《证道一贯真机易简录》Vol. 4

Patriarch Lü said: "Nourish the root of a person with essential jing and qi, then nourish the shen with the qi of that root. Beyond this, there is no other true method."

The Maiwang says: "At the beginning, when laying the foundation of cultivation, one must set aside all deluded thoughts and stop clinging to the self and to external things. Concentrate and gather the breath, soften the shen, then withdraw the shen inward and look back upon oneself. When the practice of sitting still and entering samadhi has been carried on for a long time, the mind becomes like still water, without a ripple. When the ordinary breath comes to a stop, the inner true breath begins to move of its own accord. One feels only a single thought rising from the center of the head, flowing on unbroken and whole, and when stillness reaches its extreme it seems about to stir. At this moment the 'single gateway of the Mysterious Pass' (xuanguan yiqiao, a term in inner alchemy for the critical point of body and mind) naturally appears. It is so vast that there is no outside, and so small that there is no inside. On entering, nothing accumulates; on departing, nothing is lost. This is called the 'true embryonic breathing' (zhen taixi, a term in Daoist inner alchemy for the deep breathing state held to arise naturally in cultivation)."

Zhuangzi says: "Let the mind wander at ease in the realm of tranquil simplicity, let the breath merge with emptiness and stillness, follow the natural dispositions of all things, and harbor no private intentions, and the world will be at peace."

Zhuangzi says: "If mechanical cleverness and calculation dwell in the heart, the pure and clear nature cannot be cultivated to completeness. When the nature is incomplete, the spirit cannot settle; when the spirit is unsettled, the Dao will not come to rest within it."

Zhuangzi says: "When the form is whole and the jing and qi are restored, one can become one with Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth are the parents of all things: when they gather, forms come into being, and when they scatter, things return to their origin. When the form and the jing and qi are undiminished, transformation becomes possible. When the essence is refined yet further, it can in turn assist the Way of Heaven."

Zhuangzi says: "The qi of utmost yin is solemn and deep, and the qi of utmost yang is blazing and bright. The solemn qi issues from Heaven, and the bright, flourishing qi emerges from Earth. When the yin and yang qi interact and harmonize, the myriad things are born and transformed."

Zhuangzi further says: "When attention is undivided, the spirit gathers." He also says: "When the innate guarding is complete and the spirit has no gaps, where could external things find a way in?" And he says: "All the myriad things, in the end, are but one and the same qi."

Master Shangyang said: "To cultivate oneself, one must first possess good virtue (De). Virtue can move Heaven and Earth and can also respond to ghosts and spirits. Only by holding fast to body and mind in this way may one refine the innate Qi (xiantian zhi qi, the vital energy that precedes conscious thought and biological activity) and the True Unity Lead (zhenyi zhi qian, the term in Neidan for the substance condensed from refined essence). These two are the supreme treasures of cultivation. Once these conditions are met, one may undertake the practice of "one time, two phases" (yi shi er hou, the refining and circulating of energy carried out according to timing and stage in Neidan cultivation)."

The Jinshi Gao says: "Nourish the Dantian (energy center) quickly, and regulate the body quickly. One should accumulate hidden virtue and aid the common people. If in this life you do not seek to liberate yourself from this body, in what lifetime will you ever be able to liberate yourself?"

Chen Xiyi said: "If one preserves the Yang essence (Jing) within the body, longevity is certain."

Li Xu'an said: "Once the Yang Gate is closed, everyone can attain longevity. When the essence and Qi are abundant, the Yang Gate closes naturally, and the essence no longer leaks out through the essence orifice. How can one know that the essence and Qi are sufficient, that they have transformed into Qi and will no longer escape? Chongxu Zi said: 'When quiet cultivation has refined Qi, the moment to stop the fire will appear.' This is the sign that the essence no longer discharges as seminal fluid, meaning that the essence orifice no longer functions as a channel of leakage. Only when there is no essence orifice and no leakage is the work truly complete."

The Qiaoyao Ge says: "The three leads have been reached by means of only one lead, yet the Golden Elixir (jin dan) and the immortal sprout (the fresh Qi that symbolizes renewal in Neidan practice) have not yet appeared. One must set up the cauldron (lu ding, a symbolic term in Neidan) once more, re-establish the foundation of practice, mount the tiger and ride the dragon (symbolizing the union of Yin and Yang, the mutual aid of Dragon and Tiger), and leave the mundane realm behind."

The Tianxian Zhengli says: "When breath is calm and essence returns, this is called laying the foundation and reaching non-leakage. If leakage remains, the foundation for the embryonic spirit (tai shen, the 'sacred embryo' that the Neidan tradition describes as formed by the condensation of the primordial spirit) cannot be established. The so-called 'true self' is our original face, which is another name for the primordial spirit and the nature."

The Tianxian Zhengli also says: "The hundred days of laying the foundation and refining essence into Qi are only a general outline. Some people complete the transformation and have sufficient Qi within seventy or eighty days, while others do so within fifty or sixty days. Those who are diligent and free of error find it easier, and so do the young."

Tianxian Zhengli (Principles of the Celestial Immortal) says: "The initial stage of cultivation (chu guan) in internal alchemy (Neidan) is the refining of Jing into Qi (lian jing hua qi), transforming essential vitality into primal energy. Once Jing has been depleted, it must be replenished through gathering and refining (cai lian). When Jing returns to Qi and the Qi is full, the true Qi (zhen qi), the 'great medicine' (da yao) of cultivation, begins to form. If the practitioner is already advanced in years, the work cannot be confined to one hundred days. The time required therefore divides into two kinds: 'within the term' (qi nei) and 'beyond the term' (qi wai). 'Within the term' means completing the work within a set period. My teacher Cao, for example, reached this stage in fifty days, while others required seventy or eighty days before true Qi was produced. As for myself, it took two and a half months to fill my primal energy, and at first I spent an additional month in preparatory conditioning and practice. 'Beyond the term' may take two hundred or three hundred days; it cannot be determined in advance."

Tianxian Zhengli also says: "Those who cultivate should first refine pure De (Virtue) in the daily affairs of human relationships (renlun riyong). They must also revere a true teacher, carefully choose worthy friends, and devote themselves wholeheartedly to practice. In this way, progress can be counted by the days and gradually reach accomplishment."

Master Chongxuzi said: "In the wanli renyin year (1602), I first attempted a hundred-day seclusion, refining Jing (essence) into Qi (vital energy) at home. The first month was devoted to regulating the breath, and the second to diligent practice. When the time came, the Shen (spirit) would become aware of it on its own. I turned the handle of the Dipper, using the Big Dipper's handle to stand for the regulation of the fire timing (huohou) in internal cultivation, and silently considered the World-Honored One's (the Buddha's) account of awakening upon seeing the morning star. I found that it accorded with my own experience of practice. From then on, I circulated the Qi three to five times a night. Later I reached seven or eight circuits, and then more than ten, and my efforts gradually developed until they continued unbroken through the whole night. Once the fire timing was sufficient, signs appeared that the fire should be stopped. The method of stopping the fire took about two months more, so the whole process took roughly three months, and then I refined the Great Medicine (dayao), an important stage of internal alchemy (neidan). The ancients' saying 'laying the foundation in a hundred days' is indeed true."

"Earlier, when Master Huanyang began his cultivation, he had just turned thirty. His spirit was clear and his primal Qi was abundant. He practiced diligently in the quiet of deep night, and in less than fifty days his fire timing was sufficient. He gathered the Great Medicine in only five days. Afterward six kinds of signs appeared: a golden light in the eyes, the breath stirring in the nose, a wind seeming to rise behind the ears, a sound like the cry of an eagle from the back of the head, a sense of bodily leaping, and a fire pearl seeming to race through the Dantian (the energy center below the navel), surging upward and downward. When these signs appeared, the fire pearl naturally had the wondrous ability to open the passages."

Master Chiyang said: "Deep cultivation requires that one carefully maintain the hundred days, dwelling in a quiet room. Outwardly, be unattached; inwardly, be free of thought. Let the body be still like withered wood and the mind calm like cold ash, letting all distracting thoughts cease until one merges with emptiness. Use a mind as swift as lightning as the means, and practice diligently day and night. After three to five days, the mind will naturally settle, the breath will harmonize, and the heart will be filled with joy."

Tao Suisi said: "When the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars all shine back upon the body, and the mind does not scatter outward, then when the spirit gathers, the Qi harmonizes. When Jing is held within, Qi naturally arises from without. In this way one refines Jing into Qi, and the Qi flows into the three palaces of the upper, middle, and lower (the three locations named in internal cultivation). When the Qi is abundant and the root is firm, the Jing no longer leaks outward, and the Foundation-Building (zhuji) is complete."

Patriarch Niwan (Nìwán Zǔ) said: "Cultivation begins by clinging to visible form and ends in the realm of formlessness. Refine Jing (essence) into Qi (vital energy), then return the Qi to its root. When the root of Qi condenses into Shen (spirit), one can truly be said to have attained wuwei (non-action) and spiritual penetration."

The Maiwang says: "If one truly obtains the true lead, refines it over the yang fire, and firmly establishes the foundation, then one can nourish the Qi and replenish the Jing. Next, one gathers medicinals to subdue the yin essence and transform it into true mercury. This gradually harmonizes and smooths the flow of energy and moistens the skin, and in this way the work of refining the self (liànjǐ, the cultivation of one's own mind-nature and body-mind condition) becomes skilled. Once the refining of the self is mature, the six sense roots of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind all come to rest, and only then can one reach the state of 'obtaining the One' (dé yī)."

The Maiwang continues: "The subtle grasp of the timing between the sequential transformations represented by Ding and Ren is precisely the fire control (huǒhòu), meaning the mastery of timing and degree in the process of refinement and nourishment."

Master Shao (Shào Zǐ) said: "The divine intelligence of Heaven appears in the sun, and the divine intelligence of humanity appears in the eyes. How significant it is that human shen appears in the eyes! Wherever the gaze goes, the mind's spirit follows. Therefore, the method of inner cultivation is to fix the gaze on the tip of the nose, turn the nose toward the navel, and lead the heart fire down into the Qihai (the Dantian region below the navel). This can be accomplished in but a moment."

Bai Yuchan (Bái Yùchán) said: "One should first practice entering stillness, gathering the spirit, restraining anger, and moderating desire, so that water and fire come into harmony. When water and fire are harmonized, metal and wood unite; when metal and wood unite, the true earth returns to its proper position; and when the true earth returns to its position, the Golden Elixir (Jīndān) naturally grows to the size of a millet grain. Each day one more grain is refined, so that Shen returns to Qi and Qi is replenished anew, until it eventually fills heaven and earth."

Zhang Sanfeng (Zhāng Sānfēng), in the Essentials of the Golden Elixir (Jīndān Jiéyào), said: "First select three to five treasure cauldrons, each weighing sixteen or seventeen taels, with one weighing fourteen taels being especially good. The vessels must be fine-grained, smooth, and bright. Those with decoration may be used, while those without are unsuitable. Place them in a quiet chamber enclosed by curtains, without regard to day or night. Two people sit facing each other, presenting two scenes. First strike the bamboo to lure the turtle, then play the qin to harmonize the tone, each performed three times. Only then should the intentions be brought into accord, and the killing trigger (shājī) immediately activated, without letting it run unchecked."

When the appointed time arrives and the tides correspond with the rising position of the moon, one may begin to circulate the practice. Once ordinary lead (fanqian, the inner alchemy term for the yang essence-qi) is refined, the work is completed in an instant. After three or five refinements of ordinary lead, one can extend one's life by two or three hundred years. During the practice there are further subtle applications: drink the wine of the immortals, and do not pluck flowers that are about to wither. At leisure, stroke a lute without strings and slowly play a flute without holes. Such effort is exceedingly profound and subtle, yet if one practices with excessive haste, it proves harmful rather than beneficial.

The essential key to the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) lies entirely in the union of shen (spirit) and yi (intention), and the mystery of the Jade Fluid (Yuye) has no other marvelous method. Therefore it is said that gathering medicine is easy, while refining the self is the most difficult. One must ensure that the mind-spirit is luminous and harmonious, that stray thoughts subside, and that the heart-mind rests in stillness. When the work has been sustained for a hundred days, one may seize the transforming powers of the cosmic cycle. The Way of Returning the Elixir (huandan, the practice of returning inner alchemy to its root and origin) is nothing beyond this, and the work of grafting (zaijie, the method of increasing cultivation through the union of Yin and Yang) is no more than this as well. Yet vigorous and diligent advance readily produces results, while indolence and slackness make success difficult. This is indeed the crux of refining the self in the Jade Fluid, and also the key formula of forging the sword with gold and water (jin shui zhu jian), which refines the numinous mechanism within the body through internal practice.

The so-called Heavenly Sword is the pair of male and female swords within my own body, and no gold, silver, copper, or iron could forge them. They are the numinous root of Heaven and Earth and the ancestral bone of Yin-Yang, worn within the person from birth. At the beginning of the three-and-five stage (a specific moment in cultivation), the spirit-sword is sharp and clear, able to bend and extend, to yield and to be firm, passing between existence and non-existence, appearing and hiding in unfathomable ways. If Yin and Yang fall out of balance, the spirit-sword loses its keenness and firmness. When one reaches the fives-and-nines or the sixes-and-nines, the root-bones decay, and the sword can no longer remain responsive and sharp. How then could it become spiritually efficacious? Without this work of forging the sword, how could one attain the marvel of cultivating the perfected?

The scripture says: "A three-foot sword that comes and goes between existence and non-existence; a single pill that grants life without death." It also says: "A flying spirit-sword with two horns set apart; the returning elixir descends upon the edge of the blade." Only when the edge has been tempered can the numinous sword take flight and reach the sacred realm.

In cultivation, entering the chamber for focused practice (rushi zhuanxiu) is the most crucial step. One must select three fellow disciples who help and support one another, and rely on a wealthy, influential household as inner aid and outer protection. There one builds an alchemy chamber roughly ten feet square, with a golden image and a numinous Shen figure placed at the center. Within the chamber, lust and carnal attachments must be cut off, and the implements needed for the alchemical room must be fully prepared to meet the requirements of the medicinals.

Next, one journeys to the "Red Province of the Divine Land" (the ancient term for China) to seek an alchemical cauldron (danding) and a divine furnace. The number of vessels is said to be four or nine, matched according to generative relations. Roughly the "two-times-seven" is preferred, and "5,048" is the most marvelous. One must avoid the "five blemishes" (five kinds of faults in cultivation), keep body and mind pure, so that qi and spirit and form and complexion are all complete, and bone and flesh are in harmony. The scripture here again repeats its statements on number, on avoiding the five blemishes, and on harmonizing body and mind.

One may choose a spring or autumn day, select an auspicious hour, and enter a quiet chamber with fellow practitioners to perform the method of the "union of sun and moon." One concentrates on holding the breath and circulates the mechanism by which Qian and Kun open and close. Dragon and Tiger are made to move in parallel and guard the center, so that the "bellows-key" (tuoyue), a metaphor for the stirring action of the breath and the opening and closing of qi, becomes manifest, and distracting thoughts are dispelled. The mind should be as expansive as a spring day, and the intention as crisp and austere as autumn frost.

First, one tunes the "tiger string" and waits for a clear, pure sound to arise naturally. Then one blows the "dragon flute" and places it within the alchemical cauldron. Tuning the dragon and blowing the tiger, each reaching the count of "four-and-six," allows qi and Shen to join. This is both a method of foundation-building (establishing the basis of practice) and the work of refining the self (lianji), training one's own mind-nature and essence-qi. It is also called "extracting lead and adding mercury," an internal-alchemy term for regulating the yin and yang essence and qi in Neidan (internal alchemy).

Next, the dragon hooks the shoulders with its four wings, gathers both ends together, and presses against the liquid. The "two-times-seven" work in mutual support to let the breath flow through, and then one distinguishes sinking from floating and differentiates ingress from egress. Such transformations depend entirely on grasping the heavenly mechanism. On clear mornings one carefully guards the spirit, and day and night one remains alert and does not fall into drowsiness, so that the yuanyang (primordial vital energy) becomes firm and the foundation of practice secure. When the time is ripe, one gathers the dayao ("great medicine"), seeks the union of yin and yang, and thereby refines the dadan ("great elixir").

The Xianjian says: Shen (shén, spirit) has no fixed form and must take Qi (qì, vital energy, here the energy that sustains the body's life) as its substance. Jing (jīng, essence) also has no fixed shape and appears in response to the mind's intentions. If the mind is not settled, the Qi of the whole body churns like water boiling in a pot, scorched by fire, and cannot calm down. The Qi then scatters, the Shen is depleted, and Jing cannot form. Without Jing, one's nature (xìng, the innate character of the mind and person) grows dark and obscure. How, then, can one even attempt foundation-building (zhùjī, establishing the root of cultivation)?

The Xianfo Huizong Lunyu says: If living beings do not remove the mind of lust and the acts of lust, and constantly think of sexual intercourse, the mind will follow those thoughts into the sexual organs of a woman. When one is attached to desire and absorbed in external objects, even a practitioner with steady concentration, a wise mind, and firm precepts may occasionally give rise to such thoughts, but will immediately dispel them with a mind of caution and restraint.

The Buddha said: "If the mind of lust is not removed, one cannot transcend the mundane world."

Lady Wei of Mount Nan (Nányuè Wèi Fùrén) said: "To cultivate the Way of the Highest Perfected (shàngzhēn, the highest rank of immortals) with a mind of lust is to be struck from the Pure Palace roster, and one's registry of life will be examined and punished by the Three Officials (Sānguān: Heaven, Earth, and Water)."

Chen Xianwei said: When one encounters external things and finds oneself in various circumstances, one should gather the mind within a single breath (yīxī, the span of one breath) and no longer fall into the cycle of thoughts arising and passing away. In this way, one is not bound by rebirth and will not be born again.

The Perfected Wu Meng, in his Song of the Great Returning Elixir (Dàhuándān Gē), says: "I urge you, when refining the elixir, to understand the Tiger (a term of alchemy, often used to refer to Yang energy). When Yang meets Yin, the two naturally join and respond to each other. Over three hundred and sixty days, it is like condensing a pure and clear Qi. The Fair Maiden (another alchemical term, often used for Yin energy) becomes at last the root of long life."

Zhongli Ancestor said: "When a true man (dàzhàngfu) encounters a genuine secret formula, he must hold fast to it with firm resolve and an unyielding will."

Patriarch Zhongli said: "If, after a hundred days of careful protection that keeps the work from being damaged, the Jing (essence) and blood transform into a rich fluid, the body will become smooth and lustrous like silver. If the hundred days of practice incur no loss, the Jade Fluid will flow and nourish the body, giving rise to radiance. When the Qi (vital energy) within the body moves gently, unaffected by cold or heat, such a person may become an eminent adept in the supreme Dao."

The Analects of the Unity of Immortals and Buddhas says: "When the Hundred-Day Barrier is first worked, only a faint Yang energy begins to revive. Once the hundred days of effort are complete, the Foundation (zhuji, the root of cultivation) is established. Only then may one perform the Seven and a Half Days of Heavenly Mechanism, a particular method of Neidan (internal alchemy), after which the Great Medicine comes forth through gathering and refining. After passing through the Magpie Bridge (a Neidan term for the junction linking the Conception and Governing Vessels), one performs the key technique of the Five Dragons Offering Up the Sage, a method of guiding the breath, and only then may the Great Medicine be ingested."

The Analects of the Unity of Immortals and Buddhas says: "Let the inherent nature and the Primordial Spirit (yuanshen, the originating spirit that governs mental activity) regulate the breath, so that the breath becomes the fire-timing (huohou) of the Lesser Heavenly Circuit (xiao zhoutian, the Neidan term for the circulation of Qi within the body), used to steam and replenish the body. In this way the Primordial Qi is restored and made full, as it was at sixteen years of age."

The Analects also says: "Let the inherent nature and the Primordial Spirit regulate the breath, so that the breath becomes the fire-timing of the Lesser Heavenly Circuit, used to steam and replenish the body. When the Primordial Qi is restored to fullness and the body returns to the state of a sixteen-year-old youth, this is called the completion of the Foundation."

The poem of the True Man Huanyang says: "When one sees through the mysteries of how Heaven and Earth turn and transform, one knows that a single grain of Golden Elixir is enough to make a person a Celestial Immortal. Seeking the Dao does not require going deep into the mountains, for what is to be obtained lies before one's eyes. Amid busyness one must find leisure to refine the External Medicine; from emptiness one must bring forth substance, gathering the Primordial Qi. Trust in and recognize where the root of life lies, but the actual method of beginning the practice must still be transmitted orally."

The Analects of the Unity of Immortals and Buddhas says: "The two lines 'stealing leisure amid busyness' speak of the function of regulating the cauldron. The cauldron (ding, the body and mind on which refinement depends) must first be regulated until it is fully refined, and its essential principles fixed, before it can be used for gathering and refining."

Someone asked Chongxu Zi: "Yesterday, in your Zhilun, I read the phrase 'refining jing to transform qi' (lian jing hua qi). How can one know when jing has actually been transformed into Qi?"

Chongxu Zi replied: "'Transforming jing into Qi' (jing hua qi) is the name of a stage in the practice of the initial gate (chu guan). Originally, jing is generated from Qi. When Qi begins to stir, one does not let it turn into visible jing. Instead, one causes it to return whole to true Qi, restoring it to the Primordial Qi (yuan qi), the original Qi of the pre-heavenly source. This is called 'returning Primordial Qi to Primordial Qi,' and so it is named 'transformation into Qi.' Primordial Qi is formless primordial jing. Because it does not follow the ordinary course of loss and become a physical substance, it is called 'transforming jing into Qi.'

When Qi stirs, one should use the zhoutian huohou (the timing of the inner fire, which circulates through the body according to the methods of practice) to steam and nourish it. If the steaming is done correctly, Qi will return to its source and gradually grow strong and vigorous. Today, when Qi stirs and is transformed back into Primordial Qi, one part is replenished; tomorrow, when it stirs again and returns, another part is replenished. When practice reaches the point where the stirring gradually ceases and no further replenishment is needed, when ten parts are full, the Primordial Qi is abundant and the stirring settles into stillness. Then the refining of jing into Qi is complete. At that point there is no longer any jing, nor any of the apertures through which jing once moved in and out."

Someone asked Master Chongxu: "When the jing is full, one has no thoughts of lust; when the qi is full, one has no desire to eat; when the shen is full, one has no wish to sleep. How does one attain fullness, and how does one know it has been reached?"

Chongxu replied: "Fumigation is itself nourishment. Through fumigation and nourishment, the qi becomes pure and harmonious and no longer generates seminal fluid, which shows that the jing has become substantial. This is the work of the first hundred days. Once the jing is full, the reproductive orifice closes of its own accord. When the Great Medicine (the medicine condensed into form in neidan, or internal alchemy, practice) arrives, the genitals retract by themselves, like those of a boy. Even if one wished to indulge in desire, one could not, so why would one still think of lust? Buddhists call this attainment the 'Tathagata's concealed-sheath sign' (rulai mayin cangxiang), and what the world calls returning to youth refers to the same thing. When the root of desire is severed, one obtains the small fruit of longevity and rises from the Desire Realm (the realm of passions, governed by desire) into the Form Realm (the realm that still has form and color but lies above desire)."

"When the mind and spirit enter concentration and are refined into shen, no further desires arise. When the practitioner transcends and passes through the barriers, the qi that had previously returned to the Primordial Sea (Yuanhai) becomes the solid line of Kan (the solid line of the Kan trigram, symbolizing yang within yin). Gradually, this solid Kan fills the empty line of Li (the empty line of the Li trigram, symbolizing yin within yang), so that the empty places become solid. With the qi thus full, one feels no hunger and no longer desires food. When the embryo is complete after ten months, one should naturally be able to go without eating: in the first month the food intake can be reduced, by the third month one naturally stops eating grain, and after four months one gives up cooked food altogether. Only then does one truly stop eating, which is why it is said that when the qi is full, one no longer desires food. If one still eats at this stage, one remains an ordinary mortal subject to birth and death, which shows that concentration is insufficient and the qi cannot be called full."

"Full shen means pure yang without any yin. The ancients said that as long as even a single portion of yin qi remains, one cannot become an immortal, and as long as some yin remains, there is a corresponding measure of dullness and drowsiness, so that one cannot maintain constant self-awareness through all twelve double-hours. How, then, could the shen be called full? When the shen dwells in concentration, the qi also settles. Once both shen and qi are stable, from the first month of practice one can dispense with sleep and remain clear and luminous day and night, with not a moment of the twelve double-hours spent outside concentration. After ten months of such practice, one reaches the state of full shen, in which sleep is no longer needed."

"At this stage, thoughts no longer arise and cease, and the breath no longer goes out and comes in. One then accomplishes the casting off of the yang-spirit (yangshen) from the womb, passing from the Form Realm into the Formless Realm (the realm beyond form and color). Afterward one no longer clings to knowledge or views, fully returns to wuwei (non-action), and continues refining shen to return to emptiness. This is the work of nine years of facing the wall (mianbi) that follows the attainment of full shen."

Tianxian Zhengli (Correct Principles of the Heavenly Immortal) states: "Foundation-building (zhuji) means settling the mind and spirit and regulating the breath. Before the foundation is built, the Yuanshen (the human being's primordial spirit) chases after external things and runs outward, the Yuanqi (innate primordial Qi) scatters, and the Yuanjing (innate essence) becomes depleted, so the root of cultivation is damaged. Therefore one must cultivate the three treasures of Jing, Qi, and Shen together: replenish Jing with Jing, Qi with Qi, and Shen with Shen. When the three are united, the foundation can be built. When they are not, it is as though something blocks the way, and the foundation cannot be completed. Once the foundation is built, one can attain the fruit of the Human Immortal (renxian)."

To leave the Desire Realm (yujie) and open the pass into the Form Realm (sejie), one relies on foundation-building. It is also foundation-building that prepares one for the ten-month practice of the divine fixation of the Shen. To pass through these ten months without drowsiness, without eating, and without being affected by cold or heat is a sign that this foundation is in place. During the ten months, the Shen does not scatter outward and is able to enter Great Stillness (dading), a deep and settled state of meditative absorption, which likewise depends on this foundation. After refining Qi, the breath becomes calm, and even over an extremely long span of time one no longer breathes. After refining Shen, the Shen returns to emptiness and stillness, and even over an extremely long span of time it does not fall into drowsiness, loss, or outward scattering. To share the lifespan of Heaven and Earth, the foundation lies here. To stand equal with the sages and spirits and obtain spiritual powers and responsive efficacy, this too lies here. This is what is meant by the Yang Shen (the pure yang spirit produced by cultivation) having a foundation, which arises because the yang essence does not leak away. It is called the "power of exhausted leakage" (louji tong), and it is the completion of the external Golden Elixir (waijin dan).

Chapter Six: Knowing the Timing and Gathering Medicinals (Zhi Shi Cai Yao)

The Buddha said: "This is what is called the true, rare, and subtle principle."

The Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture) says: "Who can observe the sun and moon together with you? Embracing the jade pearl and keeping treasures concealed within the breast is the secret formula of cultivation. If you can understand it, all things will become clear to you." It also says: "Send the returning elixir (huandan, the method of returning essence to its source) into the Xuanquan (the mysterious spring, a term for the body's fluids or their corresponding region), and guide the breath to move like a tortoise coiling in the depths, until it reaches the Lingen (the root of life). Within it is the Zhenren (the True Person, the true-one spirit spoken of in cultivation), who wears a golden headcloth, carries armor on the back, holds talismans in the hands, and hears the sounds of the seven gates. These are not minor branches and leaves but the very roots of cultivation."

The Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) says: "The theft of Heaven's secret mechanism is something no one in the world can see, and no one can know of it."

The Ru Yao Jing (Mirror for Entering the Medicine) says: "To steal the transforming work of Heaven and Earth, to seize the power by which nature gives birth and brings about change, to gather the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), and to bring the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) into union."

Zhenyi Zi (Master True One) says: "The Essence of True Oneness (zhenyi zhi jing) is the mother of Heaven and Earth, the root of Yin-Yang, the origin of Water and Fire, the ancestral lord of the Sun and Moon, and the source of the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. It is also the progenitor of the Five Phases. The myriad things are generated from it, and its countless transformations unfold and contract through it. High Heaven, thick Earth, cavern-dwelling famous mountains, the many signs of the heavens, the spirit officials and immortals and all the holy assemblies, as well as wind and rain, dusk and dawn, and the cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, all arise from this lead-qi (qianqi) before any sign of them has appeared, and they are transformed through it. Those who cultivate the Dao of the elixir and obtain this True Water (zhenyi zhi shui) will find that every task of cultivation is accomplished. Here, 'lead-qi' and 'True Water' are terms of inner alchemy (neidan) that point to the original essential qi that cultivation seeks. They are not ordinary lead or water."

The Daodejing says: "Heaven attains the One and becomes clear; Earth attains the One and becomes settled; the valley attains the One and becomes full; the spirit attains the One and becomes numinous; the lords and kings attain the One and become the rightful rulers of all under Heaven." Here, "the One" refers to the common origin of all things.

The Cantong qi (Kinship of the Three) says: "This One can conceal and hide itself, so the people of the world do not know it."

Zhu Yuanyu says: "This single true seed is the root of life for all things on the earth. It is not merely the root by which a human being receives qi and forms a body. Even the creatures that lie hidden or wriggle along the ground are born, grow, and multiply from this one point."

Shao Zi says: "At the winter solstice, when the zi hour is half over, the movement of Heaven's heart has not changed. When yang qi first begins to stir, the myriad things have not yet been born. The dark wine (xuanjiu) used in sacrifice has a faint flavor, and the Great Sound (da yin), the supreme sound, is at this time inaudible. If these words are not believed, one may go and ask Fuxi."

"What is meant by 'mechanism' (ji)? The principle of the Heavenly Root (tiangen), the root from which Heaven and Earth generate and transform, is extremely subtle. The place where this year ends is also the place where tomorrow begins. At this moment the principles of the Yi (Book of Changes) are easiest to grasp, yet its meaning is hard to put into words. If a person can understand this, what principle could remain beyond understanding?"

Suddenly, at midnight, a clap of thunder sounded, and it was heard in every household, one after another. If one can grasp the principle that "you xiang" (having images) is contained within "wu" (non-being), one may hope to personally see the true meaning that Fuxi (the legendary high-antiquity sage and creator of the Bagua, or Eight Trigrams) revealed. At this moment the intention becomes easy to comprehend, yet it is difficult to describe in words. If a person can understand this principle, what could remain that they cannot comprehend?

Shangyang Zi said: "When entering the chamber to gather medicine (entering stillness to cultivate and refine jing and qi), one must seal the Three Treasures (jing, qi, and shen), concentrate single-mindedly, rectify one's body, and quietly await the mandate of Heaven. At this time the Gate of Heaven seems to be held in one's hand, and the Axis of Earth turns by the power of the mind's intention. The practitioner plunges into the abyss and sends the flying sword straight up to the Lunar Cavern (yuekū). Water and fire unite along the Huangdao, or Yellow Path (here referring to the route of qi circulation in neidan, or internal alchemy), and the Dragon and Tiger do battle at the Magpie Bridge (here referring to the region that links heart and kidneys and connects the circulation of qi). Grasping the key to the changes of the seventy-two hou (ancient periods of five days each, seventy-two in a year), one can turn the method in a moment, and one can reverse the upright qi of three thousand six hundred days and gather it back into the womb. Without marvelous skill, how could this be accomplished?" Lü Zu said: "The qi of creation turns swiftly, Dragon and Tiger meet, and the moment for advancing the fire lies between the Dipper and the Ox, in a critical moment hard to discern." This describes what happens within the span of half an hour.

The Cuixu Pian (Cuixu Chapter) says: "The arising of jing and qi has its own timing; when the time arrives, it can be perceived by the intention of the shen."

The Wuqi says: "When the qian (lead) qi meets the water of gui and begins to stir, one must quickly gather and refine it." Here "lead" is an internal alchemy term, often used to refer to the jing-qi held in the kidneys, while "gui" refers to the hour or qi-condition associated with kidney water.

Zhengyang Zhenren said: "When wu and you intersect and join, this is the root of forming the Golden Elixir (jindan)." Yuandu Zi said: "The luminous awareness of the human mind belongs to wu, which is shen. That which swirls and flows, transforming without ceasing, belongs to you, which is qi, the vital breath of life in Daoist thought."

Zhang Sanfeng's Song of the Daoist Feelings says: When lightning flashes, seek the true seed; when the wind-messenger arrives, search out the root and source. Myriad rays of light cover the golden cauldron, and a thousand-foot purple cloud covers the Celestial Gate. When you reach this state, do not be alarmed or frightened. Steadily guard the primordial spirit (Yuanshen, the original source of the human spirit) and hold fast the cave gate (the crucial pass in body and mind). Be as focused and urgent as a cat catching a mouse or a hare meeting a hawk, and quickly redouble your effort. The various visions that appear are none of them real; only the single red light is true. Within the red light, a spring-like warmth arises, and it seems as though dust motes are reflected on a bright window. At the center hangs a single primordial medicine (a substance in internal alchemy, Neidan, that symbolizes innate essential qi), which looks like a grape from afar and like gold up close. At this stage, you must be extremely cautious, for if a single stray thought arises, you will lose your natural authenticity.

The tune A Single Flower says: I dare to pick the bright flowers of another's garden, yet I hang up the iron face that my mother gave me at birth, and let it remain utterly unmoved. That tender grape looks almost like gold. At this stage, you must be extremely cautious, for if a single stray thought arises, you will lose your natural authenticity.

The tune A Single Flower also says: I dare to pick the flowers of another's garden, yet I hang up the iron face my mother gave me at birth, and let it remain utterly unmoved. Even when faced with a charming form and slender jade fingers, my resolve must not waver, and I must not let the "runaway horse and wild monkey" (a metaphor for uncontrollable thoughts) gallop free.

The secret of the full moon lies in the oral instructions, and the marvel of the right hour must be transmitted from heart to heart. Raise the sharp, edgeless sword within your body, for you fear that in the rapids and dangerous shoals the boat will be hard to steady. When responsiveness arrives, the Yellow Matron (a term in internal alchemy for the force that mediates and unites) will come to lead the way, and you wait for the Maiden (an image in internal alchemy for the interaction of yin and yang or the stirring of essential qi) to open the lotus. This matter is hard to put into words. Agree to hold your resolve firm for five thousand days, and secretly calculate thirty watches. I raise the dragon's head high, and she leaves the moon cave (in internal alchemy, a symbol of the yin side or a specific passage in the body) hanging empty. Exercise your spiritual powers and plant the lotus in raging fire; use your skilled hands to pole the boat against the current. Do not envy the beautiful and dazzling flowers; wait only for her to bring forth the sweet dew spring. Break through the passes of "Shenzhou" and "Chixian" (names of passes in the imagery of the practice), slowly draw the golden essence (jinjing, the essence condensed during cultivation) along, and send it into the Dantian (energy center). Guard against danger, clear away distracting thoughts, and naturally bathe and nourish the practice. Only after nine years of facing the wall can one become an immortal beyond Langyuan and Penglai.

In the Lichun Courtyard, you gather medicine and work talismans for five years.

Patriarch Chongyang said: "When the divine light (shenguang) shines into the Kun Palace (the region of the Lower Dantian), the true fire (zhenhuo) arises of its own accord. If the Kun Palace is not refined through practice, the gold and water (jinshui, a cultivation term for essence and vital energy) become mixed and turbid. If one cannot concentrate single-mindedly, water and fire scatter, and the Great Medicine (dayao, the term in Neidan for the subtle qi condensed into being) can never form. Where, then, would the prenatal qi (xiantian zhi qi) come from?

After long refinement, when water meets fire, their forms and substances transform into a single qi, a unified and subtle vital energy, which steams upward. The River Chariot (heche, the Neidan description of qi circulating through the body's channels) turns naturally and circulates without pause. True essence (zhenjing) thereby gives birth to primordial qi (yuanqi), and breath nourishes itself here, gestating the embryo of the inner elixir. The pulse stops and the breath ceases; body and mind grow still and enter a state of stillness. In this great stillness, the prenatal qi naturally returns and flows on without end; it comes from emptiness itself.

Therefore, when the child qi (ziqi) responds to the mother qi (muqi), one should follow what is natural and must not seek quick results. This is like the moment when primordial chaos first opens and the dark and the yellow (xuanhuang) gestate one another. When the time is ripe, the qi transforms of its own accord, and at the utmost stillness, vitality stirs by itself. Within the deepest quiet, the first place where a faint movement appears is the activity of prenatal creation. Suddenly something manifests, now bright and now hidden, neither inside the body nor outside it. This is the moment when the Great Medicine first sprouts and shows its initial signs. At this time one should guard the Qian Palace (qiangong, the cultivation site opposite the Kun Palace) and must not rashly gather the medicine. Once even a single thought arises, the true heavenly qi will be lost."

Patriarch Chongyang (Chongyang Zu) said: "The True Lead (zhenqian, a symbolic term in internal alchemy) flickers like the moon, and Mercury Qi (gongqi, another internal alchemy term, often used to symbolize the flowing, active essential qi) soars like the sun. When the two qi intermingle and merge, a single point of numinous light appears, round and bright, its radiance illuminating above and below. The true transformation within and the responsive stirring without correspond to one another, and the Yang Elixir (yangdan) comes from outside. The Mother Qi (muqi) subdues the Child Qi (ziqi), and the two naturally resonate. To sense the most subtle qi between heaven and earth with one's own qi is like the Yang Mirror (yangsui) drawing fire or the Fangzhu mirror (fangzhu) drawing water. Reason from this, and you will understand."

When the union of sun and moon and the Prenatal Qi (xiantian zhi qi) arrive at just the right moment, the Muddy Pellet (niwan, the head region in the internal alchemy of the head) rises like a phoenix, the Crimson Palace (jianggong, an internal alchemy term for the heart region) shines like the bright moon, the fire of the Dantian (dantian) blazes, and the waves of the Sea Bottom (haidi, a symbolic site near the lower Dantian) grow still. The whole body seems to stand in a sea of fire. One perceives only the fire and is unaware of the myriad things outside oneself, and one even forgets oneself, as if in an intoxicated dream. This is the time of the Dragon and Tiger battling (the contention of Yin and Yang qi), the mutual union of Metal and Wood, and the agitation of Water and Fire. The phenomena appear as swiftly as lightning, and one should seize them promptly. What is called "gathering" (caiqu) lies in the method of drawing a crossbow of a thousand catties but moving only the trigger by a single inch. It appears to be gathering, yet it is in truth not forceful gathering at all.

Patriarch Chongyang also said: "The spirit abides in the Mysterious Palace (xuangong, the site where one stores the spirit and holds the intention in cultivation), and the mind turns toward the Female Chamber (pinfu, a site symbolizing the Yin, which receives the essential qi). The Prenatal Qi appears in a state of vague obscurity, and a single point of numinous light enters the Lower Origin (xiayuan, the region around the lower Dantian). One's own true qi responds at once: Yin embraces Yang, and Yang in turn stirs Yin. The subtle qi then begins to move, and the sea seems to surge with waves. It rises from the Great Mystery Pass (taixuan guan, a pass in the circulation of qi in internal alchemy) to the Muddy Pellet and transforms into the Golden Fluid (jinye). The Golden Fluid is sweet and fresh. Once swallowed into the belly, every orifice of the body seems to awaken, and the whole body gains added luster. This is the scene of the union of Qian and Kun (the mating of Yin and Yang). Once attained, it can be sustained for a long time, but one must guard against the dangers within it."

Lü Zu said: "Seize the moment, and you will see the Golden Buddha; once the moment passes, the Jade Immortal is hard to meet again. When the flowers bloom, pick them with care; when the moon is full, admire it without delay."

The Baiju Zhang (Hundred Phrases Chapter) says: "Observe the night of the third day of the lunar month, when the crescent has just appeared, shaped like a moth's eyebrow, and then one sees Geng. To see the Geng flower emerge, one must reverse course and trace it back from the crescent. To gather true lead in this way, the essential formulas must be transmitted orally, from mouth to ear."

The Caijin Ge (Song of Gathering Gold) says: "When the medicinal sprouts first emerge, one must observe them with close attention. Three days before the moonlight appears, the radiance of lead will manifest."

The Daosui Ge (Song of the Marrow of the Dao) says: "The essence of the crow and the marrow of the jade hare: let the two orifices face each other, and let mouth meet mouth."

The Huanghe Fu (Rhapsody of the Yellow Crane) says: "Draw out the living Qi (qì) from the state called 'killing,' and use it to transform the yin Jing (jīng) within the yang Qi of one's own body."

It also says: "In the Hall of the Bright Moon, jade stamens are fragrant. Beneath the moon and before the flowers, one claps hands and laughs."

The Qiao Yao Ge (Song of Striking the Hexagram Lines) says: "Keep the appointed days and distinguish the marks of the talismanic signs. Concentrate the mind and hold to sincerity. After the black lead has passed, gather the pure and true Qi. After a single union, one returns to stillness."

The Caizhen Jiyao (Essential Points of Gathering the True) says: "The dragon dwells in the tiger's lair; such a situation also occurs in the world. At this moment one must resolve firmly to apply the work. Proceed in the inverted manner, so that the other party is stirred, and in a moment a single drop comes over to my side."

It also says: "The other party's feelings are at their height, yet I am unaware of it. One need only reveal emptiness and stillness, and wait for the right moment. Lower the head and close the eyes, and the true lead arrives; it suddenly flies in, swift as a blaze of fire racing onward."

The Guizhong Zhinan (Guide to the Central Regulation) says: "When the time for cultivation arrives, the subtle principles reveal themselves naturally. Circulate gently, stir quietly, and regulate the breath only with the faintest intention, following the pivot of Heaven and Earth's transforming process. Then gold and water unite of their own accord, and water and fire rise and fall naturally. Suddenly a point of numinous light, the size of a millet grain, falls into the Huangting (Yellow Court, the cultivation site within the body). This is the key to placing true lead (zhenqian) into mercury (gong), the process by which one day's work condenses one day's elixir."

The Fufu Pian (Chapter on Returning to the Source) says: "At night the primordial chaos descends, and the myriad things appear in profusion, yet the person is entirely unaware." At this stage, the breath within the body merges with the void, seeming undifferentiated, and one cannot distinguish spirit from qi or qi from spirit. Such transformation is not achieved through deliberate visualization or artificial effort. It arises naturally, and the practitioner cannot explain why it is so.

Broadly speaking, when the medicinal substances first arise, those of small scale correspond to the transformations of Kan and Li (the hexagrams representing water and fire), while those of large scale match the circulation of Qian and Kun (the hexagrams representing Heaven and Earth). The essentials of Jindan (Golden Elixir) cultivation hold no further secrets.

The Xianfo Hezong Lunyu (Analects of the Unified Lineage of Immortals and Buddhas) says: "When gathering the medicine, if no desires are mixed in, the state is pure and clear. If there is even slight desire or calculation, it becomes turbid. Keep every thought focused on the Dao, and at all times maintain purity and genuineness."

Someone asked Chongxuzi, "What is meant by concentrating the spirit and entering the qi-cavity (the root where attention gathers and returns into the body's qi mechanism)?" Chongxuzi replied, "When the sun moves into the bright light of the moon, the golden crow (a divine bird symbolizing yang qi) flies into the dwelling of Chang'e (a lunar immortal symbolizing yin)." This is the meaning: rising and falling are the key to gathering the medicine and refining it, while concentrating the spirit and returning it inward is the secret of returning to the root and restoring one's original destiny. Spirit and qi unite into one body, and the spirit dwells within the qi.

When first refining gold and water, the process is measured in years. When it comes to uniting the elixir, however, it requires only the span of a single tally (a brief, precisely timed moment). If one delays too long, one damages one's nature and ruins the elixir, so the practitioner must be careful. Shangyangzi said, "This critical moment, swift as lightning, cannot be sustained for long. If prolonged, it becomes injurious and depleting."

When beginning to refine Golden Water (jinshui), the medicinals and Yin-Yang qi of internal alchemy (neidan), one must calculate by the year and nourish it with great care. At the time of joining the elixir, the work should be completed within a single fu (the brief moment represented by one talismanic command). If one delays too long, the nature of the elixir will be harmed. Practitioners must be extremely cautious. Shangyangzi said: "This moment is as swift as lightning and must not be delayed. If one delays, it will be damaged and will obstruct its subtle efficacy."

The Maiwang says: "When yang qi withdraws, yin qi comes. Yang must withdraw first, and only then does yin qi arrive in full. Only when the Lesser Yang first emits a single spark of yin fire, entering into the Lesser Yin, does the Lesser Yin form one line of yang lead qi that moves back and forth within the Lesser Yang. When the true yang first stirs, one must use the mercury already refined to meet it. When external action is stimulated from within, a numinous response arises; when internal transformation is moved by external contact, a visible image appears. The practitioner seems to hold six reins, and the movements of qi interweave like silken ribbons, extremely subtle.

"The rising, falling, advancing, and retreating of qi never fail to accord with the measures of Heaven's seasons. Five days make one hou (phase), and six hou make one month. The natural operation of medicinals and fire timing in the elixir method is governed by this measure. Therefore the Cantong qi says: 'The warp and weft serve as the sun's envoys.' The arrangement of metal and water within the six hou is fixed and unchanging; this is called the 'warp.' Using the hexagrams Zhun and Meng morning and evening, and adjusting advance and retreat according to the moment, is called the 'weft.' Yet Zhun and Meng serve only to illustrate the rule of advance and retreat by taking the reversed sequence of day and night.

"When gathering medicinals, the medicinals are outside and the fire is inside, so one must use fire to draw out the medicinals. Yet the medicinals are also contained within the fire timing. When nourishing and warming, the medicinals remain outside but must be returned into the body. Once the medicinals are obtained, one then applies the fire timing; therefore the fire timing also contains the medicinals."

In gathering the medicinal substances (caiyao) and kindling the fire (xinghuo), the steps of compounding the elixir that depend on fire timing (huohou), one must watch for the stirring of qi in Kan, the Water trigram, while Li, the Fire trigram, must not act alone. This is what is meant by the saying "issue commands in accord with the seasons, and do not miss the moment when the lines stir" (fa hao shun jie ling, wu shi yao dong shi). One must follow the seasonal order and not let slip the moment when the trigram lines begin to move. Once a line stirs, qi starts to circulate, and the medicinal substances within the mysterious portals (xuanqiao, the key acupoints in cultivation) begin to form. The fire must then be applied promptly and without error. The Returning to the Source chapter (Huanyuan pian) says: "When ten thousand sounds first arise, the moon above a thousand mountains has just become full. One should at once issue the commands, and the microcosmic orbit (zhoutian) can then be set turning." Here a natural image illustrates how, when qi first stirs, one must grasp the fire timing and circulate the microcosmic orbit.

Within a single day there are the climatic changes of the four seasons, and I can follow the timing of these changes. Within advance and retreat there are the principles of the Five Phases (wuxing), and I can master their order. When these are accomplished, the work of compounding the elixir is complete.

After the two sevens of days, that is, five thousand and forty-eight days, the true qi of Heaven begins to descend. At this point the water source is utterly clear, containing qi but no physical form. When the new moon of the third day first shows a thin line, one gathers one portion of water qi as the true fire timing, and it must be taken up promptly. When the water qi reaches two portions, two portions of fire timing must be matched to it, so that the medicine and the fire are balanced. Why is the fire timing taken at two portions? Because one period is divided into three talismans (fu), and the six phases use only one talisman. At the second phase of fire timing, the dragon and tiger (longhu, a term in alchemy often referring to the two opposing forces of yin and yang) are brought into balance, swallowing and fusing with each other. The fire meets the water and enters it, and each contains and receives the other, merging into one in the palace of Wuji, where the Earth phase gathers. When water, fire, and earth unite, the elixir is formed, and its transformations are wondrous and hard to fathom.

The so-called "portions" (fenshu) are reckoned as one and a half days per portion. By the third day, when the Geng stem appears, one reaches two portions. The medicinal qi, tender and newly born, reaches three portions by the fifth day. Reaching five portions would fall on the middle of the eighth day, when the moon has reached its first quarter, and by then the timing has become too late and distant. The "two portions" refer to the signal period (xinqi) of the Water of Kan, which is when the metal and water first arise and have just reached two portions.

The cauldron of the prior heaven (xiantian zhi ding, the inner furnace used in alchemy) returns to the Yellow Path (huangdao) after five thousand and forty-eight days. Two days after the hour of the Sheep, it lies between the new moon and the last day of the lunar month, the time when the yin and yang of Heaven and Earth meet. Taking a single month as the cycle, on the thirtieth day the water qi first arises and has just reached two portions.

When the Pre-Heaven Cauldron (xiantian zhi ding), the inner foundation for refining pre-heaven qi, has passed through 5,048 days, the qi mechanism returns to the Yellow Path (huangdao). By the day after the wei day, the moment falls where the last day of the old moon (shuo ri) and the first day of the new moon (hui ri) meet, the point at which the yin and yang of heaven and earth converge. Measured by the month, it is the midnight of the thirtieth day. Measured by the year, it is the winter solstice. Measured by the day, it is the boundary between the hour of hai and the hour of zi. Measured in human cultivation, it is the moment when intention stirs but has not yet become action. Though these accounts differ in name, they all point to the same moment when creative transformation begins to move.

At this time the sun and moon seem to move together across the sky, and the signs are present but not yet visible. The immortals observe the changes in the qi mechanism closely. When the moon rises in the geng direction (west), they wait for the moment that corresponds to this sign and gather the medicine. In this way the inner, real transformation responds to the heavenly phenomena outside.

Shangyangzi said: "The gui that corresponds to the first line of the Dui trigram is pure true yang. When true yang first stirs, it is called 'gui generating' (gui sheng). The yang qi of heaven and earth returns after seven days, and this 'return' (fu) corresponds to the zi position. The Great Yin (taiyin, the moon) appears in the geng direction after three days, and geng belongs to metal. In human cultivation, too, one observes the 'jing' over three days. Here jing refers to lead (qian), a metaphor from inner alchemy (neidan). After the gui qi stirs, lead comes into being. When lead has just formed, it is called the primordial pre-heaven qi, also known as the Golden Flower (jinhua). To speak here of lead and gui, but not of water, is to focus on the qi mechanism. Lead is born from gui qi, and then yang qi arises within the lead. The gathering of this yang is carried out only within half an hour (shichen), in accordance with the regularity of heaven and earth's creation. Therefore, in one month there is only one day, and in one day only one hour, when such a moment occurs. This moment is the hardest to grasp, because only when the virtues of heaven and earth harmonize and the light of sun and moon reflect one another does the true principle of unceasing generation appear."

Tao Susi said: "Wait until the snow reflects on the icy pool, clear and pure, and until a new moon appears at the tip of a plum branch. Only then does the medicine begin to form."

Lu Xixing says that a mirror is bright by nature, but when dust settles on it, it grows dim. Lead beads (qian) are naturally visible, but as Water of Gui (guishui) accumulates, they are gradually hidden. Once the dust is removed, the mirror's essential brightness returns. Once the Water of Gui is exhausted, the lead flower (qianhua) reappears. The lead must be gathered and refined quickly, lest the Water of Gui begin to rise again. Gold (jin, the Golden Elixir) works the same way. The passage uses the image of a mirror clouded by dust to illustrate how light becomes obscured.

The Daodejing says: "Within it there is essence (jing), and that essence is most real; within it there is evidence." The Primordial True-One Qi (xiantian zhenyi zhi qi), the original vital energy prior to Heaven, is true essence produced in deep obscurity and indistinctness. Though it is subtle and hard to see, it can be inferred from its effects and signs. The effects are described in the phrase "Primordial qi, acquired qi; whoever obtains them seems drunk." When primordial qi and acquired qi join, the one who obtains this medicine seems intoxicated, which shows that the medicine has been completed. The signs are described in the phrase "Heaven responds with the stars, Earth responds with its changes; examine wu and ji, fix geng and shen." Correspondences appear among the heavenly stars and in earthly transformations, and one examines the days and phenomena of wu, ji, geng, and shen. This shows that the medicine has just begun to form. If one cannot thoroughly understand the Yin-Yang of Heaven and Earth, or penetrate the changes within the human body, how could one infer these conditions?

The Maili (Pulse Within) says that the sage observes the Dao of Heaven and follows its movement. By the waxing and waning of the moon, one distinguishes the medicinal materials and knows when to gather and refine them. By the time of day, one grasps the fire timing (huohou), so that the rhythm of refinement and nourishment accords with the proper moment.

"When the living Zi hour (huo zi shi), the moment when yang qi first stirs in cultivation, arrives, place the medicine into the Kun bosom (kunhuai), where Kun symbolizes the side that receives and nurtures. Qi and essence interact, and from this the foundation of the Primordial True Vitality is established. This is what the phrase 'the sun moves within the moonlight' expresses. These two sentences already fully state the essential meaning of the primordial medicine ancestor (xiantian yaozu)."

"The Fu hexagram (Return), which symbolizes the first emergence of yang qi, corresponds to the Zi position. When the primordial single qi begins to stir, the transformations of all things take their beginning here, and this is the starting point of the establishment of the heart of Heaven (tianxin). What the Dao of inner alchemy (neidan) speaks of is the living Zi hour of that other school, namely the Zhen sign (zhenfu) that appears after the first morning of the lunar month (shuodan), the sign of yang's movement."

When the moment arrives and the inner qi begins to stir, it is like the dark of the month giving way to the first thin crescent of the new moon. A faint trace of primordial, heaven-born True One Gold Qi (xiāntiān zhēnyī jīn qì) then appears above the Huaang (huáng áng), shaped like the slender eyebrow of a crescent moon. Gold is by nature heavy and sinks, yet the Cantong Qi (Cāntóng Qì, "Kinship of the Three") describes it as "sinking, then floating." This describes the change that takes place when the hexagram lines begin to move. The method of gathering it is to contrive its rising so that it can be taken. At this point, the source of the Kan Water (kǎn shuǐ) also becomes exceptionally clear. Lead arises within the water, and at the moment the Qian Gold (qián jīn), the yang-hard metal qi, first begins to stir, it is called the "Yellow Sprout" (huáng yá), which can be used to refine the Great Elixir. Qian Gold is the master of all the metal qi. Kan Water, which symbolizes water and yin, is able to carry the gold upward and, following the circulation of the qi like the Celestial River, deliver it into one's own central palace (zhōnggōng), which is the central region of the body in inner alchemy (nèidān shù). For this reason it is called the "Northern Celestial Chariot" (běifāng hé chē). A student who understands that gold and water are paired in the north, and called Qian Gold, and who further associates it with the west and calls it Dui Gold (duì jīn), which symbolizes yin metal, will be able to grasp the origin of the medicinals.

The method of refining the elixir is to wait until stillness reaches its extreme and the qi begins to move. One then harmonizes the Dragon and Tiger (lóng hǔ), the two forces of yin and yang in inner alchemy, and circulates the True Mercury (zhēn gǒng), the spirited yang essence, to meet the moment. The fire-qi then steams and the water-qi surges, and the gold rises on the water-qi. This is also called "wood carries, gold floats" (mù zài jīn fú). Next, the qi is guided upward along the circulation to the Niwan (nì wán), the inner-alchemical site at the head, where it is made to flow freely and melt, transforming into sweet dew that descends. It passes through the Chonglou (chóng lóu), the region of the throat, enters the Jianggong (jiàng gōng), the region corresponding to the heart, and then arrives at the Huangting (huáng tíng), the central area of the abdomen. Finally, it returns to the Dongfang (dòng fáng), the inner chamber of the body spoken of in inner alchemy, where it congeals into the elixir. This is what is meant by first transforming into liquid and then condensing into the elixir.

Once the medicinal is obtained, one need only complete the work swiftly, within the time it takes to draw a single talisman stroke (yī fú zhī sù), and then must stop the fire and preserve the result. If one continues refining beyond this point, the elixir will be harmed over time. The Wuzhen Pian (Wǔzhēn Piān, "Awakening to Reality"), an inner-alchemy classic, says: "Before the Returning Elixir (huán dān) is complete, one should hasten to refine it. Once it is complete, one must also know when to stop. If the mind constantly wishes to hold more and fuller results, sooner or later one will inevitably encounter danger and disgrace."

The Maiwang (Mài Wàng) says: "Heaven and earth give birth to the myriad things through the union of yin and yang, and the method of refining the elixir likewise produces medicinals through the union of yin and yang; the two operate by the same principle of creative transformation. The mysteries of the body's inner transformation manifest according to the proper moment. If one can gather in sight and hearing and not miss the moment, the process of transformation seems to rest in one's own hands."

The method of Dan (Neidan, internal alchemy) first requires understanding timing, and even more, knowing how to wait for the right moment. One must conceal the instruments within the body, and only when the moon appears and Zhen (Thunder) begins to generate, a phrase in which the moon's phase and the Zhen hexagram symbolize the moment when yang qi first stirs, should one kindle the fire and gather the medicinals according to the changes of the hexagram lines. If the moment has not yet arrived, one must "close Dui (the Joyous) and lower the curtain," which means restraining speech and lowering the eyelids to maintain inner stillness. One quietly observes the empty and tranquil state and waits, never rushing ahead with reckless action. When the hour arrives, the profound principles naturally manifest and their efficacy follows. At that point one should respond decisively and not let the opportunity pass.

As for cultivating the elixir month by month, beginning with the hexagrams Tun (Difficulty at the Beginning) and Meng (Youthful Folly) and ending with Jiji (After Completion) and Weiji (Before Completion), this merely relies on the opposing and complementary relations within the hexagrams to show that forward and reverse movements each follow their own corresponding rules.

If one's resolve is not firm, the refinement is not yet skilled, the harmonizing of the cauldron and furnace achieves nothing, and one misses the proper days and disrupts the fire timing, calamity will soon arrive. The "medicine" mentioned here is the essential qi (jingqi) gathered in internal alchemy practice. The "fire" refers to using intention and breath to regulate the fire timing of cultivation. Once there is medicine, one kindles the fire, just as metal pressed by flame rises to the Li palace (the position symbolizing the heart and fire) and transforms into water, which in turn restrains the fire, so there is no danger of the fire blazing upward. If one kindles the fire without medicine, the empty, floating yang qi will surge upward and instead injure oneself.

True lead (a term of internal alchemy referring to the true yang qi generated in the Kan palace) is born in the Kan palace (symbolizing the kidneys and water). It is heavy and turbid and does not rise. To make it restrain the true mercury in the Li palace (symbolizing the heart and fire, the true yin qi), one must use martial fire, meaning a strong fire timing that refines it fiercely so that it rises. Once true lead and true mercury have united, one should hold and nourish the union, like an army resting in camp, bathing and regulating the breath, and no longer use martial fire. This is like the different conduct of times of peace and times of war.

When the single yang is about to stir, one should seize the moment to advance the fire, driving it with the bellows (a metaphor for the surging of the breath). The true breath (the fine, long, and unbroken breathing) is the bellows of the fire, continuous without end. The primordial spirit (the original spirit of a person) follows the breath and merges with the fire timing, like fire receiving the assistance of wind. The true qi (primordial qi) transforms naturally under the action of the primordial spirit, just as metal melts in fire.

When refining lead with fire, dragon and tiger answer each other. The lead takes in the qi of mercury, and the tiger calls to the dragon. Between one exhalation and one inhalation, yin and yang qi respond to each other, like fire aided by wind. The true qi transforms naturally with the primordial spirit, just as metal is smelted in fire.

Using fire to refine lead, the Dragon is used to answer the Tiger, and lead draws in the vapor of mercury; the Tiger in turn answers the Dragon. Dragon and Tiger are metaphors in the Dao of alchemy (Dandao) for the two breaths of Yin and Yang (Yin-Yang). When the two breaths alternate in exhalation and inhalation and respond to one another, they are like the mutual swallowing of food and drink. When the metal nature (here referring to the medicinal substance or essential vital energy that alchemy likens to metal) begins to stir and move, one must seize that moment, gather it into the earthen cauldron (an alchemical term for the vessel, the furnace), and combine it with the Yin essence (Jing) one has accumulated over a long time, refining them into the elixir. The Yijing says: "When Yin and Yang breaths respond to each other, they unite."

The water in the Kan trigram, here signifying Yang breath, should be summoned by intention at the moment the trigram's lines stir. The fire in the Li trigram, signifying Yin essence, responds once it reaches extreme stillness, and is then circulated by intention. The Primordial Great Medicine (a term in cultivation for the pre-heaven essential vital energy) appears around the dark of the moon and the first days after the new moon, that is, the turn from the end of each month into the beginning of the next. Lead and mercury, the two medicines, correspond respectively to the Yin and Yang breaths within this, and there is genuine reason for this. Few people understand this heavenly mechanism.

Shangyang Zi said: "In a year there are twelve full moons, and every month has days when Yang breath begins to sprout. In a month, counted day and night together, there are three thousand ke (units of time), and at every ke one must watch for the moment of Gui arising (Gui is often used in alchemy to denote the moment when essence begins to move). It is like fighting in the open field: then one gathers lead; like guarding a city: then one nourishes and warms. Discern what is auspicious and what is inauspicious, and success can be anticipated."

Someone asked: "What is the Living Zi hour (the moment in cultivation when Yang breath stirs and the medicinal substance sprouts)? It falls as this year is ending, and before tomorrow has arrived. If it were not the most subtle principle under heaven, who could attain such a state?"

Qiu Changchun said: "When the Living Zi hour appears, the medicinal seedling is newly born."

The Maiwang says: "When an alchemist goes to the furnace to gather medicine, he gathers within a single shichen (two-hour period) the vitality of thirty days. This takes two and a half days, thirty shi, as the standard, a practice that converts hours into days. Yet gathering medicine must attend to both motion and stillness. In stillness it is like guarding a city: the mind does not stir, and the Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen) are kept sealed. In motion it is like fighting in the open field: Dragon and Tiger clash, and the method of inverting and rejoining Yin and Yang is applied. Within both guarding and fighting there is good and ill fortune: when the breath is settled and the spirit gathered, it is auspicious; when desire stirs and emotion prevails, it is inauspicious. Seeking lead medicine in accordance with the timing is auspicious; acting rashly out of season is inauspicious."

In the work of gathering medicinals and refining the elixir at the furnace, one must first perfect the practice of refining oneself (lianji), calming body and mind before beginning any operation. One must never take difficulties lightly. The scripture warns that in the moment of action one should not underestimate the opponent, for fear of losing the priceless "treasure beyond price" of one's own lineage. The caution demanded here is broad and is not limited to refining oneself. One must also confirm that the tokens of correspondence (fuxin), which serve as credentials for distinguishing and verifying, are genuine, and that the medicinals are pure. The dragon and tiger (longhu), symbols of the mutually complementary yin and yang forces in the elixir method, must be harmonized, and the fire timing (huozhi), the proper timing and measure of refinement and nurturing, must be understood. The Yellow Matron (huangpo), a symbol of the force that mediates and brings things together, must be skillfully employed, and the partners must be in harmony. Mutual trust in each other's reward and authority, and free communication in speech, must also be present. A lapse in any one of these may invite regret and error. One will not only fail to obtain the partner's "life treasure" (mingbao), but may also lose one's own treasure.

Once the practice of refining oneself is perfected, body and mind are no longer moved by external things, the hun and po souls are restrained, desires cannot intrude, and jing (essence) and qi are full. When the partner shows the "first stirring of yang" (yiyang chu dong), the sign that yang energy has just begun to sprout, and the innate true lead (xiantian zhen qian) is about to form, one's own jing and qi must still remain unmoved. Only a single point of true mercury (zhen gui), a pharmaceutical symbol in this method, is used, applied in the area just beneath the inner kidney to meet it. This is called "the second phase: seeking the medicine" (erhou qiuyao), and it is also called "the short forward course" (qianxing duan).

After the true lead crosses the Magpie Bridge (guqiao), a symbol of the channels traversed by the movement of qi, and proceeds eastward, mercury and lead unite. Then, following the true qi along the windlass (lulu), a symbol of the rising and falling circulation of qi, it ascends through the twin barriers and the spine (shuangguan jiaji), the passages along the back and the spinal channel between them, to the upper Dantian (dantian) in the head, known as Niwan (Mud Pellet). It circulates through the nine palaces and then pours into the eyes. Afterward it descends across the Golden Bridge (jinqiao) and passes through the Double-Storied Tower (chonglou), a symbol of the passage from throat to chest and abdomen, entering the Crimson Palace (jianggong), the region of the heart, for refinement and nurturing. This is called "the fourth phase: the union of the elixir" (sihou hedan), and it is also called "the long forward course" (houxing chang).

Tao Susi said: "Refining the returning elixir (huandan) requires first obtaining the Water of Prior Heaven. The Gold and Water of Posterior Heaven serve as support for the furnace-cauldron, but they may be used only once they are clear and pure. The Book of Odes says, 'The Jing is clear, but the Wei is turbid,' meaning the Jing runs clear while the Wei runs muddy. Those who practice the method of the elixir must wait until the Jing has settled, then guard it calmly and unhurriedly, without stirring it. This is most critical when one approaches the furnace and begins the work. Therefore, the sage selects the month within the year and fixes the Golden Moment, measures the day within the month and quietly listens for the tidal phases, chooses the hour within the day and matches it to the hexagram lines, and fixes the fire timing within the hour and performs the talismanic signs. Ancient worthies and sages were all careful to guard against danger until the work was accomplished."

Shangyang Zi said: "Once one understands the timing for gathering the medicinal substances, one should comprehend the passages of the body from which life is born. One must examine the atmospheric conditions and, with a single fire, perform the talismans. Ancient worthies and sages were all careful to guard against danger until the work was accomplished."

Shangyang Zi also said: "Once one understands the timing for gathering the medicinal substances, one should comprehend the passages of the body from which life is born. One must examine the atmospheric conditions: in a month only one day is suitable, and within that day only one double-hour is suitable. A double-hour is further divided into six phases of fire timing. The first two phases are for obtaining the medicine, and the latter four are for combining the elixir. The key to combining the elixir is to hasten the union of one's own mercury (the yin essence of the body) with lead (which symbolizes the yang essence). At this time, one should harmonize the true breath (the natural breath that arises in cultivation), so that the qi circulates through the Six Voids (the upper, lower, and four directions of Heaven and Earth). It moves backward from the Mysterious Gate to the Celestial Valley Cavity and then swallows down into the Golden Chamber. These are the methods of beginning the fire in the Initial Year and starting the work. Therefore Zhenyi Zi said: 'Establish the first furnace-vessel, and set the celestial mechanism in motion.' At first there is no form or substance at all, like the primordial chaos before Heaven and Earth separated and before the myriad things were differentiated. Once the fire is kindled and the talismans are moved, one corresponds to the stage in which the Initial Year gives birth."

The True Transmission of the Golden Elixir says: "The second phase is when the external elixir works and the medicine is obtained at the proper time. Its action is upon external things, not upon oneself. The fourth phase is when the internal elixir works and the elixir is formed. Its action is upon oneself, not upon external things."

Qiu Zhaobie said: "Approaching the furnace in the second phase means moving the fire to seek lead. Combining the elixir in the fourth phase means harmonizing one's own mercury. Even within the four phases, there are distinctions. Wu Silai said: 'Reversing the River Chariot (hech'e, a term in internal alchemy for the path along which qi is guided) returns the work to the earthen cauldron (a metaphorical vessel for refining the elixir). In the middle of these two phases, the method no longer acts upon external things but upon oneself.'"

Qiu Zhaoao (Qiu Zhaoao is not a translation of the name; see note below) said: "'Two Phases at the Furnace' means turning the fire-timing (huohou) to obtain the lead, and 'Four Phases Uniting the Elixir' means harmonizing one's own mercury. Within the four phases there are further distinctions of level." Wu Silai said: "Reversing the river chariot (heche), a metaphor for the path along which essence and qi circulate in internal alchemy, and turning it back into the earth cauldron (tufu), a metaphor for the Dantian (dantian, energy center). The two phases in the middle are practiced by sealing and storing the Three Treasures (jing, qi, and shen), concentrating the spirit and stilling the breath, and guarding the mind-spirit in the spirit chamber (shenshi), the inner place where one stores and nourishes the spirit." The function of the final two phases, one may say, is extremely fine-grained.

The Xian Jian says: "What is meant by dividing the twelve double-hours into six phases is that the first two phases are for moving the fire, the middle two for gathering the medicine, and the last two for warming and nourishing."

Lü Zu said: "Know when the Guishui (a term of internal alchemy, referring to the signs that the essence-qi begins to stir) first sprouts and when it becomes manifest. Thirty double-hours add up to two and a half days. The gathering of the medicine occurs within a single double-hour, and of the six phases only two appear. The other four have their own functions, and one should not covet them when using the medicine."

The Huangheng Fu says: "The function of the second and fourth phases is half in Kan (which symbolizes the kidney water, the yin) and half in Li (which symbolizes the heart fire, the yang)."

The Song of the Great Dao says: "A single double-hour is divided into six phases, and only two of them accomplish the Golden Elixir (jindan). The remaining four also have marvelous functions, and their mystery lies in oral transmission from a master, so it is hard to disclose."

"At the second phase, obtaining the medicine, the first stage of the process is short; at the fourth phase, uniting the elixir, is the latter stage of the process, and half of it lies in Li."

The Song of the Great Dao again says: "A single double-hour is divided into six phases, and only two of them accomplish the Golden Elixir. The remaining four also have marvelous functions, and their mystery lies in oral transmission from a master, so it is hard to disclose."

"At the second phase, obtaining the medicine, the first stage of the process is short; at the fourth phase, uniting the elixir, is the latter stage of the process, and it is longer."

The Analects of the Union of Immortals and Buddhas says: "To gather the Great Medicine (dayao) over seven days within the state of chaos is to produce something from nothing; one must first gather and refine, and only afterward does the Great Medicine form. Refining over seven days may yield a result. If no elixir has appeared on the first, second, or third day, one should not conclude that success is impossible. Between the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh day, there may come a day when these signs appear: heat blazes in the Dantian, the two kidneys seethe like boiling water, a wind roars behind the ears as though a vulture were crying on Mount Jing; then golden light appears before the eyes, and the single great medicine in the Dantian has arrived."

If the medicinal substance has not yet reached the time for gathering, it cannot be gathered. This is what Patriarch Qiu (Qiu Zu) meant when he said, "If the fire timing (huohou) is insufficient, the golden essence (jinjing) will not rise and soar." Even when the medicine has appeared, if the practitioner's power is still too weak to break through the cavities and passages, flashes of golden light will appear before the eyes, and a single great medicine will form in the Dantian. Here "medicine" refers to the essence and qi condensed in internal alchemy (neidan), not to ordinary medicinal substances.

When the medicine is not yet ready to be gathered, or when it has appeared but lacks the force to break through, both cases show that the practitioner does not yet understand how to regulate the medicine and grasp the fire timing. If, at the moment it should be gathered, the essence and qi are still feeble and without strength, one cannot break through the passes and attain the Dao. This is because the gathering was done too early, while the essence and qi were still tender. It matches the line in the Yi Jing (Book of Changes), "Initial Nine: do not act," which means that the time has not yet come and one should not move.

In settled stillness, shen (spirit) and qi (vital energy) become one. What holds in stillness should also hold in movement. If one moves and immediately chases after deluded thoughts outside, shen and qi separate into two. If one responds naturally as events arise, shen and qi can still remain united. Once the yuanshen (primordial spirit) scatters outward, the qi dissipates with it. If the mind's intent is not stained by external things, the essence and qi will not be depleted. The Liaoshen Jing (Scripture on Ending the Body) says: "When intention is settled, shen and qi are full, and the water source is clear. When intention is agitated, shen scatters with it, and the water source is turbid." Here the "water source" is the term internal alchemy uses for the root of essence and qi.

Chen Zhixu says: "When a thought of the heart stirs, shen cannot return into qi. When the body moves, qi cannot return into shen."

Yu Yuwu says: "Gold and fire must be refined together in one furnace. The greatest taboo is for external things touched by the senses to stir the heart's thoughts and scatter shen and qi." Here "gold and fire in one furnace" is a metaphor in internal alchemy for the need for shen and qi to coordinate and unite.

The Lianhua Jing says: "Nature belongs to stillness, and qi belongs to motion. If motion and stillness can become one, who but a true person of deep cultivation could place the heart in such a state?"

Guangchengzi says: "In stillness, let the shen-intent be quiet. In motion, act in accord with the shen-mechanism."

The ancients said: "When the time comes, shen will know of itself." This means that when the timing is ripe, shen and qi begin to move together.

Yingchanzi also says: "In stillness, let the shen-intent be quiet. In motion, act in accord with the shen-mechanism."

The ancients said: "When the time comes, shen will know of itself," meaning that shen and qi move at the same moment.

Yingchanzi has a poem: "Refining lead and cooking mercury has no fixed hour. The one who studies the Dao should look for it within settled stillness. When outside dust of thought tries to stain the mind, the heart is not moved. When tiangui (the physiological qi associated with reproductive essence) first stirs, shen naturally perceives it."

The Jinsi Baolu (Precious Record of the Golden Coffer) says: "The method of gathering medicine (caiyao) begins in the heart-mind (xin). The heart is the pivot that governs and connects all things, so one must first set down false thoughts (wangnian) and then seek the true heart (zhenxin). To 'forget' (wang) means to forget the deluded heart, and to 'seek' (mi) means to seek the true heart. The faint intention to seek that arises as false thoughts are set down is the true intention (zhenyi). When a person is in a state of hazy, indistinct absorption, the true heart begins to appear. Once it appears, it gives rise to true intention, and one then uses the method of turning the light back to look inward (fanzhao neiguan), hoping that every function within the body becomes clearly manifest, so that the primordial essence (yuanjing, the innate vital essence) shines with radiance. The key lies in producing existence from non-existence and returning existence to non-existence. At this stage, even the true heart must be forgotten and set aside. I wait in a state of emptiness, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action). When the breath becomes long and fine, the acquired qi (houtian zhi qi, generally the breath and qi-movement formed after birth) grows settled. When the acquired qi-movement recedes, the innate qi (xiantian zhi qi) appears.

"When the innate qi arrives, the hundred channels of the body are like myriad things reviving in spring. The spring warmth grows gradually, and at this point the innate body (xiantian zhi ti) begins to be established. Once the innate body is established, the acquired qi-movement recedes even further.

"The method of gathering medicine is to use true intention through the true heart. True intention means lowering the eyes to look inward at the heart, then setting down the thoughts of the mind and sending them into the Yang Palace (yanggong, the place in internal alchemy where yang qi circulates and condenses). Gather it slowly, and the acquired qi-movement recedes further.

"The method of gathering medicine is to use true intention through the true heart: lower the eyes to look inward at the heart, set down the thoughts of the mind, send them into the Yang Palace, gather slowly, and then release. The yang qi will then rise."

"True lead (zhenqian) and true mercury (zhengui) are the foundation for refining the great elixir (dadan). Their gathering and refining should be sought in a state of absorption too subtle to name."

"When the Tiangui (the essence associated with human reproduction and the vital processes) has just begun to stir, one must act promptly. When gathering and refining, one must be utterly sincere and focused."

An ancient song says: "Seeking only within the Yin Kan (the Water trigram within Yin) easily leads to confusion; it is within the Yang Li (the Fire trigram within Yang) that five-colored forms appear. If you wish to know the three locations, concentrate on the numinous nature of Wood. Before refining the medicine, you must first understand the key secrets, and you must also consult the ancient classics. If you can refine the qiong dan (precious inner elixir), you may ride upon five-colored auspicious clouds."

Another ancient song says: "The twice-eight maiden (ershi chanü, representing feminine essence) and the sixteen lead essences (shiliu qianjing, representing masculine essence): when yang qi begins to rise, one starts to kindle the fire; when yin qi is exhausted, one should stop. When the circulation around the body is complete, the ultimate medicine can achieve spiritual efficacy."

Xiao Zixu says: "When outer-path demons (waidao xiemo) suddenly run rampant, take up the Seven-Star Sword (qixing jian) and meet them head-on. In combat within the cave of ghosts (guiku), one may indeed seize a bright pearl and bring it back."

In refining the elixir, one must carefully distinguish the work of each stage and guard the furnace diligently day and night (a metaphor for alchemical refinement). When the First Yang (yi yang, the newly born yang qi) has just begun to stir and its qi-mechanism is still faint, it must be gathered and refined without delay, for once it matures it will wither and be exhausted.

When the clouds have dispersed, the rain has ceased, and the elixir has congealed, Yin and Yang are in harmony and the refining is complete. At this point one must not continue to act rashly with the fire timing (huohou, the regulation of heat). Whoever fails to stop at the right moment, and to be content and conclude the work, will invite danger.

The Perfected Huanyang (Huanyang Zhenren) said: "The First Yang's stirring was never driven by human intention. If one deliberately sets it moving, it is like using a compass to force a direction. Having grasped this essential principle is like an ox sleeping soundly in the hidden storehouse of qi. In the living tomb (a metaphor for the place where the life-generating force is stored and nourished), a lotus blooms and transforms into seven golden lotuses."

Master Chongxu (Chongxuzi) said: "Where the First Yang stirs is the mysterious gate (xuanguan, the critical opening where qi-movement begins in internal alchemy). Do not be puzzled by it, and do not think it difficult. This is precisely the time to approach the furnace and practice according to the oral instructions, for a path will naturally open to the Muddy Pellet (Niwan, a term in internal alchemy for the head).

"When the First Yang has just stirred, the breath is slow and long, and this is the time when the Immortal Elder gathers herbs. One should quickly practice according to the oral instructions and not miss this moment."

The Perfected Chongyang (Chongyang Zhenren) said: "In the state of pure Yin, one must refine through the fire timing, and only then will yang arise and spirit (shen) appear. The 'spirit' spoken of here is the subtle awareness inherent in the primordial essence (jing) and primal yang of Heaven. Longmei Zi said: 'When the phoenix wheel (a metaphor for the mechanism that moves qi) is activated, the true lead (zhen qian, the true yang qi gathered in internal alchemy) is produced.' One must first seize the critical moment, and only then will the medicinal substance be generated and the fire timing may follow."

The Maiyi says: "The vessel of Kun (the receptive, the feminine body it symbolizes) is originally empty. When the fourteenth day arrives, it receives the luminous essence of Qian Father (the creative, the yang it symbolizes), and yang begins to stir. The cauldron of Qian (the yang body it symbolizes) has nothing in it at this time. When the time for gathering comes, it takes in the yang lead (yang qian, a Golden Elixir term for the yang qi that can be gathered) born of Kun Mother (the yin it symbolizes), and the Golden Elixir (jin dan) begins to coalesce."

The true essentials lie within a single instant, and their subtle workings are hidden in deep places that are hard to perceive. The true Jing of these depths comes from emptiness, formless and without trace, so it is difficult to see. One must wait until the sun and moon join like a pair of jade tablets (that is, until yin and yang qi unite) and the boundary between heaven and earth dissolves. Then, with caution and single-minded attention, one guards it and silently observes it. Only then can one take charge of the cauldron and carry out the "one talisman, two phases" (yi fu er hou) method, which uses the talismanic token and the timing of the fire in Neidan (internal alchemy) to govern the process. A moment of carelessness, and the work easily fails.

To hold to emptiness without losing what is real, and to wait in stillness, is the way to obtain the lead (qian, the true yang qi). It must be exact to the smallest detail before the jinqing (the subtle state of true nature or true yang) can return to its original nature and the purposive cultivation (youwei) can be completed.

Patriarch Niwan (Niwan Zu) said: "When Jing and Shen join in subtle concealment, and Qi moves back into its proper place, the body's bones and flesh blend together naturally, and one is unaware of it. The joints open of their own accord, and perhaps the jinqing can then return to its original nature, completing the purposive cultivation."

Patriarch Niwan also said: "When Jing and Shen join in subtle concealment, and Qi returns to its place, the bones and flesh of the body blend together without one knowing it. The joints open naturally, the hundred vessels flow freely, and the face takes on a smooth, glowing luster, like that of an infant."

The Zhonghe Ji says: "Once the tiangui (the root of reproductive and growth functions) first appears and the Qi begins to flow through, the true yang turns back at its proper time. The Samadhi fire (sanmei huo, the name for the fire of refinement in Neidan practice) kindles from below, and a single tremor seems to come from the Zhen palace (the trigram associated with the east and with Wood). When Qi and Shen unite, a wondrous substance is formed; when the mind and the breath depend on each other, the sacred embryo (shengtai, the metaphor for the inner achievement) is formed. Once one grasps the sign of this process, the three passes and nine orifices (sanguan jiuqiao, a general term for the body's key openings) all open together."

The Tianxian Zhengli says: "Qi and Shen both have states of movement and stillness. When stillness reaches its extreme, the first stirring of motion arises; when the primordial Qi moves, Shen moves with it. The moment the primordial Qi stirs and the wondrous awareness of Shen perceives it are originally one and the same. Gathering the medicinal substance and refining it both depend on using the most subtle change of this very moment."

The Tianxian Zhengli also says: "The true yang Qi has no fixed form, so the ancient sages called it 'the Qi of emptiness.' When it arises, this formless Qi attaches itself to the physical body and travels throughout its interior and exterior. In gathering the medicine, one relies on the timing of the fire to gather it, yet the medicine's form cannot be seen; one knows only how to apply the fire. An ancient song says: 'Fire and medicine were originally one place; when one looks, they seem to exist, yet when one seeks them, they are formless.' It also says: 'Gather the medicine in stillness; apply the fire in wuwei (non-action).'"

The Tianxian Zhengli (Correct Principles of the Celestial Immortal) states: "The Jiaji and Weilü are merely empty passages through which messages are conveyed." This is indeed so, and it refers to the situation in the earlier stage of gathering medicinals (caiyao). Jing and Qi (jing being the combined term for essence and qi) operate the firing timing (huohou, the regulation of the rhythm and progress of breath in cultivation) in a state of wuwei, that is, without deliberate effort.

The same text further says that when Jing and Qi begin to stir, this is precisely the return from profound stillness to tranquility. After a long period of quiet nourishment, it is as though a faint fire-qi steams within the body for a hundred days, and True Qi gradually manifests, as if it could be perceived. At this point, one stops using intention to drive the acquired Qi in the firing process and refines only the "medicine" of Primordial Qi (xiantian zhi qi, the life-qi regarded as innately present from the beginning). This refining is completed over another seven days. Throughout these seven days, True Qi gathers completely in the Root of Life (mingen, the fundamental seat of life). Although there is still stirring, it does not linger at the point of stirring, nor does it dissipate outward; it simply circulates within the body.

The application at this stage is "fire without fire, timing without timing": one no longer applies firing deliberately, nor follows a fixed course of firing. This differs from the previous stage. From here, one begins the practice of Huashen Huanxu (transforming spirit and returning to emptiness, in which spirit and qi are further condensed and returned to stillness), and also begins to pursue the fruits of cultivation such as longevity, transcendence of calamities, and boundless spiritual powers. For this reason it is called the Great Medicine (da yao), also known as the Golden Elixir (jin dan). It is the real state attained and realized after refining the Qi of emptiness (faint, formless qi) described earlier.

The Tianxian Zhengli says: our ancestral master spent seven days of work, and around the fifth day, they suddenly felt that the Dantian (the cultivation site within the abdomen) seemed to hold a fiery pearl. The movement of qi appeared to rise swiftly to the heart, then turn downward again, rushing toward the outer genital region. With no orifice there through which it could escape, it turned again toward the Weilü (the terminal orifice of the spine) and struck at the pass. All of these are the subtle transformations of True Qi itself. However, upon reaching the vicinity of the pass, one must receive the oral transmission of the secret methods in order to bring it through.

The Tianxian Zhengli (Tiānxiān Zhènglǐ) says: "Taking the great medicine (dàyào) is called 'extracting the lead' (chōuqiān), which means gathering the breath and obtaining the true lead (zhēnqiān). The great medicine is the Golden Elixir (jīndān) formed after yang essence (jīng) transforms into true qi (zhēnqì). Before it has transformed into qi, it arises from the Dantian (dāntián) but is only formless qi, lightly attached to the outer physical body. It is therefore called the 'small medicine,' because its qi is minute. Once the Golden Elixir is refined and transformed into qi, it still arises from the Dantian, and at this point it is called the 'great medicine.' It is true qi that is tangible and perceptible, like a fire pearl. This is also the transition from the formless to the formed."

"The 'red water and mysterious pearl' (chìshuǐ xuánzhū) spoken of by the Yellow Emperor (Huángdì), along with names such as 'true-one water' (zhēnyī zhīshuǐ), 'true-one essence' (zhēnyī zhī jīng), 'true-one qi' (zhēnyī zhī qì), 'lotus of the flowery pool' (huàchí liánhuā), 'golden lotus springing from the earth' (dìyǒng jīnlián), 'celestial maiden offering flowers' (tiānnǚ xiànhuā), 'dragon maiden offering a pearl' (lóngnǚ xiànzhū), 'precious pagoda rising from the earth' (dìyǒng bǎotǎ), 'spoon of the medicine' (dāoguī), 'yellow sprout' (huángyá), and 'true lead' (zhēnqiān), all refer to the true qi arising in the Dantian. Once formed, it has its own inner form, so it no longer depends on the outer body and is generated within it. Through their own spiritual awareness (shénshí, shénshí), practitioners can sense and even see it. Afterward, passing through the 'two bridges' (èrqiáo) and 'three passes' (sānguān), which are terms in internal alchemy (nèidān) for the gates along which qi circulates, practitioners can also perceive these stages. This is regarded as the attainment of liberation from birth and death, and from then on there is real verification."

"The Tianxian Zhengli further says: 'When my master refined the elixir in the past, he also understood the cessation of fire (zhǐhuǒ), which means mastering the timing of the fire during alchemical work and stopping at the right moment. He too obtained the great medicine and sent it to strike the passes, but at that time he did not get through. Now, in cultivating again, he has finally passed through, and the verification is genuine.'"

Tianxian Zhengli records: "My master, when he practiced alchemy in the past, also knew how to stop the fire (zhihuo, the method of halting the use of fire-control in internal alchemy practice), to gather the great medicine (dayao, the essence-breath condensed in practice) and drive it through the passes, but he never got it through the cavity-gates (guanqiao). Now that I practice again, this should be a familiar old path. Why do I still meet danger?"

The teacher said: "When Master Li first transmitted this to me, he had already explained the most secret and essential points of the medicine and the fire-timing (huohou). If you practice accordingly, you will succeed. But before driving the medicine through the passes, there is the method of the 'Five Dragons Offering the Sage' (Wulong Pengsheng). This is an extremely secret heavenly mechanism, which only a Celestial Immortal (tianxian) can transmit and only a Celestial Immortal can know. Ordinary people cannot hear it. When you have completed a hundred days of practice and reached the time for ceasing the fire and gathering the great medicine, then I will tell you."

After the teacher returned to his quarters, I was alone in my room. I summoned my courage and resolved to practice with all my strength, thinking: even if I cannot become an immortal or ascend to heaven, I must at least make the attempt. After fifty days of practice, the elixir formed and I reached the stage of ceasing the fire. I gathered the great medicine and truly obtained it, yet still I could not drive it through the cavity-gates.

I asked the teacher again. He said: "Truly, you are a person of courage and steadfast resolve, with the root capacity of an immortal or buddha! Now you may hear the method of the 'Five Dragons Offering the Sage.'" As soon as I had listened, I practiced according to the method. Before long, the signs of ceasing the fire appeared. Eagerly, I awaited the arrival of the great medicine at once, but it did not come, and I could not pass through the gates. The teacher said: "The great medicine has not yet arrived, which means the fire-timing is not yet sufficient. This is what Qiu Zu meant when he said, 'the golden essence does not fly.'"

Thus I gathered and refined again, and the signs of ceasing the fire appeared once more. I doubted myself: after the previous appearance of the signs, I had ceased the fire and gathered, yet received no great medicine. Perhaps this time I should wait for the signs to appear several more times before ceasing the fire, and then the medicine would come. Repeating this, by the fourth time I met with danger. Yet I summoned my courage and continued practicing.

I recalled that when I first refined the essence, the signs had appeared but I had not noticed them, and I was only startled suddenly. Later, when I quieted myself and practiced again, the signs reappeared, and only then did I suddenly awaken: my master had said that at this point I should cease the fire, and I had missed it right before my eyes. After this, when the signs appeared again, I knew to cease the fire promptly and use the method of gathering and refining, and so I obtained the great medicine. In other words, one must gather and refine when the signs appear for the third time. From then on, in my practice, I no longer missed the moment.

To cease the fire the instant the signs first appear is too early; to wait until the fourth appearance before ceasing is too late. Only by ceasing the fire at the moment that is neither early nor late can one obtain the great medicine, drive it through the passes, and awaken the yang spirit (yangshen), the yang-natured consciousness that forms through cultivation in the concept of internal alchemy. This is the critical juncture between ordinary people and sages, and it is the most difficult and most consequential matter. With tears, I respectfully write down this account in detail, to counsel the sage-adepts who will practice in the future.

Perfected Xu, in the Zui Si Xian (Drunken Musings on the Immortals), says: "Let the true qi within the body join in the rhythm of the breath, follow the transforming course of nature, and the bloom of youth can be restored."

An ancient song runs: "Li fire rises beneath Kan water; Dui metal forms within the cauldron." This describes the process in internal alchemy (neidan) in which fire and water merge and the medicinal substances condense.

Huanyangzi says: "When the essence of the sun unites with the luminance of the moon, true lead (zhēn qiān) will naturally appear." Here "essence of the sun" (rì jīng), "luminance of the moon" (yuè huá), and "true lead" are all internal alchemy terms. They refer to subtle substances formed when the yin and yang vital essences unite in cultivation.

Ma Danyang says: "When fire is born within water, deluded thoughts subside; when flowers open in snow, intentions dissolve with them." Through images of water and fire, and of snow and blossoms, he describes the state in which yin and yang join and the mind becomes still.

Lü Zu says: "If you wish to probe deeply into the origin of the primal qi (yuán qì) a person received at birth, do not be surprised. The secrets of Heaven have already all been revealed."

Bai Yuchan says: "I will bring my born parents together so that they meet again." Here "born parents" (shēng shēn fù mǔ) figuratively refers to the yin and yang sources that constitute the human body, and the aim is for them to unite anew through cultivation.

The Chong Zheng Pian (Treatise on Venerating the Orthodox) says: "When two numinous things join naturally, true lead will appear of its own accord."

The Zhuangzi says: "If there is fire in water, it can burn the great mass of the earth." Here the image of water and fire sustaining each other illustrates the opposite yet complementary forces at work in the transformations of Heaven and Earth.

Lu Ziye says: "The moment is like the end of the moon's cycle and the coming of the new: after the last day of the month, the new crescent is born. The time when the medicine forms is not an ordinary time."

Shangyang Zi says: "The first classic (shǒu jīng) is a rare medicine. If one can obtain it in time, there is the possibility of attaining the rank of Heavenly Immortal. The seasonal changes of the year manifest the transformations of Heaven and Earth, while lead appearing at the arising of Gui Water (guǐ shuǐ) is the transformation within the human body. When a single yang is reborn between Heaven and Earth, the myriad things begin to sprout; when a single yang first stirs within the human body, true lead will manifest. If one does not gather and refine it at this moment, the opportunity passes, and the medicine becomes turbid and impure.

"When one enters the chamber to cultivate, the great function of Heaven and Earth's transformation is right before one's eyes. Only after the six senses (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) are stilled may one begin the gathering and refining.

"The Yijing says: 'Contain your beauty and remain steadfast, waiting for the moment to bring it forth.' The subtle intent of the sages lies precisely here."

Bai Yuchan (Bai Yuchan) says in his Annotations on the Zhixuan pian (Zhixuan pian zhu): "The primordial Qi (xiantian zhi qi, the original vital energy before Heaven and Earth took shape) is lead (qian). Though it has no form, it can subdue mercury (gong). The Li trigram (which symbolizes Fire) is empty, and the Kan trigram (which symbolizes Water) is full. When one gathers the lead and then nourishes it, the mercury essence (gong jing) will not scatter, and so it can form the embryonic spirit (taishen) and transform into an immortal. The subtle point is that the mind should be as clear and empty as the Great Void (taixu), forgetting external appearances and circumstances. Only when even the act of 'forgetting' has nothing left to forget can one seek it. If one's desires keep flowing without end, one will never attain it in the end."

Shangyangzi (Shangyangzi) says: "Consider this: the 'living time of the other household' (tajia huozi shi, the moment when external yang Qi stirs, the right time to gather medicine and refine the elixir), if it were not the most refined thing under Heaven, who could take part in it? When the myriad things first begin to come into being, the yin and yang Qi they receive lasts only an instant. The Way of cultivating immortality refines the primordial Qi, and it too is completed swiftly within this extremely brief moment.

"When the water is clear and the moon is white, one obtains the newly born numinous medicine (lingyao).

"Dao (Dao) generates one Qi (yi qi). When this Qi first arises, the yin and yang Qi that the myriad things receive also lasts only an instant. The Way of cultivating immortality refines the primordial Qi, and likewise values speed.

"When the water is clear and the moon is white, one obtains the newly born numinous medicine.

"Dao generates one Qi, and the one Qi forms the body. Within the body is contained the original primal Qi, which is called the primordial true-unity Qi (xiantian zhenyi zhi qi). When this Qi follows its natural course, it becomes a human being; when its course is reversed, one can become an immortal."

Lu Ziye (Lu Ziye) says: "The dark pearl (xuanzhu) is the symbol of the numinous medicine. The numinous medicine does not arise on its own; it must respond to the stirring of yang Qi before it can be transformed and born.

"Once the numinous medicine has been gathered from 'the other household,' it is brought back and cultivated in one's own garden until it matures. This is the subtle working of natural transformation, not something forced into being by human effort."

Qiu Changchun (Qiu Changchun) says: "So the numinous medicine was in our ordinary daily life all along."

Shangyang Zi said: "How can one refine an elixir if one practices stillness and non-action only in old age? To enter the quiet chamber and gather Lead (Qian, an inner-alchemy term for yang qi or primordial jing) is precisely a matter of purposeful action. Even a great recluse who dwells among courts and markets without being noticed, who could know what cultivation takes place within? To build the foundation of practice, one must first establish a base. Only after obtaining a spirit pearl the size of a millet grain can one be sure of not having gone astray. After nine years of sitting and forgetting (quiet sitting in which thought is set aside), the power of Wuwei (non-action) is finally deep. How, then, does one obtain the medicine? To enter the quiet chamber and gather Lead qi is precisely purposeful action. Even cultivating in hiding amid the markets, who could perceive it? To shape the overall structure of practice, one must first lay the groundwork. Only after obtaining a spirit pearl the size of a millet grain can one be sure of not having gone astray. After nine years of sitting and forgetting, the power of Wuwei is finally deep. When one's merit and practice reach completion, one may share its joy with others. To speak only of Wuwei while neglecting the work is the fool who clings to one extreme. I say these words with care so as to warn later students."

Lu Ziye said: "What is called 'stealing' means taking another's possessions without their noticing. The method of cultivation is to borrow the mysterious workings of Heaven and Earth's transformation, and to steal the subtle qi-dynamic that is dying away yet still able to give birth."

"Men reach the flow of essence-qi around age sixteen, and women experience the arrival of Tiangui (the physiological substance that brings about reproductive development) around age fourteen. Alas, when one meets a knight-errant on the road, one should draw one's sword; a qin should be played only when it meets a true listener. 'Shenyong' is the first classic."

Shangyang Zi said: "What is called stealing is taking from between Heaven and Earth a single point of the initial qi of true Yang.

"Primordial One Qi is born from the deep source of creation.

"Primordial One Qi comes from emptiness. To obtain this qi, one must exhaust one's mind and seek it with patience."

The Jinsi Baolu (Precious Record of the Golden Chest) says: "Seek within forgetting, and forget within seeking; see within forgetting, and return to forgetting when you see. Then Yang qi arises. Rise within forgetting, manifest within rising, and transform within manifestation, and the Lead is refined. When Lead joins Mercury (gǒng, a term in inner alchemy often denoting yin essence-qi) within the body, and Jing and Shen meet outside the body, Yin and Yang are united."

Bai Yuchan, in his Commentary on the Zhixuan Pian, says: "Forget within the earth, and see within forgetting; return to forgetting when you see. Then Yang qi arises. Rise within forgetting, manifest within rising, and transform within manifestation, and the Lead is refined. When Lead joins Mercury within the body, and Jing and Shen meet outside the body, Yin and Yang are united."

Bai Yuchan, again in his Commentary on the Zhixuan Pian, says: "The Yang qi within the earth rises to Heaven, and the Yin qi within Heaven descends to the earth. When Yin and Yang qi unite, all things are thereby born and grow."

Patriarch Qiu Changchun said: "When the single yang qi between heaven and earth begins to be reborn, the human body also shows corresponding signs within three days. At this time the spirit-qi is clear and pure, like moonlight. If one meets the arising of qian (Lead, the term in neidan (internal alchemy) for yang essence-qi), this is the moment to refine the elixir. Once it is missed, the chance for immortal affinity is hard to encounter again."

The Lingbao Huafa says: "The primordial true-unity qi (xiantian zhenyi zhi qi) is also called 'empty qi.' The golden embryo, the embryo of the elixir in neidan practice, is stored in the Kun palace (the region that symbolizes yin). It is generated by the Golden Mother (the primordial qi that gives birth to the elixir embryo) and becomes the root from which the elixir is formed. It is the human nature, the original face. Before the parents unite, this qi is undifferentiated and is called the 'Early Chaotic Cavern,' also called 'yin gold.' After the parents unite, it stirs and responds, and is called the 'Primordial Spirit,' also called 'yang lead.' It is the mother of the Five Metals. Before heaven and earth took form, they too arose from the beginning threads of this qi."

The Lingbao Bifa says: "On entering a quiet chamber to begin practice, cause the yin and yang qi to meet along the Yellow Path (the route in neidan along which the yin-yang qi mechanisms converge), and cause the three conjoined elements (the three components united in cultivation) to gather in the Yuan Palace (the central region of inner refinement). Mobilize the pivotal qi mechanisms of the seventy-two hou (the climatic periods the ancients divided by the solar terms), gather the righteous qi represented by three thousand six hundred years, pour it into the Dantian (energy center), and condense it around the golden embryo."

The Lingbao Bifa also says: "One inhalation and one exhalation make one breath. Exhalation belongs to yang, and inhalation belongs to yin. The exhalations through the seven orifices (the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and other openings) represent seven days, and the inhalations represent seven nights. When the Golden Mother circulates the work, the heavenly mechanism is still. The spirit gathers, the gaze settles, the pulse stops, and the thoughts cease their movement."

The Lingbao Bifa further says: "When gathering medicine, the dragon and tiger (symbols of the yin and yang qi in neidan) contend, and metal and wood (symbols of two forces that restrain each other) are kept apart. When I gain, the other loses; when I lose, the other gains. This is called 'one-sided collapse' (pianxian). Only one whose refining of the self (lianji, the cultivation of the mind-heart) is fully mature, and who has reached the highest attainment, can keep the breath unbroken and the circulation unobstructed."

The Chuandao Ji says: "Gather the medicine above the Nine Palaces (the regions in which qi circulates within the body), and after gathering it, send it down into the Yellow Court (the place of refinement in neidan). Draw out the lead-qi below the Qu River (a specific point in the body), and then transport it upward to the Inner Courtyard (the region of inner refinement)."

The Chuandao Ji says: when Qi (vital energy) is set in motion, the jinye (bodily fluids) turn and descend; when the fluids rise, Qi rises with them. When Qi rises, it is like the sun coming up out of the sea, where mist and dew cannot hide its light. When cold Qi stirs, it is like deep winter withering all things, and breath blown on the hands cannot ward off its chill. When Qi rises, it is like a jade-green curtain unfurling upward; when the fluids descend, it is like a sparse blind lowering.

The Chuandao Ji says: to embrace the "Heavenly One" substance (Tianyi, the "True One" primordial Qi described in Daoist neidan, or internal alchemy) is like yang Qi rising out of the sea, where mist and dew cannot hide its light. When cold Qi stirs, it is like deep winter withering all things, and breath blown on the hands cannot ward off its chill. When Qi rises, it is like a jade-green curtain unfurling upward; when the fluids descend, it is like a sparse blind lowering.

The Chuandao Ji says: what embraces the substance of the "Heavenly One" and is called the foremost of the Five Metals is black lead. Lead can generate silver, so lead is the mother of silver. What responds to the solar Qi (qi is a Daoist term for Qi) and is called the foremost of the myriad stones is cinnabar. Cinnabar can generate mercury, so mercury is the son of cinnabar. What is difficult to obtain is the "True Tiger," because kidney Qi is easily dissipated; what is easily lost is the "True Dragon," because heart fluid is hard to gather.

The Chuandao Ji says: if the medicine is gathered without advancing the fire, the medicine dissipates and cannot be retained; if the fire is advanced without gathering the medicine, the yang within yin cannot be retained either. If one merely stirs the kidney Qi, one can only strengthen and warm the lower source (the essential Qi at the root of the lower body). When gathering the medicine, if one advances the fire according to a fixed timing and measure, and in practice grasps the fire timing (huohou) and uses Qi to advance the fire, the great medicine will naturally coagulate and become firm, and will long abide in the lower field (the lower dantian). This is called the method of "gathering and replenishing." Refining mercury to replenish the elixir foundation can prolong life and lead to the state of an earth immortal (dixian). If one can further grasp the "heavenly mechanism of seven and a half days," gather the great medicine, and then use primordial lead to draw upward, causing the golden essence to rise from behind the elbow and pass from the lower field into the upper field (the upper dantian), this is a further stage of cultivation. Gathering the medicine is for adding mercury; adding mercury must also be accompanied by drawing lead, also called setting the river chariot (heche, an image in internal alchemy for circulating the essential Qi) in motion and causing the Dragon and Tiger to move. After the lead is drawn upward, mercury descends from the middle field and returns from the middle field to the lower field.

The Zhong-Lü Chuandao Ji says that adding mercury must be accompanied by drawing lead, also called setting the river chariot in motion and moving the Dragon and Tiger. After the lead is drawn upward, mercury descends from the middle field and returns to the lower field.

The Zhongli Chuandao Ji says: At the outset, one must pass through the mating of Dragon and Tiger (the union of yin and yang vital energies) so that huangya (the initial medicinal substance that arises in internal alchemy practice) is generated. This is called the "inversion of the Five Phases." Next, one nourishes the embryonic immortal (the sacred embryo formed through neidan, or internal alchemy) by "drawing lead and adding mercury" (chouqian tianhong, regulating yin and yang and tending essence and qi). This is called the "reversal of the Three Dantians" (the cyclical circulation of qi among the upper, middle, and lower dantian). If the Five Phases are not inverted, Dragon and Tiger cannot mate. If the Three Dantians do not cycle, the embryonic immortal cannot be fully nourished. Practicing "drawing lead and adding mercury" for one hundred days brings the medicinal power to completion. At two hundred days the sacred embryo becomes firm, and at three hundred days the embryonic immortal is fully matured.

The Zhongli Chuandao Ji also says: The yuquan (jade spring, the saliva in the mouth) flows like a thousand streams, and circulating it takes only half a day. One vessel of jinye (golden liquid, the term for the fluid transformed from refined qi in internal alchemy) can be transported in a moment.

The same text says: In the space of a single breath, the zhenqi (true qi, the primordial vital energy) of the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity) moves back and forth before the Twelve Towers (the passages in the region of the throat). The transport of a vessel of golden liquid likewise takes only a moment to complete.

Again, the Zhongli Chuandao Ji says: In the space of a single breath, the true qi of the Three Powers moves back and forth before the Twelve Towers. One complete round is called a "breath," and over a day and night a person takes about thirteen thousand five hundred breaths. If one's foundation in practice is firm and original qi is not depleted, then within each breath one can correspond with the upright qi of heaven and earth.

Patriarch Zhongli says: Once a single true seed enters the dantian, it can bring about lasting vitality.

Zhu Yuyu says: When the time is not yet ripe, one should remain empty and still and wait. When the time is about to arrive, one should act to respond to it. Especially at huishuo (the turning of the lunar month, when the moon passes from darkness to brightness), yang qi is about to arise but has not yet separated from yin. Qi has begun to stir, yet it has not left stillness. At such a time, one must observe carefully within stillness and be especially cautious and thorough. Once the crucial movement of qi arises and inner and outer respond to each other, the practice should be undertaken without delay. This is like court decrees that must be issued on schedule, or like the seasonal rhythms of heaven and earth, which must be carried out promptly and never be delayed even for a moment.

Zhu Yuyu says: "The pivot of change between movement and stillness runs through Heaven and Earth, and it also contains the principles of the Hetu (River Map) and the Luoshu (Lo River Writing). The Hetu's numbers total fifty-five, cycling endlessly with no end, and its circular form symbolizes the movement and transformation of Heaven. The Luoshu's positions divide into four cardinal and four intermediate directions, with the central Five governing them all, and its square form symbolizes the stability of Earth. Human beings are the center of the earth, and what appears between Heaven and Earth is precisely the human mind. As Shao Yong said, within the interplay of movement and stillness lies the most subtle principle of Heaven, Earth, and humanity."

Zhu Yuyu says: "When the time arrives, the Da Yao (Great Medicine), the essence-qi concentration produced in internal alchemy (neidan), will form. At this moment it must be gathered quickly, using zhenyi (true intention, a focused mind undistracted by other thoughts) as the medium so that yin and yang qi blend, and then gradually ascend from the kun lu (kun furnace, the yin-natured practice site associated with the Kun trigram) into the qian ding (qian cauldron, the yang-natured practice site associated with the Qian trigram). Among the methods are inhaling, licking, gathering, and sealing."

Zhu Yuyu says: "When the xuanpin (mysterious female, the place where yin and yang meet and generate) first unites and the Great Medicine is about to form, the time is the hour of Hai, and one must gather it immediately. Using true intention as the medium, yin and yang are blended, and then gradually ascended from the kun furnace into the qian cauldron. Among the methods are inhaling, licking, gathering, and sealing."

Zhu Yuyu says: "When the xuanpin first unites and the Great Medicine is about to form, it falls between the hours of Hai and Zi, at the junction of movement and stillness. This is the most subtle pivot between Heaven and Earth, which even sages cannot fully fathom."

Zhu Yuyu says: "The xiantian yiqi (primordial One Qi, the root qi that precedes physical form) originally arises from emptiness. The practitioner must concentrate fully and wait in emptiness and stillness until the six senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) settle and no stray thoughts arise in the heart. Only then can one correspond with it. Wunian (no-thought) means responding to events while the heart remains constantly still, never leaving guizhong (the central, upright state held in practice). It is not like wood or stone lacking all awareness. Within no-thought, awareness remains, and this is zhengnian (correct mindfulness). When correct mindfulness stays clear at all times, it can draw in the primordial qi, and only then does the moment for obtaining the medicine arrive."

Zhu Yuyu says: "When gathering the medicine, use true intention to bring the two forces together. The moment falls between the lunar lodges Xu and Wei……"

Zhu Yuanyu says: "When gathering medicine (caiyao, the drawing in of refined essence and qi in internal alchemy), one should use true intention to propel and bring together the two forces, positioned between the Xu and Wei lunar lodges. At this moment, close the earth gate (the orifices of the lower body), gather the true qi, and allow not a single trace to leak out."

The Jinyu Jing (Scripture of Golden Jade) of Patriarch Lü (Lü Zu) says: "Seize the moment before yin and yang have joined, and recover the primordial qi. To master this profound practice is to transcend the illusions of the mundane world and reach the mysterious gate (xuanguan, the passage through which one moves from acquired to primordial existence). This utmost essential qi is like the male of the Li trigram and the female of the Kan trigram, arising from its first origin. One must draw it forth through the living zi hour (the moment in internal alchemy when yang energy stirs), and so obtain the red-water dark pearl and the green elixir with jade dew. These are all metaphors for the essential qi of the inner elixir."

The Jinyu Jing says: "Through one's own action, apply the principle of the other. Let the dark pearl (a symbol of the inner elixir) fill the pool of Gui water (an image of water in cultivation), lodge fire within it, and congeal into a canopy of blue lotus. The key to cultivation lies in holding fast, and one responds with a gentle and pure mind. The key to cultivation lies in letting go of attachment, and one responds with a long, far-reaching breath."

The Jinyu Jing further says: "Through one's own action, apply the principle of the other. Let the dark pearl fill the pool of Gui water, lodge fire within it, and congeal into a canopy of blue lotus. When holding fast, respond with a gentle and pure mind; when letting go of attachment, respond with a long, far-reaching breath."

The Jinyu Jing says: "When the Dao is within oneself, one must forget the bonds of the body; when the Dao is in the other, one attains free and easy wandering."

The Jinyu Jing says: "To steal the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji, the source before yin and yang divide) in a single moment, its effect may extend to hundreds of thousands of millions. To steal the Supreme Ultimate across aeons of countless ages (an extraordinarily long span of time), one must observe it through the changes of heaven and earth, above and below."

The Yujing Jing says: "When the source is above, the sacred vein flows clear. When the source is below, the spirit spring wells up from the Kan position. When the source lies in the person, the blood and qi circulate through the body. When the source lies in the myriad things, one grasps their waxing and waning according to the seasons. When the source lies in the Dao, one distinguishes correct from deviant in teaching. When the source lies in nature, one follows or reverses the river chariot (an image in internal alchemy for the circulation of essential qi). When the source lies in time, one fixes the tidal changes by the zi and wu hours. When the source lies in the self, one regulates yin and yang until they are clear as blue jade."

The Jinyu Jing says: "When qi joins with its source, how can the source still distinguish between them? When the source is clear, the Dao arises; when the source is turbid, the Dao ceases."

The Jin Yu Jing (Scripture of Gold and Jade) says: "The boundless void gathers and takes form; once form is formed, it returns to emptiness. Once the Dao (the Way) is formed, it moves without cease." It also says: "Qi (vital energy) converges from its source. How is the source distinguished? When the source is clear, the Dao arises; when the source is turbid, the Dao ceases."

The Chang Dao Zhen Yan (True Words on Chanting the Dao) says: "When not a single thought arises in my heart, a state of stillness, emptiness, and clarity arises naturally. At that time, Jing (essence) is true Jing, Qi is true Qi, and Shen (spirit) is true Shen. Merge true Jing, true Qi, and true Shen into one: use Shen to unify Qi, cultivating through quiet nourishment; use Qi to accord with Shen, with the key lying in focused holding; use Jing to accord with Shen, with the root lying in purity and emptiness."

The Chang Dao Zhen Yan also says: "When quiet cultivation reaches its subtle point, it naturally generates layer upon layer and accords with the Dao everywhere. Countless wondrous realms all flow out from a single primordial thought. This is not merely empty awareness or a feeling of stillness; there are indeed real medicinals (the term, in Neidan (internal alchemy), for the subtle forces of Jing, Qi, Shen, and related powers), and there are also tangible results from practice. When Yuanqi (primordial Qi) endures, all things seem to return to spring. This state cannot be described in words."

The Chang Guo Zhen Yan (True Words on Chanting the Guo) says: "When Yuan Jing (primordial essence, the innate vital force) is abundant and flowing, when Yuan Shen (primordial spirit, the innate spiritual substance) is active and manifest, and when Yuan Qi (primordial Qi, the innate Qi) rises and circulates, then Jing, Shen, and Qi are all complete."

The Chang Dao Zhen Yan says: "The consciousness formed after birth is called Yi (intention or mind), while the innate consciousness is called Shen. Wherever Shen is, Qi follows. Qi is born through Shen, and it also comes to rest through Shen."

The Chang Dao Zhen Yan says: "Having understood this path of cultivation, one must diligently practice and carefully uphold its methods and secrets. In practice, one enters a state of chaos not yet divided, the primordial opening of the cosmos, where it is impossible to distinguish Shen, Qi, and Jing. To call it Shen is to find Qi and Jing within it; to call it Qi is to find Shen and Jing within it; to call it Jing is to find Shen and Qi within it. They blend together, like syrup mixing or flour merging into grain. Before the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) have appeared and before Heaven, Earth, and Humanity have been separated, this is the root of the Dan Dao (the Way of the Elixir), which is also the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate)."

Before a thought arises, there is originally no thought; after a thought dissipates, there is again no thought. Take only the one pure and unified "true intention" that lies between the two. Gathering yang to form the embryo and casting off the body to release the spirit both depend on it.

At the moment of union, the whole body becomes harmonious, like warm spring weather or like waking freshly from deep sleep, with a clear and open feeling in the chest. What is this union? To call it shen (spirit), jing (essence), or qi (vital energy) is not entirely accurate. It is neither jing, nor qi, nor shen. When it is named Dao (the Way), its manifestation is the dan (elixir). If one must explain it with concepts, it may be called Taiji (Supreme Ultimate).

With each inhalation and exhalation, one connects with the movements of qi. With each motion and stillness, one corresponds to the transformations of Heaven and Earth. Within a single vessel one harmonizes Yin-Yang, and within a space the size of half a grain of millet one contains the sun and moon. When the Great Dao appears, it is the dan. If one must explain it with concepts, it may be called Taiji.

The Great Dao is profound and formless, and the Taiji circulates its subtle, refined qi. The mind embraces the transformations of Heaven and Earth, and the movement of qi follows the turning of Heaven and Earth. Upward, one pays court to the blue heavens; downward, one sweeps away dark and malign qi. Through huifeng (circulating the wind, a practice of rotating and mixing qi), the qi of body and mind is brought into union, and results appear within one hundred days. Heavenly immortals and earthly immortals, the kings of the waters and the spirits of the mountains, all together accomplish a vast aspiration to widely deliver living beings. Wind, clouds, dragons, tigers, and marvelous creatures such as the peng bird and the qilin constantly attend at one's side, helping to turn the falun (the wheel of the Dharma, symbolizing the propagation of the Dao and the advancement of teaching).

The moment a lustful desire arises, the true qi scatters and collapses.

The qi that immortal adepts refine is a single spark of numinous light present since primordial beginning. It is fully blended and pervades the whole body. It is supreme harmony and utmost truth, yet in reality it has no form and no substance.

Zhang Sanfeng's Essentials of the Golden Elixir (Jindan Jieyao) says: Once the preceding work is complete, the alchemical furnace is set up within the chamber, and one waits single-mindedly for three days, until the moon rises from the geng direction (corresponding to the West). At this time the medicinal sprouts are just emerging, and this is precisely when one should attend closely to them. One must rely on Huangpo (the Old Woman Yellow, a symbol in Neidan for mediating and conveying the Yin and Yang breaths) to carry the medicinals, without letting Jin Gong (a symbol of lead, or yang Qi) miss the moment, and without letting Cha Nü (a symbol of mercury, or yin Qi) pass its time. Even a slight error may ruin the great work.

Hence the sages condensed the changes of the year's Qi into a single moment, and divided that moment into six phases (hou): the first two phases yield the medicine, while the last four have their own subtle uses. How could those who cultivate the Way of the Elixir not be cautious? Having already recognized the "living Zi hour of another household" (a moment of alchemical opportunity that arises from external Yin-Yang resonance), one must quickly distinguish the clear from the turbid in the water source. When the golden light first appears and the moonlight fills the sky, sit upright and wait: the first two phases yield the medicine, and the last four have their own uses.

Sit upright facing the four cardinal directions, toward the quarter where living Qi resides. Even when the dragon has already taken the crane-sword in its mouth (images describing the union of Yin and Yang through dragon and crane), one must still guard against the tiger stirring and the Shen scattering. Distinguish guest from host and lead them into the bridal chamber; align with heaven and earth to form the Jiaotai hexagram (a symbol of Yin and Yang uniting and of heaven and earth communicating). Constantly maintain focused caution, observing how fast or slow the intention moves. The formulas are transmitted from mouth to ear, to judge the rising, sinking, quickening, and slowing of the breath. Concentrate the Shen, regulate the breath, and forget self and other. The tuoyue (a metaphor for the circulation of the breath) opens and closes gently, and the xun wind (a symbol of the soft, gentle breath) stirs slowly.

Set in motion the lead and mercury and the fire timing, adjusting the civil and martial fires so that they run in harmony. Urge them on slowly, and watch over them carefully. First seek the Silver Jade Pool in the water (a symbol of the place where yin Jing gathers), then leave the cinnabar-like mercury in the Golden Cauldron (a symbol of the body and mind where the alchemy takes place). The work lies only in an instant, and the difference of a moment is nearly impossible to distinguish. Above and below respond, inside and outside cooperate. When you perceive the fire of the spirit-root (linggen) stirring, gather the pearl of the sea-bed (a symbol of Jing) and act at once, without hesitation.

Swiftly move a bit of true Jing out from the left kidney, and at the Wu gate (the gateway of Qi-movement in Neidan) welcome a portion of golden water, condensing it into a single pill, refined through nine cycles. The two substances must meet at just the right measure; when the three families (usually Jing, Qi, and Shen) meet, they naturally unite. In an instant, leave the true lead in the cauldron, and for a time temper its edge with blazing fire. One must hurry to convey and raise it, and actively draw and add to it; only then will the Heavenly Father (yang Qi) turn over, and the Sacred Mother (yin Qi) leave her body. Then mount the raft that ascends to heaven, and pass across the Magpie Bridge (the point where the tongue touches the palate, connecting the Ren and Du channels), circulating and conveying it nine times in succession, until it reaches the east side of the Magpie Bridge.

Gently set the golden essence of the elbow (Jing circulating along the spine) in motion ninety times; carry it above the Milky Way (a symbol of the upper Qi channels), then convey it nine more times, and return it to Niwan (the central cranial palace in the head). Pause briefly, and after a moment descend again to the Dan Mansion (the lower Dantian). At this point the nose seems able to plant scallions, and the throat seems able to draw in mucus. The elixir Qi in the Jade Hall (the chest region) descends, and then Huangpo leads it down through the Chonglou (the throat). Once the golden fluid has returned, summon Niu Lang (the Cowherd, a symbol of yang Qi) to send it back to the Earth Cauldron (the lower Dantian).

At this point wind and waves are still. From here on the blood and Qi are abundant, the Shen is settled, Qi condenses and Shen gathers, the hun and po are stable, and the whole body feels at ease, as if spring light fills the eyes. The Heavenly Ruler (the mind-heart) is at peace, and the hundred spirits each rest in their place. Once lead and mercury are matched, one must hold firmly to the intention. Although the heavenly mechanism has been seized, one must still return to the transforming process of nature. The secret of gathering medicine lies within these practices; the methods of adding and drawing, and of bathing, are all set out in the later text, and nothing has been withheld.

Zhang Sanfeng's Wugen Shu (The Rootless Tree), a Daoist song of instruction on the Dan Dao (Way of the Elixir), states: "When separated from the union of Yin-Yang (yin-yang), the Dao is incomplete." The terms quan (complete), ge (separation), mu (wood), gong (mercury), and qian (lead) are esoteric terms in alchemical songs of instruction. Mercury (gong) and lead (qian) symbolize two opposing forces, Yin and Yang, which, when separated, are like a solitary yin and a solitary yang. When men and women in the world unite to bear and raise children, generation after generation, they follow the natural path of reproduction. The saying "following the course leads to the mortal; reversing it leads to the immortal" (shun wei fan, ni wei xian) means that ordinary people multiply by following the path of generation and transformation, while cultivators reverse the workings of Yin and Yang. The key lies in the transformation at the center.

The Wugen Shu continues: "The woman of the eastern house is matched with the man of the western dwelling, and they join as husband and wife and enter the bridal chamber. Huangpo (Huangpo, the symbolic go-between in Dan Dao who harmonizes Yin and Yang and connects lead and mercury) urges them to drink the tihu (tihu, a pure, rich wine) so that in a single day they wake from intoxication with understanding. This is the method of the immortals, the fanhun jiang (fanhun jiang, the elixir that returns the soul), which can restore the dead to life, like the Medicine King himself."

"The birth occurs in the kun (kun, earth, the Earth trigram) direction, and kun is the human being." Kun represents earth and also symbolizes the feminine, the Yin side. The text goes on to speak of plucking the flower's ribbon and gathering its heart, as its layers of blossoms open in bright spring colors.

"The old flowers have fallen, yet they bloom again in due season. The lead flower appears, and the guishui (guishui, a term in Dan Dao linked to the Yin principle and the monthly cycle) is exhausted, yet the flowering branches of the Western Garden remain lush. Facing the moon, one gathers the remaining scenes, then chases the rising sun and mends one's clothes. Few in the world know this crucial mechanism, and it must be carefully studied with one who has the Dao."

"Facing the moon, forget worldly feelings and admire the moonlight. The jinjing (jinjing, the refined essence or inner essence of inner alchemy) is abundant and its light dazzles."

"There is a hand that grasps the clouds and a ladder that reaches the moon. One follows the rising sun and mends one's clothes. Few in the world understand this mechanism, and it must be studied carefully with the immortals."

"Facing the moon, forget feelings and admire the moonlight. The jinjing is abundant and its radiance dazzles."

"Reaching out to take the clouds, stepping on the ladder to walk the moon, one picks the first branch of the primordial heaven." Here the clouds, the moon, and the flowering branch are metaphors describing the process of refining the primordial essence (xiantian jing, the primal Qi of Heaven).

"Nurtured in the lead cauldron, the treasure light appears. Climbing the golden bridge and gazing toward the Qu River, one clearly sees the sun within the moon. Approaching the furnace, the scene appears before the eyes." These lines are all Dan Dao codewords that use the scenes and processes of inner alchemy as symbols.

The Jinsi Baolu (Jinsi Baolu, a Daoist text) says: "Great light emerges, moving in and out according to the mechanism."

Shao Yong's Anlewo Shi (Anlewo Shi, the Poems of the Joy Hut) says: "What the sage is able to accomplish is not hard to inherit; the priceless pearl lies in the depths of the abyss."

Shao Yong's Anlewo Shi also says: "Wine reflects the shadows of flowers, and red light flows. Facing the beauty before the flowers, how could one bear to leave without enjoying oneself fully?"

Shao Yong says in his "Poems of the Joyful Nest": "This flavor is hard to describe; I only fear that people in the world still do not know it."

The Chang Dao Zhen Yan (Authentic Words on Chanting the Way) states: "The two characters 'yang spirit' (Yangshen) cannot be understood only in terms of the human body. The one who gives birth to Heaven is this yang spirit; the one who gives birth to Earth is this yang spirit. It also gives birth to the sun, moon, and stars, and to all beings born from the womb, from eggs, from moisture, or by transformation, to what flies, what swims beneath the water, what moves, and what grows as plants: all of these are this yang spirit. What is called the yang spirit is the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), the root from which all things are transformed and produced."

The same text continues: "Zhang Ziyang (a Northern Song Daoist and inner alchemist) called yi (intention) the intermediary, but he used only a few brief sentences, and his explanation is still not clear enough. Intention originates in the heart and is formed through nature (xing): where there is a true heart, there is true nature; where there is true nature, there is true intention. This intention is called the 'One Intention of Prior Heaven' (Xiantian Yi Yi).

Things of Prior Heaven have not yet taken form and show no signs, so where does this intention come from? When a person sits in stillness, the heart becomes empty, quiet, and clear, free of stray thoughts and conceptual distinctions. This is the innate nature-substance of Prior Heaven (the original, natural state of mind and nature). From within this emptiness, a single point of true intention descends. It is like the single circle of the Taiji, from which Yin and Yang are brought forth; it is also like Fuxi (a sage-king of high antiquity) drawing a single line, from which the transformations of Yin and Yang arise. For this reason it is called the 'One Intention of Prior Heaven.'

With this true intention one can blend water and fire and guide lead and mercury (symbolic Yin-Yang medicinals in inner alchemy), and there is nothing it cannot accomplish efficaciously. The completion of inner alchemy is always driven and transformed by this one true intention."

"Generalized thoughts" (fanyi) refer to scattered, drifting notions, not the "intention" meant here, but wandering thoughts and delusions. True intention (zhen yi) is the thought that arises precisely from within the heart; once the thought has arisen, the heart returns to emptiness and stillness, and so it is called "having intention as if without intention." The functions of true intention are vast. At the first stirring of yang qi, it is the working of intention; after yang qi has begun to generate, the gathering of primal yang (the original yang qi spoken of in internal cultivation) is the working of intention; once it has been gathered, causing it to meet in the Shen Chamber (an internal cultivation term referring to the place in the body where spirit and qi converge) is also the working of intention; after this meeting, sending it into the Yellow Court (an internal cultivation term referring to an important region of the body) is still the working of intention. Moreover, when the Yang Spirit (the Primal Spirit spoken of in internal cultivation) leaves the body, and after it has left, soars through the void and rides the wind, roams the Celestial Capital (the realm of immortals), and returns to the Spirit Chamber (the dwelling place of the Primal Spirit), none of these can be separated from the working of intention. The functions of true intention are indeed vast.

The Records of the Unified Teaching of Immortals and Buddhas say that returning the gaze inward and illuminating within (looking inward at body and mind) is precisely the manifestation and functioning of true intention. The appearance of the Yang Spirit, its soaring through the void and riding the wind, its roaming the Celestial Capital, and its return to the Spirit Chamber are all directed by intention; the functions of true intention are vast.

The same text further says that returning the gaze inward is the wondrous function of true intention. The stillness of the Primal Spirit is the "substance" (ti); the responsive communion of true intention is the "function" (yong). The two are originally one body, so it may be called spirit and it may equally be called intention. What is called true intention is the correct awareness within emptiness, which is also the subtle thought that arises when beings commune with one another.

The same text says that in refining jing, true intention continuously illuminates throughout the hundred-day process of refining shen; in refining qi, it continuously illuminates throughout the ten-month process of refining qi; in refining shen, it continuously illuminates throughout the three-year process of refining shen. From beginning to end, it never departs from inward illumination and returning the gaze inward.

The same text also says that the light of the two eyes carries the true intention residing in the shen, and wherever the gaze reaches, true intention follows. Qiu Chuji (Qiu the Patriarch) said: "The great medicine of the Golden Elixir is not difficult to seek. By day, guard the Middle Field (the abdominal dantian region spoken of in internal cultivation); by night, hold to it as well. Water and fire naturally separate into upper and lower, and a single mass of vitality lies within the two eyes."

The Xianfo Hezong Yulu (Recorded Sayings on the Unified Lineage of Immortals and Buddhas) says that, generally speaking, around the third or fourth day of gathering medicine and cultivating, when concentration of mind and spirit is about to stabilize but has not yet fully done so, the signs of obtaining the medicine appear one after another. By the fifth or sixth day, the true breath (zhenxi), the deep, long, and even breathing described in internal alchemy, settles, and the great medicine (dayao) then emerges. To speak of a seven-day cycle is therefore only a rough approximation. The signs of obtaining the medicine usually become gradually apparent just as the mind is about to settle, and once the true breath is steady on the fifth or sixth day, the great medicine is born.

When the great medicine appears, there may be reactions in the six roots (liugen), that is, the senses of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, referring broadly to the bodily and mental faculties. The dantian (energy center) may feel as though a fire is burning, the two kidneys as though they are being simmered in hot soup, golden light may seem to appear before the eyes, a wind-like sound may be heard behind the ears, birdsong may seem to sound in the head, and the body may surge or the nose twitch. All of these are called signs of obtaining the medicine.

Shangyangzi said: Once one has obtained the daogui (the measure of the elixir, an internal alchemy term for the refined elixir or medicinal substance), one should use one's own true fire (zhenhuo), which in internal alchemy refers to the body's yang qi as directed by intention, to nourish it.

When the true fire is in circulation, one may suddenly feel the true qi (zhenqi) at the jiaji (the spine between the shoulder blades) surge upward to the niwan (the region of the head), accompanied by a faint sound, as if something had touched the head and reached into the brain. After a moment, one may feel as though sparrow eggs were falling one by one from beneath the palate through the chonglou (the throat region), tasting as sweet and fragrant as a water-like cream, supremely delicious. When this sensation appears, it is regarded as proof of attaining the Golden Liquor Returning Elixir (jinye huandan), an important result of internal alchemy. One should then slowly swallow it back down to the dantian, and from then on this sensation will often recur. At leisure, when one looks inward (neiguan), quietly observing the inside of the body, the internal organs appear clearly visible, as if illuminated by candlelight. Gradually, one may also feel golden light enveloping the whole body.

The Maiwang (Màiwàng) says: when mercury is circulated and lead is received, one proceeds eastward along the "Magpie Bridge." The breath is guided from the weilu (Wěilǘ, the tailbone) to the mingmen (Mìngmén, the Gate of Life), passes through the jiaji (Jiājǐ, the spinal channels), and enters the niwan (Níwán, the Mud Pellet, the cultivation site at the head). It then flows into the eyes, descends along the Golden Bridge, crosses the Milky Way, and finally converges in the zhonggong (Zhōnggōng, the Central Palace, the Dantian region at the center of the body). At this point the inner experience becomes deep and indistinct, as if mist were enveloping the mountains, or as if wind and rain had suddenly arrived. It is as hazy as waking from a daydream and as refreshed as having just finished bathing. This is the true appearance of spirit (shen) and breath (qi) quietly uniting and the Yin qi within the body dispersing; it is not a metaphor. Shao Yong (Shào Yōng) writes: "Yin and Yang begin to change in the midst of indistinctness, and the qi between heaven and earth swirls for a moment. That one subtle wonder: how could it be explained in words or through effort?" This is a state that the cultivator personally practices and experiences.

Gathering the primordial qi of heaven and earth before their separation, and seizing the essential qi (jing) at the moment the Dragon and Tiger, symbols of Yin and Yang, first join, describes the critical moment when two qi unite and the elixir begins to coalesce. At this time the qi stirs, as if a sound had come, and Yin and Yang suddenly meet. Lead and mercury begin to intersect, and Yin and Yang follow one another. Fluids moisten the body; this is the true appearance when the Yang elixir first enters the earthen cauldron (tujiang, the furnace vessel, which in Neidan (Nèidān, internal alchemy) refers to the cultivation site within the body) and interaction begins. Heavenly and earthly qi blend, male and female Yin-Yang unite, and spirit and qi reach the four directions and fill the space between heaven and earth. Its appearance is like smoke, mist, dew, and lightning, impossible to fully describe. Yang qi rises and acts, Yin qi governs and nurtures, and so the primordial qi circulates without obstruction.

The subtle union of the Five Phases (Wǔxíng) and Yin-Yang gathers and condenses. Once the gathering is sustained, the true form appears. Cultivating in this pure and unbroken way keeps the medicinals from dispersing and the fire timing (huohou) from falling out of balance. The Golden Elixir (Jīndān) then matures, and the practitioner ultimately attains the correct Dao.

Someone asked, "How can the moment of dying and returning to life arise?" The answer: "It comes at the proper Zi hour (zǐshí), the critical moment when yin and yang meet, which is the opportunity to continue life. At this time one must cause the True Lead and Mercury to unite and merge, quiet all thought, and enter a state of chaotic non-differentiation. If there is even a slight lapse, the elixir will leak away. This is the most crucial juncture. If it is handled well, life can be continued; if it is handled poorly, life too will be harmed."

"At first one cannot rely only on fierce fire. One must refine vigorously and forge repeatedly, for only then can Dry Metal (qián jīn, a symbolic substance in inner alchemy) be smelted out of the ore. Afterward one should not rely only on that fierce fire, but must use the Divine Fire (shén huǒ, a gentle, sustained regulation of heat in inner practice) to warm and nourish the elixir from around it. Otherwise the elixir cannot be transformed."

"Advance the fire to draw out the lead, and retreat the talisman to add mercury. Imitate the movement of sun and moon, and harmonize water and fire. The key lies entirely in harmony (hé). The Cantongqi (Cāntóng Qì, Seal of the Unity of Three), a classic of Daoist inner alchemy, says: 'Once harmonized, the circulation will follow; when the road is level, there will be no deviation.' It also says: 'When each is harmonized, each shows its corresponding signs. When centrality is reached, heaven and earth are settled and the myriad things grow.' How profound its meaning is!"

"Once the Returned Elixir (huán dān, the elixir that has been refined and brought back to its source) is placed into the Yellow Court Earthen Cauldron (huáng tíng tǔ fǔ, the place in the body where the elixir is set and nourished), it should be sealed so that the embryonic breath does not leak. Then the Fire Dragon and the Flowing Pearl (symbolic terms in inner alchemy) are used to join with it, so that the spirit embryo can form. This is what is meant by: 'Return it to the earthen cauldron and seal it firmly, then let the flowing pearl enter to match it.' Qingxia Zi (Qīngxiá Zi) says: 'Once sealed, the embryonic breath does not leak, and transformation happens in an instant.' How, then, is it sealed? The Cantongqi says: 'When Li (the Fire trigram, Lí, of the Bagua, the Eight Trigrams) gathers the nutritive and defensive qi, Kan (the Water trigram, Kǎn) no longer relies on ears and eyes. When Dui (the Lake trigram, Duì) joins, one does not depend on speech. Speak little, keep silent, and accord with natural chaos.'"

Shangyang Zi (Shàngyáng Zi) said: "Ordinary sexual union stirs up all the bones of the body and churns the essence (jīng) throughout the body." How, then, is it sealed? The Cantongqi says: "When Li gathers the nutritive and defensive qi, Kan no longer relies on ears and eyes. When Dui joins, one does not depend on speech. Speak little, keep silent, and accord with natural chaos."

Shangyangzi says: When ordinary people engage in sexual union, the bones of the whole body are stirred and the marrow is disturbed with them. As soon as desire arises, the mind-spirit (shen) begins to move. The Three Corpses (sanshi), the inner spirits or hindering factors in the body as Daoism understands them, rise and disturb the upper body, while the Seven Souls (qipo), the spiritual aspects tied to a person's vital activity, press downward. Essence (jing) then travels upward from the two legs, passes through the Five Viscera, and reaches Niwan, the upper dantian in the head. It then descends along the marrow and moves from the Shuangguan, the two gates on the back along the spine (jiaji), down to the outer genitals, where union occurs. This is the ordinary way of the Five Turbidities world, the natural forward course of ordinary life.

Golden Elixir (jindan) cultivation works differently. It uses an inverted, reverse method. When a great practitioner has refined the self (lianji, cultivating body, mind, and nature) to a high degree, the body and mind are still, the souls are restrained, desire cannot disturb them, and vital essence and qi are abundant, like a wealthy household filled with gold and jade everywhere. When "the first movement of yang" (yiyang chudong, the first stirring of primordial yang energy) arrives, the innate true lead (zhenqian) is about to come. The practitioner's own essence stays still, and the practitioner uses only a small amount of true mercury (zhengong, a symbol of the yin, spirit-like qi within the body) from just below the inner kidney area to meet it. This is the stage of short forward work (qianxing duan).

After the true lead crosses the Magpie Bridge (Queqiao, the tongue passage that connects the Ren and Du channels) and moves east, the true mercury mingles with the true lead and rises with it. The Three Carts of the Windlass (lulu sanche, a metaphor for the method of circulating qi) travel from the Shuangguan up along the spine to Niwan, pass through all Nine Palaces (jiugong, the nine positions in the head), flow into the eyes, then descend across the Golden Bridge (Jinqiao) and through the Chonglou, the throat passage, into the Crimson Palace (Jianggong) in the chest. Finally they return to the Huangting Spirit Chamber (huangting shenshi), the place within the body where spirit is stored and qi is refined. This is the stage of long backward work (houxing chang).

Shangyang Zi said: "Nini (Níwán) said, 'If I cultivate single-mindedly for a year, the six vessels will cease and the qi will return to its root.' Laozi said, 'Concentrate on nourishing the qi until it becomes soft and pliant, and you can be like an infant.' These all refer to warm nourishing (wēnyǎng). Warm nourishing means letting go of attachment to the limbs and the senses, gathering in cleverness and contrivance, and remaining through the day as if simple and unrefined, yet never going against the natural order of things. This process must not be interrupted even for a moment. It is like a hen incubating its eggs: the warmth must never be cut off, and the work of drawing and adding (chōutiān) will naturally appear on its own.

"Drawing and adding refers to the following: after lead (qiān) has subdued mercury (gǒng), one circulates the fire timing (huǒhou) each day and gradually adds mercury. As mercury increases and lead decreases, over time the lead will be exhausted, the mercury will also be refined dry, and it will transform into cinnabar (dānshā). This is the state in which the Golden Fluid Returning Elixir (jīnyè huándān, the process in internal alchemy by which essence and qi are transformed and refined into the inner elixir) reaches pure yang. At this stage the qi transforms into a seed, called the Infant, also called the Yang Spirit (yángshén, a pure yang spirit produced by cultivation)."

The Cuixu Pian says: "At first, the passage at the Jiaji Pass (jiájǐ guān, a cultivation gate along the middle of the spine) opens through. Next, the region of the bladder burns like fire, and within the body the two kidneys seem to boil like hot soup. At this point the qi begins to move and strikes the source of the heart. The water and fire qi of the heart and kidneys naturally interact, and who is it that creates the barrier between metal and wood? The qi of the Yellow Court (huángtíng, the inner cultivation region of the body's center) dwells in the central palace and governs all phenomena, just as the heart occupies the position of sovereignty. The water source is clear as a jade mirror, and who makes the River Chariot (héchē, the inner process of circulating essence) travel like a boat? In an instant, flames rise and the soul of the bird and the spirit of the hare (niǎohún tùpò, images for yin and yang qi drawn from sun and moon) turn to fine dust. To seek the true secret in such silent stillness is to find a straight road leading to the Numinous Perfected. Understand that within essence there is qi, and as qi gradually accumulates it gives birth to spirit. This spirit is the essence of heaven and earth; when pure yang does not die, it becomes a Perfected Person."

The Perfected of Returning Yang said: "The Five Dragons Offering the Sage (wǔlóng pěngshèng, an important method in internal alchemy) is a key worth ten thousand in gold. It should be transmitted only after fasting, burning incense, and taking a vow. I only hope that when the time comes to put it into use, one can carry it out according to the method. Please leave this true teaching behind as a ladder to the heavenly realms."

Lord Xu said: "To break open the Ox and Dipper (niúdǒu, constellation names, here referring to the high celestial vault), one must turn and circle according to the proper measures; the Jade Pivot and the Jade Balance (xuánjī yùhéng, parts of ancient astronomical instruments, also referring to the order of celestial motion) each have their principle. Who, then, is it that conveys the qi to the Muddy Pellet (Níwán, the head's inner cultivation region)?"

The Patriarch of the Muddy Pellet said: "When one is drunk and deeply asleep, entering the dream of deep slumber, it is as if a boat laden with treasures sails past Caoxi (a place name, often used in Chan Buddhist allusions). Once one sees through the foundation of alchemical refining, whether one releases or gathers, it is always the same essential mechanism that governs it."

Nizhu Zu (the patriarch revered in the Daoist tradition) said: "When one is drunk and sound asleep, having entered the realm of dreams, the whole boat is already loaded with treasures and has sailed past Caoxi. Once one sees through the foundation of refining the elixir, whether one releases the energy outward or gathers it back in, the one thing that governs all of it is the same."

"The Tianyuan lineage continues from Kunlun, and nothing is more profound and hidden than the Jiuqu Wan (Nine-Bend Bay). Countless jade dragons cry out without pause, and a river of spring water flows on, carrying the fishing boat along."

Bai Yuchan (a Southern Song Daoist and master of inner alchemy) said: "If a person can grasp the sun and moon in the hand and hold Hongmeng (the primordial state before heaven and earth were divided) in the heart, then naturally one will see the opening and closing of the tuoyue (a metaphor for the surging and opening of qi), and also see the rising and falling of the hecheng (a metaphor for the circulation of vital energy in inner alchemy). Water-qi nourishes the fire palace, and fire-qi irrigates the elixir terrace. Metal and wood join together, and water and earth blend in harmony. The Chanü (in inner alchemy, a term often used for yin qi or true yin) rides the dragon, and the Jin Gong (in inner alchemy, a term often used for yang qi or true yang) straddles the tiger. Jing and qi pass through the Three Passes (the orifices through which qi circulates during cultivation) and rise into the Inner Courtyard (the cultivation site within the body), where they become Yugong (jade mercury). They then descend again into the Chonglou (a metaphor for the throat). Within it is a ball of fire called the Dantai. Lead and mercury unite, and water..."