake, or the Queen Mother of the West riding in a phoenix carriage and dragon chariot; one may also see the Vermilion Bird or the Black Tortoise. The visions vary. One might see Celestial Masters (Tianshi), immortals, Jade Maidens, or perfected officials, and hear clear, bright music; see strange birds and beasts, or objects of bizarre shape; see pairs of female immortals arrive to discuss the Way, or a white-faced scholar ask and answer questions. A splendid jeweled canopy might come to welcome and guide the practitioner, or a sacred celestial text might descend with an edict. Parents, spouses, and children, whether living or dead, may also appear in various forms to test the practitioner.

If these visions are taken for reality, one will fall into a demonic realm and be lured astray, and all the cultivation achieved so far will be wasted. Therefore, lower the eyelids, gather the mind, and hold the intention firm and unmoving; the various demonic apparitions will then recede of their own accord. At times, when one opens the eyes, a flashing radiance may seem to shine forth. Take it as one’s own wisdom sword, focus the intention to gather in this light, and guide it into the Qi cavity, the place where the breath is preserved and cultivated. Remain deeply still and quiet, neither looking nor listening. Whatever changes or disturbances demons and spirits may bring, pay them no heed. Hold fast to clear awareness and right intention, and the visions will fade.

If one suddenly becomes elated, singing and dancing alone, speaking wildly, composing poems and verses, discoursing on mysteries, and claiming to have attained the supreme Dao, know that these are tricks of the Conscious Spirit, the acquired mind, and that the Three Corpses are secretly at work. Even a trace of joy, anger, worry, fear, or sorrow shows that the mind and spirit have been unsettled. Weeping and then laughing, or turning from joy to sorrow, likewise means that the Original Spirit has been disturbed: one has failed to guard the Dantian and has instead been driven by the Three Corpses. At such times, bring it to a stop promptly and strive to enter stillness. Do not let deluded thoughts run their course. Stay alert at all times and keep a firm hold on the mind at every moment; only then can one avoid falling into a demonic realm and having one’s cultivation ruined.

Sometimes one may see an old man in white arrive riding a dragon or a deer and call one by name. Refuse him inwardly, and under no circumstances answer. If the Three Officials, the Daoist deities who govern Heaven, Earth, and Water, appear to examine one’s merits and faults, or if one sees relatives suffering punishment and coercion, refuse these visions inwardly as well. Do not let them give rise to anxiety, fear, or pity. If such visions are taken as real, then, upon being startled awake, one will feel as if waking from a dream, and one’s cultivation will surely be damaged. This is truly regrettable.

When practitioners sit quietly in meditative stillness and nurture the internal elixir, they may sometimes feel water imagery arising but find themselves unable to make it recede. Huang Shigong says this happens because the breath becomes intermittent, the original spirit does not remain settled within the body, and the work of nurturing is insufficient. The fire of the Dantian (energy center) therefore grows weak, and the light of the elixir cannot appear. Such experiences are called “yin demons”—yin apparitions or visions that arise during cultivation. These yin manifestations take many forms, but most appear as water imagery. At such times, the light of the elixir in the Yellow Court—a part of the body associated with Neidan (internal alchemy)—has not truly vanished.

One should gather the Threefold Samadhi True Fire, a fire that serves in cultivation as a metaphor for inner Qi (vital energy) and the power of refinement, and use it in practice. Concentrate one’s spirit and intention in the Central Palace, the central area within the body, focus on embryonic breathing—the subtle, deep state of breathing cultivated in practice—and turn the gaze inward while stilling the mind. Regulate the breath, and visualize the fire gathering into a single mass, burning fiercely in the Yellow Court. Let the light of the spirit fill the Elixir Cauldron and shine throughout the body. In this way, the yin apparitions will naturally disperse, and the light of the elixir in the Central Palace will appear again.

Li Xu’an said: “Those cultivating the embryo breath—the stage in Neidan practice in which one nurtures embryo-like breathing or the inner elixir—may suddenly see flames arise while sitting quietly and entering meditative stillness, yet find themselves unable to make them disappear. This usually happens because they have eaten something that readily stokes internal fire, or bathed in hot water, stirring the elixir fire within the body. They may then feel as though flames are surging everywhere and burning them. Such visions take many forms, but most are marked by fire. At times, one may feel heat and agitation in the heart, become thirsty, and drink water continually. If one does not know how to calm this state, it too can bring harm, as though the elixir fire had run out of control.”

The formula says: “Focus your attention on imagining a black ball the size of a fist before you. Use true intent—focused, undistracted awareness—to gather the spirit and keep it fixed there. Imagine the ball as cool as a shaded place. Then draw it toward you with your mind, while turning the light inward—gathering the spirit that has strayed outward and directing it within—and guide it into the central palace, the inner cultivation point at the center of the body in Neidan practice. In this way, errant fire will subside of itself, and the mind will grow cool and clear. Imagine the black ball and draw it into the central palace as many times as needed; there is no need to insist on three or five repetitions. Continue until the heat and errant fire have completely receded. Then you can remain steady and at peace, with a clear and refreshed spirit, and avoid errors in cultivation.”

The spirit possesses all six supernatural powers.

The Perfected Master Luo Shuankuan says that after the signs of the “six sense faculties trembling” appear, the sun and moon join in radiance, revealing signs that consciousness has acquired the “six spiritual powers.” The six faculties are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The six powers are the six supernatural abilities described in the cultivation tradition.

After entering deep stillness—a state in which the mind and spirit remain settled, quiet, and unmoving—one seems to enter a state of undifferentiated awareness, and the mind’s apertures suddenly open wide. One can see Heaven above and Hell below, with the Three Realms and ten directions spread before one’s eyes. This is called the power of the heavenly eye. One can hear sounds from the ten directions as though they were right beside one’s ear, and hear the words of spirits and people in Heaven and beneath the earth. This is called the power of the heavenly ear. As one gradually enters deep stillness, spiritual perception emerges, allowing one to know the hidden thoughts of beings in the ten directions. This is called the power of knowing others’ minds. One can also know the causes and conditions of one’s existence before birth and after death, as well as events from countless kalpas—immensely long spans of time—past. This is called the power of knowing past lives.

The text continues: as stillness deepens further and reaches the state of extinction, the flower of the mind suddenly blooms. One can foresee good and ill fortune, see objects through walls, and perceive where wind, clouds, thunder, and rain will arise. This is called the power of spiritual presence. When this is joined by having refined Jing without letting it leak away, and by attaining the “hidden horse-yin sign,” a bodily change described in cultivation texts, it is the power of ending all outflows. Together, these are known as the six powers. They accompany the trembling of the six faculties after one has gathered and refined the great medicine. Once consciousness has acquired the six powers, there is also a method called “refining the body in true emptiness.”

The Venerable Ge says: When cultivation reaches the stage of nurturing the embryo and entering stillness—that is, when practitioners nourish the inner Elixir and settle into deep meditation—they may sometimes feel bodily fatigue, stabbing pain and tightness in the chest, or even vomit several bowls of purple blood. As these symptoms gradually ease, there is no need for alarm or worry. The scripture explains them as the result of overexertion in the past, which injured the heart and blood, and says that afterward, long-standing illnesses of every kind will be eliminated.

At times, there may be stabbing pain at the navel, a sensation in the ribs as if they were pierced by an awl, or a feeling that the organs in the abdomen are splitting apart. The head may feel as though it has been cleaved by a great axe; the mind and spirit may grow hazy and unsettled, making it hard to sit or lie still. Foul-smelling blood clots or foreign matter, in five different colors, may pass with the urine or stool. Thick, foul-smelling fluids may also flow from the nine orifices—the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and the two lower openings. The scripture describes these phenomena as the expulsion of embryo toxins and accumulated impurities, and says that once they have all been discharged, the room will fill with fragrance.

At times, toxins may be discharged from the eyes, making them difficult to open; they may be rinsed or treated with drops of human breast milk. Practitioners may also feel drowsy day and night, suffer pain in the joints throughout the body, feel as though their bones have been shattered, and sweat profusely all over. The scripture says there is no need for astonishment: these are signs of “true transcendence,” like a dragon shedding its old bones or a snake casting off its old skin.

At times, the whole body may feel as though it is on fire, with unbearable pain that reaches into the bones and sinews; practitioners may remain unconscious for three to five days. The scripture says not to be afraid. Simply quiet the mind, withdraw into solitude, and enter meditation, leaving things to Heaven’s will. In time, divine clarity will arise, wisdom will emerge, and the six spiritual powers—six extraordinary abilities described in Daoist cultivation—will become complete. Once these six powers are attained, the deities of the Three Departments and Eight Visions, the system of spirits and visions within the human body, will all appear and become protective divine kings.

A Detailed Account of the Dangers That May Arise When the Three Departments Enter the Visions

The Primordial Lady of Great Unity (Taiyi Yuanjun), a Daoist goddess, says: After practitioners attain the six supernatural abilities, the twenty-four True Spirits in the eight luminous regions of the body’s upper, middle, and lower sections will all appear and become divine kings who protect the Dharma. The “twenty-four True Spirits” are the deities within the body associated with the six sense faculties—the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—as well as consciousness, the three souls, and the seven corporeal souls. Each has its own name.

The deities of the eight luminous regions in the upper section are: the brain deity Jue Yuanzi, courtesy name Dao Du; the hair deity Xuan Wenhua, courtesy name Dao Heng; the hearing deity Tong Zhongzhong, courtesy name Dao Lian; the eye deity Xu Jiansheng, courtesy name Dao Wei; the tongue deity Shi Liangzhi, courtesy name Dao Qi; the teeth deity Ling Mougai, courtesy name Dao Zhou; the mouth deity Gai Lifu, courtesy name Dao Zhu; and the nose deity Chong Longyu, courtesy name Dao Ping.

The deities of the eight luminous regions in the middle section are: the throat deity Bai Liufang, courtesy name Dao Tong; the lung deity Su Lingsheng, courtesy name Dao Geng; the heart deity Huan Yangchang, courtesy name Dao Ming; the liver deity Kai Jun Tongnian, courtesy name Dao Qing; the gallbladder deity Long Deju, courtesy name Dao Fang; the left kidney deity Chun Yuanzhen, courtesy name Dao Qing; the right kidney deity Xiang Diyuan, courtesy name Dao Sheng; and the spleen deity Bao Yuanquan, courtesy name Dao Qian.

The deities of the eight luminous regions in the lower section are: the stomach deity Tong Zhuyu, courtesy name Dao Chen; the deity within the kidneys, Zhao Tengkang, courtesy name Dao Huan; the small and large intestine deity Peng Songliu, courtesy name Dao Chu; the deity within the torso, Shou Xiangbo, courtesy name Dao Ling; the chest deity Guang Yingzhai, courtesy name Dao Zhong; the deity of the two flanks, Pi Jiama, courtesy name Dao Cheng; the deity of the left Yin and right Yang, Fu Liuqi, courtesy name Dao Gui; and the deity of the right Yin and left Yang, Bao Biaoming, courtesy name Dao Fu.

The scripture also says that nine Perfected Ones dwell in the human body, and their identities should likewise be known: the heart is the Perfected One of the Biyi Palace; the kidneys, the Perfected One of the Danyuan Palace; the liver, the Perfected One of the Lantai Palace; the lungs, the Perfected One of the Shangshu Palace; the spleen, the Perfected One of the Huangting Palace; the gallbladder, the Perfected One of the Tianling Palace; the large intestine, the Perfected One of the Changling Palace; the small intestine, the Perfected One of the Xuanling Palace; and the bladder, the Perfected One of the Yufang Palace.

The highest path of cultivation requires no elaborate formulas: one need only hold these True Spirits within the body in contemplative awareness. The Niwan, a site of cultivation in the head, and every part of the body contain spirits, too many to name one by one. Those who cultivate the True must be cautious and focused. When the spirits appear, one should see as though one did not see, and hear as though one did not hear. Only by setting aside distracting thoughts and entering stillness can one avoid errors in cultivation.

The Celestial Mechanism of the Pure Yang Ancestral Qi Aiding the Embryo

Yin Changsheng said: After the sun and moon join in radiance, while in a state of extreme stillness, one suddenly feels two currents of pure Yang Qi (vital energy) emerging from Yongquan, the acupoint on the soles of the feet. They pass through the knees and thighs, surging with abundance and rising in rolling waves until they gather in the lower Dantian (energy center). At this point, one uses the Samadhi True Fire—the fire of intention used in Neidan (internal alchemy) to refine Jing (essence) and Qi. The pure Yang Qi then ascends along the Du vessel in the back, passing through the spinal gate and Jade Pillow to reach the Muddy Pellet, the brain region at the crown of the head. It then passes through the Layered Tower, the throat, and descends to the central palace, at the body’s center, where it enters the immortal embryo, a term in Neidan for the fruits of inner cultivation, and merges with it. Thus the body’s true Qi is gently nourished and circulates freely; body and mind harmonize, and one is no longer troubled by heat or cold.

Each day, just before dawn, while the sun has yet to rise and the light and Qi between Heaven and Earth remain dim and indistinct, gather the spirit and sit in stillness, waiting in emptiness and quiet. Let go of thoughts within and sever concerns with the world outside, as though forgetting Heaven and Earth and allowing the bodily form to dissolve without a trace. Then, naturally, within the Great Void, a point of sunlight like dew or a flash of lightning will surge into the Mysterious Pass, where the movements of body, mind, and Qi converge in Neidan cultivation. It passes through the Muddy Pellet and transforms into sweet dew that descends into the body. At this point, set the Wind of the Winnowing Basket in motion, the wind that drives the movement of Qi in Neidan practice. Let it expel harmful Qi from the Three Passes and Nine Apertures, cleanse the impurities of the five viscera and six bowels, refine the body and its substance, remove dross and dark vapors, and purge all defilement, until the body is transformed into one of pure Yang.

Through Grain Abstinence and the cultivation of stillness and meditative concentration, continue this refinement: expel harmful Qi from the Three Passes and Nine Apertures, cleanse the impurities of the five viscera and six bowels, refine the body and its substance, remove dross and dark vapors, purge all defilement, and transform the body into one of pure Yang.

The Celestial Mechanism of Grain Abstinence, Stillness, and Wisdom

Yuan Duzi says: When the body has been refined until it becomes purely Yang, if the mind still clings to the pleasures of the world and cannot give up food, the Yang Qi will remain impure and may be disturbed by Yin demons. As long as even a trace of attachment to food remains, a trace of Yin Qi will follow. To exhaust the Yin Qi and make the Yang Qi complete, one must see through the pleasures of the world and sever worldly ties. Only then can scattered thoughts suddenly cease and wisdom open, allowing one to give up grain and food and lose the desire to eat. The sooner one stops eating, the sooner one enters and leaves meditative absorption; the more slowly one stops, the more slowly one enters and leaves it.

Even after giving up food and entering meditative absorption, if thoughts will not settle and the mind is full of scattered concerns, the inner fire will be insufficient and the elixir Qi will grow cold. The Primordial Spirit will then be unable to guard the Qi. The Qi will in turn become breath, and transform into the essence of sexual union and pleasure—that is, the vital essence associated with desire and reproductive activity. If the human mind cannot become still and desire cannot be dispelled, one will ultimately be unable to stop eating or attain profound stillness, and may even lose all the progress made before.

Even after the Golden Liquor has descended and the Jade Pivot has ceased its rotation—a stage in internal cultivation when the movement of essence and Qi reaches a certain point—one must still practice clearing the abdomen and dispelling dreams. Only when worldly pleasures have been wholly abandoned, sleep has ceased, and both breathing and the pulse have stopped can one say that the embryo is complete and the spirit whole: the Daoist embryo has matured and the spirit has been perfected through internal alchemy. At this point, the primordial Qi of Great Harmony fills the body, and hunger is no longer felt. The Five Aggregates are all empty—a Buddhist term meaning that the five constituents of the person and experience are empty—and the Six Spiritual Powers are complete. A glimmer of wisdom may appear, perhaps bringing the ability to foresee events, but this wisdom must not be used recklessly. When wisdom appears but is not abused, it continues to grow. If one does not know how to restrain it and uses it at will, one will surely invite disturbances from external demons, as clouds cover the sun and the light of wisdom disappears. Even if the ability to foresee remains, its power to penetrate and comprehend will be lost.

The Celestial Mechanism of the Five Qi Returning to the Origin

Master Pure Unity says that when cultivation reaches the stage of nurturing the embryo and entering stillness, the heart is no longer stirred by the flavors of the world. Shen (spirit) gathers into profound silence, and nature and life can unite as one. This renews the vitality of the Five Zang organs and rebuilds the body. From the formless, form arises and condenses into the “sacred embryo,” the inner embryonic essence spoken of in cultivation.

At this time, focus on guarding stillness and let every distracting thought subside: thoughts from the outside cannot enter, and thoughts within do not arise. Remain all day in an undivided state, as though still in the womb. This is what is called a “living dead person”: the body remains, but the heart and spirit are not stirred by external things. As the Yin Qi in the heart gradually disappears, even when something joyful occurs, the heart does not waver. The true Qi of the Heart channel then appears naturally as red clouds, gathering before Kunlun, which here refers to the central point of the body in the inner landscape of cultivation.

Likewise, when the Yin Qi in the liver is nearly gone, the liver remains undisturbed even when something angering occurs. The true Qi of the Liver channel appears as blue-green clouds and gathers to the left of Kunlun. When the Yin Qi in the spleen is nearly gone, the spleen remains undisturbed by something that arouses greed or desire; the true Qi of the Spleen channel appears as yellow clouds and gathers above Kunlun. When the Yin Qi in the lungs is nearly gone, the lungs remain undisturbed by something sorrowful; the true Qi of the Lung channel appears as white clouds and gathers to the right of Kunlun. When the Yin Qi in the kidneys is nearly gone, the kidneys remain undisturbed by something frightening; the true Qi of the Kidney channel appears as black clouds and gathers behind Kunlun. These five kinds of Qi are called the “Five Qi.”

The phrase “the Five Qi paying homage to the Origin” does not mean that one should deliberately perform a method and guide them according to the directions. When stillness reaches its utmost, the Five Qi gather upward of their own accord. At that point, one may see blue-green Qi appear in the east, accompanied by the sound of reed instruments and scenes of banners and carriages, with sights filling all sides. Next, red Qi appears in the south, white Qi in the west, black Qi in the north, and yellow Qi in the center. All five gather at the “Upper Origin,” the upper central point described in cultivation, where they shift and mingle. When these scenes appear, do not watch them attentively; focus instead on entering stillness.

The ancients said, “When Shen rests securely within an aperture, wisdom arises; when the Elixir enters the crucible, myriad transformations follow.” Here, “aperture” and “crucible” are both terms in Neidan (internal alchemy) for places within the body where cultivation takes place. The numinous clarity of one’s own heart and spirit resonates with the numinous clarity of Heaven and Earth; inner reality and outer response communicate, until they finally merge into an undivided whole.

Cultivation at this stage is centered on profound stillness, with refraining from reckless movement as its foundation. Laozi said, “If people can remain constantly still and clear, Heaven and Earth and all things will return to them.” Then, within the Great Void, a sun will appear naturally, shining above and below in harmony with the light of one’s own Elixir, until the two become one.

Next comes the discussion of the vital energies of Heaven and Earth and the secrets of Heaven.

Shangyangzi says: When practicing the “great work,” sit quietly in a quiet room. Do not cling to Qi outwardly or think about it inwardly. After the practice has deepened and continued for a long time, one reaches “returning to the origin” (chaoyuan), a state in which internal Qi returns to its source. At that point, breathing and the pulse become still. Suddenly, one feels the heart’s Fire descend and the kidneys’ Water rise; the Five Organs produce fluids, and the channels throughout the body become unobstructed. Qi from the Heart channel surges upward, a strange fragrance is sensed in the nose, and sweet fluid forms on the tongue. Even without food, one is not drowsy day or night. At night, it may seem possible to see through walls and to know in advance past events and future fortunes or misfortunes. When true Qi stirs at night, red clouds swirl above the crown of the head, and a round light appears between the eyebrows.

The scripture says these signs indicate the first formation of the “immortal embryo” and the emergence of the medicinal potency, as the body’s gates and passages gradually open. If one still does not stop eating grains at this stage, Yang energy will be difficult to disperse and purify, and illness may easily arise; one remains an ordinary person. Practice must ultimately reach a state in which both inner and outer concerns are forgotten, and “Lead is exhausted and Mercury dried up” (a Neidan term for Yin and Yang essences being refined until they become pure and unified).

The scripture then describes bodily reactions that may occur during refinement and nourishment. There may be continual rumbling and crackling in the abdomen, like thunder and lightning, as though wind and clouds were surging. One’s appetite may vary, while turbid fluid runs constantly from the nose and foul breath comes from the mouth; one may also vomit something resembling yellow sand. Whether these signs are good or bad, one must continue refining the grain Qi within the body. At times, something resembling bean soup is expelled, with a foul smell; afterward, greasy substances like butter or sour fermented liquid may also be expelled. A strange fragrance may be sensed in the nose, and others can smell it too. The urine and stool may contain substances in five colors, resembling cinnabar. The scripture regards these signs as evidence that one has drawn the vital energies of all things from Heaven and Earth.

If one fails to maintain careful discipline and does not enter deep stillness, the original spirit may leave its dwelling and true Qi may dissipate. The Cinnabar Terrace (the inner place where spirit and Qi are refined and nourished in Neidan practice) loses its guiding force, the human mind grows lax, and the Three Corpses (spirits said in Daoism to cause illness and disturbance within the body) and Six Wastes (various forces that deplete body and mind) rise together to wreak havoc and unsettle the spirit. During meditation, doubt and fear may arise, leaving the mind uneasy; sleep may be interrupted by sudden waking and a pounding heart, and one adverse sign after another may appear. If one fails to wake up and reflect, yet persists in trying to enter stillness, the mind and spirit will become agitated and the spirit will stray outward. Though the body remains seated, the alchemical work will have scattered, and all the effort made before will have been in vain.

The Heavenly Secret of the Manifestation of the Three Treasures

Lady Jade-Void of the Muddy Pellet says: After the sun and moon join as one, three lotus platforms appear in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers). A baby sits cross-legged on each platform. These are visionary changes that appear in the course of Golden Elixir cultivation; one must never become attached to them. Gather the mind and spirit swiftly and enter meditative absorption, until reaching the profound state of “cessation of all sensation and perception.”

At this time, a golden lotus emerges from the Yellow Court, the site of cultivation within the human body. It rises through the crown of the head and shoots into the clouds, where it scatters and becomes golden flowers. When the flowers bloom fully, they wither and drift down in a shower. Then gather the spirit in meditation and use intention to keep the flowers from falling away. They will enter the immortal embryo and nurture one’s own immortal infant.

The Heavenly Secret of the Red Serpent Passing Through the Pass

Zhuang Zhou says, “‘The red snake passes through the gate’ describes the transformation that occurs when the sun and moon join as one during the return of the Golden Elixir. Once the mind and spirit are completely still, the radiance of the Elixir transforms into a red infant—the infant form described in Neidan practice. When it first appears, it takes the shape of a red snake, shining brightly, then suddenly bursts through the air toward you.

When the liquid gold reaches the crown of the head, the crown seems filled with waves of golden liquid like silver, surging and sparkling. Then a red snake appears and enters through the crown. It breathes auspicious light from its mouth, shining like a torch, and darts through the whole body, moving between the joints and reaching everywhere. At this point, gather your thoughts and enter a state of stillness, letting it move as it will. After a short while, it will disappear. If you are startled, the red infant will be unable to rise into the Muddy Pellet—the upper Dantian in the head, as described in Daoism—and will have difficulty finding its way out of the dark, confusing passage. If you remain calm and unafraid when the Elixir snake flies toward you, you will be able to speak with a spirit being.

During deep stillness, if a Vermilion Bird appears before you to lead the way—the Vermilion Bird is the divine bird of the south and often symbolizes guidance—or if spirits, ghosts, immortals, or Buddhas come to speak with you, do not speak with them under any circumstances. In short, whatever your eyes see or your ears hear is illusory and must not be taken as real. The battle of the dragon and tiger, the union of the infant and maiden, the coiling of the tortoise and snake, and visits from immortals and Buddhas are all illusions; do not mistake them for reality. If you pay them heed, your thoughts will waver and your spirit will scatter, harming your cultivation. Gather your spirit, steady your breath, and return to deep stillness; only then can you transcend and enter the “post station,” the name given in the source to this stage of cultivation.

The Mystery of the Red Snake Returning to the Body

Chen Xubai says, “When ‘the red snake passes through the gate,’ understand that the sun in the sky has been drawn by the radiance of your own Elixir and is about to return to your body, where it will nurture my immortal … .”

Chen Xubai said: “When the vision of the ‘Red Serpent Piercing the Pass’ appears, understand that the sun in the sky has been drawn by the radiance of your own Elixir and is about to enter the body to nourish the immortal embryo. As the sun descends, its speed may vary; do not panic or be afraid. Once it enters the body, it will transform into countless fire arrows that pierce through the whole body. At this time, set aside all distracting thoughts and remain calm until the process is complete. A short while later, the vision of the fire arrows will naturally disappear. Afterward, a faint radiance will naturally emerge from every part of the body. When the mind reaches utter stillness, the Dao is successfully cultivated.

The Celestial Secret of the Thunder Spirit Guarding the Altar

The True Man of White Bones said: After the sun and moon join in brilliance—a vision in cultivation in which the sun and moon unite—the Elixir radiance in the central palace, the central Dantian region of the body, fills and flows, shining outward. It rises from the Jiaji point along the spine, passes through the crown of the head, and forms an auspicious light as large as a wheel. Its brilliance dazzles the eyes and protects the practitioner in seated meditation, keeping the surroundings bright day and night.

The vision is called “the Thunder Spirit Guarding the Altar” because, after the practitioner’s thoughts have been refined and returned to stillness, the Dao-heart—the pure, undistracted original heart—has been thoroughly cultivated. The nature-body, or original nature, is tranquil, settled, and luminous, while the conscious spirit, the discriminating and deliberative mind, loses its support and appears as the Thunder Duke, seemingly frightening the practitioner and obstructing cultivation. At this time, the practitioner must still set aside distracting thoughts, remain calm and unmoving, and enter deep and stable meditative absorption. In this way, the conscious spirit will naturally recede; the Dao-heart will be thoroughly cultivated, and the nature-body will be tranquil, settled, and luminous. With no support left, the conscious spirit will ultimately transform into a Dharma-protecting deity king.

The Perfected Yin says: The key to nurturing and preserving fetal breathing—a term for an inner state cultivated through Neidan practice—is to let thoughts come to rest and take deep entry into great stillness, a state in which the mind and spirit are settled and undisturbed by external things, as the foundation.

When Neidan practice has brought fetal breathing to completion, a stirring of thought or agitation of the spirit may set off the “samādhi true fire” in the Dantian, a term for the inner firing process in Daoist Neidan practice. The flames may surge from the seven orifices and blaze fiercely throughout the body. If they are not calmed at once, within moments the body may be consumed by fire, endangering the practitioner while seated in meditation.

To calm the fire, immediately focus your intention and gaze on a mass of black Qi in the empty space before you. Imagine it as large as a cartwheel and cold as ice, its chill penetrating. Once the image is clear, draw it into your abdomen with your intention. Then remain composed and motionless, sinking deeply into quiet Wuwei. Before long, you will feel the sky clear and the air grow fresh, and will once again enter great stillness and become calm. You may visualize this black sphere three times, five times, or as often as needed, until the inner, agitated fire has fully subsided; only then will you be safe from the danger of being consumed by fire.

“The Celestial Mechanism for Battling Inner and Outer Yin Demons”

Master Huangfang says: In the course of “nurturing the embryo and entering stillness”—cultivating the original Shen within and entering a state of deep concentration—one may sometimes behold heavenly scenes, such as jeweled palaces and immortal gardens; at other times, scenes like those of hell, or the faces of deities and demons. Some of these visions are real, others illusory, and they change in countless ways, growing ever more strange. However they change, keep the mind settled and remain unmoved.

If Yin demons—forces that disturb the mind during cultivation—Yin beings, or various illusory visions arise within or around you and cause disruption, yet cannot be dispelled, do this: see as though you had not seen, hear as though you had not heard. Focus on guarding the mind within and gathering your spirit. Silently recite the Golden Light Divine Incantation, a Daoist spell for protection and warding off evil, and the demonic obstruction will naturally recede.

If what you see and hear still does not disappear, promptly use the visualization method called “fire consuming the body” to make the obstruction vanish of itself. In cultivation, concentrate on imagining the sun in the sky drawn toward you by your inner cinnabar light, the light envisioned in internal alchemy. Then a mass of true fire surges up from the Dantian and shoots straight to the crown of the head. Let the two fires shine upon each other and burn fiercely, as though flames covered heaven and earth and consumed all things. When the smoke and fire have dispersed and the sky is clear, all demonic obstructions will naturally vanish.

The Heavenly Secret Formula of Spring Waters Rising

Hunranzi says: After cultivating the embryo and entering meditative stillness, remain for a long time in a quiet state of inward observation. Suddenly, you may feel the Dantian (energy center) surging like spring water. At this point, calmly preserve the natural inner breath and the Wuwei (non-action) spirit-fire, using them to warm and refine. The water Qi (vital energy) in the Dantian will naturally turn into heat and flow along the inner sides of the hips to the Yongquan points, located on the soles of the feet. Focus your mind and spirit on both heels, allowing the true breath to sink with them and reach the centers of the feet. After a while, when the Yongquan points have settled, turn your attention back to the Weilü, near the end of the spine and the coccyx, and quietly wait. Suddenly, you may feel something surge upward from the Weilü, like a ball of cotton or a steamed bun, or like a heavy lump of Qi that is hard to move.

At this point, keep your attention focused and undispersed, and urgently and steadily warm and refine. A current of heat will naturally pass through the Weilü, rise along the spine, and surge into the Niwan Palace, a site of cultivation inside the crown of the head. Then you may feel water roaring and rumbling in the Niwan Palace without pause. Only after a long time will the sound stop on its own. Let your mind and spirit settle there and wait briefly; then press the tongue against the upper palate and gather body and mind together. Once quiet, you will feel the mouth fill with Golden Liquids, the name given to saliva in internal alchemy practice. They flow into the windpipe, pass through the Chonglou, or throat, and bring coolness to the mind. When you face things in the outside world without stirring emotional thoughts, you enter deep meditative stillness.

Even if feelings such as joy, anger, worry, or fear arise, never let the mind and spirit waver. Gather your thoughts and enter meditative stillness, continuing to preserve the inner light of clear awareness until embryo-breath cultivation is complete and the Yang Spirit appears. At this point, the earth, mountains, and rivers seem to lie in your palm. If spirit and Qi cannot unite as one, Qi may remain in the body while the spirit wanders outside it. The result will be a Yin Spirit that takes another body through reincarnation and possession, unable to transform into a Yang Spirit. As the sacred embryo nears completion, the physical body must not leave meditative stillness. After the sacred embryo is complete, the Dharma Body must not remain in the physical body for long; otherwise, it will miss the moment of spiritual transformation and remain merely an ordinary person. In sum, spirit and Qi must unite as one to avoid the danger of separation.

The Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan said: Once the sacred embryo—the inner “infant” spoken of in cultivation—has matured, and the state of “cessation of all perception and feeling” reaches its utmost point, the light of one’s nature, an inner radiance manifesting as light, will appear. Looking outward in stillness and concentration, one may see purple clouds and auspicious mists filling the space before one’s eyes. These are still only sights perceived by ordinary people. The crucial thing is to unite Shen and Qi; only then is the danger of their separation avoided.

Looking outward in stillness and concentration, one may see purple clouds and auspicious mists filling the space before one’s eyes. Then, gazing downward from the crown of the head, one will see a mass of golden light enveloping the body. Do not become attached to these visions. Settle the mind and enter meditative absorption; a golden lotus will naturally rise from the ground, while points of light like white snow dance across the sky. The golden lotus rises from the earth to the highest heavens, then transforms into snowflakes that fall in profusion. Use intention to gather these visions and draw them back into the body, where they can nourish the immortal infant, the inner life formed through cultivation. This is the completion of the ten-month gestation and the time to stop the fire.

Once visions like flowers raining from the sky appear, failing to stop the fire puts the immortal infant at risk of being scorched. “Flowers raining from the sky” refers to the vision that appears when, upon emerging from meditative absorption, one moves from the central palace—the cultivation site in the middle of the body—to the upper field, the cultivation site in the head. At this point, one must stop the fire and transform Shen. No further practice of silent illumination is needed; simply return wholeheartedly to emptiness and abide in nonbeing, allowing mind and spirit to settle into the void. Then the firing process can cease.

Entering and emerging from meditative absorption each have their own meaning. To emerge is to leave the middle field and move to the upper field. To enter is to gather the spirit in the Celestial Valley and Niwan, cultivation sites in the head, so that the ears and eyes open again and clarity and spiritual awareness reappear. The timing of emerging on the day the fire is stopped is especially critical: emerge before stopping the fire, and the spirit will become confused and wander; emerge after the firing process has run its course, and the spirit will become dull and unresponsive.

The Elder of the South Pole said: Just after the sacred embryo has emerged, coming out of meditative absorption before stopping the fire will inevitably cause the spirit to become confused and wander. Waiting until the firing process has run its course will make the spirit dull and unresponsive.

The Old Man of the South Pole says: As soon as the Sacred Embryo (the inner sacred body formed through cultivation) emerges, it must rise from the central palace to the upper field. The upper field is the inner court of the celestial palace. Without right awareness to govern the mind and spirit, practitioners may be drawn, without realizing it, to the five colors and five sounds, to illusory scenes like towers rising over a mirage sea, and to all manner of marvels in the world. The inner court is full of splendor, and many realms appear in succession; immortals, Buddhas, and various gods may appear as well. Do not speak to them—not even a single word. As visions arise one after another, if the True Person (the practitioner’s true nature and spirit) becomes absorbed in them, they often grow drowsy and lose their way, or even bring their cultivation to a halt. Once the True Person is lost, all the work done before is wasted—a great pity.

The mind and spirit must be settled and one’s nature calm. Let any and all scenes appear, while hearing as though one had not heard and seeing as though one had not seen. Only then can the True Person remain unharmed. In the past, when the True Person Liu Zu Chahua’s spirit journeyed beyond the inner court, he too became lost in enchanting realms of splendor. Unable to leave the dark and bewildering path and reach the farther shore, he gave rise to the section called “Refining Nature on the Flower Street.” From the practice of Returning the Elixir through this stage of the Great Circulation, whatever one encounters—whether real or illusory—must be left entirely alone. One must enter meditation with undivided attention to ensure that nothing goes awry.

The secret formula for the Yang Spirit’s passage through the Celestial Tower.

Guangchengzi said: When the Yang Spirit—the Original Spirit spoken of in Neidan cultivation—moves from the Central Palace to the Upper Field, it must pass through the Twelve Storied Tower, the cultivation gate around the throat. This is a crucial passage. At this point, one need only sit upright in silence, in a state that is neither fully aware nor unaware, seeming to exert effort without actually forcing anything. Hold in mind the thought, “One breath travels a thousand miles; a thousand miles become one breath.” This is the method for passing swiftly through the Storied Tower. The practice is so subtle that words can scarcely convey it; one can only grasp it oneself.

After passing through the Storied Tower and beyond the Inner Court, the practitioner reaches the moment when the Heavenly Gate—the aperture at the crown through which the spirit emerges—is on the verge of opening. If the mind and spirit grow dull and drowsy, the Yang Spirit may drift unsteadily. Only by remaining lucid and unclouded, maintaining one’s poise amid quietude and obscurity, can the Yang Spirit be moved out of the Middle Field to quietly illuminate the Upper Field, the Mudball Palace at the head. Then let the mind and spirit return to utter stillness, settled in quietude: gather the spirit at the Mudball Palace, without deliberately clinging to the Upper Field. Visualize the Three Fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian—as merging into a realm of emptiness: boundless, without inside or outside, void, still, and clear.

Once the Yang Spirit has moved to the fontanel, never look downward. Otherwise, the mind and spirit may be startled and afraid, clinging to the body and unwilling to emerge. This is the first layer of the Form Body, the physical body. Unless this realm of emptiness can be broken through, it will be difficult to leave behind a state of darkness and confusion. Wait until the true mechanism within stirs and responds to what is felt without; when the two kinds of firing times converge and shine, the Heavenly Gate will open of itself.

Essential Formula for Regulating the Spirit and Emerging from the Shell

Liu Qiaoyang says: The Yang spirit (the yang aspect of spiritual awareness described in cultivation) moves from the middle field to the upper field and merges with stillness and concentration. When stillness and concentration reach their utmost, a sudden crash like thunder is heard, as though the crown of the head has burst open. At that moment, close the eyes, gather the mind, and settle awareness within the Inner Court of the Celestial Valley (a cultivation site inside the head). One feels as if the body were suspended in empty space, the spirit and Qi light, nimble, and drifting, bright and clear, free and at ease. The body’s sense organs and limbs seem no longer to exist; the mind no longer clings to worldly concerns. One feels only that the true self dwells in the vastness of empty space.

At this point, the five Qi (the energies of the five internal organs) naturally gather into colored clouds to guard the Dharma Body (the form envisioned or cultivated by the practitioner), and one begins practicing the regulation of the spirit as it leaves the body. One may see music and joyous celebration, with golden boys and jade maidens supporting and guarding one on either side; or one may ride a fire dragon or fierce tiger, ascending from below. The palaces and towers, human emperors, and various demonic visions that appear along the way must not become objects of attachment. One must see as though one did not see, hear as though one did not hear, and never let external appearances overcome the mind. Simply continue riding upward. Whether officials, musicians, or attendants appear to the left or right, before or behind, one must not stop, even if they seem alluring; otherwise, one will never pass through the barriers.

Repeat these ascents and descents again and again, without tiring of them, until the practice becomes fully mastered: ascending straight to the celestial palace and descending again to the original place, moving up and down without hindrance. The ascent from below is like climbing a seven-tiered jeweled pagoda and rising through a twelve-story jade tower, one level after another. When thunder crashes and lightning flashes, red light fills heaven and earth, and purple flames fill the sky, two streams of fire shine across one another. Then comes another crash, and the crown of the head opens wide. With a single thought, one may wish to pass beyond the Gate of Heaven and leave the mortal body; then a body outside the body can be formed.

Instructions for Opening the Gate of Heaven

Wei Boyang says: After the Yang spirit moves to the crown of the head, turn inward in stillness and concentration. At the crown there is the Samadhi Fire (an inner fire in the language of cultivation); while still and concentrated, turn the gaze outward. Above the crown is the divine light of the sun. The specific instructions are as follows.

Wei Boyang says: When the Yang spirit rises to the crown of the head, turn your gaze inward while sitting in stillness. At the crown is the True Fire of Samadhi—the inner fire spoken of in cultivation. While sitting, also turn your gaze outward. Above the crown shines a divine light like the sun. Use true intention—the focused, undistracted mind—to observe it quietly and help it gather. Let the fire above shine downward and the fire below rise upward, refining the body from within and without. At the crown, where the Baihui point lies, silver waves seem to surge; the entire crown feels as though it is covered in golden needles. The two forces of fire attack and refine one another, sounding like thunder, as if blasting open the inner chamber of the Purple Palace, the divine abode within the body described in Daoist teachings. In an instant, red light seems to shine in every direction, and purple flames fill the sky. Then a great crash like a sudden clap of thunder shakes the room, and the Heavenly Gate at the crown opens.

This process is like that of a newborn child: breathing and movement are both extremely subtle. The newly opened gate has not yet closed; it is the size of a coin and as thin as cotton. You may also feel as though your skull is splitting and the crown of your head is melting in the fire. When the Heavenly Gate first opens, it can seem as though a great axe has struck into the brain, causing unbearable pain. Do not be alarmed. The scripture says the pain will naturally heal after three days.

Heavenly Instructions on Gathering Golden Light Beyond the Body

The Daoist master Cihang says: Once the Yang spirit has risen to the crown, the crown is like the Heavenly Gate, and the brain palace is the Heavenly Palace. Do not be afraid; simply remain calm and courageous, focus your spirit, and hold in mind the Dharma body—the body beyond the physical form envisioned in cultivation. Simply keep your attention fixed on this visualization.

Cihang Daoist says: When consciousness shifts to a point above the crown of the head, the crown is like Heaven’s Gate, and the brain is like a celestial palace. Do not panic or be afraid. Simply remain calm and bold, focus your mind and gather your spirit, and visualize your Dharma Body—the body beyond the physical body that appears through cultivation. With a single thought, visualize yourself passing through Heaven’s Gate; then close your eyes and make a gentle downward leap, as if waking from a dream. At that moment, the state of having a body outside the body will appear.

When the Yang Spirit—the body beyond the physical body formed from the cultivator’s consciousness—first leaves the body, it will hover about three or four feet from the physical form. At this point, whatever appears outside the body, do not turn your attention toward it to look or listen. Even if friends or relatives, grandparents, a spouse or children, or immortals and Buddhas come to visit; even if the Celestial Emperor issues a decree or the Queen Mother summons you, pay no heed, whether the visions are real or illusory. Do not identify with anything or become entangled in it, and above all do not cling to it. Keep the mind unmoving; dispel thoughts, let go of emotions, and enter stillness wholeheartedly. Do not look or listen. Wait quietly.

In a short while, a beam of golden or white light will shine out from within you, about the size of a wheel, and appear before you. At this point, use true intent—the mind’s focused and clear awareness—to move the Dharma Body before the light, and concentrate your spirit. Once the mind is steady, visualize the golden light gradually drawing together and shrinking to about an inch across, taking the shape of a coin. Then use your intention to draw this light into the Dharma Body. The Dharma Body enters the Elixir Body—the inner body described in cultivation—and the Sea of Nature, the realm contained within one’s original nature, returning to its former place. Then continue practicing the meditation of complete cessation, in which all thoughts are stilled, so that mind and spirit settle into quietude and enter deep samadhi.

The ancients said that golden light is a wondrous medicine for transforming the body, and that it must never be missed. Once the golden light disperses without being gathered in, it is gone forever. In that case, one can only preserve the body and cannot transform it into formlessness.

Secret instructions for gathering golden light and spreading the numinous Qi of the Five Sprouts.

The Perfected of Taiji said: When the Yang Spirit—the spiritual body that appears through cultivation—first emerges from an ordinary person’s body, it is only three inches in size. It circles to the left and right, looks back at the physical body still seated in meditation, and then immediately returns to the spirit chamber in the upper Dantian, where it rests quietly. After this has happened nine times, the Yang Spirit can take on its complete form and disperse the numinous Qi of the Five Sprouts. The Qi of the Five Sprouts is the state known as “the five Qi converging at the Origin,” reached after stillness has become absolute. It shines through the open sky and turns into auspicious clouds of five colors. Then the light of innate nature and true intention—the focused, undistracted mind—shine into the clouds, which transform into a mass of golden light as large as a wheel. The Yang Spirit sits upright within it.

At this point, the remaining Qi of the elixir light can turn into heavenly demons and heterodox spirits, conjuring all kinds of visions to tempt the Yang Spirit. If it is stirred even slightly by what it sees or hears, by sounds, colors, or scenes, and then departs without returning, it will fall into a demonic realm and be reborn in the six paths of reincarnation. People mistake this for attaining the Way through seated death, or for achieving some degree of accomplishment, but that is not so. All the work of cultivation done before this will have been wasted, a truly lamentable outcome. This happens because the mind has not been fully refined: the practitioner has not completely let go of life and death and remains inwardly unsettled.

Therefore, one must concentrate on guarding the golden light, holding the mind firm and unmoved. The various demonic realms will then recede on their own. Once they have vanished completely and the golden light has grown smaller, use true intention to fix the light in awareness, then draw it back in. Gather the Dharma Body—the form that appears through cultivation—back into the original palace of the sea of nature, the inner home that symbolizes the source of nature and life, so that it becomes one with innate nature and rests in quiet stillness. After some time, let the Yang Spirit leave the body again. Only then can Yin demons, the Yin apparitions that arise during cultivation, be transformed into the true spirit. When it appears before you in the same form as the physical body, you can be sure there has been no error.

Shao Kangjie said: Once the Yang Spirit has left the body and its ascent and descent have become practiced, one must choose an auspicious time on the Yellow Path and, when the sky is clear and the air pure, guide the spirit out of its shell. Watch over the Yang Spirit as you would a small child. In very foggy weather…

Shao Kangjie says: Once the Yang Shen (the yang spirit form cultivated through practice) can leave the body and has become adept at ascending and descending, one must still choose an auspicious day and wait for clear skies and clean air before guiding the Yang Shen out of its shell. One must be as careful as when tending an infant: do not open the door in heavy fog, and do not venture out in a downpour. Attend to its care at all times, without a moment’s neglect, lest the Yang Shen leave the body and be unable to return. If this causes one to fall back into the cycle of rebirth, all the cultivation achieved before will have been wasted.

Instructions for guiding the Yang Shen in and out.

Patriarch Chen Xiyi says: Once the Yang Spirit—the pure-Yang spirit spoken of in Daoist Neidan practice—leaves the body, it does not return because the refinement of the self, or cultivation of one’s nature, is not yet complete. When the Yang Spirit goes out, one must focus single-mindedly on guarding the Golden Bowl, a key locus in Neidan practice, with a firm and unwavering mind. Then disturbances from demons will naturally recede.

The Yang Spirit must not be released casually or remain away too long; it should go out quickly and return quickly. A practitioner may see the physical body as a heap of filth, and the Yang Spirit may then refuse to return to it. At such times, one must go out and come back along the original route without looking back, lest the Yang Spirit see the body and become afraid. As the saying goes, “Turn back, and you will not recognize the corpse.” The key is repeated practice until the process becomes familiar. First let the Yang Spirit go out one step, then immediately draw it back to its original abode. Once this has been mastered nine times, practice going out two steps and returning. Continue in this way, gradually increasing the distance until each excursion reaches the count of ninety-nine, following the same method throughout.

Practice and refine in this way for three years: first travel west, then east, south, and north, and also practice in every direction above and below, for three years. Pass through these states without becoming attached to them; let the mind remain unchanged when it encounters things, and master the Yang Spirit’s coming and going at will. As soon as the Yang Spirit enters the Mudball Palace, the upper Dantian in the head, the physical body grows warm, and golden light appears through the pores. If frightening sights bring fear, desirable sights bring craving, or attachment leads one to wander back and forth and sink into the body, one will fall into the demonic path and find it hard to attain the true fruit of cultivation. The practice must always center on clearing away stray thoughts and entering meditative stillness, remaining unmoved by joy, fear, sorrow, or pleasure. This is the essence of “the embryo ripening after ten months” and the work of “nurturing it with milk for three years.”

In stillness, Yang Qi stirs and is refined like gold drawn from ore. Thunder roars beneath the earth, as though the force of fire were driving the gold out.

The Four Stages of Fire Timing

Yang Fire advances and Yin Talisman recedes, each in its appointed season, without confusion. Advancing and retreating, drawing out and adding in, must all be managed properly.

Nurturing with Milk for Three Years

The third stage of the practice of refining the spirit and returning to emptiness is called “the higher attainment of nurturing with milk.”

Laozi says: “Nursing” means nurturing and training. When the Yang Spirit—the positive spiritual body spoken of in Neidan cultivation—has just left the physical body, it is still very young. To gather and preserve its light of wisdom, it must be nurtured until it gradually grows firm and mature, reaching a state of vast spiritual power and the ability to manifest extraordinary transformations. This “nursing” is the refinement of the spirit through entering stillness. A Yang Spirit that has just emerged from meditation is easily unsettled. Only through long periods of nurturing and meditation does it become calm and composed, no longer moving recklessly. One must therefore enter meditation repeatedly, letting the mind and spirit return to the natural emptiness, and continue to nurture it until it develops the sacred body with the wondrous aspect of true emptiness.

Bai Yuchan says: One must practice nursing for three years and follow the Way of the Seven Sevens of preservation and cultivation—that is, refine and nurture the spirit repeatedly until the sacred body gradually takes shape.

Bai Yuchan also says: To practice nursing for three years and follow the Way of the Seven Sevens of preservation and cultivation, one must refine the spirit until it returns to emptiness, gather the spirit, and enter meditation. At the beginning of this practice, after the Yang Spirit leaves the body, it should quickly return. Then, following the “cessation of all activity” (a deep meditation in which the movement of thought comes to rest), it should enter stillness. After seven days in meditation, guide the spirit out and back again, returning to stillness through the same cessation of activity. Repeat this after fourteen days, then extend the intervals to twenty-one days, twenty-eight days, and so on, through the fifth, sixth, and seventh sets of seven days. Each time, guide the spirit out and bring it back. Continue this gradual nurturing for three years. Throughout the process, regulate the spirit’s coming and going by gathering and releasing the sunlight.

When the spirit dwells in the Upper Dantian, the inner cultivation site in the head, and the cessation of activity has reached great depth, first spread the sunlight until its radiance passes through the crown of the head. Then, with a single thought of visualization, leave the body and follow the light beyond it. To gather the mind and spirit and bring them back into the body, first draw the subtle radiance back into the Dharma Body, the body formed through cultivation, then let the Yang Spirit follow its original path back into the physical body. Afterward, return to stillness through the cessation of activity. Repeat this process of leaving the body, returning, and entering meditation, nurturing the spirit for three years. Only when the nature-body has matured and become stable can dangers such as fear be avoided.

Peng Helin says: The “fixed period of seven days” mentioned earlier does not mean that nothing will stir during those seven days, or even throughout the full forty-nine days. Even if a ray of sunlight appears, one should use the mind to hold it there and draw it within the Dharma Body—the fundamental body and mind spoken of in cultivation. Following the “absorption of cessation,” the meditative state in which all thoughts come to rest, one should remain still without losing awareness. When the appointed time to emerge from meditation arrives, first let the sunlight shine beyond the body, then let the Yang Spirit—the spiritual form spoken of in cultivation—follow the light out through the crown of the head. It must not linger outside for too long. The appropriate duration depends on the depth of one’s cultivation and care: only after three years of tending it like an infant can one be sure it will not go astray.

Patriarch Bodhidharma says: When the Yang Spirit has just been brought forth and returns, a gust of wind can make it topple, while exposure to sunlight can make it overheat. Whether the Yang Spirit is inside or outside the body, one must avoid perceiving external things; only then is there no danger of losing one’s way.

The Patriarch Bodhidharma said: When the Yang Spirit (the spiritual form developed through cultivation, as the scripture uses the term) is brought out of the body and then drawn back in, wind can easily unsettle it, while sunlight can easily dry it out. Therefore, whether inside or outside the body, it should be kept from wind and direct sun to remain stable.

After three months of nurturing, perception will gradually open. At this stage, one must guard against being startled. The Yang Spirit should enter and leave at set times and in a fixed number of outings; its movements in and out must not be arbitrary. For the first three months, it should leave the body three times a day, and not at night. After six months, it may leave five times a day; after one year, seven times a day, though it should still remain close to the body. After two years, its comings and goings need no longer be limited by day or night. It may also leave the physical body temporarily and travel farther from it. After three years, it can reach, in an instant, a distance of one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand li.

The Lord of Donghua, a deity revered in Daoism, said: At the beginning of nurturing the Yang Spirit, proceed through stages of seven days, fourteen days, twenty-one days, and so on. First let it move one pace, then two, then three paces from the body, returning it inside each time. At stages of thirty-five, forty-two, and forty-nine days, it may leave the body by one li, then two, then three, and return each time. After one, two, and three years of cultivation, it may travel a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand li away, then return to the body. After three years of nurturing, it should not remain outside the body for long. One must continue with nine years of meditative absorption and cultivate the work of returning to emptiness.

The scripture also says: Nurturing the Yang Spirit’s comings and goings should be done only when the weather is clear and the air calm, without wind, clouds, thunder, or lightning. Only then may one undertake “exercising the spirit outside the shell,” the practice of letting the Yang Spirit leave the physical body. After three years, the cultivator’s nature-body has matured and become stable. The Great Void becomes its dwelling, and heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers are like bed and pillow. With a single step, one can travel a thousand li and journey through many lands; one can pass between being and nonbeing and move freely through heaven and earth. Even entering metal or stone presents no obstacle. One can also divide and transform one’s forms and shadows into hundreds of millions of bodies, filling the three-thousand great-thousand worlds. Only after three years of nurturing, like the growth of an infant, is cultivation considered complete and one made an immortal.

In general, the three years of “nursing” consist of repeatedly practicing the Yang Spirit’s departure from and return to the body until the process becomes familiar and stable. During cultivation, it should spend more time within the body and less outside it. After completing these three years, one must continue with nine years of deep absorption and returning to emptiness. When wall-facing meditation has reached completion, one is called a “Golden Immortal who has transcended the fleshly body.”

“Refining Emptiness and Uniting with the Dao” requires nine years of cultivation and is called “Great Attainment through Wall-Gazing.” Patriarch Lü (Lü Dongbin) spent nine years in meditative absorption, refining his practice and uniting with the Dao, until he reached this state of great attainment through wall-gazing. He was called a “Golden Immortal in the Flesh.”

Patriarch Lü said that the secret of refining emptiness lies in forgetting the body. The practitioner forgets others and forgets the self, seeming to dwell in primordial chaos while retaining a trace of true Qi (vital energy). The body grows hot as fire, while the mind remains calm as ice; the breath flows like a spring, and the spirit is still as though confined in a prison. The body and mind are kept empty and quiet, without acting on personal intention, but instead following the Dao’s natural unfolding.

In this state, one is both oneself and not oneself, both empty and not empty, as though moving together with the transformations of Heaven and Earth. When a person reaches the point of forgetting the body, the Yang Spirit—the pure Yang spirit described in Daoist cultivation—merges with the Great Void, the vast, formless emptiness. This is called “refining the mind.” The Yang Spirit has no fixed form, which is why this is called “refining emptiness.”

After nine years of cultivation, the wondrous powers of refining emptiness can manifest in countless ways. One may even tread on rosy clouds and ride the clouds, shatter the void, and ascend bodily to the heavens. This is called becoming a “Great Luo Golden Immortal.” Yet this stage is exceedingly difficult to attain: among millions of people, scarcely one or two may reach it.

The Most High Lord Lao says: What is called “returning to emptiness” is to draw back into the original body the Yang Spirit—the positive spiritual body spoken of in cultivation—which has been tempered through countless trials and can divide into multiple forms, ascend to the heavens, and descend to the earth. It is gathered into the Sea of Nature, deep within one’s nature, and the Inner Court of the Heavenly Valley, a place of cultivation within the body. The physical body is then refined until it completely merges with the Dharma Body, the body formed through cultivation. This is also the process of refining nature and life together. Afterward, the Yang Spirit must be sent back into the Sea of Nature, withdrawn and concealed in the Ancestral Cavity, the fundamental aperture referred to in cultivation, and returned to the realm of the Great Void and the Limitless.

The physical body must be repeatedly refined, cast, and melted until it reaches a state that is neither existent nor nonexistent, neither form and color nor emptiness; a state without inside or outside, without going out or coming in, without beginning or end. It should lie deeply still, like a dragon nurturing a pearl, and wait in quiet vigilance, like a crane brooding over an egg. Each layer must grow stiller than the last. The countless manifestations attained through past cultivation and realization, along with states such as riding dragons and cranes, walking on the sun and playing with the moon, and undergoing myriad transformations, must all be gathered into the Land of No Birth, the realm beyond arising and ceasing, and brought to stillness in accord with the Samadhi of Cessation, the meditative absorption that brings all mental activity to rest.

This requires undergoing a thorough “great death” and guarding with care so that the Yang Spirit does not go forth again. After a hundred refinings, the Yang Spirit becomes more luminous and clear; after a thousand, it becomes more tranquil. As it is refined and nourished again and again, the light of wisdom and divine fire within the Yang Spirit grows ever more deeply contained, and when it manifests, it spreads ever more widely. Hidden until there is nowhere further to hide, when it appears, nothing can obscure it.

When the Yang Spirit is temporarily concealed in the Ancestral Cavity and reaches a state of utmost stillness and cessation, then, after either a hundred days or ten months, the spirit light in the furnace suddenly rises, and the true fire in the cauldron burns fiercely. The spirit light emerges from the inner apertures through the outer apertures, passing from the larger apertures into the smaller ones. It penetrates the whole body from top to bottom, without distinction between inner and outer, large and small, so that light shines and mingles everywhere. People and all things are illuminated by this spirit light. Yet even having reached this state, one has still not reached the highest stage of cultivation.

Wang Shaoyang said, “If it cannot be filled completely…”