《西王母女修正余十则》

Chunyangzi (Lü Dongbin) vowed to save and deliver all living beings. He had already written the Commentary on the Nine Sovereigns’ Elixir Scripture, giving men a basis on which to begin the cultivation of immortality. He could not bear to see women who were born with a foundation for cultivating the Dao (the Way), and who in ordinary life also cherished an aspiration toward the Dao, yet received no genuine transmission, strayed onto the wrong path, and even fell into the way of ghosts.

Thus, on the first day of the eleventh lunar month in the jiwei year, he came to Huancai Tower and brought about the descent of the Immortal Maiden of Non-Duality. He earnestly begged her to set forth the true transmission that the Queen Mother of the West (the exalted deity of female immortals) had orally bestowed upon Wei Yuanjun (a Daoist female immortal). The original book was titled The Great Golden Elixir (Jindan) Formula for Women. He further revised and supplemented nine articles on the orthodox path of women’s cultivation, still placing the three characters “Queen Mother of the West” at the head of the title, and he asked the immortal maiden to promulgate the Nine Precepts of the Female Perfected (nine precepts that women cultivators should observe), so as to rectify the ethos of the Dao. These together formed ten items, all granted for transmission by the immortal maiden’s compassionate permission.

Chunyangzi himself felt that he lacked the ability to take the lead in practicing them in person. The immortal maiden encouraged him, saying, “The efficacy of the Dao is boundless, yet the foundation of cultivating the Dao must still begin with these ten items.” This is the preface to the present book.

Sun Zhenyi, the Nondual Primordial Lord, said: Are there really no alchemical scriptures in the world on women’s cultivation and attainment of perfection? It is only that most of them are mixed with improper teachings, so that certain reckless people force strained interpretations and explain them as they please, deceiving both themselves and the world. Worse still, some lead people onto the deviant path of obsession with evil spirits, and the harm spreads without cease. The Patriarch of the Dao is generous and kind, and merely laments that such people will therefore fall into the path of ghosts; I have long felt deep sorrow over this. Fortunately, I was entrusted by the Patriarch of the Dao to edit and correct these writings, and so I checked them one by one and removed the errors.

Taking as my basis the original text of the Western Queen Mother’s Instructions on the Great Golden Elixir (Jindan) for Women, and consulting and supplementing it with The Mysterious Shadow of the Great Dao Orally Transmitted by the Divine Mother of Jade Clarity, I arranged the material into nine sections and submitted them for review and correction. The Great Dao is not forever hidden. Reverently receiving instruction, I continued to expound and revise these contents. The book was titled The Western Queen Mother’s Proper Path of Women’s Cultivation, and the Text of the Nine Precepts for Female Perfected was placed at the head of the volume, making ten sections in all.

I also asked others to clarify the profound and subtle principles within it, so that people might know that women’s cultivation of perfection likewise shares in the Great Dao of cosmic transformation and nurture, and that they are by no means incapable of attainment. These principles deserve to be practiced in person and earnestly upheld. If compassionate permission is also granted, the teaching may be properly transmitted. From then on, women who cultivate the Dao will not only avoid going astray, but will also be able to ascend more directly to the celestial palace (the heavenly realm). The Qi (vital fortunes) of the Daoist teaching ought now to flourish anew. Reflecting on this, I bowed with reverence and joy, composed this preface, and had it printed in Wulin (the area of present-day Hangzhou), so as to record this good fortune.

Sun Zhenyi, a Daoist descendant of the orthodox lineage of Quanzhen (Complete Perfection), bows a hundred times and respectfully offers this preface.

If one wishes to cultivate the orthodox Dao (the Way) for women, one should receive and uphold the Nine Precepts. Observing the precepts without regression brings great benefit; when the practice of the precepts is complete, one need not undergo the sufferings of hell, but may be reborn into a household that practices the Ten Good Deeds, have one’s name entered in the Purple Palace—the abode of immortals and perfected beings in Daoism—and take one’s place in the ranks of the immortals.

The proper method of women’s cultivation is now made public, and the Nine Precepts should be set down as the first item. The text of the precepts says: be filial and respectful, gentle toward others, cautious in speech, and free of jealousy; be dignified and quiet, keep oneself pure, and stay far from every kind of impure conduct; cherish life, hold compassion in the heart, and do not kill; worship with reverence and recite the scriptures (Jing), be diligent and careful, and abstain from meat and wine; dress plainly and do not pursue splendid adornment; nurture one’s disposition so that vexations do not arise; one must not imitate others by going about everywhere asking people to sponsor purification offerings or hold purification assemblies (zhai), must not mistreat servants, and must not conceal good deeds or publicize evil matters.

Only when all of the Nine Precepts above can be observed may one receive and uphold the orthodox Dao. The method now made public is exceedingly precious; if it is transmitted or received without observance of the precepts, that is tantamount to profaning the Celestial Treasure, and both the one who transmits it and the one who receives it will be punished together. One must be cautious and reverent.

Commentary: Each of the ten items in this set opens with the two characters ruo yue (“it is said”), because the main text comes from the brush of a recorder speaking on behalf of the Queen Mother of the West, and was not written by the Queen Mother herself. The intent is similar to that of Buddhist scriptures, which open with “Thus have I heard,” and Daoist scriptures, which open with “The Dao says.” It is further noted that the precept text of the Nine Precepts in this item was formerly placed before the first item, after the passages on purifying the body, purifying the mouth, and purifying the altar. Only when Patriarch Lü collated and corrected the entire work did he explain the precept text and arrange it as the main text of the first item. From then on, the principle that the methods of the Dao are not lightly transmitted was made clear at the opening.

The orthodox path of women’s cultivation, the second section, is titled “Benming” (Fundamental Destiny).

The scripture says that a woman is a body of Yin and symbolizes the moon. At the ages of thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen, her primordial Qi (Qi, the vital energy that is the source of life) is abundant, and her true blood—the essence-blood, Jing (essence), which the scripture says is bound up with life—is full. Within Yin there is a single Yang, just as the moon is full and its radiance at its height. When Tiangui (the general term for a woman’s first menstruation and the periodic menses that follow) descends, primordial Qi is diminished, and true blood flows away with it.

After a woman marries, she may also bear children. Primordial Qi is then gradually depleted, and true blood steadily declines. Although the menses come each month and are afterward generated anew, they are lost again with each monthly flow. The cultivation of life is comparatively difficult for women, and the difficulty lies precisely here. Therefore, if a woman wishes to preserve the root of life and restore her primordial Qi, she must seek the secret of cultivation; once she obtains the method and practices it, success comes quickly.

This section is titled “Benming” because the scripture holds that a woman’s root of life is bound up with Tiangui. If Tiangui cannot be transformed, how can life be preserved? There would then be no hope of restoring primordial Qi, and so the secret of cultivation is especially precious. The book therefore takes the “Nine Precepts” as the first section and “Benming” as the second, embodying the order of first cultivating nature (xing) and afterward cultivating life (ming). What follows this section is “Xingyuan” (the Source of Nature), meaning that the cultivation of mind and nature is undertaken precisely in order to preserve life.

The note says that in the whole book, apart from the first section, which was composed and compiled by Patriarch Lü (Lü Dongbin), the second through the ninth sections were all newly revised and compiled by Buyuan Yuanjun (the Sovereign of Non-Duality) and then personally collated by Patriarch Lü. This was done so that the meaning would be clear; the wording is therefore plain and direct, lest readers have the original sense obscured by literary language and misunderstand the content. Readers should not, merely because the writing is not sufficiently archaic and elegant, suspect that it was not the work of an immortal. As for the tenth section, it was written entirely by Patriarch Lü; on the basis of the preceding text, it further clarifies and continues the exposition.

This section discusses the foundation of women’s cultivation and is titled “Xingyuan” (Origin of Nature).

The scripture holds that women are of a watery nature and that their bodies are as soft and delicate as flowers. In youth, once the mind has awakened, a girl ought to restrain herself, neither playing about at will nor tiring herself by running. At this stage she bears within her a single point of the treasure of the chujing (primal menses), stored above the lower abdomen and within the zhonghuang (Central Yellow). The scripture calls it the neipin—the inner female portal, referring to the gateway of female reproduction—and says that it is like a star and like a pearl, a prenatal (xiantian) treasure.

If a woman knows how to cherish herself and preserve purity and stillness (qingjing), neither watching licentious plays nor listening to lewd words, carrying herself in quiet elegance and keeping her conduct in accord with an inner norm, the scripture holds that this treasure can adhere to the xingtian (heaven of nature, that is, a person’s own nature and prenatal nature), congeal into yuanyi (Primordial Unity), and become the unchanging chizhu (red pearl), without turning into tiangui (here referring to a woman’s first menstruation). If, however, she is young and ignorant, restless by nature, and constantly plays and runs about, her Qi (vital energy) will drift and stir, her heart and Shen (spirit) will be unsettled, her spirit will scatter, and her true Qi (zhenqi) will be difficult to stabilize. This prenatal treasure then melts away, as though consumed by heat, and flows out through the portal; in ordinary usage the phenomenon is called tiangui. The scripture holds that from then on, even if she preserves her chastity and never marries, she has already become an ordinary person. This is because she does not understand Xingyuan—that is, she does not grasp the foundation of cultivation. If she resolves to cultivate and seeks reversion (fanhuan), she should begin her practice from the lower region.

The commentary explains that the neipin is the pinhu (female portal). The quanfei (spring gate) mentioned in the text means the same thing, and for this reason the portal of the Central Yellow is called the neipin. The commentary further states that if one does not know how to guard stillness, the so-called life-treasure of the chujing will adhere to the xingtian and transform into yuanyi; the ancient holy maidens, great beings (dashi), and Celestial Consorts (Tianfei) are all cited as examples. Intelligent women are by no means rare in the world, yet unfortunately they lack the guidance of parents on the path of immortality, and they have neither a sagely teacher nor a worthy friend to point the way. The greater their talent, the more easily they stray onto the wrong path—a matter for regret.

This passage calls the women’s cultivation it describes “cultivating the menses” (xiujing). It holds that after menarche, if a woman does not regulate and nourish herself by this method, her Jing (essence) and blood, together with her primordial Qi (vital energy), will gradually be depleted; even if she cultivates with wholehearted concentration, results will be hard to achieve. The text cites the Dan Shu (Elixir Book), “When bamboo is broken, it must be mended with bamboo,” using the need to repair damaged bamboo as a metaphor: one should first regulate, nourish, and restore, and only then continue cultivation.

The scripture calls a woman’s menstruation “yuexin” (the monthly messenger), calls the stopping of menstruation “the absence of yuexin,” and uses “beheading the red dragon” (zhan chilong) to refer to the stage of cultivation in which menstruation is brought to a halt. The author says that those who still menstruate should first practice beheading the red dragon, while those without menstruation should first restore primordial Qi and only then practice this method. What follows are the initial steps of the exercise.

The practice is arranged for the zi and wu hours (ancient names of the double-hours) and adopts the seated posture called “sitting astride the crane” (kuahe zuo). One first sets aside distracting thoughts and clicks the upper and lower teeth together seventy-two times, which is said to clear the lung shu points (feishu; acupoints on the back corresponding to the lungs); one then breathes gently through the nose thirty-six times, thereby opening the blood vessels throughout the body. During the practice, the author especially cautions against letting the breath leak and disperse downward, and urges that the seated posture be maintained with firm effort.

The hands are then crossed and placed below the navel, and intention guides the breath backward and upward for thirty-six breaths. The hands are next raised in a lifting gesture, while the mind is placed at the weilü (near the lower end of the spine), guiding the breath up along the back for thirty-six breaths. After this, one lifts slowly and quickly, thirty-six times each, until one feels the Qi stir at the weilü and senses it surging upward.

One then lowers the hands, still holding them at the waist, and shrugs the shoulders upward thirty-six times, guiding the breath upward through the jiaji pass (jiaji guan; a pass on the back) and the lung shu points. If obstruction is felt, one clenches the teeth, places the mind at the nape of the neck, and draws upward thirty-six times, until one feels the yuzhen (a pass at the back of the head) and the niwan (a symbolic name for the central palace of the head) become open and clear.

The lower lip is then drawn over the upper lip with a little force, until one feels Qi descend from the niwan into the depths of the nasal cavity. At this point one need only let the tongue rest lightly against the palate—that is, “joining the heavenly bridge” (da tianqiao; the practice of touching the tongue to the upper palate)—without exerting force. The mind is placed where the tongue makes contact, awaiting the descent of the “sweet dew” (ganlu) spoken of in the scripture. One then gently contracts the nose and, with intention, guides the saliva to be swallowed and conveyed to the “jiangque” (a symbolic site within the body), where it pauses briefly.

Intention is next used to guide the breath backward and send it respectively to the left and right sides of the waist, rotating thirty-six times on each side; it is then drawn toward the navel, rotated first to the left thirty-six times and then to the right thirty-six times. The scripture says that at this point the abdomen will feel open and unobstructed. With both hands still placed below the navel, intention simultaneously guides the breath on the left and right sides to lift upward thirty-six times, until one feels a small amount of Qi enter the uterus, after which it is allowed to rest naturally for a short while.

The author says that this is the general method of cultivating the menses. Within it there remain loftier and more flexible instructions, which for the time being are not fitting to state openly; in sum, they come down to nothing other than “being still and empty while observing” (jixu er shi)—that is, letting the mind and Shen (spirit) grow quiet, empty, and luminous, and quietly watching the changes that arise.

In cultivation, if one feels a swirl of warm Qi (vital energy) in the uterus—here a part of the body is borrowed to indicate an inner aperture in the practice—one must all the more keep the “spring gate” (quanfei, the related inner aperture) tightly closed and not let it relax. What is most to be avoided is the rising of thoughts and the growth of attachment; the slightest stirring of feeling may leave the whole body soft and tingling. One should therefore settle the mind and Shen (spirit) as quickly as possible and hold feeling and intention steady. Whether this can be done is the dividing line between the path of cultivating immortality and the ordinary path.

The commentary further reminds us that at this moment one must guard with care and must not grow negligent. If the aperture loosens even slightly, true Qi—the inner Jing (essence) and Qi—will leak outward. Should strong trembling and itching then arise and one fail to settle mind and spirit, one may sink into sexual desire; by then, even the wish to draw the thoughts back in may come too late. Elder Taixu (Taixuweng) says, “The method lies only in holding firm at the back; only then can the feelings be made steady.” Otherwise the aperture opens completely, and Jing and Qi pour out like flowing water.

One should then quickly quiet the mind and wait in stillness until the uterus returns to calm. The phrase “the treasure returns to the Northern Sea and rests securely” means storing the precious Jing and Qi safely in the “Northern Sea” (Beihai, a Daoist cultivation term for the place within the body where Jing and Qi are laid up).

At this point one must quickly quiet the mind and sustain this for a time, calmly waiting for the “uterus” (zigong) to settle and grow stable. What is spoken of here is exactly what Wei Yuanjun meant by “the treasure returns to the North Sea, resting secure and sound.”

Yet this is still only the yellow leaf used to stop the crying for the moment. One must on no account mistake it for the embryo having already formed.

Commentary. The “Sea of Awareness” (Juehai) here is the South Sea (Nanhai). The “uterus,” then, is the North Sea (Beihai), situated to the north of the “Central Yellow” (Zhonghuang) in the middle of the body. The Qi (vital energy) referred to here corresponds to the locus of “the yellow center communicating with principle” (huangzhong tongli) in the Zhouyi (Book of Changes). In distinguishing north and south, one must take front and back as north and south, and must not judge by the directions of above and below. Wei Yuanjun’s words may also serve as corroborating evidence, and so one must wait quietly until the uterus is stable before the work of practice may cease.

Cultivation at this stage must be carried on while the body is quiet. Beginning from the presence of the “Red Dragon” (Chilong) and continuing through the series of methods that follow the “slaying of the dragon” (zhanlong), the practice should in every case be pursued with caution and stillness. If one acts carelessly, all the work done before will be lost. This is why it is said that “from here, immortal and mortal divide.”

What this stage depicts is the complete “round image” (yuanying), that is, the so-called “return to the origin and reversion to the root” (huanyuan fanben). When cultivation reaches the forming of the embryo, the mysterious scenery is already present. What is meant here, however, is the supreme treasure refined and returned within one’s own heaven, earth, and Five Phases (Wuxing; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). It still belongs to the “lesser return and lesser reversion,” and may be obtained by practicing daily or at any time. The “one grain and then another” spoken of in the Dan Shu (Elixir Scriptures) refers to precisely this supreme treasure.

This stage therefore uses the “yellow leaf” as its figure. Yet the oral instructions and methods it gives for gathering, for firing and refining, and for leading the treasure back to rest in safety in fact present in full the profound and marvelous process of the “greater reversion.” They should be carefully pondered, and must not be passed over in haste.

The fifth section discusses “returning,” that is, restoring the original foundation. The scripture says that among women in the world, some have grown old and yet have not ceased menstruating, while others have already stopped menstruating at only forty-five or forty-six. All of them ought to cultivate, so that the body is restored to a condition like that of a virgin. The method spoken of here is the method of the first four sections, except that the movement originally directed upward is changed to one directed forward and downward, so that the breath flows toward the “stream-sea” (a veiled term in the scripture for a part of the body).

When swallowing the sweet dew (the saliva spoken of in cultivation), one may only hold and swallow it one mouthful at a time, and must not send it down. With the hands one then massages the breasts and the “breast stream”: first turning left thirty-six times, then right thirty-six times, until a warm, moist flowing sensation is felt between the breasts and the breast stream. One next massages the two breasts separately, slowly thirty-six times and quickly thirty-six times; light pressure comes first and heavy pressure afterward, and each manner is likewise performed thirty-six times. The scripture gives the total number of these movements as “one hundred and forty-four.”

The cultivator will feel true Qi (vital energy) pervading between the two breasts and the breast stream, and a cool liquid welling up like a spring from both places and flowing toward the “Southern Sea” (a term of Daoist Neidan, or internal alchemy, referring to a specific place within the body). One then waits with a quiet mind, and must not let thought draw it toward either side of the waist. One need only set aside every thought in the Central Palace (a Neidan term for the center of cultivation within the body), and need not rely on a partner for guidance, but simply let the breath spread of itself. In this way, the whole body will feel clear, harmonious, and at peace.

If one can persevere every day, weakness will gradually turn to vigor, aging will gradually turn to robustness, and even the elderly will little by little regain a youthful condition, with a ruddy complexion. The two breasts will gradually draw in until they resemble those of a virgin, and between them a form like a peach stone will gradually take shape. The scripture says that within a hundred days the tiangui (menstruation) will change to the color of rouge water; three days later, if one again cultivates according to the methods of the first four sections, neither adding nor altering any step, one can cause the Crimson Dragon (a term of Daoist cultivation, here referring to menstruation) to cease once more. Only when cultivation reaches the point at which the “Infant Sun and Moon” appear as a pair of rings, however, can one be said to have truly attained something.

The commentary says that the Daoist Canon records that some elderly women still have “messenger water” (the commentary’s term for menstruation). The text that follows, however, is repetitive and incomplete, and its meaning cannot be fully determined. It still mentions “adding without changing,” the Crimson Dragon ceasing once more, and the “Infant Sun and Moon” appearing as a double ring as what alone counts as true attainment.

A careful examination of the statement in the Daoist canon that “elderly women still have xinshui” shows that this xinshui is not ordinary menstruation, but the fluids transformed from food and drink. The scripture (Jing) holds that these fluids, heated and refined by what is popularly called “ministerial fire,” become something no longer governed by the liver and spleen; at times they turn into symptoms such as intestinal bleeding, red leukorrhea, or the upward reversal of menstrual blood. All such symptoms are forms of bodily depletion. The method of treatment should therefore be the same as when menstruation ceases prematurely: first regulate, nourish, and restore the body; only after it has recovered to a state resembling that of an unmarried woman may one undertake the cultivation known as “severing the dragon.”

A further examination of the expression “de jian” shows that the character jian should be read as xian, meaning the manifestation of signs. Only when the mind is quiet and the body settled do the signs appear. Xian and jian are connected in meaning, yet their implications may be shallow or deep, and the passage must not be read carelessly.

If the “Sixth Item of the Orthodox Path of Women’s Cultivation” is called “the breasts,” it is because the breasts communicate upward with the fluids transformed by the heart and lungs and connect downward with the deeper Qi (vital energy) and blood; this statement, too, must not be treated lightly.

Note: “Ministerial fire” is a term in traditional medicine referring to a kind of fire-Qi within the body; “severing the dragon” is a specialized expression in women’s Neidan (internal alchemy).

The sixth section of what is called the Proper Path of Female Cultivation is titled “The Breasts.” It says that the breasts receive from above the fluids of the heart and lungs, and connect below with the Jing (essence) and blood in the Sea of Blood. When cultivation brings the form of the breasts to resemble that of a virgin or a child, this is called “a woman exchanging for a male body,” meaning that the practitioner takes the body to have shifted from a female state toward a male one. The methods used remain, for the most part, within the scope of the fourth and fifth sections above. For a woman, blood is the root. The main point of this section is to refine the red so that it returns to white, yet it also takes care lest that root be depleted, and therefore sets out the method of “refining fluid and transforming it into blood.”

To turn the fluids into blood, the key lies in “dew upon dew retained at the pass”: one lets the intention of Shen (spirit) gaze upon the paired passes—the two apertures spoken of in cultivation—so that the viscous fluid stored in those apertures gradually melts, flows, and gathers, like a stream returning to the sea. Blood arising in this way becomes abundant. The essential knack is given in the fifth section.

If one wishes the blood to return from red to white, one may fix the intention on the “stream-chamber,” the cultivation site named in the text, clench the teeth, and concentrate on maintaining emptiness and stillness. Qi (vital energy) will then return into the stream and arrive at the chamber. At the same time, the two hands separately knead the two breasts, first slowly and then quickly, first lightly and then heavily, for one hundred and forty-four strokes in all. Qi thereby gathers all the more vigorously. One then draws the intention backward and sends it separately into the two sides of the waist, and with the gaze and the intention of Shen guides the Qi as it revolves to left and right, so that it converges at the chamber. One then takes seventy-two breaths in all, until the breath feels warm, like the heat of moxibustion. One further uses the intention to guide the breath as it circles about, without a set number of times, until the lower region feels as if it were boiling.

The red then turns into a fresh white and is converted into breath. It passes through the lü, the lower aperture, ascends along the spine, crosses the occipital region—the area at the back of the head—and penetrates to the valley, the aperture so named in the text. At this point the inner vision may display the “Three Mountains and the Mysterious Garden,” an image of an immortal realm in Daoist writings. The practitioner should not cling to these scenes, however, but should at once concentrate wholly on forgetting thought and forgetting the scene. One then enters a dim and obscure state, as if night were falling.

The practitioner need only keep watch in quiet. After a time, sights like lightning and thunder may appear before the eyes. Fluids surge forth like dew and fill the Huachi—the name, in Daoist internal cultivation, for the mouth—so abundantly that they are hard to swallow. The fluids then of themselves flow past the pass and reach the navel, and the whole body feels clear, fresh, and at ease. After this one should still keep still and observe.

If one continues in this way for a hundred days without interruption, breasts of the solid kind become flat, like those of a child, while breasts of the hollow kind become full, like a walnut, and in form like those of a virgin. On this account, attaining the flatness of a child means that the work of “transforming the white” is complete; attaining the form of a virgin means that the work of “transforming the red” is complete.

In this lineage, not a few have cultivated by this method and found it confirmed. Among them, Fenggu once wrote a poem that may serve as an illustration. The poem says: “Left sun and right moon join as one Yin and one Yang (Yin-Yang); employing the breath of the nose and circulating it within the body is called moving the Gang. If one wishes Yin and Yang to return to sun and moon, one holds the true fire in both hands and kneads the two breasts.” Those who receive this method should practice it with diligence.

A careful note: the Double Pass lies in front of the spine and behind the palace position. Within the pass are two acupoints, the places where muddy fluid accumulates in the body: the left is called “Gao,” and the right is called “Huang.” The power of medicine can scarcely reach them, and true Qi (vital energy)—the genuine Qi within the human body—cannot arrive there of its own accord. They are therefore called the “Double Pass.”

The “fluid” spoken of here is called “mud” because it looks like a liquid yet is not a liquid in the ordinary sense. It originates as the bodily fluids produced by the transformation of food and drink. A portion of it travels with Qi to the lungs and is then dispersed throughout the body, moistening the channels and collaterals; what is referred to is in fact one and the same substance. When true Qi in the body is abundant, this substance can be transformed as it passes through the body and exert inexhaustible effects. When true Qi is weak, it cannot be transformed, yet its flow through the organs and the channels and collaterals is not necessarily harmful. Only under the influence of the Qi of ultimate Yin does it congeal into muddy fluid: it resembles Jing (essence) and Qi, yet it is not Jing and Qi, and it blocks the pathways of Qi. Muddy fluid most readily lodges in the Double Pass and the Lower Pole, and of these the place where the harm is gravest and most evident is the Double Pass, because true Qi cannot reach there by itself.

Once muddy fluid has accumulated, it is like the ice and snow of Kunyin, which will not melt even through the three fu, the hottest days of summer. Although the “Ji-Earth Heart-Gang,” a protective power rooted in the mind and Shen (spirit), stands guard, there is safety when Shen is vigorous and danger when Shen declines. Cultivators of antiquity who understood this therefore transmitted the method of “Gathering Shen to Heat the Pass,” yet few in the world have ever heard of it. Probably only Fengzhen knew it, practiced it, found it confirmed, and also wrote the experience into poetry; her account is therefore cited here as corroboration.

If one examines Fengzhen’s experience of cultivation, however, her careful practice and the results she obtained also depended on the prior knack of keeping the mind empty, still, and quietly settled. Only when the mind is empty and still can Shen return to the body and true Qi flourish; then, together with the method of “Infusing the Stream and Kneading the Chambers,” the muddy fluid can melt, surge out of the Double Pass, and reach the place called “Yangcheng” to undergo refining and transformation. This is the wondrous function of being and non-being working in concert.

A further note: the left side of the breasts communicates with the liver, and the right side with the lungs; the “stream” communicates with the heart, the kidneys, and the spleen. In cultivation, therefore, one should contemplate and concentrate on them at set times. In daily life, however, it is enough to maintain them as if with intention and yet without intention. For a woman’s root of life takes the heart as its foundation: by way of the middle line of the Kun trigram of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), it becomes the Li trigram, with true fire concealed within. Blood, though, must be generated in cool stillness; when blood and Qi are abundant, Shen is at peace, and so emptiness, stillness, and quiet concentration should be applied. This is a crucial point for treating illness and nourishing life, restoring original Qi, and advancing toward attainment of the Dao (the Way). In particular, one should practice the “method of the three contemplations” of the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness (Qingjing Jing); only this is the fitting course.

The seventh section discusses “Jade Liquid” (Yuye). Men’s cultivation begins with clarity and stillness. Once practice has reached a certain level, one sets the “River Cart” (Heche) in motion—a method in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) for transporting Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy)—so that true Jing becomes abundant and does not leak outward from the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan). One then causes it to travel upward in reverse to the crown of the head, sprinkle down like dew upon the Heavenly Valley (Tiangu, the region at the crown), and, brimming full, flow into the Flower Pool (Huachi, where the fluids of the mouth gather). This too is called “Jade Liquid.”

If cultivation reaches the point at which the Yin Shen (spirit) manifests, the hun soul roams the Jade Prefecture (Yufu), and the po soul pays court to the Imperial Perfected (Dizhen), with a circle of light covering the crown, the Mysterious Sea (Xuanhai, a site of cultivation within the body) surging like a tide, and the sound shaking Jade Clarity (Yuqing, the Qingwei Heaven spoken of in Daoism), only then is this the true realm of the return of the Jade Liquid elixir. The Perfected of antiquity called it “anointing the crown with ghee” (tihu guanding).

The Jade Liquid of women’s cultivation is the transformation of “Red Dragon Liquid” (Chilong ye) into “White Phoenix Marrow” (Baifeng sui). Only after the White Phoenix Marrow is abundant can one undertake cultivation by reverse flow; otherwise one merely acts in vain. Although the method discussed here does not depart from what is said in the fourth section, its subtle meaning can be grasped only by following the sixth section. If one can accomplish these things, the efficacy of cultivation may be endless. This is what the worthies of former times said: “One grain after another—used in cultivation, how could there be an end? After the true seed has been obtained, this matter still requires effort.”

As for how to make the Jing and marrow abundant and attain what cultivation seeks, the key lies in restraining stray thoughts and rendering the mind empty and still. Those who receive this method should apply themselves.

[Respectful note: This section should cite the Immortal Maiden Cui’e’s own account as commentary. In that account she says: “In the past, when I cultivated the reverted elixir (huandan), I had to apply effort according to the method.”]

I cautiously believe that this passage should be annotated with a first-person account by the Immortal Maiden Cui’e. She said:

“In the past, when I cultivated the Reverted Elixir (huandan; a term of Daoist Neidan, or internal alchemy, referring to the practice of refining Jing, or essence, Qi, or vital energy, and Shen, or spirit, and condensing the inner elixir), the method I adopted at the outset was this: forget the person who cultivates, and forget the method being cultivated; when the moment arrived, carry out the work by following the situation as it arose. In this way I gradually forgot that I was cultivating, and simply went on in accord with what is natural. From one day to the next, I forgot the days one by one, and forgot the hours as well; in the end, it seemed as though even Heaven and Earth no longer existed.

After a long time, I suddenly became clear-headed, as if I had gained some insight. I listened quietly and looked quietly, yet I had completely forgotten what I was doing. I only felt as though something were burning within my body, and then a substance like oil or fat appeared. It was boundless, seeming at once to have sound and to be soundless; now it flowed, now it stopped, and now it surged and gushed forth. Sometimes it hung like a snow-white silk ribbon; sometimes it was as clear as a frozen lake. Neither the time nor the place of its appearance was fixed, yet my eyes did not grow dizzy, nor did my spirit grow weary.

Suddenly, within this visionary state, I saw and heard all manner of things, and was nearly led astray in mind and nature by them. Even then I could still remind myself: ‘Do not be enticed by external things.’ I then thought further: ‘Heaven, Earth, and I are originally one. Turning back to observe myself, my body is probably the same. If the principle is truly so on the outside, it ought to be so on the inside as well; if it is truly so on the inside, it must also be so on the outside.’

I therefore examined myself, and found that there was no fixed, unchanging ‘I.’ Only after long contemplation in stillness did the ‘I’ appear. Yet when I wished to press this inward reflection still further, I could find no entrance. All at once I seemed to awaken from a dream, and sensed that the lower and deepest part of my body was as hot as if it were being treated by moxibustion, with a sound like thunder. The sounds of wind and tide rose from there. In an instant, Qi passed through the perineum (huiyin), ascended along the spine, crossed the occipital bone, and reached the Niwan (Mud Pellet) at the crown of the head, as if sweet dew were pouring down, and finally flowed out through the nose.

The Flower Pool (huachi; a Neidan term referring to the oral cavity) filled with water that I could not finish swallowing. Before long, the fluids had already surged into the Nanyang (here referring to a site of cultivation within the body), then flowed into the waist, circled the navel, and passed through smelting and refinement. From this it can be known that Heaven and Earth communicate with the inside and outside of the body: as it is externally, so it is internally—this is indeed the case. At that time I still cultivated according to the ordinary sequence, and only brought the work to a close after the course of practice was complete.”

Such is the general sense. The immortal maiden’s own account speaks entirely of the transformative work of Neidan. Inferring from this, she must in ordinary times first have devoted herself to cultivating emptiness and stillness, and only afterward advanced further into the state of forgetting the self and forgetting the method. I believe this passage may be used to corroborate that what is spoken of here is indeed a method of cultivation.

The eighth section discusses “embryonic breathing” (taixi): a state in cultivation in which the breath settles into what is deep and subtle, as if a fetus were breathing in the mother’s womb. Embryonic breathing is regarded as a way of reaching the Dao (the Way), and as a ladder leading toward the path of immortality.

After a woman has cultivated to the reverted elixir (huandan)—the stage in Neidan (internal alchemy) at which Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) gather and are transformed—her Jing and Qi are abundant, and she comes to stand in the same condition as a man. Even without specially practicing embryonic breathing, she can draw nearer each day to the realm of emptiness.

The efficacy of this method of breathing is boundless, yet the oral instructions for cultivating it are extremely brief. Not everyone who practices it, however, reaches the same realm; the differences are indeed great. This is not something the Creator has deliberately arranged. The arising of the myriad things, too, depends in each case on its own causes and conditions.

The practitioner first quiets himself, attends closely to the breath at the nose, and gives rise to no thoughts, continuing the practice morning and evening. If one day he finds his way to the “ancestral aperture” (zuqiao)—regarded in Neidan cultivation as the crucial place where the workings of Qi meet and transformation occurs—it opens of itself. There is no need to summon it deliberately, nor any need to reject it. Breath and the breathing of the nose seem to join of their own accord, vast without limit and profound beyond fathoming. At that moment one can no longer tell whether the ancestral aperture is oneself or oneself is the ancestral aperture. Ancient cultivators called this state of unified breathing through the nose embryonic breathing.

Yin-Yang, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and Heaven, Earth, human beings, and all things all arise from this aperture. The breath changes with stimulus and response; circumstances and the mechanisms of Qi answer one another, and thus the six classes of immortal affiliation take form—Heaven, Water, Earth, human, Shen (spirit), and ghost (practitioners of different levels and the stations to which they belong). The essential point of cultivation lies in reaching the deepest emptiness and stillness.

When one’s virtue, De (Virtue/Power), is cultivated in accord with the “True One,” one becomes a celestial immortal; in accord with the “Mysterious One,” a water immortal; in accord with the “Steadfast One,” an earthly immortal; in accord with the “Essential One,” a human immortal. In the two ranks below these, when virtue is cultivated in accord with the “Emotional One,” those in whom Yang Qi predominates become Shen, and those in whom Yin Qi predominates become ghosts. The station of attainment gained by a good person still cannot be called that of a true immortal.

That these realms stand higher or lower has its source in the fact that circumstances and responses differ. Even if one says that this comes of natural endowment, is it not also what one has oneself chosen to cultivate to completion? The practitioner ought to strive.

Consider carefully the meaning of this section: the method of embryonic breathing is indeed the ladder by which one reaches the Dao and ascends the path of immortality. How could one fail to cultivate it with effort?

The ninth section of what is called the “Proper Path of Female Cultivation” is titled “Namo.” What is said here is that, if a woman engaged in cultivation wishes to reach perfection, nothing surpasses the Great Being (here referring to Guanyin Bodhisattva). After the practitioner has been steeped in ascetic practice and has cultivated and verified the Dao (the Way) of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the key lies in the two words “Namo,” which contain a profound principle.

The cultivator must realize and hold fast to the truth that “this very body is the Buddha,” and settle the self so that it stands firm, like a crystalline and majestic seven-story pagoda (a Buddhist stupa), securely upon Putuo Rock. Before the seat is the Red Boy, symbolizing the chief of the cognitive Shen (spirit)—the activity of human consciousness and thought. Let him travel east and south in search of instruction, passing through fifty-three visits of study; each time he is able to see the Buddha, and every kind of doubt and difficulty becomes clear. Next, relying on the Dragon Girl of the Southern Sea, who offers up with both hands the mysterious pearl of sovereign ease, one then uses the Purple Bamboo Grove to screen off external conditions and lets the white parrot fly up and down at will. Holding the pure vase, one sets a willow branch in it and gathers the water of natural sweet dew.

Seated at ease upon Putuo Rock, the cultivator employs the method of “duoluo,” placing the single character “om” where true intention resides, gathering the supreme treasure and putting it into the fish basket; reciting “jialuofaduo,” one lets all the afflictions and conditions of suffering in the world (the “Saha”) sink into the Southern Sea. However the waves may roll upon the sea, one need only contemplate with ease and keep the mind inwardly settled.

This whole method of cultivation cannot be separated from the internal practice discussed in the fourth section; in particular, every breath must take up the preceding stage of cultivation, returning step by step to true emptiness and true stillness. When the work of cultivation is brought to completion, one can meet the Great Being’s gaze and smile, the mind peaceful and harmonious, as if already interfused with her.

Those who receive and uphold this method should practice it with diligence.

The appended note says: this section speaks specifically of completing cultivation by borrowing the “work of transformation.” The meaning can only be grasped in the mind and need not be explained at length in words; one has only to cultivate and uphold “Namo” with earnest diligence, realize and hold to “this very body is the Buddha,” and make the mind lively, flexible, and penetrating, unbound by external things.

“Being Careful about the End” is the title of the tenth section of the Nüxiu Zhengtu (Correct Path of Women’s Cultivation). Here it is said that women possess the De (Virtue/Power) of Kun, symbolizing the Dao (the Way) of the earth. The earth claims no credit for itself, yet it can carry on and bring to completion the birth, nurture, and transformation of the myriad things; women, too, ought in the full light of day to assist the growth of all things and the peace of society.

This practice is to be entered through emptiness, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action). It costs no money and requires no strenuous effort; one need only sit quietly and nurture oneself, and attainment can be reached step by step. Others may not perceive it, yet De of this kind can accord with the nurturing transformation of heaven and earth. In other words, it is a matter of regulating and treating the affairs of the world by cultivating oneself.

In concrete terms, what is essential in cultivation is to regulate the mind and to make one’s state of mind empty and still. When nurturing has brought the breast to clarity and stillness, it is as though the capital of heaven were at peace; when the Kun abdomen—the site of cultivation symbolizing the abdomen—is open and unobstructed, it is as though the people lived in abundance; when the Qi (vital energy) and blood of the four limbs flow freely, it is as though the four quarters were at peace. When the body is harmonized, one is oneself secure; only when one is secure can one help the conditions of the age toward stability. The two respond to each other, and so even a moment of pure harmony is already a moment of genuine De. Even if no result can be seen for the time being, results will still arise from this.

The only worry is that the foundation of study and practice is not yet mature, and that the three fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers) commonly spoken of in Daoist cultivation—have not yet been linked through. If one has not yet brought oneself into harmony, it is difficult truly to possess the capacity to aid the world. The sole formula of cultivation is perseverance: apply oneself every morning and evening; when others practice it once, practice it a hundred times; when others practice it ten times, practice it a thousand times. In this way, even one who is dull at the start will in the end come to understand. Those who receive this method ought to cultivate it with effort.

[Respectful note] This section is said to be what the Queen Mother of the West conferred a second time upon the whole commandery. Following the “Great Dao of Healing the World” orally imparted by the Divine Mother of Jade Clarity, the Nondual Primordial Lady included it as the final section of the older transmitted text, to serve as the conclusion of the whole book. This has been called a rare and splendid event since heaven and earth were first opened. Patriarch Lü regarded it as a blessing of creative transformation; the Primordial Lady regarded it as the time when the fortunes of the Dao ought to flourish anew. From this it can be seen that they placed great hopes on later students, wishing that those who obtain this book would encourage one another.