《天仙道程宝则》

The original nature, spontaneous, good, and complete, is the wondrously luminous mind of perfect awakening that is mine from the beginning—the mind-nature that is subtle, clear, and fully awakened. Confucians realize it as the “Mean,” Buddhists realize it as emptiness, and we Daoists realize it as vacuity. Li Boyang (Laozi) and Chen Cuixu realized it by refining and nurturing body and mind, and by cultivating the Dao (the Way) so as to attain true realization.

This mind is so great that nothing lies outside it, and so small that nothing lies within it. It can hold the Three Realms—the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm—and still have room to spare; it can take in a mustard seed and not feel cramped. One need only concentrate the spirit (Shen) and look, and it can appear. Even what is hard as metal or stone cannot block it, much less the body of flesh and blood, which from the outset presents no true barrier. If people cannot realize it, it is only because they do not practice or examine themselves. The one essential of cultivation is therefore perfect awakening.

The work of perfect awakening begins with washing the marrow: once the marrow is cleansed, the mind becomes bright; once the mind is bright, awakening is naturally complete. The “marrow” spoken of here is the marrow of the Celestial Heart, located in the brain; the “water” with which the marrow is washed corresponds to the kidneys. What is called washing the marrow uses images of practice such as water and fire, the heart and the kidneys, to explain the work of nourishing mind and spirit. The Cantong qi says, “The True Person hides in the deep abyss”; the Changes says, “Hidden dragon—do not act”; the Xiuxian bianhuo lun says, “no-thought within thought.” All of these concern the essential method of storing the mind and spirit in concealment and of washing and refining the bone marrow.

The seven emotions and six desires, and the Three Corpses and Nine Worms—terms Daoism uses for the deviant and delusive Qi (vital energy), or the notions, within the body that disturb practice—are all provoked by deluded thoughts and born of falsity. Formed after birth under the influence of external Qi, they have no genuine root, nor are they any marvelous ability or spiritual power. What is called their ability and spiritual power is merely the stirring of people’s minds with doubt and slander, the secret seizure of authority, and unrestrained disorder. As soon as the wondrously luminous mind of perfect awakening appears and casts its light, these forces lose their hold, hide themselves, and disappear without a trace.

The method of cultivation is therefore to lay down all these false phenomena of body and mind at once and return to a condition of having nothing and clinging to nothing. By contemplating and examining oneself at all times, one makes the mind vacant, still, and settled; with further nourishing and tempering, the original nature manifests. Secondly, one may also compare it to governing a state: keep the army from moving, cultivate civil virtue (De), nurture and educate the people, do not entrust power to others, and let every command issue from oneself. This is to gather spirit and Qi, not let thoughts move in delusion, always maintain a state of peace and centered balance, and discern clearly even the subtlest things. Kept up over a long time, deviant Yin thoughts and delusions gradually dissolve, until the realm is tranquil and the people secure, and body and mind are at peace.

Thus, for those who cultivate the self and practice the Dao, the perfect luminosity of mind and nature stands as the first precious principle.

The Second Precious Principle

Upholding the Precepts in Complete Purity (strictly observing the precepts so that body and mind become pure). Master Niwan said: “When the precepts are upheld in complete purity, habitual karma (habits and karmic causes formed over a long time) is eliminated, and the Four Elements (the four constituents of the human body: earth, water, fire, and wind) likewise become pure.”

Elder Taixu said: “One should know that the cycle of birth and death arises from habitual karma. If habitual karma is not purified, yet one still hopes to cultivate and attain the Great Dao (the Way), it is like steaming sand to cook a meal—there is absolutely no possibility of success. What must be renounced is not only contamination by lust, anger, greed, and delusive thoughts; whatever obstructs an ordinary person in the principles of body, mind, nature, and life should all be renounced and no longer touched. Only then can one be said to uphold the precepts in complete purity.”

The Third Precious Principle

To attain “unceasing diligence” (jingjin wujian) is to keep one’s practice single-minded and uninterrupted from beginning to end. Master Niwan (Niwan Shi, a title used in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) practice) says that only through sustained diligence can the field of nature (xingtian, the inner ground on which mind and nature are cultivated) be tilled to maturity, so that one need not fear seepage and leakage arising in the course of practice.

The Elder of Great Emptiness (Taixu Weng, a title for a Daoist practitioner) says: one must understand that the three fields (santian—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy center)) have long lain fallow, and that the thorns have only just been cleared away. The slightest slackening will surely break off one’s practice; stray thoughts and old habits will grow up again, and by then they will be hard to bring under control. Within the mind there are inner demonic obstructions, and outside there are temptations; both inside and outside wait for an opening, and this is inevitable. People often grow lax just after gaining something and then losing it, and they often grow careless after they have already understood something but have not yet put it into practice. Once one fails to examine oneself, the harm is not small. Moreover, doing good and cultivating the Dao (the Way) is like climbing a mountain, while old habits lie buried deep in the passes of passion and the recesses of desire.

The “seepage and leakage” of which the master speaks has a broad meaning; it does not refer only to the dissipation of Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). If the eyes are not guarded, Shen (spirit) drains away through them; if the ears, mouth, and nose are not guarded, each has its own corresponding loss. A drifting heart-mind, unsettled Jing and Qi, scattered intention, dulled spirit, turbid breath, and confused resolve—all of these are “leakage,” and they approach the condition of “seepage.” What is called “seepage” is a loss incurred without one’s awareness; by the time it is noticed, it is already too late to guard against, like water leaking from a flooded field. The harm it causes seems slow, yet in fact comes quickly; it seems slight, yet in the end may grow severe. The wise remain vigilant, while the muddled easily overlook it.

In my view, this passage is precisely the opposite of the “intermittent and unfocused” practice discussed in Discourse on Doubts about Cultivating Immortality (Xiuxian Huolun). It appears to speak of cultivating mind and nature, yet it is also an important path in the daily practice of cultivating life (xiuming—in Daoist Neidan, the work of nurturing body and mind and of refining Jing and Qi). For this reason, the master lists “unceasing diligence” as the third precious principle of cultivating the Real (xiuzhen).

The Fourth Precious Principle

Walk the path of cultivation evenly and uprightly. Master Niwan said, “Walk the path so that it is even and upright.” In this way, inner deluded thoughts and disturbances will not arise, and external interferences will find no opening to take advantage; the way of cultivating the elixir will then proceed smoothly and without obstruction.

Elder Taixu said, “One must know what this Dao (the Way) is. It is the great Dao of returning to the root and reverting to the source. Although the Dao is vast, when it is carried into practice it is exceedingly centered, correct, and ordinary: one neither contrives deliberately nor pursues the strange and extraordinary. This is the way of the celestial immortal. Everyone inherently possesses it, and everyone can cultivate it to completion. It is firm and solid yet empty and still, numinous and wondrous yet undifferentiated and whole. Look for it and you do not see it; listen for it and you do not hear it; yet it can contain the myriad things without omission, and even the most minute things can be held within it without any sense of narrowness. If students can deeply realize it in this way and cultivate accordingly, their practice will grow more refined day by day. They will not let Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit) become flighty through striving to excel and compete, and they will all the more avoid the dangers that come from chasing after strange perceptions and sensations.”

Thus my teacher said, “The Dao of the elixir is level and unobstructed.” Alas, this does not mean that unusual sights, sounds, and feelings will never appear in the course of cultivation… Therefore this may be regarded as the fourth precious precept of the household of cultivating the True.

The fifth precious precept: concentrate Jing and Qi (vital energy) with single-minded focus, and bring them to a state of softness and harmony.

Niwan Shi said: “Concentrate the mind on harmonizing the primordial Qi (vital energy) and bring it to a soft and gentle state. Then the pre-heaven Qi and the post-heaven Qi will not be mixed together, and the Dao (the Way) of refining the elixir will be pure and correct.”

Taixu Weng said: “One should know that although the Qi of the celestial immortals is also called ‘Qi,’ it is not Qi in the ordinary sense. It is utterly empty, utterly clear, utterly pure, and utterly numinous, and so it only rises and never stagnates.

“What is called ‘concentrating the Qi’ means that the Qi must be made one and undivided. If the Qi cannot be concentrated, the Shen (spirit) cannot settle and congeal, and the firing process will not grow vigorous. If the firing is insufficient, Jing (essence) and Qi cannot be transformed. In that case the post-heaven Qi remains coarse and turbid and cannot enter the proper grade of the elixir method. When the moment arrives and one hastily sets about gathering it, pre-heaven and post-heaven Qi are mixed together, and there arises the fault of the Qi stirring impulsively during quiet sitting.

“I have seen that practitioners in the world often worry that their firing is not strong. I have always called out to them loudly and urgently, yet those who truly understand are very few, which is truly a pity. The reason is that they do not understand the work of settling the mind and entering stillness, and they mistake the ordinary fire of the post-heaven state for the true fire. When in practice the Qi moves and the whole body becomes open and free, somewhat like sexual relations between man and woman, they wrongly suppose that this is the same as sexual union. In a moment the body may become numb, tremble, shake, or gasp for breath, and the sensation may be even stronger than sexual intercourse. They think they have obtained a result. How could they know that this is in fact the stirring of ministerial fire (the desire-fire in the body that easily flares into excess), which then fans the whole body and turns true Jing and Qi into post-heaven things bound up with sexual arousal and with breathing?

“Of those who cultivate in this way, some have the complexion of a young boy and a plump, sleek body, and seem to be in excellent health. Yet they do not know that when their lifespan is about to end, they may die because the elixir fire within has grown too fierce and the five viscera have been scorched and damaged; they may also fall ill with the three consumptions (the ancient name for wasting-thirst disorders marked by profuse drinking, eating, and urination), or die from a massive draining away of semen. Over these years I have personally seen twenty-three such people: some of them abstained entirely from sexual activity and some did not; some kept many concubines, and some relied on what is called a ‘yang cauldron’ (a human being used as the furnace and vessel of the practice). All of them took delight in not emitting semen, believed they had gained benefit, spoke of it with relish, and saw nothing amiss. In the end, the only one who came to a good end was a single practitioner of abstinence; yet he too later contracted the three consumptions and died. Is this not something against which one should be on guard?

“The ‘joining’ of which we speak is the harmonizing of the movement of Qi in cultivation: when that movement reaches the utmost of free passage, and Yin-Yang unites to the utmost degree, one seems no longer to distinguish Heaven and Earth from oneself, and senses only the scene of yinyun (the blending and pervading of Yin-Yang Qi). At that time there is not even sound or breath, much less trembling of the body. If trembling and the like do indeed appear, the essential point is to clarify the mind and will still further, to place oneself in the ‘Village of Nothing-at-All’ (a state free of attachment and of anything upon which the mind dwells), and not to insist on remaining in that state. This point especially must be impressed upon the practitioner; otherwise what is transformed is still a post-heaven thing and remains, after all, post-heaven Qi. Would that not be a pity?”

The teacher included “concentrating the Qi until it reaches utmost softness” as the fifth precious precept for those who cultivate the True, and not without reason.

The Sixth Precious Principle: Untainted by a Single Speck of Dust

Niwan Shi (a practitioner’s title cited in the text) says: “When the mind is untainted by a single speck of dust, the breath of respiration comes to rest, and the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan, the crucial aperture spoken of in the cultivation of Neidan, or internal alchemy) opens.”

Taixu Weng (a practitioner’s title cited in the text) says: “One must understand that if the breath of respiration has not come to rest, true Qi (vital energy) will not appear; only after true Qi appears does the Mysterious Pass begin to open. The opening of the Mysterious Pass may be genuine or illusory: what opens from within the body is genuine, while what opens from outside is an illusion. There is also a case that looks as though it opens from outside but in fact opens from within; this must be discerned for oneself.

“The general secret lies in continually letting go of thoughts, forgetting even the forgetting. In this way the aperture opens of itself, and without delusion. What is called ‘untainted by a single speck of dust’ means the absence of stray thoughts. Only after there are no stray thoughts does the breath come to rest; only after the breath comes to rest does the aperture open. This is a fixed principle. Yet there are also those for whom, amid a stretch of empty stillness, the aperture simply opens. This is the ‘Qi cavity’ (qixue), not ‘cavity-Qi’ (xueqi). The Qi cavity is the place from which ancestral Qi (Zuqi, the fundamental primordial Qi spoken of in Neidan cultivation) issues; the Qi cavity lies within it. When the Qi cavity opens, the Mysterious Pass opens as well. This is one account, and those who truly understand it are few.

“Alas—this is probably why earth immortals (Dixian, immortals who have succeeded in cultivation) outnumber celestial immortals. A hair’s breadth of difference leads to an error of a thousand miles. As the common saying goes: ‘If you wish to know the road at the foot of the mountain, you must ask someone who has walked it.’ Without a teacher’s guidance, one remains a muddled person even into old age. This has been my good fortune. Did the teacher not say so? If the Qi cavity does not open, there is no way in for advancing the fire (the Neidan practice of using intention together with the movement of Qi to carry the work forward); if the Qi cavity does not open, the sacred embryo (Shengtai, the metaphor in Neidan for the internal elixir once it has formed) cannot coalesce either. Forget, and forget again, and only then does the Mysterious Pass open. It is two and yet not two; it is one and yet not one—like a hen brooding on her eggs, its subtlety hard to put into words.

“The teacher also said that this secret must begin from being ‘untainted by a single speck of dust.’ For this reason, those who cultivate the true have set this saying down as the Sixth Precious Principle.”

In the original text, the sentences from “This, moreover, one cannot but examine for oneself” through “untainted by a single speck of dust” and the like are repetitive; the above merges them according to their sense.

The Seventh Precious Principle: Gathering Shen (spirit) and Entering the Cavity

Niwan Shi says: “What is called ‘gathering’ means first fixing the gaze on the place where Shen is to be gathered, then using intention only slightly to draw in and collect the true Qi so that it billows and circulates within the body; afterward one entrusts the harmonious Qi to that place.”

The original text ends here. The final sentence again writes “the Sixth Precious Principle,” which does not agree with “the Seventh Precious Principle” at this point.

Concentrating Shen (spirit) and entering the cavity. Master Niwan said: “What is called ‘concentrating’ means first fixing the gaze on the place where the spirit is to be gathered, then slightly applying intention to collect the true Qi (vital energy) so that it coils and circles within, and then lodging the Qi of calm harmony in that one place. When the mind has forgotten even the very matter of ‘forgetting,’ one withdraws the thought that deliberately manipulates and controls. After Shen has been concentrated and has entered the cavity, the Qi cavity grows warm and the true fire grows vigorous. When the true fire is vigorous, the passes and apertures open; thus miscellaneous Qi and fluid Qi from outside cannot seep in, the sacred embryo gains a place in which to rest and be nourished, and the infant can thereby receive nursing and will not be left without nourishment. Those who understand this principle, however, are few, and so it must not be told casually to outsiders.”

Here the “cavity” refers to the Qi cavity on which intention is kept during cultivation; “true fire” refers to the Yang Qi and the firing process that operate in internal refinement. “Sacred embryo” and “infant” are terms in the cultivation of Neidan (internal alchemy), referring to the internal elixir that has been formed and is gradually nurtured to maturity. The “nursing” spoken of in the text means nourishing the sacred embryo with true Jing (essence).

Elder Taixu said: “How truly compassionate my teacher is! If the passes and apertures lack the Qi cavity, the elixir grows cold; if the embryo lacks Yin essence, it loses its nursing. The Yin essence spoken of here is true Jing, not ordinary fluid Qi. Ordinary fluid Qi is formed from ordinary Qi, and so one must prevent it from seeping in; true Jing is formed from true Qi—it is the jade fluid, but it is not yet the golden fluid.” At this point the original text repeats this parenthetical note, and then continues:

“As for the line of Laozi, ‘Let the mind wander at the beginning of things,’ it is the secret for settling the formed embryo and stabilizing the spirit; it is not the moment for advancing the fire and carrying out the work. You must remember this. Therefore my teacher ranked ‘concentrating Shen and entering the cavity’ as the seventh precious precept of cultivating the True, and the meaning it holds is exceedingly profound.”

The eighth precious precept.

Master Niwan said: “Sitting upright and practicing stillness is the secret of gathering and absorbing in cultivation, transmitted from Elder Cuixu. Unfortunately, people of the world have only read it hastily, swallowing it whole. If one savors it with care, one will find that the essentials of cultivating the Dao (the Way), the method of practice, the meaning of gathering and absorbing, and the knack of receiving refinement and nourishment are all contained in the four characters ‘sitting upright and practicing stillness.’ Compassionate Elder Cuixu may be said, even for those who have read only roughly, to have struck the vital point in a single phrase; if one practices accordingly, one can still attain the Dao.

“Elder Taixu said: ‘Indeed so. The character “upright” contains the sense of being upright and single-minded through the six periods of the day—is this not the essential of cultivating the Dao? The character “sitting” contains the sense of the two eyes directed downward and adhering to the earth (that is, gathering the gaze and the mind downward)—is this not the knack of practice? The character “practicing” contains the sense of Yin Qi (vital energy) tending and attaching, and of Yang Qi lying hidden—is this not the method of gathering and absorbing? The character “stillness” means quiet and unmoving—is this not precisely the knack of receiving refinement?

“‘Cultivating the Dao takes diligent practice as essential; being upright and single-minded through all six periods is the very expression of diligent practice. Cultivation takes single-mindedness as its knack; the two eyes directed downward and the mind returned below are the very expression of single-mindedness. The function of the practice lies here. What is called “feather-tending” is Yin Qi gathering and coming like feathers; what is called “hidden Yang” is Yang Qi lying concealed. The mutual dependence of Yin-Yang is precisely the principle of nature. When the mind is clear and quiet, Yang Qi lies hidden at the sea bottom (the region of the Dantian, the energy center), and the various kinds of Yin Qi naturally come tending and attaching from every direction. This is an effect that arises of itself; one need not urge it on deliberately. When Yin Qi tends and attaches, it does not grow congested and stagnant; when Yang Qi lies hidden, it can unite with Yin Qi. With Yang concealed and Yin attached, refinement and nourishment are not in vain, and gathering and absorbing do not fall into reckless action.

“‘Ah—one should know that this work of gathering and absorbing is extremely simple; the knack lies in the character “practicing.” Elixir texts especially value gathering and absorbing because Yang needs Yin in order to be nourished, and Yin likewise needs Yang in order to be transformed. I have only to concentrate the spirit and fix my attention on the lower pole (the site of cultivation in the lower body), and the hidden Yang Qi will flourish, while Yin Qi follows, tending, attaching, and transforming. The effect of the various Yin Qi gathering and coming then appears of itself, without any need to force it.

“‘I need only let the dynamic of Qi be empty, still, and unobstructed, and the channels and collaterals will not become blocked. At this time all manner of sensations may arise in the four limbs: itching, pain, numbness, and throbbing; coolness, warmth, burning heat, and icy cold; or like silk ribbons winding about, or like mist and cloud drifting. None of these sensations need be pursued. One has only to keep the dynamic of Qi empty and still, withdraw sight and hearing, rest the mind at the sea bottom, give rise to no stray thoughts, and guard the lower pole alone.

“‘What Patriarch Bai called “open Qian, close Xun, retain Kun, and block Gen” in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) refers to precisely these things. Qian is the crown of the head; Kun is the abdomen, and the lower pole and the centers of the soles also belong to Kun; Xun is the nose, the gate through which breath passes in and out. What is called “closing” is to have the Qi of the breath neither leave nor enter toward the outside, but remain within the body. Gen is the earthly gate, that is, the anus; what is called “blocking” is like holding back defecation. What is called “opening” is the appearance of the dynamic of Qi surging upward and reaching downward; what is called “retaining” is to keep and store. The “retaining” spoken of here refers chiefly to the state in which Yin Jing (essence), Yin Qi, and Yin Shen (spirit) come tending and attaching, while Yang Qi lies hidden. Therefore Patriarch Bai’s eight-character elixir instruction should be pondered together with what is set forth here; the author cites it in order to explain it to people of the world.’”