《道樞》Vol. 12

The Chapter on Returning to Completeness says that the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth and the spirit of the cosmos; it is also the root of Qian and Kun and the essence of the sun and moon. It dwells in the indistinct and profoundly deep, containing a subtle essence; it causes Yin-Yang Qi to converge, regulates Jia and Geng, stabilizes Li and Kan, harmonizes water and fire and cold and heat, arranges the positions of sovereign and minister, turns the Yin-Yang powers symbolized by dragon and tiger, causes lead and mercury each to return to its place, and moves according to set seasonal cycles. After ninefold refinement it becomes Golden Liquid; after three years of cultivation it becomes a jade elixir. What is called “returning” is returning to the mystery of the Seven Sources and opening the heavenly pass that clearly perceives the nine revolutions. Here “gold” refers to the true lead within vermilion mercury; “liquid” refers to the true liquid within the Yellow Sprout. The wondrous nine spirits and the sovereign of Wuwei (non-action) are all gathered in the principles expounded in this book.

The oral instruction says: North and South unite, West and East respond; cause the source of creation and transformation to circulate and seize an efficacy like that of Yu the Great taming the waters. A noble steed suddenly gallops back beyond the Three Isles; the six spirits endure within the Five Lakes. The elixir is cooked in the furnace and congeals into a pill white as snow; washing the Flower Pool, one dispels the black wind. A lightning-like radiance opens the luminous world, so that even at night it becomes bright—only then can the true dragon be seen. Zhiyouzi sighed in admiration: “These words are truly profound; they speak precisely of the subtleties of the Returning Elixir.”

The Upper Chapter on Returning to the Origin says that the original beginning of primordial Qi is as tiny as a millet grain. When the bell-like form gathers, the bodily form is established; when the bell-like form disperses, the bodily form perishes.

Humans are one of the “Three Talents” of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Heaven has never collapsed and Earth has never sunk, yet human deaths are innumerable—why is this? A person’s spiritual lifespan totals roughly more than forty-three thousand two hundred days; the spirits number thirty-six thousand; the original Yang true Qi weighs three hundred eighty-four zhu and corresponds to the Qian hexagram. Yet people do not know how to conserve these Jing (essence), Qi, and Shen (spirit), but let them dissipate, so their lifespans are often cut short before they are exhausted. The Qian hexagram represents the six Yang lines complete but not yet activated or discharged; if one can guard and cultivate in this way, this is the path of cultivating immortality.

From fifteen to twenty-five years of age, if one continuously dissipates Jing and Qi, one loses forty-eight zhu; if desires still remain, the depletion will be further aggravated for another ten years, with a loss of another forty-eight zhu.

Eight zhu remain, corresponding to the “Retreat” hexagram in the Book of Changes. If one does not know how to preserve them, by the age of ten another forty-eight zhu of original Qi will have been lost, leaving eight zhu; this corresponds to the “Obstruction” hexagram. If one does not know how to preserve the vital Qi between Heaven and Earth, by the age of fifteen another seventy-two zhu of original Qi will have been lost, leaving eight zhu; this corresponds to the “Contemplation” hexagram. If one does not know how to preserve them, by the age of twenty another ninety-six zhu of original Qi will have been lost, leaving eight zhu; this corresponds to the “Stripping Away” hexagram. By the age of sixty-four—the end of the cycle of sixty-four hexagrams—the original Qi will have been exhausted. This corresponds to the “Earth” hexagram. Earth symbolizes pure Yin: one can only cling to life and struggle on until reaching one’s natural lifespan. Even so, if a wise master guides one in the way of the mysterious gate, it may still be possible to draw near to the Great Dao. The Scripture of the Yellow Court says, “Even after twenty years, one may still return”; this refers to such a case.

After the winter solstice, I quietly draw upon the vital Qi of Heaven and Earth; I call this the “rising day.” After the summer solstice, I call it the “descending day.” Year, month, day, and hour all contain changes of Yin and Yang. In the year, the winter and summer solstices are the two key turning points; in the month, the waxing and waning half moons are the two key turning points; in the day, the crucial period falls after the hour of Zi and before the hour of Wu. The same principle applies to each double-hour. By replenishing original Qi according to this method, one can reverse the Yin influence and return to Yang.

It is like a hundred-year-old tree whose sap has dried up: graft a young tree onto it, and the old tree can flourish again. How could people be any different? If one can conserve true Qi and nurture the essence, using Jing to nourish Shen and keeping Shen from leaving the body, true Qi can remain within for a long time.

If one receives the secret method from a wise master and practices accordingly, then at the hour of Zi one should hold the tally and turn the Dipper, cultivating the Golden Cauldron. After one year of practice, original Qi increases by forty-eight zhu, corresponding to the “Return” hexagram. After two years, one circulates the Red Dragon and receives the Qi of spring: a fine rain drizzles, the sea surges around Penglai Island, and the Golden Cauldron opens, making use of the Xun wind. Original Qi increases by another forty-eight zhu, corresponding to the “Approach” hexagram. After three years, Yin and Yang Qi converge; light shines within the cauldron, the dragon roars and the tiger howls, and the hun and po souls dart like lightning. Original Qi increases by another forty-eight zhu, corresponding to the “Peace” hexagram, which signifies the beginning of spring. With still more diligent practice, original Qi increases by another seventy-two zhu, corresponding to the “Great Strength” hexagram. At this point, the firing process is complete: the Red Dragon stirs, wind and thunder rise, the sun and moon within the vessel lengthen, and green waves surge within the cauldron. The “Great Strength” hexagram signifies Yang Qi at its height.

Dao Shu: A Plain-Language Interpretation

(Continuing from the preceding section on the timing and regulation of cultivation)

When one reaches the stage symbolized by the Beginning of Summer, harmful influences can no longer enter the body, and a further ninety-two zhu—a unit used in alchemical practice to symbolize the measure of essence and Qi—are added within. This corresponds to the Guai hexagram in the Classic of Changes. One can then “control the White Tiger and lock the Azure Dragon.” In alchemical language, the White Tiger and Azure Dragon often symbolize Yin and Yang, Water and Fire, or the union of tiger and dragon. Here they refer to regulating the movement and stillness of Yin and Yang, preventing them from acting recklessly.

After six years of accumulated practice, one’s skill becomes mature, and the inner state again corresponds to the Qian hexagram, symbolizing pure Yang and the vigor of Heaven’s movement. The fire blazes brightly in the furnace, and the alchemical vessel glows red. At the two crucial hours of Zi and Wu, one can recognize the true tiger and dragon, then distribute and regulate them at will according to the method. Yet the key to cultivating the Dao lies in abandoning greed, anger, attachment, and desire.

Once one has embarked on this path, the transformations unfold as follows: in the first year, the essence is renewed; in the second, the marrow; in the third, the bones; in the fourth, the sinews; in the fifth, the hair; and in the sixth, the form. The inner Qi does not leak outward, and harmful influences from outside do not enter the body. Such a person is called a True Person.

The Lower Chapter on Returning to the Origin

Zhi Youzi said: The principles of the Classic of Changes are truly subtle. In devising the hexagrams, the ancients sometimes used the second, third, and fourth lines, and sometimes the third, fourth, and fifth lines. This is the method by which hexagram images interrelate and transform. In the methods by which realized people cultivate the Dao, the top nine is taken as the head and the first six as the feet, while the second, third, fourth, and fifth lines form the body. The six lines change and circulate just as the nutritive and defensive Qi move through the four seasons. In this way, the number of the sixty-four hexagrams accords with the principles of Heaven and Earth. If I can make good use of these numbers, I can become one with Heaven and Earth.

Human life depends on the body, and the body depends on Qi to endure. When Qi gathers, the body takes shape; when Qi disperses, the body decays. Perhaps only the Way of the Classic of Changes teaches us to understand what sustains us and how to nourish it.

Daily practice: One should live in a quiet place, use thick bedding, and wear clothing suited to the season. At the Winter Solstice, or on a day marked by the Stem-Branch combination Jiazi, after the Zi hour begins, put on a robe and sit cross-legged facing east, to draw in the energy of growth and renewal.

Tap the teeth thirty-six times. Rub the palms together until they grow warm, then wipe the eyes with them. After a short pause, cover the ears with the hands; a faint sound like a bell should be heard within. Repeat this three times. Then rub the face with both hands until it grows warm. Slowly move the tongue: sweep it along the upper palate twelve times, the lower palate twelve times, the outer surfaces of the teeth and the inside of the upper lip twelve times, and the inside of the lower lip twelve times. This method is called “the Red Dragon plowing,” with the tongue as the Red Dragon plowing up saliva. When saliva gathers, hold it in the mouth and rinse until it feels warm, then swallow it in three portions.

Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao

The Method of Cultivation

One must draw in the internal Qi (vital energy). Internal Qi is the breath inhaled through the nose with the mouth closed. Guide it down to the Dantian (energy center) below the navel, and visualize that place as a cauldron into which the Qi is sent. Then visualize the fire in the heart hanging downward like a flame and burning the cauldron. Do this for thirty-six breaths to form one yang line. Next, follow the same method and draw in the Qi once more, still rinsing and swallowing it; twenty-four breaths form one yin line. Repeat this five times, accumulating five yin lines. This hexagram is called “Returning” (Fu). When the Fu hexagram is complete, rest the breath briefly and visualize the Qi swirling like yellow clouds above the spleen and stomach. After a long while, visualize the Qi returning below the navel, where it transforms into yellow earth covering the cauldron. Then comb the hair more than a hundred times and lie down for a short rest. This completes one day’s practice.

Let each month correspond to one hexagram, proceeding in a cycle: from the Zi hour of the month, the hexagram is Fu; at the Chou hour, Lin; at the Yin hour, Tai; at the Mao hour, Dazhuang; at the Chen hour, Guai; at the Si hour, Qian; at the Wu hour, Gou; at the Wei hour, Dun; at the Shen hour, Pi; at the You hour, Guan; at the Xu hour, Bo; and at the Hai hour, Kun.

The Jade Ewer Chapter (The Essentials of the Golden Elixir: Divine Water and the Flower Pool, describing the uses of water and fire)

Zhongtiaozi, whose given name was Zhang and whose surname is not recorded, was later called by the name of Zhongtiao Mountain because he lived there in seclusion. He had once heard that the essentials of the Golden Elixir lay in divine water and the Flower Pool, but had not grasped their meaning. Later, on Mount Tai, he met the Perfected One Taiyi, whose name was Yuangui. The Perfected One revealed this secret formula to him:

How hard the stone, how soft the water;
How long do they correspond through the Five Phases?
Who knows the fair maiden sinks again and again,
While the stone sits in earth and water rushes by?

The Perfected One said, “Do you understand the Flower Pool? ‘Flower’ means fire, and ‘pool’ means water. Together, they are the bellows of Heaven and Earth.”

Zhongtiaozi asked, “What purpose do metal and water among the Five Phases, and the Flower Pool, serve?”

The Perfected One Taiyi replied, “All things come into being naturally by bearing Yin and embracing Yang. Without the essence and Qi of the sun and moon, how could Yin and Yang transform and give birth to life?”

The Pivot of the Dao: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Once maturity has been reached, how could there be any further “generation”? Human beings, moreover, come into the world through the interaction of Yin and Yang within the womb. After ten months, when Yin and Yang are full and complete, true nature is born—like mercury contained in sand and arising from true gold. From this we can see that the wondrous workings of the Golden Elixir lie in Yin and Yang, from which lead and mercury are then formed.

To understand the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and distinguish the seasons’ qi, one must grasp how cold and heat meet and how Yin and Yang work through one another. Yin matures by receiving Yang; Yang rises and falls by receiving Yin. This is the essential principle of the Returning Elixir. Wood may be hard or hollow, and things may taste sweet or bitter. Though all belong to the qi of Yin and Yang, their natures differ. The Golden Elixir, too, corresponds to the hidden patterns of the sun and moon: the Azure Dragon and White Tiger rise and fall, and Water and Fire turn in motion. Only by attaining the proper timing of the four seasons can one accomplish the Great Work.

Zhongtiaozi asked, “Where are lead and mercury made?” Perfected One Taiyi replied, “Lead is the White Tiger, and mercury is the Azure Dragon—but they are not things of the human world. Mercury is born in golden sand, and golden sand comes from lead. These are treasures of long life.” This Dao should be transmitted only to those who are virtuous and compassionate. It must not be passed on to the powerful and obstinate, those who harm living things, are greedy, possessive, and jealous, or are cruel, self-willed, and reliant on their own authority; nor to those who use their influence to oppress others, lord their high rank over those below them, indulge in drink and sex, or hoard their possessions.

After Zhongtiaozi had received this Dao, more than two years passed. He then met again with a servant boy of the Xiangyang commandant, named Ying’er. The boy was a subordinate of Taiyi and had been sent to help Zhongtiaozi complete his work. He said to Zhongtiaozi, “The Shen constellation belongs to Water and is the essence of the White Tiger. Descending below, it becomes a treasure. Understand and refine it, and it can become the Returning Elixir. The Fang constellation belongs to Wood and is the essence of the Azure Dragon. The sun and moon serve as Water and Fire; when paired, they are husband and wife. If brought together, they return as one; if kept apart, they cannot draw near. Thus gold, lead, silver, mercury, cinnabar, and the Elixir are all treasures for ascending to sagehood.”

Zhongtiaozi was deeply startled and told him Taiyi Perfected One’s formula for Water and Fire. The boy said, “This is the very marrow of the Sun. It can transform Heaven and Earth and command spirits and ghosts. When cultivated, clouds rise and winds blow; Dragon and Tiger unite, hidden transformations pass through, and the Five Phases come into harmony. No one but a celestial being could know this.” Zhongtiaozi asked, “When will my medicine be ready?” The boy replied, “When the furnace is formed and the first Yang begins to rise, pure Yin will have come to an end.” (When the first stirrings of Yang arise in the furnace and pure Yin has fully withdrawn, the moment of completion has arrived.)

Once Yin and Yang have each been assigned their places in the north and south, one must grasp the Sun and Moon that dwell at the center. Tong Bing (a personal name) was granted the Ten Chapters of the Jade Gourd of Taiyi. Its essential teaching says: the Fang constellation corresponds to the Azure Dragon, the Shen constellation to the White Tiger, and the Sun and Moon to the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise. To understand the wondrous foundation of the Great Dao, one must recognize the central Earth of Wu and Ji. The Fang and Shen constellations, together with the Sun and Moon, are all called Lead and Mercury.

The Treatise on the Great Elixir says: “Spirit and Qi are the ingredients; Heaven and Earth are the furnace. Observe the clepsydra, and make the process of refining the elixir accord with the principles of the Yi.”

Yi Chengzi (Peng Zhongkan, a native of Tiantai) once met a master. The master told him: “In the Dao of Wuwei (non-action), nothing is more important than the Golden Elixir. To attain the Dao, one must follow the Golden Talisman—the rules of alchemical practice. So go to Lishui to gather gold and to Mount Kunlun to gather jade; only then can the elixir be refined.” Yi Chengzi grasped the essential point and recorded these words:

“The great medicine is Lead and Mercury. Their nature is revealed through refinement by the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Mercury divides and forms Lead, so Lead is the mother of the five metals. Lead contains impurities, and the five metals near it wither and blacken. Yet white metal, refined from lead ore through the cooking action of water and fire, becomes true gold. When gold and Mercury combine, they grow soft as mud. Lead and Mercury are originally father and son; when they meet, they become husband and wife again. This describes how they restrain one another. They are mutually attached and, in the end, never part. Mercury settles when it encounters gold. When Lead is refined, gold appears; when Mercury is refined, Mercury too remains. This is what is called the great medicine.

“The scripture says: ‘The Dao gives birth to one; one gives birth to two; two give birth to three; three give birth to the myriad things.’ From this we know that Lead and Mercury originally share a single source. ‘One gives birth to two’ means that one body divides into two. They each dwell in their own place, yet are drawn together in affinity. The scripture also says: ‘The calling crane is in the dark; its young answer in harmony.’ Perhaps this is what the passage means.

“From this we know that Lead and Mercury are Yin and Yang, ascent and descent. They are originally one body, yet divide into two substances. Human life depends on Shen as its root and blood and Qi as its foundation. For those who cultivate the Dao, Shen and Qi are the great medicine. Lead and Mercury together make the complete elixir, the most wondrous substance known to the ancients. Those who do not understand the Golden Elixir and practice only the bedchamber arts—using sexual union as a method of cultivation—may perhaps live to a hundred, but they cannot become immortals. Why? Because this method has no Shen. Lead and Mercury are the Sun and Moon; the Sun and Moon are water and fire; water and fire are the Dragon and Tiger; and the Dragon and Tiger are Yin and Yang.”

A Plain-Language Reading of Daoshu (The Pivot of the Dao)

Yin and Yang are Heaven and Earth; Heaven and Earth are Qian and Kun. Qian and Kun are the gateway to the Yijing and the “parents” of all the hexagrams.

The commentary on the Qian hexagram speaks of “the six times taking their positions.” What does this mean? There are celestial times and terrestrial times. Taken separately, they make three kinds; taken together, they form one whole.

A mnemonic verse says:

“Two and eight fall in Zi; three and seven in Hai. Four and six in Xu; five in You, Dui. The first and ninth fall in Chou; the tenth, in La-yin. The eleventh, Taichong, joins within Mao.”

These are the twelve double-hours of celestial time.

It also says: “At the second watch and second mark, it is precisely the ninth-month hare and rooster. At the fourth sound of the fifth watch, the three and seven are complete. Dawn is the Yin hour; four and six mark sunrise, with no distinction from Yin. In the fifth month, when the sun stands three zhang high; in the tenth and twelfth months, at the second mark of the fourth watch; and, if it is the eleventh month, at the start of the fourth watch.” These describe daybreak at the Yin hour and are used to identify the terrestrial Yin hour.

The sun circles the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, traveling one degree in a day and night and completing one circuit of the heavens in a year, with a remaining difference of one fen and two li. The stars, sun, and moon flow eastward in apparent motion, while the Way of Heaven turns westward. Heaven makes one complete rotation in a day and night, totaling 384 degrees.

The moon (Taiyin): a month has four phases. From the new moon to the fifteenth day, it alternates between moving slowly and quickly; from the sixteenth day to the last day of the month, it again alternates between slow and fast movement. If the conjunction is not exact, there is no new moon; if the opposition is not exact, there is no full moon. When slow, the moon travels twelve degrees in a day; when fast, fourteen degrees and seventy-four and a half fen; at its average speed, thirteen degrees and thirty-seven fen. Those who follow the Way of Heaven must attend first to the sun and moon’s degrees of travel, positions among the mansions, and waxing and waning, as well as to the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), longitude, and latitude. Why? Each of the four seasons has its own markers, and each of the Five Phases has its own cycle. Once their methods are understood, the method of Taiyin becomes clear.

What is Taiyin? Li is the essence of the sun on the Ji day; Kan is the light of the moon on the Wu day. Thus lead and mercury are Qian and Kun: Qian is the father, Kun the mother. One who receives the father’s Qi is male; one who receives the mother’s Qi is female. This is what it means for Qian and Kun together to give birth to six children.

Each of the six positions is divided into periods of thirty. Two times three make six; together they make 360. This is the principle behind “thirty spokes share one hub.”

Jia corresponds to the fifteenth day: the full moon is an image of Qian and can be seen in the evening. Yi corresponds to the thirtieth day: the dark moon is an image of the loss of companions.

Note: This chapter brings together the twelve celestial time periods, the terrestrial Yin-hour markings, the movements of the sun and moon, Qian and Kun from the Yijing, lead and mercury from the alchemical Way, and the Jia and Yi days of the sexagenary cycle. It belongs to a common kind of Daoist Canon discussion concerning the correspondence between Heaven and humanity and the timing of the alchemical firing process. To relate it to specific cultivation steps, the context of the whole text must also be considered.

This passage from The Pivot of the Dao (Daoshu) describes how internal alchemy uses the Heavenly Stems, the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), the sun and moon, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) as metaphors for Yin-Yang transformation. The following is a plain-language explanation of its general meaning.

Kun symbolizes Earth. Bing corresponds to the image of Gen on the eighth day of the month. Ji symbolizes Li, representing the sun. Ding corresponds to the image of Dui on the twenty-third day. Geng corresponds to the image of Zhen on the second day, when it “gains a companion”—appearing at dusk. Xin corresponds to the image of Xun at dawn on the sixteenth day. Ren and Gui are empty positions here. Wu symbolizes Kan, representing the moon. All of this ultimately returns to “Earth”—that is, the principle of the central palace and the Dantian (energy center).

Thus, the process begins with Jia and Yi and ends with the two forms of Qian and Kun. The sun travels along the ecliptic, and the moon along the celestial equator. Liu Hong says that the image of Qian has nine paths. At the summer solstice, the sun reaches its northernmost point, rising in the south at Yin and setting at Xu; at the winter solstice, it reaches its southernmost point, rising in the north at Chen and setting at Shen. The celestial wheel turns to the left, completing one circuit in a day and a night, covering about 384 degrees, with each degree measuring about 2,932 li and 30 paces. After the winter solstice, it enters “surplus”; after the summer solstice, it enters “contraction.” Yi Chengzi says: “Perhaps the Dao lies somewhere in this.”

Lead and mercury are originally one body; One is the beginning of the Five Phases. “The Great Expansion has a number of fifty, of which forty-nine are used”—this refers to the Five Phases: each Phase occurs five times, making twenty-five; Heaven has the Five Phases, and Earth has the Five Phases. Matched between above and below, each has its counterpart, making fifty in all. This is the ultimate number of the Five Phases of Heaven and Earth, the twelve positions, and the Yin-Yang Qi of the three origins, revolving in an unending cycle. The sages know that “One” is lead and mercury, and so they embrace the One in their practice. After forty-nine days, the sacred embryo is completed. This is the Earth Thunder Returning hexagram: beneath five Yin lines is one Yang line. The Returning hexagram says, “After seven days, it returns,” revealing the heart of Heaven and Earth. Thus, after forty-nine days of human life, the Seven Po are complete; at death, after forty-nine days, the Seven Po disperse. This is the number of return and renewal, and the culmination of Yin and Yang.

Heaven and Earth are the Five Phases, whose generative numbers are all odd or even: Qian is a Yang entity and is paired with odd numbers; Kun is a Yin entity and is paired with even numbers. Five is the number of generation, and ten the number of completion: generation proceeds through mutual production, while completion proceeds through mutual restraint. Lead and mercury correspond to Yin and Yang; Qian and Kun are the sun and moon. The sun and moon…

(The following text continues the discussion of the Five Phases, lead and mercury, and Qian, Kun, the sun, and the moon, in relation to the timing of the alchemical fire and the numbers of Heaven.)

This passage belongs to Daoist internal alchemy. It uses the Ten Heavenly Stems in correspondence with the Eight Trigrams, the movements of the sun and moon, the Great Expansion’s fifty numbers with forty-nine in use, and the Returning hexagram’s “return after seven days” to explain the principles of embracing the One, refining the elixir, and forming the embryo in forty-nine days. Lead and mercury, the sacred embryo, and the Seven Po are all metaphors for cultivation, not literal mineral refining or actual soul entities.

The Pivot of the Dao (Daoshu): A Plain-Language Interpretation

Where there is “change,” there is transformation; where there is transformation, there are Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth); where there are Qian and Kun, there is the Classic of Changes (Yijing); and where there is the Yijing, there is the Returning Hexagram. Thus it is said: if Qian and Kun were destroyed, the principle of “change” could no longer be revealed. Here, “change” refers to lead and mercury—the Yin and Yang Qi used in internal alchemy. With the Two Modes come the Four Images; with the Four Images come the Eight Trigrams. Without lead and mercury, Qian and Kun would nearly cease to function.

Day and night together contain twelve double-hours, totaling one hundred ke. Each double-hour has eight ke. Only the four double-hours Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei belong to Earth. Called the “Four Seasonal” double-hours, they each contain nine ke. From each of these four seasonal double-hours, one ke is divided into sixty fen. Twelve fen are assigned to the four initial double-hours (Yin, Shen, Si, and Hai); twenty fen are assigned to the four middle double-hours (Zi, Wu, Mao, and You) and to the four seasonal double-hours; and twenty fen remain in the original double-hour. Thus each double-hour consists of eight ke and twenty fen.

Each ke corresponds to 115 breaths, with one inhalation and one exhalation counted as a breath. Eight ke amount to 920 breaths. Add another twenty fen, equivalent to forty breaths, and the total is 960 breaths: the number of breaths in one double-hour.

Qibo, an ancient physician said to have served the Yellow Emperor, said that one inhalation and one exhalation make one breath. Accordingly, fen are counted as fen, ke as ke, double-hours as double-hours, and breaths as breaths. The twelve double-hours together amount to 11,520 breaths, corresponding to the great number of the Qian-Kun Great Expansion and the number of yarrow stalks used in divination. Taking 120 breaths as the standard and dividing them into one hundred ke naturally accords with the grand pattern of Yin and Yang’s bellows—the opening and closing of the breath—through the twelve double-hours of day and night.

What, then, is the Yin-Yang timing of the fire process, and how much lead and mercury are used in a single day?

The great number derived from the yarrow-stalk calculation is eighty-one days. The “charcoal”—a metaphor for the consumption of Jing and Qi during cultivation—amounts to 11,664 liang. This yields 108 units of “one hundred and eight,” and 144 units of “eighty-one.”

A year has 384 days. After excluding the days when Kan and Li (Water and Fire) move through the twenty-four solar terms, 260 days remain for actual cultivation. The charcoal used amounts to 51,840 liang, yielding 480 units of “one hundred and eight” and 640 units of “eighty-one.” Thus, the charcoal for one year can produce the days of nine years; the charcoal for three years can produce the days of twenty-seven days.

One hundred and twenty days make one cycle. There are three cycles in a year, and nine cycles in three years.

The Pivot of the Dao: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Gathering the Elixir Is Like Fishing

There are fixed methods for circulating and gathering the Elixir. The ancients often used lead as a metaphor for “fishing gear”: fishing requires a hook, a rod, deep water, and bait.

• With a hook but no rod, you cannot fish anything out.
• With a rod but no line, the line cannot be lowered into the water.
• With a line but no bait, the fish will not come near the surface.

Gathering the Elixir is similar: lead, mercury, the firing process, and focused intention are all necessary. The “firing process” and “charcoal” discussed below are key parts of this method.

The Firing Process and Charcoal

The firing process is regulated with charcoal. Here, charcoal is a metaphor for charcoal made by burning Fusang wood. In alchemical methods, it often refers to a kind of “fire medium” that steadies the flame and aids refinement, not just any ordinary firewood.

The Eight Trigrams, Earthly Branches, and Monthly Order

In cultivation, the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) are often correlated with the Twelve Earthly Branches and the months:

By arranging and correlating them in this way, one can discern the sequence of the sixty-four hexagrams in the mind or in a diagram. Comparing this sequence with the monthly order—the celestial phenomena and seasonal divisions of each month—shows how cultivation should accord with the timing of Heaven.

The Heavens in the Eleventh Month and the Dipper Constellation

Take the eleventh month as an example: the sun is in the Ji mansion; at dusk, the Eastern Wall mansion is on the meridian, and at dawn, the Zhen mansion is on the meridian. The Dipper handle begins its course at the Zi position among the Earthly Branches.

Star texts such as the Wuxian Jing say that the Northern Dipper (the Dipper) lies beneath Huagai. Below it is the Tiangang star, and below that the Gouchen star. The Heavenly Emperor star is in the mouth of Gouchen, directly facing the Great Emperor star.

The Northern Dipper is commonly said to have seven bright stars, named in order: Tianshu, Xuan, Ji, Quan, Heng, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang. Another tradition says the Dipper has nine stars, two of which are usually invisible. Alchemists use the movement of the Dipper and its handle to describe advancing and withdrawing the fire in rhythms that follow the year and the month.

The Three-Tiered Altar, Water, and Fire

During cultivation, a three-tiered altar is set up, symbolizing water above and fire below—or, outwardly, water and fire, and inwardly, the refinement of Yin-Yang. This accords with statements in the Classic of Changes such as “When the nine is used, dragons appear without a leader: good fortune” and “Clouds follow the dragon; wind follows the tiger.” The emphasis is on advancing in De at the right time, and remaining correct through advance, retreat, preservation, and loss. Once students grasp the sages’ Way, they will feel that “the Dao is in the palm of the hand.”

Months, Hexagrams, and the Amount of Fire Used

The following method correlates the lunar months, hexagram names, line positions, and amount of fire used. The “liang” is an ancient unit of weight; here it serves as a metaphor for the strength of the fire:

The general idea is that, beginning with the Fu hexagram in the Zi month, Yang Qi first arises and the fire should gradually increase. By the fourth month, the Qian hexagram resembles “the overreaching dragon,” so one should not press forward too fiercely. After summer begins, the hexagrams turn Yin; in the seventh and eighth months, one should withdraw and draw off the fire, in accord with Yang Qi’s rise and decline in nature, to avoid over-refining.

Summary

This passage uses fishing to explain that every element is needed to gather the Elixir; Fusang charcoal to explain the firing process; and the Eight Trigrams, monthly order, and Dipper stars to explain the timing of Heaven. Finally, it uses the sequence of hexagrams from Fu, Lin, and Tai through to Guan, together with the monthly “liang” of fire, to show that Neidan cultivation should adjust the intensity of the fire according to the monthly order and hexagram patterns, synchronizing advance, retreat, preservation, and loss with the movement of Heaven and Earth. The specific weights and altar methods belong to oral instructions transmitted by teachers. A plain-language interpretation can explain the underlying idea, but practical application should be checked against authoritative teachers and the classics.

This passage discusses a crucial stage in regulating the “fire phases” in Neidan (internal alchemy)—the timing and intensity of Yin-Yang energy circulating within the body—and uses the hexagrams of the Book of Changes to illustrate it.

The ninth month corresponds to the “Splitting Apart” hexagram in the Book of Changes, symbolizing the beginning decline of Yang Qi. At this point, cultivation should enter the stage of “reducing the fire at the fifth place of the six”: just as the flame in a furnace needs to be lowered, the body’s “fire” (Yang Qi) should also be drawn in appropriately and not allowed to grow too strong.

The tenth month corresponds to the “Receptive” hexagram, symbolizing Yin at its utmost. This is the stage of “reducing the utmost at the top place”: Yang Qi has withdrawn to its limit, while soft, yielding Yin Qi fills the body. The “essential principle of Water and Fire”—the central secret of their interaction—refers to how to regulate the body’s energy precisely at the pivotal moment when Yin and Yang transform into one another.

The passage then quotes the Song of Yi Chengzi: “The transformation of lead and mercury”—terms in Neidan for the body’s Yin and Yang essences and Qi—is as intricate as twisting threads of hemp. Why look outside for the ‘River Chariot,’ the path along which true Qi circulates?”

Finally, it criticizes worldly alchemy, or the “Nine Schools”: people in the world know only how to “draw out mercury” through mechanical methods, while immortals who have truly attained the Dao can refine “mercury” (essence and Qi) into “cinnabar” (the Golden Elixir) through inner cultivation. This emphasizes the fundamental difference between Neidan and external alchemy: the key lies in inner transformation, not external chemical operations.