《太清修丹祕訣》

The Taiqing Xiudan Mijue (Secret Essentials of the Great Clarity for Cultivating the Elixir) records the method for refining numinous cinnabar:

The refining process is divided into spring and autumn seasons:

Winter preparation (12th lunar month):

• On the first day of the twelfth month, begin with nourishing supplements of fine wine and delicacies while abstaining from desires and restraining anger (called the "Upper Desire Fast").
• Commence cultivating the numinous cinnabar (requiring concurrent fasting). The cultivation method involves first regulating the body's Qi (vital energy), followed by initiating prolonged fasting in the first month of the new year.
• Each day between the Zi hour (11 PM–1 AM) and Wu hour (11 AM–1 PM), begin with standard Daoyin (guiding and stretching) exercises, then perform the "Xu" breath eight times.
• Next, rinse the mouth with saliva a hundred times, swallow it from the left side, and guide it with intention to the Dantian (energy center in the lower abdomen).
• Then rotate the Heart Fire (mental focus) leftward eighty-one times. During medicinal cultivation, rinse with saliva at least seven times; those with greater capacity may increase repetitions.
• Within seven days, golden cinnabar will form. Prepare fifteen white porcelain basins, labeling them with dates on paper covers for sequential collection.

Spring gathering (2nd lunar month):

• Each day, wash the golden cinnabar using the first basin in rotation. Change the water four or five times during washing, then dry the cinnabar on ash paper.
• Continue until half a catty (approximately 300 grams) is gathered (if insufficient, extend to the third month).

Summer preparation (6th lunar month):

• On the first day of the sixth month, repeat the winter nourishment method, then begin fasting (abstaining from desires and restraining anger) in the seventh month.

Autumn gathering (8th lunar month):

• Repeat the spring cinnabar collection method, again gathering half a catty (if insufficient, extend to the ninth month).

Elixir synthesis:

• Combine the golden cinnabar from both seasons (totaling one catty) and store it sealed in a purified vessel.
• Begin fasting in the tenth month. Starting on the first day of the eleventh month, refine the medicine: divide it into fifteen portions, each further split into three smaller doses.
• From the first to the fifteenth day (full moon), ingest one small dose during the Zi (11 PM–1 AM), Yin (3–5 AM), and Chen (7–9 AM) hours daily.
• Before ingestion, mix the medicine with saliva: swallow empty three times, then consume the medicine while guiding it with intention.

Note: "Heart Fire leftward rotation" refers to directing internal energy along a specific path through mental focus; "Dantian" is considered in Daoist practice as the focal point of energy accumulation; "Daoyin" denotes breath-coordinated health-preserving exercises. The entire process demands strict adherence to temporal rhythms and requirements of bodily and mental purification.

The Taiqing Xiudan Mijue (Secret Essentials of Great Clarity Alchemical Cultivation) describes the ancient alchemical method of the "Golden Cinnabar Secret Formula" in these terms:

Practitioners should ingest the elixir three times daily at morning, noon, and evening, taking three fen (about 1.1 grams) per dose. After ingestion, one should swallow a small amount of talcum powder mixed with saliva (to counteract the drying nature of the mineral compounds), along with a pinch of frankincense (to aid the body's elimination of mineral residues). On days of elixir consumption, practitioners should observe breath retention meditation in the afternoon, focusing solely on saliva swallowing techniques. After the fifteenth day of each lunar month, one should practice breath retention and Qi circulation only during the zi (midnight) and wu (noon) hours (by holding the breath for three to four cycles). By late November, this intensive practice concludes, after which one maintains the practice only on new and full moons with thirty-six breath cycles per session, exhaling only when reaching the limit of breath-holding.

Dietary regulations require two light meals daily of plain wheat-based foods, each not exceeding three liang (about 110 grams) - this constitutes a form of "fire temperance" control. When the ingested golden cinnabar ceases to be excreted, this signals successful refinement. Any cinnabar excreted after November 15th should be carefully collected and preserved, as these particles now contain cultivated power. Complete cessation of excretion marks the achievement of "leak-proof elixir completion."

After successful alchemical transformation, normal diet may resume, with practitioners expelling turbid Qi through the "He" (exhale) sound technique after meals. Gradually the body becomes purified of impurities, ultimately reaching the "earthly immortal" state of needing neither food nor experiencing hunger. The entire cultivation process requires approximately one year. If dizziness or loose teeth occur during practice (signs of excessive Yang energy), strong licorice root decoction should be consumed for relief.

The subsequent Chongxuzi Dayao Zhenqian Jue (Master Chongxu's Essential Formula of True Lead) explains the alchemical theory: Cinnabar's essence derives from congealed solar and lunar essences. From it we extract mercury (representing solar essence), and from mercury we refine lead (representing lunar energy). Obtaining true lead from cinnabar and combining it with true mercury creates complete Yin-Yang alchemy, producing the supreme medicine. As Master Shentu observed: "One substance divides into two forms" - lead and mercury share common origin, embodying the ancient maxim of "one substance, dual aspects."

This scripture elucidates the core principles and concrete methods of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, employing metaphors and correspondences with the five viscera to illustrate the practice:

Core Cultivation Principles:

The fundamental alchemy lies in "true lead and true mercury" (Neidan terminology representing the yin and yang essential energies within the human body), akin to a mother giving birth to a son and daughter. The genuine medicinal substances for cultivation are not found externally but reside in the harmonious balance of one's own yin and yang.

Essential Techniques for Cultivating the Five Viscera:

• Liver (Wood phase): Functions like a ruler governing the cardinal directions, yet ultimately yields to the heart's (Li fire) energy
• Heart (Spiritual Terrace): This square-inch domain houses the virtue of fire; when yang energy becomes abundant, true lead energy flows westward (to the lungs)
• Lungs (White Tiger): Correspond to autumn's astringent qi—proper cultivation fills them with primordial energy
• Kidneys (Northern Sea): Contain tremendous power that manifests remarkable transformations when cultivated to a certain stage
• Spleen (Central Palace): Harmonizes the essences of all viscera like ministers paying homage to the emperor

Cultivation Methods:

1. The human body itself serves as the alchemical cauldron, generating miraculous energy through yin-yang transformations

2. Primordial qi must undergo nine cycles (repeated refinement) to ultimately produce "Great Harmony Essence" (the purest energy state)

3. The crucial practice involves guiding "golden essence" (kidney jing) to ascend and unite with "jade mercury" (heart shen), mirroring the conjugal union

4. Focus particularly on the pathway from the Jiaji point (pivotal spinal acupoint) to the crown—this constitutes the foundation of practice

5. Regularly swallow the "jade nectar of Hua Pool" (saliva) to assist the ascent of essence and qi

Cultivation Effects:

When essence and qi become abundant enough to permeate all bodily joints, practitioners attain the state of "valley spirit preservation" (vitality充盈), ultimately leading to the path of longevity. This bodily fluid constitutes genuine yang essence that both nourishes the five viscera and reciprocally strengthens their functions.

(Note: Terms like "lead and mercury," "golden essence," and "jade mercury" represent different energetic states in Neidan practice, while "nine cycles" and "three palaces" denote various stages and locations in the cultivation process)

This scripture elucidates the core principles of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) practice, focusing on the transformative process of Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit) within the human body. In essence:

The five internal organs correspond to distinct energies: the heart generates blood, the spleen produces "yellow sprouts" (a Neidan term referring to the budding of primordial Qi), the lungs create bodily fluids, while the kidneys generate Jing-Qi. These energies nourish the brain, strengthen the body, and moisturize the skin.

The crux of cultivation lies in harmonizing the Four Symbols (Wood, Fire, Metal, Water) within the "true earth" (the spleen). Just as heaven and earth create humans: Wood (father) and Fire (essence) form one pair, while Metal (mother) and Water (essence) form another. These Four Symbols interact productively when meeting Earth (spleen), otherwise they conflict. The spleen serves as the palace of true earth, where these four energies naturally fuse into treasures.

The body's three core energies are: Shen (spleen Qi), Qi (Metal-Water energy), and Jing (Fire-Wood energy). During cultivation, these undergo sequential transformations: Qi → Jing → cinnabar → mercury → gold → elixir, ultimately refining into the "returned elixir" (the highest form of internal elixir). Specifically: Qi from the lower Dantian (primordial sea) condenses into black lead, while Qi from the left kidney forms red lead.

The method of Kan-Li interaction (heart-kidney communion practice) reveals: the foundation of longevity lies in cultivating Jing-Qi. Essence condenses into form, while the physical body serves as the vessel for Qi. A fetus in the womb synchronizes breathing with its mother through the umbilical cord, developing fully after ten lunar months. However, adults often exhaust their essence through sensory desires. Thus, sages recognize the futility of external pursuits, turning instead to practice embryonic respiration (fetal-like internal breathing), mastering the secret of returning to one's origin for longevity.

Simply put: By regulating breath and internal energies, allowing the five organs' Qi to harmonize and transform within the spleen, one ultimately refines the internal elixir to achieve longevity.

This scripture primarily discusses how to harmonize the relationships between form (xing), qi, and spirit (shen) during Neidan (internal alchemy) practice. The core teaching states:

The human form and primordial qi function like a mother, while the spirit resembles a child. One must first stabilize this "maternal foundation" of physical form and qi before the "child" of spirit can dwell securely. When shen and qi unite, circulating through the internal organs and regulated by the rhythmic movement of breath ascending and descending, prolonged cultivation will clarify spiritual awareness and harmonize vital energy.

The Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) states that immortal Daoist masters weren't born with supernatural powers, but achieved authentic realization through accumulating jing (essence) and qi. Ordinary people today, however, allow their shen and qi to operate separately—like mother and child becoming estranged. This leads to the dissipation of primordial qi through contamination and exhaustion. As the master of the body, when shen constantly wanders externally without returning home (failing to abide internally), the bodily "dwelling" gradually deteriorates. This is especially true for those unfamiliar with Daoist cultivation, who exhaust their shen and qi daily without allowing these forces to settle within, thereby drifting further from the Dao.

The key to cultivation lies in uniting shen and qi, akin to the yin-yang interaction between the Kan (water) and Li (fire) trigrams. The Jiji hexagram (䷾) begins its movement from yang lines, while the Weiji hexagram (䷿) initiates from yin lines—their cyclical interaction captures the profound mechanism of cosmic creation. This constitutes the secret of immortal cultivation, expressed as "the White Tiger (metal essence) born from Kan's water, the Azure Dragon (wood fluid) concealed within Li's fire."

The Yijing (Book of Changes) describes the Qian hexagram (pure yang) as possessing vigorous and perfectly balanced qualities. Practitioners must regulate the Jiji and Weiji hexagram patterns to refine the body's yin and yang qi until they become as pure as Qian's six unbroken yang lines. The third and fifth lines belong to yang positions governing growth, while the second, fourth and sixth lines correspond to yin positions governing consolidation. Within the human body, the ascent of fire (heart) and descent of water (kidneys) manifests the Jiji hexagram pattern, achieving cultivation effects equivalent to all sixty-four hexagrams. When yang qi ascends to its zenith, it generates yin; when yin qi descends to its limit, it naturally produces yang—thus the cycle continues endlessly.

This passage explains the fundamental principles of Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) practice. During cultivation, the body's "fire dragon" (representing heart fire and Yang Qi) and "water tiger" (symbolizing kidney water and Yin Jing) must work in harmony. The fire dragon embodies the clear and light Qi rotating leftward, while the water tiger represents the turbid and heavy energy circulating rightward—both energies moving in coordinated patterns within the body.

In the practice, Yang Qi undergoes seven cycles (the "seven Yang returns") to refine the Golden Elixir, with the optimal time being the Yin hour (3-5 AM). Conversely, Yin Qi completes nine cycles (the "nine Yin restorations") to produce the Jade Nectar, most effectively cultivated during the Zi hour (11 PM-1 AM). These two substances—the Golden Elixir and Jade Nectar—circulate through the body in opposing yet complementary directions, permeating the five viscera and six bowels while spreading throughout the entire system. Only through this ceaseless day-and-night circulation can the effect of longevity and immortality be achieved.

This cultivation method mirrors the natural patterns of heaven and earth: just as heaven operates the four seasons without speaking, and earth nurtures all things without words, humans too can realize the Dao without verbal instruction. The true secrets of this practice have always been transmitted orally from master to disciple, never committed to writing. What's shared here is merely a brief outline, offered only when encountering fellow seekers of the same path.