《悟真篇注疏》Vol. 4

“Mother’s Abode,” “Wu and Ji,” “the Center of the Compass,” “Yellow Court,” “Dantian (energy center),” and “Crimson Palace” are all terms in Neidan (internal alchemy) for the place within the body where the elixir is refined. They often refer to the area between the spleen and stomach, near the body’s center. “Sacred Embryo” and “Spirit Embryo” refer to the inner Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) that coalesce and take shape through Neidan practice. The terms listed here—“Numinous Gate,” “Great Abyss,” “Qi Residence,” “Elixir Chamber,” “Yellow Court,” and “Mysterious Grotto”—are different names for these places of practice or states of attainment.

“Gate of the Original Pass,” “Dantian,” “Aperture of Returning to the Root,” “Pass of Restoring Life,” “Cavern of Intercourse,” “Cavern of Spirit and Qi,” “Central Yellow Palace,” “Residence of the Elixir’s Origin,” “Palace of Great Tenuity,” and “Gate of Chaos” also mostly refer to where practitioners regulate body and mind and gather Jing and Qi in Neidan practice. “Reclining Moon Furnace,” “Suspended Embryo Cauldron,” “Furnace of Creation and Transformation,” “Spirit Cauldron,” and “Cauldron and Vessel of Completed Union” use the imagery of furnaces and cauldrons to describe the process of refining and nourishing Jing and Qi. The “Gate of Wu and Ji” and the “Gate of the Mysterious Female” refer to the apertures where Yin and Yang unite and Qi enters and leaves. Expressions such as “Born Before Heaven and Earth,” “Chaos Golden Cauldron,” “Modeling Heaven and Earth,” “Sovereign Heaven, Earthly De,” and “Divine Furnace of the Empress Earth” draw on the creation of Heaven and Earth and the transformations of Yin and Yang to describe Neidan’s foundations and the realm of refinement and nourishment.

The section on “External Medicine” lists many terms that symbolize materials for elixir making, such as “Yang Lord,” “Metal Mother,” “True Lead,” “True Mercury,” “Golden Crow,” “Jade Hare,” “True Earth,” “True Water,” “Divine Water,” “Golden Elixir,” “Great Medicine,” “Yellow Sprout,” “Infant,” and “Sacred Embryo.” These names do not all refer to physical substances. Images of lead, mercury, dragons and tigers, the sun and moon, and Kan and Li often symbolize the interaction of Yin and Yang, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), Jing, and Qi. “Seven Returns and Nine Reversions” refers to the repeated transformation and restoration of Jing and Qi in elixir practice. “Knife-measure” was an ancient measure of very small capacity and was also used as a metaphor for elixir medicine. “Fire-setting” refers to controlling the firing phases during refinement and nourishment.

“Essence of Kan and Li,” “True One Water,” “Metal in Water,” “Lead in Water,” “Essence of Qian and Kun,” “Qi of Heaven and Earth,” and “Yang Essence within Yin” draw on Kan, Li, Qian, and Kun from the Book of Changes (Yijing) to represent the transformations of Yin and Yang and the Jing and Qi they generate. “True Master,” “True One,” “Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth in Chaos,” and “Great One Containing the True” point to the primordial Qi sought in Neidan. “Sun and Moon within the Pot,” “Great Elixir of the Dragon Pool,” and “Nectar of the Snow Mountain” are metaphors for elixirs and states of refinement and nourishment.

The section on “Internal Medicine” continues to use symbols of Yin and Yang, the Five Phases, dragons and tigers, and the sun and moon to describe the Jing and Qi used in internal cultivation, under names such as “Yin Minister,” “Wood Child,” “Dragon,” “Magnet,” “Guest,” “Mercury,” “Jade Hare,” and “True Mercury.” The scripture goes on to say that after taking this elixir for the first time, the body becomes light and strong, and one walks as if flying; after taking it a second time, one can cross rivers as though walking on level ground; and after taking it to completion, one can ride a crane or phoenix. These are claims made in the scripture about the effects of Waidan (external alchemy). The author laments that people who lack understanding can scarcely encounter such an elixir scripture.

Detailed, Direct Explanations and Commentary on the Wuzhen Pian (Awakening to Reality): This is the title of the book. It means that the work provides annotations and interpretive commentary on the Wuzhen Pian, explaining it in detail in a clear and straightforward manner.