《悟真篇注疏》Vol. 3

A place for cultivation is not difficult to find; it need only be quiet and still. An earlier poem says, “Before the Returning Elixir is complete, do not rashly enter the mountains; simply keep still alone in the depths of the mountains.” This means that worldly people do not understand the foundations of cultivation. If they pursue profit among the crowds and seek fame at court while also hoping to cultivate, they can hardly manage both. As the saying goes, someone with a fortune at his waist who still dreams of riding a crane to Yangzhou will ultimately find his wish hard to fulfill. Cultivators must therefore truly lessen their attachment to fame and profit and cut off their cravings and desires. Only then can they cultivate in seclusion for ten months, hoping to reach a genuine state of cultivation.

“Three” marks the division that follows.

“White Tiger’s first essence” refers to the Jing and Qi first generated by the White Tiger—an inner symbol in Neidan practice—and does not mean a woman’s menstrual period. “Spirit Water of the Flower Pool” is a Neidan term for the spirit water spoken of in the process of refining and nourishing. “True Gold” is a metaphor for precious substances used in Neidan. The highest-grade substances have deep roots and differ from ordinary medicines. To complete the Nine Turns, one must first refine oneself and keep the mind steady, gather the substances at the proper times, and distinguish what is floating from what is sinking. Particular care is needed when applying the fire of refinement and nourishment, for the dangers involved are considerable.

The commentary says: “‘First’ means the beginning; ‘first essence’ is the Qi of the first crescent moon, not a woman’s Tiangui, or menstrual blood. It must not be distorted into claims such as ‘the three peaks and twenty-four grades’ and used to slander the sacred Way. The sacred Way must not be slandered, just as a person cannot climb to the sky by following a flight of steps.”

The essence and Qi of the True One are called “True One Water” in Heaven, “Qi of the first crescent” in the White Tiger, and, after refinement, “spirit water” in the Flower Pool. These are all precious “True Gold.” They are originally one essence of the True One, flowing through different apertures and so acquiring many names, yet each can bring forth and nurture life. The Dao De Jing says, “The highest goodness is like water.” Here, True One Water is said to arise before Heaven and Earth, and is therefore called “highest goodness.” Its source of generation and transformation is deep and remote, unlike ordinary medicines formed after the beginning of Heaven and Earth and mixed with impurities.

“Nine Turns” here means nine years. The commentary says that cultivators must first apply the fire of refinement and nourishment for ten months, gathering the substances at the proper times so that floating and sinking follow their proper order and host and guest are clearly distinguished. By remaining yielding and avoiding force, they can avert danger. They must then continue to embrace the Origin and guard the One for nine years, until the body transforms into Qi and Qi into Shen, and both body and spirit attain a subtle perfection and unite with the Dao. The sages reluctantly gave this state the name “Nine-Turn Golden Liquid Great Return.” The commentary also compares it with the legend of Bodhidharma facing a wall for nine years and returning west with only one sandal, saying that this, too, has its own reason.

If you wish to bring true lead and mercury into harmony and keep them within the alchemical furnace, you must not let them separate. A barrier lies between true Qi and the Golden Elixir; without a medium to draw them together, they cannot meet. A matchmaker must therefore bring them together. The nature of Wood is drawn to Metal, and the feeling of Metal is devoted to Wood. Though they consume and unite with one another, they become close and mutually supportive. Only then does the image appear of an inner elixir gestating in a man’s belly.

The commentary explains that this describes symbols of internal cultivation. “Household retainer” refers to one’s own true Qi. True Qi condenses through the Golden Elixir, while the Golden Elixir works through its own mercury. The two depend on one another and join in affinity, allowing them to transform and become spiritually responsive. True lead belongs to Metal; under the Golden Elixir’s influence, true Qi congeals. Mercury belongs to Wood and pairs internally with the Golden Elixir. Since the two are originally apart, they must be joined by “Yellow Dame,” a medium symbolizing the harmonizing and uniting of lead and mercury. Once they form an elixir, it is swallowed and joined with one’s own mercury. Then, following the union of Yin and Yang and the cycles of the firing process, the nature of Wood is drawn to Metal and the feeling of Metal to Wood. Lead and mercury unite like husband and wife, and in the end an infant-like inner elixir is nurtured in the belly. This is what “a man conceives” means. The commentary adds that this form of cultivation is exceedingly mysterious. Without treating all things with compassion and accumulating abundant hidden virtue, one will find it difficult to take part in it in this lifetime.

“Two and eight” refers to the female, while “nine and three” refers to the male. When Wood fluid and Metal essence meet, they must be harmonized seven times before their three natures can unite. They are then tempered by “Ding Gong,” a symbol of the force that governs the alchemical firing process, until this “husband and wife” are joined in passionate accord. The River Cart, an image in internal alchemy for transporting essence and Qi, dares not pause even for a moment. It turns continuously, carrying essence and Qi up to the summit of Kunlun.

The commentary explains that “two and eight” represent Yin numbers, while the “young maiden” refers to the true Qi within me; “nine and three” represent Yang numbers, while the “young lord” refers to my own Yang elixir. The two medicines, “Metal Essence” and “Wood Fluid,” mingle in the earthen crucible of the Dantian (energy center), forming what is called the “three offerings.” “Ding Gong” refers to fire; “husband and wife” is a metaphor for lead and mercury mingling in the earthen crucible of the Dantian. The fire of affection between husband and wife is transferred into the crucible to refine the lead and mercury. Under this confirming influence, they transform into golden liquid. It then rises from the Weilü (the aperture at the base of the spine) to the Niwan (the brain chamber in the head), is slowly swallowed through the mouth, and is sent back to the earthen crucible of the Dantian. As this process circulates again and again without pause, it is like the River Chariot—the metaphorical route taken by the body’s Qi in motion—turning ceaselessly, until it finally becomes the Golden Elixir returned to the body.

Zhongli Gong says, “From the Weilü straight up to the crown of the Niwan, the River Chariot runs freely for hundreds of rounds.” Haichan Gong says, “If you can replenish the blood and brain with Yellow Sprout—the nascent essence spoken of in alchemical practice—even in old age your body can remain vigorous for a long time.” These passages provide the relevant confirmation.

The commentary explains that the Cantong qi says, “The three things unite as one and all return to Wu and Ji.” Here, the three things are Metal, Wood, and Fire. It also says, “When the three natures have joined, their original nature shares a common ancestor.” Here too, the three natures refer to Metal, Wood, and Fire, all serving as metaphors for the external medicine. In this passage, “the three positions” refer to Wood Fluid as the internal medicine and Metal Essence as the external medicine. When the two encounter Earth, they form the three natures, together illustrating the relationship between internal and external medicines. This shows that “nature” in “the three natures” refers to the distinct qualities of things, people, elixirs, or the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); it does not mean “surname.” To interpret it as three family names is to compound one mistake with another.

The poem says, “Fire rises at Kunlun, with Yin and Yang encompassing both inner and outer Kunlun,” and also, “If you encounter Kunlun and head northwest.” “Kunlun” is sometimes used broadly for the place where Yin and Yang interact, and sometimes specifically for the Niwan. It is thus a metaphor used in different ways, and should not be understood rigidly as having only one meaning.

The quotation following “six” says: “Cinnabar undergoes seven cycles of reversal and refinement, then returns to its source; golden liquid undergoes nine refinements and returns to its true nature. Do not cling to the numbers associated with the times or directions of Yin, Zi, Kun, and Shen; simply observe whether the Five Phases have come together.” The “Qian image” that follows refers to the Way of Heaven or to a Yang aspect; the “palace of interaction” refers to the place where Yin and Yang unite. Here, “Kunlun” specifically means the Niwan. The metaphors in the Kunlun section are used in different ways and should not be treated as if they all meant the same thing.

After seven turnings, cinnabar returns to its original state; after nine refinings, liquid gold returns to its true nature. Do not be bound by calculations based on the hours and directions of Yin, Zi, Kun, and Shen. Simply observe how the laws of the Five Phases’ generation and transformation work together.

The cinnabar and liquid gold spoken of here both arise through transformation from the same fundamental substance, circulating through the various times and positions. Once the numbers governing Yin-Yang transformation have fully accumulated, their subtle workings can naturally be understood. Their coming and going and their cycles of transformation never depart from the “Mysterious Female” (the source from which Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things).

The commentary explains: “Nine Returns and Seven Reversals” do not depart from the numerical principles by which Heaven and Earth generate and transform the Five Phases. Heaven generates the number one, which belongs to Water; Earth joins it with the number six to form Water. Water resides in the north, where the Yin energy of the Kan position accumulates and becomes true Water. Thus the Cantong qi says, “Six resides there.” Earth generates the number two, which belongs to Fire; Heaven joins it with the number seven to form Fire. Fire returns to the south, where it contains the energy of the Li position and gives rise to cinnabar. Hence the phrase “Seven Reversals: cinnabar returns to its source.” Heaven generates the number three, which belongs to Wood; Earth joins it with the number eight to form Wood. Wood resides in the east, where it occupies the Zhen position and becomes mercury. Thus the Cantong qi says, “Eight returns.” Earth generates the number four, which belongs to Metal; Heaven joins it with the number nine to form Metal. Metal returns to the west and occupies the Dui position. Hence the phrase “Nine Returns: liquid gold returns to its true nature.” Heaven generates the number five, which belongs to Earth; Earth joins it with the number ten to form Earth. The Earth of Heaven and Earth converges at the center, where, in coordination with the Four Images, it forms the Elixir. From this we can see that the formation of the Golden Elixir does not extend beyond the Five Phases, which is why the text says to observe their laws. How, then, could one calculate “Seven Reversals and Nine Returns” solely from Yin, Zi, Kun, and Shen?

The “mercury” mentioned in the commentary refers to lead; lead is the “Qi of the True One” (the Dao’s primordial vital energy). When the Qi of the True One condenses into essence, it is called the “Essence of the True One,” that is, refined lead. The Qi of the True One first transforms into Water, residing in the north; then into cinnabar, residing in the south; then into mercury, residing in the east; then into Metal, residing in the west; and finally into Earth, residing at the center. These transformations constitute Seven Reversals and Nine Returns.

Thus the formation of the Golden Elixir depends on Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the four seasons, and the Five Phases. The numerical principles of Yin and Yang must also be complete for the Elixir to be achieved. When the Qi of the True One circulates through the various times and positions, and the numbers governing Yin-Yang transformation reach fullness, subtle changes naturally manifest. Yet the wondrous workings of this creation always enter and depart through the “Gate of the Mysterious Female” (the portal through which Heaven and Earth bring forth the myriad things). This is what is called the “Root of Heaven and Earth.” The principle of the Mysterious Female was already explained earlier, in the passage on the “Gate of the Mysterious Female,” but few people in the world understand this commentary.

The commentary says that people in the world call the span from Yin to Shen “Seven Returns” and the span from Zi to Kun “Nine Reversions,” but this is incorrect. Zhang Sui says in his Commentary on the Cantong qi: Water, Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth are the Five Phases. Water and Fire correspond to the sun and moon; Metal and Wood correspond to the Dragon and Tiger; Earth corresponds to Heaven and Earth. The Golden Elixir cannot be refined without Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the four seasons, and the Five Phases.

Heaven’s number for Water is six, which occupies the north; accumulating Kan produces Water. Wood’s number is eight, which occupies the east; matching it with Zhen produces sand. Fire’s number is seven, which returns to the south; belonging to Li, it produces mercury. Metal’s number is nine, which reverts to the west; transforming through Dui, it produces gold. Earth’s number is five, which returns to the center and is refined into the Elixir. Thus Qi first transforms into Water, then into sand, mercury, and gold, and finally becomes the Elixir. From this we can see that the Golden Elixir cannot arise without Heaven and Earth, cannot be completed without the sun and moon, is incomplete without the four seasons, and cannot be refined without the Five Phases. Once the pure-Yang body has been refined and transformed into a true-gold body, the meanings of “six occupies,” “seven returns,” “eight returns,” and “nine reverts” become clear. This is a principle valued by the Yellow Emperor, Laozi, and the sages and worthies who attained immortality. In his commentary on this text, Wumingzi says that these times refer to the temporal positions of the seventy-two pentads; this is the meaning of “Seven Returns and Nine Reversions.”

Seven

Within the masculine Yang is contained feminine Yin; within true Yin, Yang essence is embraced. When these two are harmonized, the medicine is refined. Yin and Yang unite, and the hun and po souls are transformed. If one trusts in the wondrous power of the Golden Elixir, a single pill can turn a snake into a dragon the moment it swallows it, and turn a chicken into a luan bird when it eats it, sending it flying into the sacred realm of true Yang.

The commentary says: “The feminine within the masculine” refers to the Dragon’s huqi, that is, mercury; “embracing Yang within Yin” refers to the Tiger’s huqi, that is, lead. When lead and mercury unite, the numinous Elixir arises naturally. Swallowed into the belly, it can transform the Yang hun and dispel the Yin po. The Golden Elixir is only as large as a millet grain, yet a snake that swallows it and a chicken that eats it can become a dragon and a peng bird. The medicine’s wondrous, sacred power reaches such an extent!

Eight

The workings of Heaven and Earth pass through periods of decline and prosperity, blockage and openness, and the alternation of day and night. Practitioners should understand how to observe the initial rise of the firing process with careful protection. As the firing process turns, the movement of Qi gathers together, like the spokes of a wheel converging at its hub or the waters of a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. This is the subtle art of regulating the firing process—adding or reducing its use.

The Most High said, “Once you attain the One, all things are accomplished.” These words are subtle indeed. The “One” refers to the essence of the True One, and also to the Qi of the True One. The Qi of the True One gives rise to Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols; the Four Symbols give rise to the Five Phases; and the Five Phases give rise to the myriad things. None of these transformations departs from the Qi of the True One. Thus, the essence of the True One is the mother of Heaven and Earth, the source of Yin and Yang, the ancestor of the Four Symbols, the root of the Five Phases, and the foundation of all things. Once you attain this “One,” everything has its root, and even the four directions—east, west, south, and north—may be forgotten.

Cultivation also requires continually reducing stray thoughts and reckless action, while carefully guarding the work already accomplished. Only then can one fully experience the subtlety of the “One.” When the “One” takes visible form, the two fires of Yin and Yang must be used to shape it. Once this true seed of the “One” has been obtained, the Yin-Yang talismanic fire must be applied with the same care as before, so that it returns to the “One.” Risks must be guarded against and every step taken cautiously; do not act rashly, lest you lose the precious treasure of life—the Mysterious Pearl, a symbol of the precious essence and Qi gained through cultivation. Hence the instruction to carefully guard the work already accomplished.

The commentary says that initial cultivation begins with “Tun and Meng.” For one month, practice follows the images of the sixty hexagrams. At the “Pi and Tai” stage, this phase of practice comes to an end. During the year, at the “two-eighths” periods when Yin and Yang wax and wane, one practices “bathing”—the regulation of breath and inward nurturing during cultivation. These are symbols and principles for cultivating the inner medicine. “Attaining the One” symbolizes the outer medicine. In a song by Immortal Lü (Lü Dongbin), it is said that the title of the Three Mao Perfected Ones contains the character “One.”

The Dao De Jing says that cultivating the Dao lies in reduction. When practicing in the tenth month, one should reduce worldly concerns, dispel distracting thoughts, and carefully guard against danger. Not a trace of attachment should remain in the heart, lest it harm the treasures of nature and life. One should be as utterly self-forgetful as an infant in the womb, as though dwelling within the furnace formed by Heaven and Earth. If one can remain quiet and still, the Qi of Heaven and Earth will gather within the body. Thus the Perfected One teaches careful cultivation through “reducing and reducing again.” The commentary repeats this instruction, emphasizing that during practice one must lessen affairs, quiet thoughts, guard against danger, and allow not the slightest attachment.

Nine

At the winter solstice, one Yang line first emerges. Thereafter, every three ten-day periods—about one month—another Yang line is added. The middle of the month corresponds to the Fu hexagram; at dawn near the beginning of the month, Yin gradually comes to an end. After the full moon, around the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the Qian hexagram reaches its close and the Gou hexagram appears. The day, too, has changes in cold and heat, Yin and Yang: Yang Qi begins with the Fu hexagram and arises at midnight; at noon, the first Yin line emerges, symbolized by the Gou hexagram. Those who refine the elixir should understand how these changes in Yin and Yang correspond to the times of dusk and dawn.

The commentary explains that at the winter solstice, Yang Qi begins to grow, corresponding to the Return hexagram, whose first line is Yang. Thirty days later comes the Approach hexagram, with two more Yang lines; after another thirty days comes the Peace hexagram, with three more Yang lines. The sequence continues through Great Strength and Breakthrough, as Yang lines gradually increase until all six lines of the Creative hexagram are Yang. This is when Yang Qi has grown to its peak. Once Yang Qi reaches its extreme, Yin Qi begins to grow. At the summer solstice, Yin Qi first emerges, corresponding to the Coming to Meet hexagram, which has a single Yin line. The Yin lines then gradually increase through Retreat, Obstruction, Contemplation, and Splitting Apart, until all six lines of the Receptive hexagram are Yin. This is the phase of Yin Qi’s movement. When Yin Qi reaches its extreme, Yang Qi begins to grow again, and the cycle repeats. This is the general pattern of Yin and Yang waxing and waning over the course of a year.

The sages condensed the changing climate of a year into a single month: the morning of the first day corresponds to the Return hexagram, and by the full moon on the fifteenth, Yang Qi has reached its purest fullness. Roughly two and a half days correspond to thirty days in a year. The full moon corresponds to the purely Yang Creative hexagram. On the sixteenth, the Coming to Meet hexagram appears, marking the first emergence of Yin Qi. Hence the phrase, “After the full moon, the Creative ends; Coming to Meet gives its sign.” This means that after the full moon, the Creative hexagram’s phase of pure Yang comes to an end, and the Coming to Meet hexagram signals Yin Qi’s first stirrings. This is the pattern of Yin and Yang’s movement within a month.

The sages also placed the changes of a month within a single day, dividing it into the four seasonal qualities of cold, heat, warmth, and coolness. At midnight, in the Zi hour, Yang Qi first emerges, corresponding to the Return hexagram; in the afternoon, Yin Qi first emerges, corresponding to the Coming to Meet hexagram. In alchemical practice, practitioners use the symbolic fire phases—the metaphor for the timing and stages of Neidan cultivation—to track the rise and fall of Yin and Yang, as well as the drawing out, adding, advancing, and withdrawing of Qi, so that these processes accord precisely with the changes of Yin and Yang through the seasons of Heaven and Earth. Hence the saying, “In refining the elixir, one must understand dusk and dawn”: that is, one must understand when Yin and Yang alternate during the day. “Dusk and dawn” refer to the points at which Yin-Yang changes begin. The changes in a day’s climate, too, can be explained through the hexagrams as a recurring cycle.

The commentary says: The great cycle of the Zhou Tian over the course of a year reflects the rise and descent of the Qi of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth are eighty-four thousand li apart, and this distance can be divided into six stages. Yin and Yang Qi are stored within the Earth. Beginning at the summer solstice, Yin Qi descends gradually from Heaven and, after passing through six stages, reaches the Earth. The Yin and Yang Qi move back and forth through one complete cycle, forming a year. The sages of antiquity used twelve hexagrams, each with six lines, to symbolize this cycle. Yang Qi begins to grow with the Fu hexagram, corresponding to the Zi hour, and gradually increases until the Gou hexagram, corresponding to the Si hour, when Yang grows and Yin wanes. “Inner” and “outer” here refer to the symbolic positions of Yin and Yang lines within the hexagrams, not to the inner and outer parts of the hexagram figures. Fu and Gou are the “lesser parents” of the fundamental Qian and Kun hexagrams. They illustrate how the timing of cultivation advances and retreats with the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang.

The smaller monthly Zhou Tian reflects the conjunction of the Sun and Moon and the Moon’s waxing and waning as it receives the Sun’s light. Although the classic does not mention the Sun directly, the Sun is implicit in the changes in the Moon’s phases. A month is divided into six periods, each five days long; together, the six periods make a month. This also resembles the division of Yin-Yang change into six stages. The sages used Kan and Li from the Earlier Heaven Bagua to symbolize the Moon and Sun, then used the other six three-line hexagrams to symbolize the six stages of the Moon’s waxing and waning. The movement of celestial time cannot be seen directly; it becomes visible through the changing appearances of the Sun and Moon.

Yang lines symbolize the growth of the hun, while Yin lines symbolize the growth of the po. During the first half of the month, Yang lines increase with each period, reaching the Qian hexagram at the full moon. During the second half, Yin lines increase with each period, and by the end of the month the figure becomes Kun. The Heavenly Stems Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Geng, and Xin mark the directions in which the Moon appears at dawn and dusk, and therefore correspond to the Heavenly Stems assigned to the six hexagrams. Ren is the Li within the Qian hexagram, while Gui is the Kan within the Kun hexagram. Ren belongs to Yang and Gui to Yin; they symbolize the dark, hidden region of the north, where the workings of the Sun and Moon are concealed and subtle. Kan is paired with Wu, and Li with Ji. The directions symbolized by Wu and Ji are brighter, and the workings of the Sun and Moon become visible there. Together, the six directions encompass all ten Heavenly Stems; with all ten present, the Five Phases are also complete. This describes the integrated state of the Taiji before differentiation.

Around the Zi and Wu hours near the new moon, the directions occupied by the Sun and Moon change. At the Zi hour before the new moon, the Sun corresponds to Zi and the Moon to Gui. At the Zi hour after the new moon, the Moon corresponds to Ren while the Sun remains at Zi, indicating that their workings are concealed within Ren and Gui. The same pattern applies at the Wu hour: before the new moon, the Sun corresponds to Wu and the Moon to Si; after the new moon, the Sun corresponds to Wu and the Moon to Wu, indicating that their workings are revealed within Wu and Ji. The new moon and full moon ultimately converge in the Zi and Wu hours.

If the twelve hexagrams of the year are divided into six periods, the beginning of each month is represented by the gradual transformation of the Kun hexagram into Tai. At the first quarter, the Qi of Qian and Kun is symbolically in the state of “completion” (Jiji). When the Moon begins to wane, Kun transforms into Pi; at the last quarter, the Qi of Qian and Kun is symbolically in the state of “not yet complete” (Weiji). The coming and going of Qian and Kun symbolizes the advance and retreat of Yin and Yang; the changing positions of Pi and Tai above and below symbolize Yin and Yang each occupying half. This is the basis for the saying, “At the first quarter, Metal is half a jin; at the last quarter, Water is half a jin.”

The Sun rises in the Jia-Mao direction and sets in the Geng-You direction. The Moon’s fullness begins at the Geng position assigned to the Zhen hexagram, while its waning begins at the Jia position assigned to Qian. The winter solstice corresponds to the Zi position, when the daylight gradually lengthens; the summer solstice corresponds to the Wu position, when the daylight gradually shortens. The waning and growth of Yang Qi through the month likewise follow the sequence from the new moon to the full moon, then from the full moon toward the end of the month.

Of all the signs between Heaven and Earth, none is more evident than the Sun and Moon. Both belong to Qi: they have form but no solid substance, and so they move and reflect one another without hindrance. Yin within Yang is the Sun; Yang within Yin is the Moon. Thus changes that unfold over an hour or half a year alike can be understood through the image of Metal and Water each being half, and through the Moon’s passage from first to last quarter. At the beginning of the first quarter, the Qi is pure and unmixed: it has Qi but no form.

If a month is used to represent a year, then one month of thirty days contains three hundred and sixty hours and corresponds to a year, with each hour corresponding to one day of the year. Two and a half days make thirty hours and correspond to a month. If the month is short by one day, it is short by twelve hours; these must be made up from the waxing and waning around the fifteenth day. This is what is meant by the method of “making up a day within the month.”

Qian and Kun are the great parent hexagrams. Their operation within Kan and Li explains the advance and retreat of the firing process. The Zhou Tian cycle of a day, the waxing and waning of the Moon over a month, and the rise and descent of Yin and Yang over a year all follow interconnected patterns of transformation in the greater and lesser cycles. A year may be compared to an hour, and an hour in turn corresponds to a month; this can also be divided into two Qi. Zi corresponds to the eleventh month, Ren to Major Snow, and Zi to the winter solstice. This analogy takes Qian and Kun as its foundation and compares a day to a year.

When a month is compared to an hour, one hour governs roughly two and a half days. Two hours make one period, and six hours make one Qi, or half a month. When a day is compared to an hour, Mao corresponds to the first quarter on the eighth day, You to the last quarter on the twenty-second day, Hai to the end of the month, Zi to the beginning of the month, Si to the full moon, and Wu to the Moon’s waning. This analogy takes Kan and Li as the functioning pair and compares a day to a month, illustrating the waxing and waning, advance and retreat of the firing process.

Viewed together, the Zhou Tian cycles operating across the year, month, and day can be symbolized by sixty hexagrams, since the same pattern of transformation governs them all. Setting aside the four hexagrams that symbolize men and women, Heaven and Earth, and the Sun and Moon, the remaining hexagrams encompass the myriad things and participate in their operation. The sixty-four hexagrams contain three hundred and eighty-four lines, which together make up the number of one jin. The total line count of the two sections is included in this figure, while the operation of the four hexagrams runs throughout it.

The great Zhou Tian takes Qian and Kun as its foundation and is symbolized by the Fuxi hexagram arrangement. The lesser Zhou Tian expresses the Moon’s phases and periods of waxing and waning; it aligns Kan and Li with celestial time and is symbolized by the King Wen hexagram arrangement. The rhythm of Heaven and Earth rising and descending is likewise expressed through the flow of Qian and Kun. Thus the Fu hexagram of the year corresponds to the Zhen hexagram of the month, and the Gou hexagram of the year corresponds to the Xun hexagram of the month. The Fu hexagram of the day corresponds to the Zi hour, and the Gou hexagram of the day corresponds to the Wu hour.

Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li can function at any time and in any place. The great and lesser parent hexagrams are likewise present everywhere. When Qian and Kun are taken as the foundation, they form the whole within Kan and Li; when Kan and Li are taken as the working pair, they are the original Qi within Qian and Kun. Heaven and Earth are the Sun and Moon, and the Sun and Moon also express Heaven and Earth. Yin is hidden within Heaven: although the Sun belongs to Yang, it contains Yin. Yang is hidden within Earth: although the Moon belongs to Yin, it contains Yang. Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon differ in the size of their forms, and the workings of year, month, day, and hour differ in duration. Taken together, however, they are all transformations through which the Taiji fully manifests.

From Tun and Meng through Jiji and Weiji, the sixty hexagrams proceed at a rate of two per day, corresponding to a single day. One complete cycle through all sixty hexagrams corresponds to a month; a year, in turn, corresponds to six hundred sections. The same pattern can be subdivided within an hour and aligned with the number three hundred and sixty: an hour is divided into twelve miao, and each fen contains thirty miao, making three hundred and sixty miao in an hour. This describes the subtle and wondrous operation within an hour, a moment that immortals can grasp but that is not easily understood by ordinary people.

From this we can see that a year has its great cycle, a month its smaller cycle, and the fine changes within a day and the mysterious workings within an hour also express the Way of Heaven. The growth of the myriad things, the movements of Heaven, Earth, Sun, and Moon, and the changes of rising, descending, waxing, and waning all follow this same pattern. The Way of the Changes is truly vast and subtle.

Without understanding the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the Four Images—the four states in the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang—how can one distinguish alchemical terms such as cinnabar mercury and lead silver, or grasp the firing times: the timing and degree of the refining and cultivation process? Having never heard of these principles, people declare at an early stage that they have mastered the Great Medicine. Who is willing to reflect and admit they have already gone astray? They even teach their mistaken path to others, leaving them lost forever. How can anyone bear to deceive themselves in this way?

The commentary says: Though there are ten thousand volumes of alchemical scriptures, their subtle essence lies in the Cantong qi. Its chapter “Song of the Three-Character Ding and Vessels” is the marrow of the alchemical scriptures. Yet people in the world who study this Way claim to have mastered the Great Medicine. Who is willing to reflect and admit they have already gone astray? They also teach their mistaken path to others, leaving them lost forever. How can anyone bear to deceive themselves in this way?

The commentary says: Although there are ten thousand volumes of alchemical texts—classics that discuss Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation—their subtle essence is concentrated in the Cantong qi. The chapter “Song of the Crucible and Vessels” is the very heart of alchemical literature. Most people in the world who study the Dao do not understand it. How could they fail to consider it carefully? One may use this song to test the principles I have understood. If anything remains unclear, it shows that my understanding is not yet complete. Why be misled by heterodox paths? Some people who study the Dao today do not know the method of “expelling the old and drawing in the new,” yet imagine themselves soaring through clouds and mist. They think themselves accomplished and even seek to set an example for others. They do not know to repent, but instead mislead others, leaving them lost on a confused path, beyond rescue for the rest of their lives and accomplishing nothing even in old age. How can they bear to deceive themselves in this way?

The explanatory commentary says: Wumingzi considers the “Song of the Crucible and Vessels” in the Cantong qi the essence of alchemical texts. Yet many people dismiss it and refuse to investigate it deeply. How, then, could they understand the Golden Elixir Great Dao described in the Wuzhen pian? I once encountered a master and grasped the essential meaning of these two books: the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the Four Images, cinnabar, mercury, lead, and silver all use the true principle of Yin-Yang to guide people toward understanding the primordial, undivided Qi—the original vital energy before Heaven and Earth took shape and Yin and Yang were distinguished. They do not prescribe the cultivation of heterodox arts. After Heaven and Earth came into being, the laws governing the transformation of formed things and the symbols used to describe them were broadly alike. The stages and timing of the firing process, however, and the results of Neidan and Waidan (external alchemy) cultivation, each differ.

Through affinities formed in past and present lives, I have been able to hear of the Great Dao. At the risk of heavenly retribution, I have written its essential secrets into books. I have commented on both the Wuzhen pian and the Cantong qi to help later students distinguish the orthodox lineage of the Immortal Way and dispel their confusion: on the one hand, explaining the true principles of the Immortal Way, and on the other, pointing out the errors of heterodox paths. I hope that those who study the way of the immortals will read my words, cease to lose their way, trust what the immortal books teach, avoid heterodox paths, and neither cultivate by mistaken methods nor teach them to others. If they meet a true master and hear principles that accord with my words and with the aims of the Cantong qi and the Wuzhen pian, they should promptly cultivate in accordance with them and together attain the Great Dao. I speak this way neither to make a show of being different nor to seek fame, but to clarify the orthodox path of the Immortal Way.

When the Perfected One read the Cantong qi, he said, “Do not cling to the book’s symbols and words.” He said this to those who had already received instruction from a true master. The book uses symbols to create analogies and words to convey meaning. Its words and metaphors are therefore tools to guide understanding, not things to cling to rigidly. But if one has not yet met a true master or received authentic transmission, has strayed into heterodox paths, and is convinced of one’s own understanding without knowing the Great Dao, one cannot use the saying “Do not cling to words” as an excuse to avoid studying the text deeply and bringing its teachings together. Anyone who fails to understand this may go through life without ever hearing of the true way of the immortals.

Chen Niliwan said, “Before you meet a teacher, read the poems first. The poems conceal oral instructions and are worth cultivating with care.” He also said, “If words do not ring true, you are not of the same path; if your practice is not sufficient, your work will not be complete.” One must therefore study every word and connect the meaning from beginning to end. Only when the principles one has learned corroborate one another can one avoid forcing heterodox teachings onto the classics. With sustained attention, the spirit and mind will gradually become clear, and understanding will follow. Wei Boyang said, “Read it over and over, ten thousand times, and at last you will see clearly; the spirits may even come to offer guidance.” This shows that studying the words and understanding their principles can also bring insight; it is not always necessary for me to explain each line in person. I have gained ever greater understanding of the immortal books through long and sustained effort, so I have set these words down together to encourage those who study the Dao after me.

When a Dao cultivator has accumulated eight hundred acts of virtue and secretly performed three thousand good deeds, treating all things, family, and enemies alike, they have fulfilled the original aim of immortal cultivation. Once perfected, they cannot be harmed by tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses, or weapons, and they cannot be constrained by sudden calamities. Having received the precious talisman and completed their meritorious practice, they may ride securely in an immortal carriage and ascend to Heaven to pay their respects.

The note explains: By holding fast to the One and cultivating for nine years, one completes one’s work and attains the Dao. Then one can forget the distinction between self and external things—how, in that state, could weapons, tigers, leopards, or rhinoceroses cause harm? When Heaven bestows the precious talisman, the cultivator’s body rises into the azure sky. This is the moment when a great person transcends the mundane world. The passage refers to the restoration of the Elixir through liquid gold, an important practice in Neidan (internal alchemy). Yet restoring the Elixir also depends on virtue and hidden good deeds. Only by completing the work of eight hundred acts of virtue and three thousand good deeds can the cultivator be sure to avoid demonic hindrances. After completing the practice according to the method, one ascends to Heaven in a jade carriage drawn by phoenixes, becoming a true immortal who serves the Lord on High.

The bond between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and the natural qualities of creatures such as the tortoise and serpent, all arise from the natural Dao. When the Toad and the Crow—symbols of the toad in the moon and the Golden Crow in the sun—meet on the new moon [or, in another version, the last day of the lunar month], it is as if the moon’s light has once again become full. The mutual support and movement of Yin and Yang, with their transformations, are all wondrous workings of Heaven and Earth. Who can understand the true principle behind them? Once Yin and Yang are blocked from communicating, error takes shape. How, then, could one attain a state that endures as long as Heaven and Earth?

The commentary says: The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet once a year; the Moon (a symbol of Yin force) and the Sun (a symbol of Yang force) meet once a month. The tortoise and snake coil around one another and lend each other support, like horned dragons bracing one another. These phenomena all result from the action of the two Qi, Yin and Yang. In truth, they are also the foundation of the Dao and the basis for the workings of the great Golden Elixir medicine.

Everything follows this principle: the true One Qi, pure and undivided primordial energy, is hidden and formless. Unless the two Qi of Yin and Yang come together, it cannot descend and condense into form as an elixir body the size of a grain of millet. Once the elixir pellet has been obtained, without the harmony of Yin and Yang and the timed circulation of the talismanic fire—the regulation of heat used in alchemical refinement—how could it transform into the Liquid Gold Returned Elixir, the Golden Elixir produced through refinement?

The Cantong qi says: “Guan-guan call the ospreys, on the river islet; graceful and quiet is the maiden, a fitting mate for the gentleman.” The male bird does not live alone, nor does the female dwell in isolation. The tortoise and snake entwined within the Black Tortoise, a divine creature formed of both, illustrate how Yin and Yang, female and male, depend on one another. This is simply how things are; what is there to doubt? By reversing the principle of Yin-Yang union in cultivation, one seems to hold the transformations of Heaven and Earth in one’s hands.

The Appended Statements says: “Isolated Yin cannot grow by itself; isolated Yang cannot achieve anything alone.” Yin and Yang must unite for transformation to occur; this is the Way of creation. Heaven and Earth endure because Yin and Yang come together in accord with the natural Way. If Heaven did not descend and Earth did not rise, the four seasons could not proceed, and the myriad things could not grow. Thus the Immortal Master explains this meaning repeatedly in this chapter. Those who deeply understand the principle should contemplate it with care.

Another poem, using the intercalary month as a symbol:

The Golden Elixir is the most precious treasure within oneself; once refined, it can undergo endless transformations. One must go further and investigate the true source within one’s nature, fully understanding the wondrous workings of life and death. There is no need to wait until after death or for a future life: even in this life, one can attain powers like those of a Buddha. Since the Dragon Girl achieved this practice, who has been able to carry her accomplishment forward?

The commentary says: Here, too, the Golden Elixir is used as a symbol for the intercalary month.

The commentary says: The Golden Elixir can transform what has form into what is formless, so its transformations are endless, and its appearance and disappearance are hard to fathom. If one can also illuminate the mind and see one’s nature, dispelling delusion, one can expand one’s spiritual powers and fulfill both aspects of the Way of nature and life. Body and spirit then reach a wondrous refinement, and the Dao becomes all the greater. In this way, one can transcend the leakage of birth and death and attain an indestructible vajra body. This is the supreme Great Way.

Thus the Immortal Master said: To attain a body of true gold and wondrous form, realize the compassionate Dharma body of true gold, and become a majestic, exalted teacher of gods and humans; to manifest spiritual powers throughout the Dharma realm, act freely with great compassion and impartial wisdom, adorn Buddha lands, widely proclaim the wondrous Dharma, and deliver all beings—one must also cultivate the illumination of mind and seeing of one’s nature in order to spread this Way. In the past, the Dragon Girl suddenly awakened to the pearl of the mind—the awakening innate to mind and nature—and immediately transcended the ordinary, attaining the body of Buddha-nature. This is precisely an expression of this Way.

If a practitioner rejects this illusory body, does not cultivate the Golden Elixir, and instead wishes to transcend everything directly and reach the Tathagata’s true emptiness, purity, and eternal stillness, believing this to be the ultimate samadhi of nirvana—the meditative absorption of complete extinction—then the language and bodily form discussed here are no longer what they seek.

Five quatrains symbolize the Five Phases of lead, mercury, cinnabar, silver, and earth.

Even if you have awakened to your true nature, you still cannot avoid relinquishing the body of this life and entering a body in another life. If you go further and cultivate the Great Medicine, the key substance and method in Golden Elixir cultivation, you can transcend the leakage of birth and death and become a perfected person.

The commentary says: When a person suddenly awakens to the true mind and directly transcends the Tathagata’s sea of nature, which is truly empty and pure, there is still, in the end, the cycle of this life and the next, this body and another body. How can that compare with cultivating the Golden Elixir, refining the body until it returns to formlessness, and attaining unfathomable transformations that lead to a still higher state? By cultivating the Great Medicine further, one can transcend the leakage of birth and death and become a perfected person.

The commentary says: If a person can suddenly awaken to the true mind, they can directly transcend the realm of the Tathagata and enter the sea of nature in the stillness of the true void—the pure, untainted state of innate nature. Yet even so, there remains the body of this life and the next, passing from here to there. Why not cultivate the Golden Elixir and refine the body, entering a formless state of unfathomable transformation, able to respond to every perception as if endowed with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes? Only then can one attain mastery in cultivating form, spirit, nature, and life, transcend the cycle of rebirth, and escape the suffering of leakage and loss. One will embody compassion like pure gold, majestic and dignified, become a teacher of gods and humans, and realize the supreme and ultimate truth.

If miraculous powers have not yet appeared and the Great Dharma is not yet fully understood, even the slightest flaw may cause one to abandon this body and enter another. If one can see completely and clearly, and has been tempered by the Golden Elixir, then, having attained the highest level of Daoist cultivation, one is called a Realized Person. Deluded people in the world mistake minor, heterodox practices such as massage and breath regulation for the Golden Elixir, thinking these methods can unite oneself with another. In truth, the Golden Elixir arises from nature, while heterodox practices arise from contrivance. The Golden Elixir takes the moon as its foundation, begins in the direction of Geng Metal, and is guarded at the source of Kan Water. Metal and Water join and condense into the workings of creation; hence it is called the Golden Elixir.

The explanatory commentary says: Cultivating nature and life together is called the Way of Yin and Yang. If one awakens only to the principles of nature but does not understand the work of cultivating life, one falls into the faults of imbalance toward Yin or Yang, with the danger of abandoning this body and entering another.

2

Rebirth, seizing another’s body, moving in, and remaining in the old abode—

these are called the “Four Fruit disciples.”

If one can subdue the dragon and tame the tiger,

when will a house built of pure gold ever decay?

The commentary says: If one awakens only to the principles of nature in the Way of the Golden Elixir but does not understand the work of cultivating life, one falls into the faults of imbalance toward Yin or Yang, with the danger of abandoning this body and entering another.

2

Rebirth, seizing another’s body, moving in, and remaining in the old abode—

these are called the “Four Fruit disciples.”

If one can subdue the dragon and tame the tiger,

when will a house built of pure gold ever decay?

The commentary says: How could a house built of pure gold decay? The Scripture of Deliverance from the Three Heavens says, “Withered bones come back to life, and all can become human again.” How much more so for one who swallows a Golden Elixir the size of a millet grain? Those called the “Four Fruit” practitioners—rebirth, seizing another’s body, and the like—are merely ghosts of Yin spirits. Dao Guang says: Rebirth and seizing another’s body belong to practitioners attached to emptiness; subduing the dragon and taming the tiger are the wondrous methods of returning the Elixir.

The explanatory commentary says: “Rebirth” means that an Yin spirit, carrying its consciousness, enters a mother’s womb and thereby comes into the world. “Seizing another’s body” means that another consciousness has already entered the womb, and I take it over and use the body to be born. “Moving in” means borrowing the body of someone already born and placing one’s own consciousness within it. “Remaining in the old abode” means holding fast to the nature of the Yin spirit to preserve the form, without entering extinction. None of these four cases involves the transformation of the Golden Elixir; what they yield is only the Yin spirit.

“Contemplating the form, holding the breath, and visualizing the spirits” is a method of cultivation. It is difficult for beginners, but once mastered it can be practiced with ease. In the blink of an eye, one seems able to travel through many lands. Yet the body is ultimately a Yin form: it is hard to keep intact for long and easily damaged. In the end, one cannot escape reincarnation, taking up a different dwelling as though moving house.

The commentary explains that “contemplating the form” means hanging a mirror indoors and visualizing spirits within it. “Holding the breath” means stopping the breath throughout the body and imitating the state of a person still in the womb. If a feather placed on the nose remains perfectly still for twelve breaths, this counts as a minor method; for one hundred and twenty breaths, it counts as a major method; and if it lasts for a thousand, one is close to becoming an immortal. Bodhidharma’s Treatise on Embryonic Breathing, Master Zhiyi’s methods for cultivating the in-breath and out-breath, and the meditation practices of the Three Vehicles all belong to this kind of cultivation.

“Visualizing the spirits” means keeping the mind focused on a particular location, such as between the eyebrows, the crown of the head, the “thirty-nine chambers of the Great Cavern” (specific places within the body where spirits are kept), the inner and outer Qi of the Yellow Court, or the visualizations set out in the “Sixteen Contemplations.” None of these methods has the transformative power of the Golden Elixir. What they cultivate is only the Yin spirit—a Yin form of spirit that remains bound by the body.

The fourth passage says that Buddhism teaches people to practice with rebirth in the Western Paradise as their aim because the Western Paradise is likened to the Metal phase of the West. Broadly speaking, that realm still has forms and appearances; only this state is real. All other claims are unreal, mere speculation.

The commentator says: What is called the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss—the pure and peaceful realm in Buddhist teaching—can also, in Daoist alchemical symbolism, use “the West” to represent Metal among the Five Phases. The “Golden Elixir” spoken of here is a pill refined to the size of a millet grain and weighing one jin. Buddhist practitioners take it, thereby attaining the sixteen-foot golden body—the Buddha’s body, about sixteen feet tall—and its many wondrous features. These, too, are transformations brought about by the power of the Golden Elixir. The measure of sixteen feet can also be understood through the number “two times eight”; the West corresponds to Metal.

People in the world do not understand what this means. An ancient immortal said: “May I ask who Gautama is? He dwells in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. There, ‘two times eight’ refines the essence of Metal, from which the sixteen-foot golden body is attained. If someone can leave behind this illusory body and personally receive the sage’s true teaching, then, in an instant, they can swallow a pill the size of a millet grain and at once transform into a vajra body.” These words have already explained the principle completely; any discussion beyond this is mere conjecture.

Five

Common sayings often contain truths that accord with the Great Dao, and one should seek them out carefully. If one can seek the Great Dao by reversing the ordinary way in daily life, then even the dust and sand of the earth can be transformed into treasure.

The commentator says: True lead and true mercury—symbolic terms in Neidan practice—are never apart from everyday speech and life. If one can cultivate by “reversal” amid daily activities, even the dust and sand of the earth can become treasure. The song above says: “It is at home every day, following you day after day, yet you do not know it.”

The wondrous workings of the Great Elixir—the elixir body sought through Neidan cultivation—are like the movements of Heaven and Earth, Qian and Kun. As Qian and Kun turn, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) differentiate. Once they have differentiated, the familiar patterns of the world appear as generation and extinction. By reversing the ordinary course of the Five Phases, the body of the Great Elixir can remain ever lucid and enduring, untouched by generation and extinction.

The “One” takes shape from the Void, and the Two Principles (Yin-Yang) thereby become its foundation. The Four Images—Lesser Yang, Greater Yang, Lesser Yin, and Greater Yin—remain within the two forms of Yin and Yang; the Eight Trigrams, in turn, succeed one another like ancestors and descendants. All things arise through transformation and movement, and with them appear good fortune, ill fortune, regret, and distress. People live within these patterns every day without understanding their underlying principles. The sages, however, investigate their source and understand how the Dao of the Yi exhausts the transformations of Qian and Kun. The elixir body’s enduring spiritual clarity likewise follows the principle of taking form from the Void and beginning with Yin and Yang.

The author therefore draws on the hexagrams of the Yi to explain these principles. The alternation of the Pi and Tai hexagrams expresses the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang. The Zhun and Meng hexagrams express the changes between movement and stillness over the course of day and night. Kan and Li symbolize man and woman, as well as Water and Fire; Zhen and Dui symbolize the Dragon and Tiger, as well as the hun and po souls. To hold to the center and remain upright is like the “yellow lower garment: supreme good fortune”—it brings auspiciousness. To reach an extreme, by contrast, is like the “arrogant dragon: there will be regret”: though one occupies a position of honor, one can no longer act.

The Ji Ji and Wei Ji hexagrams remind us to attend to the endings and beginnings of all things. The Fu and Gou hexagrams reveal how the two Qi of Yin and Yang alternately depart and return. The waxing and waning of the moon echo the flourishing and decline of the human spirit; the rising and setting of the sun and moon also correspond to changes in the warmth and coldness of Rong and Wei Qi, the vital energy that nourishes and protects the body.

Words are set down to explain the hexagrams; once the hexagrams are understood, the words can be forgotten. The hexagrams merely point toward the meaning; once that meaning is grasped, the hexagrams too may be set aside. Those who understand the Dao esteem simplicity, while those who are confused only make things more complicated. Thus, an accomplished adept cultivating the Dao who studies the Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three), a Daoist alchemical classic, should not cling to its hexagrams or wording.

Heaven and Earth, symbolized by Qian and Kun in the Book of Changes, are like parents. Heaven and Earth set Yin and Yang in motion, giving rise to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), which in turn bring forth and nourish the myriad things. Human beings are born through the transformations of Yin and Yang and the Five Phases. Within the body, Yin and Yang each make up half. Because we have physical form, and Yin and Yang are intermixed within it, we are subject to birth and death. Yang governs life; Yin governs death. One life and one death, one departure and one return: these are the natural workings of the ordinary Dao of Heaven.

The sages, by contrast, use Yin and Yang in reverse. They turn the process of creation backward, take Qian and Kun as the cauldron and vessel, and gather the original breath from before Heaven to refine the Elixir. They refine the physical form until it returns to formlessness and becomes one with the Dao. In this way, they transcend the ordinary cycle of arising and passing away. Following the usual course brings birth and death; reversing the course through the Elixir method allows spiritual awareness to endure.

Emptiness is the Dao’s essential nature. The Dao gives rise to one breath, which divides into Yin and Yang: Yang is Heaven, and Yin is Earth. These are the two basic forms of Heaven and Earth. The first number of Heaven gives rise to Water, located in the north and corresponding to winter. The second number of Earth gives rise to Fire, located in the south and corresponding to summer. The third number of Heaven gives rise to Wood, located in the east and corresponding to spring. The fourth number of Earth gives rise to Metal, located in the west and corresponding to autumn. Thus the four seasons take shape; they are called the Four Images.

Heaven is Qian, positioned in the Xu and Hai branches; Earth is Kun, positioned in the Wei and Shen branches. When Kun and Qian join, they produce three sons: the eldest, Zhen, resides in Mao; the second, Kan, in Zi; and the youngest, Gen, in Yin and Chou. When Qian and Kun join, they produce three daughters: the eldest, Xun, resides in Chen and Si; the second, Li, in Wu; and the youngest, Dui, in You. Together these make the Eight Trigrams, which represent the eight directions. The span from Zi to Si belongs to Yang, and the span from Wu to Hai belongs to Yin. Yin and Yang circulate in turn, while the Qi of the four seasons passes through the eight directions, alternating and repeating without end. This is why they are said to be ancestors and descendants of one another.

In spring and summer, Yang Qi brings forth and grows the myriad things; this is called De (Virtue/Power). Under Yang Qi, things open and flourish. In autumn and winter, Yin Qi cuts down the myriad things; this is called punishment. Under Yin Qi, things wither. Flourishing and decline, good fortune and misfortune: through these, the myriad things grow amid change, and good fortune, bad fortune, regret, and distress become manifest.

In the end, good fortune and misfortune, regret and distress, the myriad images and the Eight Trigrams, the four seasons and Yin and Yang—all remain within the one breath and never depart from the Great Dao. The Dao transforms into one breath; Yin and Yang, the seasons, the Five Phases, the Eight Trigrams, and every phenomenon and change in fortune are present everywhere. A person’s seeing, hearing, speaking, and moving; sleep and daily conduct; calm or commotion, the ordinary or the strange—even insects and mice, plants and trees, tiles and stones—none of these lies outside the Dao. The Dao is present in people’s everyday lives, yet people often fail to notice it. People live within the Dao, and the Dao has never left them. Thus ordinary people use the Dao every day without knowing that they are within it.

The sages investigated what is deep and subtle, fathomed the principles and nature of things, and thereby understood the Mandate of Heaven. This enabled them to compose the Book of Changes and discern the wondrous workings of the Dao. Once Qian and Kun are established, the Dao of change operates within them. Their union produces the Eight Trigrams; the trigrams then derive and transform one another, forming the sixty-four hexagrams. Each hexagram has six lines: Yang lines are odd, and Yin lines are even.

For a single Yang line, four times nine yields thirty-six counting sticks; six Yang lines yield two hundred and sixteen, the count of the Qian hexagram. For a single Yin line, four times six yields twenty-four counting sticks; six Yin lines yield one hundred and forty-four, the count of the Kun hexagram. Add the counts of Qian and Kun, and the total is three hundred and sixty. The combined count for the sixty-four hexagrams is eleven thousand five hundred and twenty. These numbers encompass the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—and the myriad things and images. The full course of good fortune and misfortune, regret and distress, and the signs of life and death, blessing and calamity, all fall within this system of numbers. Thus the wondrous Dao explained by the Changes embraces both the substance and the workings of creation.

The perfected master Wei Boyang saw that the principles of the Changes accorded with the Way of the Golden Elixir. He therefore used the hexagrams of the Changes to compose the Cantong qi, the Token for Joining the Three, and explain the essentials of the Golden Elixir. Its hexagram images are only metaphors and symbols. The key to refining the Golden Elixir comes down to two words: “metal” and “fire.” The sages first use true Yin and true Yang as furnace and vessel, then set in motion the Qi of the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) within emptiness. Without true Yin and true Yang, it is impossible to draw forth the numinous Qi and condense it into form.

The Cantong qi takes the Qian and Kun hexagrams as furnace and vessel, and the Kan and Li hexagrams as symbols of lead and mercury. These four hexagrams converge in the central palace. The remaining hexagrams are arranged across the sequence of a month to indicate the movement of the fire cycle. Qian and Kun can therefore be compared to dragons and tigers, husband and wife, or Hun and Po souls; Kan and Li can be compared to lead and mercury, water and fire, male and female, or emotion and nature. Many other comparisons can be made along these lines, but the most fitting description is that the powers of true Yin and true Yang unite and condense into an Elixir in the central palace, the Yellow Court. This is the meaning of “guard the center, and the yellow robe brings great good fortune”; it refers to the external medicine.

After obtaining and taking the Elixir, one must nourish the sacred embryo with true fire. Take the original Yang, the true Qi, as fire. Fire has no fixed location; it circulates through the six directions. Hence the saying, “when it meets the summit, it has no position, yet is honored.” This refers to the internal medicine.

Heaven’s first number gives rise to Water, corresponding in the human body to Jing (essence); Earth’s second number gives rise to Fire, corresponding to Shen (spirit). A person’s Jing, Qi, and Shen nourish and circulate through the whole body day and night, responding to the Yin and Yang Qi of Heaven and Earth in an unceasing cycle. At the winter solstice, a thread of Yang Qi rises within the Earth, forming the Return hexagram of the Changes. The movement of a person’s original Qi corresponds to this, so in cultivation one advances the Yang fire. In the first month of the year, Yin and Yang gradually come into balance and naturally join, forming the Peace hexagram. A person’s original Qi changes in the same way, so the fire cycle is temporarily halted; this is called “bathing.”

At the summer solstice, a thread of Yin Qi descends from Heaven, forming the Encounter hexagram. One then shifts to advancing the Yin talisman. In the seventh month, Yin and Yang meet again, forming the Obstruction hexagram. A person’s original Qi changes accordingly, so the talisman fire is stopped; this too is called “bathing.” The alternation of Obstruction and Peace symbolizes Yin and Yang rising and descending in turn.

The sages also condensed the changing climate of a year into the thirty days of a month, using the waxing and waning of the moon to represent the fire cycle of Elixir cultivation. After the first day, the moon begins to show a faint light, corresponding to the Return hexagram. At the first quarter, half the moon is bright and the Qi of Metal and Water is evenly divided, corresponding to the Peace hexagram. Around the sixteenth day, the moon begins to wane, corresponding to the Encounter hexagram. At the last quarter, only half the moon is bright, and the Qi of Metal and Water is again evenly divided, corresponding to the Obstruction hexagram. The moon’s waxing and waning serve as a metaphor for the rise and decline of the body’s Jing, Qi, and Shen. This layer concerns the phases of the moon.

The climate changes of a month are also mapped onto the twelve double-hours of a day. At the Zi hour, the first Yang is born, symbolizing the rise of the pure Yang essence in the kidneys. This corresponds to the Return hexagram, and the advancement of Yang fire begins. At the Wu hour, the first Yin is born, symbolizing the descent of Yin Shen Qi in the heart. This corresponds to the Encounter hexagram, and the advancement of the Yin talisman begins. The Return and Encounter hexagrams reveal the coming and going of the two Qi, Yin and Yang.

The sun’s rising marks day, and its setting marks night. The sages arranged the movement of the talisman fire across a full day and night, bringing the warmth and coolness, cold and heat of Elixir cultivation into accord with the seasons and times of Heaven, and with the circulation of Qi and blood within the body. In this way, they regulate and nourish the “pearl of the Zi hour,” the Elixir body condensed through internal alchemy. This is the correspondence between sunrise and sunset and the warmth and coolness of Qi and blood within the body; it concerns the daily cycle.

The Zi hour is when Yang Qi begins and belongs to the time of morning. When advancing the Yang fire, the Difficulty at the Beginning hexagram governs. The Wu hour is when Yin Qi begins and belongs to the time of evening. When advancing the Yin talisman, the Youthful Folly hexagram governs. Thus the movement of Difficulty at the Beginning and Youthful Folly symbolizes the changes of activity and stillness at morning and evening. Already Fulfilled and Not Yet Fulfilled mark the end of the sixty hexagrams; Difficulty at the Beginning and Youthful Folly mark their beginning. The end returns to the beginning, and the beginning returns to the end. Hence Already Fulfilled and Not Yet Fulfilled carefully symbolize the completion and beginning of the myriad things. This layer concerns the hours.

Through the hexagram images of the Changes, the perfected master Wei Boyang explained that the Great Way of the Golden Elixir is supremely simple and easy; there is no need to elaborate its hidden instructions at excessive length. Students should grasp the essentials through the hexagram images. If they truly understand the mystery of the Golden Elixir, they can set aside the metaphors of Qian and Kun, Kan and Li, dragons and tigers, Hun and Po souls, lead and mercury, and water and fire. This is what is meant by “entrusting the meaning beyond the images.” Once they have grasped the key to directing the fire, they need not cling to the hexagrams and line counts of Difficulty at the Beginning, Youthful Folly, Already Fulfilled, Not Yet Fulfilled, Return, Encounter, Obstruction, and Peace. This is what is meant by “entrusting the meaning within the images.”

The Immortal Master feared that students of the Cantong qi might fail to understand the perfected master’s deeper meaning, cling only to the written words of the hexagrams, and fail to set images aside and forget words. He therefore wrote this text to inform his fellow practitioners, embodying his compassionate intention. The Song of the Elder of Mount Qingcheng says: “Grateful to the ancient sages for leaving the true secret; the precise teaching takes no more than a few lines.” This shows that the Way of the Golden Elixir is inherently very simple. Yet without guidance from a true teacher, it is indeed difficult to enter its mysterious gate.

The commentary discusses the Dao from “from the realm of the void” to “used every day without being known.” From “from the sages” to “creation and transformation,” it discusses the substance and function of the Yijing (Classic of Changes). From “from Wei Boyang” to “merely allegory,” it discusses the Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three). From “from the essential principles of cultivating the Elixir” to “great good fortune,” it discusses the external medicine. From “from having obtained the Elixir to ingest” to “honored though without rank,” it discusses the internal medicine.

From “Water is born from the One of Heaven” to “sometimes rising, sometimes descending,” it discusses the changes in climate over the course of a year. From “the sage transfers the climate of this year” to “decline and flourishing,” it discusses the changes over the course of a month. From “then this is transferred again” to “cold and warmth,” it discusses the changes over the course of a day. From “Zi is yang” to “beginning and end,” it discusses the periods of time within a day. The section beginning “the wondrous mystery of the Golden Elixir” uses external things as symbols to express what cannot be spoken of directly. The section beginning “the true mechanism of regulating the fire” discusses the essentials of inner cultivation, which likewise cannot be explained through concrete things.

The numbers can also be calculated using thirty-two as the base: the combined numerical values of the hexagrams Qian and Kun, used to derive the hexagram images, total 360. Thirty-two multiplied by 216 gives 6,912, the total for the numerical values of the thirty-two yang hexagrams. Thirty-two multiplied by 144 gives 4,608, the total for the thirty-two yin hexagrams. Together, the two sections amount to 11,520 numerical values.

Here the first and seventh months are paired with the hexagrams Pi and Tai, and taken as the times for bathing, the stage in Neidan cultivation when breathing is regulated and the firing process is paused. When Pi and Tai meet, the Qi of all things fills and flows through them. Others pair Pi and Tai with the spring and autumn equinoxes and take those as the times for bathing. The Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality) has its own subtle meaning, and so the Immortal Master says again in the Four Hundred Words: “As for the method of bathing, taking Mao and You as metaphors may not be quite right.” Shi Xinglin, for his part, says that bathing does not take place at Mao and You. The Anonymous Master draws only on the idea of the yin and yang of Pi and Tai being balanced. Some say bathing refers to the spring and autumn equinoxes in the second and eighth months; others, to the first and seventh months, or to the first and last quarters of the moon. These views all differ. Unless their underlying meaning is understood, they can easily cause confusion.

Song Presented to the Daoist Liu of White Dragon Grotto

The sun and moon turn ceaselessly, and time rushes by. We have only just heard that the flowers are blooming when, in the blink of an eye, we see autumn frost again. Even the legendary Peng Zu, said to have lived for more than a thousand years, passed as swiftly as a flash of lightning in the clouds.

Why is human life so short? A hundred years amount to little more than thirty thousand days. As cold and heat alternate and day and night wear away, people lose their youth without noticing. Even when surrounded by children and grandchildren, family affection can become a source of worry and constraint. Once Jing and Qi are depleted and the body declines, who can teach us to prolong life, even for a little while? Since life cannot be held fast for long, in the end it must pass like flowing water. Among the sages of past and present, how many have managed to keep their bodies in this world?

Kongxuanzi says: The sun and moon move like shuttles, and time flies like an arrow. Few people live to seventy. Pressed by the seasons and burdened by their children and grandchildren, people pass from one generation to the next, growing old and dying. Who can turn back toward the Dao, resolve firmly to seek it, and preserve the body in this world? These words lament how rare life is and how difficult it is to hear the supreme Dao.

There are methods of cultivation for preserving the body in this world. But people at the time lacked understanding: they all rushed into the mountains to seek plants and trees, then smelted lead and mercury in the hope of refining an elixir.

People seek the Dao without understanding the proper path. They become absorbed in the fires of Waidan (external alchemy), searching for strange plants and trees and refining ordinary lead and mercury in the hope of making a Yang elixir that can transform the body and bones. The Immortal Master wrote in a poem: “Do not refine the Three Yellows and Four Spirits; if you seek only various plants and trees, that is not the proper path.” This warns people not to mistake what is produced in the Waidan furnace for a treasure that leads to the Dao. If an elixir could truly be refined and naturally make a person wealthy and noble, why waste fuel on the furnace and lose money in the process?

There is another method for refining the Yang elixir: one must seek the red blood within Kan, a symbolic term in alchemical practice. Once obtained, it is placed in the position of Li to subdue the Yin essence. The two must be joined and brought into harmony, and the timing must be right. This requires the help of a “matchmaker,” the Golden Lord, a symbolic name in alchemy for substances such as lead, who brings the Golden Lord and the Maiden, a symbolic name for substances such as mercury, together as husband and wife. The Golden Lord delights in riding the White Tiger, while the Maiden often rides the Red Dragon. The White Tiger sits motionless among the autumn mountains; the Red Dragon rises from the green pool. The two beasts meet and fight, waves surging as if a cauldron were boiling. The Yellow Matron and Elder Ding, auxiliary figures in the alchemical symbolism, come to help; their presence shakes heaven and earth and startles spirits and ghosts.

This passage describes the process by which lead and mercury restrain and transform one another as the elixir is refined. The red blood, after being harmonized and refined, symbolizes the transformed elixir capable of renewing the bones. The Red Dragon rises from the green pool, and the two beasts meet in combat, with waves boiling like a cauldron. The Yellow Matron and Elder Ding join the struggle, their presence shaking heaven and earth and startling spirits and ghosts.

Methods such as “subduing fire with lead and mercury” to make elixirs and transform the body rely on greed for wealth as the basis for cultivation. Such practices not only fail to understand the accumulation of De (Virtue/Power), but add to one’s offenses. What benefit can they bring in the great matter of life and death? The transformation of the Golden Elixir turns an ordinary person’s bones into those of an immortal of pure Yang. It is entirely different from the elixirs made from metals, minerals, plants, and herbs spoken of in the secular world.

In cultivation, one must seek “red blood” from the Kan position, which symbolizes Yang within Yin, and obtain the “one-eight” string Qi from the White Tiger, which symbolizes the Metal Qi of the West. This is called taking the “essence of black lead.” One must also refine Yin essence at the Li position, which symbolizes Yin within Yang, and obtain the “one-eight” string Qi from the Azure Dragon, which symbolizes the Wood Qi of the East. This is called taking the “marrow of red lead.” Kan belongs to black, yet red is sought; Li belongs to Yang, yet Yin must be refined. The two essences must join and be gathered according to the seasons. When the timing is right, the Yellow Matron, the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang, brings them together. Thus the Golden Duke, symbolizing Metal nature or lead, rides the tiger, while the Maiden, symbolizing Yin nature or mercury, rides the dragon. They are matched as husband and wife and join in harmony. The Yellow Matron serves as mediator, and the Golden Duke lends his strength, causing Heaven and Earth, symbolizing the cosmos and Yin-Yang, to shake and submit; even ghosts and spirits hurry to serve them. The ancient verse says, “Subtly turning over the essences of Heaven and Earth, gathering Yin and Yang until spirits and ghosts set in motion.” It describes this inner alchemical transformation, not the secular method of making elixirs from metals, minerals, plants, and herbs.

Once the union of Yin and Yang has been completed and the refining is done, the signs of clouds and rain subside, and the Mysterious Pearl, symbolizing Neidan, is planted in the “muddy depths,” which represent the deepest part of the Dantian (energy center). From then on, its root and shoot gradually grow and must be nourished at the proper times with true essence. After ten months, the Sacred Embryo, symbolizing the maturation of Neidan practice, emerges from the womb and is swallowed into the five organs; the ordinary body then gradually reveals its spiritual subtlety. After the two Qi of Yin and Yang have contended, the Golden Elixir grows within the body. By advancing and withdrawing according to the stages of the fire cycle, and refining with true fire, the root and shoot of the Returning Golden Elixir grow stronger day by day. Nourished continually with true essence, the Sacred Embryo reaches completion after ten months. One then refines the body to transform it into Qi, revealing various spiritual energies, and next refines Qi to transform it into Shen (spirit), naturally reaching a state of union with the Dao (the Way).

Such cultivation is rare in the world and is no ordinary undertaking.

This Great Way of the Golden Elixir—Daoist cultivation through inner refinement of body and mind and the practice of alchemical methods—is understood by few in the world. It is not something ordinary people can know. If you had not formed an affinity with the immortals in a previous life, how could you have encountered it so readily? Now that you have, you should begin cultivating at once, for time flies like an arrow and there is great urgency. If you want to catch fish, you must first weave a net; do not wait until you are standing by the water, only to envy others for their catch.

I hear that you have known about the substances used in alchemy—the Jing and Qi employed in cultivation—for many years. Why, then, have you not gathered your spirit and cultivated lead and mercury, alchemical terms for Yin-Yang, Jing, and Qi in the practice? Do not let the wind extinguish the candle flame, and do not wait until you are caught in the six realms of samsara, where beings circulate according to their karma, before blaming Heaven and others. Few receive instruction in the Great Way of the Golden Elixir. Even if you have already nurtured an affinity with the immortals and met a true teacher, beginning your cultivation only now is still too late. The years wait for no one; do not squander your life. Since you know that cultivation is urgent, you should begin working at it as soon as possible. The lead and mercury spoken of here are neither tangible substances in the world nor materials to be subdued in order to make an elixir. These words are an exhortation to cultivate without delay.

In recent times, many people in the world have been deceitful, putting on plain clothes and calling themselves Daoist practitioners. Ask them what “metal and wood”—an alchemical term for the joining of Yin and Yang in cultivation—means, and they fall silent, like the mute. Such people turn instead to breath control and abstaining from food, devising a separate path far removed from true cultivation. Have you not seen the Song on Dispelling Delusion, which says that the Taiji Method of Embracing Truth is the highest teaching? Do not blame me for speaking plainly, even roughly; it is simply that people in the world find it hard to distinguish the true from the false. Only because you and I understand one another do I dare to tell you what is in my heart.

The criticism here is directed at the vulgar and shallow: when asked about the essentials of cultivation, they have nothing to say and can only talk about breath control and abstaining from food, taking a distant, separate path. The text also points out that the Song on Dispelling Delusion calls the Taiji Method of Embracing Truth the highest teaching. The author fears that people cannot tell the true from the false, and so speaks openly only to someone who understands him.

Vulgar people make cultivating the Dao their chief concern, yet they do not know what “Metal” and “Wood” refer to. They only practice minor, heterodox arts such as swallowing Qi and abstaining from food. How could they understand the words in the Song on Dispelling Delusion?

The song says: “Why say this is the Dao? Great Unity (Taiyi) contains the true Qi; the Five Phases do not move in their usual order. The tiger is born in water; Kan and Li—the trigrams symbolizing water and fire—are used in reverse; the dragon emerges from fire.” Is this not the principle being described?

Some interpret the song to mean that, after ten months, one is reborn and swallows the sacred embryo. This describes the wondrous transformations of the sacred embryo as it comes and goes, and the interpretation has merit. Others connect “swallowing a pellet of the elixir into the belly” with the Cantong qi’s statement that “gold sand enters the five viscera,” and conclude that it refers to external alchemy. This is inappropriate, and shows that the person has not received the true transmission of the Wuzhen pian.

In his Essentials of the Wuzhen pian, that person also writes: “True lead is precelestial Qi, born from the kidneys; divine mercury is the true substance within one’s original nature, manifesting from the heart. The Qi within Qi conceals true water; the true substance within original nature gathers true fire.” Why not examine more closely the words in the preface to the Wuzhen pian? It says: “Today’s students of the Dao take lead and mercury to be two kinds of Qi, and divide the heart and kidneys into Kan and Li. This is all a matter of the sun and moon departing from their proper courses, and lead and mercury residing in separate furnaces. If one hopes to form the restored elixir in this way, would one not be far off the mark?”

These are precisely the views criticized by the Wuzhen pian, yet they are now being presented as its essentials. This makes it clear that he has not received the true transmission of the Wuzhen pian. If he were to meet a genuine teacher, he would naturally learn that what I say is no falsehood. I do not mean to accuse him of being wrong; I only wish to clarify the principle.

Song of the Stone Bridge

My home was originally in …

The immortal’s grotto dwelling I speak of was originally on the mountain north of the stone bridge. Around Zhenshui Pass, ancient trees stand thickly; the stream beneath the bridge runs all the way to Mount Kunlun. At the foot of the mountain is a spring whose fragrance is rich. I live in the mountain, and truly, it is worthy of praise: flowers that never fade grow everywhere.

In a cave on the north side of the mountain lurks a fierce tiger. When it emerges, it roars and stirs up the wind. In a pool on the south side, a dragon lies hidden; when it rises, clouds gather and rain falls, veiling the mountain in mist. These two numinous creatures meet and clash. Such mysterious scenes conceal auspicious meaning, and are truly beautiful. Inwardly delighted, I pour myself wine and drink alone until I am pleasantly drunk; then I play a stringless zither. Every phrase of its music urges one to reflect carefully. Sadly, after I am drunk, no one understands: I grow dazed and silent, seeming almost like a fool.

I look up at the transformations of Heaven and Earth, whose wonders defy description. The sun seems to set in the west, then rise again in the east; the moon, too, travels back and forth. Heaven and Earth alternate, Yin-Yang cycles in turn, and all follows the natural order. If one can understand the reversed transformations of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), one can swiftly rise on rosy clouds and return to the heavenly grotto.

A golden chamber, with rafters of white jade; Jade Maidens and Golden Boys stand in attendance before it day after day. The Southern Dipper and Northern Dipper are clearly arrayed, and the myriad forms appear without end. In cultivation, day and night must make no difference: one must continue without interruption, keeping complete and balanced the fire times that govern the circulation of the entire celestial circuit—the regulation of breath, substances, and timing in Neidan practice. If you ask where the Golden Elixir truly lies, seek a master’s guidance to reveal the mystery of “lead within water.”

Wood can generate Fire, and Metal can generate Water. Water and Fire must be distinguished in their proper sequence; one must also discern what floats and what sinks, and recognize host and guest. Lead, silver sand, mercury, and other alchemical terms each have their proper points of conjunction and exchange. Hardness and softness must both be upheld, and the mind must not be allowed to run wild. When one is content and keeps to one’s proper place, the myriad spirits will celebrate together in a year of peace. Then the country will be prosperous and the people joyful.

This matter can be investigated and understood; fellow cultivators of the Dao should grasp its principles. Later students of the practice of realizing the true self speak only of nourishing the body and mind and circulating the breath. These methods seem close at hand and easy, yet few who truly partake of their results can compare with them. First dispel illness and prolong life; then refine with the fire times until your own being is transformed into a Yang body.

Those who study the Dao should think with full attention and stop asking about minor side practices. Such methods only deceive people for a time, while gradually wearing them down without their noticing. I urge later seekers to discipline themselves earnestly. Do not lightly abandon your home to search elsewhere. The wondrous Dao lies within you; it is not beyond a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers. Do not delay or covet small, superficial gains. Seek a master at once and obtain the subtle key.

If you do not learn and cultivate in this life, you may not obtain a human body suited to cultivating the Dao in the next. In the end, life’s great matter comes down to birth and death. If august Heaven abandons those with a heart for the Dao, then let me become a lowly ghost in the Three Paths—the Buddhist realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals.

Master Kongxuan says: This song offers a comprehensive praise of the mysteries of Golden Elixir cultivation and points out the errors of lesser, heterodox techniques. The terms “Dragon and Tiger,” “lead and silver,” “cinnabar and mercury,” “floating and sinking,” and “host and guest” all use the two true substances of Yin and Yang to express their relationship in cultivation. “The sun west, the moon east” and “Heaven is Earth, Earth is Heaven” are metaphors for the union of Yin and Yang and the reversal of the Five Phases’ sequence of movement. “Lead in water,” “Wood gives birth to Fire,” and “Metal gives birth to Water” symbolize the transformations produced by Yin and Yang. The “Mysterious Pearl” represents the Golden Elixir coalescing into form. “Drawing out and adding in by day and night” indicates the work of cultivation over ten months. “Preserving and nurturing” and “preserving Qi” serve to identify and dispel the lesser techniques of heterodox paths. This song praises the efficacy of Golden Elixir cultivation and urges people to cultivate the Dao. Its language is plain and its meaning easy to understand, so there is no need for further elaborate explanation.

Annotations and Commentary on the Chapter on Awakening to Reality, juan 2

Imperially Commissioned Complete Library of the Four Treasuries

Preface to the Appendix to A Direct Guide and Detailed Explanation of the Annotations and Commentary on the Chapter on Awakening to Reality, written by Weng Baoguang of the Song dynasty.

Before primordial chaos appeared, the world was empty and still, without a name and without anything that could be revered as its foundation. People could only call it the Dao (the Way). The Dao gave rise to “One Qi,” the primordial vital energy of the universe. This Qi was neither moving nor still, neither turbid nor clear, and so profound it could not be fathomed. The sages could only call it “the true One Qi of primordial unity.” When One Qi divided, it became Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are Heaven and Earth, and also symbolize male and female. When the Qi of Heaven and Earth mingles, the myriad things come into being; when male and female unite, the myriad things also reproduce. Thus, since Heaven and Earth took form, no thing has acquired a body except through the union of Yin and Yang.

Those who wish to cultivate may take minerals, metals, plants, or substances in the body such as Jing (essence), fluids, Qi, blood, and liquids as ingredients for the elixir. But these are all tangible things that appeared only after Heaven and Earth took shape. Since they have visible form, how could they enable something formed to transcend form and enter the formless? All things that came into being after Heaven and Earth took shape remain within Heaven and Earth; nothing with form escapes destruction. How, then, could they transform beyond Heaven and Earth? Unable to transcend Heaven and Earth, formed things cannot escape the laws of life and death, Yin and Yang. Yang governs life, Yin governs death; dying and living, departing and returning, are the natural order. Even if the elixir is properly refined and effective when taken, and life is prolonged like that of a tortoise or crane, one will still die when one’s allotted years are spent. It is like an arrow shot into the sky: when its force is exhausted, it falls. Formed things are destined to perish—that is the principle.

Therefore, the sages obtain the precelestial One Qi and refine it into an elixir. They return the body to One Qi, then refine Qi into Shen (spirit), refine Shen until it unites with the Dao, and ultimately return to “form within the formless.” Only then can one go beyond Heaven and Earth, stand outside the workings of creation, master Yin and Yang, and command Heaven and Earth, no longer governed by the changes of Yin and Yang, life and death. This is what the precelestial One Qi makes possible. The elixir body attained by the practitioner can thus remain ever luminous and enduring, neither born nor destroyed.

It is like a person inside a jar, unable to turn the whole jar. Only by standing outside it can one turn it. The Qi of true unity arises before Heaven and Earth and is too profound to fathom. The sages use something of the same kind to guide it into condensation as an elixir. It is like fire within the sun, drawn out with a yangsui, a bronze mirror used to kindle fire; or water within the moon, drawn out with a fangzhu, a vessel used to collect water. They therefore refine materials akin to the Qi of true unity and set up a furnace and cauldron, called the “true Dragon” and “true Tiger.” Lü Gong’s verse says, “The natural furnace and cauldron, with the Tiger coiling around the Dragon.” This is what it means.

“Of the same kind” refers to an existence free of worldly desire yet endowed with subtle vitality. It does not appear in ordinary forms, yet it has real and wondrous efficacy. Among all things, it best preserves the vital Qi of nature and life, and so is the most numinous and precious. If one can gather and use the initial crescent Qi of this kind, it is called “true Lead and true Mercury.” The Immortal Master says, “If people wish to know true Lead and Mercury, they are not the cinnabar and mercury of the human world.” This refers to the Qi of true Lead and Mercury. “Initial crescent” means that each of the upper and lower crescents contributes the number sixteen: the Dragon is eight liang, and the Tiger weighs half a jin; together they make “two sixteens.” This Qi is pure as a spring’s source: it has Qi but no physical substance. Guided by Qi of its own kind, the true One Qi descends and takes on an appearance. The Immortal Master says, “When the medicine meets Qi of its own kind, an image takes shape; the Dao, in emptiness, accords with nature.”

To refine this Golden Elixir, one first seeks a famous mountain or blessed place, then builds an elixir chamber. The chamber need not be large. Set up a three-tiered altar, place swords on all four sides, and hang mirrors. Then arrange the Dragon and Tiger as the furnace and cauldron, set up a clepsydra to mark the hours, regulate the firing phases according to the laws of Water and Fire, and assign assistants to help. These details are too numerous to explain one by one, and the work also requires resources. Yin Zhenjun says that cultivating this Dao requires material means; without them, the Golden Elixir is difficult to refine. Three people must also cultivate together, united in heart and purpose.

Around the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, when Yang Qi first stirs, the presiding practitioner ascends the altar with the Yu step, a ritual step used in Daoist ceremonies, holding the Dragon in the left hand and the Tiger in the right. Carefully regulating the firing phases, the practitioner aligns Yin and Yang with the sequence of the celestial stars and follows the clepsydra to time the breath and the hours. In this way, Metal and Water unite, and the Dragon and Wood bring forth their essence. Of the three practitioners, one sits behind a curtain and plans the whole operation, arranging each step according to the scripture; another watches the clepsydra closely and manages the adding and withdrawing of the firing phases; the third prepares what is needed for the firing and ensures that no hexagram timing is missed. Even the slightest error can prevent the elixir from forming. The Immortal Master says, “It all depends on the power of cultivation; if the slightest detail is out of place, no elixir will form.” Chaoyuanzi also warns practitioners to calculate the cycles of the celestial circuit carefully and not lose track of time, lest they miss the moment when Yin and Yang change.

With the three working together in harmony, in less than half an hour the true One Qi condenses at the point of conjunction into a Golden Elixir as small as a millet grain. It shines brightly in the Northern Sea, its light piercing the curtains. At that moment, the practitioner secretly uses Moye, the name of a precious sword, to pursue and draw in the elixir. As soon as the elixir enters the mouth, one can immediately ascend to the rank of a sage. The Immortal Master says, “Swallow one Golden Elixir, and you will know that your life is not governed by Heaven.” Once obtained, this elixir is placed in the Dantian, the energy center, within the sea of Qi. The body’s Jing and Qi then gather together and condense into cinnabar, no longer dispersing. The practitioner continues to refine it with fire.

The “fire” spoken of here is the Qi of Yin and Yang. Odd numbers belong to Yang, even numbers to Yin. The six double-hours from the hour of Zi to the hour of Si belong to Yang and are called “Yang Fire”; the six from the hour of Wu to the hour of Hai belong to Yin and are called “Yin Talisman.” The Qian hexagram has 216 lines, and the Kun hexagram has 144. The two sections of scripture together take the true Qi of 4,320 years and return it to the Dantian, where it warms and nourishes the young pearl until it forms the sacred embryo. Lao Jun says that Yang arises at the hour of Zi and Yin stirs at the hour of Wu; beginning and end both lie within Qian and Kun, and the process turns in accordance with the phases of the moon and the seasonal cycles. Thus, when the external fires of Yin and Yang join, Metal Liquid arises within. There is no need to force it; it proceeds of itself, ascending in order from the coccyx, passing through the two barriers, reversing its course to the Niwan at the crown of the head, and then descending into the mouth. It is like a sparrow’s egg, fragrant and sweet to the taste. This is called “the Golden Liquid returning to the Elixir.” It should be swallowed slowly and guided back to the Dantian, where it forms the sacred embryo and nurtures the infant. The Immortal Master says, “The infant contains a breath of true Qi; when the ten-month embryo is complete, one enters the foundation of sagehood.” An ordinary child is born after ten months in the womb; the sacred embryo, too, must be warmed and nourished for ten months. When the firing phases are complete and cultivation is perfected, one casts off the embryo and transforms into a body of pure Yang, no longer troubled by cold, heat, hunger, or thirst.

Afterward, the practitioner may enter a remote mountain valley or some secluded, humble place, and face a wall for nine years. The mind becomes empty and still, reaching a state in which there is neither self nor other and mind and surroundings are one. This is called “the immortal embracing the One.” The Buddhist teaching of “taming the ox” refers to subduing the mind’s thoughts. Only those who know the mind and see their nature can truly embrace the One. After nine years, the nature of Wuwei (non-action) comes naturally to perfection, and wisdom arises; the body of pure Yang undergoes wondrous transformation, and the spirit becomes numinous and responsive. Nature and life then unite in truth with the Dao and reach the formless state.

Form within the formless can take on appearances in response to external things: encountering wind, it becomes wind; encountering rain, it becomes rain; encountering water or fire, it becomes water or fire; encountering birds and beasts, plants and trees, it can transform into them as well. It comes and goes without fixed location, appearing and disappearing in an instant; it seems to be before us, then turns and is behind us. It can therefore manifest in a hundred million forms, appearing wherever it is needed, like the moon reflected in countless waters, present everywhere. It responds to circumstances and encounters, with nothing to which it cannot answer. At its root, the true body dwells in utter stillness and in fact performs no act of transformation. This is Shen, form, nature, and life united in truth with the Dao, returning to the source of ultimate emptiness and stillness. The sages could only call it the “Ninefold-Turn Golden Liquid Great Return Elixir,” also known as the “indestructible vajra body.” This is the wondrous Dao of supreme truth.

The Immortal Master devoted himself to spreading this Dao. Through a body of wondrous golden radiance, he demonstrated the grandeur and solemnity of its realm; his compassionate form appeared throughout the Dharma realm to save living beings. He once revealed the unborn nature of the Dao to disciples such as Liu Fengzhen, then entered stillness. Later, he manifested his true body on Mount Wangwu, showing the Dao of life to be imperishable and perfectly complete. On the fifth day of the third month in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, when he performed shijie, the Daoist practice of leaving behind the corpse and transforming, he left this verse: “One numinous spirit, wondrous in its workings, pervades the Dharma realm.” This shows that if the Dao of nature and life were not cultivated to completion together, and form and spirit did not both undergo wondrous transformation, how could such a state be attained? The Immortal Master lived to the age of ninety-six. He regularly expounded mysterious principles, sang of nature and feeling, wrote in profound and elegant language, and taught later generations. He titled his writings Wuzhen, “Awakening to Reality,” meaning awakening to the truth of nature and life.

Knowing that among later practitioners some understood only the cultivation of life and not the fulfillment of nature, while others understood only the Dao of nature and not the nurturing of life, he wrote the poem “Awakening to Suchness” and the lyric “The Elixir Is the Wondrous Treasure of the Physical Body.” These works guide those of keen understanding and deep capacity, enabling them to comprehend the Dao of nature and life, attain full realization, and rise far beyond the Three Realms. Who could show such unobstructed, impartial compassion without perfect, luminous wisdom?

Though my understanding is shallow, I have gained some of the Immortal Master’s secret teachings. I have therefore studied this text with care and revealed most of its hidden workings. Fearing that fellow practitioners might not understand the source of the Golden Elixir, I have explained its essential meaning from beginning to end, risking Heaven’s condemnation to point out the path to Wuzhen. Those who have an immortal affinity from past lives should enter the gateway of Wuzhen directly and seek the Dao of Wuwei within a single millet pearl. Seeking it outside oneself will bring little result.

Long ago, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning hung a precious pearl, small as a millet grain, in the midst of empty mystery. Countless hosts of sages entered through its opening. This is the single grain of the Golden Elixir. Though tiny, it contains the myriad forms and encompasses the three powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. It is so large that it has no outside, and so small that it has no inside. From ancient times to the present, high perfected beings and supreme sages who have realized this Dao are beyond counting. Who among them did not attain the supreme Dao through this single millet pearl? This Dao is supremely simple and easy.

Without guidance from a true master, one cannot understand its deep foundation. Without sufficient resources, it is difficult to complete the work of cultivation. And even if the work is complete, without understanding the mind and seeing one’s nature, one cannot attain the wondrous state of embracing the One. Once the One is embraced in its wondrousness, the Dao of nature and life is complete, and nothing can surpass it. Thus, the Dao of cultivating life requires transmission from a master and achievement through practice. The Dao of nature is different: it is not obtained from outside. Relying only on knowledge gained through external learning and observation confines one to shallow views and prevents one from reaching thorough clarity. Only by awakening and understanding from within one’s own mind can one fulfill the Dao of nature and realize what is called the “supreme, foremost vehicle.” Awakening and understanding do not mean that there is some separate object to awaken to or understand: one awakens without anything to awaken to, and understands without anything to understand. Nor do fulfillment and attainment mean that something separate is gained: one fulfills without anything to fulfill, and attains without gaining anything. “Supreme and foremost” does not mean some thing higher than all others; it means there is nothing higher, and nothing that can be called the sole one.

If students can grasp their master’s oral instructions, master the essentials of elixir refinement, refine the spirit elixir and undergo a transformation of body and bones, then go further to understand the mind, reach the source, and awaken to true emptiness, they can leap directly to the supreme vehicle and enter the realm of Wuwei. At that point, form and spirit are both wondrous, and nature and life are complete. One can ride a phoenix or crane, mount a dragon, and roam through the immortal realms of Penglai.

“The method of strengthening the army and winning battles” refers to methods for protecting and applying Neidan when refining the Golden Elixir. At the first night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Yang energy first stirs, the practitioner sits in command at the Kui-Gang altar, a ritual platform used for practice, and ascends its three tiers. With the left hand, the practitioner seizes the dragon, determining the vessel and its measures; with the right hand, the practitioner grasps the tiger, carefully adjusting the firing times. The dragon and tiger contend within the Daoist tradition, moving back and forth through the Gate of the Feminine, a portal symbolizing the receptive and the generative. Breathing and ritual timing are measured by the water clock and must accord with the revolutions of the celestial cycle, without the slightest error. Hence this is called “the method of strengthening the army and winning battles.”

Here, “army” means the dragon and tiger, while “battle” means the union of Yin and Yang. If, in the course of one double-hour, the practitioner can bring the six periods into correspondence, the Golden Elixir can be refined and ingested, and the “method of winning battles” becomes manifest. The Scripture of Western Florescence says that strengthening the army and winning battles rests on nurturing the Mysterious Pearl, a symbol of Neidan. Accordingly, the Immortal Master begins with sixteen regulated poems, using the number “one-eight” to explain the dragon and tiger. He then adds a five-character poem in four lines, symbolizing the refinement of one Golden Elixir in a single double-hour. The commentator groups these poems in the upper volume to clarify the method of strengthening the army and winning battles, making the techniques for gathering and refining the Golden Elixir clear.

“The method of enriching the state and bringing peace to the people” refers to applying the transformations of Yin and Yang and the methods of talismanic fire, a symbol in Neidan practice for the use of breath and the timing of the firing process. The Great Dao is originally formless; from it, at the beginning, one Qi came into being. This Qi existed in a state of undifferentiated chaos, then divided into Yin and Yang. The text next turns to an account of how Yin-Yang Qi arises and transforms.

The Great Dao (the fundamental Way) is originally formless. In the beginning, it gave rise to a single Qi (the primordial energy of the cosmos). This Qi was in a chaotic, undifferentiated state, but later divided into Yin and Yang. When Yang Qi reached its height, it was light and clear, rising up to cover what lay above; this was called Heaven. When Yin Qi reached its height, it was heavy and turbid, sinking down to support what lay below; this was called Earth. Those in whom pure Yang Qi gathers and rises into the heavenly realm are immortals; those in whom pure Yin Qi gathers and sinks beneath the earth are ghosts. People receive both Yin and Yang Qi, so they neither rise to Heaven nor sink into the earth, but dwell between them. Thus they may become immortals or ghosts. If people cultivate, gradually shedding the Yin Qi within them until their bodies are transformed into pure Yang Qi, they can ascend to immortality. If they do not cultivate, their original Yang gradually dwindles, and their bodies turn into pure Yin Qi; they then sink to become lowly ghosts. The Book of Changes says, “What originates in Heaven draws near to what is above; what originates in Earth draws near to what is below.” This means that all things follow the course of their own Qi and destiny.

The sages looked up to observe the celestial patterns and down to examine the myriad things. Knowing that people receive the finest, most refined Qi between Heaven and Earth, they understood that humans are the most numinous and precious of beings. They therefore used true Yin and true Yang as two substances to gather the primordial Qi that existed before Heaven and Earth. This became the medicine for refining the Elixir, which they stored in the Dantian Qi Sea (the inner alchemical center in the abdomen) to govern the whole body. In this way, the body’s acquired Qi would gather and return, like the myriad states paying homage to their ruler and the stars encircling the Northern Dipper.

People first acquire their bodies through the Jing of their parents’ union. For this reason, practitioners must gather the pure Qi of Yin and Yang as the basis for refinement. This method of cultivation is called the Yin Talisman and Yang Fire method. The practitioner cycles through the firing process according to the sequence of the sixty hexagrams, repeating it without end. The changes of the seventy-two pentads and twenty-four solar terms are compressed into a single day and night, gathering 4,360 portions of vital Qi in the Dantian Qi Sea to warm and nourish the Elixir pearl. The pearl rests in the central palace, kept still through Wuwei (non-action). At the same time, Yin Talisman and Yang Fire work within and without the body, gradually giving rise to a true, unified spiritual body. After ten months of nourishment, the Elixir embryo transforms and emerges; the body becomes pure Yang Qi, free from hunger and thirst and untouched by heat or cold. This is therefore called “the method of enriching the state and keeping the people at peace.”

Here, “state” refers to the human body, and “people” to Jing and Qi. The people are the foundation of the state: when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace. Without a ruler, the people have nowhere to turn; without ministers, the ruler cannot govern. The sages therefore made the Elixir the ruler and Fire the minister. When Elixir and Fire work together, like ruler and ministers acting in concert, the body is governed and settled from within. Its foundation becomes firm, its Jing and Qi at peace, and the state that is the body becomes full and flourishing. The Scripture of Western Florescence says, “When Jing is whole and Qi abundant, the state is enriched and the people are at peace.” This is the result of ingesting the Golden Elixir.

The Immortal Elder later composed sixty-four seven-character quatrains, corresponding to the sixty-four hexagrams of the Book of Changes, to explain the sequence of the fire phases as they move through the lines. He also composed twelve poems titled “Moon over the West River,” symbolizing the twelve months of work involving the fire phases and bathing—that is, regulating the firing process and bringing cultivation into balance. The author therefore compiled these works as the middle volume, to explain the method of regulating the fire phases and the meaning of “enriching the state and keeping the people at peace.” This, in broad outline, is the sequence for cultivating the Golden Elixir.

The Way of the “Immortals Embracing the One” refers to the practice of the sages. Once their cultivation has reached completion and their physical form has been transformed into pure Yang Qi, they go to a remote, quiet place and sit facing a wall in stillness for nine years. By “embracing the One”—keeping to the fundamental body of the Dao—they empty and purify their inner minds. As the mind settles, the spirit undergoes transformation and unites with the Dao. This is called “embracing the One.”

The Dao is the foundation of life and destiny; nature is the source of the mind. Mind and nature are originally one, and their transformations have no bounds. Even what ordinary people express in their daily lives is the natural Dao. If one truly understands, forgets outward appearances and words, empties and quiets the mind, enriches what is within, and maintains the practice of “embracing the One,” then, after nine cycles of cultivation, one can attain immortality. This is its essential point.

“Nine cycles” here means nine years; nine is the greatest number in the Yang sequence. “One” is merely a provisional name for the Dao. To “embrace” is to hold fast to something formless and without substance, something that cannot be grasped. At this level, immortals relinquish attachment to bodily form and set aside the distinctions produced by sensory acuity. They leave the ordinary world behind, regard things and self as equal, and cling to nothing, force nothing, and neither grasp nor reject. Their inner mind and the world beyond are as one. Free and at ease, they attain peace of body and mind and stability of heart, bringing forth the light bestowed by Heaven.

When the work of nine years is complete, the nature of Wuwei (non-action) is naturally perfected, and the formless spirit becomes wondrous and mysterious. With a wondrous spirit, one can transform without limit and appear or vanish in ways impossible to fathom. With perfected nature, one’s wisdom shines through the ten directions, and spiritual responsiveness flows without obstruction. Thus one can divide into countless bodies and appear wherever needed, while one’s true body remains settled in a state of utmost stillness, quiet and inactive. When spirit, form, nature, and life all unite with the Dao in truth, this is called the “Way of the Immortals Embracing the One.”

In ancient times, after attaining the Dao, the Immortal Elder demonstrated this to disciples such as Liu Fengzhen: through the Way of non-birth, he entered quiescence; after entering quiescence, he appeared again in bodily form on Mount Wangwu. This is precisely the principle described here. After the Tathagata’s nirvana, he rose into the air from his golden coffin and used the true fire of samadhi to cremate his body. When his mother wept without cease, he appeared in the air in a majestic form and spoke half a verse to her. This too is the same state. Bodhidharma faced a wall for nine years; after entering nirvana, he was seen returning west with a shoe. Puhua was consumed in a blazing fire, yet after his body had burned away, the sound of his handbell could still be heard in the air. Such examples are too many to list one by one. Without fully cultivating both nature and life, and bringing both form and spirit to a wondrous, mysterious state, who could do such things?

At the end of the book, therefore, the Immortal Elder draws on Chan Buddhism to clarify nature and the Dao. In fact, he is explaining the Way of the Immortals Embracing the One, which is why I have placed this section in a separate final volume. As for the Way of original nature, it is vast and empty, deep and still, and difficult to describe in words. Human and nonhuman beings are equal and without distinction; there is no higher or lower. Since beginningless time, nothing—whether it has form and a name, or is formless yet named—has ever lacked completeness or perfection. All things inherently possess a pure and perfect fundamental nature, which therefore cannot be depicted in words.

The Buddhist Tripitaka comprises 5,048 volumes. The sages spoke in all these words only because they saw that people were ignorant of principle and, having no other choice, offered instruction by means of language. They hoped that people would understand the Dao through words. Once the principle is understood, the words themselves can be set aside. The Diamond Sutra says, “If someone says that the Tathagata has taught a Dharma, that person slanders the Buddha.” That is, to cling to Buddhist teaching as a fixed statement is to misunderstand the Buddha. The Immortal Elder, too, used verse to clarify the Way of nature only because he had no other choice, and he has already said more than enough. I will not explain it further, lest I add needless embellishment.

May those who are aspiring and discerning seek nothing outside themselves, but directly realize and understand within their own minds, standing on their own in clear recognition and putting it into practice. Whether amid noise or quiet, speaking or silent, in a tavern or on a street of pleasure, they can do so all the same. It makes no difference whether they act deliberately or without deliberate effort. In every circumstance of the world, there is no distinction. If they can view the worlds in the ten directions with a complete perspective, respond flexibly to all things, act without obstruction and move freely in every direction, never departing from truth wherever they go, and do whatever is fitting, they will know that original nature is inherently complete and lacks nothing. All schemes and distinctions will then naturally cease, and every attachment will be released. They will no longer ask or answer, think or deliberate; in the end, even the word “nature” will no longer be needed.

Secret Essentials in Verse on the Three Vehicles

The Art of the Golden Elixir

Magnificent is the art of the Golden Elixir: like a grain of millet, it heralds the birth of the myriad things from the void. Qi transforms into form and returns to the beginning state of the Returning hexagram; the Qian and Kun trigrams work together to set creation in motion. Using “one pound” as the measure, Yin-Yang Qi, like the sun and moon, turns the pivot. As the circuit of Heaven reaches its appointed stage, the counting of breaths becomes exceedingly fine; in advancing the fire to refine the Elixir, one must gauge the firing times with precision. Once the prescribed cycles of firing and refining are complete, apply gentle and vigorous fire for another half day. At last, like a red dragon seizing a luminous pearl, the Neidan is refined.

The Way of Circulating the Fire

Qi transforms into form and returns to the beginning state of the Returning hexagram; the Qian and Kun trigrams work together to set creation in motion. Yin-Yang Qi, like the sun and moon, turns the pivot, while the circuit of Heaven and the counting of breaths become exceedingly fine. In advancing the fire to refine the Elixir, one must precisely observe the prescribed cycles; once they are complete, apply gentle and vigorous fire for another half day, like a red dragon seizing a luminous pearl.

The Method of Circulating the Fire

After swallowing an Elixir pill, Earth Qi and Heaven Qi converge, and rain and dew gather at the Mysterious Pass—the aperture where the Qi dynamics of body and mind meet—causing the furnace fire to blaze. Cultivation must follow the rhythm of the sixty hexagrams and accord with the changes of day and night. Within the ninefold city, mercury is used to refine lead: this means refining Jing and Qi through the inner transformations of Yin and Yang. Increase, decrease, and the use of firing times all require caution against danger. During bathing, stop the prescribed fire so that no smoke rises. When the work is complete, shed the mortal body; after ten months of nourishing, a Great Luo Immortal can be nurtured from nothingness.

The Method of Embracing the One

The Golden Elixir is merely a means to guide people onto the Dao; the Dao itself is what they seek. Once the Dao is attained, the means should be discarded, and one should realize emptiness. Do not cling to the idea of “embracing the One” or to Wuwei; even “emptiness” and “the One” must both be transcended. The numinous light of wondrous existence shines eternally, encompassing the entire Dharma realm in natural completeness. Responding to things as circumstances arise, it remains pure throughout. After nine years of cultivation, one attains an indestructible body like Vajra.

Preface

Immortals ride the rosy clouds upward and enter the Golden Palace. Their deeds are recorded in the books of the immortals and have long gone beyond the bounds of the mortal world. Ordinary people find it hard to believe them. Yet if they look at the preface to the Collected Works of the Immortals, they will learn that, since ancient times, more than a hundred thousand people have ascended to immortality, and more than eighty entire families have done so. Liu Xiang of the Han dynasty was a Confucian scholar, yet he also compiled the Biographies of the Immortals for later generations. From this we can see that accounts of the immortals are no fabrication.

There is no other reason people disbelieve: the workings of Heaven are profound, and the immortal sages keep them secret; the ways of the world are shallow, and people’s minds are restless, so the true principles rarely reach their ears. It is therefore no wonder that they do not believe.

The Scripture on Constant Clarity and Stillness, Spoken by the Most High begins: “The Great Dao is formless, yet it gives birth to Heaven and Earth; the Great Dao is without emotion, yet it sets the sun and moon in motion.” It then describes how the Great Dao nourishes the myriad things and brings all beings into being, ultimately returning to the nameless root of primordial unity. The teachings that the sages of antiquity offered the world were indeed most thorough. The scripture further explains the principles of Heaven and Earth, men and women, clarity and turbidity, movement and stillness, and describes in detail the subtle benefits of clearing the mind of desire and attaining inner clarity and calm. All this reveals the workings of Heaven and intimates the profound mysteries of the Dao.

At the end, the scripture speaks of how only those who have truly understood can transmit the sacred Dao. Its account of the ultimate principle comes from the oral teachings of the immortal Ge Gong, passed from one generation to the next by word of mouth and never committed to writing. Alas, once the age of simplicity receded, worldly ways grew ever shallower, and the immortal Dao became distant and hard to find. The Dao was thus lost, and though all kinds of divergent teachings arose, in the end they led only to obscurity. So the methods of gathering mercury and extracting lead—the alchemical terms for using Yin-Yang ingredients to refine an elixir—were not written on bamboo or silk; the mysteries of forming the embryo and nourishing the infant—a metaphor in Neidan practice for cultivating the inner elixir—were hidden deep in golden chests and jade cases. Those who sought immortality often spent their whole lives without glimpsing even its outline.

After the Great Song arose, unusual people began appearing in the world one after another. The Perfected Man of Purple Mystery, Zhang Gong, abstained from grains in his youth. Endowed by nature with uncommon gifts, he resolved to cultivate the Dao, applied himself without rest, and endured great hardship. He attained the Dao from the Elder of Mount Qingcheng and mastered the mysteries of the Golden Elixir. He then recorded what he had encountered and heard in verse, naming the book the Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality).

I am foolish and shallow. After reading this book, I pondered it intently and consulted many different interpretations, yet still failed to understand it. Some explained it as the art of refining external elixirs; others mistook it for bedroom arts between men and women. I have held the book in my hands and marveled at it for many years. Fortunately, by Heaven’s gift, I met the immortal elder Chen Gong of Ziyang, who personally transmitted the essentials of the Wuzhen Pian to me. I also happened to meet the nameless Perfected Man, who explained its meaning and privately imparted its secrets. I burned incense, washed my hands, and recited it with reverence; at once, the fog lifted and the sun and moon shone clear.

Though I still dare not rashly ask about the essential points of the oral instructions, I have already come to understand the root from which Heaven and Earth are born, the patterns by which the sun and moon move, and the principles by which the myriad things are nourished and all beings brought into being. All of these depend on True Yin, True Yang, and the Qi of the upper and lower phases of the moon—Yin-Yang Qi dynamics described in Neidan practice. The methods of increasing and decreasing, and of guarding against danger, also seem to stand clearly before my eyes. If one can meet a genuine master and receive this wondrous Dao, one may hope to conceive the immortal embryo and transcend the ordinary to attain sagehood. Then this life will not have been spent in vain.

I have only just entered the gate, and my heart is filled with joy and gratitude. In keeping with the intent of those who came before me, I have respectfully written these words at the end of the scroll. Written at the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Jiazi year of the Jiatai era of the Song dynasty. Respectfully preface by Baiyunzi.

The Life and Deeds of the Perfected Zhang

The Perfected Ziyang was originally from Yingluo Street in Tiantai. At first his name was Boduan and his courtesy name was Pingshu; he later changed his name to Yongcheng. In his youth, he read widely and studied every subject. Later, he traveled throughout the land, journeying among mountains and rivers. In his later years, he obtained the Way of Primordial Unity—the Daoist primordial Great Way—but felt that he had not yet fully understood its subtleties. He therefore sought instruction with diligence, traveling far and wide.

During the Xining era, Lord Lu Rui, a court official bearing the title Longtu, was stationed in Chengdu. The Perfected Zhang attached himself to him and traveled in Shu, serving as an adviser to the Sichuan Military Commissioner’s Pacification Office. In the year Jiyou, he met an extraordinary man and received the secret of the alchemical firing times. Through this, his cultivation of the Way was brought to completion. The extraordinary man also warned him: “In the future, if someone comes to release your bonds and lift your restrictions, you should accept his instruction.”

Afterward, the Perfected Zhang transmitted the Way on three occasions, and each time calamity followed. Deeply blaming himself, he withdrew from the world and said no more. He wrote the eighty-one chapters of the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), setting out in detail the mysteries of both Neidan and Waidan (external alchemy). The work chiefly criticizes practitioners of his time for clinging to separate schools and championing different traditions, such as Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, without understanding that the Three Teachings, though branching in different directions, share a single source and are mutually connected. He inherited the orthodox Daoist teachings and worked to supplement and clarify them, and they were consequently transmitted throughout the world.

During the Yuanfeng era, the Perfected Zhang and Liu Fengzhen, among others, widely propagated Buddhist teachings and expounded the principle of nonbirth—the state of liberation from life and death. After leaving verses, Zhang entered quiescence. Liu Fengzhen’s disciples cremated his remains and obtained several hundred relics, shaped like wampee fruits and all a deep blue-green. Seven years later, Liu Fengzhen went to Mount Wangwu and encountered the immortal elder once again, just as before. This was regarded as a wondrous state in which both body and spirit attained refinement, and both nature and life were preserved.

During the Zhenghe era, the Perfected Zhang made his name known and visited the Minister Huang Mianzhong, who was serving in Yanping. Lord Huang had long practiced the Way of Rongcheng and was also very fond of furnace alchemy; by then he was already advanced in years. The two did not agree in conversation, so the Perfected Zhang departed. Later, he had someone deliver a letter to Lord Huang, recounting extraordinary events. Huang Quan, Lord Huang’s grandson, saw the letter and kept it secret, never disclosing it in full. He told me only its general meaning:

Pingshu said that he and Lord Huang were both Perfected Ones, ranked among the celestial officials of Ziwei and known as the Nine Sovereign Perfected Ones. They had been banished to the human world because they had audited the registers of the cycles of tribulation. At that time, only six stars could be seen in the celestial enclosure, while the other three were concealed and invisible. Pingshu, Mianzhong, and Master Yu of Weiyang were, respectively, the Perfected Ones Ziyang, Ziyuan, and Zihua. The officials banished at the same time had all returned to Qingdu, the celestial realm where the Heavenly Emperor resides. Pingshu had now ascended into the ranks of the immortals, while Mianzhong alone remained sunk in official life.

Lord Huang was originally meant to pass through ten lifetimes in the human world, and at that time he had already lived through nine. If in his next life he remained deluded and attached, sinking into worldly ways, he would fall into another realm and have no further chance to become an immortal. Pingshu made their immortal affinity quite clear and tried with all his might to raise Lord Huang up, but Lord Huang never understood. He eventually died, calling himself only “Elder Ziyuan.” The Nine Sovereigns are no longer listed in the celestial register of stars. Perhaps they are hidden stars, beyond the reach of ordinary names. Might they be among the twelve thousand five hundred stars?

Daoguang, surnamed Xue and given the personal name Shi and the courtesy name Daoyuan, was from Jizu Mountain in Shaan Prefecture. It is said that he once became a Buddhist monk, taking the religious name Zixian. Later, he traveled to Chang’an and stayed at Kaifu Temple, where he studied with the elder Xiuyan. Xiuyan once asked him, “When the golden rooster has not yet crowed, how can there be no sound?” He also asked the monk Ruhuan, “What counts as going beyond the discussions of the Buddhas and patriarchs?” Ruhuan replied, “The flatbread is round.” When Daoyuan heard the creaking of a water-lifting device, he suddenly understood and composed this verse: “As the water-lifting gear creaks and groans, I suddenly understand: this did not come from anyone else. Though the gear sings the song of non-arising to its fullest, the mud snake by the well leaps into the Zhezhi dance.” Both elders acknowledged his understanding.

From then on, Daoyuan suddenly awakened to the unsurpassed, secret, perfectly clear and true essentials of the Dharma. His responses were swift; he understood both the Chan school’s central teachings and its doctrines, and had spent many years in study and practice. One day, he realized that all of this still belonged to the Chan school. Even if one could speak fluently in debate, one was still only discussing Chan and the Dao; even if one sat in meditation for millions of years, one still could not nourish life and attain longevity. Bodhidharma had already received the Dharma, yet still traveled east in search of a way to attain the Dao. The Sixth Patriarch had already awakened to his nature, yet still had to visit the Fifth Patriarch at Huangmei to receive the transmission. Could this really be all they had done? Daoyuan resolved to cultivate the Golden Elixir and the Dao of nourishing life, convinced that it held secret wonders, and devoted himself to seeking them out.

In the winter of the Bingxu year of the Chongning era, Daoyuan was staying at a Buddhist temple in Qingzhen, Mei County, to hear a lecture. There he happened to meet a Daoist named Shi Tai, whose courtesy name was Dezhi. Shi Tai was then eighty-five years old, with black hair, a ruddy complexion, and an extraordinary bearing. At night, Shi Tai was mending clothes. Daoyuan watched him discreetly and was greatly astonished. Later, he tested Shi Tai by quoting a line from Zhang Ping-shu’s poem. Shi Tai immediately asked, “Do you know this man? He is my teacher.”

Shi Tai then explained the story. Master Zhang Ping-shu, whose original name was Bo-duan, had first met an extraordinary person at Tianhui Temple in Chengdu. He changed his name to Yongcheng and received the Elixir instructions from him. Later, Zhang Ping-shu was punished for revealing the Elixir method and transmitting it carelessly. The governor of Fengzhou convicted him and sentenced him to tattooing and exile. On the way, as they passed through the Bin region, heavy snow began to fall. He and his escorts stopped to drink at a village tavern. Shi Tai was there too. When he saw Zhang Ping-shu enter, he invited him to sit with him. Shi Tai smiled and said that everyone in the tavern was drinking merrily, while Zhang Ping-shu had not yet had a drink, so he should come and join them. When the drinking was in full swing, Zhang Ping-shu asked what had brought him there. Shi Tai told him the circumstances truthfully. Shi Tai remembered that the governor of Binzhou was an old friend who did not flaunt his authority and was glad to help others, so he readily traveled a hundred li to plead for Zhang Ping-shu. Zhang Ping-shu said that if Shi Tai would kindly go, there might be a chance to spare him the exile. Shi Tai also appealed to the escorts, and they agreed. They all set off for Binzhou. Shi Tai first went to see the governor, and Zhang Ping-shu was consequently pardoned.

Grateful for Shi Tai’s kindness, Zhang Ping-shu said, “If I do not repay this favor, I am not fit to be called a human being. You have studied the Dao all your life but gained nothing. I hear that I am about to transmit the Elixir method to you. You can cultivate it and attain the Dao.” Shi Tai bowed in thanks and respectfully accepted the charge. Zhang Ping-shu transmitted to him all the formulas and essentials of the Great Elixir, and cautioned him: “This method is not easy for ordinary people to accept, and outsiders are quick to slander it. You should go as soon as possible to a large city with good transport links and rely on someone of virtue and ability; then you can begin your practice.”

After hearing Shi Tai’s account, Daoyuan’s faith became firm. He prostrated himself, took refuge, and asked to become a disciple. Shi Tai eventually transmitted to him all the formulas and essentials of the Great Elixir. Daoyuan then took off his monk’s robes, put on ordinary clothes, and went to the capital, blending in among the common people while devoting himself to the pursuit of the Dao.

He reflected that those who studied the art of immortality interpreted Zhang Ping-shu’s poems in different ways, often going astray. Their doubts gave rise to further misunderstandings, leaving them unable to grasp the subtle meaning or investigate it together with others. Many did not dare to begin the practice until they died. Daoyuan wondered: Could this really have been Master Zhang Ping-shu’s intention? He therefore resolved first to annotate the poems, clarify their central teachings point by point, explain their profound principles in depth, reveal what was hidden and awaken those who were uncomprehending. In this way, readers could understand them, practitioners would not go astray, and they could ultimately realize the highest truth and understand the wondrous workings of alchemical refinement. Master Zhang Ping-shu had once sworn, after being convicted, that he would never again transmit the method to anyone. Later, however, he lamented, “That was only for my own sake; it did not truly accord with the Dao.”

The Supreme One’s Mysterious Regulations—Daoist rules governing the transmission of scriptures and methods—say: “To encounter a suitable person and withhold instruction violates the Dao of Heaven. To pass Daoist methods recklessly to someone unsuitable is to divulge Heaven’s treasure. Transmitting them to someone with the right foundation and accumulated merit brings merit to oneself as well. But if one teaches presumptuously, all seven generations of one’s ancestors will face severe scrutiny and punishment.” I have now kept the Dao of Heaven secret and been reluctant to transmit it; I fear the calamity may be great. With no other choice, I have composed these poems and songs and allowed them to circulate among extraordinary people in the world, so that after reading them they may grasp their meaning for themselves. The principles in these poems and songs are exceedingly profound and obscure, and difficult to discern. Daoyuan has therefore further expounded their meaning and written annotations to explain their essential points, fully clarifying the mysterious principles and setting out all the rites for practice. The inner and outer meanings are plainly revealed, with nothing further concealed. Those who read these words may investigate them carefully and resolve their doubts; without waiting for another’s instruction, they can understand and comprehend them. In this way, Mr. Pingshu’s wish will be fulfilled.

Yet since Daoyuan hopes by this means to aid the world and pass the teaching on to later generations, he will now fall silent and withdraw from public life. Anyone who obtains this text must guard it with the utmost secrecy. Wherever Heaven’s treasured things are kept, spirits protect them. The book may be given only to someone steadfast in purpose, devoted to the Daoist teachings, clear about the truth, blameless in word and deed, and earnestly committed to practice. Even a heap of gold and jade is no reason to pass it on; even one’s own son or father should not receive it casually. If it is divulged carelessly or through negligence, calamity will befall the person, disaster will strike the household, and descendants will know no peace. The harm does not end there: it may even reach the Nine Mysteries and Seven Ancestors—a general term for distant forebears and generations of ancestors—bringing them condemnation and punishment in the underworld, where they will be forced to serve the ghost officials for a long time and will never be reborn. This must be kept constantly in mind and never neglected.

Shangqiu Laopu, Jinsiweng, and Yuanwang Zhenyi have copied and annotated the poems and songs of the Wuzhen Pian, and have also appended an account of how the text was transmitted and received at the time. Although the writing has not been deliberately polished, everything recorded is based on actual events. The hope is to present the matter in full, from beginning to end. Written on the Mid-Autumn Day of the Yichou year of the Zhenghe era.

Annotations and Discussion of the Wuzhen Pian

In the year Dingmao, I saw in Ruiyang Xue Zixian’s commentary on the Wuzhen pian. After reading it, I was troubled by several questions and regretted that I had not seen the complete text. In the year Jisi, after returning to my hometown, I obtained the full version. I read it repeatedly over several years and gradually began to see how it fit together. Later, Daoist friends from afar sent me several other versions. I compared them one by one and found that their contents were largely the same.

I had several doubts. Some versions gave the name of the heterodox teachings condemned in the commentary as “Wenshu”; others gave it as “Ye Wenshu.” The Wuzhen pian jie now in circulation also excerpts commentaries by various authors. The passages it quotes from Xiangchuan Weng and Wumingzi are identical to those in the Xue Zixian commentary I had obtained. Could the writings be the same while the authors were different?

In the Song dynasty, during the Jiatai era, in the year Renxu, Yuan Gongfu criticized Ye Wenshu’s commentary as disorderly and difficult to verify, and selected passages from it for discussion. But from what I have found, the Daoist method Yuan Gongfu accepted was itself devoted to cultivating just one thing. On what grounds, then, could he condemn others? Was Ye Wenshu’s commentary right or wrong? If it was indeed right, why did both Zixian and Gongfu criticize it? This was another question.

Next, consider the chronology. In the preface to his Fuming pian, Daoguang says that in the year Gengzi of the Xuanhe era, he met a Perfected Person and received the oral instructions. Wang Zhenyi of Shangqiu recorded the story of Xue Zixian in the year Yiwei of the Zhenghe era. Ye Wenshu’s commentary was written in the year Xinsi, the thirty-first year of the Shaoxing era, forty-seven years after Zhenghe Yiwei. Wenshu may not yet have been born at that time, or may have been only a child. How could Zixian have named and condemned him forty-seven years in advance? And the person Zixian condemned was precisely the commentary by Ye Wenshu, not anyone else’s. This, too, is a point of doubt.

These questions made me suspect that the commentary in circulation was not written by Xue Zixian, though for a time I could not be certain. Its contents differ from those of other commentaries, yet it truly grasps the intention of the Perfected Person. On the third day of the fifth month in the year Xinwei of the Zhishun era, I received the true instructions on the Golden Elixir’s medicines and the timing of the firing process, bestowed by Heaven. Still, I suspected that the commentary was not Zixian’s and could not put the matter from my mind. So I continued to seek guidance and search widely.

In autumn of the year Renshen of the Zhishun era, an old friend from Wuling brought me Xiangchuan Weng Baoguang’s explanation. I was overjoyed. After reading it for several months, my earlier doubts suddenly dissolved, and I became convinced: the “Xue Zixian commentary” circulating in the world was in fact Wumingzi’s commentary; only the name “Baoguang” had been mistakenly transmitted as “Daoguang.” This error had circulated for so long, yet no one had corrected it.

Why do I say this? The Perfected Person transmitted the Dao to Shi Xinglin, who then passed it on to Zixian. This was a transmission through three generations, and everyone knows of it. The Perfected Person also transmitted it to Guangyizi, who passed it on to Wumingzi. This, too, was a transmission through three generations, though few people know of it. Someone who wanted Wumingzi’s commentary to be trusted by the world attached it to Zixian’s name and circulated it that way, adding an account of Zixian’s life as proof. The recorder even wrote “Yuan Wang Zhenyi.” What sort of surname is “Yuan Wang”? Clearly, the recorder’s name was misremembered, misleading the world in the process.

Some also say that Zixian once became a Buddhist monk and was called Daoguang, and also Baoguang. Because both men’s names contain the character “guang,” they were mistaken for the same person. The claims that Zixian’s commentary condemned Ye Wenshu do not withstand scrutiny either. According to Wumingzi’s commentary, no one annotated the Wuzhen pian before Ye Wenshu, and no one criticized his commentary afterward. Wumingzi feared that the Perfected Person’s intention would be lost and that later readers would be misled. In the year Yisi of the Qiandao era, risking the punishment of Heaven, he followed his master’s instructions and annotated the meaning of the text, examining it carefully character by character lest readers fall into confusion. His intention was truly generous, and he explained as much of the heavenly secrets as he could.

People excerpted passages from the various commentaries without ever seeing a complete version. They also mistook the surname “Weng” for a respectful form of address for an old man, and so split “Xiangchuan Weng” and “Wumingzi” into two people. More recently, Wumingzi’s commentary has been wrongly attributed to Zixian. When errors are passed on in this way, to the point that neither the meaning of the text nor its chronology can be established, how could anyone expect such people to know the true transmission of the Immortal Way?

The orthodox transmission of the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir has long been severed. Today, many people throughout the land study the Immortal Way, but very few truly hear of this Dao. Did Zixian’s commentary fail to survive, or is my own learning too limited to have found it? Wumingzi’s commentary is now complete and has omitted nothing. The version circulating as Zixian’s is largely the same everywhere, and it, too, has no gaps. If Zixian had truly written a commentary, why would Wumingzi have failed to quote any of it, instead copying the whole work and circulating it under his own name? When Wumingzi explains the meaning of “the full moon,” he quotes only two lines from Zixian. This is enough to show that Zixian had no complete commentary. The text now mistaken for Zixian’s commentary begins, “It begins with deliberate action; people vie to awaken,” and also quotes “Wushi zi says.” “Wushi” is a corruption of “Wuming.” This, too, proves that Zixian never wrote this commentary.

Those who study the Immortal Way should not judge the relative worth of the two men’s commentaries by Zixian’s great reputation and Wumingzi’s obscurity. Both received the same teachings from the same Perfected Person, and the orthodox Immortal Way of both traces back to Perfected Person Pingshu. Such a classic is naturally protected by spirits and should be treasured and preserved, then passed on to suitable people. Therefore I have appended to Wumingzi’s commentary an account of the Perfected Person’s transmission and of Zixian’s life, together with this clarification, in the hope that those who obtain the commentary may more readily understand its principles and correct the errors. I do not speak without grounds: I dare not pass on a mistaken version of the commentary, nor pass it carelessly to someone unsuited to receive it. Those who have the right affinity to study the Immortal Way can understand its principles through the written words and grasp its intent through the commentary, avoid the confusion of heterodox teachings, and reach the Great Dao directly. If this is bestowed by Heaven, then the transmission of the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir has not been entirely severed.

There is another version, with a short preface by “Zixuzi” at the beginning, dated the ninth month of the first year of the Chunxi era, placed before Chen Ziyang’s preface. It deletes from Wumingzi’s preface the passage “I respectfully follow the secret instructions of the Immortal Elder,” alters what follows, and places the “Treatise on the Essential Secrets of the Three Vehicles” at the beginning of each volume. Its commentary also adds a set of claims: that boys and girls represent Yin-Yang and Dragon-Tiger; that the Qi of men and women is innate; that the acquired is lead and mercury; that Gui Water is true water; and that Yang Qi is fire. It also conflates such claims as beginning forceful cultivation for the first time, the age when the first menstrual blood appears, the fullness of Yang Qi at sixteen, the full brilliance of the moon, the completion of the Golden Cauldron, a body undamaged in size, both kidneys intact, innate Qi, and external medicine. These are all heterodox distortions and reckless interpretations. Since Zixuzi fabricated these heretical claims, he dared not use his real name. Instead, he falsely used Wumingzi’s name and placed a date at the beginning to deceive the world.

Some say that Zixuzi was another title for Wumingzi. If that were true, the author’s name would contradict itself. The year after Guisi of the Qiandao era was Jiawu, which coincided with the change of era to Chunxi. How could the teachings transmitted by the master have changed so suddenly in just one year? Baiyunzi wrote a preface in the year Jiazi of the Jiatai era, and Chen Ziyang began transmitting this commentary; that was thirty-two years before the Chunxi era began. The commentary then in circulation was consistently pure and correct, and its secret instructions were clear, without a single error mixed in. Yet only one year separates Guisi from Jiawu, and the contents at once depart from the earlier commentary. Wumingzi was still alive then. If he had heard of this, he would certainly have recognized it as heresy and refuted it. Would he have criticized Ye Wenshu while defending Zixuzi? If Zixuzi truly possessed the correct Dao, why did he not seek confirmation from a person of the Dao? If his transmission was indeed correct, Wumingzi would have had no reason to add or remove anything. The claim that Zixuzi supplemented secret instructions Wumingzi had never discussed is even more groundless. We can therefore conclude that this is a false commentary.

If those who study the Immortal Way are fortunate enough to obtain this authentic commentary, I hope they will distinguish truth from falsehood and treasure it carefully. On the Mid-Autumn Festival of the year Bingzi in the Zhiyuan era, Kongxuanzi Dai Qizong and Zhong Tongfu carefully set out this clarification.

I have heard that, in ancient times, there was a perfected person named Ziyang who explained the subtle and hidden principles of the Great Dao and rescued people who had lost their way and fallen into ruin. After attaining the Dao, he wrote the Wuzhen Pian (“Awakening to Reality”) and passed it on to the world, gathering in it all the insights he had gained through a lifetime of cultivation. For those who study the Dao, failing to follow what this book teaches is like trying to cross a river or sea without an oar.

Sadly, as the years passed, the Daoist tradition weakened, doctrines grew tangled, and the Great Dao became obscured. Some clung stubbornly to deviant teachings and disparaged the way of the immortals. Others profoundly misunderstood Daoism’s symbolic language and metaphors, rejecting the true methods of cultivation. As a result, they came to regard the promise of becoming an immortal as vague and without foundation, the alchemical classics as absurd and untrue, and Ziyang’s intentions as something the world would never understand.

Wumingzi inherited an orthodox transmission. Seeing how errors had been passed along in earlier commentaries, he annotated the Wuzhen Pian and published it for the world. He explained its lines chapter by chapter, analyzing them layer by layer and setting out their hidden meanings in detail. Read it repeatedly and ponder it carefully, and understanding will naturally follow.

My great-grandfather admired Daoist arts from childhood and studied this book for many years. Naturally gifted and fortunate to encounter profound teachings, he added what his father and teachers had passed down to him, together with the insights he had gained himself, after Wumingzi’s commentary. In this way, later students of the Dao would have guidance and would not be left bewildered or led into absurdity.

How profound his intentions were! I, Dai Shun, am fortunate to have encountered this book and to have been able to read it. I count myself truly lucky. I also hope to befriend those who have left worldly life behind to cultivate the Dao, climb famed mountains to cultivate the true, receive the immortal wind and journey far away; to set up the cauldron and furnace, circulate the Qi of the Dragon and Tiger through the breath, and use the method of inverting Mercury and Lead—a symbolic expression in Neidan cultivation—to gather and refine the ingredients over a short period, warm and nourish them for ten months, and refine them to emptiness over nine years. Then, calmly guiding a flying carriage, I would cross the Weak River and stride across the Spirit Turtle, listening beside the immortals to the ineffable Great Dao—the subtle principles that are difficult to put into words—and rescuing those who have lost their way and fallen into ruin. This is precisely where I hope to follow in the footsteps of Master Ziyang.

On the Shangsi day of the third month in the Dingchou year of the Zhiyuan era, the later student Dai Shun bowed his head and wrote this at the Great Life Grotto-Heaven of Zhuhu.

The Images and Principles of the Golden Elixir (the principles and symbols embodied in Neidan cultivation)

When the nameless master compiled and annotated the Wuzhen pian, he gathered a great many terms used as metaphors for the methods and visionary states of Golden Elixir cultivation, making the collection quite comprehensive. He also drew widely on the Can Tong Qi, various scriptures of the immortals, writings by Daoist adepts, and songs and verses. He divided into seven categories the expressions in these sources that use the workings of Heaven, images from the Changes, human affairs, and things in the world as metaphors for the Golden Elixir and the symbolic patterns of Yin-Yang. He appended these categories to his commentary on the Wuzhen pian, hoping to make it easier for those who study the Way of the Immortals to consult and investigate the material.

To understand these expressions, one must discern the relationships between inner and outer, and between likeness and difference. Different things can serve as metaphors for one another, while the sequence of the Five Phases’ transformations is difficult to describe with fixed names. Once we understand that the myriad forms all arise from the same source, we can grasp their underlying connection. By then distinguishing the differences among the names used for the various metaphors, we can understand the teachings of the masters of the Way as a whole. From there, we may apprehend the true meaning without clinging to words and metaphors, and follow it to cultivate the Way of the Immortals. This is of considerable help to those who study and practice.

Written by Dai Qizong on the Shangyuan Festival in the dingchou year of the Zhiyuan era.

The following sets out the symbolic patterns of the Golden Elixir and Yin-Yang in two categories, “Yang” and “Yin.” The terms listed here are not an inventory of separate, concrete objects. They are symbolic names used in cultivation texts to compare one thing with another. A single thing may have several names, and a single name may point to different symbolic patterns depending on its context.

The terms listed under “Yang” include: Heaven, Sun, Can, Qian, Li; father, husband, ruler; master, woman, nature, Qi (vital energy); Shen (spirit), crown, soul, eye; fire, south, jia, noon; bing, two, seven, heart; flower, jade, dragon, snake; male, masculine, empty Qi; upper, hub, thing, vessel; pheasant, essential point, mercury, light; floating, essence, wu; great, movement, exterior, rabbit; firm, red, exhalation, nonbeing; odd, De (Virtue/Power), ritual, joy; reward, man, daytime, heat; as well as “Heavenly Soul,” “Qian Image,” “Solar Soul,” “Spread Wings,” “Room Six,” “Upper Bowstring,” “Dry Horse,” “Zhen Dragon,” “Fusang,” “Kunlun,” “Maiden,” “Eldest Son,” “Wooden Son-in-Law,” “Wu Earth,” “Two Souths,” “Earth Two,” “Cinnabar,” “Zengqing,” “Azure Dragon,” “Fire Dragon,” “Sea Dragon,” “Red Phoenix,” “Dry Furnace,” “Jade Cauldron,” “Jade Pool,” “Lower De,” “Trance,” “True Cinnabar,” “Vermilion Bird,” “Cinnabar Yang,” “Cinnabar Cauldron,” and “born in jia and yi,” among others.

The terms listed at the beginning of the “Yin” category include: Earth, Moon, Shang, Kun, Kan; mother, woman, minister; guest, husband, emotion, Jing (essence); life, dusk, po, mound; water, comparison, geng, completion.

This passage mainly lists the symbolic names used in the Annotations and Explanations of the Wuzhen Pian to refer to Neidan ingredients, directions, Yin-Yang qualities, and the zang-fu organs.

“Kidneys” correspond to numbers such as “seven,” “one,” and “six,” and are also associated with “Water” and “Kan” (the Kan trigram of the Bagua, which symbolizes Water). “Metal” appears alongside “wine” and may be a symbolic term in Neidan practice. The Vermilion Bird, the southern divine bird that also symbolizes Fire, is also called Cinnabar Yang and the Cinnabar Crucible; the Cinnabar Crucible is said to “be born in Jia and Yi.” “Kun,” one of the Bagua trigrams, symbolizing Earth and Yin, corresponds to the “moon” and “Yin.” It is also referred to by terms such as mother, wife, minister, guest, and husband. Words such as Jing, life, Hun, and Po describe the life and spiritual factors involved in cultivation.

The second half continues to use symbolic names for things in Neidan practice. “Golden Tiger,” “female,” “solidified liquid,” “medicine crucible,” and “lead” are associated with the lower region, the furnace and crucible, lead as an ingredient, and a state of stillness and refinement. “Earthly Po,” “Kun image,” “lunar Po,” “Void and Danger,” “Mao Seven,” “last quarter,” “Kun ox,” and “Kan tiger” use images of earth, the moon, constellations, and trigrams to indicate the Yin side, its direction, and its timing. “Mount Hua,” “Crooked River,” “Infant,” “Young Maiden,” “Metal Wife,” “Earth of Ji,” “Heavenly One,” “Black Lead,” “White Tiger,” “Water Tiger,” “Mount Tiger,” and “Black Tortoise” are also symbolic designations of this kind.

The Black Tortoise, a northern divine creature often depicted as a tortoise entwined with a snake, is also called True Yin and the Crescent-Moon Furnace. It is said to “be born in Geng and Xin” and is classified as “Yin within Yang.” Zhen and Li are names of Bagua trigrams. Also listed are words such as wife, minister, guest, Mao, Jia, east, benevolence, left, three, eight, floating, liver, and Wood, which correspond to directions, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and the zang-fu organs. The liver belongs to Wood, which is associated with the east. “Solar Hun,” “Crow Marrow,” “Maiden,” “Green Maiden,” “Li Maiden,” True Mercury, “Wood Liquid,” “Wood Mercury,” “Yellow Sprout,” “Jade Liquid,” “Divine Water,” and “Fire Dragon” are among the metaphorical names for ingredients, vital energies, or Yin-Yang functions found in Neidan texts.

The passage ends by listing names such as True Yin, “Female Mother,” “Female Yin,” “Yin Fire,” Yang Qi, “Flowing Pearl,” “Green Lady,” “Female Fire,” “Red Lead,” Cinnabar, “Intertwining Pear,” “Eastern Two,” “Jade Fungus,” “Elixir Foundation,” True Fire, and “Ox Ground.” These designations weave together images of Yin-Yang, the Five Phases, directions, ingredients, and the furnace and crucible to describe the symbolic system of Neidan cultivation.

“Dragon’s West” refers to the western region where the dragon dwells. Mercury is also called the Celestial Dark Maiden, symbolizing the blood of the crow-mother in the sun and the Qi of the dragon’s string. “The dragon calls the tiger” refers to the meeting of dragon and tiger. “Yin fire” and “water within white fire” are both veiled terms for the timing of the fire and the substances used in Neidan. “Red entering black,” “red phoenix marrow,” “flowing mercury,” “father dragon,” “lead essence,” and “mercury in the sand” are also alchemical terms, describing the transformation of Yin and Yang substances in the elixir.

“Mercury in the sand” means mercury within cinnabar. “Its Yin line in Li” refers to the broken line in the Li trigram. “The middle daughter of Kun” and “one Yin within Li” both use trigram imagery to explain how Yang is contained within Yin. “The moon whitening over the mountain,” “the sun’s flowing pearl,” “the sunlight of Li’s Yin line,” “the woman in green,” “the blue-eyed foreign youth,” and “a woman taking a man’s form” are different names for substances or changes between Yin and Yang. True mercury in cinnabar is obtained by drawing water from Qi; within Yang strength lies Yin softness, as the female is hidden within the male. “Eight ounces of the crow’s liver,” “gold arising in cinnabar,” “born from Bing and Ding,” “liquid arising from Qi,” and “the sixteen-year-old maiden” use symbolic numbers and Five Phases language to describe alchemical substances and their formation. The “essence of the obscure and dark” is a subtle substance, deep and difficult to perceive; it appears in a state of trance-like vagueness. Mercury within the cinnabar cauldron is called “water of the lower crescent.” “Half a jin of mercury” means the water within cinnabar.

“Yang within Yin” means that Yang is contained within Yin. The terms listed below—Dui, Kan, husband, ruler, lord, You, Geng, west, nature, rightness, right, four, nine, sinking, lungs, Metal, man, mother of the medicine, and moon-soul—are all symbolic language in Neidan. The Dui trigram belongs to the west and to Metal, and is also associated with the lungs. The moon-soul and rabbit fat symbolize the Yin aspect, while the Golden Elder, father and mother, and master refer to the substance or guiding principle in the process of refining and cultivation.

Old man, Kan man, true lead, metal essence, wood and Metal, white snow, metal liquid, Flower Pond, water tiger, male tiger, Jade Rabbit, possessing a tiger, true Yang, male father, male Yang, Yang water, Yin essence, metal flower, male white, male Metal, black lead, Water Pool, mercury, and fire jujubes are all alternative names for lead and mercury, dragon and tiger, Yin and Yang, and the transformations of substances in the alchemical method. “Knife-point measure” refers to the elixir or the subtle substance obtained through alchemical refinement. The “mother of the elixir” is the basis from which the elixir forms, while “true water” is the true water spoken of in cultivation and refinement. The final term, “zi-nan,” is a designation of direction.

The terms “tiger,” “rabbit,” “dragon,” “lead,” and “mercury” are mostly Neidan (internal alchemy) terms here, commonly used to refer to Yin-Yang, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and changes in Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) during cultivation and refinement. “Tiger of the East,” “Jade Pistil,” “Earth’s Rehmannia Man,” and “the essence of the Rabbit Father in the Moon” are different names for related ingredients, vital energies, or symbolic objects. “The tiger’s string of Qi,” “the tiger inhaling the dragon,” and “fire in yellow sprout lead and water” describe the process in which Yin and Yang energies unite and are refined.

Terms such as “black entering red,” “black tortoise essence,” “Golden Man, black lead marrow,” and “silver in water” use images of color, metals, and animals to refer to the vital energies and ingredients of Neidan. “Wu of Kan,” “the middle son of Qian, one Yang within Kan,” “the red sun at the bottom of the pool,” and “the northern River Cart” all center on the Kan trigram, which symbolizes water and Yang within Yin, and describe the movement of the Yang energy it represents. “The pure, refined gentleman of the Moon’s essence, Wu of Kan,” “the white-haired elder,” and “a man who also embodies a woman” likewise use human figures to depict a state in which Yin and Yang contain one another.

“Taking true silver from within lead and drawing Qi from water,” “white within black,” “half a pound of rabbit marrow,” “sand born within lead, arising from Ren and Gui,” and “Qi arising within the liquid” describe seeking Yang energy within images associated with water and Yin, and transforming and gathering the vital energies. “The gentleman of the ninth three” and “the essence amid obscurity and guarded stillness, a thing dimly perceived and indistinct” refer to the Neidan essence, which cannot be seen directly and must be sensed in subtle obscurity. “Within the crescent-moon furnace” symbolizes the furnace and cauldron used in cultivation and refinement. “Jade marrow,” “half a pound of metal at the upper bow,” and “metal as sand within water” continue to use images of jade, metal, and sand to describe the ingredients and timing of the firing process.

“Central Palace” refers to the middle of the body or the central position in Neidan cultivation. The terms listed here relate to the Central Palace, the furnace and cauldron, the ingredients, and the spirit and Qi:

“Earth, center, five, ten” pairs numbers with the Five Phases to indicate that the center belongs to Earth.

“Trust, intention, spleen, ancestor” connect integrity, intention, the spleen, and the root.

“True Earth,” “Earth’s De,” “Earth Cauldron,” and “Original Shen” refer to central Earth and its symbolism in cultivation and refinement; “Earth Cauldron” uses a furnace cauldron as a metaphor for the Central Palace.

“Spirit Treasure,” “Mysterious Pass,” “Mysterious Gate,” and “True Lead” refer to key openings in cultivation, as well as the Neidan term “True Lead.”

“Metal Mother,” “Metal’s death,” “Metal Embryo,” and “Metal Cauldron” use images of metal and the furnace and cauldron to describe stages and conditions of Neidan transformation.

“Lead Cauldron,” “Mercury Cauldron,” “Kunlun,” and “Great Smelting” are metaphors for the furnace and cauldron, parts of the body, or the process of cultivation and refinement.

“Qian Palace,” “Kun position,” “Flowery Pool,” “Numinous Root,” “Spirit Hut,” “Mother’s Chamber,” “Wu and Ji,” “the Center of the Compass,” “Sage Embryo,” “Numinous Gate,” “Great Abyss,” “Qi Residence,” “Pole of the Celestial Stem,” and “Cauldron” use images of trigrams, the body, gates, directions, and the furnace and cauldron to refer to positions and functions involved in Neidan cultivation.

The terms “Lead Cauldron,” “Mercury Cauldron,” “Kunlun,” “Great Smelting,” “Qian Palace,” “Kun position,” “Flowery Pool,” “Numinous Root,” and “Spirit Hut” recur later as further examples of Neidan terminology.