《元始天尊說得道了身經》

At that time, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning manifested his dharma form of sublime naturalness and authentic sanctity amidst the Jasper Canopy Terrace within the Pure Tenuity Heaven Palace of the Jade Clarity Sacred Realm, above the vast expanse of immaculate waters. He expounded the Great Dao of Primordial Wuji, elucidating the profound mysteries of the primordial truth before the separation of chaos, discoursing on the Complete Perfection (Quanzhen) Great Dao of serene non-action (Wuwei), and preaching this Scripture of Complete Perfection for Attaining the Dao and Realizing the Heavenly Body to the assembly of celestial immortals and holy beings.

Regarding the methods for cultivating bodily realization: One must regulate dietary intake, sit in silent meditation with lips gently closed and teeth aligned. The eyes should not gaze upon improper sights, nor the ears listen to licentious sounds. Purify the heart-mind, remain unattached when facing external phenomena, and eliminate all distracting thoughts. Allow no external delusions to enter the mind, nor permit internal distractions to scatter outward—not even a single thought should arise, forgetting all worldly affairs.

Essential cultivation techniques: Concentrate the spirit (Shen) to quietly perceive nature's rhythms, contain the gaze within, close the mouth to regulate breath (with tongue touching the palate), and harmonize respiration. Preserve the contemplation of true divinity, stabilize the heart-mind, and focus inwardly. Breathing should be fine, long, continuous, and subtle—as if existing yet not existing—maintained without interruption. Through breath regulation, one pacifies the spirit; when the spirit is pacified, life becomes stable, achieving the dual cultivation of nature and life (Xingming Shuangxiu) where form and spirit attain sublime perfection, merging with the Great Dao.

At advanced stages of practice: Consciousness enters a state of crystalline clarity and profound stillness, reaching perfect primordial chaos. The three luminaries (spirit, hun and po souls, and consciousness) intermingle (Three-Five Fusion), the three primordial energies (Jing, Qi, Shen) converge (Three Origins Unite), harmonizing the Four Symbols (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise). The genuine Qi of the Five Organs returns to the Dantian (Five Qi Converge to the Origin), the Three Flowers (essence, energy, spirit) gather at the crown (Three Flowers Summit the Crown), ultimately returning to the fundamental origin and restoring life to its root—where ten thousand spirits become one. At this stage, the mind encompasses all without exception.

Manifestations of cultivation: Naturally, the heart fire descends while kidney water rises, producing sweet nectar in the mouth. Continuously refine this nectar without dissipation. The blood vessels circulate like wind, while thunderous sounds resonate in the abdomen—like a stringless melody playing spontaneously. The harmonizing Qi permeates the entire body like ambrosia pouring over the head and sweet dew sprinkling the heart. Practicing unceasingly for three thousand days, when merit is complete, the yin energies will dissipate entirely while yang energies become pure, accomplishing the Sacred Embryo (Neidan). Then a dharma body manifests within, with the spirit attaining authentic sanctity. This authentic sanctity merges with the Supreme Void, which unites with True Emptiness, ultimately harmonizing with natural spontaneity. This natural spontaneity is the Primordial True One—the Primordial True One is our true body. Though prior to heaven and formless, the Great Dao eternally abides, never decaying, dwelling with all sages. At this stage, one perceives inner realms, realizes the wondrous emptiness, and accomplishes the true spirit.

(Note: "Three-Five Fusion" refers to the integration of essence (Jing), energy (Qi), and spirit (Shen) with the Five Phases; "Three Origins Unite" indicates the convergence of energies in the upper, middle, and lower Dantian; "Four Symbols" represent the celestial constellations; "Five Qi Converge to the Origin" means the genuine Qi of five organs returns to the Dantian; "Three Flowers Summit the Crown" signifies the coalescence of the three treasures at the Niwan Palace crown point.)

This scripture reveals the essential principles for attaining perfection through Daoist cultivation. The Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun) teaches us that practitioners must reach a state of eternal existence with heaven and earth, shining as brilliantly as the sun and moon, transcending the cycles of life and death, to attain the complete fruition of true Dao.

The text explains that "True Unity" (referring to the fundamental energy of the cosmos) is the root of all things—when heaven attains True Unity, it manifests clear divine light; when earth attains True Unity, it nurtures all beings; even evil spirits who attain True Unity will naturally return to righteousness. If humans can preserve True Unity, they may achieve the immortal body of a perfected being.

The key to Daoist cultivation lies in maintaining a state of empty tranquility:

• Maintain constant mental clarity—freedom from thought constitutes purity, absence of distractions constitutes stillness
• When thoughts are settled, the spirit flourishes (like clear spring water), but when thoughts are agitated, the spirit becomes turbid
• In daily life: overeating disrupts Qi circulation, while indulgence in sensory pleasures depletes vital essence (Jing) and energy (Qi)

Practical cultivation methods include:

1. Concentrating the spirit and gathering Qi to unify the ten thousand spirits into one

2. When spirit and Qi coalesce, the Five Phases' (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) true energy forms the "knife-shaped measure" (a Neidan term referring to condensed vital substances)

3. Swallowing saliva and regulating breath to ingest Qi is called "drinking the knife-shaped measure," also known as "pouring ambrosia over the crown"

4. Maintaining unwavering mental stillness constitutes true "ablution" (purification of body and mind)

The scripture concludes with essential cultivation principles:

• Balanced breathing and settled thoughts constitute "extraction and replenishment" (regulating Yin-Yang)
• Concentrated awareness and motionless intention constitute "civil and martial fire regulation" (controlling the intensity of Neidan practice)
• Without understanding the true meaning of movement and stillness, one cannot genuinely attain the Dao

(Note: The terms "extraction and replenishment" and "civil and martial fire regulation" are specialized Neidan terminology referring respectively to Yin-Yang regulation and the mastery of practice intensity.)

This scripture elucidates the core principles of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, employing metaphors of the Five Phases' mutual generation and Yin-Yang union to illustrate the practice:

The essence of cultivation lies in balancing the body's Yin and Yang energies (primordial Qi), maintaining their equilibrium (each measured as one jin). Through the state of emptiness and natural non-action (Wuwei), one circulates Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy), gathering all spiritual energies into unity (wan shen gui yi). Only then can one stabilize their innate nature and fortify the foundation of life.

Key methods of practice:

1. The heart's fire (spiritual energy of the Shen) descends to meet the kidney's water (essential energy of Jing) rising upward, akin to true gold melting in fire. When fire meets water, it forms "golden liquid"; when water meets fire, it creates the "returned elixir"—this constitutes the fundamental alchemical principle.

2. The congealing of Five Phases energies (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) forms the "nine-cycled elixir." When Yin energy exhausts and Yang energy purifies, it's termed "seven-return." Subduing mental distractions resembles waging battle (wild combat), ultimately achieving the state of complete spiritual energy (Quanzhen, complete perfection).

Correspondences within the body:

• The central palace (middle Dantian) resembles a pregnant mother (Yellow Matron)
• The heart's spirit (true mercury) symbolizes a maiden (Chanu)
• The kidney's essence (true lead) represents an infant
• Congealed essence takes form like a black turtle, while congealed spirit resembles a red snake
• Breath regulation mirrors the dragon-tiger encounter

Mysteries of the Five Phases' mutual generation:

1. Heart fire (Southern number two) shares origin with liver wood (Eastern number three), combining as five—demonstrating fire born from wood

2. Kidney water (Northern number one) shares origin with lung metal (Western number four), combining as five—demonstrating water born from metal

3. The central number five belongs to earth, representing intentionality

Essential breath cultivation techniques:

• Exhalation resembles a tiger's roar generating wind—the process of nature (mercury) merging with life (lead)
• The heart's spirit (mercury) resembles quicksilver within cinnabar, representing the Yin energy within the Li trigram
• When intention stabilizes, spirit-energy becomes complete; complete spirit-energy illuminates the mind to perceive true nature
• Inhalation resembles a dragon's chant summoning clouds—the process of life (lead) merging with nature (mercury)

Through rich metaphorical language, this scripture expounds the principles of Yin-Yang harmony and water-fire equilibrium in Neidan practice, emphasizing the dual cultivation of nature and life (xingming shuangxiu) through breath regulation and focused concentration of Qi.

This scripture elucidates the core principle of "dual cultivation of nature and life" (xingming shuangxiu) in Daoist practice, using metaphorical language to describe how adepts refine Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) to attain immortality.

The cultivation of "life" (referring to physical vitality) resembles extracting gold from water, requiring the alchemical process of "transforming essence into qi" (lianjing huaqi) - converting acquired subtle substances into primordial energy. When essence and qi coalesce, the body becomes robust; with physical fortitude comes complete preservation of vital energies, thereby accomplishing the cultivation of corporeal existence.

Authentic attainment of the Dao necessitates simultaneous cultivation of both "nature" (mind) and "life" (body). When essence and blood flourish, when spirit condenses and breath crystallizes, and upon completing three thousand virtuous deeds to forge a body of pure Yang, one achieves the state metaphorically described as "enriching the nation and pacifying the people" - representing perfect harmony between body and mind.

The concrete practice involves:

• Refining essence into solar radiance
• Transforming blood into lunar clarity
• Purifying qi into golden purity
• Sublimating marrow into jade-like translucence
• Cultivating the brain into cinnabar's precious quality (a key material in Daoist alchemy)
• Strengthening kidneys into tridacna-shell resilience (one of Buddhism's seven treasures, symbolizing durability)
• Vitalizing the heart into coral-like vibrancy (representing life force)

When these seven treasures remain undispersed within the body and one's virtuous practice reaches completion, the adept may ride phoenixes and luan birds (celestial mounts of Daoist immortals) to ascend to the Golden Palace (heavenly court), paying homage to the Jade Emperor as a true transcendent being.