《金华直指女功正法》

Jinhua Zhizhi Nügong Zhengfa (Direct Pointer of the Golden Flower to the Correct Method of Women’s Cultivation) bears this title in the original and is ascribed to the Daoist Qingxia Lingyang. It is one of the specialized works on women’s cultivation transmitted to the world. The book holds that women who have left household life, or who are fond of cultivating the Dao (the Way), may consult it as a guide to their own pure practice.

Because the work has circulated for a very long time, it was repeatedly altered by people who cultivated blindly. When Chen Yingning revised it, he did not recopy the chapter “General Discourse.” Although that chapter runs to more than twelve hundred characters, much of it is a patchwork of stale commonplaces. The four chapters “Daoism,” “Confucianism,” “Buddhism,” and “Heretical Teachings” were deleted as well: their content has nothing to do with women’s Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, or Nüdan, and their accounts of the principles and history of the Three Teachings contain many omissions; the wording of “Heretical Teachings” is especially unsatisfactory.

Sections one through six mainly set out the methods of Nüdan cultivation. The editor considers that, although these methods are deliberately contrived and not in accord with what is natural, they have long been in circulation, and learners still need to know them. Section seven is overly brief. Sections eight and nine discuss the yang Shen (spirit)—the spiritual form spoken of in cultivation—and mix in a good deal from other traditions that does not fit the specialized terminology of Daoist practice. The editor therefore corrected them on the basis of the edition collated by Yang Yiyu and printed in the eighth year of Chengfeng, so as to avoid confusion.

Section ten is of no importance, and section eleven is merely the author’s personal conception; neither merits special discussion. Two items are appended at the end of the book, offered simply for reference. The original volume also contained at the end sixteen seven-character quatrains entitled Nügong Zhengfa Jiejue (Concise Formulas for the Correct Method of Women’s Cultivation). Their content is the same as the methods explained in the preceding sections and only restates them, so they were omitted.

The reader should know that cultivating the Dao (the Way) of immortality rests on four basic principles. First, one must seek what is practical and not prize empty talk. Second, one should present concrete methods, not merely discuss abstract principles. Third, one should value cultivation that reverses the ordinary condition, rather than follow the usual course of physiological change. Fourth, one should prize oral instructions and the essential points of practice, and not cling to the surface of the written word. In examining and judging elixir classics and Daoist texts, one ought to rely on these principles; only then is one not easily misled.

What this book sets forth are concrete methods of cultivation, not principles alone; what it practices is cultivation that reverses the ordinary condition, not going along with the ordinary course of nature; what it transmits are oral instructions, not merely written words. In these respects it accords with the second, third, and fourth principles. Later, however, the original book was recklessly altered by others. Material such as the so-called “mani duoluo” also threw the meaning into confusion, so that the entire method of women’s cultivation was changed into something that seems right but is not. This inevitably goes against the aims of the immortal Dao and does not accord with the first principle of practicality. Therefore, whatever has clearly been mixed into the book should be deleted, so as to remove the false and the deviant and preserve the genuine. People of clear understanding in the world ought to be able to appreciate this.

In the sixth month of the twenty-fourth year of the Republic of China (1935 CE; the text also lists beside it the 4,632nd year of the Yellow Emperor’s era), Chen Yingning of Wanjiang recorded this in Shanghai.

General Discussion

When a man reaches about sixteen, his Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) gradually become abundant, and once they are full they are discharged. When a woman reaches about fourteen, menstruation begins, and once the menses are full they overflow outward. If one wishes Jing and Qi not to leak and menstrual blood not to spill out, one must understand “wind” and “fire.” Here “fire” means primordial Shen (spirit), a person’s fundamental spirit, and “wind” means true breath, the genuine respiration spoken of in cultivation.

Primordial Shen and true breath depend on each other and are inwardly experienced through cultivation by contemplative awareness. The method is to look inward from the mysterious aperture in the eyes—the inner place of contemplation in practice—into the Qi cavity, the place in the body where the movement of Qi is said to reside, so that Qi envelops primordial Shen and the spirit condenses and settles. All of this depends on gathering and holding with intention. The inborn, natural “wind and fire” join and circulate without pause or rest. Jing is transformed into Qi, and Qi in turn nourishes primordial Shen. Primordial Shen becomes full and perfectly integrated, the bodily form is transformed along with it, and one finally reaches the state of “a body outside the body,” that is, the achievement of the Yang spirit spoken of in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy).

An oral instruction says: “So long as primordial Shen and true breath constantly attend to each other, the bodily form can be transformed without cease, and the jade liquor circulates within the body. Because one long contemplates the cavern of long life, one can refine the Yang spirit so that it appears from the crown of the head. One should know that the myriad things are born and in the end must die, and one must realize that primordial Shen, after undergoing a death-like transformation, can return to life. If mind and spirit can abide securely within Qi, as an infant is nourished, the work can be firmly completed.” If a person cultivates according to these methods, why worry that the Neidan cannot be achieved?

The method of cultivation is to circulate the Chong vessel, the Ren vessel, and the Du vessel, and to apply one’s effort at sites in the body such as the outer pass, the middle pass, and the inner pass. A woman’s practice differs somewhat. She begins by working at the breast-stream of the upper pass, then shifts to the interior of the navel at the middle pass, and finally comes to rest in the uterus of the lower pass; afterward she joins and transforms the middle and lower passes into one. The breast-stream, the interior of the navel, and the uterus named here are the sites of women’s cultivation spoken of in the Jing (scripture). At every stage of the practice one must pass through the perishing and renewal of the former condition, and so one must grasp the “death and return to life” of the primordial spirit, Yuan Shen (the Shen, or spirit, originally inherent before birth). If one can settle mind and spirit securely within Qi (vital energy), guarding the work as steadily as one nourishes an infant, cultivation can succeed. If a person practices in this way, why fear that the Neidan (internal alchemy) cannot be achieved?

A man’s refining of Jing (essence) is called “Great Yang refining Qi”; a woman’s refining of blood is called “Great Yin refining form.” The secret of the firing schedule lies in regulating civil fire and martial fire: martial fire is used in the middle, and civil fire at the beginning and the end. When the celestial circuit, the Zhou Tian, is set in motion—circulation through the whole body along the meridians—one cannot do without watchful awareness and the stilling of thought. Within the twelve double-hours of a day, wherever intention reaches, one may practice. If pre-heaven Qi and post-heaven Qi are obtained, ordinary life takes on a state like mild drunkenness. The original text here reads “daily life is [as if] drunk”; the wording may differ, and the sense is roughly that, once Qi has been gained in cultivation, one often feels slightly intoxicated.

Women of the ordinary world are often deeply dyed by habit. They crave meat and strong flavors and readily give rise to desire; seeing others marry, they resent and wound themselves within, grow melancholy with the turning of the seasons, and little by little develop ailments such as timidity, worry, and fear. Eating too much raw and cold food further impedes the movement of the meridians; if temptation then comes, one may ruin both person and reputation and carry regret to the end of life. One should take this as a warning and not form bonds of harmful karma.

If one can endure, the heart grows calm; if one can repent, the heart grows glad. The mind should be as careful as hands bearing a vessel full of water, and the inner heart as level as still water. At every moment emulate the Golden Man—the bronze figure of legend, silent and sparing of words—and be cautious in speech. Whether in movement or at rest, keep chastity and integrity, break through the barrier of passion, and leap clear of the deep sea of desire. The Tian Gui within the body, the Qi of essence and blood bound up with reproduction and menstruation, is the root by which life is nourished. One should seek a method of cultivation without delay, refine and transform it, and return it to the true. Merit accumulates in the human world, and the spirit-soul returns to Heaven. All of you who cultivate the Dao (the Way), each exert yourselves.

Section One: Recognize the foundation and purify the thoughts of the heart.

If one wishes to recognize the foundation of cultivation, the mind must first be made pure: stray thoughts are not allowed to stain it, and one is not confused by the multitude of phenomena. When the mind is empty and luminous and desires are faint, it naturally becomes calm and still, bright as a mirror and clear as water. Only after the mind is pure can one go further in recognizing the foundation of cultivation.

A woman’s body belongs to the “Kun body” (a body symbolized by yin softness). The scripture (Jing) likens parts of the body to the passes and apertures of cultivation: the back belongs to yin and the abdomen to yang; the breasts are the outer apertures, and the ruxi (the space between the breasts, regarded as the place where Qi, vital energy, gathers) is the inner point. The place of the ruxi is called the “sixth-story tower,” at about six and a half parts, opposite the outer gate of the “ten-story tower.” In seated meditation, one first sits cross-legged, crossing the legs and knees, and draws tight the lower pass (here the lower aperture, also called the “spring door”) in order to secure primordial Qi; one then employs the upper pass so that Qi circulates at the ruxi and does not leak downward. The middle pass lies one cun and three fen inside the navel.

If one wishes to avoid the “five leakages” (the dissipation of Jing, essence, Qi, and Shen, spirit, spoken of in cultivation), one must guard the “three passes” (the upper, middle, and lower apertures). The ears constantly listen inward, the eyes constantly gaze inward, and the mouth remains closed and does not speak; Qi is drawn into the ruxi, Shen is gathered in the “golden chamber” (in internal refinement, the place symbolizing the concentration of Jing and Qi), one’s nature is settled in the “sea of awakening” (a state of mind symbolizing enlightenment), and intention is focused on the “elixir palace” (in the practice of Neidan, internal alchemy, the place of the Dantian, energy center).

In cultivation one returns to single-mindedness and practices only contemplative awareness. The Golden Mother contemplates the mind; Laozi contemplates the aperture. Day and night one continually contemplates the state before a thought has arisen, so that the seven emotions do not arise, the five aggregates are originally empty, and the mind remains free and lively. Like Master Lü, one traces the Dao (the Way) back to its source, concentrates Shen in the Qi cavity, and focuses intention on the lower Dantian. The gaze then guides intention into the Qi cavity: pre-heaven Qi arrives and post-heaven Qi enters, and one continually keeps the mind there.

For a woman, the ruxi is regarded as the upper elixir aperture; the place behind the navel and in front of the kidneys is the middle pass; the feminine gate (the entrance of a woman’s lower body) is the lower pass; and the uterus is called the “great cauldron.” In cultivation the gaze likewise guides intention into the ruxi, the interior of the navel, and the uterus, so that Qi circulates and post-heaven Qi enters, while these places are constantly guarded.

When a girl first menstruates, at around the age of fourteen, the "breast stream" (the upper cultivation site in Daoist women's alchemy) is regarded as the upper elixir cavity. The area behind the navel and in front of the kidneys is the middle pass, the vulva is the lower pass, and the womb is likened to the great cauldron. The scripture says that one may also draw the intent from the eyes to the breast stream, and from there through the navel into the womb, since these sites all communicate with one another. The so-called "innate seed" refers to the root of life itself.

A man's primal Jing (essence) belongs to the purest Yang qi (vital energy), while a woman's true blood belongs to the purest Yin essence. The scripture regards these as the foundation that sustains life and gives rise to all things. A man stores his primal Jing in the Gate of Life (Mingmen), while a woman stores her true blood in the "female gate" (the female reproductive organs), that is, within the womb. When desire stirs, Jing and Qi are hard to retain; when the heart and Shen (spirit) are calm, they are easier to keep. One must also rely on "wind and fire" (in Neidan, or internal alchemy, the term for the movement of breath and its refining, transforming action) to carry on the refinement continuously.

Section Two: Cultivating the Menses to Bring Them into Use

A woman begins to menstruate at about fourteen. The scripture holds that although the menstrual blood is regenerated with each monthly flow, it is also depleted each month. Those who intend to cultivate can therefore transform it through practice; even if menstruation has ceased in old age, it must first be restored. During cultivation one should avoid raw and cold foods, lest the blood congeal and stagnate. Chen Yingning notes in his commentary that this is an inherited teaching and need not be followed rigidly.

The scripture treats the menstrual flow as the root of life. The initial method appears to involve actively applying the intent, so that Qi and blood are replenished and no longer continue to be drained. The scripture uses the line "Being is the beginning of non-being; non-being is the end of being" to explain the transformation in practice: one begins from "being," setting the acquired Qi in motion, and on reaching "non-being" one no longer applies the intent deliberately, allowing the innate Qi to fill and abound. The eyes follow the intent, and Shen and breath (spirit and respiration) depend on each other. In this way the menstrual blood is transformed and the Qi and blood are replenished, and refining Qi then leads on to nourishing Shen.

In practice, one begins at the middle pass and, with the intent, seems to pull upward forcefully thirty-six times to the upper pass. One then rotates the intent thirty-six times to the left and thirty-six times to the right, and afterward moves to the breasts, again rotating thirty-six times to each side. The scripture says that if the "Heavenly Valley" (a site in the head) is not warm, the Qi has not yet risen, and if the "Earth Spring" (a site in the lower body) is not warm, the Qi has not yet descended. Next, one leads the eyes with the intent and gazes at the upper and middle passes. With the hands crossed below the navel and above the spring, one draws the intent upward thirty-six times to the breast stream, then moves it to the inside of the outer openings of the breasts and rotates it thirty-six times to each side.

Section Three: The Method of Severing the Dragon

To begin with a clarification: in the original text, the “Secret Method of Severing the Dragon” (duanlong mifa) refers to a method of cultivation practiced by women. Practice is arranged for the zi hour and the wu hour, and the sitting posture is like riding a crane. One clicks the teeth seventy-two times while breathing naturally through the nose for thirty-six breaths; one exhalation and one inhalation count as a single breath. The original text holds that this can make the channels and vessels throughout the body flow freely.

In practice, the heels press firmly against the “spring portal” (quanfei, an acupoint at the heel). The hands are crossed and placed below the navel, and the intention is as if exerting effort, lifting the breath upward thirty-six times. After it has been raised to the upper pass, intention is used to guide the eyes in turning thirty-six times; one then comes to the middle pass and turns them in the same way thirty-six times. The hands are next lifted in an upward supporting movement, first slowly thirty-six times and then more quickly thirty-six times.

Next, the tail gate (weilu, at the end of the spine near the coccyx) is moved slightly. The hands are set on the waist, the jaws are clenched, and both shoulders are shrugged, so that the aperture at the spinal juncture (jiaji) and the Feishu point (the acupoint on the back corresponding to the lungs) move together. Intention guides the head and the back to rise and straighten upward, sending the breath through the Jade Pillow (yuzhen, the aperture at the back of the head) directly to the Muddy Pellet (niwan, the aperture at the crown of the head or in the brain). The lower lip then tightly encloses the upper lip, and intention guides the true Qi (vital energy; zhenqi, the primordial qi spoken of in internal cultivation) upward to the Muddy Pellet and downward to the nasal orifice.

The tongue is pressed to the upper palate; this is called joining the “Heavenly Bridge” (tianqiao, the passage formed when the tongue touches the upper palate). Saliva then arises naturally in the mouth, and this is called “sweet dew” (ganlu). One next draws a gentle breath in through the nose, so that the breath passes from the pillow region to the Muddy Pellet. The end of the original text repeats what comes before; both say that intention guides the true Qi upward to the Muddy Pellet, close to the nasal orifice.

Press the tip of the tongue against the upper palate (called “linking the heavenly bridge,” da tianqiao, in Daoist cultivation), and saliva will naturally arise in the mouth, like sweet dew. Inhale gently through the nose, then, following the intention, swallow the saliva and send it down below the navel. Place the hand at the external genitals; let the intention seem to exert a slight force, and send the breath to the uterus, repeating this thirty-six times. Once the saliva has been sent into what is called the “cauldron” within the body (ding, the name in Neidan, internal alchemy, for a site of cultivation and nourishment inside the body), one feels warm Qi (vital energy) swirling. Press the heels firmly together, body and mind grow settled, and the uterus likewise becomes calm. Wei Yuanjun says: “The treasure returns to the Northern Sea (here referring to the Dantian, the energy center, within the body), secure and properly settled.”

Section Four: Refining the Breasts to Restore a Youthful Form

The breasts communicate upward with the heart and lungs and connect downward with the Sea of Qi (Qihai, the place below the navel where breath gathers). If one wishes to refine the breasts into a form like that of a young maiden, this must be combined with the “method of cutting off the dragon” (duanlong fa, a specialized practice in Daoist female alchemy), and the saliva must be sent to the Crimson Palace (Jianggong, which in traditional Neidan refers to the region of the heart). Concentrate the intention on the two breasts, rotating thirty-six times on the left and thirty-six times on the right. Close the upper and lower lips, clench the teeth, shut the nostrils, and adopt internal breathing.

Then place the palms of both hands upon the breasts and knead and press them, left and right, seventy-two times each. Begin slowly and then quicken; begin lightly and then press more firmly. After a hundred days of practice, according to the original text, the breasts will form into shapes like walnuts. The oral formula for refining the breasts handed down in former times by the Immortal Maiden Feng says: “The left is the sun, the right is the moon, joining to complete Yin-Yang (yinyang); the nasal breath circulating within the body is called ‘moving the Dipper.’ If one wishes Yin and Yang to return to the sun and moon, one must refine the two palms with true fire.” A note points out that some other books write “the two chambers” instead of “the two palms,” referring to the two breasts.

(Yingning’s note: Although the three stages of practice discussed from the second through the fourth sections are explained with fair clarity, beginners, after reading them, must still be cautious and must not rashly set to work. It is best to read several different books, get the principles clear, and attempt the practice only after these have been thoroughly integrated. In carrying it out one must also be especially careful; the moment any discomfort or obstruction appears, one should stop at once, or else there is a danger of cultivating illness. Relying on this single book alone, it is very difficult to apply the method correctly. I have vowed to bring into open circulation all of the dozen or so secret manuals of women’s elixir (Nüdan) cultivation from ancient times to the present—some with annotations added, some collated or supplemented—so that they may form the most complete series, ancient and modern, of women’s elixir instructions, and to publish them in succession. In the past, the difficulty women faced in cultivation was that there were no books to read; now the problem of books has been resolved. You must read widely and study carefully, then seek out people who have practiced these methods and discuss them with them; perhaps in this way a means of entering the practice may be obtained.)

Section Five: Settling the Cauldron and Forming the Embryo

Men take the lower abdomen, the middle abdomen, and the upper abdomen as the cauldron (the sites for refining and nourishing Neidan, internal alchemy); women take the uterus, the interior of the navel, and the breast stream (the region between the breasts) as the cauldron. The uterus lies at a distance of one… from the lower Dantian (energy center)…

Men take the lower Dantian (energy center), the middle Dantian, and the upper Dantian as cauldrons (ding); women take the uterus, the interior of the navel, and the breast ravine (ruxi) as cauldrons. The uterus spoken of here lies one cun and three fen from the lower Dantian and two cun and eight fen from the navel; that is, it is situated below the breast ravine above. The upper cauldron is the breast ravine, the middle cauldron is the interior of the navel, and the lower cauldron is the uterus. These sites are arranged from the outside inward, but in practice one proceeds from the inside outward. Men have no uterus, and so they take the lower Dantian as the great cauldron. This is why the names are the same while what they specifically designate differs.

(Yingning’s note: When the elixir classics speak of the cauldron, they invariably also speak of the furnace (lu): the cauldron is above and the furnace below. This book speaks only of the cauldron and not of the furnace, and moreover calls the upper, middle, and lower sites all cauldrons, which does not accord with the traditional usage of the ancients. The measurements of one cun and three fen and two cun and eight fen given in the text are also difficult to take as precise standards. Learners need not cling to these dimensions, lest they be misled by them.)

Master Lü’s Jinhua Ji (Collection of the Golden Flower) says: The two eyes returning the light means gathering mind and intention from the level space between the two eyes and concentrating it upon the lower Dantian. After a woman has practiced the “dragon-severing method” (in women’s cultivation, the practice said to cut off menstruation), she sits quietly for a moment, then draws the intention out from between the two eyes and, returning the light, gazes upon the breast ravine thirty-six times; she then gazes upon the interior of the navel and upon the lower Dantian—that is, the uterus—thirty-six times each. She then uses intention to lead the “water of the Flower Pool” (in the art of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), the name for the saliva in the mouth) to the upper cauldron, leads the two kinds of fluid Qi (vital energy) of the heart and lungs to the upper cauldron, and further sends the “true gold within the sea” (a Neidan term, here referring to the Jing (essence) and Qi of cultivation) to the upper cauldron. Next, as if exerting a slight effort, she sends it downward, passing through the middle cauldron and on to the great cauldron, where it circles eighteen times. Thereupon inner heat rises, the cauldron grows settled, and embryonic breathing (taixi) condenses and forms.

(Yingning’s note: The method of practice in this passage and the sense of its wording are likewise unclear; beginners will likely find it difficult to practice by following them.)

Section Six: Embryonic Breathing Harmonizes of Itself.

When the breath is properly regulated, one can avoid such problems as panting and breath that is coarse, heavy, shallow, or short. Once the nasal breath has been made even, and every breath is brought back to its root, this is called “fetal breathing” (taixi), describing breath so fine and deep that it is as if a fetus were breathing within the mother’s body. When the breath moves, the pulse moves with it; when the breath stops, the pulse stops as well.

Ancient books say: “Longevity cannot be attained by ingesting Qi (vital energy) alone; longevity depends on subduing Qi.” When the true breath begins to circulate, one is able to subdue Qi. After the “dragon-severing practice” (duanlong gong, a method in women’s cultivation connected with the cessation of menstruation) has been completed, one sits quietly for a time, so that the seven emotions have not yet been stirred and stray thoughts do not arise. The feet then press against the spring gate, and the lips enclose the teeth so that the jaws are drawn closed. Letting the mind follow the gaze, one fixes attention on the place three cun and eight fen between the heart and the kidneys, turning left and right for forty-nine breaths. Sweet dew (ganlu, the name given in cultivation to the saliva in the mouth) arises of itself. Swallowing it raises the Qi; once the Qi has been raised, it returns to the region of the navel, and the Qi condenses. After long practice, fetal breathing takes form: without deliberately exhaling, the Qi exhales of itself; without deliberately inhaling, the Qi inhales of itself; without deliberately raising it, the Qi rises of itself. The opening and closing within the female gate (pinhu, the female reproductive organ) likewise proceed of themselves. The body becomes warm and harmonious, as in spring, and the Neidan (internal alchemy) is formed.

(Yingning’s note: The original text does not explain what phenomena appear between the regulation of the breath and fetal breathing; nor is the so-called place three cun and eight fen between the heart and the kidneys sufficient to serve as a definite point of reference.)

Section Seven: The Fluid Returns and the Embryo Is Formed

When men cultivate, they set the River Chariot (heche, the route along which breath travels within the body) in motion, refine and transform with spiritual fire, and match this with the breath-wind (xifeng, the control of the breath during breath regulation). Each day they gather Jing (essence) and Qi and return them to the furnace and cauldron, refining them into the lesser medicine. When Qi is abundant and Shen (spirit) and Qi are fully complete, this becomes the greater medicine. In the “Five Dragons Upholding the Sage” (wulong pengsheng, a term of Daoist Neidan describing the gathering of the Qi-mechanism and its safeguarding of the elixir), movement follows what is natural: first rising from the lower region to the middle, so as to increase Qi and strength and to nourish the spirit; then rising to the upper Dantian (energy center, the site of cultivation in the head), first opening a passage through the crown. After the Jade Fluid Returns as Elixir (yuye huandan, the expression in cultivation for saliva, or for Jing and Qi, returning to the Dantian and condensing into the Neidan), it is like ghee poured over the crown. When the Yang Spirit (yangshen, the spiritual form held in cultivation to have been refined into being) has been refined to full maturity, one is called a divine immortal.

If one asks how a woman accomplishes the return of the jade fluid as elixir, it is by transforming the “Red Dragon” (chilong, referring to menstruation) into the “White Phoenix” (baifeng, referring to the Jing and Qi into which menstruation has been transformed), so that it fills the lower Dantian and one feels as if carrying a child. When the work is complete and Qi has been transformed, spiritual light is abundant and full and issues forth from the crown of the head. Refining further until the state of ghee poured over the crown is reached, and when the Yang Spirit has been refined to full maturity, one is called a divine immortal.

If one asks how a woman cultivates the “Jade Liquid Reverted Elixir”—the stage in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) in which a woman refines and nourishes Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and thereby generates the inner elixir—it means transforming the “Red Dragon” into the “White Phoenix,” a figure for the conversion of menstrual blood into pure Qi. When pure Qi fills the lower Dantian (energy center), the site of Neidan cultivation below the navel, one feels as if pregnant. When the work reaches completion, Qi is transformed and Shen (spirit) is formed; the light of Shen is full and perfectly integrated, issues forth from the crown of the head, and the Yang Shen is refined. On attaining the “Jade Liquid Reverted Elixir,” there is a clarity like that of ghee poured upon the crown. This process cannot be separated from the practice that precedes it. In cultivation one should be like the Queen Mother in the Kunlun Palace, quietly listening to subtle sounds.

(Note by Yingning: The portion discussing women’s cultivation is too brief to serve as a method of practice.)

Section Eight: Refining and Transforming the Yang Shen

A man’s Neidan cultivation is to refine Jing so as to benefit Qi, and then to refine Qi so as to form Shen; a woman’s Neidan cultivation is to refine blood so as to benefit Qi, and then to refine Qi so as to form Shen. The cultivation of both men and women employs “Fire and Wind,” the Neidan term for the movement of the Qi mechanism and for regulating the breath and working it in practice. What women call “cutting off the dragon” is the transformation of menstrual blood into Qi; some also say that it is regulating the breath and refining Qi, so that Qi is transformed into Shen. If Qi is not refined and transformed, Shen is insufficient and the bodily form has nothing on which to rely; in the end one can become only a Yin Shen, and cannot refine a Yang Shen.

In cultivation one must enter stillness and use the “Six-Character Formula,” a method of regulating the breath through specific pronunciations. Intention employs the “three characters,” beginning from within the navel and settling them in the middle Dantian, then rotating thirty-six times to the left and thirty-six times to the right, while intention employs the “lan character.”

The original text contains repeated sentences at this point, and the specific meaning of the closing phrase “intention employs the lan character” is also left unexplained; it is therefore translated literally according to the text.

In the eastern region of the liver, the mind rotates thirty-six times to the left and thirty-six times to the right, while inwardly circulating the character “Luo.” In the southern region of the heart, one likewise rotates left and right thirty-six times each, circulating the character “Bo.” In the western region of the lungs, one rotates left and right thirty-six times each, circulating the character “Dai.” In the northern region of the kidneys, one rotates left and right thirty-six times each, circulating the character “Tai.” The mind then rises to the Niwan, a Neidan (internal alchemy) term for the area above the head, and rotates left and right thirty-six times each. Fixing awareness on the center, one gathers the hun (ethereal soul), the Shen (spirit), the po (corporeal soul), and the Qi (vital energy) to the crown of the head and refines them into Yang. Yin Qi comes to rest in the Great Cauldron—a metaphor, in Neidan practice, for the place within the body where cultivation is nurtured—and with a quiet mind one guards the embryonic breathing.

Then, with the mind, one circulates the three characters “Luo,” “Bo,” and “Dai” to the Middle Pass, an aperture of cultivation within the body, completing this nine times. When the method is finished, Yin Qi rises and Yang Qi descends, meeting in the Middle Cauldron, and radiance becomes full at the crown of the head. The mind then abides in the center; once more one gathers the hun, the Shen, the po, and the Qi to the crown and refines them into Yang. Yin Qi rests in the Great Cauldron, and with a quiet mind one guards the embryonic breathing. Again one circulates the three characters through the Middle Pass, completing this nine times. Yin rises and Yang descends, meeting in the Middle Cauldron, and radiance becomes full at the crown of the head—just as the Queen Mother sits upright in the Palace of Kunlun, hearing a subtle sound that comes through the air, arising without strings.

Section Nine: The Yang Spirit’s Radiance Becomes Full

When the Jade Liquid is reverted into the elixir—refining the Jing (essence) fluid within the body into Neidan (internal alchemy)—the yang spirit, the pure-yang Shen (spirit) formed in cultivation, is not yet completely pure. Obtaining the pearl in the Crimson Waters symbolizes the yang spirit gradually becoming full and luminous, like the Queen Mother seated in the palace of Kunlun, listening to the subtle sound of a stringless zither in the void.

The heart-spirit is like the Vermilion Bird, sweeping down through the air. By taking refuge with utmost sincerity, one brings the root of intention back to its source; the six roots (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind) are thereby liberated, and spiritual awareness naturally becomes perfectly luminous. The kidney is like Wangxiang (a water spirit of ancient legend, here a metaphor for the spirit within the kidney); it soon obtains the precious pearl and presents it before the eyes, and the pearl’s radiance illuminates the ten directions. Heart and kidney conjoin, Shen and Qi (vital energy) naturally unite, and they condense into a true seed for nurturing the sacred embryo (the inner spiritual fetus gestated in cultivation).

The sacred embryo is peacefully nurtured in the Purple Chamber (the place of cultivation within the body). The liver’s nature is benevolence; the white parrot dancing in flight symbolizes the feeling and righteousness of the lungs. The union of Metal and Wood symbolizes the union of nature and feeling; the tiger lying subdued and the dragon brought down symbolize Water and Fire aiding one another. The pure treasure vase is a metaphor for the fluid of the lungs, the willow branch for the tail of the liver, and the fluids of the Flower Pool for sweet dew. Above the Mud Pill (the site of cultivation inside the crown of the head), one sits securely upon Kunlun; this method must be practiced according to the standard of firm vigor.

By intention one applies that three-character formula and guides it to the place where true breath (the deep, prolonged breathing of cultivation) resides; this is the Great Cauldron. The millet pearl, a metaphor for the minute yet condensed Neidan, whirls in flight and enters the navel, while the mouth seems to intone the sounds “bu bu xi lie,” the mind concentrated and undistracted. From this, concentration and wisdom become perfectly fused and interpenetrating. Let the waves of the Southern Sea surge as they may: so long as primordial yang Qi is abundant, the light of spirit-fire complete, and the Great Medicine has rushed through the passes and apertures, I remain pure and still—the heart-spirit settled, intention clear, silent and undisturbed.

This great method contains a profound true mechanism, more subtle than the Dragon-Severing Method. Carried through nine reversions in this way, it attains the seven returns. Its efficacy gathers within the navel; the yang spirit manifests at the crown of the head; precious light rises upward; form and Shen alike reach the wondrous realm; merit is fulfilled, and the jade edict descends.

Section Ten: Warm Nurturing and Audience with the Origin

The great cauldron (a symbolic term in internal cultivation for what gathers Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and warms and nourishes the medicinal substance) has already been settled; the great medicine (the Jing and Qi condensed through cultivation) has already been obtained; the sacred embryo (the “embryo” formed by internal cultivation, symbolizing the fruit of practice) has already taken shape; and the Yang Shen (spirit), brought to completion through cultivation and able to leave the body and move about, has also appeared. Thereafter one must continue to warm and nourish it, just as a wet nurse suckles an infant for three years, and one must also face the wall in quiet cultivation for nine years. The breathing is settled, calm, and prolonged, and the mind is single and does not scatter, so that Shen and breath attend upon each other.

In these three thousand days, what has been gained through cultivation must be guarded as one watches over an infant, and never for a moment forgotten. Do not allow mind and Shen to become scattered and disordered. The eyes are slightly lowered, and the gaze follows the intention as it shines inward, coming to rest on the apertures within the body (the places where, in cultivation, the movement of Qi is said to enter and leave). As the mind grows quiet and one enters more deeply, the body feels the breath warm as spring, and sweet dew (the name in internal cultivation for the fluid in the mouth) is often produced. The movement of Qi courses through the whole body, beginning from the womb (here referring to the site of internal cultivation in the region of the Dantian (energy center)), rising along the back and then descending along the front of the body, so that the river chariot (the name in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) for the route along which the movement of Qi circulates) turns of itself. In this way the ordinary body can be transformed and the true form (what the practitioner calls the true body) achieved.

When a man faces the Origin, white light pierces the crown, after which black, blue-green, red, and golden lights appear in sequence. When a woman faces the Origin, black light pierces the crown, after which red, white, blue-green, and golden lights appear in sequence. When the stages of the work are complete and the colors of light are all present, the river chariot turns of itself, and the ordinary body is transformed into the true form. The order of the colors of light seen by men and by women when facing the Origin is, respectively, as stated above. When the stages are sufficient and the radiance is full and complete, the lights of the five colors unite as one, earth and thunder sound of themselves, and the Gate of Heaven (the symbolic portal at the crown of the head) opens of itself.

After the Yang Shen has emerged from the body, it must return as soon as it goes out, moving first nearby and only gradually farther away. One must never lose oneself on this account. At this point, still greater caution is required.

Section Eleven: The Work Completed and the Ordinary Transcended

The Yang Shen can leave and enter freely, and the true self (what the practitioner calls the true nature) can wander at ease. At this time one first remains in the human world, widely performing good deeds and accumulating merit. When the merit is profound and the conditions have matured, a true teacher comes to receive and guide one; one is then presented to the Lord on High, next pays homage to the various heavens, and afterward proceeds to the Jasper Pool for an audience with the Golden Mother (the Queen Mother of the West) and is invested with an immortal office. This is called “transcending the ordinary.”

Appendix

First, treat illnesses of the channels and vessels.

For irregular menstruation or amenorrhea, and for illnesses that appear before or after childbirth, one may add waist-rubbing to the practices already described: rub the left and right sides thirty-six times each, then rub both shoulders upward and downward, thirty-six times each. Also massage the navel, rubbing alternately with the two hands seventy-two times, until the body feels warm.

For uterine flooding, leukorrhea, and similar conditions, one may add the “Inverted-Hanging Tiger Method” to the foregoing practices: suspend a horizontal bar, hang upside down by both feet, bend the body like a golden hook, brace the fingers on the ground, concentrate the intention below the navel, and circle left and right one hundred twenty times. Practice once each day at the zi hour (midnight) and the wu hour (noon). This method is also used for amenorrhea, blood stasis, blood macules, and related conditions.

To the foregoing practices one may also add “Following the Hook, the Golden Ao”: suspend a horizontal bar, hang with the palms joined in keeping with the posture, the toes touching the ground, the eyes slightly closed, and the head lowered to observe the heart, thirty-six times. Let the intention follow the gaze to a point six fen below the navel and rest there thirty-six times; then, with the gaze, visualize the site of the illness thirty-six times. Other illnesses may be treated by the same principle. The scripture (Jing) says that treating illness with the “true fire” within the heart-mind and spirit (Shen) is the “secret method of the hemp-ball fish watching the soft-shelled turtle to cure disease,” transmitted by Wei Yuanjun and Cui Fengsun.

II. Drawing the Ceased Menses Back

When menstruation has already stopped, one must first find a way to draw the menses back into flow. The “Severing the Dragon Method” originally lifts and draws the intention upward; here it is changed to sending Qi (vital energy) downward. What was originally a turning to left and right is here changed to rubbing left and right. After one hundred days of practice, menstruation will come. Three days after it comes, continue according to the previous method; once a full one hundred days have been completed, stop this set of practices.