《钟吕传道集》

The Zhong-Lü Chuandao Ji consists of eighteen fascicles. It is presented as teachings given by the Perfected Zhengyang, Zhongli Quan (style name Yunfang), compiled by the Perfected Chunyang, Lü Yan (style name Dongbin), and transmitted by the Perfected Huayang, Shi Jianwu (style name Xisheng). The work is written throughout in the form of questions and answers.

In sequence, the work discusses true immortals, the Great Dao, Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, the four seasons, the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), water and fire, the Dragon and Tiger, elixirs, lead and mercury, drawing out and replenishing, the River Cart, returning the elixir, refining the body, paying homage to the Origin, inner contemplation, demonic trials, and verification of attainment.

First: On True Immortals

Lü Dongbin asked: “How can a person live in peace and health, grow strong without declining into old age, and attain long life without dying? What method of cultivation can lead to such a state?”

Zhongli Quan replied: “Human life begins when the parents unite. The two kinds of original Qi and the seven…”

Zhongli Quan said, “When a man and woman unite, the two original energies mingle, and Jing and blood form the fetus. After the Great Beginning, the fetus takes on its first shape. Yin energy receives Yang energy, and life grows. Qi changes along with the fetus, and after three hundred days its body is fully formed. A numinous light enters the body, and the fetus separates from its mother.

After the Great Simplicity, the body already has breath moving up and down, and the ‘Yellow Sprout’ gradually grows within it—a Neidan term symbolizing the sprouting of life’s original energy. By five thousand days, the original energy is full; according to this account, its measure reaches eighty-one zhang. At about fifteen years of age, the boy is called a youth. At that time, Yin and Yang within him are each half, like the sun just rising in the east. If from then on he allows his original Yang to drain away and his true Qi to dissipate, his strength will weaken. He will then fall ill, grow old, and die, until life itself comes to an end.

If a person lives in ignorance, he damages his numinous light; if he is vicious and unruly throughout his life, he continually shortens his allotted years. That is why bodies in the next life differ, and lifespans vary in length. Life and death recur; after one death comes another rebirth. If someone passes through many lifetimes without awakening, he will fall further in each one, lose the human body, and be reborn among other kinds of beings, with his spiritual nature dwelling in a different form. His original, most genuine nature can no longer be restored in human form. He can only continue cycling through lesser paths of rebirth, with no hope of liberation.

Sometimes he encounters a true immortal or a person of high attainment who removes his karmic offenses, lets him shed his former form, and grants him a human body again. But he remains deluded and ignorant. He must accumulate good deeds for a hundred kalpas before he can ascend to a blessed land. Even then, he cannot escape hardships such as hunger, cold, and disability. He must then rise through many further stages before his appearance gradually becomes whole again, though he may still occupy a lowly station as a servant. If he repeats his former offenses, he will tumble straight back into lesser paths of rebirth, like a ball rolling down an upright board.

Lü Dongbin said, “I was born in China and am fortunate to have lived in peaceful times. I have enough clothing and food, and I am not yet very old. Those I love are safe, while those I dislike suffer illness; those who cling to life will in the end live, and those who fear death will in the end die. Today I have been allowed to meet you, my honored teacher. I bow twice in reverence and earnestly ask you this: knowing that life and death are matters of great importance, I beg you to explain the way to be free from illness and death, and to guide me, a poor scholar.”

Zhongli Quan said, “People cultivate themselves in order to escape the cycle of rebirth and avoid being born again as another kind of being. They also hope to free the body from illness, aging, death, and suffering. People stand between Heaven and Earth, bearing Yin and embracing Yang; this is what makes them human. Since we have been born human, we should not let ourselves fall to the level of ghosts. We should cultivate ourselves in the human world and become immortals, then rise from the level of immortals to that of Celestial Immortals.”

Lü Dongbin asked, “When people die, they become ghosts; when they cultivate the Dao, they become immortals. Is there only one kind of immortal? Why must one rise from being an immortal to become a Celestial Immortal?”

Zhongli Quan said, “Immortals have different levels. When Yin is at its fullest and there is no Yang, one is a ghost; when Yang is pure and full and there is no Yin, one is an immortal; when Yin and Yang are mixed, one is human. Only humans can become either ghosts or immortals. If, while young, people do not cultivate themselves but indulge their desires and act as they please, they will eventually fall ill and die, becoming ghosts. If they understand the way of cultivation, transcend the ordinary and enter the sacred, and shed the form of an ordinary person, they can become immortals. There are five levels of immortals and three grades of achievement in the methods of cultivation. Cultivation depends on each person’s own discipline; the level ultimately attained differs according to each person’s deeds and practice.”

Lü Dongbin asked, “Why are there three grades of achievement in the methods of cultivation, and three levels of immortals?”

Zhongli Quan said, “The methods of cultivation are divided into lesser, middle, and great achievement. There are five grades of immortals: Ghost Immortal, Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, Spirit Immortal, and Celestial Immortal. Though their levels differ, they are all called immortals. Ghost Immortals cannot leave the realm of ghosts; Human Immortals cannot leave the human sphere; Earth Immortals cannot leave the earthly realm; Spirit Immortals cannot leave the sphere of spirits; and Celestial Immortals remain within Heaven.”

Lü Dongbin asked, “What is meant by a Ghost Immortal?”

Zhongli Quan said, “The Ghost Immortal is the lowest of the five kinds of immortal. Such beings attain transcendence in the Yin realm, but neither spirit nor form is manifest. Their names do not appear in the registers of ghosts, nor do they have titles among the Three Mountains, the immortal mountains of Daoist legend. Though they no longer undergo rebirth, it is difficult for them to return to Penglai and Yingzhou, the legendary islands of immortals in the sea. In the end, with nowhere to go, they can only be reborn and take up residence in a human household.”

Lü asked, “What practices and efforts lead to the state called a ghost immortal, one of the Five Immortals and a type whose Yin spirit continues to exist?”

Zhong replied, “Some practitioners initially fail to understand the Great Dao, yet are eager for quick results. They make the body rigid and still as a withered tree, and the mind silent as cold ash. By gathering the spirit and keeping their attention from wandering, they can release the Yin spirit—the spirit that has not yet attained the state of pure Yang—while in meditation. This is merely a clear and subtle ghost spirit, not an immortal of pure Yang. Because the mind remains focused and the Yin spirit does not disperse, this is called a ghost immortal. Though called an ‘immortal,’ it still belongs to the class of ghosts. Some practitioners, both ancient and modern, who exalt Buddhism reach this stage and then claim to have attained the Dao. It is truly laughable.”

Lü asked, “What, then, is called a human immortal, a lower-ranking member of the Five Immortals?”

Zhong replied, “A human immortal is the class that ranks just above ghost immortals among the Five Immortals. If a practitioner seeking the truth does not understand the Great Dao, but acquires one method within the Dao and one technique within that method, they may believe in it without doubt and devote themselves to it for their entire life without changing course. This causes the Qi of the Five Phases—the Qi within the body corresponding to the Five Phases—to converge in an improper way, thereby strengthening the body. The diseases caused by the Eight Pernicious Influences are then less able to invade. The body is generally stable and suffers from fewer illnesses; this is called being a human immortal.”

Lü then asked, “What practices and efforts must a human immortal undertake and sustain throughout life so that the Qi of the Five Phases converges, the body becomes strong, and they remain free from diseases caused by the Eight Pernicious Influences, living in greater peace and with fewer illnesses?”

Patriarch Zhong said, “Those who cultivate the Dao sometimes first hear of the Great Dao. But because their own karmic burdens are heavy and their good fortune slight, they encounter all kinds of demonic obstacles and hardships, abandon their original resolve, and in the end achieve only a minor attainment. Some believe that a particular method of cultivation has proved effective, so they adhere to it for the rest of their lives, refusing to change it or adjust it with the changing seasons.

“For example, those who abstain from the Five Flavors—usually sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty—how could they know about the Six Qi, the six forms of Qi associated with the natural climate and the care of the body? Those who have forgotten the Seven Emotions, how could they know the Ten Precepts? Practitioners who rinse and swallow saliva may regard methods of breathing out, expelling breath, and taking in breath as wrong. Those attached to gathering and replenishing—cultivating by drawing in Yin-Yang Qi—may ridicule quiet cultivation as foolish. Those who like to rely on external things to absorb the Qi of Heaven and Earth refuse to abstain from food and practice fasting. Those who like to preserve the spirit through visualization and gather the essences of the sun and moon refuse to practice Daoyin, the health practice of harmonizing the breath through bodily movements. How could those who sit alone in stillness and hold their breath understand following nature? Those who bend and strain their bodies likewise do not understand Wuwei.

“Gathering Yin and drawing in a woman’s Qi is not the same as retracting the Golden Tortoise, a practice of drawing in the genitals. Nurturing Yang and drinking women’s breast milk is not the same as refining an elixir. There are countless similar methods, but all belong to the arts of the Dao. These practitioners simply cannot attain the Great Dao in its entirety. They grasp only one method or technique within it, and once they have mastered it, they can enjoy ease and prolong their lives. For this reason, they are called human immortals.

“There is another kind of person who wants quick results and dislikes perseverance over time. They practice carelessly and confuse the proper timing; instead, they develop illnesses and fail to prolong their lives. There are many such people in the world.”

Patriarch Lü asked, “What is meant by an earthly immortal?”

Patriarch Zhong said, “An earthly immortal is a person of immortal potential who exists between Heaven and Earth. They have not understood the Great Dao and remain at the level of minor methods. Their cultivation does not manifest supernatural powers; they can only live on in the world without dying among humankind.”

Patriarch Lü asked, “Where should an earthly immortal begin cultivating?”

Zhong said, “At the beginning, one should model oneself on the patterns of ascent and descent in Heaven and Earth, and follow the numerical principles by which the sun and moon move and bring things into being. Within the body, years and months correspond to the stages of cultivation; within a single day, the hours and moments determine its timing. First, distinguish the Dragon and Tiger, symbols of the two forces of Yin and Yang; then coordinate Kan and Li, symbols of water and fire, or Yin and Yang. Discern whether the water source is clear or turbid, and distinguish the early and late phases in the movement of the seasons.

“Gather the True One, the refined energy brought back into unity; observe the Two Modes, Heaven and Earth or Yin and Yang; set out the Three Powers, Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; distinguish the Four Images, the four states of Yin-Yang change; discern the Five Movements; determine the Six Qi; gather the Seven Treasures; arrange the Bagua (Eight Trigrams); and set the Nine Regions in motion. Reverse the Five Phases, so that Qi is transmitted through the mother and fluids flow between the consorts. Then set the Three Fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian—through repeated cycles of transformation, refining an elixir. Guard it continually in the lower field and refine and nourish the body, allowing it to remain in the world. In this way, one attains long life and deathlessness and becomes an immortal on earth, hence the name ‘earthly immortal.’

Lü asked, “What is meant by a divine immortal?”

Zhong said, “A divine immortal is an earthly immortal who tires of dwelling in the mortal world and continues cultivating without respite. The joints become interconnected; lead is extracted and mercury replenished—terms in internal alchemy for refining Yin and Yang essence and energy—and the Golden Essence is refined up to the crown of the head. The Jade Fluid returns as an elixir, with the essence produced through inner cultivation brought back to the Dantian. The body is refined and transformed into Qi; the Five Qi converge at the Origin, the primordial spirit, and the Three Yang gather at the crown. When the work is complete, one forgets the body, and the embryo immortal comes naturally into being. Yin is exhausted and Yang becomes pure; a second body is born outside the physical one. Casting off mortal substance, one ascends to immortality, transcends the ordinary and enters the sacred realm, takes leave of the world, and returns to the Three Mountains, the legendary abodes of immortals. This is what is called a ‘divine immortal.’

Lü asked, “What is meant by a celestial immortal?”

Zhongzi said, “Earth Immortals grow weary of the mortal world. Through sustained cultivation, they transcend it and become Spirit Immortals. Spirit Immortals grow weary of the Three Isles, the legendary sea paradises where immortals dwell, and come to the human world to transmit the Dao. They accomplish something in the practice of the Dao and perform good deeds among people. When their merits and deeds are complete, they receive a celestial document and return to a grotto-heaven, the paradise where immortals dwell. This is what is called becoming a Heaven Immortal. After becoming a Heaven Immortal, if they also grow weary of dwelling in a grotto-heaven, they take up official duties and become Immortal Officials: the lowest rank serves as Water Officials, the middle rank as Earth Officials, and the highest as Heaven Officials. They render great service to Heaven and Earth and perform great deeds across the ages. Their official ranks rise step by step as they serve in the thirty-six grotto-heavens. At last, they return to the eighty-one Yang Heavens and ascend further into the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), a realm of emptiness and naturalness—the highest paradise in Daoism.”

Lüzu said, “Ghost Immortals are not worth pursuing in the first place, and I would not dare hope to become a Heaven Immortal. Could you tell me, then, how to cultivate as a Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, or Spirit Immortal?”

Zhongzi said, “The Human Immortal path goes no further than the methods of lesser attainment; the Earth Immortal path, no further than the methods of intermediate attainment; and the Spirit Immortal path, no further than the methods of great attainment. In essence, these three levels of achievement are one and the same. Seek the Dao by following the methods, and the Dao is not difficult. Cultivate immortality by following the Great Dao, and becoming immortal is easy too.”

Lüzu said, “Since ancient times, people who cultivated life have sought longevity and ascension to immortality. Why, then, have they ultimately failed to attain either?”

Zhongzi said, “Their methods did not accord with the Great Dao. They relied only on hearing much and memorizing forcefully, inventing petty methods and heterodox paths of their own. They could not escape illness and death, yet they called death ‘corpse liberation’—the Daoist belief that one sheds the physical body, leaving behind one’s form, and becomes immortal. They misled people and praised one another, so that no one could hear of the Great Dao. Even those with steadfast resolve who practiced diligently for a long time ultimately saw no results. When their time came, they still entered the Yellow Springs. Alas!”

Collected Teachings of Zhong and Lü, “On the Great Dao,” Chapter Two

Lüzu said, “What is this so-called Great Dao?”

Zhongzi said, “…”

Lu asked, “What is meant by the Great Dao?”

Zhong replied, “The Great Dao has no form or name, and cannot be explained through questions and answers. It is so vast that it has no bounds, and so small that it has no interior. People cannot truly understand it, nor can they put it into practice.”

Lu asked, “Those who have attained understanding throughout the ages first studied the Dao, then possessed and obtained it, and eventually cultivated themselves to completion in the Dao. They left the dusty world for Pengdao, the legendary island of immortals in the sea; ascended to the grotto heavens, the Daoist abodes of the immortals; rose further to the Yang Heavens, and finally reached the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing), the highest celestial realm and domain of revered deities in Daoism. All these people cultivated themselves to completion in the Dao. Yet today, Master, you say the Dao cannot be understood or practiced. Are you concealing something about the Dao?”

Zhong replied, “I have concealed nothing in speaking of the Dao. Most people in the world who profess to honor the Dao merely have a reputation for liking it. Even if they hear of the Great Dao, they have no faith in it; even if they have faith, they lack firm and earnest resolve. They practice it in the morning, then change their minds by evening. Sitting down, they intend to put it into practice, but once they stand up, they forget. At first they are anxious and diligent, but later they grow lax. It is for this reason that I say the Great Dao is difficult to understand and difficult to practice.”

Lu asked, “Why is the Great Dao difficult to understand and difficult to practice?”

Zhongli Quan said: “Various minor methods from side traditions readily produce visible results, so they have spread widely. People pass them from one to another, yet die without understanding their principles. Over time, they become customary and end up harming the Great Dao. Some people fast; some abstain from grain; some gather Qi and swallow saliva; some leave their spouses and give up flavors; some meditate in stillness and keep silent; some use the mind to form inner images; some gather Yin; some practice breathing exercises; some maintain purity, quiet the mind, and cut off burdens; some open the crown of the head or retract the penis; some withdraw into seclusion; some read scriptures; some smelt and refine, regulate the breath, practice Daoyin exercises and breathing techniques, or gather and replenish; some give alms, make offerings, and provide relief; some enter the mountains to cultivate; others discern the nature of mind, keep still, and uphold precepts. The minor methods of the side traditions are truly beyond counting.

As for gathering the essences of the sun and moon, drawing in the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and hoping through thought and intention to condense them into cinnabar; or bending and straining the body in the hope of transcending it—these methods take in much and release little, and may perhaps be useful for treating illness. One may also regard them as true embryonic breathing, a Daoist practice of internal respiration, and use the cutting off of distracting thoughts and forgetting speech to cultivate one’s nature. But to claim that this is “the Great Unity containing the true Qi,” that it can make the male organ firm and enduring or reverse the flow of the Yellow River, is merely a lower method for nurturing life. To train the body until it is like dead wood and the mind like cold ashes, and call this gathering the spirit, is only a minor technique.

How lamentable that Dao cultivators, past and present, so often labor over these matters. If swallowing saliva is taken for medicine, how can one master the workings of creation? If gathering Qi is taken for the Elixir, how can one truly make it coalesce? If the liver is taken for the dragon and the lungs for the tiger, how can one bring the two together? If the Kan trigram is taken for lead and the Li trigram for mercury, how can one understand extraction and replenishment—the alchemical regulation of Yin and Yang and adjustment of the firing process? Watering according to the four seasons in the hope that a yellow sprout will grow, or concentrating the mind without distraction in the hope of obtaining the great medicine, will only cause one to miss the years and waste one’s time. Without understanding the foundations of the Five Phases, how can one comprehend the transformations of the Three Powers: Heaven, Earth, and humanity?

Seeking only branches and fragments misleads later generations, draws them ever farther from the Great Dao, and allows heterodox teachings to arise and become customary, until the original intent of the former masters is lost. This happens because people rely on hearsay and oral transmission, passing formulas to those who do not understand them, from one person to the next, until generation after generation of transmitters has passed away. It is truly heartbreaking. It is not that they are unwilling to explain the Great Dao. Rather, people in the world are burdened by grave offenses and have scant blessings; they do not believe in the secrets of Heaven, value money but slight life, and would rather walk toward death.”

Lü asked, “I already understand the lesser methods and the ways of the side paths. Can you explain the principles of the Great Dao?”

Zhong replied, “The Dao does not need to be asked about, and no answer can be given to a question about it. When primordial Qi (vital energy) differentiates, the original state of undivided unity disperses. The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three. One is the substance, Two its function, and Three the process of creation and transformation. The substance and function of the Dao both depend on Yin-Yang, and all things are created through the union of Yin and Yang. Heaven, Earth, and humanity are called the Three Powers; all three receive the same Dao. The Dao gives birth to the two Qi of Yin and Yang; Qi gives rise to the Three Powers; the Three Powers give rise to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); and the Five Phases transform into the myriad things. Among all things, humans are the most intelligent and honored. Only humans can investigate the principles of the myriad things and fully realize their nature. By probing the principles of things and fully realizing one’s nature, one can come to know and preserve life. Preserving life and nurturing vitality make it possible to accord with the Dao. In this way, one can be as firm and enduring as Heaven and Earth.”

Lü asked, “Heaven and Earth endure without end, through all the ages. A human life lasts no more than a hundred years, and even reaching seventy is rare. Why does the Dao seem to exist only between Heaven and Earth, so far away from people?”

Zhong replied, “The Dao is not far from people; people have distanced themselves from the Dao. They have done so because they do not know how to care for life. They do not know how because, in cultivation, they do not know how to grasp the right moment. They do not know how to grasp the right moment because they do not understand the key principles governing the workings of Heaven and Earth.”

Lü asked again, “Can you explain what is meant by the key principles governing the workings of Heaven and Earth?”

Zhongli Quan said, “The principle by which Heaven and Earth move is that they follow the Great Dao: they travel up and down, moving continuously without fatigue, and so remain enduring and stable. This principle is never lightly revealed to people.”

Lü Dongbin asked, “Heaven and Earth follow the Great Dao in their movement. What does ‘the mechanism of practice’ mean? Where does its application begin, and how can its results be recognized?”

Zhongli Quan said, “The Great Dao differentiates and gives rise to the myriad things. Once things take form, number comes into being. Heaven receives the Dao of Qian, the principle representing Heaven and Yang’s strength, and takes ‘one’ as its substance. Light and clear, it dwells above; in its function, it manifests as Yang. Earth receives the Dao of Kun, the principle representing Earth and Yin’s softness, and takes ‘two’ as its substance. Dense and turbid, it dwells below; in its function, it manifests as Yin. Yang Qi rises, Yin Qi descends, and they join with one another. In their functioning, Qian and Kun—the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth—do not depart from the Great Dao. Their movement has a time when it begins and a day when its results become apparent.”

Lü Dongbin asked, “Heaven receives the Dao of Qian, and its function is Yang. Yang Qi governs rising, so how can it join with Earth? Earth receives the Dao of Kun, and its function is Yin. Yin Qi governs descending, so how can it join with Heaven? If Heaven and Earth do not meet, how can Yin and Yang unite? If Yin and Yang do not unite, how can Qian and Kun function? And if Qian and Kun cannot function, then even if we speak of a time when movement begins and a day when its results appear, how can the Great Dao be attained?”

Zhongli says: Heaven’s Dao takes Qian as its foundation and Yang as its function, with Qi gathering above. Earth’s Dao takes Kun as its foundation and Yin as its function, with water gathering below. Heaven moves according to its own pattern, bringing the Qian and Kun trigrams together. In their first union, they give birth to the eldest son, represented by the Zhen trigram; in their second union, to the middle son, represented by the Kan trigram; and in their third union, to the youngest son, represented by the Gen trigram. This means that Heaven and Earth unite: the Dao of Qian seeks union with the Dao of Kun, giving rise to the three Yangs.

Next, Earth moves according to its own pattern, bringing the Kun and Qian trigrams together. In their first union, they give birth to the eldest daughter, represented by the Xun trigram; in their second union, to the middle daughter, represented by the Li trigram; and in their third union, to the youngest daughter, represented by the Dui trigram. This means that Earth and Heaven unite: the Dao of Kun seeks union with the Dao of Qian, giving rise to the three Yins. When the three Yangs unite with the three Yins, the myriad things grow; when the three Yins unite with the three Yangs, the myriad things take shape.

The union of Heaven and Earth rests on the mutual interaction of Qian and Kun, moving in accordance with the Dao. Their union gives rise to the six Qi; the six Qi combine and divide into the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water); and the Five Phases interact to generate the myriad things.

When the Dao of Qian moves downward and its three unions are complete, Yang Qi rises again, concealing Yin Qi within it, and returns to Heaven. When the Dao of Kun moves upward and its three unions are complete, Yin Qi descends again, concealing Yang Qi within it, and returns to Earth. The Yin Qi concealed within Yang does not disappear, so it is called “true Yin.” True Yin reaches Heaven and comes into being through the aid of Yang Qi. Thus Yin Qi descends from Heaven; how could there be no Yang within Yin? The Yang Qi concealed within Yin does not perish, so it is called “true Yang.” True Yang reaches Earth and is set in motion through the aid of Yin Qi. Thus Yang Qi rises from Earth; how could there be no Yin within Yang?

The Yin Qi concealed within Yang does not disappear, so it returns to Earth; the Yang Qi concealed within Yin does not perish, so it returns to Heaven. This cycle repeats without end. The union of Heaven and Earth never departs from the Dao, and so it remains enduring and stable.

Lü Dongbin said, “The mystery of how Heaven and Earth move is that they endure by following the Great Dao; this is the function their ceaseless movement fulfills. Though human beings possess an intelligent nature, they can also focus their minds and preserve stillness. If they wish to practice the Great Dao, they may, at the least, live in peace and extend their years; to a greater degree, attain immortality; and at the highest level, shed their mortal bodies and ascend to become immortals. So how should people cultivate and set the Great Dao in motion, following the workings of Heaven’s mysteries, so that they too may endure in strength, survive the cycles of calamity, and remain forever?”

Zhongli said: “The Great Dao has no fixed form, yet it manifests in different shapes according to what each thing receives. It has no fixed name, either, but takes different names according to the circumstances of each thing. When Heaven and Earth move in accordance with the Dao, this is called the Way of Qian and Kun. When the sun and moon move in accordance with the Dao, this is called the Yin Way and the Yang Way. When a person attains the Dao, it takes the form of the Way between ruler and minister in the court, husband and wife in the family, elders and young in the village, friends at school, and father and son at home. Thus, all the relationships and things that appear in the world each have their own Dao.

“When parents unite and conceive a child, the father belongs to Yang and the mother to Yin. The father’s true Qi meets his true Water; the Fire of the heart joins the Water of the kidneys, refining and transforming them into essence. Once this essence is formed, it meets the Yin Qi of the mother’s body, where water washes and nourishes it. It then meets the mother’s Yang Qi, and blood carries it to the front of the womb. Essence and blood congeal into an embryo, which holds true Qi within it and enters the mother’s womb. As days and months pass, true Qi brings the child into being. This is like Heaven and Earth following the Dao, and Qian and Kun joining in mutual response to give birth to the myriad things. In this way, the Three Brightnesses and Three Yangs take form.

“True Qi belongs to Yang, and true Water belongs to Yin. Yang is stored within Water, and Yin within Qi. Qi governs ascent and contains true Water; Water governs descent and contains true Qi. True Water is true Yin, and true Qi is true Yang. True Yang moves downward with Water, like the Qi of the Qian trigram responding to the Kun trigram. From top to bottom, these are called Zhen, Kan, and Gen. In the human body, taking the middle as the point of reference, they correspond from top to bottom to the liver, kidneys, and bladder. True Yin moves upward with Qi, like the Qi of the Kun trigram responding to the Qian trigram. From bottom to top, these are called Xun, Li, and Dui. In the human body, taking the middle as the point of reference, they correspond from bottom to top to the gallbladder, heart, and lungs.

“When the body has fully taken shape and the term of gestation is complete, the child leaves the mother’s body and is born. After birth, Original Yang, the body’s fundamental Yang Qi, is stored in the kidneys, and from it true Qi arises. True Qi reaches the heart, where true Fluid is produced; true Fluid then returns to the root source. If Qi and Fluid move up and down in turn without being depleted, one can prolong life. If one can regulate their increase and decrease with good timing and measure, one may seek long life. If one practices diligently and continuously until Yin Qi is exhausted and Yang Qi made pure, one may transcend the ordinary and enter sagehood.

“This is a teaching that probes deeply into the secrets of Heaven, and a method of cultivation kept hidden and untransmitted from ancient times to the present. If you accept it sincerely and without hesitation, regard fame and profit as bonds, and affection and attachment as enemies. Avoid illness as though fearing death; also guard against the dispersal of body and spirit, and against the spirit’s being reborn in another kind. If you truly aspire to quiet cultivation, first cut off the sources of dissipation, so that Original Yang does not escape and true Qi is not depleted. When Qi is abundant, Yin Qi cannot disturb the Hun; when Yang Qi is strong, the Po, too, has its own vital activity. One rises and the other falls, taking Heaven and Earth as their model; they wax and wane in turn, like the movement of the sun and moon.”

The Great Dao (the fundamental Way underlying all things in the cosmos) has no form or name, yet it gives rise to Heaven and Earth and governs the movement of the sun and moon. The sun and moon are the essences of the Great Yin (the essence of the Yin nature) and the Great Yang (the essence of the Yang nature). In silence, they record the patterns of change as Heaven and Earth unite, assisting the growth and transformation of all things. The sun and moon rise in the east and set in the west, dividing day from night; as they move between north and south, they determine the cold and the heat. Day and night continue without pause, and cold and heat alternate; Yang arises within Yin, and Yin exists within Yang. The sun and moon advance and retreat at their appointed times, in accord with the patterns of Heaven and Earth. Their movements follow a measured course and never depart from the seasons of Heaven and Earth.

Lü asked, “The sun and moon rise in the east and set in the west, dividing day from night. What is the principle behind this?”

Zhongzi says: “When Chaos first opened, Heaven and Earth separated. Heaven was dark in color, and Earth was yellow. Heaven and Earth were shaped like an egg, while the six directions—the four quarters and above and below—formed something like a sphere. The sun rose and set, traveling above Heaven and below Earth, circling around the whole of Heaven and Earth like a wheel.

“The sun rose in the east and moved westward. Before it set, it was daytime. After setting in the west, it traveled eastward; before it rose again, it was nighttime. The sun’s rising and setting thus divided day from night.

“The moon’s appearances and disappearances differed from the sun’s. In the west, the moon bore its lunar po, its dark aspect; in the east, it received its lunar hun, its luminous aspect. Its light shone at night, while by day it concealed its lunar hun. As the sun and moon moved through their cycles, the moon appeared and disappeared in turn, changing from west to east.

“At first, the lunar hun emerged within the lunar po, and the moon’s shape resembled a bent bow: the new moon. At night, its light shone toward the west. Then the lunar hun gradually grew within the lunar po. At the first quarter, when the moon was about half full, its light shone southward at night. After that, the lunar hun filled the lunar po, and the moon stood opposite the sun; at night, its light shone toward the east. Later, the moon again shone westward at night; then, with the lunar hun half filling the lunar po, corresponding to the first quarter, it shone southward at night; and later still, with the lunar hun filling the lunar po and the moon opposite the sun, it shone eastward at night.

“Next, the lunar po emerged within the lunar hun, and the moon’s shape resembled a broken mirror. By day, the lunar hun was concealed in the west. Then the lunar po gradually grew within the lunar hun. At the last quarter, when the moon was about half full at the end of the lunar month, the lunar hun was concealed in the south by day. After that, the lunar po filled the lunar hun, and the moon moved away from the sun; by day, the lunar hun was concealed in the east. The moon’s appearances and disappearances thus also helped divide day from night.”

Lüzi asks: “Why does movement between north and south determine the cold and heat of the seasons?”

Zhong said, “After the winter solstice, the sun rises at fifty minutes past the start of the Chen hour and sets at fifty minutes before the end of the Shen hour. From then until the summer solstice, the point of sunrise gradually shifts from south to north, and the point of sunset shifts accordingly. After the summer solstice, the sun rises at fifty minutes before the end of the Yin hour and sets at fifty minutes past the start of the Xu hour. From then until the winter solstice, the points of sunrise and sunset gradually shift from north to south.

From the winter solstice to the summer solstice, the points of sunrise and sunset move from south to north, while the weather changes from cold to hot. From the summer solstice to the winter solstice, they move from north to south, while the weather changes from hot to cold. The length of a summer day is equivalent to the length of a winter night; the length of a winter day is equivalent to the length of a summer night.

After the winter solstice, the point at which the moon rises moves from north to south, like the sun’s course in summer. After the summer solstice, the point at which the moon rises moves from south to north, like the sun’s course in winter. The sun and moon move back and forth in this way, determining the changes between cold and heat.”

Lü said, “The key to the workings of Heaven and Earth lies in the rising and descending transformations of Yin-Yang, and this is exactly the same as the principles of human cultivation. The sun and moon rise and set, move back and forth, meet one another, and follow their courses. Can these phenomena be used as a model for human cultivation?”

Master Zhong said, “The key to the workings of Heaven and Earth lies in the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang. As Yin and Yang rise and fall, Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) comes to life without end. They generate one another and bring about change in an endless cycle. So long as one does not depart from the Great Dao, one can endure for a long time. Those who cultivate themselves can seek immortality by following the patterns of Heaven and Earth.

“This is like the movements of the sun and moon, their passage and conjunction. The moon receives the sun’s Yang Qi, and its Yin nature gradually transforms into Yang. When Yin Qi has vanished and Yang Qi is complete, the moonlight grows clear and bright, its shadows fade, and it shines over Heaven and Earth like the sun. When practitioners refine Qi into Shen and cast off their ordinary bodily form to ascend as immortals, what they have formed is a body of pure Yang.

“Master Lü asked, ‘If those who cultivate the Dao wish to practice in accordance with the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth, and the joining of the sun and moon’s essences, where should they begin?’

“Master Zhong replied, ‘At the beginning, they should follow the patterns of Heaven and Earth and apply the principle of Yin and Yang’s ascent and descent, bringing True Water and True Fire—the two symbolic forces in Neidan cultivation—together as one. They refine the Great Medicine, the pure inner elixir spoken of in cultivation, and settle it securely in the Dantian, the place within the body regarded as a site of refinement and nourishment. Then, even through long kalpas, they will not die, and their lifespan will match that of Heaven and Earth.

“If they grow weary of the mortal world yet continue their practice, they should take the conjunction of the sun and moon as their model: use Yang Qi to transform Yin Qi so that Yin no longer arises, and use Qi to nourish Shen so that the spirit does not dissipate. Once the Five Qi have gathered at the Origin and the Three Flowers crown the head—terms in Neidan for the state in which Jing, Qi, and Shen have come together—they withdraw from worldly company and return to the Three Isles, the immortal realms of Daoist legend.’

“Master Lü said, ‘The effects of this cultivation are profound. Those who understand its meaning worry that they may fail to grasp the right timing.’

“Master Zhong said, ‘Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth ascend and descend, joining once each year. The essences of the sun and moon pass back and forth, joining once each month. A person’s Qi and fluids—Qi and bodily fluids within the body—join once each day and night.’

Zhong-Lü Transmission of the Dao, “On the Four Seasons,” Chapter Five

“Master Lü asked, ‘Can you explain the yearly, monthly, daily, and hourly cycles of conjunction between Heaven and Earth, and between the sun and moon?’”

Zhongli Quan said, “There are four kinds of time.

“The first is the span of a human life. People usually live to around one hundred: from one to thirty is youth and early adulthood; from thirty to sixty is growth and maturity; from sixty to ninety is old age; and from ninety onward, up to one hundred or even one hundred and twenty, is decline. This is the first kind of time, called ‘time within the body’: the stages of a person’s life.

“The second is time within the year. The ancients divided a day into twelve double-hours, five days into one pentad, three pentads into one qi period, three qi periods into one seasonal segment, and two seasonal segments into one season. The year has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In spring, Yang Qi gradually grows within Yin, and the weather turns from cold to warm. In summer, Yang Qi flourishes, and the weather turns from warm to hot. In autumn, Yin Qi gradually grows within Yang, and the weather turns from hot to cool. In winter, Yin Qi flourishes, and the weather turns from cool to cold. This is the second kind of time, called ‘time within the year.’

“The third is time in the moon’s cycle. The ancients used the lülü—a system of musical pitches used to calibrate tones and calculate the seasons—to work out the months. According to the method used in this text, a month has thirty days, and time is further divided into double-hours, quarter-hours, and smaller units. From the first day of the month to the first quarter moon, Yang Qi gradually grows within Yin. From the first quarter to the full moon, Yang Qi flourishes. From the full moon to the last quarter, Yin Qi gradually grows within Yang. From the last quarter to the end of the month, Yin Qi flourishes again. This is the third kind of time, called ‘time within the sun and moon.’

“The fourth is time within the day. The text defines one quarter-hour as sixty minutes and one double-hour as eight quarter-hours and twenty minutes, and uses hexagram images—symbols that represent the changes of Yin and Yang—to divide the directions. From the zi hour to the mao hour, Yang Qi begins to rise within Yin. From the mao hour to the wu hour, Yang Qi flourishes. From the wu hour to the you hour, Yin Qi begins to rise within Yang. From the you hour to the zi hour, Yin Qi flourishes. This is the fourth kind of time, called ‘time within the day.’

“The hardest time to grasp, and the easiest to let slip away, is the time of one’s life. The years pass swiftly, and months gone by cannot be retrieved. The hours of a day pass in an instant, swift as lightning or a spark from flint. Days accumulate into months, months into years; as time goes on, the span of life rushes by. People chase fame and profit, unable to quiet their deluded thoughts. They worry about their children and grandchildren, becoming entangled in all kinds of emotional attachments. Even if they later turn their minds toward cultivating the Dao, they may already be old and frail. The finest moments of life vanish like spring snow or autumn blossoms. The light of the setting sun and the dawn moon does not last. Those who cultivate the Dao should cherish the opportunities that life affords.

“When young, one can enjoy spring blossoms and beautiful scenery, climb a tower, stroll by the water, and take pleasure in the fresh breeze; one can also talk at leisure beneath the moon or drink wine on a snowy day. But if people devote themselves only to pleasure, they wear away the limited time they have. By the time they turn toward the Dao, illness may already have taken hold. It is like a boat that has sprung a leak before crossing the river: a person will naturally call for help. And once a leaking house has been repaired, one does not begrudge repairing it again. Those who cultivate the Dao should not waste the years of their youth.

“People in the world often leave home before dawn, thinking they are already late, and when the street drums sound, they still think it is too early to return. They sink into greed and desire and refuse to rest, always fearing they have not gained enough. What can a house full of gold and jade do to ward off illness? And when one’s breath has stopped, who among a houseful of children and grandchildren can take one’s place? People rush about day and night without understanding that life is limited. Those who cultivate the Dao should cherish the time within each day.”

Lü Zu asked, “There are opportunities for cultivation during a person’s lifetime, and also within a year, a month, and a day. All of these can be called ‘timings.’ Why does the teacher say in particular that the opportunity in one’s lifetime is the hardest to come by, while the opportunity within a single day is the one most worth cherishing?”

Zhongli Quan replied, “It is difficult for people who cultivate the Dao to begin their practice while still young. When they do begin young, their foundations are full and stable, and progress comes more easily in every respect. Persevering for a thousand days may bring great achievement. It is also rare for people who cultivate the Dao to begin in middle age. In middle age, they must first make up for what has been depleted, and only then can they advance in their practice. First they must recover the vigor of youth; only afterward can they enter a transcendent state.

“If they do not awaken in youth or come to understand in middle age, and wait until old age—when calamity leads them to seek stillness, or illness turns their longing toward Xiyi, the subtle and unfathomable realm of stillness and Wuwei (non-action)—then cultivation must begin by finding a way to preserve the body before discussing how to replenish it. After that, they accumulate practice step by step through methods of lesser achievement, reaching the middle level. They then continue with methods of middle achievement until they recover the vigor of youth and refine the body so that it endures in the world. Yet it is difficult to bring the Qi of the Five Viscera back to its origin, and no easier to gather the three Yang energies at the crown of the head. There is therefore almost no chance of shedding one’s ordinary nature, ascending to immortality, and attaining the Dao. That is why the opportunity for cultivation in one’s lifetime is so hard to come by.”

Lü Zu asked again, “I understand that the opportunity in one’s lifetime is hard to come by. But why is the opportunity within a single day especially worth cherishing?”

Zhongli Quan replied, “A person’s day is like a month in the movements of the sun and moon. This is also the timing a person experiences in cultivating within themselves.”

Lü Zu asked once more, “I understand that the opportunity in one’s lifetime is hard to come by. But why is the opportunity within a single day especially worth cherishing?”

Zhongli said, “A person’s passing day is like the movement of the sun and moon through a month, and like the movement of Heaven and Earth through a year. The Great Dao transforms, generates, and nourishes Heaven and Earth. Each has its appointed place, and they are separated from one another by eighty-four thousand li. After the winter solstice, Yang Qi within the earth begins to rise. With each solar term, about fifteen days, it travels upward seven thousand li. After one hundred and eighty days, Yang Qi reaches Heaven, and Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) gives rise to Yin Qi. After the summer solstice, Yin Qi within Heaven begins to descend. With each solar term, it travels downward seven thousand li. After one hundred and eighty days, Yin Qi reaches the earth, and Taiji again gives rise to Yang Qi. Yin and Yang move back and forth in this way without ever stopping or departing from the Great Dao, and so they endure.

The sun and moon move and take on form; each has a circumference of eight hundred and forty li. After the first day of the month, Yin within the moon begins to turn into Yang. The day is divided into twelve double-hours, and each day the soul within the moon’s Po (its Yin aspect) advances seventy li. After fifteen days—one hundred and eighty double-hours in all—it has advanced eight hundred and forty li. After the fifteenth day, Yin and Yang begin to transform once more. After the first day, the moon changes from six to nine: in twelve double-hours each day, the soul within the Po advances seventy li; over fifteen days, or one hundred and eighty double-hours, it advances eight hundred and forty li. After the full moon, the moon changes from nine back to six: in twelve double-hours each day, the Po within the Hun advances seventy li; over fifteen days, or one hundred and eighty double-hours, it advances eight hundred and forty li. Yin and Yang, Hun and Po, within the moon move back and forth in this way without pause or departure from the Great Dao, and so remain firm.

The Great Dao nourishes all things. Among them, the most perceptive and most worthy is the human being. A person’s heart and kidneys are separated vertically by eight inches and four tenths, and the ascent and descent of Yin and Yang within the person follow the same pattern as in Heaven and Earth. Qi gives rise to bodily fluids, and bodily fluids in turn give rise to Qi. Qi and fluids nourish one another, and their movement can be compared to that of the sun and moon.

Heaven and Earth rely on the interaction of Qian and Kun—the two fundamental forces of Yin and Yang—to make Yin and Yang rise and descend. They unite once a year; so long as they do not depart from the Great Dao, when one year ends, another follows. The sun and moon rely on Hun and Po, forces with Yin and Yang qualities, to nourish one another and make their essences flow back and forth. They unite once a month; Yin and Yang rise and descend in an unending cycle, so when one month ends, another follows.

A person’s Yin and Yang unite within the span of a day and a night, yet people do not know when this conjunction occurs or how to gather and use what it produces. They do not know how to replenish what is depleted, or how to gather in what is growing. When Yin Qi comes together, they do not know how to nourish Yang; when Yang Qi comes together, they do not know how to refine Yin. They do not understand the waxing and waning that unfolds over the month, nor do they practice at the proper times in daily life. Thus, year after year, their lives are not truly enhanced; day after day, they make no real use of their time. They brave wind and dew, sleep on damp ground, endure the summer heat and travel through the winter cold, yet refuse to cultivate and preserve themselves. They willingly suffer illness and let their time pass in vain, simply sitting and waiting for death.”

Lu Zu said, “Those who cultivate the Dao are not unaware that time is passing in vain, that the years are slipping away, that they are beset by illness, and that their lives are nearing their end. It is only because they do not understand the methods of cultivation or the right timing for practice—putting those methods into effect—that Yin and Yang join out of balance.”

Lu Zu also said, “Those who cultivate the Dao are not unaware that time is passing in vain, that the years are slipping away, that they are beset by illness, and that their lives are nearing their end. It is only because they do not understand the methods of cultivation or the right timing for practice that Yin and Yang join out of balance, and they have no guiding principles for cultivating in accordance with the seasons and months.”

Zhong Zu said, “Within the body, the cycle of the year is applied; within the year, that of the month; within the month, that of the day; and within the day, that of the hour. This is because the Qi of the five organs waxes and wanes with the months, advances and retreats with the days, and joins at particular hours. Qi moves according to five patterns and passes through six stages. Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth each have their place and remain in their proper order. The five directions—East, West, South, North, and Center—each follow their own fixed laws of generation and transformation. Through refining Jing, true Qi is produced; through refining Qi, it is brought into accord with the Yang Shen (spirit cultivated through practice); then Shen is refined until it accords with the Great Dao.”

Zhong-Lü Chuandao Ji, “On the Five Phases,” Chapter Six

Lu Zu said, “The Qi of the five organs is explained through Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; the directions of the Five Phases are East, South, West, North, and Center. How can they generate and complete one another, and join at the proper times? How should one seize the right moment to gather and refine them? Please explain this to me.”

Zhong Zu said, “The Qi of the five organs is explained through Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth; the directions of the Five Phases are East, South, West, North, and Center. How can they generate and complete one another, and join at the proper times? How should one seize the right moment to gather and refine them? Please explain this to me.”

Zhong said, “After the Great Dao divided and transformed, Heaven and Earth came into being. Once Heaven and Earth were separated, the Five Emperors—the divine beings who govern the five directions and the four seasons—took their places. The East is ruled by the Azure Emperor, who brings forth the spring commands, drawing Yang Qi out from within Yin so that all things sprout. The South is ruled by the Red Emperor, who brings forth the summer commands, adding Yang to Yang so that all things grow. The West is ruled by the White Emperor, who brings forth the autumn commands, drawing Yin out from within Yang so that all things ripen. The North is ruled by the Black Emperor, who brings forth the winter commands, deepening Yin within Yin so that all things wither.

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter each last ninety days, and the Yellow Emperor governs the final eighteen days of every season. In spring, the Yellow Emperor assists the Azure Emperor in bringing forth the growth of all things. In summer, he takes up the Red Emperor’s charge and brings all things to full growth. In autumn, he supports the White Emperor as all things ripen and reach completion. In winter, the Yellow Emperor presides over the Black Emperor, manifesting winter’s power to make things wither. Each of the Five Emperors governs its own season, each for seventy-two days. Together their terms make up three hundred and sixty days, completing a year. They assist Heaven and Earth and operate in accordance with the Great Dao.

The Azure Emperor gives rise to Jia and Yi, which correspond to Wood in the East. The Red Emperor gives rise to Bing and Ding, which correspond to Fire in the South. The Yellow Emperor gives rise to Wu and Ji, which correspond to Earth at the center. The White Emperor gives rise to Geng and Xin, which correspond to Metal in the West. The Black Emperor gives rise to Ren and Gui, which correspond to Water in the North. These Qi of the Five Phases appear in the celestial patterns as the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Gouchen, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.

When the Qi of the Five Phases combine, they also appear in the seasons and among the myriad things. For instance, when Yi combines with Geng, elms appear in spring, their color green tinged with white, blending the hues of Wood and Metal. When Xin combines with Bing, jujubes appear in autumn, their color white tinged with red, blending the hues of Metal and Fire. When Ji combines with Geng, melons appear in late summer and early autumn, their color green tinged with yellow, blending the hues of Earth and Wood. When Ding combines with Ren, mulberries appear in summer, their color red tinged with black, blending the hues of Water and Fire. When Gui combines with Wu, oranges appear in winter, their color black tinged with yellow, blending the hues of Water and Earth. From these examples, one can infer that the ways the Five Emperors combine with one another, appearing in the seasons and embodied in the myriad things, are too numerous to count.”

Lü Zu asked, “The Five Phases follow this pattern through the four seasons. How do they work in the human body?”

Zhong Zu replied, “The head is round and the feet are square, reflecting the forms of Heaven and Earth. Yin and Yang rise, descend, and circulate within the body, embodying the principles that govern the movement of Heaven and Earth. The five internal organs correspond to the Five Phases: the kidneys to Water, the heart to Fire, the liver to Wood, the lungs to Metal, and the spleen to Earth.

“According to the generating cycle of the Five Phases, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, and Metal generates Water. The one that generates is called the ‘mother,’ and the one generated is called the ‘child.’ According to the controlling cycle, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, and Earth controls Water. The one that controls is called the ‘husband,’ and the one controlled is called the ‘wife.’

“In the mother-child cycle, Kidney Qi generates Liver Qi, Liver Qi generates Heart Qi, Heart Qi generates Spleen Qi, Spleen Qi generates Lung Qi, and Lung Qi in turn generates Kidney Qi. In the husband-wife cycle, Kidney Qi controls Heart Qi, Heart Qi controls Lung Qi, Lung Qi controls Liver Qi, Liver Qi controls Spleen Qi, and Spleen Qi controls Kidney Qi. The mother-child and husband-wife relationships among the five organs are as follows: the kidneys control the heart, are the liver’s mother, control the spleen, and generate the lungs; the liver controls the spleen, generates the heart, controls the lungs, and is generated by the kidneys; the heart controls the lungs, generates the spleen, is controlled by the kidneys, and is generated by the liver; the lungs control the liver, generate the kidneys, are controlled by the heart, and are generated by the spleen; the spleen controls the kidneys, generates the lungs, is controlled by the liver, and is generated by the heart.

“The heart manifests internally in the blood vessels, externally in the complexion, and has the tongue as its gateway. The heart is constrained by the kidneys and put to use by the lungs, illustrating how the Five Phases control one another like husband and wife. It flourishes when it receives Liver Qi and weakens when it encounters Spleen Qi, illustrating the mother-child relationship in the generating cycle.

“The kidneys manifest internally in the bones, externally in the hair, and have the ears as their gateways. They are constrained by the spleen and put to use by the heart. They flourish when they receive Lung Qi and weaken when they encounter Liver Qi.

“The liver manifests internally in the sinews, externally in the nails, and has the eyes as its gateways. It is constrained by the lungs and put to use by the spleen. It flourishes when it receives Kidney Qi and weakens when it encounters Heart Qi.

“The lungs manifest internally in the skin, externally in the body hair, and have the nostrils as their gateways. They are constrained by the heart and put to use by the liver. They flourish when they receive Spleen Qi and weaken when they encounter Kidney Qi.

“The spleen governs the transformation and transportation of the internal organs, nourishing the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs evenly. It manifests externally in the muscles and has the lips and mouth as its gateways. Through breathing, it regulates the flow of Qi. It is constrained by the liver and put to use by the kidneys. It flourishes when it receives Heart Qi and weakens when it encounters Lung Qi.

“This is how the Five Phases generate and control one another in the human body. The five organs pass Qi among themselves like husbands and wives, mothers and children, and their waxing and waning become apparent through these relationships.”

Patriarch Lü asked, “The heart belongs to Fire. How can Fire be made to descend? The kidneys belong to Water. How can Water be made to rise? The spleen belongs to Earth, which occupies the center. When it receives the Fire qi, it becomes vigorous—would it not then descend and overcome the kidney Water? The lungs belong to Metal, which occupies the upper position. When Metal descends to meet the Fire qi, it is damaged; how, then, can it generate kidney Water? In the Five Phases, those that engender one another are always separated by other elements, while those that overcome one another stand side by side and are difficult to set in motion differently. What is to be done when the Five Phases injure and restrain one another in this way?”

Patriarch Zhong replied, “To return the Five Phases to their source, one must have a single qi flow through them and draw them together. As primal Yang rises, it carries true Water upward. The movement and transformation of true Water produce true qi; the transformation of true qi then produces Yang Shen, the Yang spirit cultivated through practice. At the outset, each of the Five Phases has its place, paired with Yin and Yang like husband and wife. The kidneys belong to Water, and Metal is hidden within Water. Metal can engender Water, so when beginning cultivation, one must know how to seek the ‘Metal within Water.’ Water is originally restrained by Earth; after gathering the medicine, one must make Earth return to Water.

“The dragon symbolizes the liver, and the tiger symbolizes the lungs. The Yang dragon emerges from the Palace of Li, which symbolizes the position of heart Fire; the Yin tiger is born in the position of Kan, which symbolizes kidney Water. The Five Phases must move in reverse, so that qi is transmitted along the pattern by which mother and child engender one another. The period from the hour of the Rat to the hour of the Horse is called ‘Yang arising in Yang time.’ At this time, the Five Phases move in reverse, and the fluids circulate along the path of Yin-Yang pairing. The period from the hour of the Horse to the hour of the Rat is called ‘refining Yang within Yin.’ Yang cannot be brought to completion without Yin; if, at the end of cultivation, there is no Yin at all, one will die. Yin cannot grow without Yang; yet if Yin qi is finally cut off, one can instead enjoy longevity.”

Patriarch Lü then asked, “The Five Phases originate in the single qi of Yin and Yang. What, exactly, is this ‘single qi’?”

Zhongli Quan said: “The ‘One Qi’ refers to the joining of essence and blood when a father and mother unite, from which the physical form is brought into being. The kidneys give rise to the spleen, the spleen to the liver, the liver to the lungs, and the lungs to the heart. The heart then gives rise to the small intestine, the small intestine to the large intestine, the large intestine to the gallbladder, the gallbladder to the stomach, and the stomach to the bladder. This is the Yin aspect, through which essence and blood generate the body. The Yang aspect begins where life first takes shape: it is the single point of primordial Yang hidden between the two kidneys, the fundamental Yang Qi of life.

“The kidneys belong to Water, and Water contains Fire. When primordial Yang rises, it transforms into Qi, which then ascends toward the heart. The heart belongs to Yang; when Yang Qi joins with Yang Qi, the Taiji gives rise to Yin, and the gathered Qi transforms into fluids. These fluids descend from the heart and return to the kidneys. The liver is the heart’s mother and the kidneys’ child; it conveys kidney Qi to the heart. The lungs are the heart’s wife and the kidneys’ mother; they convey the heart’s fluids back to the kidneys. The ascent and descent of Qi and fluids resemble the movement of Yin and Yang between Heaven and Earth. The liver and lungs convey them as the sun and moon make their recurring passage. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) classify and name these relationships. As for union and generation, their root lies in the single Qi of primordial Yang: Qi arises within fluids, and fluids arise within Qi. The kidneys are the root of Qi; the heart is the source of fluids.

“When the spiritual root—the foundation of life—is firm, true Water naturally arises within Qi as one rests in a subtle, indistinct state. When the heart’s source is clear and still, true Fire naturally dwells within fluids in a deep, quiet state. Recognize the true Dragon (Yang Qi) within Fire, and take the true Tiger (Yin) from within Water. When Dragon and Tiger unite, they transform into the Yellow Sprout, the subtle Qi born of Yin-Yang union in Neidan practice. When the Yellow Sprout gathers and matures, it forms the Great Medicine. This is called the Golden Elixir. Once the Golden Elixir is refined, one is called an immortal.

“Lü Dongbin said: ‘I understand how, once the Golden Elixir is refined, one casts off the mortal form, ascends to immortality, and returns to the Ten Continents, the isles where immortals dwell. But what is the Yellow Sprout?’

“Zhongli Quan said: ‘The true Dragon and true Tiger are the Yellow Sprout.’”

Lüzu asked, “What is meant by the Dragon and Tiger?”

Zhongzu replied, “The Dragon is not the liver. It is the Yang Dragon, born from the true Water within the Palace of Li, where the spirit of the heart resides. The Tiger is not the lungs. It is the Yin Tiger, born from the true Fire within the position of Kan, where the Water of the kidneys resides.”

Lüzu asked, “To attain longevity, one must refine the Golden Elixir. To refine the Golden Elixir, one must first gather the Yellow Sprout; to obtain the Yellow Sprout, one must first obtain the Dragon and Tiger. The true Dragon is said to emerge from the Palace of Li, and the true Tiger to arise from the position of Kan. Both Li and Kan contain Water and Fire. What do Water and Fire mean here?”

Zhongzu replied, “Many things within the body are called ‘Water’: the Four Seas, Five Lakes, Nine Rivers, Three Islands, Flower Pool, Jade Pool, Phoenix Pool, Heavenly Pool, King’s Pool, Kun Pool, Primordial Abyss, Langyuan, spirit Water, Golden Waves, jade nectar, jade spring, Yang Cream, White Snow, and many others too numerous to list. Things within the body called ‘Fire’ are only of three kinds: sovereign Fire, minister Fire, and people’s Fire. These Three Fires have primordial Yang—the body’s fundamental Yang energy—as their root, and from it true Qi, the fundamental energy that sustains life, arises. When true Qi gathers in fullness, a person is well and steady; when it weakens, illness follows. If true Qi dissipates and primordial Yang is lost, then, once primordial Yang is exhausted, pure Yang energy takes shape and the original spirit departs the body. This is called death.”

Lüzu asked, “The human body relies on a trace of primordial Yang to set the Three Fires—sovereign, minister, and people’s—in motion. These Three Fires rise amid the many forms of Water and Yin energy. They are easily scattered, yet difficult to burn brightly. As a result, Yang energy weakens while Yin energy grows strong; there is little Fire and much Water, and a person quickly declines, unable to attain longevity. What should be done?”

Zhongli Quan said: “The heart is the sea of blood, the kidneys are the sea of Qi, the brain is the sea of marrow, and the spleen and stomach are the sea of food and drink. Together, these are the body’s Four Seas. Each of the Five Viscera has its own fluid, corresponding respectively to the east, west, south, north, and center; these are called the Five Lakes.

The small intestine is twenty-four feet long, with nine bends running through it from top to bottom, so it is called the Nine Rivers. Below the small intestine is the Primordial Pool. The crown of the head is the Upper Isle, the place where the heart lies is the Middle Isle, and the place where the kidneys lie is the Lower Isle. This is the source of the teachings about the Three Isles and Langyuan, the Immortal Realm.

The Flower Pool lies below the Yellow Court, the region in the middle of the body where cultivation takes place. The Jade Pool lies in front of the Cinnabar Tower, near the heart. The Kun Pool connects above to Jade Capital, the heavenly court in the region of the head. The Heavenly Pool faces the Inner Court, a place of cultivation within the body. The Phoenix Pool lies between the heart and lungs, while the Jade Pool lies within the lips and teeth. Divine Water arises from Qi, and Golden Waves descend from above. Where the Red Dragon—the tongue—rests, there are naturally Jade Nectar and Jade Spring: the saliva in the mouth. Only after cultivation like shedding the womb and changing the bones can one behold White Snow and Yang-Su, metaphors for the refined, sweet fluids produced through inner cultivation.

The timing of pouring the fluids must be mastered, so they can moisten excessive heat within the body. First they are called Jade Liquid, then Golden Liquid; either can restore the Elixir, causing the Neidan to congeal again. Adding oil, too, requires moderation and must accord with bathing, the stage of cultivation devoted to regulating the breath and nourishing oneself. Beginning in the Middle Field and then proceeding to the Lower Field, one can refine the body. Jade Medicines and Golden Flowers can transform the body into yellow and white; creamy elixir and sweet dew can refine it into a wondrous fragrance. These are all effects of water.

As for the effects of fire: the body’s ordinary fire rises and helps the Qi of the kidneys produce true water. When kidney water rises and joins with the fluid of the heart, true Qi is produced. On a small scale, this can subdue demons and dispel illness; on a great scale, it can refine the body and smelt the Neidan. When fire moves according to the method of the celestial circuit, its force is set in motion. By closing the Yang Pass, the aperture through which Jing and Qi are secured, one can return the Elixir to its origin. By discerning the configuration of the Nine Provinces—the various regions within the body—one can cultivate the Yang Spirit. Smelting the Three Corpses, the turbid Yin spirits said to dwell within the body, can drive away Yin ghosts. Fire moving upward strikes the Three Passes, the cultivation gates at the coccyx, between the shoulder blades, and at the back of the head; moving downward, it can wear away the Seven Po. Refining the body into Qi makes it light and swift as flight; refining Qi into Shen brings about a transformation like shedding the womb and changing the bones. These are all effects of fire.”

Lü Zu said, “At first, when I followed your guidance, I worried that there was too little Fire and too much Water within my body, leaving me prone to decline. Later, after hearing your excellent explanation, I understood that harmonizing Water and Fire could produce such effects. How, exactly, should their transformations be set in motion so that what is lesser can overcome what is greater, and what is weak can become strong?”

Master Zhongli said, “As Yin Qi gradually wanes and Yang Qi gradually grows, the crimson Golden Elixir can soon be formed. Through the refinement and cultivation of the Seven Returns and Nine Restorations, the embryo immortal—the immortal embryo spoken of in Neidan practice—will naturally take shape. True Qi is stored in the heart, which is the source of bodily fluids; primordial Yang Qi is stored in the kidneys, which are the sea of Qi. The bladder is like the fire used by ordinary people, but if one remains at this ordinary kind of ‘fire,’ it cannot accomplish anything. The bladder is also where bodily fluids gather. Without understanding the secrets of Heaven and probing the hidden principles, a cultivator will find it difficult to transform the Yin-Yang changes within the body and will be unable to escape illness and death.”

Lü Zu asked, “What exactly do you mean by setting transformations in motion so that Yang Qi grows and Yin Qi wanes, thereby refining the Golden Elixir and allowing the embryo immortal to take shape naturally?”

Zhongli Quan said, “The human heart and kidneys are eight inches and four tenths apart, like Heaven and Earth, each in its appointed place. Qi and fluid generate one another, like Yin and Yang joining. A day has twelve double-hours, corresponding to the twelve months of the year.

The heart produces fluid, but the heart does not produce it by itself. Only when fluid from the lungs descends does the heart’s fluid begin to flow. Like husband and wife accompanying one another, the fluid moves downward from above and returns to the lower Dantian (energy center). This is called ‘the wife returning to the husband’s chamber.’ The kidneys produce Qi, but the kidneys do not produce it by themselves. Only when Qi from the bladder rises does the Qi of the kidneys begin to flow. Like mother and child accompanying one another, the Qi moves upward from below toward the central origin. This is called ‘the husband returning to the wife’s room.’

Liver Qi guides kidney Qi upward from below until it reaches the heart. The heart belongs to Fire. The two currents of Qi meet and steam within the lungs, causing lung fluid to descend. Since this fluid comes from the heart, it is called ‘fluid produced by the heart.’ Because fluid is produced by the heart without being depleted or dispersed, it is called ‘True Fire.’ Lung fluid carries the heart’s fluid downward from above to the kidneys. The kidneys belong to Water. The two currents of Water Qi meet and moisten the bladder; Qi from the bladder then rises from the kidneys. All Qi that arises from the kidneys and is not consumed or dispersed is called ‘True Fire.’

True Fire is born from Water. It is elusive and hard to grasp, yet within it there is something real; it cannot be seen or taken hold of. True Water is born from Fire. It is deep and shadowy, yet within it there is an essence; even when seen, it cannot be kept. Try to keep it, and it will not move according to one’s wishes.”

Here, “lower Dantian” and “central origin” are terms in Neidan (internal alchemy) used to describe locations where Qi moves through the body. “Husband and wife” and “mother and child” are metaphors for the mutual coordination and movement of Qi and fluid.

Lü Zu said, “The kidneys belong to Water. From within Water arises a current of Qi called ‘true Fire.’ What is there within Fire? The heart belongs to Fire, and from within Fire arises a fluid called ‘true Water.’ What essence is there within Water? The things within Water and their essence have no form. They are difficult to find and obtain; even if you did obtain them, what use would they be?”

Master Zhongli said, “The sages of antiquity who attained the Dao could not cultivate without these two things. When they mingle, they transform and give rise to the ‘yellow sprout’—a sign that the elixir is beginning to form in Neidan cultivation. After the fire process has reached its proper stage, the embryo elixir matures and is refined into the great medicine. These are the true Dragon and true Tiger.”

Lü Zu said, “The Dragon symbolizes the liver, and the Tiger symbolizes the lungs. The fluid that arises from the heart’s Fire is the ‘true medicine’; it is also the true Dragon and true Tiger.”

Lü Zu also said, “The Dragon symbolizes the liver, and the Tiger symbolizes the lungs. The fluid that arises from the heart’s Fire is called true Water. In the depths of true Water, hidden in obscurity, lies the true Dragon. The Dragon is not in the liver; it arises from the Palace of Li, which corresponds to the heart and the direction of Fire. Why is this so? The Qi that arises from the kidneys’ Water is called true Fire. Within true Fire, indistinct and hard to discern, lies the true Tiger. The Tiger is not in the lungs; it arises from the position of Kan, which corresponds to the kidneys and the direction of Water. Why is this so?”

Zhongli Quan said: “The dragon belongs to Yang. It can soar into the sky; with a single chant, it stirs up clouds, and when rain falls, it nourishes all things. In symbolic correspondence, it is the Azure Dragon. Its direction and celestial stems are the east and Jia and Yi; its Five Phase is Wood, its season is spring, its virtue is benevolence, its Bagua trigram is Zhen, and among the body’s five organs, it corresponds to the liver. The tiger belongs to Yin. It races across the earth; with a single roar, it raises the wind, and by drawing on the power of the mountains, it commands the awe of all beasts. In symbolic correspondence, it is the White Tiger. Its direction and celestial stems are the west and Geng and Xin; its Five Phase is Metal, its season is autumn, its virtue is righteousness, its Bagua trigram is Dui, and among the body’s five organs, it corresponds to the lungs.

The liver belongs to Yang, yet occupies a Yin position. Thus, the Qi of the kidneys is transformed into the Qi of the liver, and Qi moves according to the generating relation between mother and child, with Water producing Wood. When kidney Qi is abundant, liver Qi sprouts forth. Once generated, liver Qi can consume the residual Yin Qi in the kidneys, allowing pure Yang Qi to rise. The lungs belong to Yin, yet occupy a Yang position. Thus, the fluid of the heart is transformed into the fluid of the lungs, and fluid moves according to the controlling relation between husband and wife, with Fire controlling Metal. When heart fluid reaches the lungs, lung fluid is generated. Once generated, lung fluid can consume the residual Yang Qi in the heart, allowing pure Yin fluid to descend.

The liver belongs to Yang and can consume the residual Yin Qi in the kidneys, so when Qi reaches the liver, it becomes pure Yang. Hidden within this pure Yang Qi is the “True One Water” (the source water of inner cultivation), faint and difficult to perceive, without form or image. This is called the “Yang Dragon.” The lungs belong to Yin and can consume the residual Yang Qi in the heart, so when fluid reaches the lungs, it becomes pure Yin. Carried within this pure Yin fluid is “Upright Yang Qi” (the pure Yang Qi of inner cultivation), deep and hard to see. This is called the “Yin Tiger.”

Qi rises and fluid descends, and ordinarily they cannot meet. Yet the True One Water within Qi joins with fluid when they encounter each other, while the Upright Yang Qi within fluid naturally gathers when it encounters Qi. In cultivation, if one can regulate their passage according to the method as Qi and fluid circulate, then kidney Qi will not be dissipated, and the True One Water can be gathered from Qi; heart fluid will not be dissipated, and the Upright Yang Qi can be collected from fluid. Then child and mother will meet and become attached to one another, increasing a little each day. If there are no errors over a hundred days, the medicinal potency will be sufficient. After another three hundred days, the sacred embryo will be firm; after a further three hundred days, the embryo immortal will be refined to completion. It is shaped like a pellet and colored like a vermilion orange. Called the “Elixir,” it is permanently secured in the lower Dantian (the inner cultivation site in the lower abdomen). In this way, one can preserve the bodily form and endure in the world, living long through countless kalpas. This is what is called an “immortal on land.”

Lü Zu said: Kidney Water—the essence-Qi governed by the kidneys—gives rise to Qi. Within this Qi is the “True One Water,” an inner alchemy term for the subtle watery aspect of kidney Qi; it is called the Yin Tiger. When the tiger appears, fluid follows and comes to meet it. Heart Fire—the Yang Qi governed by the heart—gives rise to fluid. Within this fluid is “Upright Yang Qi,” and it is called the Yang Dragon. When the dragon appears, Qi follows and joins with it. Like gathers with like, and members of the same group come together: this is simply how things are.

When Qi rises, fluid also descends. Would the True One Water within the Qi not descend with the fluid and spread through the Five Viscera? When fluid rises, Qi likewise moves according to its kind; this too is natural. As Qi rises and fluid descends, the True One Water within the Qi travels downward with the fluid. When fluid rises, Qi also ascends. Would the Upright Yang Qi within the fluid not rise with the Qi, pass through the “Layered Tower,” a Daoist term for the area of the throat, and emerge? When True Water descends with the fluid, the Yin Tiger cannot meet the Yang Dragon; when Upright Yang Qi rises with the Qi, the Yang Dragon cannot join with the Yin Tiger. If the dragons and tigers cannot unite, how can one obtain the “Yellow Sprout,” an inner alchemy term for the subtle substance first produced when Yin and Yang unite? Without the Yellow Sprout, how can one refine the “Great Medicine,” the subtle substance sought through inner alchemy?

Zhong Zu said: Once kidney Qi begins to rise, it is like the sun emerging from the sea; mist and dew cannot conceal its light. Fluid flowing downward is like a thin curtain—how could it overcome the force of Qi? When Qi is strong, the True One Water naturally becomes abundant. Once heart fluid begins to rise, it is like the killing cold of deep winter; even exhaled breath cannot withstand its chill. Qi rising upward is like a green-blue canopy—how could it overcome the force of fluid? When fluid is abundant, Upright Yang Qi may be strong at times and weak at others; its state cannot be determined.

Lü Zu said: Qi and fluid each have their own moment of arising. When Qi arises, if it is strong, the True One Water will also be abundant. When fluid arises, if it is abundant, Upright Yang Qi will also be abundant. But why is it uncertain when either becomes strong or weak?

Zhong Zu said: Kidney Qi is easily depleted; what is truly difficult to obtain is the “True Tiger,” here referring to the Yin Tiger formed from the True One Water within kidney Qi. Heart fluid, too, is not easily brought to fullness. When fluid arises, if it is abundant, Upright Yang Qi will also be abundant. Whether it is strong or weak, however, still cannot be known in advance.

Zhongli said, “Kidney Qi is easily depleted, while what is difficult to obtain is the ‘true Tiger’; Heart fluid is difficult to gather, while what is easily lost is the ‘true Dragon.’ The ‘true Tiger’ and ‘true Dragon’ are metaphors for Yin-Yang Qi in Neidan cultivation. Though there are ten thousand volumes of alchemical scriptures, their teachings all come down to Yin and Yang. At the heart of Yin-Yang practice lies nothing more than the Dragon and Tiger.

Among those who cultivate the Dao, perhaps only one or two in ten thousand truly understand. Some are widely read and have excellent memories. Although they know the principles of the Dragon and Tiger, they do not understand when Yin-Yang Qi should meet, nor how to gather and refine it. Thus, even accomplished practitioners throughout the ages who persevered into old age often achieved only modest results. Although some in every era prolonged their lives, few were ever said to have truly transcended. This is because they could neither unite the Dragon and Tiger nor gather and refine the ‘yellow sprout’—a term in Neidan cultivation for the nascent, subtle Qi—and ultimately refine it into an elixir.

Lü asked, “Now that the principles of the Dragon and Tiger have been explained, may I hear what is meant by the great medicine of the Golden Elixir?”

Zhongli Quan said, “A medicine is something that can cure illness. Illnesses may be broadly divided into three kinds.

The first is illness of the moment: lying in a damp place exposed to the wind, enduring heat or cold, working and resting without measure, and eating irregularly can all cause discomfort in the body. This is called falling ill.

The second is illness of age: refusing to cultivate the body and nurture one’s nature, indulging every desire, dissipating the original Yang (the body’s fundamental Yang energy), and damaging true Qi. As the years pass, the body grows wasted. This is called aging, an illness brought on by age.

The third is illness of the body: the breath is exhausted, the body is depleted, and the hun and shen (soul and spirit) scatter. With one long sigh, the Four Greats that make up the human body—earth, water, fire, and wind—lose their master, and the body falls in the wilderness. This is called death, the body’s final illness.

Illness of the moment comes with the changing seasons. The passage of spring, summer, autumn, and winter brings cold, heat, warmth, and coolness. When Yang energy is excessive and Yin energy insufficient, treatment should cool; when Yin energy is excessive and Yang energy insufficient, treatment should warm. Older people tend toward cold, while the young tend toward heat. Obese people tend to have more phlegm and saliva, while thin and frail people tend to suffer from stagnation. Men’s illnesses often arise from the Qi aspect, while the roots of women’s illnesses often lie in the blood aspect. Treatment should replenish what is deficient and drain what is excessive, supporting weakness and reducing excess. Mild illness may be treated with acupuncture and moxibustion; more serious illness calls for medicine. Even when the body is unwell because of a temporary imbalance, it can usually be cured by entrusting treatment to a discerning physician and taking medicine suited to the condition.

But how can aging be treated? And how can death be rescued from? The skilled physicians of antiquity could cleanse the intestines and replenish the flesh, yet no one knew how to restore a wrinkled, white-haired person to a youthful appearance. They could replace heads and rejoin limbs, yet no one knew how to preserve the body, remain in the world forever, and attain long life.”

Lü Zu asked, “Illnesses caused by the changing seasons can be treated by skilled physicians and medicines. But how can we treat the illnesses that come with bodily weakness, decline, and old age, as well as the suffering caused by the exhaustion of breath and the end of life? Is there no medicine for these?”

Zhong Zu replied, “There are three kinds of illness. Those caused by the seasons can usually be cured with medicines made from plants and herbs. The medicines for bodily illness and the ailments of old age fall into two kinds: first, Neidan (internal alchemy), cultivated through training the body and mind; second, Waidan (external alchemy), elixirs compounded from medicinal substances and other ingredients.”

Lü Zu asked again, “What is Waidan?”

Zhong said, “Long ago, the High and Exalted Primordial Lord, a revered Daoist deity, taught Daoist methods among the people. He pointed out and explained the patterns governing the rise and descent of Heaven and Earth, and the cycles of the sun and moon. From then on, scriptures expounding the methods of the Elixir spread throughout the world, and people came to hear of the Great Dao.

“Guangchengzi once transmitted Daoist methods to the Yellow Emperor. In the intervals between governing affairs, the emperor practiced according to these methods. Much time passed, but he saw no results. Guangchengzi then told him: ‘Between the heart and the kidneys are true Qi and true water; within this Qi and water are true Yin and true Yang. Harmonize and combine them, and they can become the Great Medicine, just as precious treasures lie hidden within metal and stone.’ The Yellow Emperor then used methods of internal cultivation at Mount Kongtong to refine the Great Elixir.

“Of the Eight Minerals, take only cinnabar, extracting mercury from it; of the Five Metals, take only black lead, extracting silver from it. Mercury is likened to the Yang Dragon, and silver to the Yin Tiger. The heart’s Fire is red like cinnabar, while the kidneys’ Water is black like black lead. Regulate the firing process according to the cycles of the year, in accord with the rhythms of change in Qian and Kun and Yin-Yang. Adjust the firing process each month, carefully distinguishing the use of gentle and fierce fire.

“Build a three-tiered Elixir furnace, each tier nine inches high, square on the outside and round within. Draw upon the Qi of the eight directions and coordinate it with the seasons. The form of the Golden Cauldron is used to enclose lead and mercury, much as the fluids in the lungs serve their purpose. Use sulfur as the ingredient and mix it with spirit sand; this is called the ‘Yellow Matron,’ symbolizing the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang. After three years, the work reaches a minor completion; taking the elixir can dispel all kinds of illness. After six years, it reaches an intermediate completion; taking it can prolong life. After nine years, it reaches full completion; taking it allows one to ascend freely. A strong man need only stretch out his arms to travel a thousand or ten thousand li. Even if he cannot return to Penglai, he can endure countless ages in the human world without dying.”

Lü said, “Since ancient times, many people have refined elixirs, yet very few have truly seen results. Why is this?”

Zhongli Quan said, “There are three reasons why alchemical work fails.

“First, one does not distinguish genuine ingredients from false ones, nor understand how to regulate the firing times and temperatures. As a result, precious substances are burned away at once in smoke and flames, reduced to ashes. Time is wasted, and nothing is accomplished.

“Second, the ingredients may be good, but one does not understand the firing process; or one may understand the firing process but lack the ingredients. Without both working together, the work cannot succeed.

“Third, the ingredients may be good and the firing process appropriate. The months of the year are observed without error, as are the days of each month; the intensity of the fire is increased and decreased according to fixed measures, and its advance and retreat are timed correctly. Yet when the Qi is full and the Elixir is complete, one has not made the necessary preparations outside oneself. The Elixir turns into a dark crane and flies into the sky, leaving one without the chance to obtain it. This, too, counts as a failure in alchemical work.

“What is more, the ingredients are tangible substances formed from the numinous essence of Heaven and Earth, while the firing process is a method by which immortals cultivate themselves and attain the Dao. In the age of the Three Sovereigns, the Yellow Emperor refined the Elixir, succeeding only after nine cycles of transformation. After the Five Emperors, Hundun refined the Elixir, and even that took three years to complete. By the Warring States period, violence and savagery filled the land, and corpses lay scattered across the wilderness. All things could no longer bear the numinous energy of Heaven and Earth, so the world lacked the ingredients for alchemical work. Those who knew its methods fled for safety and died of old age in mountain valleys. Some alchemical formulas and immortal arts were recorded on bamboo slips and silk, but over time they, too, were abandoned and fell into ruin. They ceased to circulate among the people.

“If ingredients for alchemical work were still available in the world, the First Emperor of Qin would not have gone to the islands in search of an elixir of immortality. If alchemical formulas were still available in the world, Wei Boyang would not have turned to the Book of Changes to discuss alchemical work. Some people rely on broad learning and a good memory to spread wild claims, misleading those who come after them. Many have been ruined financially as a result, yet not one has succeeded in refining the Elixir. To seek the Elixir outside oneself is to take the wrong path.”

Lü Dongbin said, “The principles of Waidan (external alchemy) derive from Guang Chengzi. Even if one takes methods of internal cultivation as a guide, success would still take nine years. How much harder it is when the ingredients are difficult to find and the formulas hard to obtain. In the end, one might rise and fly through the air, but still fail to transcend the ordinary, attain sagehood, and return to the Ten Isles—the legendary paradises at sea where immortals dwell. May I ask you to explain the principles of the inner medicine?”

Zhong said, “What is more, the ingredients for Waidan are hard to find, and the formulas are hard to obtain. In the end, they often enable people only to ascend and fly; no one seems to have transcended the ordinary, become a sage, and returned to the Ten Isles, the legendary abodes of immortals. May I ask you to explain the principles of the inner medicines?”

Zhong said, “Waidan is not without its uses. Those who turn to the Dao only in old age often find their foundations are not firm enough. The kidneys are the root of Qi: if the roots do not run deep, the branches and leaves will not flourish. The heart is the source of bodily fluids: if the source is not clear, the stream will not flow for long. At this point one must rely on the five metals and eight minerals used in alchemy. After a long period of refinement, these are made into three grades, each divided into three levels, for a total of nine grades. The Great Elixir of the Dragon and Tiger, named for images such as Yin-Yang and the dragon and tiger, can help replenish true Qi and refine and nourish the body, allowing a person to remain in the world, light and swift as if ascending.

Those who cultivate inner practices must understand the moment when body and mind join, and know how to gather the medicines. Once the Fetal Immortal, the inner spirit formed through cultivation, has taken shape, transcendence soon follows. Some people fail to understand this and cling to Waidan, continually increasing the heat and prolonging the refinement. They take the elixir and expect to ascend to heaven. It is truly laughable.

Since they do not investigate the source of the outer medicines, I will explain the principles of Neidan in detail. Its ingredients come from the heart and kidneys, and everyone possesses them. Its foundations lie within Heaven and Earth, and can be found everywhere between them. The regulation of the fire follows the cycles of the sun and moon; the joining of the ingredients follows the union of husband and wife. When the sacred embryo takes shape, true Qi arises. Within Qi there is yet more Qi, like a dragon nurturing a pearl. When the great medicine is refined, the Yang Spirit, the pure Yang spirit that emerges through cultivation, leaves the body, forming a body beyond the body, like a cicada shedding its old shell. The inner medicine begins with the union of dragon and tiger, from which the Yellow Sprout, the term for the first growth of the medicine in alchemy, emerges. Once the Yellow Sprout has formed, it divides into lead and mercury, terms in Neidan for the two forces of Yin and Yang.”

Lü Dongbin said, “The inner elixir—the medicine obtained through internal cultivation—cannot be separated from the Dragon and Tiger. The Tiger arises in the Kan Palace, which symbolizes water and places of Yin such as the kidneys; it refers to the water within Qi. The Dragon arises in the Li Palace, which symbolizes fire and places of Yang such as the heart; it refers to the Qi within water. The external elixir—the medicine refined with the aid of external substances—takes mercury from cinnabar, likening it to the Yang Dragon, and silver from lead, likening it to the Yin Tiger. Since lead and mercury belong to the external elixir, why do they transform into Yellow Sprout—a term in the Way of the Elixir symbolizing a newly formed elixir—after the Dragon and Tiger unite? And once the Yellow Sprout has formed, why can lead and mercury be distinguished from it again? What, then, are lead and mercury in the inner elixir?”

Zhongli Quan said, “Among the substances that receive the finest Qi from Heaven and Earth and rank foremost among the five metals is black lead. Lead can produce silver, so lead is silver’s mother. Among the minerals that absorb the Sun’s Qi and rank foremost is cinnabar. Cinnabar can produce mercury, so mercury is cinnabar’s offspring. The hardest things to obtain are the silver within lead and the mercury within cinnabar. When silver and mercury can be brought together and then refined, they can be made into a supreme treasure. This is how the principle of lead and mercury manifests in external substances.

As for the human body, explanations have differed across the ages. Here we take the most subtle account: when a man and woman unite, Jing and blood combine, enclosing the true Qi, which resides in the mother’s purely Yin womb. Shen and Qi are concealed before Yin and Yang have yet divided. After three hundred days, the fetus’s form is complete; after five thousand days, its breath is full.

In terms of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), the human body is formed from Jing and blood and initially belongs to Water. In terms of the five organs, Jing and blood form the body and correspond first to the kidneys. Hidden within the Water of the kidneys is the true Qi from the parents, present at the beginning of conception. This Qi lies concealed within the body’s inner kidneys; it is what is called “lead.” The Qi that arises in the kidneys, and the true One Water contained within that Qi, is called the “true tiger”—that is, the “silver within lead.”

Kidney Qi passes to the liver, and then liver Qi passes to the heart. When heart Qi reaches its height, it gives rise to fluids, which contain pure Yang Qi. “Cinnabar” refers to the heart’s fluid; “mercury” refers to the upright Yang Qi within that fluid. Qi and fluid gather to form the fetal embryo—the body in which true Qi is nurtured through internal cultivation—and circulate and converge in the Yellow Court, the central region described in internal cultivation. When the firing process is properly managed, the fetal immortal, the immortal body formed through internal cultivation, naturally takes shape. It is like the silver within lead joining with mercury and being refined into a supreme treasure.”

Patriarch Lü asked, “Among the five metals, silver can be extracted from lead; among the eight kinds of minerals, mercury can be refined from cinnabar. When they are placed in a crucible and furnace and combined with the ingredients, mercury naturally turns into cinnabar, and silver is naturally refined into a treasure. But how can the ‘silver’ be extracted from the ‘lead’ within the human body? How can the ‘mercury’ be refined from the ‘cinnabar’ within the body? How does mercury then turn into cinnabar, and silver become a treasure?”

Patriarch Zhong replied, “The ‘lead’ spoken of in relation to the human body is originally formed from the union of the parents’ true Qi. It is pure and whole, without separation. Once the human form has taken shape, this Qi is stored in the kidneys. The two kidneys face one another, and their Qi rises together; this is called ‘Primordial Yang Qi,’ the body’s fundamental Yang energy. Water is contained within the Qi; this is called ‘True One Water,’ a term in cultivation referring to the body’s inborn essence and Qi. Water rises along with the Qi, and Qi and water unite without separating. When the Qi comes to rest, the water rests; when the Qi disperses, the water disperses as well. Water and Qi depend on each other like mother and child. Those skilled in observation can see only the Qi, not the water within it.

When this True One Water joins with the pure Yang Qi in the heart, this is called the ‘union of Dragon and Tiger,’ the joining of Yin and Yang energies. From this transformation emerges the ‘Yellow Sprout,’ the nascent ingredient in Neidan cultivation. The Yellow Sprout is the ‘Great Medicine.’ True One Water serves as the Great Medicine’s womb, enclosing the upright Yang Qi within, like the fetal sac formed when the parents’ essence and blood unite. After three hundred days of gestation, the fetus is mature and its primordial Qi is abundant; its body and awareness are complete, and it separates from the mother. Inner union comes first; only afterward can the body take shape.

Those who cultivate the Dao bring the Qi of the kidneys and the Qi of the heart together. They let the True One Water contained in the Qi carry the upright Yang Qi, forming a fetal sac through the union of Qi and water, shaped like a grain of millet. From then on, it must be continually nurtured with warmth so that it suffers no depletion. At first, Yin Qi nourishes Yang Qi; next, Yang Qi is used to refine Yin Qi. Qi transforms into essence, essence into mercury, mercury into cinnabar, and cinnabar into the Golden Elixir. The Golden Elixir, too, is like a grain of millet and must be continually nurtured with warmth. Once the Golden Elixir has been refined, true Qi arises naturally. Then, by refining the Shen with true Qi, one can transcend. The cultivator transforms into a fire dragon, flies out of the realm of darkness, and rides a dark crane to the immortal isles of Penglai.”

Lü asks: When human bodies unite, a new body takes shape; when Qi combines, new Qi is produced. This process takes about three hundred days. After the child is born, male and female bodies differ. What color does the cinnabar within a practitioner’s body—the metaphor for the substances or Jing and Qi used in Neidan practice—take on?

Zhong replies: When the parents unite, if the father’s Jing enters first and the mother’s blood flows afterward, the blood envelops the Jing, forming a girl. A girl contains Yang within and displays Yin without, symbolizing the mother, because blood forms the outer layer. If the mother’s blood comes first and the father’s Jing enters afterward, the Jing envelops the blood, forming a boy. A boy contains Yin within and displays Yang without, symbolizing the father, because Jing forms the outer layer.

Blood originates in the heart and does not possess pure Yang Qi. Jing originates in the kidneys and contains pure Yang Qi. Pure Yang Qi is the foundation of “Mercury.” True One Water—a Neidan term for the primordial water spoken of in cultivation—combines with it and enters the Yellow Court, the name Daoist inner cultivation gives to an important region within the abdomen. Mercury must be cooked and refined with lead broth, while lead must be fired and refined with Mercury’s fire. Without Mercury, lead cannot draw forth True One Water; without lead, Mercury cannot transform into pure Yang Qi.

Lü asks: Lead produces primordial Yang Qi in the kidneys, and that Qi contains True One Water, though it cannot be seen with the naked eye. When lead and Mercury combine, Mercury produces pure Yang Qi. Then, when lead is refined with pure Yang Qi, lead Qi grows abundant and can draw forth True One Water to rise. Yet Mercury is itself pure Yang Qi—that is, True One Water, the foundation of the womb—stored in the Yellow Court. At the time of this union of Dragon and Tiger, a Neidan metaphor for Yin and Yang, or lead and Mercury, combining, Yin and Yang should be in balance. If lead broth is then used for cooking and refining, would Yin not become excessive and dissipate true Yang? How, then, could the Great Medicine be refined, so that Qi gives rise to Qi once more?

Zhong said, “When Kidney Qi and Heart Qi join, Qi reaches its utmost and produces fluids. These fluids contain the vital energy of true Yang. When they are combined with the Water of True Unity, a Daoist term symbolizing primordial essence and true Qi, this is called the ‘union of Dragon and Tiger.’ The substance gathered each day is only the size of a millet grain. It is called the ‘great medicine of the Golden Elixir’ and must be escorted and placed in the Yellow Court, the central region of the body referred to in internal cultivation.

“The Yellow Court lies below the spleen and stomach and above the bladder, north of the heart and south of the kidneys—that is, west of the liver and east of the lungs. Here, the upper part is clear and the lower part turbid; externally, it corresponds to four colors. It has a capacity of about two pints and connects with the Eight Waters. The gathered substance remains there day and night.

“If you gather the substance without advancing the fire—that is, without warming and refining it with the Qi of internal cultivation—it will dissipate and cannot be retained. If you advance the fire without gathering the substance, Yang within Yin cannot be preserved. At most, this can stir the Kidney Qi and strengthen and warm the body’s lower foundation. Gathering the substance must be timed correctly, and advancing the fire must be done in due measure. You must also first work with lead, using Qi to advance the fire so that the great medicine becomes firm and can be kept stable for a long time in the lower field, or lower Dantian. This is the ‘method of gathering and replenishing.’ Refining Mercury to nourish the Dantian can prolong life; one who achieves this may be called an earthly immortal.

“When gathering the substance, you must also use primordial lead to draw it out and circulate the Golden Essence behind the elbows, an internal cultivation method that moves essence through intention and Qi. After drawing out the lead, you must add Mercury. Without adding Mercury, you are merely returning essence to replenish the brain—how could true Qi then arise? If true Qi does not arise, how could the Yang Spirit, the pure Yang spirit formed through cultivation, be refined? Yet Mercury can be added only after first drawing out the lead. Without drawing out the lead, if you only refine Mercury to replenish the Dantian, how could you transform the cinnabar? If the cinnabar cannot be transformed, how could the Golden Elixir be refined?”

Lu asked, “Gathering the medicine must rely on the water within Qi, and advancing the fire must make use of the Qi within lead. In the end, lead is drawn out and refined into the Great Medicine. If mercury is added, the Dantian can be replenished and strengthened. What is the principle of ‘drawing out and adding’?”

Zhong replied, “In ancient times, the sages of antiquity taught the Dao to the people. People then were simple and sincere. They did not understand the Great Dao and so could hardly grasp its meaning. The sages therefore used the patterns of Yin and Yang rising and descending in Heaven and Earth to guide them. Yin and Yang alternate, appearing as changes in warmth, coolness, cold, and heat. The four seasons run their course on schedule, and the year returns again and again without losing its order. This is why Heaven and Earth endure.

“The sages also explained the Dao through the pattern of the sun and moon’s essences moving back and forth. The sun and moon advance and recede; the moon changes through the phases of new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. After becoming full, it wanes; after waning, it waxes again. This cycle continues without losing its order. This is why the sun and moon endure.

“Yet people do not understand how Yin and Yang rise and descend in Heaven and Earth, or the pattern of the moon’s waxing and waning. They give themselves over to pleasure and squander their limited lives. Wealth and luxury are merely the trappings of a brief life, like a dream; attachments of love and affection will eventually become burdens in the next life. The songs have not yet ended when suffering arrives; while fame and profit are at their height, youth and beauty have already faded. People crave money, believing that wealth can last forever. They cling to their children and family fortunes, hoping to remain together generation after generation. Their craving and delusion never cease. They fantasize about living forever, yet dissipate their original Yang and lose their true Qi. Only when a grave illness takes hold do they become willing to turn inward; only when life is nearly over do they think of settling their worldly affairs.

“The True Immortals and sages took pity on living beings who kept sinking into greed and delusion and suffering through the cycle of rebirth. They wanted people to understand the Great Dao and endure like Heaven, Earth, the sun, and the moon. First, they spoke of Yin and Yang rising and descending in Heaven and Earth; then they used the movement of the sun and moon’s essences as an analogy. People did not understand the secrets of Heaven and could not fathom these mysteries, so the sages used external things to explain inner cultivation: they used things without feeling to stand for things with feeling. The things without feeling are metals and stones, which belong to the external medicine; the things with feeling are Qi and liquid, which belong to the internal medicine. Heaven and Earth, the sun and moon, metals and stones, Qi and liquid—all can be used to explain the principle of drawing out and adding. After gathering the medicine, one must replenish it; after replenishing it, one must draw it out again. The pattern of drawing out and adding is the foundation of the workings of creation.

“After the winter solstice, Yang Qi rises from beneath the earth, and the Yin Qi within the earth is drawn away. In keeping with the changes of Yin and Yang and the Six Qi, Jueyin changes into Shaoyin, and Shaoyang is added to become Yangming. Jueyin is drawn away to become Shaoyin, while Yangming is added to become Taiyang. This is why the weather changes from cold to warm, and from warm to hot. After the summer solstice, Yin Qi descends from the sky, and the Yang Qi above is drawn away: Taiyang is drawn away to become Yangming, while Shaoyin is added to become Jueyin; Yangming is drawn away to become Shaoyang, while Jueyin is added to become Taiyin. This is why the weather changes from hot to cool, and from cool to cold. The changes of the Six Qi formed by Yin and Yang rising and descending in Heaven and Earth are proof of the principle of drawing out and adding.

“The moon receives light from the sun, and the two change in relation to one another. During the first half of the month, the moon gradually sheds its Yin soul, while the sun’s Yang soul gradually increases. The moon’s essence becomes full, illuminating Heaven and Earth. This is why the moon grows from its first appearance to the first quarter and then to the full moon. During the second half of the month, the sun draws back its Yang essence, while the moon gradually adds to its Yin soul. The moonlight fades as the Yin soul grows full. This is why the moon changes from full to the last quarter, then to the dark moon and the new moon. The sun and moon’s recurring movements, expressed through the numbers nine and six, also show the principle of drawing out and adding.

“People do not understand the secrets of Heaven and cannot readily infer its mysteries. The True Immortals and sages knew that people desire freedom from illness and long life, so they used metals and stones to refine the Great Elixir. They knew people desire gold and silver, so they used lead and mercury to make treasures. These teachings were intended to help people realize the Great Dao. If metals and stones without feeling can still be refined into treasures by following the fire’s timing and the pattern of drawing out and adding, then one who can master the body’s own vital, feeling-bearing upright Yang Qi and true One Water, understand the right time for their union and the methods of gathering and refining, and persist day after day—so that Qi gives birth to Qi and Qi is refined into Shen—may transcend. This is a rare achievement, seldom truly understood by anyone on earth or in Heaven, from ancient times to the present. Those who cultivate the Dao should devote themselves to practice, set worldly affairs aside, emulate the longevity of Heaven, Earth, the sun, and the moon, and attend to the Great Dao so they can guide those who have lost their way. This is why the term ‘external medicine’ exists.

“Sometimes, sages of past and present have used external things to speak of the Dao. Their teachings have been passed down, yet people still fail to understand. Instead, they deceive themselves and others, going against the intention of the earlier masters. They roast cinnabar to make mercury, then use mercury to transmute lead, hoping to produce gold and silver. They neglect their own lives and recklessly pursue wealth. They endorse one another and invoke the name of ‘loving the Dao,’ while in truth they seek only profit and are intent on alchemy. The ancient sages and exalted immortals had no choice but to respond to the circumstances of their time: they used lead and mercury as an analogy, teaching inner cultivation through external things.

“Lead and mercury come from metals and stones. Though metals and stones are things without feeling, they can still be refined through the workings of creation into treasures. Then surely, if the things with feeling produced within the human body are cultivated in the way lead and mercury are used, they too can pass through the workings of creation and yield results surpassing gold and silver. Those who serve the Dao should investigate this meaning deeply and avoid clinging to Waidan and the art of the alchemical furnace.

“‘Lead’ within the human body symbolizes the beginning of Heaven and Earth: from the Great Beginning comes the Great Substance, the mother of all things; from the Great Substance comes the Great Simplicity. Its nature is like gold in water, and its function is like water in fire. It is the source of the Five Phases—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—and the foundation of the Great Dao. The medicine is gathered in order to add mercury; after mercury is added, lead must again be drawn out. Thus, the practice of drawing out and adding takes place within oneself, not in external things. When it is conveyed from the lower Dantian to the upper Dantian, this is called ‘flying the Golden Essence behind the elbows.’ It is also called ‘setting the River Cart in motion,’ ‘running the Dragon and Tiger,’ or ‘returning essence to replenish the brain.’ After lead is drawn out, mercury descends from the middle Dantian, then returns from the middle Dantian to the lower Dantian.

“At first, the union of Dragon and Tiger transforms the medicine into the Yellow Sprout; this is called reversing the Five Phases. Then lead is drawn out and mercury added, nurturing the immortal embryo; this is called the Three Dantian returning and revolving. If the Five Phases are not reversed, the Dragon and Tiger cannot unite; if the Three Dantian do not return and revolve, the immortal embryo cannot become full of Qi. After one hundred days of cultivating by drawing out lead and adding mercury, the medicine’s power can be complete and the sacred embryo made firm. After three hundred days, the immortal embryo is complete and true Qi arises. Once true Qi has arisen, refine Qi into Shen. When the work is complete and the body is forgotten, the immortal embryo will naturally transform. This is called becoming an immortal.”

Lü Zu asked, “Medicines extracted from metals and minerals, including external lead and external mercury, can be refined into treasures through extraction and addition. If one takes as lead the true Qi inherited from one’s parents and rooted in one’s own kidneys, and takes as mercury the medicine transformed through the union of True Oneness and Upright Yang, then extraction and addition can give birth to Shen. Do the so-called true lead and true mercury also require extraction and addition?”

Zhong Zu replied, “At first, it may seem that mercury can be obtained only with the help of lead, but to rely on lead throughout is ultimately a mistake. So one must extract it and send it into the upper palace, the upper region within the body, so that original Qi does not dissipate outward and Jing-Qi returns to the brain. Through daily practice, what one obtains is mercury. When Yin energy has been fully depleted and Yang energy is pure and complete, Jing becomes sand, and the sand becomes gold. Only then is it called true lead. True lead is formed through the union of one’s own true Qi.

“True lead is born within true Qi: it is the water of True Oneness within Qi. The Five Qi converge at the Origin, and the Three Yang gather at the crown. Earlier, we spoke of golden Jing descending into the Dantian, then rising to refine the body until it takes on a golden hue. Here, we speak of true lead rising into the inner palace and giving off a white light. The elixir’s return and the body’s refinement and nourishment, moving from below upward and from above downward, are effects of golden Jing’s circulation. The body’s firing and the breath’s convergence, moving from front to back and from back to front, are effects produced by the transformations of true Qi. If one neither extracts nor adds, but remains at the level of ordinary practice, how could gathering the medicine and advancing the fire bring about such effects and signs?”

Lü Zu asked, “In extraction and addition, how can one make the movement between upper and lower conform to measure, and the movement between front and back proceed without error?”

Zhong Zu replied, “When it should rise, it must not descend; when it should be extracted, it must not be added. The movement back and forth between upper and lower must be exact to the smallest degree. This depends on the power of the River Chariot.”

Lü Zu asked, “What is meant by the River Chariot?”

Zhong said: “In ancient times, a clever person saw clouds veiling the sun and realized they could provide shade, so he made a canopy. Seeing fallen leaves float on the water and carry things, he thought to build a boat. Seeing puffball plants tumble back and forth in the wind without stopping, he thought to make a cart. A cart’s canopy and axle symbolize Heaven and Earth, while its turning wheels resemble the movement of the sun and moon.

Those who have attained the Dao use the cart as a metaphor. Ordinary carts travel over land; the so-called River Chariot, too, has its own meaning. Within the human body, Yang Qi is scarce and Yin Qi abundant, like a place with many waters. “Chariot” suggests transport, while “river” symbolizes the abundance of Yin water. Thus the River Chariot does not travel over the ground but moves through the body wherever water Qi gathers. It travels from top to bottom, sometimes in front and sometimes behind, carrying the body’s Jing and Qi throughout. As it rises, it enters Kunlun (here referring to the head or the area of the upper Dantian). When its circuit is complete, it descends toward Phoenix Tower (a Neidan term for a part of the body associated with downward circulation).

The River Chariot carries primordial Yang (the Yang Qi inherent in the human body) straight into the Palace of Li (symbolizing heart fire or an upper region of inner cultivation). It conveys true Qi along a winding course into the Hall of Longevity (an inner place associated with health cultivation and the storage of Jing and Qi). It travels throughout the body without pause, and circles the Three Mountains (a Neidan term for associated parts of the body) without rest. After the Dragon and Tiger meet, the Yellow Matron (a Neidan term symbolizing the mediator that harmonizes Yin and Yang) should drive the chariot into the Yellow Court (the central region of inner cultivation). When Lead and Mercury (Neidan terms referring to Yin and Yang Jing and Qi in cultivation) separate and unite, the Golden Lad (symbolizing Yang force) transports them to the Golden Gate (symbolizing the destination of cultivation).

Jade Spring (the body’s fluids) divides into a thousand streams, yet the River Chariot takes only about half a quarter hour to make its circuit. A pot of Golden Liquid (a Neidan term for the essence produced through cultivation) takes just a moment to transport. Without the River Chariot to carry them, it is difficult for the Five Phases to converge and return to a single Qi; without it, Yin and Yang can hardly meet. Cultivation in accordance with the seasons and their appointed times must rely on the River Chariot to take effect. Nurturing Yang and refining Yin also depend on its movement to proceed without error.

When the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth have yet to reach complete harmony, bringing them into motion and change is the River Chariot’s work. Before the workings of the cosmos have completed their full circuit, enabling Qi and blood to circulate between them is also the River Chariot’s work. It can carry the pure, refined Qi of Heaven and Earth from outside to within and draw in the primordial Yang of the inner palace. It can also help a person pass from the ordinary to the sacred, circulate the pure Qi of Yin and Yang, and use it to nourish and refine their own original Shen. The River Chariot’s functions are too many to recount one by one.”

Lü asked, “The River Chariot (a method of circulating vital essence in internal alchemy) has such subtle powers. What is its principle? What exactly is it within the human body? Once it has been obtained, how should it be used?”

Zhong replied, “The River Chariot arises in the northern position, which belongs to Water; that is, it is the true Qi stored in the kidneys. The pure Qi produced by true Qi is called the River Chariot. Its function is rarely heard of, past or present, and even true immortals often keep it secret.

“According to the images and numbers of the Yijing, when a yang line of the Qian trigram enters the Kun trigram again, the Kan trigram is formed. Kan belongs to Water and is Yin essence. When yang enters yin, it carries yin back to its original position, passing through the positions of Gen, Zhen, and Xun. The practitioner uses yang to guide yin, moving Yin essence into the Li Palace, which belongs to Fire, so that it can receive yang Qi and transform. This is the River Chariot’s process of moving Yin essence into the yang palace.

“Likewise, when a yin line of the Kun trigram enters the Qian trigram again, the Li trigram is formed. Li belongs to Fire and is Yang essence. When yin enters yang, it carries yang back to its original position, passing through the positions of Kun, Dui, and Qian. The practitioner uses yin to guide yang, moving Yang essence into the Kan Palace, which belongs to Water, so that it can receive yin Qi and transform. This is the River Chariot’s process of moving Yang essence into the yin palace.

“In addition, one must gather the ingredients in the Nine Palaces, which symbolize different regions of the body used in cultivation, and send the resulting Qi into the Yellow Court, the central place in the body in internal alchemy. Then one draws lead Qi from Qujiang, a site of cultivation within the body, and transports it upward to the Inner Court, a place of inner cultivation. Jade liquid and golden liquid are both the refined substance produced through returning the Elixir. Circulating them cultivates the body and causes Water Qi to rise. Ruler Fire and Minister Fire are the degrees of fire used to refine the body. Circulating them refines the internal elixir and causes Fire Qi to descend. Processes such as the Five Qi converging at the Origin and the Three Flowers gathering at the Crown also each have their corresponding times and dates for circulation. When spirit and Qi gather, they can easily attract demonic disturbances. One must circulate true Fire to burn and refine oneself, so that the Three Corpses—the impure forces said in Daoism to reside in the body and obstruct cultivation—are completely eliminated. After the elixir has been refined and vital essence exhausted, one circulates the rosy elixir, the refined bodily fluid described in cultivation, to bathe and cleanse oneself. Then one can reach the state of entering water without disturbing its surface. Such is the function of the River Chariot.”

Lü Dongbin said, “The River Chariot is the vital energy of the northern direction, and its movement has no end. It carries Yin and Yang energies, each bringing about different results and requiring different methods of practice. Master, please explain it in detail.”

Zhongli Quan replied, “The energies of the Five Phases cycle and turn back, secretly corresponding to the practice of reversing Yin and Yang. This causes the Dragon and Tiger to join and transform into Yellow Sprout—the newly emerging essence and Qi in Neidan cultivation. This is called the Small River Chariot. The joining of the Dragon and Tiger means that the Dragon and Tiger symbolize the Yin and Yang energies interacting within the body. Move the Golden Essence, the refined energy produced by transforming Jing into Qi, along the spine, then draw it back into the Niwan, the cultivation center in the head. Draw out lead and replenish mercury, allowing them to congeal into the Great Medicine, the essence formed through Neidan cultivation. This is called the Great River Chariot.

The joining of the Dragon and Tiger gives rise to Yellow Sprout; the joining of lead and mercury forms the Great Medicine. Once true Qi, the energy at the root of life, begins to arise, the Five Energies gather and converge in the central origin. When the primordial Yang Shen, the body’s innate Yang spirit, is perfected, the Three Spirits ascend to the inner court. When the Purple Golden Elixir is refined, it often appears like two dark cranes flying together. When white jade mercury congeals, it is just like a fire dragon surging upward. At this point, myriad beams of golden light shine upon the ordinary body, and a jade tree appears, its blossoms vivid and radiant. The spirit and Qi can come and go, entering and emerging freely, without obstruction. Gather the spirit back into the body and let it mingle with the breath of the world; then transform into a sage or perfected being, transcend the mundane, and become an immortal adept. This is called the Purple River Chariot.

The River Chariot has three levels of attainment. These ‘three attainments’ refer to different signs of progress reached through cultivation, not to the Buddhist Three Vehicles of the sheep cart, deer cart, and great ox cart. In Daoist accounts, three kinds of chariot follow the River Chariot. Gathering Fire energy and directing it with the mind to treat illness is called the Messenger Chariot. After Water and Fire are harmonized, Qi moves from above downward; Yin and Yang unite, Water and Fire dwell together, and thunderous sounds are heard in stillness. This is called the Thunder Chariot.

If the mind and spirit are led away by external circumstances, and desire is drawn along by things outside oneself, responding to external things dissipates one’s innate Yang energy. True Qi then moves from the outside inward without pause. Over time, Qi weakens, the body grows frail, and one gradually ages. If malign or epidemic Qi invades, true Qi is drawn into it instead; the primordial Yang lacks the strength to resist, and one ultimately grows old and ill and dies. This is called the Broken Chariot.”

Lü Dongbin asked, “When the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) reverses its course and the Dragon and Tiger meet—that is, when Yin and Yang Qi unite—the Small River Cart, a stage in the circulation of Qi during Neidan (internal alchemy) practice, is already in motion. The Qi circulates back and forth through the three Dantian (energy centers). After the Golden Essence flies up behind the elbows—a term for Jing and Qi rising along the back during practice—the Great River Cart, a further stage in the circulation of Qi, will also begin to move. But when does the Purple River Cart begin to move?”

Zhongli Quan replied, “After a person who cultivates the Dao has heard of the Great Dao, encountered a wise teacher, and understood how Heaven and Earth rise and descend and how the sun and moon move, they first regulate Yin and Yang, then gather and disperse Water and Fire. Next, they gather the medicine and intensify the Fire, add Mercury and withdraw Lead—terms in Neidan practice for gathering and refining Jing and Qi—and the Small River Cart begins to move. Once the Golden Essence has flown up behind the elbows and entered the crown, the Great Medicine in the Yellow Court, an inner region in Neidan practice, gradually takes shape. The Qi then rushes through the Three Passes, the bodily gateways described in cultivation, and reaches the Inner Court, a deeper region within the body. It then moves from back to front and is gathered from front to back; the upper part is replenished and the lower part refined. Thus the Great River Cart begins to move as well. Only after the Golden and Jade Liquids return to the Elixir—the stage in Neidan practice when Jing and Qi congeal and return to the Dantian—does one refine the body. After refining the body, one refines Qi; after refining Qi, one refines Shen (spirit); and after refining Shen, one unites with the Dao. This is what is called attaining the Dao. In this way, one leaves the ordinary world and becomes an immortal; this is called the Purple River Cart.”

Zhong-Lü Chuandao Ji (Anthology of Zhongli Quan’s Transmission of the Dao), “On the Return of the Elixir,” Chapter Thirteen

Lü Dongbin asked, “I have not yet heard of refining the body into Qi, refining Qi into Shen, and refining Shen to unite with the Dao. What, exactly, is the so-called return of the Elixir?”

Zhongli Quan said, “The ‘Elixir’ does not mean a colored pill, made with red or yellow pigments. Nor is it some sweet-tasting, mild substance that can be refined by blending ingredients. Here, ‘Elixir’ refers to the body’s Dantian, the places where Jing, Qi, and Shen converge in Neidan practice. There are three Dantian: the upper Dantian is where Shen gathers, the middle Dantian is the abode of Qi, and the lower Dantian is the region of Jing. Qi arises from Jing and is stored in the middle Dantian; Shen arises from Qi and is stored in the upper Dantian; true water and true Qi join to form Jing, which is stored in the lower Dantian. All who cultivate the Dao possess these three Dantian. Yet although Qi has its root in the kidneys, it has not risen to gather in the middle Dantian; and although Shen resides in the heart, it has not risen to gather in the upper Dantian. If the essences of Jing, Qi, and Shen cannot return and unite, then even though all three Dantian are present, they cannot function.”

Lü Dongbin said, “Within the mysterious, there is an even deeper mystery. Everyone has life, but the Jing within life does not all belong to oneself; some comes from one’s parents as original Yang, the innate root of life. When Jing is insufficient, Qi is insufficient as well. Shen, too, does not all belong to oneself; some comes from one’s parents as original Shen, the innate awareness. Jing, Qi, and Shen are the treasures of the three Dantian. How can one expect them always to remain in the palaces above, in the middle, and below?”

Zhongli Quan said, “Qi arises in the kidneys, and within Qi is the true water of the One, a Neidan term for innate true water. When this water is returned to the lower Dantian, Jing can nourish the numinous root, and Qi will arise naturally. Fluids arise in the heart, and within them is the Qi of True Yang, a Neidan term for innate Yang Qi. When this Qi is returned to the middle Dantian, Qi can nourish the numinous source, and Shen will arise naturally. Gather numinous Qi to form Shen, then unite Shen with the Dao and return it to the upper Dantian; after this, one can break free from the constraints of the physical form.”

Lü Dongbin said, “The Dantian are divided into three: upper, middle, and lower. When something that has departed returns to its original place, this is called ‘returning the Elixir.’ The principle of returning the Elixir is profound and subtle. Please explain it in detail.”

Zhong said, “There are several kinds of returning the Elixir: the Lesser Elixir Return and the Greater Elixir Return; the Seven-Cycle Elixir Return and the Nine-Transformation Elixir Return; the Complete-Liquid Elixir Return and the Jade-Liquid Elixir Return. There are also methods that use the lower Elixir to restore the upper Elixir, the upper Elixir to restore the middle Elixir, and the middle Elixir to restore the lower Elixir, as well as methods that use Yang to restore Yin and Yin to restore Yang. These differ not only in name, but also in the timing and methods used to begin the practice.”

Lü asked, “What is the Lesser Elixir Return?”

Zhong said, “The foundation of the Lesser Elixir Return lies in the lower origin, the lower Dantian and the Jing and Qi it governs. The lower origin governs the Five Viscera and is also the foundation of the Three Dantian. In practice, the movement of Qi follows the order of generation among the Five Phases: Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, and Metal generates Water. The movement of Qi through this generative cycle must accord with the right timing. When it is time for something to arise, guide it into being, like a mother and child who cherish one another.

“The Five Phases also restrain one another: Fire restrains Metal, Metal restrains Wood, Wood restrains Earth, Earth restrains Water, and Water restrains Fire. The movement of Qi through this restraining cycle requires proper measure. When restraint is needed, provide support so that it does not become excessive, like a husband and wife who bring each other into harmony.

“Qi and fluids circulate within the body, completing one cycle after another. From the hour of Zi to the hour of Wu, Yin and Yang Qi arise in accordance with their proper times; from the hour of Mao to the hour of You, Yin and Yang Qi subside in accordance with their proper times. After each day and night, the movement of Qi returns to the lower Dantian, completing one cycle. This is called the Lesser Elixir Return. Those who cultivate the Dao gather and refine the elixir within the body—the Jing and Qi—and use the firing process to advance their practice in the lower Dantian, regulating its timing and degree.”

Lü asked, “I understand the Lesser Elixir Return now. What is the Greater Elixir Return?”

Zhong said, “When the Dragon and Tiger unite—meaning the Yin and Yang energies within the body merge—they transform into the Yellow Sprout, a sign that the Neidan is beginning to form. By drawing out Lead and adding Mercury, a metaphor in Neidan for regulating Yin and Yang, one refines the Great Medicine. In the Palace of the Dark Warrior, an inner region associated with Kidney Water, the Golden Essence, a symbol of concentrated Jing and Qi, has just begun to rise. Beneath Jade Capital Mountain, an inner landscape associated with the head or upper body, True Qi is only beginning to ascend. Set the River Cart, a metaphor for a practice that circulates Qi within the body, moving along the ridge of the spine, and along the way infuse it with Jade Fluid, a metaphor for the body’s fluids. The breath enters the upper field from the lower field—the lower Dantian—and then returns from the upper field—the upper Dantian—to the lower. It rises at the back and then moves forward. When this circuit is complete, it is called the Great Returning Elixir, the stage in Neidan practice when Yin and Yang circulate throughout the body and the Elixir is refined. Those who serve the Dao through cultivation stir the energies of the Dragon and Tiger within themselves, causing the Golden Essence to rise. They nurture the embryo immortal, the immortal embryo gestated through Neidan practice, and bring forth True Qi, thereby refining the Middle Elixir. That is the reason for this process.”

Lü asked, “I understand the Great Returning Elixir now. What, then, do the Sevenfold Return Elixir and the Ninefold Turning Elixir mean?”

Zhong said, “The numbers by which the Five Phases come into being add up to fifty-five: Heaven is one and Earth two; Heaven three and Earth four; Heaven five and Earth six; Heaven seven and Earth eight; Heaven nine and Earth ten. One, three, five, seven, and nine belong to Yang, making twenty-five in all; two, four, six, eight, and ten belong to Yin…”