《青华秘文》

Far Master Zhenren Zhengbang Shu’s origins are unknown. At nineteen, he became a disciple of Ziyang Zhenren. Though he had followed his master for nine years, he still did not understand the principles of the Great Dao’s naturalness, and had never once asked about them.

One day, he accompanied his master to Luofu Temple. Master Ziyang said, “You have followed me for so long, yet you have shown no interest in the secrets of Golden Elixir cultivation. What, then, are you following me for?”

Shu bowed and replied, “It is not that I have no interest. I only believe my capacity for understanding is limited, and fear I am not worthy to grasp its mysteries.”

Master Ziyang said, “Very good! Since the Supreme Ultimate divided, everyone has possessed a spark of innate clarity. The worthy do not gain more of it, nor do the dull lose any. What you have said means that your own thoughts have obscured the clarity you already possess. Alas, what a pity!”

Shu was overcome with tears. He bowed again and again, so grief-stricken that he could not stand. Master Ziyang said, “Go to the quiet room and reflect on what I have just said. When you have understood something, come to me at once.”

Shu took leave of his master and went to sit in contemplation in a secluded room.

That night, Master Ziyang came to his quarters and knocked on the bedroom door. Hearing him, Shu came out at once to welcome him. The master smiled and said, “As soon as I looked for you, I saw clearly where your thoughts were headed. You have searched for two days and still do not know where it is.” With that, he blew out the candle in his hand, turned, and left.

Shu felt deeply embarrassed. He sat until the fifth watch, when suddenly he awakened to the truth, sweating profusely all over. At dawn, he presented the master with a verse of praise: “Moonlight shines over the Yangtze; the winds and waves subside. Fish and dragons vanish from sight, and the river grows still again. Who is it that sings the song of the true immortal here? Its voice fills the hall, and all the sounds of creation fall silent.”

After reading the poem, the master asked, “Who was singing? It sounds truly awful.”

Du Shu replied in verse: “Do not ask who it is; do not ask who it is. Each sound rises higher than the one before, then falls lower. Who is singing? And who is listening? Even if one spoke of the vast universe—the boundless world described in Buddhist and Daoist texts—one could never say it all. Master, if you mean to guide your deluded disciple, quickly strike the Numinous Terrace, where the mind and spirit dwell, and settle the precious mirror within your heart. When the mirror is bright and clear and the mind is still, every care dissolves; the countless threads of thought and connection run freely through all things. The Dipper turns, the stars shift, and one has peacefully fallen asleep; upon waking, the red sun has already risen to its zenith.”

The Master cast out the Illustrated Transmission of the Golden Elixir and drove away Bang Shu, then remained on Mount Luofu. Thirteen years later, the Master sat upright and passed away, as Daoist practitioners are said to do.

Ten years after that, Shen Zhijing, a man from Meishan posing as a monk, encountered this person on Feng Mountain. He called himself Wang Bangshu and said that he now lived in the Sea-Watching Tower on Penglai.

Memorial to the Throne

I dare not shrink from the punishment of thunder, and presume to present my shallow and irreverent thoughts.

Throughout my life I have been beset by troubles, and whatever I undertook was difficult to accomplish; whenever I acted, I stumbled and met with setbacks. After reaching the age of thirty, I found that only the Dao was within my reach. Looking back at Heaven’s arrangements, I see that the very things that once kept me from achieving anything were meant to bring my cultivation of the Dao to fruition today. The kindness shown to me is profound. I keep it in my heart and am deeply grateful.

Now I earnestly see this: how precious are the people of the world! Who among them lacks the capacity to bear the Dao? They toil and bustle through the dust of the world, depleting the source of life. Their condition grows ever lower; they abandon the human form and chase after external things. Once they have become lost in external things and wish to become human again, they can never recover. External things cannot cultivate the Dao, and in the end they will become beings of another kind. How pitiful!

I cannot even save myself, yet I feel pity for others. Once they have become lost in external things and wish to become human again, they can never recover. External things cannot cultivate the Dao, and in the end they will become beings of another kind. How pitiful!

I myself have yet to transcend the ordinary world, yet I pity others. This is truly like a frog in the mud mocking a chicken on a fence. Recently, I received from someone the Jade Clarity Golden Casket Instructions for the Long Life and Transcendence of the World through Internal Alchemical Refinement (Yuqing Jin Si Changsheng Dushi Jinbao Neilian Danjue), transmitted by Perfected Qinghua, an immortal perfected one in Daoism. Its instructions are concise and easy to follow, with detailed content that is not overly complicated. Within the human body, Yin-Yang holds sway; within the “pot” (a reference to the body or the mind-body space of internal alchemical cultivation), the pivot of the Four Images (the four states of Yin-Yang transformation) is established. Guard the “Three” within, and you will grasp the key to cultivation; keep the mind focused and fixed on what matters, and it will take effect. In practice, it seems both active and inactive, while in stillness and stability there is constant inward guarding. A wise person who reads it will understand, as if holding the secrets of Creation in the palm of the hand.

Now I wish to fast, bathe, and reflect with full attention, then set these teachings down in diagrams and explanations, concealing no details and directly revealing the mysteries of the utmost truth. I would pass on those parts suited to instruction, so that the transmission of the mind-method may continue from one generation to the next and endure for posterity. This would truly be a fine thing. Yet when these instructions were first transmitted, the vows laid down were extremely strict. My master also gave special warning not to disclose them lightly, or I would be punished. Many times I have wanted to begin writing, but then hesitated; I have lost count of how often.

I respectfully reflect that the Most High, a Daoist honorific for the supreme divine being, cherishes living beings and places the salvation of the world above all. Therefore I bow low in the world of dust, quiet my mind, and pray upward to Heaven, hoping the Heavenly Worthy will understand my intentions. If this is not permitted, may Heaven immediately make its will clear and rebuke me. If it can be permitted with leniency, then let my mind be at peace and give me the courage to fulfill my vow, after which I will report to the Heavenly Court. I am filled with awe and fear; I bow my head a hundred times in gratitude for Heaven’s grace.

Recently, I submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Court, seeking to present Perfected Qinghua’s Jade Clarity…

Recently, I submitted a memorial to the Celestial Court, requesting permission to illustrate and explain the essential secrets of Perfected Immortal Qinghua’s Jade Clarity Golden Casket Instructions for the Inner Refinement Elixir of Long Life and Transcending the World, and to teach them to those destined to practice them. I prostrated myself in my thatched hut and respectfully awaited heavenly punishment. More than thirty days passed, but no punishment came. Only then did I dare to fast, bathe, burn incense, and sit in quiet reflection before beginning to write. Three days later, I completed the work, stored it away in a ritual casket for sacred texts, and waited for a worthy person to receive it. I have carefully recorded this matter and submitted it to the Celestial Court, humbly asking the Heavenly Emperor for compassion and forgiveness. I pray that everyone may follow this method, refine the Golden Elixir, and transcend the world of dust; and that it may be passed down from generation to generation without being revealed carelessly or treated with disrespect. Your servant is filled with fear and trepidation. I bow my head a hundred times and submit this memorial to the Celestial Court.

Preface to the Treatise on the Golden Elixir Diagram

Since learning the secret instructions for the Golden Elixir, I have repeatedly violated the laws of Heaven, yet never known to repent. I also wrote mysterious Daoist books, including the Wuzhen pian (Awakening to Reality), and circulated them in the world, believing in my heart that I had done all that could be done. Suddenly, a visitor came to see me. His appearance was extraordinary, so I received him in quiet reverence.

He asked, “You have explained the way of the Golden Elixir in great detail. Yet from beginning to end, it is still not clear enough, and its crucial points remain hidden. How are later practitioners supposed to understand it?”

I replied, “At this point, I have no choice but to speak of these things. The secrets of Heaven are of the utmost importance, and the mysterious precepts are exceedingly strict. Since you have urged me so sincerely, how could I refuse?”

The visitor said, “Just write a book and set out its contents fully. If you are punished for it, I will bear the consequences for you.”

I bowed again in thanks and respectfully accepted his counsel. Then the visitor disappeared. Reflecting on his words, I wrote this book.

Since the secrets of Heaven have been revealed, let them be revealed! Anyone who transmits this book should regard it as a priceless treasure and receive it with reverence, for it concerns mysterious precepts.

If you reveal the secret methods carelessly, you will fall into hell, and disaster will befall your ancestors for seven generations.

Treatise on the Heart as Ruler

The heart is where the spirits reside. It contains all manner of subtle principles and governs all things. A person’s nature is within the heart. Regard this as a priceless treasure and receive it with reverence, for it concerns mysterious precepts.

If one discloses these teachings or treats them carelessly and with disrespect, one will fall into hell, bringing calamity upon seven generations of ancestors.

On the Mind

The mind is where the spirits dwell and where the many subtle principles converge; it also governs all things. A person’s nature and life are both bound up with the mind. Those who study the Dao must first grasp the meaning of the word “mind”; everything else comes later. For this reason, I have written this account.

Zhang the Mountain Dweller, another name for Zhang Ping-shu, wore a patchwork robe sewn from scraps of cloth. He returned from Chengdu to his native home and built a house among green hills and clear waters. All around him, things were still. He lived at ease, as though he had come to some realization.

Someone spread the word in the marketplace: “Zhang Ping-shu, who was banished, has returned to the mountains.”

Those who had followed him as students hurried to find him and gathered in the courtyard. Weeping, they bowed and said, “Master, have you been well all this time? We have crossed mountains and rivers and passed through dangers; it has been ten years. Your face shows little sign of age, and your body seems not to tire. What method have you found?”

Zhang said, “Ah, let me tell you. Why do people become haggard and withered? What makes them so? It is the mind. One thing after another surges in: before one thought has ended, another takes its place. Is there anything mysterious about that?”

Zhang continued, “Ah, let me tell you. People become haggard and withered because countless concerns entangle the mind. As soon as one thought arises, another follows. There is not a moment’s rest all day. At night, when we sleep, it may seem that the mind is without thoughts, but in truth the spirit is simply not in a waking state. I have no special art; I only know how to make the mind settle. Ghosts and spirits can discern people’s thoughts only because thoughts arise in the mind. When the mind is free of thoughts, there is nothing for spiritual perception to reveal. It is not that the spirits cannot know my mind; rather, I myself no longer notice the mind at work. That is the root of a settled mind.”

A disciple asked, “Then should those who cultivate the Golden Elixir quiet the mind, or need they make no deliberate effort to do so?”

Zhang replied, “The word ‘quiet’ is crucial. If you can truly become quiet, the Golden Elixir can be cultivated to completion without difficulty. But achieving this is hard.”

Someone said, “Master, your words have misled far too many students!”

Hearing this, Zhang started in surprise and asked the person to explain what he meant.

Someone asked, “When you teach others the way of the Golden Elixir, your words often give rise to thoughts in their minds. Since the mind and intention drive change, can they really be still?”

The reply was, “You have misunderstood. There is nothing wrong with what I said. Look at your own mind in daily life: what makes it stir? The mind is still by nature. When it encounters things and responds to them, it can adapt and act with ease. That is how the mind works. Rushing about in every direction, always busy and with nowhere in the mind to settle—that is how you use your mind.

“The North Star, near the pivot of the Big Dipper, has never moved. What appears to turn are the stars that circle it. They keep moving because the North Star, as their pivot, sets them in motion.

“To act while remaining still: that is how an adept cultivates the mind through Neidan (internal alchemy). To remain still while active: that is how a person of benevolence cultivates the mind. If one remains still and never responds at all, one is like earth or wood.”

The heart-mind resides at the center of the body. The two eyes, the two kidneys, and the three orifices are all connected to it, but these connections alone are not enough for them to fulfill their subtle functions. The key is that Shen follows the heart-mind’s direction, Qi submits to the orifices, and Jing moves in response to the heart-mind’s summons.

That Shen follows the heart-mind’s direction means that when the heart-mind does not chase after things outside, Shen gathers itself and rests within. That Qi submits to the orifices means that when the heart-mind is calm, Qi is calm; when Qi is calm, the body is harmonized in turn. Once the body is harmonized, it can resonate with the harmonious Qi of Heaven and Earth. When people feel great joy or anger and their breathing becomes disordered, it is because joy and anger arise from the heart-mind. Jing moves in response to the heart-mind’s summons too: for example, when Jing and Qi surge during sexual union between a man and a woman, the heart-mind is at work. When the heart-mind is clear and still, thoughts become clear and still; when thoughts are clear and still, Jing settles. Ah, only when the heart-mind grows still does it stop rushing outward and become harmonious and lucid. In a word, the key is “stillness”: only then can Jing, Qi, and Shen begin to function.

Jing, Qi, and Shen can function because, when the heart-mind is still to the utmost, activity arises within. This is not ordinary bodily movement, but the transformation and circulation of Jing, Qi, and Shen within the body. Jing remains Jing, and Qi remains Qi; Shen, too, may be called the foundation of “nature,” a person’s original nature.

If “nature” is one’s original nature, why say that it has a foundation? Because when the heart-mind is still, Shen becomes whole; when Shen is whole, original nature appears. In a word, the key is stillness.

There is also a reason for becoming still: when you sail with the current, the boat moves forward in a steady rush, light and swift. If you wish to reach an island, you need not exhaust yourself for long. Once you return home, Shen becomes whole; when Shen is whole, original nature appears. In a word, the key is stillness.

There is a reason the mind can become still. A boat carried along by the current speeds forward, and if you are heading to an island, you will soon arrive without much effort. But when you want to return home, homesickness quiets the mind, and you hurry to turn the boat back. Returning home may indeed be a way to find stillness. Yet if you have been away for a long time before wanting to return, or have lost something long ago before beginning to seek it, how can you expect to become still at once? First you should understand how to return to stillness; only then can you settle into it. This is like recognizing past mistakes and seeking the right way to act now. If the mistakes of the past are still there, where can the right way be found?

A poem says: Falling from the golden stairway of Heaven to the green cliffs, I recall how many flowers once bloomed in the gardens of Yan, the immortal realm. Where is the Great Way of former days now? If you do not clear away the weeds, thorns will grow in profusion.

An oral instruction says: The moment a deluded thought arises, consider why you are usually unable to quiet your mind. This is a practical way to begin. Let go of that thought at once. With long practice, you will become skilled, and stillness will come naturally. Of all deluded thoughts, none are stronger than joy and anger. When anger arises, turn back and examine it, and it will subside. When joy arises, learn to restrain it, and it will not become excessive. The same applies to every kind of emotion. With long practice, the mind will naturally become still. Why seek stillness only while sitting in meditation? In daily life, even if the mind seems to contain a million soldiers, respond to events according to reason when they arise, and gather your thoughts back in when they pass. This, too, can become the foundation for quieting the mind. Who says that meeting things with such a state of mind will delay your work? On the contrary, it will make the mind more discerning. Just as a mirror reflects forms without misjudging even the finest details, it remains a mirror after the forms have gone. Respond when events arrive; when they pass, the mind returns to its original state.

A further oral instruction says: If the mind holds on to nothing, there is hope for stillness. This is the path to seeking stillness.

Another poem says: Once you find the way home, return; there is no need to ask how far away it is. Just follow your steps and do not fret. When the clouds and mist disperse, the sun appears; a spark of numinous light shines clearly in the eyes. The mind itself is the path to seeking stillness.

The inability of the mind to become still cannot simply be blamed on the mind itself. The spirit can also drive the mind, and the mind can drive the spirit; each stirs the other, and desires arise as a result. For the mind to become still, it must first be restrained. The eyes are the dwelling place from which the spirit roams. When the spirit wanders outward through the eyes, it stirs the mind within. So gather in the gaze and let the spirit return to the mind; only then can mind and spirit become still together. When the eyes no longer dart about, the spirit returns to the mind. The spirit’s return to the mind is the foundation of stillness.

Taking the Spirit as the Ruler

The mind is like the seat of a ruler. When a worthy person occupies the throne, the people benefit. If someone like Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han occupies it, the realm is left in ruin. If sages like Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang govern, the realm becomes peaceful and orderly, and the people praise the age of peace. Why is this so? Sages govern the realm through Wuwei (non-action), and so it remains calm and still; ordinary people govern through deliberate action, and the realm is thrown into disorder.

The mind is like the ruler’s seat. If it is governed through “non-action,” the mind’s activity arises from the nature of the Original Spirit (the spirit at one’s source). If it is governed through “deliberate action,” the mind’s activity arises from desire. “Deliberate action” is the mind at work in everyday life; “non-action” is the way the mind and spirit are used in cultivating the Golden Elixir. First return from deliberate action to non-action, then use non-action to attend to practical affairs: this is the gateway to Golden Elixir cultivation.

Shen is divided into Original Shen and Desiring Shen. Original Shen is the innate spark of spiritual clarity with which a person is endowed from birth; Desiring Shen is the nature shaped by temperament after birth. Original Shen belongs to one’s innate nature, while the nature shaped by temperament develops after a person acquires a physical form. If one is skilled at returning to one’s nature, the nature bestowed by Heaven and Earth will become apparent.

The nature shaped by temperament obscures one’s original nature, like clouds covering the moon. Though this temperament has taken shape, innate nature has not vanished; Original Shen is simply hidden and subtle, while the nature shaped by temperament is prominent. This is like a muddled ruler allowing petty people to hold power, thereby bringing harm to the state.

When my physical form took shape through the union of my parents, my nature shaped by temperament came into being as well. Only as I was about to be born did my original nature begin to enter. My parents nourished my body through affection, so the nature shaped by temperament often reaches beyond things themselves and gives rise to desire. Now these obscurations must be gradually cleared away until the nature shaped by temperament is exhausted and the original source becomes manifest. Only then can the original source take charge and be put to use.

In ordinary life, people’s nature shaped by temperament often overpowers their original nature. If they can return to their nature, their original nature can prevail over the nature shaped by temperament. When one acts from the nature shaped by temperament, the Qi one uses is postnatal Qi; when one acts from one’s original nature, the Qi one uses is prenatal Qi. The nature shaped by temperament is weak at first, but grows stronger after birth, so that everyday words and actions are all governed by temperament. Once one returns to one’s nature, prenatal Qi will gradually become fully refined; in the passage of the sun and moon, one’s original substance is present everywhere. This is what it means to let the prenatal govern the postnatal, and to put the postnatal to one’s own use. (See also Discussion of the Diagram of the Spirit Chamber.)

On Qi as Function

Those who attain prenatal and postnatal Qi become as if intoxicated, forgetting sleep. Alas! The Original … In the passage of the sun and moon, one’s original substance is present everywhere. This is what it means to let the prenatal govern the postnatal, and to put the postnatal to one’s own use. (See also Discussion of the Diagram of the Spirit Chamber.)

Precelestial Qi (the original Qi spoken of in cultivation) and postcelestial Qi: those who obtain Precelestial Qi become so absorbed that they forget to sleep. Ah! When the original Shen (the human being’s primordial spirit) manifests, original Qi (the source Qi) begins to arise. Since the differentiation of Taiji, people have received a spark of numinous awareness. This is original nature, the primordial spiritual nature. What is original nature made of? It, too, is something formed through the condensation of Qi and endowed with spiritual awareness. Thus, when original nature is restored, original Qi arises. This is the principle of mutual resonance.

Once it arises, original Qi circulates throughout the body. Why, then, gather and refine it specifically from the Kidney Palace (the area where the kidneys are located and, in Daoist internal alchemy, where Jing and Qi are gathered and refined)? There are four reasons. First, the pathway from the Kidney Palace leads directly to the Qi Cavity and the Yellow Court (an internal alchemy term for an area within the body associated with cultivation). Second, the kidneys are the storehouse of Jing; when Jing and Qi are abundant, their essence can be drawn out directly for use. Third, when original Qi circulates elsewhere in the body, it is difficult to locate, but in the Kidney Palace it is easier to discern. Fourth, the heart’s Qi connects with the kidney region; when intention guides it downward, original Qi can reach it directly, making it easier to gather and refine. Therefore, one should gather and refine true Yang—the essence of Yang Qi within the human body—from the Kidney Palace.

On Qi in relation to Jing

The Shen has original Shen, and Qi has original Qi. Can Jing, too, have original Jing (primordial essence)? Jing depends on Qi to arise. Jing fills the Kidney Palace and is transformed by Qi; as it rises with Qi, it changes into Yang Qi. This is what is meant here. When Jing is depleted, original Qi cannot arise, and original Yang cannot manifest. What benefit would that bring me? When original Shen manifests, original Qi arises. When original Qi arises, would it not also produce original Jing? Jing arises through Qi, fills the Kidney Palace, and is transformed by Qi; it rises with Qi and changes into Yang Qi. When Jing is depleted, original Qi cannot arise, and original Yang cannot manifest. When original Shen manifests, original Qi arises; once original Qi arises, original Jing is produced.

Intention as the medium

Is intention merely serving as a medium? The Way of the Golden Elixir (the path of internal alchemy cultivation) depends on intention from beginning to end. Intention arises from the heart. It is proper for the heart not to be dragged about and scattered by intention; if the heart is led astray by intention, that is improper.

On Kan and Li

“Kan” refers to the kidneys; “Li” refers to the heart. Kan belongs to Water and governs stillness; Li belongs to Fire and governs movement. When the Li trigram stirs into activity, it manifests as Fire; when it settles into stillness, it returns to Water. When heart and kidneys meet, the heart is still while the kidneys are active. Is this not precisely the state in which true Yang is below and true Yin above? Intention arises in the heart and descends to the kidneys; Yang Qi arises in the kidneys and ascends to the Yellow Court, a site of cultivation within the body. This is why it is called “the inversion of Kan and Li.” If Kan and Li are not inverted, and continue to move in their ordinary course, the heart’s Fire will grow restless and fail to settle. The body and mind will then be as though sunk into a pit of fire. The meaning is clear.

The Initial Practice

The method for keeping the heart in check is discussed first; the practice for beginning cultivation comes afterward.

To settle the heart, one often finds at first that desires still persist. Desires are stirred up by one’s temperament, the habits shaped by one’s physical endowment. This temperament can dominate one’s true nature, which is most easily drawn away by external things through the senses of hearing and sight. For those who practice Neidan (internal alchemy), when the heart is free of attachments, external things can scarcely lead them astray.

When sitting quietly, begin by practicing breath retention. Ordinary breathing works like this: as one breath comes to an end, the next follows. Breath retention, as described here, means briefly holding back the breath that follows after the first breath has begun. As the following breath is restrained, breathing gradually slows; with time, it can settle into an even rhythm. While holding the breath, be sure not to let the mind stir. If your thoughts follow the breath, the breath will not yet have settled, but the mind will already be restless.

Before he had finished speaking, someone nearby laughed and said, “How foolish! This old man’s method is impractical. If you have to hold back your breathing and keep your mind still at the same time, isn’t that like making someone carry a thousand-jin weight and forbidding them to exert themselves?”

Listen carefully: Although I hold my breath and keep my mind focused, my mind does not stir, and my breathing therefore becomes calm.

Someone asked, “This is indeed a method of breath retention, but how can one ensure that desires do not arise?”

The reply was, “Once a thought has already arisen, it is too late to deal with it. Thoughts arise and stir when they are touched by external things. During stillness, if you notice that your eyes have seen something, your spirit has been drawn out through your eyes. You should immediately gather your spirit back and turn your gaze inward. The same applies when your ears hear something, and likewise with the other senses.”

The questioner said, “Having heard this, I understand the principle. Even when I gather my spirit and at the same time keep watch over my original mind, my spirit can settle, and my mind will naturally become quiet.”

The reply was, “Keeping watch over the mind means cultivating one’s nature. When nature first begins to manifest, if you do not keep watch over it and nurture it, there is no way to cultivate it; without cultivation, nature will never fully manifest. Keeping watch over the mind must indeed begin with gathering one’s thoughts. What is called gathering the spirit is simply a method applied after the mind has been gathered. If you practice this over a long period, you will reach a state in which seeing is like not seeing and hearing is like not hearing, and you forget both body and thoughts, joining with the Supreme Dao. Then Original Nature, the innate nature at the root of things, will become manifest, and Original Qi, the fundamental energy present from birth, will arise.”

On Spirit and Essence

Spirit is Original Nature, the innate nature at the root of things. I believe I have already explained this fully in what I said earlier about “taking spirit as the master.” Now, as I reflect that most people who practice alchemical methods do not understand how to gather the spirit, I have written this discussion as well, since gathering the spirit cannot be rushed. I will then draw a diagram of the chamber for cultivation and explain it in the following section.

“Concentrating” means letting the spirit settle within essence and Qi. Essence and Qi depend on each other, and the spirit, too, is attached to them. Why, then, give special importance to the spirit? Because it governs essence and Qi. For a practitioner of Neidan (internal alchemy), gathering and refining the ingredients and applying the firing process all depend on the spirit’s direction of essence and Qi. If one tries from the outset to force the spirit to concentrate in the Qi, the Qi will not yet be settled, and the spirit will not rest within it. Instead, the ingredients will be harmed.

Moreover, the spirit is original nature, the true nature one possesses from the beginning. When nature first seeks to emerge, it is still unsettled, wavering between advance and retreat, appearing at times and disappearing at others. If you try to make it settle, how could nature settle itself? What is actually being settled is merely conditioned nature, shaped by one’s physical constitution and habitual tendencies. At first, one says that original nature is to be sought within conditioned nature. But how can it work to pursue original nature by relying only on conditioned nature?

People who study and practice today are often misled by the phrase “concentrating the spirit.” Why? Some teachings on the cultivation of immortals say, “Begin by concentrating the spirit,” and some people quote this indiscriminately, misleading others. They do not understand that “concentrating the spirit” means quieting scattered thoughts and bringing the spirit back to the heart. When the spirit returns to the heart, the whole of one’s nature becomes evident. Once nature has become evident, it can be put to use, and what is put to use is nothing other than the spirit. Since the mind’s thoughts never depart from the Golden Elixir—the essence formed through Neidan cultivation—once the Elixir is complete, the spirit naturally returns to it. Why would one need to concentrate it deliberately?

Thus, concentrating the spirit means letting the spirit merge with essence and Qi. When essence, Qi, and spirit unite as one, the Yang Spirit—the wondrous spirit formed through cultivation—comes into being. Only then does the physical body become useless. Who could deny it? I heard these teachings from my master, who transmitted the Dao; he heard them from his distant master, who heard them from Heaven.

On the Illusory Elixir

“Phantom Elixir” refers to hastily gathering the so-called “One Yang” (the first stirrings of Yang) before the mind has settled. Although one may then feel Yang energy continually arising, it is not the true primordial Yang. The “Qi” in question is not primordial Qi but the breath; the “Jing” is not primordial Jing but the essence produced by surging desire; and the “Shen” is not the primordial spirit but thoughts stirred by desire. When people have only just begun to study the Dao yet already hope to become immortals, is that not itself a desire? Using this desire to stir Yang energy produces only the breath. The Jing is not primordial Jing but the essence of desire; the Shen is not the primordial spirit but thoughts of desire. To begin studying the Dao while hoping to become an immortal is still a desire. Stirring Yang energy with desire is what gives rise to the Phantom Elixir.

Jing originally resides in the kidneys. If it is gathered and raised above the navel, there is nowhere to place it, so it follows the breath and comes to rest to the right of the Qi cavity—the place where breath is said to gather in internal alchemy practice. Rising through the channels that connect the kidneys and the navel, it joins with Qi and settles there, then calls itself an “Elixir.” Since it is called an Elixir, the Jing, Qi, and Shen used in it must all be postcelestial substances. Where, then, are the precelestial substances? The apertures called the Yellow Court, inner furnace, outer furnace, and Niwan (Mud Ball) all come into being only after the precelestial substance has been established. Where were they before that? In truth, they did not exist. This kind of cultivation is like trying to catch shadows in the wind, searching for a toad in the sea, waiting by a stump for a hare, or climbing a tree to find fish: all are futile. When the practice fails and the truth is revealed, Jing and Qi disperse, and the precelestial loses its support. Alas, this is not a method for attaining longevity; it is a way to shorten one’s life.

There is another case: when Qi is gathered and raised, it encounters the blood of the heart, and Qi and blood congeal into something that is also called a “Phantom Elixir.” This happens often, so it is explained here to make the distinction clear and prevent people from being misled.

The Method for Seizing the Elixir

“If the Golden Elixir remains inside the body, can it still be lost? This is actually a way to shorten one’s life.”

There is another case: when Qi is gathered and raised, it encounters the blood of the heart, and Qi and blood congeal into something that is also called a “Phantom Elixir.” This happens often, so it is explained here to make the distinction clear and prevent people from being misled.

The Method for Seizing the Elixir

“Can the Golden Elixir that remains inside the body also be lost?”

The reply was, “Yes.”

“Is there a way to seize it?”

“Such cases do occur. But it is not that the Golden Elixir wanders off by itself; rather, the vessel is not secure, and the Elixir has escaped. Only an illusory elixir can wander off. How could the Golden Elixir suffer such a calamity?”

“How can one tell when the Golden Elixir has left?”

“The Elixir rests in the cauldron, gathered together with the proper Qi of the Five Phases. When the Qi of the Five Phases within the body approaches the furnace and cauldron, the two respond to one another and an attunement occurs. If you suddenly sense Qi rising beyond the cauldron, yet feel no corresponding response within your body, this means the Elixir is no longer where it was. At that point, promptly set cultivation aside and settle your mind in stillness. For the time being, pay no attention to whether the furnace and cauldron, or the Elixir, are still there. After a day or a night, you will become aware of where the Elixir is: it may be in the heart, liver, spleen, or kidneys, or concealed in any of the body’s apertures. Once you know where it is, remain quietly focused until it no longer moves elsewhere. After another day, use intention to gather and draw it in, guiding it directly down to the Yang Palace, the place within the body where the Elixir is refined. Then, following the same method used to gather and draw it in, apply intention in the Yang Palace to guide it back up along its original path to the Yang Cauldron, the cauldron’s location in the process of refinement. At this stage, who could deny the reality of the wondrous workings of transformation? If anyone has another account, that person must be my teacher.”

On the Spirit Water and Flower Pond

“Spirit Water” is Wood Fluid, the body fluid produced by the Qi of Liver Wood. The Flower Pool is an aperture between the two kidneys, below the Qi cavity at the navel. Its shape resembles the Yellow Court described in the Yellow Court Scripture. Grain Qi—the subtle vital energy produced from food and drink—transforms here into seminal fluid, so physicians call this the “Essence Cavity.”

In the young and vigorous, Yang Qi is abundant and the movement of Qi is harmonious. The Spirit Water and Flower Pool merely nourish the furnace and cauldron, moisten the spleen and stomach, and circulate among the Qi cavities. Those whose Original Qi is weak and whose essence is depleted, however, regard this place as the foundation of alchemical refinement. When Original Qi is said to be depleted, this does not mean that innate Original Qi itself has diminished. It means that the acquired breath has been excessively exhausted. The root of the decline probably lies in this: thoughts of improper desire persist without cease, innate Qi cannot manifest, and acquired Qi is too weak to be put to use. The aperture of the Flower Pool can naturally generate essence, which then descends to the kidneys. When Qi is abundant, essence is plentiful; when essence is plentiful, the Flower Pool is full and can be used with ease. In those whose Qi is weak, the essence is already depleted. Grain Qi passing through this place can produce only a small amount of faint fluid, which flows into the kidneys. Yet once a practitioner has entered stillness, Original Qi itself has neither increased nor decreased. The problem is simply that no essence remains in the Flower Pool to be used, leaving one of the three great medicines needed for alchemical refinement missing.

Therefore, when Yang Qi stirs, if it is not yet time to gather the medicine, use intention to guide the breath back to the Tailbone Pass, then upward along the Spinal Passage to the Muddy Pellet, a point inside the crown of the head. In this way, the essence in the Essence Cavity rises with the Qi to the Palace of Noon. Only when it encounters harmonizing Yang Qi can the essence be put to use. Then let it descend to the heart, where you gather “Mercury”—a Neidan term for the mind spirit or the Qi within the heart—and guide it further down to the Yellow Court, allowing it to settle within. Next, use intention to seal and secure it, then warm and nourish it continuously, with delicacy. Essence and Mercury mingle within, and from this the Elixir is refined.

Recently, a group of practitioners in western Zhejiang have used this method to form the Elixir (refine the Neidan), even when they are young and physically strong. In truth, the Dao is close at hand, yet people always go looking far away. Each person simply holds to a different place. In practice, one need only focus on a single thought and nurture it continuously, faintly present and almost absent. The two forces within the body then consume and transform one another there, and the Elixir begins to form.

On the Hundred Apertures

The human body has eighty-four thousand hair apertures (tiny pores in the skin) and three hundred and eighty-four Qi chambers (places where Qi flows and gathers). The hair apertures are distributed among and belong to the various Qi chambers; the Qi cavity in the navel governs all three hundred and eighty-four chambers. When Qi descends to the Yang chamber (where Yang Qi gathers), it transforms into Jing. The heart is the Middle Field (the body’s middle area for cultivation), and the crown of the head is the Upper Field (the body’s upper area for cultivation). Beneath the tongue is the Mysterious Peak, a site associated with the movement of Qi; within the eyes is the Silver Sea. There are also aperture points at the center of the forehead, between the eyebrows, between the mouth and nose, beside the ears and eyes, on the left side of the throat, and between the waist and flanks.

The Elixir I describe may appear in these aperture points or be hidden within them. This does not mean the body has only one or two apertures. The one or two apertures mentioned are the hubs of the many apertures; of course, apertures are not confined to these few places. The above describes their physical locations. How they are used is explained later.

On the Diagram of Gathering and Taking

“Gathering” means seeking true Yang from the Kidney Residence (the cultivation site corresponding to the kidneys); “taking” means obtaining true Mercury from the Heart Field (the cultivation site corresponding to the heart). True Mercury is a term symbolizing the heart spirit or Yin essence. Gather when the time is right. The one or two apertures mentioned are the hubs of the many apertures; this does not mean there are only a few apertures. The above describes their physical locations. How they are used is explained later.

“Gathering” means seeking true Yang from the Kidney Palace, where the kidneys store essence and Qi. “Taking” means obtaining true Mercury from the Heart Field, where the heart spirit resides. One may gather only when the time is right, and what is gathered must then be put to its proper use. If one recklessly stirs things up at the wrong time, the result is what is called “the Dragon does not descend and the Tiger does not rise.”

At such times, one feels only the blood and Qi surging and rushing back and forth. The deluded may take this for the union of body and mind and believe that their alchemy has succeeded, without knowing that the true Yang within Yin and the true Yin within Yang of Kan and Li—symbols of Water and Fire, Yin and Yang—are originally at rest, each in its proper place. If a single thought of attachment causes the Qi channels to stagnate, Qi will rush forcefully into the meridians and into Kan and Li, damaging Lead and Mercury—the symbolic terms in Neidan for particular forms of essence-Qi and spirit-Qi. Though this may be called nourishing Qi, in the end it depletes one’s original Qi.

The loss of original Qi often becomes apparent only when body and mind are utterly still. This Qi belongs to the prenatal realm. Postnatal Qi, by contrast, circulates constantly. People are simply so absorbed in desire that they fail to discern the difference. When they settle down a little and their minds are free of other thoughts, they notice Qi rising and falling within the body. They then mistake it for prenatal Qi and try to gather and refine it, thereby harming themselves. This is why people who have recently taken up the Dao often suffer from all kinds of strange illnesses: they crave results without learning to distinguish what they are experiencing.

Ultimately, illness arises when the Qi channels are blocked. Qi can harmonize itself naturally; if one forces it into service, its ascent can damage the spleen, stomach, lungs, liver, ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. Its descent, meanwhile, can rush like water bursting through a breached dike, swift and unstoppable. Under such circumstances, how could the true substance of cultivation be preserved?

I pity those who speak of Neidan, so I have placed a diagram of “gathering and taking” first. Though this directly reveals Heaven’s secret, if those aspiring to the Golden Elixir should instead harm their nature and life, I will set them right with sound principles. The Most High, one of Daoism’s most revered deities, cherishes life and surely will not blame me. Therefore, this chapter sweeps aside all the various Neidan metaphors—“the Knife and Measure,” “Mysterious Yellow,” “the Infant,” and “the Maiden”—so that the discerning may use them as a reference for reflection, while the confused may suddenly understand. The principles are clear at every level, like a bright mirror revealing a form; even the finest details are plainly visible.

Those who cultivate the Golden Elixir should first cultivate luminous De (Virtue/Power) and fulfill their responsibilities in dealing with others. Then, by holding to the mind method described earlier, the Great Medicine will form and inner images will appear.

The method of gathering the medicine begins in the mind. The mind is the guiding principle and hinge of the transformations of all things. One must hold it firmly in mind with undivided attention before beginning to seek the Great Medicine. When the Great Medicine forms, inner images will appear.

The method of gathering the medicine begins in the mind. The mind is the guiding principle and hinge of the transformations of all things. One must hold it firmly in mind with undivided attention before beginning to seek the Great Medicine. Here, “forgetting old age” refers to the deluded mind, while “seeking” refers to the true mind. Yet when a thought of seeking arises within forgetfulness, that thought itself is the true mind. The true mind first begins to appear amid a state of indistinctness and obscurity.

Once the true mind appears, true intention arises from it. Then, using inward contemplation and illumination, one turns one’s attention within, hoping that all the body’s orifices will become perceptible and that primordial Jing (essence)—the essence and Qi present from before birth—will shine forth. The key lies in “giving rise to being from nonbeing, and returning being to nonbeing.” Upon reaching this state, one must also forget and let go of the true mind itself. Waiting with a mind of Wuwei (non-action), the breath becomes continuous and unbroken. As the true breath—a long, fine inner breath—continues, postnatal Qi settles. When postnatal Qi recedes, prenatal Qi appears, and Yang Qi begins to stir.

When Yang Qi begins to stir, prenatal Qi flows out from the Qi cavity—the place where the movement of Qi enters and leaves in Neidan (internal alchemy)—and reaches the space between the kidneys. The sensation is like water bubbling up. This happens because postnatal Qi has settled and prenatal Qi has appeared, allowing Yang Qi to stir.

A thread of Qi extends from between the kidneys to the Qi cavity. It is said to be the first channel formed after the union of one’s parents. When prenatal Qi moves through it and the sensation described above arises, one feels as though all the body’s channels are sprouting with life like everything in spring, suffused with springtime harmony and growing gradually. Only then does the prenatal body begin to take shape. Once it has taken shape, postnatal Qi withdraws further into concealment; only then may one gently set in motion the intention to gather the medicine.

“Intention” means directing the gaze inward and downward to observe the heart, then letting the heart release it and send it into the “Yang Palace,” the place within the body where Yang Qi circulates. Gather it gently, then release it gently, and Yang Qi will rise. I once encountered this teaching in the Treatise on the One Yang.

The intention to gather and refine Yang Qi arises in the heart, and the heart’s thoughts are in turn stirred by the gaze. Thus Laozi said, “I once observed my own heart, and the Dao I attained reached the utmost spiritual subtlety.” Once the “true breath” (inner breath regulation) has settled, the light within the body becomes “spirit light”; at this point, the heart is the true heart. The true heart gives rise to intention, and spirit light illuminates that intention. Hence the saying: “The eyes are the heart’s mechanism; the heart gives rise to intention, and intention gathers lead.” “Gathering lead” is a term in Neidan (internal alchemy), meaning to gather and refine the body’s vital essence through intention.

If Yang Qi has just arisen and has not yet blended and become abundant, gathering and refining it too soon will cause the intention to become arrested. As soon as the intention to gather and refine arises, postnatal Qi will also stir. Thus, bringing life to completion—cultivating life and nourishing one’s bodily constitution—is in fact closely bound to the ground of one’s nature, the foundation of cultivating the mind and nature.

The pivot of cultivation lies in the heart: the heart gives rise to intention, and intention gathers lead. If Yang Qi has just arisen and has not yet blended and become abundant, gathering and refining it too soon will cause the intention to become arrested. As soon as the intention to gather and refine arises, postnatal Qi will also stir. Thus, bringing life to completion is in fact rooted in the ground of one’s nature.

In cultivation, “nature” means that all manifested forms are unreal. When one no longer clings to forms, illusion fades and the truth becomes apparent. But once the truth has just been understood, if another thought arises to pursue it, does that thought not become a new illusory form? Therefore, one should begin gathering and refining only when Yang Qi gradually grows; then Yang Qi will surge upward. Once innate Qi is abundant, acquired Qi will have no time to intermingle with it.

During gathering and refining, the way Qi rises is indeed unlike its usual movement: it travels upward warmly and smoothly, reaches a point slightly above the navel, and slowly comes to rest, whereupon the breath begins to congeal. This is called “lead”; here, lead stands for innate Qi belonging to Metal. Metal generates Water, hence the saying that “mercury” arises from the heart. “Mercury” is a Neidan term paired with lead. Clouds rise with the dragon, and wind stirs with the tiger: these are signs that Yin and Yang Qi are responding to and joining one another. When the wind subsides and rain falls, lead and mercury naturally meet and merge.

Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, and Water also generates Fire. Wood and Metal draw close to one another, while Metal, too, is attached to Water: this describes the principle of Yin and Yang meeting. Metal ordinarily overcomes Wood, yet is also said to love it. This is a metaphor that uses the Five Phases to explain how the inherent natures of things interact; it does not mean that the Five Phases literally have feelings. These are all innate transformations. Where, then, are the Five Phases? Without using this language as metaphor, it is difficult to explain the principle. The method of gathering and refining has now been explained, and the principle of their conjunction has thereby been revealed.

One must also be cautioned: gathering and refining must not be delayed too long. If one proceeds too slowly, the Qi mechanism will grow old and become unusable, and acquired Qi will become mixed in. Students of the practice may consult the “Diagram of Conjunction” to grasp much of its meaning.

The poem says: Warm Qi brews the spring breeze; Yang Qi sprouts amid indistinctness. From nonbeing, being arises, revealing the principle that “nonbeing” surpasses “being.” Forms emerge from emptiness and then return to emptiness. When Qi rises to above the navel, the sign of lead appears; mercury arises from the source of the heart, and its nature thereby permeates. In meditation, one sees the real, and within the real one finds stillness. When Kan and Li—symbols of Water and Fire, Yin and Yang—meet, the states of both are subtle and hard to discern. Wood symbolizes the dragon, and Metal symbolizes the tiger. At the gate of Kan, symbolizing Water and Yin, the male image arises and draws forth the female image of Li, symbolizing Fire and Yang. To understand the source of creation and transformation, one must understand the emergence of lead Qi and the permeation of mercury’s nature. None of this is separate from true Fire, which arises at the Zi hour.

Amid vagueness and obscurity, there are forms and images; in the depths of darkness and distance, there are real things. The sages of antiquity used these words deliberately to guide those who study and practice. This hazy, indistinct state is the mark of stillness. Only by entering stillness can one refine the Elixir. If the mind and spirit are unsettled, Yang Qi will not arise. Once Yang Qi has arisen, if the mind and spirit remain unsettled, the Elixir still cannot congeal. So as soon as you use intention to gather Lead, you must immediately gather your intention back in. There is a proper moment for withdrawing intention, just as there is a proper moment for Yang Qi to rise. What first comes into being is simply “One Qi”; when it rises to the navel, it is called Lead. At that point, gather your intention back in and make no further effort. Lead will naturally draw Mercury, and Mercury will naturally seek Lead. In the hazy, indistinct state, the two meet and unite, and the process is complete.

I received these oral instructions from my master. Now that I am revealing them, I must be careful to keep them secret. Observe them silently; do not recite them aloud. If someone understands the Great Dao and has formed good karmic ties in the past, and encounters these supremely mysterious and precious Daoist instructions, they should commit them to memory and not write them down. Even if they do write them down, they must not let anyone else see. If they can do this, I will be truly grateful for their kindness. I followed my master for ten years, and whatever I came to understand, I shared without reservation, hoping that people of like mind would cherish these teachings together. This book is titled The Precious Instructions on Refining the Golden Elixir Internally, the Supreme Teaching of Long Life and Deliverance from the World, of the Eastern Pole, Azure Radiance, and the Jade Clarity Golden Casket. The Daoist precepts are exceedingly strict. I did not know how to avoid transgression, and so I have written these teachings into a book. The first three sentences of the opening show that I act under the command of the celestial court. Only after receiving a response and signs of resonance did I dare to reveal the teachings and set them down in writing. As I wrote, my heart trembled with unease; sweat fell upon the paper, and tears kept streaming down. I only hope that those with resolve who read this will not bring trouble upon me because of it. May we all attain the supreme fruit of cultivation and together seek realization of the rank of the immortals.

Alas, those who understand me may worry about my intentions; what, then, could those who do not understand me hope to gain from me? With grief in my heart, I weep, hoping only that those with resolve will read these words and not bring trouble upon me. May we all attain the supreme fruit of cultivation and together seek realization of the rank of the immortals.

Alas, may our hearts understand one another. I pray with utmost sincerity: immortals and perfected beings, please see clearly the intentions of my heart!

The instructions for gathering Lead, drawing Mercury, and bringing them together.

Seek within forgetting, and preserve forgetting while seeking; discover something through forgetting, then do not cling to what has been discovered. At this point, Yang Qi begins to arise. Gather and absorb Yang Qi while remaining in a state of forgetting; as Yang Qi rises within the body, manifests, and undergoes change, lead comes into being. Here, “lead” is a Neidan term for a subtle substance condensed from precelestial Qi.

Set it in motion through stillness and stability, then raise it through intention. Next, use lead in a state of forgetting to guide mercury. “Mercury” is also a Neidan term, referring to precelestial spiritual nature. Lead and mercury unite within the body, while Jing and Shen meet beyond it; thus, an encounter takes place. Once lead, mercury, Jing, and Shen have joined as one, guide them with a single, focused thought so that they descend into the Yellow Court—a Neidan term for an important place of inner cultivation—and settle in the cauldron, a metaphor for the place where cultivation takes place.

The key within the key is this: to harmonize lead and mercury, one must use a single, focused intention; to set the one Yang in motion and gather it, one must become still and thereby attain stability.

Someone asked, “What is meant by copulation?” The answer was: “When gathering and absorbing, direct your awareness to a point below the heart; that is the place of union. Do not seek it as something tangible, nor grasp at it as something wholly without trace. When lead rises, Yang Qi moves upward in a shape like ‘∪’. As it descends from the Qi cavity, it forms the image of one Yang, like ‘○’; I gather it with my intention, also in the shape of ‘○’. When mercury descends, the Qi that joins with it descends as well, in a shape like ‘∩’.

“Lead and mercury arise in this way: lead rises to above the navel and is illuminated by the radiance of Jing, which is why it is called lead. Lead is like a surface, and mercury like its reflection; when the surface moves, the reflection follows, so mercury descends in the same way. Rising Yang lead cannot be called pure Yang, because it contains the radiance of Jing and therefore still belongs to Yin. Descending Yin mercury cannot be called pure Yin, because mercury arises from the heart, where Shen resides. Mercury can be put to use only after encountering the light of Shen, so it also contains Yang. There is brightness within Yang, and Yang within Yin. The two kinds of Qi respond to each other, condense, and do not disperse; in the end, they form a mysterious pearl, a subtle substance condensed to the size of a millet grain.”

Someone else asked, “Lead is one Yang, and one Yang is the original precelestial Qi. Then what is mercury?” The answer was: “Both lead and mercury are precelestial: lead is precelestial Qi, and mercury is precelestial spirit. Qi is the root of life; spirit is the manifestation of innate nature. So they may be called lead and mercury, or nature and life. Among the realized masters of past generations, who would have been willing to reveal these principles so directly?”

Someone asked, “What is the cavity beneath the heart?” This refers to the “Spirit Chamber of Chaos,” where the radiance of Jing and the Qi of the gaze come together. When they meet, a transformation appears: the radiance of Jing rises in a shape like “∪,” while the gaze descends in a shape like “ ”. Though Jing is the innate Original Jing, it cannot manifest without the Jing produced by the activities of everyday life. Water offers an analogy: dampness and white vapor rise from its surface, and this white vapor is the essence of water. It does not rise from the ground on its own.

Though Shen is the innate Original Shen, it manifests only when the movements of everyday consciousness are no longer driven by external demands and settle into stillness. This is like the bright moon suspended high in the sky: only after the clouds disperse does its light shine down. Purity is like the absence of clouds; light descending is like the moon shining upon us. Jing is Yin by nature, but the radiance it reveals is Yang. The gaze is Yang by nature, but when turned inward, it also becomes Yin. When the radiance of Jing meets the gaze shining inward, a cavity takes shape. Qi responds to Qi, bringing these two forces together there. The generation of all things involves both the Jing and Qi acquired after birth and the innate Original Qi. When cultivation is perfected, one can become a Realized Person. The ceaseless vitality of life is also rooted here; this cavity is what enables the two forms of Shen to work their wondrous effects.

Someone else asked, “Since the two have already met, how can we let this pearl fall into the Yellow Court—the central region within the body—and enter the cauldron, the Neidan furnace in which Jing, Qi, and Shen are cultivated?” The reply was, “When the two gather, feeling and nature unite, and the Five Phases are complete. The tiger returning to the mountain and the dragon returning to the abyss refer to the gaze being drawn back and Jing and Qi returning to their source. In this way, the pearl falls into the Yellow Court and enters the cauldron. Have the key mechanisms now come together? In a state between hazy and indistinct, all the cavities seem to bring forth the freshness of spring. This secret, this secret, this secret. These few lines are not found in the original classic; they express the insight that arises when students of the Way gain an understanding through their own experience.”

Someone asked, “After the Yang Qi rises, if I immediately still my thoughts, how can I make sure it does not descend again?” The reply was, “A good question! Below the Yellow Court—the inner landscape located in the middle of the body—is the doorway to a chamber of the Elixir. When thought stirs, Yang Qi rises; when thought ceases and returns to unity, Yang Qi will not descend. The furnace and cauldron, where Elixir Qi gathers and is nurtured, are within this ‘One’ and belong to Earth. The place represented by this circle possesses the pure, true Qi of the Five Phases, forming the complete shape of Heaven and Earth.”

Someone asked how to cultivate the furnace and cauldron. The reply was, “The Yellow Court is located in the body just as described, and Yang Qi rises in the same way. When the pearl of the internal Elixir falls into it, this is the guarding of the furnace and cauldron. The Yellow Court belongs to Earth; deeper within it is Earth within Earth. When the Elixir pearl falls there, it forms the vessel of the cauldron. What does it mean for each of the Five Phases to establish its own firm foundation? A mother calls for her children, and the children yearn for their mother. This is the principle of Neidan cultivation: each follows its original nature. Once the Five Phases enter the cauldron, each returns to its proper place, like children yearning for their mother.

“Therefore, when sitting in stillness, let the light of Shen (spirit) descend and enter the cauldron; the essence that rises should likewise enter the cauldron. Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, be like a dragon guarding a pearl or a hen brooding over an egg, letting the breath gather in its proper place. The channels throughout the body all take part. The key is to remain attentive without deliberately urging it to grow. Students of the Dao, do you think these words are right? My method of the Elixir is no more than this.”

The poem says: “Why trouble with talk of the Maiden, a common image for Yin Qi, and the Infant, a common image for Yang Qi? I have already explained the principle to you clearly and fully. Within the human body, Qian and Kun turn in reverse, just as the sun and moon move within a pot. Know that the ‘One’ is the key to the action of Yang Qi, and understand also that within the ‘One’ lies the movement of Qi. Heaven’s intent was for Perfected Ziyang, Zhang Boduan, the Daoist Neidan adept, to explain the principle completely. Why should those who come later seek another teacher?”

“Diagram of Directly Revealing the Heavenly Mystery” means a diagram that directly reveals the heavenly mystery. At this stage, even if you understand the principle, do not take pleasure in your own success. I say: you still do not know how to reflect on it.

A precious sword lies buried beside an ancient prison, yet at night a rainbow-like light shoots straight into the sky. After the tiger and dragon have battled, Qi from the three Dantian (energy centers) pours forth, revealing the secrets of cultivation.

When you reach this state, you understand the principle. But do not celebrate just yet—ah! You still do not know how to ponder it or grasp its meaning.

A precious sword lies buried beside an ancient prison, yet at night a rainbow-like light shoots straight into the sky. After the tiger and dragon have battled, the three Dantian (the parts of the body where Jing, Qi, and Shen are cultivated) settle into stillness. Where, then, are mercury and lead to be found? In Neidan, these terms symbolize the Yin-Yang, Jing, Qi, and other elements used in cultivation.

Laugh aloud; giggle and laugh. Do not mistake a deer for a horse: a dark pearl lies hidden in the mud, symbolizing the Golden Elixir or one’s mysterious, true nature. The bridge where the Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet is impassable. The River Cart—a Neidan method for guiding Qi through the body—has gone far away, leaving no trace. Who, then, can ask for the true news? Once the Xun wind, associated with the Xun trigram of the Bagua, has swept everything away, even the registers once obtained have been lost.

Illustrated Treatise on Directly Revealing Heaven’s Secrets

The Golden Elixir diagram has been completed, but I fear that its heavenly secrets have still not been explained. I will therefore go on to discuss how the Five Phases are used in reverse, how Water and Fire circulate, how the ingredients advance and recede, and how the sun and moon revolve. The three essays written earlier conclude here. I fear, however, that those who study the Dao may still not understand, so I have written this book.

This book directly reveals the mysteries between Heaven and Earth, making even the finest details plain to see. Its power is like turning stubborn stone into gold and making tiles and rubble shine like jade, far surpassing ordinary achievements.

The eyes are where the spirit-mind is easily drawn by the outside world. As the eyes glance about and look at things, the spirit-mind often follows external objects and finds it hard to rest. The ears, too, are places where the spirit-mind is carried away by the outside world: when sounds from a hundred miles away reach the ears, the spirit-mind follows them. The nose is where the spirit-mind exerts itself, distinguishing fragrance from stench according to what it senses. What is doing the distinguishing? The spirit-mind.

If the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose were as inactive as the eyebrows, making no effort to contact or distinguish external things, would the spirit-mind not be able to settle and preserve itself? If one can do this, one will not fall into the turmoil of acquired conditioning and will no longer need to labor over cultivation.

Broadly speaking, when you forget what is before your eyes, the spirit-mind returns to the “cauldron” (a metaphor in internal refinement for the place where spirit and Qi are settled) and turns its awareness inward. As you maintain this attentiveness continuously, faintly present yet almost imperceptible, the eyelids droop and the gaze turns inward and downward. When you forget the sounds around you, the spirit-mind returns to the cauldron and listens inward; as you sustain this attentiveness, the ears seem to listen inward and downward. When you forget the nose’s sense of smell, the spirit-mind returns to the cauldron and breathes inward. Once the “true breath” (the fine, natural breathing of internal refinement) has stabilized, Qi returns to the “primordial sea” (the place within the body where the movements of Qi gather). In general, when the ears, eyes, nose, and the rest no longer pursue external things, spirit and Qi return together to the cauldron and unite with what is within.

The oral teaching says: “A hen can brood over her eggs while her mind keeps listening.” This means that during cultivation, one should be like a hen incubating her eggs: outwardly still, inwardly watchful and attentive.

Someone asked, “In the way of the Golden Elixir, the ears, eyes, mouth, and nose can of course hear and speak, and the mind need not be mentioned because it understands naturally. But are the liver, gallbladder, spleen, stomach, lungs, and kidneys all useless? Do they also have a function within their apparent uselessness?”

I replied, “You can understand the principle more fully only after you have personally cultivated to the corresponding state. But I have vowed never to conceal anything, so what could I hide? When I first followed my teacher, I pressed him with questions too. He gave me this poem:

““The scenery of the Five Lakes stretches far and wide;

A white egret stands on the sandy shore, and heaven and earth seem vast.

If it is only painted, pointing it out with great effort will not help;

When one day you travel there yourself, you will naturally see it clearly.”

“At first I did not understand the poem. Later, when I reached that state myself, I believed that my teacher had not deceived me.

“Now I will also explain what my teacher did not spell out at the time:”

The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) all play a part; none can be lacking. When the breath is long and subtle, seeming to be present and yet absent, the spleen Qi joins with the stomach Qi and enters the heart meridians. The liver Qi joins with the gallbladder Qi, then passes through the large and small intestines to the kidney meridians. Lung Qi lies hidden beneath heart Qi and connects with the nose. Once the kidney and spleen Qi have settled, primordial Qi sets these energies in motion, circulating them throughout the body and carrying them back and forth to the east, west, north, and south. The south is where Qi gathers: all the energies converge there. Then Qi rises straight up through the Jiaji passage, midway along the spine, passes through the upper and middle Dantian (energy centers), and descends to the kidneys.

Between the two kidneys is an area called the “Bridge that Governs Life.” Hanshanzi’s line, “Above lies the cave of the Sacrificial Spirit; across it rests the Bridge that Governs Life,” refers to this place. When Qi descends here, vigorous Yang Qi surges upward and meets the descending Qi. The two energies unite and settle, circling firmly around the vessel. As practitioners work with this movement of Qi in daily practice, their power to gather and refine it gradually grows; this is also where the “Yin’e”—the structure that gradually forms around the Elixir Furnace—begins to take shape. Suddenly, something appears, standing apart from everything else, neither within the body nor outside it. At this point, the principle of cultivating the Golden Elixir becomes self-evident.

What does it mean to say that “the mysterious is more mysterious still” only describes half the process? It means that when Golden Elixir cultivation reaches this stage, it is only halfway complete. The thing that “appears, standing apart” is the One Aperture of the Mysterious Pass, the subtle opening where nature and life meet and manifest in cultivation. It is so vast that there is no outside, and so small that there is no inside; it may be said to lie within the formed, or within the formless.

To seek the formless within the formed is to cultivate life and thereby reveal one’s original nature. To seek the formed within the formless is to cultivate nature and thereby reveal the source of life. Cultivating nature first is more difficult; cultivating life first offers a concrete point of entry. It is like a journey of ten thousand li: however long the distance, a road will carry you there. Cultivating nature first is like trying to scoop the moon from the water. Yet both paths can ultimately succeed. Those who cultivate nature first may have an advantage, since they use nature to regulate life; those who cultivate life first use life to regulate nature. So one should not hastily judge which path is better. With sustained practice, the reason will become clear.

If you have not yet encountered the Mysterious Pass, do not cling to it as if it were some actual thing, lest you become attached to appearances.

Someone asked again, “Why are there so many apertures in the diagram you drew?” The answer was, “These apertures are not the ones referred to in diagrams of collecting the medicine and joining in intercourse. Only when Yin and Yang combine with each other is this called the Dao. Their movements and transformations have no end. When it is put to use, it fills the whole body: this is the state in which this thing exerts its function. When it is not put to use, it returns to hide within the field of the heart, leaving no trace to be seen. What, then, is it? ○○ is the master of intention. The left side belongs to Yang, the right to Yin. Here, and only here, is the place of return to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate).

“What is called returning to the Great Change begins from Taiji; returning to Taiji begins from Great Harmony; and reaching Great Harmony begins with Yin and Yang. Thus, when Yin and Yang are in harmony, wind and rain arrive in their proper seasons, and fine crops grow. This is how the principle may be illustrated.

“The number of the Great Expansion is fifty: Heaven’s number is one, Earth’s number is two; Heaven three and Earth four, Heaven five and Earth six, Heaven seven and Earth eight, Heaven nine and Earth ten. Yang numbers are odd, and Yin numbers are even. Heaven’s numbers total twenty-five, and Earth’s total thirty; together they make fifty-five. The number of the Great Expansion is set at fifty by removing five to symbolize the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). This describes the later arrangement inside and outside the cauldron. Then one is subtracted to symbolize the unmoving Taiji, leaving forty-nine in use; one more is subtracted to represent the boundary, leaving forty-eight.

“Those who study this method of managing the firing process according to the furnace and cauldron—which serve as metaphors for the body and the process of cultivation in Neidan (internal alchemy)—take the four trigrams as their basis and use the sixty hexagrams, while contemplating the four trigrams Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li. Then, using the Great Expansion diagram to investigate their images and numbers, they will understand the principles of cyclical transformation, and the method of the circuit of Heaven will become clear. If it is still unclear, they may consult the Discussion of the Furnace and Cauldron Diagram.”

Treatise on the Moonlight of the Toad.

The boundless sky stretches above a brilliant moon. Snow-white waves surge across the water, as if a golden toad were breathing out radiance. Seeing the moon shine brightly, people say that Metal Qi is abundant and therefore the moon is bright. But who knows that the source from which Metal Qi arises is actually the moon? People know that Metal Qi is born from the moon, yet do not know that the moon’s radiance originally comes from the sun.

Here, the “moon” symbolizes original nature, a person’s fundamental nature; “water” symbolizes the Kan Palace, a Neidan term for the direction and bodily region associated with water and the kidneys; and the “golden toad” symbolizes the subtle aperture where a spark of true Yang appears. Using the moon to symbolize original nature describes the way original nature functions.

When original nature first appears, it is as large as a star, perfectly rounded and bright, glittering with light. Yet this is not enough to say that one has seen one’s nature. Only when temperamental nature, shaped by one’s endowment of Qi and acquired habits, has quieted somewhat can original nature emerge faintly, like the moon appearing when clouds disperse. When the clouds gather again, the moonlight is veiled in turn. If this appearance is not continually held in awareness, it will vanish, leaving no difference from never having seen it.

Thus, when someone cultivating the Golden Elixir clearly sees this scene, it means that original Qi has arisen and must be put to use at once—like catching a thief as soon as one sees him, so he cannot escape again. Then gather it within the cauldron, a vessel that in Neidan symbolizes the body or the place of cultivation. In this way, the true Yang within this spark of original Qi will no longer dissipate.

Take the Dantian as the eye and the original nature stirred in the heart as the moon; turn the gaze inward to reflect this moon. Once body and mind meet, the precious substance of Neidan is born from this union.

The moon receives the Sun’s Yang Qi, and so on the third day of the lunar month, one Yang is born. Once the Elixir—the inner essence formed through Neidan cultivation—has been placed in the cauldron, the practitioner senses a spark of numinous light. An awareness that illuminates the mind is present without interruption, day and night. By the eighth day, the first Yang has grown, and a second Yang is born. The second Yang means that the Metal Qi within the Elixir has begun to flourish, and the Original Nature—one’s innate nature—has also started to emerge. From the birth of the second Yang until the full moon, the three Yangs become complete. When the three Yangs are complete, the Original Nature has fully emerged: this is what was earlier called “within the formless.”

When the first Yang has just come to fullness, one senses something in the body that flickers between brightness and darkness. When the second Yang is born, its light spreads throughout the body. When the third Yang is born, the light is neither inside nor outside the body. One feels as if suspended in empty space, with neither body nor space, neither sun nor moon, and remains in this state continually. To be able to remain this way is meditative stillness. But if an adept of the Elixir remains only in the realm of “being,” unable to gather the True Void and make use of “nonbeing,” the cultivation is not yet complete.

At this stage, why is the Golden Elixir still considered only half complete? Because although the Original Spirit has emerged, it has not yet returned to the cauldron, nor have Jing and Qi been brought together as one. It can therefore be considered only half complete. The principle behind the other half will be explained next.

After the moon passes its day of opposition—the full moon—one Yin is born on the sixteenth day. One Yin means that Nature begins to return to Life, the root of existence. From the birth of the first Yin to the twenty-third day, a second Yin arises, signifying that Nature’s return to Life has reached two thirds of completion. From the birth of the second Yin to the end of the month, on the thirtieth day, all three Yin are complete. This means that Nature has returned fully to Life. When Nature has fully emerged, continues without interruption, and is at once present and indistinct, it has returned to Life.

At the beginning of cultivation, one obtains Nature from within Life so that Nature can become complete. Thereafter, one uses Nature to stabilize Life. This is the key to the mutual action of Nature and Life. This is the principle expressed by “dual cultivation of nature and life.”

The workings of Heaven’s secrets are exceedingly profound. By this point, one can say that the entire process of Golden Elixir cultivation has been fully revealed. Cultivation begins with mastering the firing times—that is, regulating the pace of practice and the measure of the breath. Practicing each day according to the required measure is dual cultivation of life and nature; each day’s practice brings a day’s worth of nourishment. After a hundred days of work, the “infant”—a metaphor for the Neidan result of cultivation—can be born. The author therefore uses the moon as a metaphor to explain how Yin and Yang meet and reflect one another. The moon’s radiance ultimately comes from metal, and the nature of metal corresponds to the moon. After being tempered and refined in countless ways, metal becomes all the more firm; it will not be destroyed even after enduring ten thousand kalpas.

Here, “metal” symbolizes the sun, “moon” symbolizes one’s nature, and “fire” symbolizes the sun’s Qi. When metal enters fire, it can return to its original, true nature and be refined into a supreme treasure called “metallic liquid returning to the Elixir.” Thus, Golden Elixir cultivation begins by taking “metal.” Metal can generate water, revealing the principle by which Yin and Yang unite; Earth is then used to bring the process to completion. It is like a city wall and its foundations, which need the true-metal medicine as their base and are strengthened and protected by it. When the refinement reaches a state of pure unity and solidity, it is called the Golden Elixir.

Discussion of the Furnace and Cauldron Diagram

The cauldron is not a vessel made of metal, and the furnace is not an implement made of jade. The “Yellow Court,” a part of the body associated with internal cultivation, is the cauldron; the “Qi cavity,” where the breath gathers within the body, is the furnace. The Yellow Court lies above the Qi cavity, and the channels and pathways of Qi connect the two; together they are called the furnace and cauldron. The Qi of Yin and Yang is like charcoal, used for cooking and forging.

The Yellow Court is located within the body. At the meeting of Yin and Yang—that is, at the crucial moment when primordial Qi is established—the Yellow Court is the cauldron and the Qi cavity is the furnace. The Yellow Court lies above the Qi cavity, and their pathways of Qi connect to form the furnace and cauldron; the Qi of Yin and Yang is like charcoal, used for cooking and refining.

The Yellow Court (the place within the body where primordial Qi is received and gathered) lies inside the body. When Yin and Yang energies meet, primordial Qi takes shape. At that moment, the Yellow Court opens and the Elixir falls into it; one must immediately guard it firmly. This is like placing mercury—the alchemical substance, here referring to materials such as lead and mercury—inside a gourd, sealing its mouth, and submerging it in deep water. The gourd represents the Yellow Court, and the deep water represents Qi. Seal the Yellow Court, conceal the Elixir Mother, the root of the Elixir, and place it where the energies meet. Those who understand should carefully reflect on the meaning.

When the tiger roars, wind rises; when the dragon cries, clouds gather. Crickets chirp in autumn, and mayflies appear in shadowy places. All the energies return to the cauldron. The more tightly it is sealed, the steadier the refining; this is the purpose of establishing the furnace and cauldron.

The essential teachings of the tens of thousands of volumes on alchemy are often conveyed through diagrams and metaphors. Their original purpose is to help people grasp the images and then forget the words. Later students, however, became attached to these images and stubbornly sought the truth in them, each advancing strange theories. How could they know that the highest Dao is not complicated, and that everything hinges on grasping the pivot of Yin and Yang? Explanations using numbers such as “Heaven One generates Water” merely describe the movement of Water and Fire. Explanations using the four seasons and eight seasonal divisions merely use the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang in heaven and earth as metaphors. The root is kept hidden while only its visible branches are discussed; that is why so few truly understand.

I have now written this book to set aside the branches and explain the root. Once the root is understood, the branches will naturally flourish. What the ancients were unwilling to say plainly, I now state openly. Those who cultivate the Dao should grasp this meaning and not dismiss it as a minor path. By practicing accordingly, one can swiftly attain the realm of the immortals.

Someone asked: “I understand the form and kinds of the furnace and cauldron, and I would also like to hear what purpose they serve.”

Between Heaven and Earth, flowers, plants, trees, and living creatures take many different forms. After the winter solstice, Yang Qi begins to stir beneath the earth. Withered plants grow lush again, grasses sprout, dormant insects become active, and all things show signs of life. Does the power of creation and transformation—that which nurtures all things between Heaven and Earth—deliberately set out to bring them forth? Do all things consciously wait for creation and transformation to arrange their lives? It is simply that when the One Qi stirs, different forms of life respond, and these changes appear. Does Heaven act with intention? Do all things act with intention?

When flowers bloom and bear fruit, the medicines are cycling and changing; when leaves fall and flowers fade, the medicines return to their roots and recover their source. When the ancients urged practitioners to watch for the medicines to arise, descend, and congeal into an Elixir, they were speaking of changes of this kind in nature. In cultivation, one must not cling to “having no intention” and let the medicines rise and fall on their own; nor should one cling to “having intention” and hastily urge the firing process. One should continue without interruption, as if present and yet absent: understand the principle of “nonbeing” while holding to “being”; recognize the “white” while holding to the “black.” Govern the firing process in stillness and concentration, and form the Reverted Elixir (the Elixir produced through internal alchemy) in calm stability. This is a gift of the Middle Way.

On the Diagram of the Spirit Chamber

The spirit hall is the chamber where the Original Spirit—the human being’s primordial spirit—resides. It is also the Yin’e, the place that serves as the foundation and point of congealing in internal alchemy. People understand that the Yin’e must be established; this has been made clear. Yet they often fail to see that if there is a chamber but no occupant, on what grounds can it be called a chamber?

Even so, before the occupant has appeared, the occupant’s embryo is already in the chamber, just as in pregnancy. For ten months, when the mother exhales, the fetus exhales too; when the mother inhales, the fetus inhales too, though its Qi is not yet full. Once its Qi is sufficient and its form complete, a spark of numinous light enters it. It is then suddenly born, its cry clear and strong, and it becomes a whole person. This is precisely a metaphor for the formation of the Yin’e and the return of the spirit to its chamber. When the spirit returns to its own chamber, this is what is meant by “attain the One, and all matters are complete”: grasp the root, and everything else falls into place.

After Yin-Yang union, the light of Shen shines downward, illuminating the Mysterious Pearl—the core of internal alchemy practice. The essence rises and gathers in the Mysterious Pearl. True Lead is primordial Qi. Jing, Qi, and Shen have already been nurtured within it as an embryo. When the fire reaches its proper intensity and the breath is full, primordial Jing, primordial Qi, and primordial Shen merge completely into one, and so the infant—the sacred embryo of internal alchemy—is formed. Could the infant come into being on its own? Only when the fire has refined away all the body’s yin residue does the embryonic body begin to shed its shell. Only at this stage can one say that the infant has truly been born.

I have said that in the circles “⊙” drawn by the ancients in their alchemical diagrams, the “○” is originally the Yin’e, a metaphor for the foundation and boundary within which the Golden Elixir congeals. If this point is not properly settled, one will not know how to place it within. It may congeal for a time, but in the end it will disperse again. If the fire is driven too fiercely in empty labor, Li and Kan—symbols of Yin-Yang and Water and Fire—will scatter. If this point arises from outside and develops in accordance with postnatal nature, it follows the generative process: “One gives birth to two, two to three, and three to the myriad things.” Ordinary people follow this course, while those intent on cultivation reverse it. By turning this process around and generating it within, one finds the Way of long life and enduring vision.

Is this not a return to the root and a restoration of life? The key to restoring life to its source is to deepen the roots and strengthen the foundation. The way to deepen the roots and strengthen the foundation begins by clearing the mind and casting out desire. To clear the mind, one gathers the gaze and stills the hearing. As Confucius said: “Do not look at, speak of, listen to, or do what is contrary to ritual propriety.” This is a practical principle. The teaching of De is to be put into practice in the world and suited to its time, so ritual propriety serves as its standard.

So-called “settling the mind” means allowing emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure to each find their proper measure. Loyalty, forgiveness, compassion, compliance, consideration, respectfulness, reverence, and caution belong to the true mind. Yet those who cultivate the Golden Elixir regard this true mind as still a deluded mind, since it has not reached the mind’s fundamental state. One must return wholly to the beginning and trace things back to their source, then go further, entering a state beyond distinctions such as loyalty, forgiveness, compassion, compliance, consideration, respectfulness, reverence, and caution. Only then is it the true mind. Even so, Golden Elixir practitioners still regard this true mind as deluded. One must return wholly to the beginning and trace things back to their source, then let a true mind arise from a mind free of deluded thoughts. From there, one exerts oneself in carrying out the active affairs of Heaven and Earth, ultimately returning to Wuwei (non-action).

The Buddhist understanding of the “true mind” is different. When the six senses and the feelings they stir are set aside, and the mind is entirely free of thought, its nature becomes open and clear, and the true primordial Qi—one’s original vital energy or nature—appears of itself. Once one has seen one’s true nature, one can move forward and back, come and go, with ease. This is because the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the source from which all things arise, appears only when stillness reaches its utmost. Thus, one must undergo an experience in which, in the space of a few words or a brief phrase, one seems to die and then come back to life. Only then can one reach the deepest, most subtle workings of creation and become rooted in what is neither born nor dies. How could the way into this state be easy to glimpse?

Discussion of the Fire-Time Diagram

The Book of Changes, the Zhouyi, has 384 lines. The measure of the fire-time stages is also 384 zhu. Therefore, Qian and Kun serve as the cauldron and vessel—the symbolic implements used in alchemical cultivation—while Kan and Li serve as the medicines, the symbolic ingredients of alchemy.

On the first day, the two hexagrams Tun and Meng are put into operation; on the second day, Xu and Song; on the third, Shi and Bi; on the fourth, Xiao Chu and Lü; on the fifth, Tai and Pi; on the sixth, Tong Ren and Da You; on the seventh, Qian and Yu; and on the eighth, Sui and Gu. At this point, the measure of Metal is half a jin.

On the ninth day, Lin and Guan are put into operation; on the tenth, Shi He and Bi; on the eleventh, Bo and Fu; on the twelfth, Wu Wang and Da Chu; on the thirteenth, Yi and Da Guo; on the fourteenth, Xian and Heng; on the fifteenth, Dun and Da Zhuang; and on the sixteenth, Jin and Ming Yi. On the seventeenth day, Jia Ren and Kui are put into operation; on the eighteenth, Jian and Jie; on the nineteenth, Sun and Yi; on the twentieth, Guai and Gou; on the twenty-first, Cui and Sheng; on the twenty-second, Kun and Jing; and on the twenty-third, Ge and Ding. At this point, the measure of Water is half a jin.

On the twenty-fourth day, Zhen and Gen are put into operation; on the twenty-fifth, Jian and Gui Mei; on the twenty-sixth, Feng and Lü; on the twenty-seventh, Xun and Dui; on the twenty-eighth, Huan and Jie; on the twenty-ninth, Zhong Fu and Xiao Guo; and on the thirtieth, Ji Ji and Wei Ji. In an instant, one cycle is complete, and then it begins again. This is like the turning of the sun and moon and the alternation of cold and heat: the Qi of Heaven and Earth blends, and all things are thereby formed and brought to maturity.

Only when practitioners can reverse Heaven and Earth and turn back the workings of transformation, as though drawing upon Yin-Yang’s workings in the cosmos, and thereby comprehend the highest Dao of Heaven and Earth, can this teaching be discussed. Someone asks: What is the intrinsic nature of Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li?

The text says, “When regulating the firing times of the celestial circuit in Neidan practice—that is, regulating the breath and guiding Qi—Kan and Li intersect. When Kan and Li unite, Qian and Kun meet as well. The Way of Heaven moves downward, while the Qi of Earth rises upward: this is the activity of Qian and Kun. The Kan trigram symbolizes Qian and Kun intersecting; the Li trigram symbolizes Kun and Qian intersecting. The other trigrams are merely visual signs used to explain the principles. One must not become fixated on the trigrams or their line positions. Only then can one understand the methods of cultivating the firing times.”

The guest asked again, “By your account, these principles are simply a summary of Heaven and Earth and the movements of the sun and moon. Yet why does the furnace-and-cauldron diagram—a chart explaining Neidan practice—place the Eight Trigrams inside the cauldron? And why does the firing-times diagram place the five positions at Niwan, the head’s cultivation point, and set up a level bridge between Mao and You, terms for directions or times? Why is that?”

The reply came: “The secrets of Heaven should not be revealed lightly. Since we have already come this far, why hide them? Besides, Heaven and Earth themselves revealed their secrets: a dragon-horse emerged from the Yellow River bearing a diagram, and a divine tortoise emerged from the Luo River bearing a text. If Heaven and Earth reveal their secrets, why should people not do so?”

The guest said, “Wait. I have heard that setting the bridge between Mao and You is…”

The reply came: “The secrets of Heaven should not be revealed lightly. Since we have already come this far, why hide them? Besides, Heaven and Earth themselves revealed their secrets: a dragon-horse emerged from the Yellow River bearing a diagram, and a divine tortoise emerged from the Luo River bearing a text. If Heaven and Earth reveal their secrets, why should people not do so?”

The guest said, “Wait. I have heard that revealing the secrets of Heaven brings calamity upon the nine ancestral generations.”

The reply came: “Have you not heard that transforming one person can also bring blessings to the nine ancestral generations? I transmit my methods of the Elixir without reservation to those with the right affinity. If even one sincere person thereby cultivates the Immortal Way, will I not have earned merit?”

The guest said, “I truly cannot understand your intentions.”

This is what is meant by the “furnace” and the “cauldron.” In fact, it describes the principles of advancing fire and advancing water. Water and fire, at root, are simply different transformations of the same Qi. When Qi rises, I use intention to guide it; this is called “fire.” When Qi descends, I wait quietly; this is called “water.” When the breath flows on without interruption, seeming to exist and yet almost imperceptible, it is precisely the time to apply the method of advancing fire at Zi and Wu. This is when the “Crescent-Moon Furnace” (the furnace in which one’s true nature appears during cultivation) takes shape.

When true nature appears, Qi comes forth. When Qi comes forth, Metal is generated. When Metal is generated, Qi increases; the more Qi there is, the more flourishing the Metal becomes. These two work together and act upon each other. As the Qi of Metal flourishes within the body, it can pierce the floating clouds and reveal a crescent of true nature, shining like the moon. This is the “Crescent-Moon Furnace.” If one continues to nourish and preserve true nature until the Qi of Metal is abundant and complete, its radiance becomes like the full moon. This is “complete nature,” meaning that true nature has fully appeared.

After true nature appears, one returns to Metal nature, allowing the whole body to take true nature as its root and nature and life as its governing principle. This is the time to refine with fire. Since true nature and the Qi of Metal have not yet completely fused, one must apply the firing process to temper them until they become pure gold. Nature and life unite and are held within; the whole body becomes pure Yang. The cultivator can rise and sink freely, cherish the sun and delight in the moon, and enjoy traveling at the crown gate (the cultivation point at the top of the head). When the time comes, the Dao is accomplished. In the forceful moment of transformation, it is as though a thunderclap sounds, and the body is no longer bound by its own constraints. Alas, everyone can succeed in cultivation this way. It is truly regrettable if people give up on themselves.

I read in the “General Treatise” that when the Nine Reversions (the successive stages of refinement in Neidan cultivation) are complete and the bathing process (a cultivation practice of gathering in the firing process and calming the breath) has ended, the fire is brought to a halt, yet a glimmer of numinous light still remains. One then stirs it slightly, setting it in motion with a breath of wind. Xun wind (Qi symbolizing wind and the action of breathing) is no more than a wisp of breath beneath the cauldron. When it closes, it is Qian; when it opens, it is Xun. Closing is exhalation; opening is inhalation. How does one make it open and close? One need only guide it with a single thought.

Someone asked, “Xun is the direction of the west. According to what you say, Xun is in the central palace. Isn’t that the reverse of what it should be?”

The reply was, “The west refers to the function of Xun.”

Someone asked, “The Xun position (one of the Eight Trigrams, usually associated with the southeast) lies in the west. But according to what you say, Xun is in the central palace. Doesn’t that reverse the order?”

The reply was, “To say that Xun is in the west refers to its function; to say it is in the central palace refers to its substance. I form a thought in my heart and then direct it into the Xun position. As this image first begins to unfold, what I mean actually encompasses both substance and function.

“Next, consider Qian. Qian belongs to Metal, and Fire is the essence of Metal. When the two meet, the fire’s force spreads open. Kan must be used to restrain it; if it cannot be held down, there is a danger that it will turn and attack downward. So first use Gen to stop it, then use Xun to regulate the breath. The top line of the Xun trigram is Yang. Only Yang can stop the fire. When fire meets Zhen, it grows somewhat stronger; when it meets Li, it blazes up again. Then use Kun to stop it. Kun belongs to Water, and fire arises from water. At this point, if it meets Dui—also the trigram of the west—the fire slowly rises from the coccyx, near the base of the spine, and reaches the Niwan, the cultivation site in the head. The crown of the head is the Gate of Heaven and also corresponds to the position of noon. Noon belongs to Fire, so the fire grows brighter still.

“Next, connect it with the heart. The heart belongs to Fire. Here, ‘connect’ refers to Shen: what is connected is the fire of Shen. The fire therefore grows stronger. At the positions of Mao and You, if it moves straight downward, there is a danger that punishment and De will come into contact, with grave consequences. So the path must divide in two here. The Mao and You positions referred to today corresponded in the past to Kun and Gen.

“Fire is Qi. Qi follows a pattern of descending and then rising, so it must be returned to the Kidney Palace, transformed into true Water, and then put to use. The gentle fire is soft by nature and not easily transformed. When it meets Mao Wood, Wood overcomes Earth. So use Fire to overcome Wood, and Earth will no longer be overcome. The strong fire is forceful by nature and easily transformed; it descends from the You position. You belongs to Metal, and Metal generates Water, so it returns to the Water in the cauldron to be put to use.”

Someone else asked, “What is gentle fire, and what is strong fire?”

Gentle Fire rises from the Three Passes—the three gates through which Qi moves during cultivation—to the crown of the head. Martial Fire is the fire of the Horse Palace, that is, the fire of the heart. In general, this is the crucial point in regulating the firing process, and also the most dangerous. If those who practice alchemy can overcome this pass at a single stroke, they can bring the whole process to stability. The firing process used in the daily circulation of the heavenly orbit—the movement of Qi through the body according to the methods of cultivation—must never be treated as a fixed rule. Yet one must not become attached to this view, nor to that one.

The clouds disperse, revealing the primordial chaos, the state before Heaven and Earth were divided, when all was just beginning. It is as if, from the sky, one glimpses one’s ancestors.

The wind has stopped, but the Seven Stars are still reflected in the water; faintly, lingering notes drift into the sky.

On the Treatise of the Diagram of the End of Yin

One day, Master Zhang sat in a quiet room, forgetting his body, his breath seeming to dissolve into still emptiness. Suddenly, a wind arose between his ears. At first it sounded like autumn cicadas calling across the river among green willows; then it seemed like a flute sounding in the highest heavens. Amid the shifting impressions, a beautiful melody took shape, and a person appeared standing beside him. His ears, eyes, mouth, and nose were exactly like Master Zhang’s. Pointing at him, the figure scolded, “Ever since the Great Beginning, before the universe took on visible form, I have been made your servant, without a moment’s rest. What have I done to deserve this treatment?”

Master Zhang could not help giving a silent smile. He replied inwardly, “Come, let us talk. What you say is indeed reasonable. But are you the one who has suffered for me, or am I the one who has suffered for you? Sit down first, and we’ll talk it through.”

The figure said, “Ever since I came to be with you, I had known no trouble. But after I began living with you, you kept me in your grip whether you were awake or asleep. Through countless kalpas—vast stretches of time—I have never been free. You left me exposed to the winds and frosts of the desert, sending me east one moment and west the next, subjecting me to one torment after another. Only recently did you, at last, build me a home through the power of wisdom and nourish me by regulating the breath. This is certainly good, but it is a pity you did it so late.”

Zhangzi said, “This is not my fault. The thief at work is the Six Desires—the six kinds of desire. You are subtle and hidden, while the Six Desires are conspicuous and showy. People know only that there are desires outside them, but do not know their inner nature. It is like a blind man sitting in a boat: he knows only that the boat can travel a thousand li each day, but not that the person rowing it is laboring hard. If the boat were not made to move forward, the rower would be at ease.”

The person who resembled Zhangzi said gladly, “I nearly lost you! I have a keen blade tempered through a thousand hammerings. With it, I can join you in vanquishing this thief and uprooting its source. Once we enter the bounds of rules and discipline together and begin our practice, we will be able to stand unrivaled in the Golden Palace—the dwelling of the Celestial Emperor, meaning the realm of the immortals.”

Zhangzi said, “Good, good.”

Yellow light shone from every side, and the radiance of the five colors blazed forth. The onlookers heard someone say, “Do not be too hasty in driving out the thief of desire. If you rush into action, it will strike back.”

At first, if your strength is not enough to overcome it, calamity is bound to follow. You should set aside the impulse to indulge yourself and hold fast to the constant Dao, allowing mind and spirit to settle gradually. Someone else also said, “Do not be too hasty in driving out the thief of desire. If you rush into action, it will strike back.”

At first, if your strength is not enough to overcome it, calamity is bound to follow. If you let your heart run unchecked, you must keep returning to restraint and regulate your breathing. At times it may take on a cunning form, but look closely and you will see that, in the end, it has no substance. Once you have won a battle, the Three Pure Ones—the three highest deities revered in Daoism and their heavenly realms—will be at peace, and all demons will vanish without a trace.

A General Discussion of the Essentials of the Golden Elixir

Viewed broadly, the human body can take Heaven and Earth as its image. It contains the myriad things, undergoes unfathomable changes, and is wondrously perceptive and responsive. People use their bodies every day without understanding how they work, so few understand the Way of the Golden Elixir.

The key to the Way of the Golden Elixir lies in the substances used in its practice: Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). In cultivating Shen, one first employs the light of spirit; in cultivating Jing, one first employs its essence; Qi, meanwhile, draws on original Qi. Jing cannot become abundant without Qi, and Shen cannot become full without Qi. Jing relies on Qi to harmonize and blend, while Qi also depends on Jing to function. Qi manifests through Shen, and Shen also depends on Qi to function.

Consider the inner Heaven and Earth of the body: after Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate) differentiates, the two forms of Yin and Yang are divided. The two forms give rise to the Four Images, and the Four Images give rise to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Once the Bagua are established, Qi manifests through Shen, and Shen also depends on Qi to function.

If we take the self as a microcosm of Heaven and Earth, then after the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) divides, the two modes of Yin and Yang take shape. The two modes give rise to the Four Images, which in turn give rise to the Eight Trigrams. Once the Eight Trigrams are established, the principles governing Heaven, Earth, and humanity are all present. Heaven is rooted in movement and change; Earth is rooted in stillness and support. The Qi of Heaven and Earth flows back and forth without cease, and the sun and moon move within it.

After my parents unite and I am formed and conceived, the body’s channels gradually develop. Once the physical form is complete, finer collateral vessels gradually take shape. In contrast to the physical form and its channels, original nature is inherently empty and without form. The pathways of the grain passage and sinews within the body resemble flourishing plants, with branches and leaves interwoven. These belong to precelestial Qi—that is, the precelestial Dao—and are teachings of great value.

In cultivation, one should keep to the “center,” so that the pathways through which the Qi mechanism moves may become unobstructed. People are born by receiving the balanced Qi of Heaven and Earth; this is what is called “life.” It is by receiving the balanced Qi of Heaven and Earth that one becomes human. Since we regard the self as a world of Heaven and Earth, we should also grasp its point of balance, making ourselves the pivot of the workings of creation and transformation.

The “Three Centers” are the intention in the heart, the cauldron in the navel (a metaphor in Neidan cultivation for the place where Jing and Qi are condensed and refined), and the furnace in the kidneys (a metaphor for the place where Jing and Qi are warmed and nurtured). Of the three, the intention in the heart is most important, followed by the cauldron in the navel, and then the furnace in the kidneys. From the beginning to the completion of Golden Elixir cultivation, these three must never be left aside, even for a moment.

In general, those who cultivate the Way of the Golden Elixir should investigate the relationships among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). More important still is to observe what happens when the Qi within and without meet. At that moment, one may feel a hazy, profound stillness and a kind of tingling in the pores. This is the original condition of Metal. When the breath is gentle and harmonious, and the body is soft and at ease, that is the fundamental disposition.

Lead is of a Fire nature in its substance, yet it displays the condition of Metal; mercury is of a Water nature in its substance, yet it has the quality of Wood. This is because Water and Fire refer to the substances of lead and mercury, while Metal and Wood refer to their functions. Lead and mercury combine and condense, their radiance blending together through the mind’s intent, which belongs to Earth. The Five Phases are all present within the vessel used for alchemical refinement, where things gather according to their kind. The transformations of the Five Phases also appear outside the vessel; only when inner and outer respond to one another does the elixir begin to form.

When the elixir takes shape, it resembles a grain of millet, yet it is none of the colors green, yellow, black, or white, and is difficult to describe in words. At this stage, the practitioner should tend it continuously and subtly, as if present and as if absent, maintaining purity and Wuwei (non-action). The signs of its many wondrous functions will then appear of themselves. When Kidney Water and essence fluid come together, the saliva that flows down from the eyes and Xuanying, a point near the throat, is called the “Flower Pool” or “Spirit Water.” Amid emptiness and stillness, a vision like white snow arises, and the Yellow Sprout, a term for the nascent elixir in Neidan cultivation, grows. Even in these fleeting moments, when it seems to exist only faintly, all phenomena return to the vessel. The Great Medicine depends on Jing, Qi, and Shen; the practitioner must recognize the original ingredients used to begin the process.

Jing, Qi, and Shen are the sources from which the medicine arises; they are not themselves ready-made medicines to be used directly. Some practitioners of heterodox methods, thinking themselves wise, keep Jing, Qi, and Shen busy in service. How could the medicine arise under such conditions?

Of Jing, Qi, and Shen, which is most important?

The answer is: Shen is most important. The Way of the Golden Elixir first uses Shen to direct Jing and Qi. That is why Shen is considered paramount.

In cultivation, Shen (spirit)—a person’s mental and spiritual awareness—is of the greatest importance. Shen can also be understood as another name for Xing (one’s innate nature). When stillness is profound and Yuanqi (primordial vital energy) first begins to arise, Shen may also start to scatter outward. At such a time, one should immediately quiet the mind and wait calmly for the change. Otherwise, Shen will become scattered and lose its support.

If the departure and return of Shen from the body are described in exaggerated terms, and this is taken to be the Great Dao, cultivation becomes difficult to put into practice. Shen’s wondrous workings may seem swift, but in fact it can arrive without traveling. The master said that although Shen’s activity changes without limit, it still has definite bounds. If one understands its Dao, Shen can enter and leave, but it must never be allowed to roam unchecked. It is acceptable to gather Shen within; how could one let it scatter outward at will?

If Shen leaves the body and takes on visible form by attaching itself to trees, this shows that Yin Qi has not yet been completely dispelled. When Shen is about to leave, various signs often appear: sunlight seems bright, as though shining from the eyes; the breath through the nose seems to draw something in; and clear, ringing sounds are heard by the ears. Each of these signs corresponds to a particular aperture. Shen alone should not enter or leave through the mouth. The mouth is where the Qi of the Five Organs gathers. If Shen abandons Jing and Qi and slips away, it is avoiding the place where the breath is strongest. Shen, Qi, and Jing depend on one another. Once Shen leaves, Qi and Jing lose their support. Thus, Shen’s departure brings harm and no benefit.

The sun and moon shine upon the earth. The alchemist reverses their ordinary courses and puts them to use; following their movement is called the firing times. The firing times cycle repeatedly, and within each of the nine revolutions there are nine further revolutions. At the beginning of the nine revolutions, the first is the most vigorous. One should wait until the movement of the Qi mechanism is complete before entering the second revolution, and proceed in the same way through the rest. When all nine revolutions are complete, the firing times approach the cauldron, a metaphor for the vessel in which the processes of Neidan cultivation are carried out. One must therefore use the fire-advancing method described earlier. This is called the battle between True Yang, the pure Yang Qi, and the gathered Yin forces. Please explain the principle clearly:

Most of a person’s body belongs to Yin, with only a little Yang Qi. Relying on this small amount of Yang Qi, I draw it gradually from afar to near, circulating it again and again until it overcomes the various Yin energies. In this way, Yang Qi steadily grows while Yin Qi steadily recedes. Thus the Book of Changes says, “Dragons do battle in the wilderness; their blood flows, dark and yellow.” Only when Yin Qi has been exhausted and Yang Qi has become wholly pure does the Neidan begin to rise to the Niwan, the cultivation site at the crown of the head. Then, through strenuous and diligent effort, the perfected person—the one who has attained the Dao and become an immortal—begins to appear. Such, in broad outline, is the principle of cultivating the Golden Elixir, though some aspects are difficult to put into words.

When the Neidan has first been refined, at the stage when Yin and Yang intermingle, both Yin and Yang must still be used to bring it to completion. Afterward, it is gradually refined and nourished with Yang Fire until it becomes a body of pure Yang. Thus, ceaseless self-strengthening is the way of Qian, symbolizing unremitting vigor. Once the Elixir is complete, the spirit must still be gathered so that the physical form may be perfected and one may become an immortal.

When the Neidan first takes shape, it works through the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). Later, it is gradually cultivated with something as pure as true gold, until it becomes a body of pure gold. For this reason, golden light shines from the whole body. Gold’s light is like sunlight, so it shines; gold symbolizes the sun and has a firm, vigorous nature. Hence it is called the “Golden Elixir,” and also the “Golden Immortal,” meaning an immortal cultivated through the Golden Elixir.

Although the human body is only a temporary aggregation, those who cultivate the Golden Elixir must still rely on it to nurture the Elixir’s foundation. The body may be compared to land: when a city’s walls are strong, outside forces cannot enter. When the process is continuous and subtle, seeming to exist and yet not to exist, the Qi of the spleen and stomach joins into one current and circles the left side of the Elixir Cavity; the Qi of the lungs and liver joins into one current and circles its right side. The true Qi moves faintly, coursing through the meridians throughout the body. When it draws near the Elixir Cavity, the Qi can be transformed there into a supreme treasure.

From one place, one may infer another. Yet everything should still begin with Wuwei (non-action) and naturalness. The example given here illustrates precisely this principle: in a state of Wuwei, the true Qi moves faintly through the meridians throughout the body; when it draws near the Elixir Cavity, it can be transformed into a supreme treasure.

By grasping one point, you can understand the rest. Yet all of this rests on Wuwei (non-action) and natural spontaneity; this point is raised to make the principles clear. “Wuwei” does not mean forcing something to happen through effort. A person’s breath moves within the body in response to thoughts. It is like holding a fist: when the mind intends to open it, the five fingers naturally extend, without obstruction. Once practitioners understand this, when gathering and refining the primordial Qi (vital energy)—the primordial true Qi spoken of in cultivation—they need only bring forth a single, undivided true thought to gather single, undivided Qi. The same principle applies when following a diagram in visualization and placing the movement of Qi in the Yellow Court (Huangting), the central region of the body in Daoist internal cultivation. In the depths of winter, the Yin-Yang energies must first be harmonized and transformed; only after Yin and Yang unite and flow freely can the myriad things come to life. Practitioners who understand this should know that after Yin and Yang meet, there is no need to deliberately wait for the “medicine”—the term used in internal alchemy for a state in which essence and Qi have gathered—to form. It will appear of itself.

Gold in water shines with exceptional brilliance; gold above is hidden by earth. In other words, it comes into being in a dark place, concealing its brightness. The Elixir within the cauldron is like a ruler on the throne, with every official fulfilling their role: the country is naturally at peace. When the firing process and the medicine are each properly attuned, the Elixir can gather securely.

In the First Turning, one stage in the movement of Qi during internal cultivation, the medicine arises in the east and then descends to the west. Take the spirit of the mind as the handle of the Dipper and turn its pivot. After twenty degrees, the Po is filled; turn it another twenty degrees, and the Hun is filled as well. In this way, the fire Hun and water Po each take their place, and the power of Shen (spirit) grows stronger. The other turnings follow the same principle. These key points are given here to help practitioners understand. The verse says:

The Dipper’s pivot establishes the four seasons; all eight seasonal nodes follow its course. The pivot itself remains still, while the Dipper’s bowl and handle turn of their own accord. If the eyes remain clear, the movements of Qi above and below can work upon one another. Let them move in stillness; do not hurry them along.

If you wish to show others a formless diagram, once the single Qi has circulated, it returns to its original abode—the root to which the movement of Qi returns. How could the Golden Elixir then fail to be formed?

The Great Way is not complicated; ordinary people simply add many things to it. I once received instruction from a master, who repeatedly cautioned me to keep it deeply concealed.

Why draw all the diagrams and set out arguments point by point? To explain even the subtlest details may well startle the spirits and ghosts. Alas, does hell not imprison those who transmit the Way? Why, then, are the scriptures still passed down?

The Great Way is not complicated; ordinary people simply add many things to it. I once received instruction from a master, who repeatedly cautioned me to keep it deeply concealed.

Why must all of this be drawn out and explained so fully, down to the smallest detail, as though even ghosts and spirits would be astonished to hear it? Hah! Hell cannot imprison those who transmit the Dao. The teachings endure in the scriptures, enabling the three masters to pass them on to later students.

Secret Instructions for the Stages

Sit quietly and enter stillness. Dispel distracting thoughts, gather the breath, and hold fast to the nature present at birth.

Once the command is heard, let the breath become calm and harmonious. Only when the Qi mechanism begins to move may you proceed through the steps below.

Visualize the breath gathering, then moving to the upper and lower apertures, so that Qi surges straight through the Five Stars. When signs of “earth” appear, relax into stillness and turn your attention inward. After setting aside one stage, wait for light to appear again. At this point, “the true Qi of the First Yang” comes forth.

Gather and refine the two Qi of Yin and Yang, bringing them together in an unbroken flow that is barely perceptible. When signs of a small light shining through appear, use intention to guide the breath in and out. First open the pathway once; only then circulate the Qi of Zi and Wu. When signs of a great light shining through appear, again use intention to guide the breath in and out, then open the crown of the head with a single surge.

This is the method in which the breath first rises along the back and then descends along the front. Afterward, it must also pass through the coccyx and the Five Stars, among other places. When signs appear on the thirtieth day of practice, again use intention to guide the breath in and out.

During the waxing moon, the Qi mechanism can usually become apparent after about fifteen days. It generally takes three full moons, or about seventy days, for the Qi mechanism to become apparent. Once the days of the waning moon have passed, you need only direct the Bright Cauldron—the inner alchemical site symbolizing illumination and manifestation—downward. When the interior is dim, use intention, then direct it toward the Heavenly Path, the channel through which Qi circulates in internal cultivation.

Return the Qi of Great Harmony to Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), then return from Taiji to Wuji (the Non-Ultimate).

Pi and Tai

This is the key to governing changes between movement and stillness: when the breath is vigorous, rely on quietude and stability to regulate it; when the breath is weak, support it with intention.

Secret Instructions on the Firing Process

Set the Elixir Qi within the cauldron, with water above and fire below. Harmonize them and return them to Taiji, then return from Taiji to Wuji.

Pi and Tai

This is the key to governing changes between movement and stillness: when the breath is vigorous, regulate it with quietude and stability; when the breath is weak, support it with intention.

Secret Instructions on the Firing Process

Set the Elixir Qi within the cauldron, with water above and fire below. An arising thought belongs to fire; stillness belongs to water. This is called the “water cauldron.” Stillness belongs to water, and movement belongs to fire; this is called the “fire cauldron.”

When Yang Qi is below the cauldron—the part of the body used for refining and cultivating—it is called the “Water Cauldron.” When it rises above the cauldron, it is called the “Fire Cauldron.” Yang Fire is the fire in the outer furnace. Once the outer furnace is kindled, the intent of the fire is held in the Qi Cavity, the place visualized during cultivation as gathering Qi. The Yellow Court, the central region of the body in Daoist internal cultivation, lies just above the Qi Cavity; the Qi Cavity itself is the inner furnace. When there is fire in the inner furnace, the area near the cauldron is kept gently warm without interruption. This is what is meant by the fire cycle continuing unbroken, seeming to be there and yet almost imperceptible.

As the fire cycle gradually moves downward, one can no longer sit in stillness. At the Zi hour and the Wu hour, advance Fire at Wu and bring in Water at Zi. When Yang Qi begins to stir, do not become anxious. Instead, receive it with the mind’s intent: guide it to turn on the right, then descend on the left, and store it in. To circulate it in the reverse direction is to advance Fire.

Someone asked, “May I ask what the method of the Nine Turns is?”

The reply was, “Three months of working the fire cycle make up the Nine Turns.”

First Turn:

At the outset, visualize two channels of fire, one on each side near the ribs. Fire rises from the Yang Palace, the place where Yang Qi is set in motion in internal cultivation, travels up the right side to the shoulder, crosses the body’s center, pauses, and then descends on the left. Keep the whole process continuous and faint, seeming to be there and yet almost imperceptible. Stillness is preferable to movement, and slowness to haste. If the fire cycle is driven too forcefully, the Elixir will be damaged. Practice this method each day at the Zi hour.

Second Turn:

Move inward one cun and two fen from the edge of the ribs, using the same method as before. Practice this at the Chou hour.

Third Turn:

Move inward five fen from the edge of the ribs, using the same method as before. Practice this at the Yin hour.

Bathing:

At the Mao hour, when the fire rises, take the Elixir as four cun and visualize two fine lines, serving only as channels for the fire. Once the pulse Qi has entered the cauldron, there is no need to watch the rising fire with the eyes or dwell on it deliberately; simply use the mind’s intent to guide it to turn right. Let it travel horizontally, level with the cauldron. This is what is called “laying the thread straight along the ground.” Then let the fire cycle become completely still and transform into Water Qi, returning to the cauldron. As the Elixir is gently warmed and nourished in this bathing, let the process continue unbroken, seeming to be there and yet almost imperceptible.

Fourth Turn:

Advance another inch, using the same method as before. This is the practice for the Chen hour (7–9 a.m.).

Fifth turning: Advance another five fen, using the same method as before. This is the practice for the Si hour (9–11 a.m.).

Sixth turning, “drawing out and adding”: Advance five fen. At this time, the fire below, the Heart Fire of the Wu hour (11 a.m.–1 p.m.), and the fire at the crown are all strong. As Yang Qi rises and develops, it must therefore be restrained slightly; this is called “drawing out.” When Yang Qi rises again, the fire will weaken. The fire travels straight upward along the left, then moves horizontally, passing directly through the heart region. It then meets the Heart Fire, and the two descend together on the right. If the fire below is not gathered in, it will encounter the Heart Fire as it rises.

Seventh turning: Advance another five fen, as before. This is the practice for the Wei hour (1–3 p.m.).

Eighth turning: Travel along the left and descend on the right, taking one cun of the Elixir formula. The fire pathway followed during the Wei hour belongs to the Yin pathway. After the fire’s force has passed, it gradually subsides; the pathway for the Shen hour (3–5 p.m.) also belongs to the Yin pathway. This is because the pathways above the heart region belong to Yang, while those below it belong to Yin. The fire during the Shen and Wei hours passes through the Yin pathway. Only at the You hour (5–7 p.m.) does Metal Qi begin to flourish. One should therefore remain still and wait for the fire to transform into “Metal Liquid” and return to the vessel in which the ingredients are gathered during alchemical refinement. The Elixir then enters the “bathing” stage. Bathing at the Mao hour (5–7 a.m.) nourishes Mercury; bathing at the You hour nourishes Lead.

Ninth turning: Take only five fen of the Golden Elixir. Apply it briefly, then stop and wait quietly for its transformation.

Tenth turning: Use the Xun wind, corresponding to the Wind trigram, to kindle the fire, and cultivate according to the methods for regulating the fire’s course and timing. For details, see the “Diagram of Fire Timing.”

Postscript: That which is entrusted to the subtlest things yet can encompass the vast universe is “Spirit Lead.”

Shen (spirit and consciousness) can reside in the subtlest places and also encompass the vast cosmos. Qi (the vital force that forms and moves all things) courses through the primordial source, giving shape to the myriad things. Jing (the essence of life) springs from luminous nature and, like fluid, nourishes all around.

When the Three Primordial Energies (the three forms of primordial Qi that constitute heaven, earth, and all things) mingle, they can bring the myriad things back to life or cause them to decline. Establish the foundation of the Supreme One, and one can return to the root and go back to the beginning. This is the mystery of the Celestial Lord—the master of the heart, that is, the heart itself.

This book, The Scripture of the Jade Clarity Golden Casket’s Precious Registers and Golden Treasures of Internal Alchemical Refinement, is the wondrous writing of Lord Qinghua, a revered Daoist deity. It is also a key to Understanding Reality, carrying the heart teachings through which Zhang Ziyang, the Daoist Zhang Boduan of the Northern Song, expounded the abstruse principles and revealed the subtle meaning. Those who recite this book should first grasp it inwardly, then let go of attachment to the “heart.” Next, they should understand the intent of Shen, then let go of attachment to “Shen,” and ultimately experience the Great Void, a realm of clear openness and unhindered freedom.

This text truly governs the Three Luminaries (sun, moon, and stars) and lays out the essentials of the Five Qi (the Qi of the Five Phases). It can bring death or restore life; it can return things to nonbeing or make them appear in tangible form. It contains the virtue of the innocent child, and governs the principle by which all things transform and each finds its proper place. All the mysteries that existed before heaven and earth are contained within it.

By experiencing this mystery, one’s resolve is no longer swayed by external things, and one’s body does not wither with age. In this way one transcends what life and death cannot reach, and sees into mysteries unknown even to ghosts and spirits. This is the text’s central meaning, and the reason this postscript was written.