《泄天机》

Direct Pointers to the Essentials of the Golden Liquid Great Return (Jinye Dahuan)

The medicinal substances used in cultivating the Great Dao (the Way) originally belong to the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity. The mystery of their generation and transformation lies in nothing beyond Yin-Yang and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). When ordinary people begin to cultivate, they must first bring Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) to fullness. Only when Shen and Qi are full does true Jing (essence) arise; and only when true Jing is generated can Qi and Shen be preserved. For when Jing is exhausted, Shen disperses; and when Shen perishes, Qi is lost as well. Qi is born from the heart-mind, and Jing arises from the body. Once this mystery is understood, the practice of returning to the root and restoring the source is nothing more than blending body and heart-mind into one. Thus the supreme Dao that generates the myriad things is likewise nothing outside this principle.

Master Niwan said, “Qi belongs to Heaven, Jing belongs to Earth, and Shen belongs to humanity.” Human beings are formed by receiving the Jing of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases; therefore the human being is Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth are the human being. To embody fully the Dao of Heaven and Earth—modeling oneself on Heaven and taking one’s image from Earth—the key lies in nothing other than oneself. What, concretely, is to be done? Let the heart-mind be clear and bright like Heaven, and let the body be calm and settled like Earth. When clarity and calm are achieved, one accords with Heaven and Earth, and thereby accomplishes the work of the Great Return.

Learning to cultivate is nothing more than according with what is natural. The secret of reaching the furthest point of creative transformation is simply to maintain utmost sincerity, with the intentions of the heart-mind never ceasing. One can keep those intentions unceasing because one learns to receive and carry forward the Jing of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases. Thus Master Niwan said, “Only by attaining utmost sincerity without cease can one cultivate the Golden Liquid Great Return.” Cultivation, however, cannot begin only from what lies inside and outside oneself. When the sages of old said that one must start from emptiness and non-being, this is what they meant. The source of the Dao is utmost emptiness, and the root of bodily form is utmost non-being; therefore the Golden Liquid Great Return comes by returning from the very body of the Dao. The cultivator follows the body of the Dao—precisely what Taishang (the Most High) meant in saying, “Recognize the One, and the myriad affairs are complete.”

Min Xiaogen said, “I have carefully examined this book. Its title and section headings do indeed seem to have been imparted orally by a divine person in person; yet, judging from the formal style of the writing, it can by no means be the original draft of an oral transmission. After the text was finalized, later hands made additions and interpolations. The book as a whole is therefore like jade and common stone mixed together. If it is not cut and revised, it may cause no small degree of misleading. I have therefore compiled into a chapter the Mysterious Discourse of the Studio of Sincerity in the Great Void (Taixu Chengzhai Xuanlun), orally imparted by the divine person, and set it out below. Unfortunately I have not yet asked the former sages to verify it; for now I copy it down first, leaving it for persons of clear discernment to examine and authenticate.”

The foundation of cultivation must be established through the regulation and nurturing of the breath.

The Shen (spirit) of the human body is born of Jing (essence), and Jing is in turn born of Qi (vital energy). When the Qi of the five viscera is harmonious and abundant, it can transform into nutritive Qi and defensive Qi, which nourish Yin and Yang and go on to generate essence and marrow. But if the body is depleted, Jing and Qi leak outward; if one does not know how to cherish the body, seminal fluid and bone marrow are likewise worn away and decline day by day.

People of that time mostly began cultivation only after the body had already been damaged, so the first task was to lay a firm foundation. Laying that foundation must begin with regulating the mind: only when mind and Shen are settled can the breath be harmonized, and only then is there hope of training the “true breath.” This “true breath” corresponds roughly to the “heel breathing” spoken of in the Zhuangzi, the Nanhua Jing (classic), and it is also the root of the embryonic breathing described by Niwan—a divine name, or a conception of practice, in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy). At the outset one may use intention as a guide, but one has not yet reached a natural state. Once embryonic breathing takes form, it can unite with heaven and earth, and the mind no longer deliberately manages it. Respiration then moves with the natural breath, circulating without cease: this is called true breath.

After the true breath has been regulated and made smooth, the moment intention arrives, the opening and closing of the breath can proceed freely. There is no need to force intention; one need only follow the method so that the breath connects above and below. The practitioner should let the chest and diaphragm open slightly, draw the Qi in the heart region down toward the lower abdomen, and settle it in the “Central Pole of the Kun Palace” (in Daoist Neidan, the region of the lower abdomen). This is called “emptying the heart and filling the abdomen.”

Next, cradle the penis and scrotum in both hands until they grow warm; if a natural erection occurs, so much the better. The original text holds that in this way one’s own Yang Qi can manifest, resonate with the Yang Qi of heaven and earth, and thereby take in the Qi of heaven and earth. During practice one must not deliberately chase external stimulation or stir up desire. Otherwise the fire of desire flares, primordial Yang moves recklessly, and one’s own Yang Qi is instead depleted. One need only let mind and Shen rest together with the breath.

Niwan says that at this stage one should use intention to preserve and nourish, and send the breath downward, not allowing it to rise. When the Dantian (energy center) grows warm as if scorched by fire, and the two kidneys heat as if simmered in broth, after about nine breaths use intention to guide the Qi through the “Lü”—usually the region of the Weilu—and connect it toward the back. The practitioner may feel the force of Qi rushing along the spine, burning open the passes and orifices, even as if about to surge into the brain. When these sensations arise, do not be alarmed. If one suddenly feels some orifice open and meets an experience never before heard of or seen, do not cling to it and refuse to let it go.

After waiting quietly for a time, one may feel a sweet liquid welling downward, as if sweet dew flowed from the “Storied Tower” (Chonglou, the throat) to the “Descending Gate” (Jiangque, a site of practice below the throat, in the region of the chest). A cool sensation reaches the heart and brings peace and ease; a little later it descends again like water pouring down, and the whole body feels harmonized and comfortable. The original text says that when practice reaches this point, the work of the “human Way” is complete. If one then continues with the Way of the immortals, one is not readily liable to the error of skipping stages and pressing ahead too fast.

The method of cultivating the immortal Way is this. When Yang Qi stirs, regard the “Yinqiao” (a site of practice in Neidan) with the “Heavenly Eye” (Tianmu, the point of visualization between the eyebrows). Following the opening and closing of the true breath, gently lead the Yinqiao so that it rises and falls with the respiration. In the work it should be as if present and as if absent; one must not use force. At this time one may feel a numinous orifice open in front of the Weilu, with a drawing sensation within it, like a magnet attracting a needle. The original text explains this sensation as the true Qi of heaven and earth entering the Yinqiao. The Qi then ascends through the narrow space along the front of the spine and behind the heart, straight to the Niwan. It may be retained there for three to five breaths, then allowed to descend of its own accord, passing through the Huachi (Flower Pool), the Chonglou, and the Jiangque to the lower Dantian, with a pause of three to five breaths at each of these two places. The Qi then returns to the Yinqiao, receives the Qi of the next inhalation, and is preserved and nourished there for nine breaths before being allowed to rise again. All practice thereafter should follow what is natural. The original text holds that in this way the rising and falling of Qi are naturally contained within the opening and closing of the breath.

Cultivating in this manner, one need not count the rounds, until the breath circulates back and forth with no point of rest. When the two Qi of Yin and Yang are in balance, the whole body feels blended, harmonious, and at ease. At the beginning, some feel the four limbs heavy as mountain rock and the body stiff and sunken like a block of wood. The original text explains that this is the sensation that appears when latent Yin Qi within the body, struck by Yang Qi, is about to disperse. After a while, as the Yin Qi recedes, one feels a freshness and lightness beyond description. From then on, with each session of practice, the body grows gradually lighter, the spirit is joyful, and the feeling of comfort steadily increases. Primordial Yang gradually flourishes and primordial Qi is harmonized; the turbid Yin in the body is transformed into peaceful Jing and Qi, and the ordinary restless fire in the heart is transformed into the “Qi of True Unity” (in Daoist Neidan, pure and refined Qi). In this way one can consolidate Jing and congeal the marrow, lessen the dissipation of Jing and Qi, and firmly lay the foundation of cultivation.

The original text finally explains “the body does not move.” It means not only consolidating Jing, but also not having a running nose, not sweating, not letting saliva flow, and the rest of the seven bodily fluids. It also includes seeing objects of desire without the mind being drawn by them. What the scripture calls “when Jing is sufficient, one does not think of lust” likewise speaks of this state in which body and mind are settled and not pulled by desire.

Min Xiaogen said that in cultivation along the elixir path (Dandao), there were originally three routes along which Qi (vital energy) circulates, called the red path (chidao), the black path (heidao), and the yellow path (huangdao).

The red path is the Conception Vessel (Renmai), at the front of the body, and is the channel along which the Qi of the heart moves. In the Five Phases (Wuxing) and in color symbolism the heart belongs to red, so the channel is called the “red path.” Red Qi by nature rises and surges upward; in cultivation one must find a way to bring it down, so that heart-Qi becomes cool and clear and kidney-Qi becomes warm.

The black path is the Governing Vessel (Dumai), at the back of the body, and is the channel along which the Qi of the kidneys moves. In color symbolism the kidneys belong to black, so the channel is called the “black path.” Black Qi by nature is moist and descends; in cultivation one must find a way to send it upward, so that the marrow circulates and the spirit (Shen) is settled. The red path and the black path are the two channels along which Jing (essence) and Qi circulate and by which life is sustained; for this reason both elixir practitioners and physicians call them the “human way” (rendao).

The yellow path is the “Yellow Center” (Huangzhong), lying between the red path and the black path, roughly in front of the spine and behind the heart. It governs the red and black Qi and is the pivot of opening, closing, and transformation. The realm of the Yellow Center is empty, still, and silent; only pre-heaven Qi (xiantian qi) can circulate there and come to rest. When ordinary people cultivate, form the immortal embryo (xiantai), and bring that embryo to completion, all of this takes place within this realm. Although the Dantian (energy center) is said to have upper, middle, and lower sites, they in fact communicate with one another; thus the yellow path is called the “immortal way” (xiandao).

Ancient adepts who had attained the Dao regarded the yellow path as a precious secret transmission. Although elixir texts are many, few dared to set it forth in full. From the Zhou and Qin through the Ming, the relevant methods were mostly transmitted orally by a master, and the transmission required an oath sworn in the depth of night. My former teacher, the Elder of Great Void (Taixu Weng), said that the one who first wrote the teaching down for transmission is said to have been Master Yin of the Disheveled Hair (Pengtou Yin); Master Yin was also his teacher, the Divine Person of the Mud Pellet (Niwan Shenren). Even so, the book only briefly discloses the entrance.

He held that this was because many people had not yet understood mind and nature (xinxing), while the body and habitual tendencies (xiqi) were still shaped by the post-heaven (houtian); some were curious and impatient, and the world abounded in side paths and miscellaneous doctrines. To guide cultivation only by what the ears hear and the eyes see easily leads one away from the essence of the Dao. Now that I have respectfully read this text, I find that it sets aside the red path and the black path and speaks directly of the Yellow Center. Even this does not fully reveal the heavenly secret (tianji); how, then, should I dare to conceal anything? I therefore add this piece, so as not to fail the teaching of the Divine Person of the Mud Pellet, and I ask the reader’s understanding.

“Refining Ji” (lianji) calls for true lead—metal-water (jinshui)—to be cast into a precious sword, so that pre-heaven Qi (vital energy) may be gathered.

“Ji” belongs to earth, and earth stands for intention: the true intention of utmost sincerity, free of falsity. The heart belongs to fire. Delusive thoughts and sensual desires all belong to post-heaven notions; like a fierce fire they blaze and race, and are hard to bring to rest. Only by obtaining the true metal within pre-heaven water—that single point of primordial-yang true Jing (essence)—can the ordinary fire be extinguished and true intention brought forth. Alchemists call this state the “Yellow Center” (huangzhong) and the “Yellow Court” (huangting), and also the “Golden Cauldron” (jinding) and the “Spirit Chamber” (shenshi). It has a position, yet is not confined by position; it has no fixed form, yet can bring a form to completion.

Looking back to the earlier stage of laying the foundation, “refining Ji” has already been discussed, together with the way it works in concert with the other methods. Before, mercury was cast into lead, and lead was refined so as to produce metal; in the body, this is refining the form and nourishing true Jing. Here, lead is cast into mercury, so that water and fire come to each other’s aid; in the body, this is refining Jing into Qi and forming the “Spirit Chamber” of the Golden Elixir (jindan).

The secret is this. When yang Qi stirs—that is, at the “living zi hour” (huo zishi), the moment when yang Qi arises within the body—it should be gathered at once. The living zi hour, however, is of two kinds, pre-heaven and post-heaven, just as the Wuzhen pian speaks of “two modes of working.”

If the sight of something desirable stirs a thought, this belongs to the post-heaven human mind and is aroused by desire. One then uses only the “method of pursuing and gathering”: secure the upper and lower passes, settle the body and quiet the mind, lower the curtains and look downward—lightly closing the eyelids and gazing inward—and visualize the Qi turning from the Yinqiao (yinqiao), the place where, as alchemists say, the body’s Qi-mechanism gathers, to the Weilu (weilu) at the base of the spine, and then rising. At the same time work the “bellows” (tuoyue), a figure for the breath driving the Qi-mechanism up and down, so that the Qi passes straight through into emptiness. The thought then disperses of itself, and desire subsides.

Yet although this yang Qi is within the body, it is mixed with the fire of desire. If it remains at the Niwan (niwan), the inner site above the head, and there is no way to transform it, then later, once too much has accumulated, what the original text calls “erupting at the crown and passing away seated” may occur. The original text’s way of dealing with this is to circle the Niwan with the celestial eye (tianmu), the place of inward vision between the brows, turning left thirty-six times and right twenty-four times with the intention. After a brief pause, the yang Qi turns into a cold spring, descends into the Crimson Palace (jianggong), the inner site below the heart, and disperses into the channels and vessels. Sitting quietly for a while can also bring a slight replenishment.

As for the pre-heaven living zi hour, it may fall at the zi hour of midnight, or at the chou hour or the yin hour. When stillness reaches its utmost, yang Qi is born. The yang Qi in the body then answers the yang Qi of heaven and earth and begins to move. It does not arise from passion or from contact with outer things; it is the true, unitary, primordial-yang Qi issued by the “Celestial Heart” (tianxin).

This moment has a definite measure. One must be neither too early nor too late. If the fire timing is insufficient, true metal has not yet appeared; what is gathered then is only fire, the medicine is consumed, and the true unitary primordial-yang Qi is not obtained. If the fire timing goes too far, metal turns to water and becomes tangible substance; what is gathered then is only water, turbid, defiling, and harmful. The scripture therefore says: “When lead meets the arising of gui, it must be gathered at once; when metal has been in view too long, it is no longer fit to taste.” That is: as soon as lead stirs at the gui phase, it must be taken in time, and once the metal Qi has appeared for too long it should no longer be taken. The practitioner must clearly distinguish the boundary between water and metal.

At the zi hour of the winter solstice, when the Celestial Heart does not change and the myriad things have not yet sprouted, yang Qi is firm to the utmost. If at the Yinqiao and the Weilu there is a sensation as of insects or ants creeping, this is the sign of the moment. One then uses a hand gesture, slowly lifting and drawing in the grain path—the anus—while also drawing up at the place of urination, and works the bellows. One’s own true Qi leads the yang Qi of heaven and earth, which enters from the Weilu with a rustling sound and, following the Qi-mechanism moved by the breath, rises to the Niwan. Hold the inner gaze steady and do not stir rashly, and the two Qi of yin and yang will turn into jade dew and sprinkle down into the Crimson Palace. This bit of fluid can put out the ordinary fire and let primordial Qi appear. Primordial Qi joins with it, enters the Yellow Center, and congeals into a single mass. The scripture calls this “Ji.”

The scripture also says: “Clearly, it is nothing but the one savor of metal within water.” From this one can see that, from beginning to end, what alchemical cultivation speaks of is only this one thing, this one matter.

Earlier, only the bellows were discussed. Only here does one speak of refining lead-metal and producing true Jing: generating water from within lead-metal in order to control fire and make it become earth. At this stage the work still requires active management, and so it is called “refining Ji.” Once Ji has been refined, true earth is already accomplished. One then gathers the Qi of heaven and earth, transforms earth so as to generate metal, and refines the elixir of Qian-yang golden liquid. The medicine refined differs in depth and shallowness, and it also varies with the practitioner’s level of attainment.

Only by obtaining the “medicine,” and by mastering the firing times (huohou) through such methods as cooking and refining (penglian) and withdrawing and replenishing (choutian), without the slightest error, can one hope to become a terrestrial immortal (one who has succeeded in cultivation and transcended the ordinary world).

What is called “cooking” here means refining with Yang Qi (vital energy); what is called “refining” means tempering with Yin Qi. To obtain the medicine, one must wait for the “living zi hour”—the moment when the first Yang arises within the body and Yang Qi begins to return—before the Great Medicine, completed through two stages of refining, can be gained. From the time a practitioner begins laying the foundation and refining the self (securing the basis of cultivation and nurturing body and mind), the work of gathering the medicine has been present all along. Gathering and refining are explained once more here because the gathering of medicine spoken of earlier consists in preparing and regulating the cauldron and furnace (the body and mind on which cultivation depends), whereas the gathering and refining here are undertaken in order to complete the Reverted Elixir (huandan, the fruit sought in Neidan, or internal alchemy).

One must wait until the quiet of midnight, when the Qi mechanism within the body stirs of itself and the outer Yang rises (the male genitals erect spontaneously). This is called “Heaven and humanity issuing together.” Even then the medicine cannot be gathered at once; intention must still be used to assist the stirring of the Qi mechanism. This is called “advancing the Yang fire.” Only when the signs named in the text appear—the turtle’s eyes opening wide and round, the dragon’s body standing straight upright, and the like—has the firing time truly been reached.

At this moment one uses intention together with the Celestial Eye (tianmu, a Daoist Neidan term for the function of inner observation) to illuminate and inspect the lower Dantian (energy center; the lower field). A millet pearl (a figure for the tiny point of light that appears in Neidan cultivation) then manifests in the Dantian. Inner and outer Qi seem to resonate with each other and to draw one another along, gradually growing stronger. The practitioner feels true Qi continually gathering; between the passes and orifices it is as if ants were crawling, and between chest and abdomen, and neck and back, gleams of light seem faintly to appear. The scripture describes these as the time when Metal Qi is abundant and tiangui (the reproductive essence-Qi of the human body) is generated, and holds that the medicine ought to be gathered without delay.

In gathering the medicine one employs martial fire (wuhuo, a comparatively strong regulation of intention and breath), drawing up the urine, contracting the anus, tightening the lower abdomen, and letting the breath turn in concert. After a short while, sensing that the medicine has transformed into true Qi, one guides it with intention so that it travels upward and backward: along the Du meridian (the channel running up the center of the back) it rises to the brain and reaches the “zhen” at the crown of the head, that is, the crown valley. The scripture calls the crown valley the “human zhen” and connects it with the stars of heaven and with the engendering and transformation of Heaven and Earth. It holds that the human zhen is formed by the rising of the body’s generative Qi and corresponds to the celestial zhen; the celestial zhen, in turn, is described as one of the Five Stars, and also as the place where the essential florescence of the earth rises and condenses. The shining of its light can make the myriad things grow, and the infusion of its light can make the myriad things transform. Through this process the practitioner transforms ordinary Qi and returns it to the primordial, Prior Heaven (xiantian).

After arriving at the crown valley, one must pause for nine breaths, waiting for the Qi of primal Yang to turn into sweet dew. The sweet dew descends along the gang-zhen associated with the head and comes to the Upper Pool and the Crimson Watchtower (Neidan terms referring respectively to the mouth and to the region between chest and abdomen). The scripture says that this sweet dew is cool and delicious, and that its working is profound. Master Niwan says: dew that has form follows the “gang” and falls to the corresponding passes and orifices, while formless dew follows the “zhen” and returns into the Yellow Court (huangting, the cultivation region where the central palace within the body lies). Whenever sweet dew descends from the Magpie Bridge (queqiao, a Neidan term for the tongue, which joins upper and lower) and comes to rest at the Crimson Watchtower, it must pass through such places as the mouth and throat and the scripture tower. The scripture further distinguishes clear Yang from turbid Yin: the Qi of turbid Yin remains in the body and is transformed into blood, circulating through the vessels and network channels; the Qi of clear Yang merges into the Central Yellow and unites with one’s own primordial Qi.

Then, with true intention, one circulates in the Central Palace (zhonggong, the region of Neidan cultivation at the center of the body). One first turns in the concordant direction, from the upper left toward the lower right and from small to large, for thirty-six revolutions; one then turns in the reverse direction, from the upper right toward the lower left and from large to small, for twenty-four revolutions, coming to rest at last in the very center of the Central Palace. This is called the “Mao-You celestial circuit.” After sitting quietly for a short while, one may rise or lie down to sleep, following whatever is natural, without inquiring where the Qi has settled or where it has stopped. So long as one perceives it dissolving in a state of empty stillness, free of attachment, this counts as the actual work of cultivating Shen (spirit), breath, and the true Qi of the embryo within the womb.

When the medicine is obtained and its ascent and descent are guided, one usually feels ease throughout the body, yet one must on no account grow attached to these sensations. Should one become engrossed in them, the scripture holds, one falls back into the ordinary, with grave consequences. After the practice, one need only keep to the true breath and let the Qi mechanism wander naturally within the compass-center (guizhong, a Neidan term for the region in which body and mind are held), without seeking anything outside. Gathering and refining in this way day after day, until the images of the Yin-Yang lines are full, Jing (essence) and Qi gradually replete, the Three Fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian) replenished, the two kidneys warm, the Sea of Qi (qihai, the seat of the Qi mechanism in the lower abdomen) fiercely hot, and the Jade Liquid floating upward, so that the Great Medicine is about to be generated—then one should enter the round chamber (a place set apart for quiet cultivation) and await the “binding and birthing of the infant” (a Neidan metaphor for the fruit of cultivation condensing and coming to maturity), in order to reach the Great Dao (the Way) of the celestial immortal. This method must be guarded with the utmost care and discretion.

The “Great Medicine” refers to the “Golden Liquid Great Return,” that is, the great medicine used to attain celestial immortality. As the Wuzhen pian says, one who studies immortality ought to study celestial immortality, and the Golden Elixir (jindan) is precisely the most fundamental method for this. The medicinal substance discussed earlier is external true lead, called the external Golden Elixir, also known as the Jade Liquid Reverted Elixir; it is the medicine used to cultivate an earthly immortal. Once the Jade Liquid has been refined to sufficiency, one should promptly enter the circular chamber (a room set aside for secluded quiet cultivation), sit in stillness, and await the arising of the Golden Liquid.

After the Golden Liquid arises, it can transmute the primordial spirit, forming the sacred embryo, and transmute primordial Qi (vital energy), condensing the divine treasure. The practitioner should choose a famous mountain or blessed site on which to build the circular chamber. The height of the room and its light and darkness should all be fitting, and three companions sincerely devoted to the Dao (the Way) should be invited to keep guard nearby. Inside the room place a level couch, hang curtains all around, suspend a bright mirror above, set swords to the left and right, and place three jin of realgar beneath the bed as a ward. On the bed place a rush cushion, one Hunyuan robe, and a hip-raising seat (a support used as a cushion in quiet sitting); apart from these, place nothing else. At the four corners arrange the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) according to the directions, and choose an auspicious day to submit a memorial to the Celestial Emperor.

After entering the circular chamber, sit in stillness, neither acting deliberately nor clinging to external things, with mind and intention exclusively guarding the guizhong (in elixir practice, inwardly guarding the central palace, concentrating spirit, and quieting thought). The body sits upright and unmoving, like a withered tree, without interruption day or night, preserving only embryonic breathing (the intention of a breath as fine and continuous as that of a fetus), so that Shen (spirit) and Qi embrace each other, neither going out nor coming in, as if the body were still in the mother’s womb. To an outsider it appears as though sensation had been lost. This is what is called returning to the root and restoring the mandate, and it is also regarded as the crucial stage in which the Golden Liquid arises.

This stage sometimes lasts seven days or fourteen days, and may extend to twenty-one days. The companions on guard must not leave for a moment, and must be especially strict in preventing disturbance by sound. At this time the practitioner’s spirit and Qi come to rest and enter deep stillness; if sound stirs them, they may be startled awake, and if spirit and thought move even slightly, one may leave meditative absorption and the work already gained is damaged. Being startled scatters the spirit, with grave consequences. Therefore the Niwan says that the office of guarding concerns the practitioner’s life and death.

When the practitioner reaches this state, the inner scenery shows a moon hanging in the west and a sun hanging in the east. One need only keep quiet watch; the two orbs then take in and give forth to each other and revolve, finally uniting as one and hanging before the valley. Changchun says that at this time everything depends on fellow practitioners who understand the cultivation, carefully observing and quietly keeping watch nearby. If they see light issuing from between the practitioner’s brows, they should make it known at once, but without speaking; a secret sign may be used to convey it. The practitioner will understand of themselves, and then, with the mind-method and the Gang formula (a formula used in Daoist cultivation for visualization and regulation), guard and uphold it. Spirit and Qi then grow still of themselves, and by resonance the Great Medicine is born. Following the Gang formula, the Great Medicine joins primordial Qi and fuses into something like a pearl.

When cultivation reaches this point, one is held to communicate with the Great Void, breath flowing freely through, and the distinctions of the three realms and the six directions no longer remain. This is the stage the elixir scriptures call “gold returning to the origin of nature.” The pearl thus formed is the divine treasure, which is also the root of the golden immortal. After the divine treasure is obtained, one must continue cultivating for ten months and carefully master the firing times of the nine reversions, so that the embryo may mature, the pearl take form, and the holy infant at last be realized.

The warm nurturing of this stage differs from what came before. Earlier there were changes in the firing times, such as extracting and adding and rising and descending; now one exclusively guards the central palace, in a state like fish in a pool of spring water, or the hundred insects lying dormant. One draws in and gathers primordial Yang, so that numinous Qi does not scatter, and takes in the Qi of the Great Void to nourish primordial Jing (essence). At this time the Gang formula must be used to guard the two stars, tending and protecting them at the proper times. The essential point of the practice is to seem at once present and absent—neither forgetting nor deliberately forcing growth. The Niwan says that mind and intention must not scatter, for if they scatter the firing time grows cold; nor should thoughts be rashly aroused, for if thoughts arise the firing time becomes too fierce. Both injure the body of the embryo and must be treated with caution.

Warm nurturing for one year in fact applies effort for nine months, and so it is called the “nine reversions.” Within the year, except for the second and eighth months, when the fire-work is not performed, nurturing continues through the rest of the time. These two months are not a complete cessation of cultivation; one simply does not deliberately watch over the work or add to it. When the fire is withdrawn, the clear stillness of the water tide should appear. This is the time for bathing, and also the moment for irrigating the yellow sprout.

The scripture further takes the day the elixir is formed as the winter solstice of the eleventh month in reckoning the seasonal nodes; after ninety days, one reaches the bathing stage of the second month. Reckoning the day of elixir-formation as the first day of the month, there is also a bathing on the twenty-third day of the eighth month, and the first day of the following month is counted as the first day of the twelfth month. After the embryo is formed, one must still calculate the stages of mao, you, and the rest according to the seasonal order, arranging warm nurturing and bathing by this flexible method. When the firing times of the nine reversions are complete and the cycle of qi is fulfilled, the infant is about to stir. The practitioner should also ask whether the work of returning has become pure, and whether the mortal substance has been entirely transformed and dissolved.

If this has truly been reached, one can rest secure and at ease, remaining in the world or ascending beyond it as one wishes. This very body, this very world, this very place, and this very heaven all unite with the Dao in the Real, and there are no longer distinctions of going out and coming in, rising and descending, high and low, far and near, or ordinary and sacred. If one has only, through favorable conditions, attained penetration, transformation, condensation, and completion, while one’s own person has not yet fully melted away, one should beforehand release a mass of golden light and suspend it in the void above the crown of the head, calling it the “pearl of intention,” and make it correspond above to Zhenxing (the star known in antiquity as Saturn).

Master Taixu said: “The Suppressing Star (Zhenxing) is the principal star of the Celestial Gang (Tiangang). It is formed when the true primordial Qi (vital energy) of the Kun earth rises and condenses. Wherever its light shines, life begins to sprout; wherever its light and Qi pour in, transformation takes place; and the coming into being of both human beings and all things depends upon it. This orb of light hangs in the void above the crown of the head and is called the ‘Pearl of Intention’ (Yizhu); upward, it corresponds with the Suppressing Star.”

Master Taixu said further: “The Suppressing Star is the principal star of the Celestial Gang, formed by the rising and condensation of the true primordial Qi of the Kun earth. It occupies the center of heaven—that is, the central star among the Five Stars—and stands higher than the sun, the moon, and the other stars. My teacher, Master Niwan, said that, when reflected upon the human body, it corresponds to the bone covering the fontanel at the crown of the head. This bone is the place where the body’s generative Qi gathers and congeals; it takes form after birth, and the Divine Lü called it the ‘Human Suppressor’ (Renzhen). The radiance it manifests is called by the Golden Portal (Jinque) the ‘Pearl of Intention’; the Most High (Taishang) uses it to protect the Holy Infant (the inner numinous body generated in cultivation). Those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) cannot afford not to know this.

“If in the course of cultivation one obtains the ‘medicine’ relatively early, then, while the Holy Infant has already been conceived but has not yet grown robust, one may temporarily borrow this Pearl of Intention and suspend it above the crown, thereby making up for the fact that one’s ordinary practice of returning to the source is not yet mature and that the cognitive spirit (Shishen, the acquired consciousness) has not yet been transformed. In this way external temptations and disturbances can be shut out, so that the Holy Infant will not be devoured by demons.

“This level of principle is already explained in detail in the final step of cultivation spoken of in the Zhengyang. Zhengyang says that to cultivate until the Holy Infant is accomplished is by no means easy; yet, so long as the yin portion has not been entirely exhausted, bodily consciousness will still draw in external demons, causing them to link together and encroach upon one another. The only way to respond is to withdraw and guard the body of the Dao. If one can merge into the Pearl of Intention, first in small measure and then in greater, the barrier between inner and outer will dissolve, and transformation and nurturing will gradually proceed of themselves; continued over a long time, body and mind can reach a state like that of the ancient Buddhas.

“Taixu said: The Pearl of Intention is precious indeed. Yet the patriarchs of successive generations, in transmitting the classics, seldom expounded this method in detail, because it is chiefly a remedial measure provided for lower-grade practitioners whose root of nature has not yet been thoroughly awakened. If the light of nature has long been stable, this method is not needed in the final stage.”

Thereupon, one sends oneself into the pearl and lets the pearl’s light envelop the whole body, so that inside and outside interpenetrate and unite with each other. In this way the postnatal, mundane impurities can be dissolved, and body and mind are naturally washed clean. The practitioner need only hold to a state of emptiness, stillness, and silence, and by means of this emptiness and stillness resolve body and mind. If this method is established before cultivation has been fully completed, then a person whose light of innate nature has already been settled early will in the end have no need to use this method again.

Thereupon, one sends oneself into the pearl and lets the pearl’s light envelop the whole body, so that inside and outside interpenetrate and unite with each other, dissolving the postnatal, mundane impurities and allowing body and mind to be purified of their own accord. When hearing, sight, and the other senses all come to rest, and one goes on to reach a state in which even “stillness” can no longer be distinguished, the true and constant nature is revealed—the same as when, through the cultivation of reversion, the work of practice is brought to completion. Each person is endowed with a different capacity, and the methods of entry likewise differ; whether one cultivates in a steady, gradual manner or proceeds swiftly by following the momentum, once the work is complete the result is the same. The Dao (the Way) of creative transformation does not favor anyone according to human wishes. Therefore, whether cultivation yields verification is something one must examine for oneself. What is called “preserving the form and remaining in the world” means that the bodily form is retained and one abides long in the world; this is in order fully to realize innate nature, and thereby to fulfill the mandate of Heaven and bring one’s aspiration to completion.

Min Xiaogen said: Those of us who cultivate the Dao labor diligently all our lives only in order to realize the Dao and attain ascension; if we lapse even slightly into confusion and dullness, all the effort that went before may be entirely wasted. Now that I have read this Jing (scripture/classic), revised the orally transmitted material, and set forth in detail the teachings that have been handed down, what, after all, is my intention in doing so? Therefore I have revised the original records, supplemented in detail what my teacher transmitted, recorded my teacher’s admonitions as well, and added annotations and corroborations, in order to show that these teachings were indeed transmitted by immortals and are by no means without foundation.

To realize the original aspiration of cultivating immortality, no method is more important than “wall-gazing” (mianbi). This is the practice undertaken when cultivation is about to reach completion, yet one has not yet transcended the physical form.

Master Niwan said: “This is a secret transmission outside the teachings of the sages of the West. It originated with the Bhagavat (an honorific title in Buddhism) and was handed down by Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma then came to the East and faced the wall there for nine years. From that time on, over a thousand years, although people in both East and West transmitted this method, very few truly understood its essential aim. Most took it merely as a method for awakening to nature and life (xingming). Little did they know that when Bodhidharma first arrived, a lifetime’s cultivation of nature and life was already supremely complete, which is why he could cross the water on a reed—clear proof of this. That he nonetheless faced the wall for nine years was meant expressly to show practitioners of the East that cultivation should be carried out in this body and this lifetime, in this world and this mind; the work must begin by entering through wall-gazing, and only then can the aspiration of ordering the world be realized.”

This method is recorded in detail in Patriarch Lü’s (Lü Dongbin) Sanni Yishi Gongjue (The Practical Formula of the Three Ni for Healing the World). During practice the fleshly body has not yet been left behind, and so there is the instruction to “avail oneself of the year, month, day, and hour of this life,” meaning that one must seize this life and this moment in order to cultivate. Our lineage belongs to Quanzhen (Complete Perfection), the Quanzhen school of Daoism; the final, crucial step of Quanzhen cultivation refers precisely to this work.

Cultivating the Dao (the Way) depends on continual progress in practice, and merit reaches completion only through accumulation; hence the saying of “three thousand merits and eight hundred deeds.” Yet how are ordinary people to accumulate merit and bring good deeds to fulfillment? This secret transmission costs neither toil nor money. One need only bring the mind into accord with the creative transformations (the operations of Heaven, Earth, and nature) and realize the principle of them in one’s own person. If one simply perseveres, with sincerity unceasing, the practice will prove efficacious and merit can be brought to completion. The key is exceedingly simple: let the mind be clear and bright as Heaven, and let the body be still and quiet as Earth.

The mind is Heaven, the body is Earth, and Shen (spirit) is the human being. If one can realize it in this way, why seek a path of cultivation outside oneself?

All of these are celestial secrets (profound esoteric keys of cultivating the Dao). The worthies of antiquity did not gather them and transmit them; it was Master Niwan who brought them to light. I have taken up his account and set it forth, and so I still give it the title Xie Tianji (Divulging the Celestial Secrets).

Min Xiaogen said: The Yishi lineage is an important part of the secret transmission of the Lüzong (the transmission of Daoist precepts), and in the past it was passed on only by word of mouth. This book does not expound it, seemingly out of caution. Yet since the relevant chapters are listed in detail in the book, it is only proper to offer a brief introduction and to explain the essential points. If anyone does not believe these teachings, let them read the Biyuan Tanjing (Biyuan Altar Scripture) in order to understand them. Having received the instruction of my teachers, I cautiously add this explanatory note.

After the seventh day of the seventh month of the guisi year of the Daoguang reign (1833), the later student Min Yide respectfully records this.