《道樞》Vol. 21

The Golden Elixir (Jindan) is made from the "true lead" and the true mercury. The true lead refers to the "white bones" within the lead of the north. Eight liang of it serve as the medicinal seedling (the medicine sprouts and grows within the cauldron, like grass and trees putting forth shoots). One then seeks mercury from the red quarter. Mercury is the essential qi of the Vermilion Bird (Zhuque) of the south. In the Five Phases, the south belongs to Fire, and the Vermilion Bird is the essence of fire. Eight liang of this mercury are extracted and used together with the lead.

How are Water and Fire, Yin and Yang, brought into harmony? Water has an "upper" and an "inner" aspect, and Fire has a "lower" and an "outer" aspect. On the third, fifth, and seventh days, medicine is added: one liang of mercury and one bowl of water. By the fifteenth day, the "ascending clouds" appear. When thirty-six days are complete, the "golden phoenix" is accomplished.

Yin and Yang are circulated day and night, and the key lies in harmonization (tiaohe), so that the mercury transforms itself within the cauldron into the yellow sprout (huangya). After passing the count of the three and eight, the fire is gently increased and kept steadily warm, without deviation in degree. When the cauldron is opened, the true dragon and tiger appear. This is the first step in forming the head of the elixir.

Next, one removes the black and takes the red, entering the Florid Pool (Huachi). The divine talisman and white snow are decocted together in the same broth. Four liang of white snow are used, produced in the Lingjun region. The surface of the broth should constantly bubble like fish eyes. At the one-nine, two-nine, and three-nine stages, one carefully observes whether the timing of the fire is right and then stops. By the five-nine stage, the fire has become excessive. Wash the medicine with the broth until it is clear and free of any impure taste, so that its color becomes like the vault of heaven. Then place it in a gold pan to stir-fry and bake, and moisten it with immortal wine (a light sprinkling suffices) so that the color turns red. For three days it remains hidden in the fire, and then it is placed into the cauldron. Sit facing the furnace, and let the counts of two, three, four, and five be distinct and clear. Every five days, begin at the "middle transport" and start again from the position above Li.

The Mao and You gates must not be used to move the fire carelessly. One need only work diligently on the north and south. Yin fire should "lie down," and Yang fire should "stand." If the cauldron is exposed and wind enters, only a faint, gentle breeze should be admitted. Furthermore, the sealing must be firm and secure so that the cauldron does not leak. When the medicine is complete, it is as natural as breathing. After one hundred and twenty days, the furnace is opened. This is called the Small Returning Elixir (Xiao Huandan). Taking it can dispel the myriad ailments, and even the spring at the sole of the foot dries up, a metaphor for essence and qi returning to their root. The secret methods of the cauldron cannot be fully conveyed in writing.

The Jinshu Yujian (Golden Book and Jade Mirror) section adds a separate line of meaning, often read alongside the preceding chapter. The Dao is within oneself: all things are complete in me, so do not seek them outside. The Central Palace (the Dantian, within body and mind) contains the cauldron, and above it is the Flower Canopy (a metaphor for the crown of the head and the Niwan Palace). This is the pivot of inner cultivation.

In cultivating Neidan (internal alchemy), one must first properly set the furnace (lu). The furnace is the Kun position outside the cauldron (ding), which refers to our own body. Within the body lies the elixir of longevity, namely shen (spirit), qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and ye (fluids). The furnace has eight gates. What are they? They are our eyes, ears, and nose, the passages for seeing, hearing, and breathing, much like the openings of a bellows. One should open and close these gates as one opens and closes a door, so that the movements of each part each find their proper place, and one should constantly reinforce this guarding so that improper influences do not rise against and harm the interior. In this way, within the furnace of Heaven and Earth and the cauldron of creation, the medicinal ingredients are compounded and Yin and Yang are brought into harmony, qi and shen are refined, and only then can the work succeed.

What is meant by the canopy above the cauldron that covers it from above? Heaven belongs to Qian and to Metal, and within the inner realm it corresponds to the lung palace. Its canopy is above, covering the upper part of the viscera below. It connects with the nose and is called the Gate of Heaven. It governs the rising and descending of breath and circulates jing qi through the nutritive and defensive qi (rongwei), cycling it through the five viscera and flowing it throughout the body. The rise and fall, and the greater and lesser beats of its pulse, all follow fixed patterns, much as the heavens move the stars and constellations and the earth turns the rivers. What the Gate of Heaven moves is the lung: it draws clear qi in and out, and this is the lid of the cauldron.

Earth, meanwhile, is the belly of the cauldron, where all things are generated. Earth belongs to Kun, and within the inner realm it corresponds to the spleen and stomach, which contain water and grain and communicate upward with the mouth. The mouth is the gate of the throat and the door of Earth, receiving grain and water and lowering them into the stomach's passage. The spleen receives the rising and falling qi of the Gate of Heaven, turning and transforming it to refine grain and water and separating the clear from the turbid. The clear essence of the grain rises to the upper burner, the palace of heart and lungs, where it becomes shen, qi, jing, and ye. The turbid portion is discharged downward into the large and small intestines. Thus the stomach is the cauldron of transformation, the mouth is the furnace of Earth, and the nose is the gate of Heaven. The mysterious female (xuanpin) dwells at the center, and is named the philtrum (renzhong). These are the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. The breath passing through the Gate of Heaven accords with the degrees of the stars' movements above, and the water flowing through the door of Earth corresponds internally to the blood. From this, one can discuss the principles of the sun, moon, and Yin-Yang.

The sun, residing above and honored, is the celestial soul (tianhun) and the solar fire essence (taiyang huojing). Its position lies between Qian and Gen. It flourishes in summer and wanes in winter, and its nights are short while its days are long.

The Golden Rooster (jinji) is hidden within it, concealed in the Yin Qi. The rooster corresponds to the Earthly Branch you, and externally to the West, to Metal and Stone. Metal gives birth to Water. Qian symbolizes Heaven and also Metal. Gen lies within mountains and stone and is Yin within Yang. Its inner realm corresponds to the Upper Burner (shangjiao), the qi sea of the upper body. This is the "Heavenly Heart Numinous Talisman" (tianxin lingfu): the head is like Gen's mountain, the mouth like a cavern's valley, and this is precisely the source from which Water emerges. Water is originally the Yin Qi accumulated by Kun. It rises toward Heaven and halts at the Canopy (huagai), the crown of the head, where it transforms into rain and dew, moistens the Heart, and is again Yin within Yang.

Li is Yang outside and Yin inside, resembling a gentleman without and a petty person within. It is like cinnabar, which belongs to Fire, yet contains mercury. This is the soul of the "Maiden of Great Yin" (taiyin chanü). Her garment is of five colors. Li means "to cling" or "to adhere" (li), and its essence is the sun. Within the splendor of the five colors lies the Crimson Palace (jianggong), the chamber in the heart, which connects upward to the eyes. The eyes correspond to the Mud Pellet Palace (niwan gong), the Upper Dantian, and within it dwells the Shen. Shen is the master of Heaven and Earth and the spirit of all things. One who cultivates life must first clarify the Shen. When the Shen is clear, no evil can intrude, and this is the great medicine of longevity. If one cannot subdue the heart, a false fire arises within, like cinnabar that does not die but flies up at the touch of flame. For this reason, it is said that the heart is the master of life.

The Moon dwells low and humble, as the Earthly Soul (dipo) and the Water Essence of Great Yin. It is located in Kun and Xun. It flourishes in winter and withers in summer, with short days and long nights. Within it lies hidden Yang Jing, which is the "Jade Hare" (yutu). The hare corresponds to the Earthly Branch mao and, through the East, to Wood. Wood gives birth to Fire, and this is Yang within Yin. Its inner realm is the Lower Burner (xiajiao), and in the viscera it corresponds to the kidneys. The kidneys are two: the center is the Dantian, and in front lie the Xun Sea and the Water Palace (shuifu). For this reason, rivers and lakes return to Xun.

People of the world do not understand the correct positions of Yin and Yang. They believe that Kan is in the North and Li is in the South, but this is mistaken. Kan actually occupies the position of Kun and Xun in the South, and the solid Yang within Kan is the Fire of the Southern si and wu branches. Li actually occupies the position of Qian and Gen in the North, and the hollow Yin within Li is the Water of the Northern hai and zi branches. The Moon is Yin outside and Yang within, a petty person without and a gentleman within, like lead and tin. Therefore, within the Yin, its...

Daoshu (Pivot of the Way): A Plain-Language Commentary

Water within stone can give rise to silver, and silver is wrapped on the outside by red gold. Gold and silver both belong to yang within yin, which internal alchemy (neidan) calls the "Infant" (ying'er). It unites with the Yin Maiden (taiyin chanü) within cinnabar as husband and wife. Their natures and feelings respond to each other, and they condense into stone.

Kan, the trigram of water in the Eight Trigrams (bagua), is like a great sea of water or a dragon's palace, where a sovereign dwells in the northern gate, facing south, with the place of honor at the top. The Moon symbolizes earth, and if earth had no yang, the myriad things could not be born. All things receive their life from Heaven and grow toward the sun. This is the constant Way. Humans are the most spiritual of the myriad things and should follow the Way of Heaven, which dwells within the human body. Within the body, pure yang, true unity, and the qi of pure natural spontaneity can bring about long life. And how is longevity attained? Through cultivation, day and night without pause.

One day of inner cultivation corresponds to one year of heavenly movement. Thus yin and yang are raised and lowered, circulating through the four seasons and the twelve double-hours. Daytime corresponds to spring and summer, and night follows autumn and winter. The beginning and end of day and night are exactly the time when Heaven and Earth are in harmony (jiaotai).

Hai, Zi, Chou (about 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.) correspond to the winter of Heaven. Yin rises to the heart, and yang descends to the Water Mansion (shuifu), the kidneys. Here one warms the kidneys and refines the bones, so that the "golden sinews and jade marrow" are formed and one becomes a true person. This is like mountain stones that quietly receive the rising and falling qi of yin and yang and transform into gold, silver, pearls, jade, cinnabar, copper, and iron.

Yin, Mao, Chen (about 3 a.m. to 9 a.m.) correspond to the spring of Heaven. Yin descends beneath the Canopy (huagai), and yang rises above the cauldron (dingnai). Here one warms the liver and nourishes the sinews and vessels. This is like grasses and trees quietly receiving the gentle harmony of yang and growing into flowers, leaves, sprouts, and tendrils.

Si, Wu, Wei (about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) correspond to the summer of Heaven. Yang descends into the Water Mansion, and yin reaches its extreme in the Fire Palace (huogong), the heart. Here one warms the heart and refines the blood, which becomes like white milk.

Shen, You, Xu (about 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.) correspond to the autumn of Heaven. Yang reaches its peak and descends to Heaven, while yin returns and rises to Earth. Here one warms the spleen and refines the skin.

Day and night correspond to the four seasons, and yin and yang are transformed within a single body.

This is the path by which an ordinary person gradually enters the sacred realm. Before taking it, however, one must first understand the two principles of "ruler and minister" and "husband and wife."

If we speak in terms of the inner landscape (neijing, the picture of cultivation within the human body), then the body is like a kingdom, and the head is like its walled capital. The eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are its four gates. The hands and feet are the soldiers stationed in the four quarters, guarding against the unforeseen. Among these, the heart is the sovereign, and qi is the ministers and officials: the heart is the master of qi, and qi is the heart's servant. When the shen (spirit) is clear and still, the primordial qi harmonizes naturally, and when shen and qi unite, longevity becomes possible. This is like a wise ruler and loyal ministers, each in their proper place, so that the realm enjoys peace.

Within the inner landscape, the ruler's seat is the Crimson Palace (Jianggong, the palace within the heart, belonging to Fire), and what it governs is the pure, primordial, true unified qi (the innate single qi, the original and genuine qi). The ministers' seat is the Kan Palace (the abode of the kidneys, belonging to Water), and what it governs is the dark, mysterious fluid of Grand Yin (the yin essence and true water within the kidneys). Heaven sends down true qi that gives birth to the myriad things, just as a ruler bestows favor upon his ministers. Yin qi rises to the north and condenses into dew and rain that nourish all things, just as ministers assist their ruler.

The ruler is the heart. The heart connects to the tongue, and beneath the tongue lies the Jade Pool (yuchi). On the left is the Golden Essence (jinjing), and on the right is the Jade Fluid (yuye). These are what is meant by the dark, mysterious fluid. This fluid ascends and descends above, transforming into rain, dew, and deep springs that moisten the heart, and only then does the heart come to life. This is what is meant by "the ruler obtains his ministers." The minister is the kidneys. Between the two kidneys lies the Dantian (energy center), and in front of it is the Xun Sea (the water reservoir). The qi within the kidneys originally arises from Li (Fire, the heart), and it descends to warm and nourish the Dantian. This is what is meant by "the ruler hides in the northern gate," that is, the ruler's qi is concealed in the place of kidney water in the north. When the ruler is wise and the ministers virtuous, the state flourishes. When the heart is bright and the qi is clear, the body may attain longevity. To govern a state, first govern the body; to cultivate the Dao, first clarify the mind-spirit and then regulate the primordial qi. The principle is, after all, one and the same.

I often also illustrate this with the principles of a single household. The body is a dwelling, and the five viscera are its chambers. Qian (Heaven) is the father and Kun (Earth) is the mother; Kan (Water) is the middle son and Li (Fire) the middle daughter; Zhen (Thunder) is the eldest son and Xun (Wind) the eldest daughter; Gen (Mountain) is the youngest son and Dui (Lake) the youngest daughter. Father Qian and mother Kun are paired as a couple, and the three sons and three daughters are paired as husbands and wives.

The liver dwells in the eastern palace and belongs to Wood. Jia is the elder brother and Yi the younger sister. Jia takes Ji as his wife, and Yi takes Geng as her husband. Therefore, the liver sinks when it meets water, because metal qi is mixed within the wood. The lungs dwell in the west and belong to Metal…… (If the scripture has further continuation, it may be translated in the same manner.)

The lungs belong to the Western palace and correspond to Metal among the Five Phases (Wuxing). Among the Heavenly Stems, Geng is the elder brother and Xin the younger sister. Geng pairs with Yi as husband and wife, and Xin pairs with Bing as husband and wife. This is why the lungs can float upon water. The reason is that Metal contains the Qi of Fire.

The heart belongs to the Southern palace and corresponds to Fire. Bing is the elder brother and Ding the younger sister. Bing pairs with Xin, and Ding pairs with Ren as husband and wife. This is why the heart can repel fire and is not harmed by it. The reason is that Fire contains the Qi of Water.

The kidneys belong to the Northern palace and correspond to Water. Ren is the elder brother and Gui the younger sister. Ren pairs with Ding, and Gui pairs with Wu as husband and wife. This is why the kidneys can repel water. The reason is that Water contains the Qi of Earth.

The spleen belongs to the Central palace and corresponds to Earth. Wu is the elder brother and Ji the younger sister. Wu pairs with Gui, and Ji pairs with Jia as husband and wife. This is why the spleen can receive grain and transform food. The reason is that Earth contains the Qi of Wood.

This is the cauldron of creation and transformation (Zaohua zhi Ding). The relations between ruler and minister in a state, husband and wife in a household, and Shen and Qi within the human body follow the same principle. The Dao of long life and enduring vision is unchanged from antiquity to the present. From this one should understand the true realm and true images within the body.

What is called the inner realm (neijing) means taking the body as a state and a single body as a whole world. The true image is the furnace-cauldron within the body, which contains heaven and earth, sun and moon, stars, wind and clouds, the River of Heaven, mountains and peaks, rivers and streams, and grasses and trees. Heaven corresponds to Qian, to Metal, and to the Canopy (Huagai), dwelling above all phenomena. Within the inner realm, this is the lungs. The place where the stars, sun, and moon revolve is the upper burner of the inner realm, which measures the circulation of ying and wei Qi. Above the Great Void and the mysterious boundary, clear Qi condenses. Below the mysterious boundary, turbid Qi gathers and disperses. The division between upper clarity and lower turbidity is the membrane (luoge) of the middle burner in the inner realm. Above this membrane lies the pure domain, and below it lies the foul and turbid region. The five sacred peaks correspond to the head, and the ravines and valleys correspond to the mouth and nose. Springs correspond to the fluids and food. Rivers flowing into the great sea are a metaphor for food gathering in the Repository of Water and Grain, which is the stomach. Clouds and rain arising from mountains and rivers correspond to hair.

To grasp the enduring Dao of heaven and earth, one must attain Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and Zhenyi (True Unity). What does this mean? It means that within the furnace-cauldron of heaven and earth, one causes yin and yang to join internally without losing the primordial Qi (yuanqi). Human beings are born by receiving heaven and earth, and they become offspring by uniting the Jing of heaven and earth. For this reason, the images within the body correspond to the transformations of heaven and earth.

The Daoshu (Pivot of the Dao) holds that the inner realm of the human body also contains the enduring Way of Heaven and Earth. Without receiving the Dao of Heaven and Earth and investigating the efficacy of Yin-Yang, how could one preserve one's natural lifespan (tiannian)? One who can recognize, within the inner realm, the union of Heaven and Earth and the embracing and nurturing of Yin-Yang, and who nourishes the self with Shen (Spirit), Qi (vital energy), and jinye (bodily fluids), will achieve longevity once the sun and moon are full. Having learned how to achieve longevity, one must also understand the transformations and refining of the Five Phases (Wuxing).

The Five Phases correspond to the Five Viscera. The liver belongs to the eastern palace of the Zhen trigram, to jiayi wood, and to the Azure Dragon. The lungs belong to the western palace of the Dui trigram, to gengxin metal, and to the White Tiger. The heart belongs to the southern palace of the Li trigram, to bingding fire, and to the Vermilion Bird. The kidneys belong to the northern palace of the Kan trigram, to renggui water, and to the Black Tortoise. The spleen belongs to the central palace of the Kun trigram and to wuji earth. Using the dingnai (cauldron and tripod) to harmonize the sixiang (Four Images) and circulate the Five Phases, water is the fluid, and within that fluid is metal, which is why it is called jinye (Golden Liquor). Metal overcomes wood, wood generates fire, and fire refines metal again, so the return of the Four Images all arises from earth. Earth governs Shen: one who attains the Dao becomes an immortal (xian), and one who loses it becomes a ghost (gui).

Practitioners of xiuzhen (cultivation of perfection) should abandon worldly splendor, keep away from desire, and reject rich and rank foods. They should remain still and free, dwell among cliffs and ravines, and purify themselves through fasting before ascending the altar and entering the chamber. They choose an auspicious day and wait for the proper moment, turn their backs to yin and face yang, close their eyes and sit evenly, clasp the fists (woGu) and quiet the mind, and then open the furnace door to await the operation of the fire. Only after the Five Viscera are refined and the hundred bones are transformed does one reach the sacred work and numinous transformation. Yet one must still pass through nine revolutions (jiuzhuan), and only when the work is complete can one ascend to immortality. The first revolution takes about four months, and the third takes one full cycle of the year. When the nine refinements are complete, roughly three years have passed and the elixir is formed. The elixir measures one square inch, weighs one jin, and has equal parts yin and yang. Externally it corresponds to the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines of the Taiyi (Great Simplicity), with four hexagrams together weighing twenty-four zhu (ancient weight units). Since one liang equals twenty-four zhu, four hexagrams make one liang, and sixty-four hexagrams make one jin. The nine revolutions are the first stage of immortality: calamities cannot touch the practitioner, cold and heat cannot invade, water and fire cannot harm, and evil spirits hide their forms. One who can change form and transform the body and enter sagehood is called a Zhongxian (Middle Immortal).

I

When the great work is complete and the mysterious transformation has matured, the True Qi (zhenqi) becomes pure Yang, and only then may one ascend to audience with the Lord Sovereign (Dijun).

II

Essentials of Cultivating the True (Xiuzhen Yaojue)

(Gathering the Five Phases according to the four seasons, with metal and wood interspersed; a thousand days may bring completion.)

The Prince (Wang Tingyang, younger brother of Liu Haichan) says: The Dao (Dao) has no name from the beginning, and its root lies in what is natural and spontaneous. The "One" that "generates the One" is the original source of the Dao. The One generates Two, and Two is Heaven and Earth. Two generates Three, and with the Three Powers (sancai) complete, the myriad things come into being. Thus Heaven is the father, Earth is the mother, and humans are their male and female offspring. The father's essence (jing) is Yang, the mother's blood is Yin, and when they unite to form a human being, the Three Powers all have their root in the one Qi. For this reason, the "One" is the foundation of long life. The Book of Changes says that when Heaven and Earth interact, Kan and Li arise, and one who cultivates the body should take this image as a model.

Many in the world cultivate the body and nourish life, yet few reach the Dao. Why? The intentions of the sages are difficult to fathom, and most people are misled by what they hear secondhand. Thus the teachings of grain avoidance, swallowing saliva, ingesting mist, circulating the breath, guiding and stretching the body, drinking milk, and holding the breath are not what is meant by the essential Way. They are like searching for pearls by wandering through the mountains.

What I call essential is this: cultivate the True One, gather the Five Phases, arrange the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), unite the Four Images, and encompass the Three Powers. Qian and Kun serve as my furnace and cauldron, and Kan and Li serve as my medicinal substances. The hexagrams Zhun and Meng arise at dawn and dusk, and Ji Ji and Wei Ji do not err with the new and full moon. Follow their sequence and cycle through it for a thousand days, and the work is accomplished. I have composed one hundred poems, drawn out their essential and subtle points, and obtained the twelve verses below.

Verse One

The Sun Crow and the Moon Hare (images of sun and moon) follow each other without separation, and nature and life are bound together, though few people realize it. Grasp the principle of Heaven and Earth in harmonious exchange, and Kan and Li will naturally join together.

Verse Two

The worldly bustle about, seeking the True, mostly toying with cinnabar and quicksilver. Without refining the medicine within one's own body, even mercury, once dead, could never secure life for the living.

Verse Three

The fire timing of the cosmic circuit (zhoutian) is deeply subtle, and its movements of drawing and adding each have their proper moment. When the seasonal nodes are kept without error across seventy-two periods, one naturally subdues the "Tiger and Dragon child" (a metaphor for the essential Yin and Yang Qi).

Verse Four

Not in the marketplace, not in the mountains; not bound by fame or profit, not bound by leisure. The worldly regard long life as a sickness to be seen; only when the heart is penetrated to cold ash does one return to the origin (this is the principle of inner cultivation, not outward seeking).

Verse Five

Yin belongs to Earth and to time; Yang belongs to Heaven and to the One. The One leads to the realm of ghosts, while Two leads to the immortals. In cultivation one must see the affairs of the hidden and the manifest, for nature and life are related to what lies right before one's eyes.

Daoshu (Pivot of the Dao), Scroll 21: A Vernacular Explanation

The following is a popular explanation of the oral formulas for Neidan (internal alchemy) and the Golden Elixir (Jindan), preserving the original imagery and terminology.

Verse Six

The secret of the Golden Elixir lies in "seizing the power of Heaven" (duo tian quan), which means grasping the root of one's own life and nature. This root is found in the present moment and need not be sought outside.

Consider the image of the Northern Black Tortoise (Xuanwu): why are the tortoise and the serpent coiled together? (The tortoise governs stillness and the serpent governs movement. Water and fire unite, symbolizing the joining of kidney water with heart fire, which is the key to inner cultivation.)

Verse Seven

Gray hair appears at the temples, and one should know that one's days are few,

yet one still indulges greedily, acting recklessly and giving free rein to the desires of the heart-mind.

Those who do not understand how the Five Phases (Wuxing) and the sun and moon join together

will suffer when the time comes, and to whom will they be able to complain?

Verse Eight

Water and fire are inherently affectionate toward each other; where, then, should Wood, Metal, Water, and Fire each be sought?

(The Five Phases are one qi, and their meeting point must be found within the body.)

To shed the yellow and don the purple, transforming coarse, heavy qi into light, clear qi, what does one rely on? Only on the "river chariot" (heche), the qi that ascends along the Governing Vessel, circulating deeply and for a long time.

Verse Nine

The Five Phases and the Four Images, with Kan (Water) and Li (Fire) paired together,

are already set out clearly at the point of starting work in the poetic formulas.

But who truly understands where the effort should land,

and how many have fully comprehended it, and how many have actually put it into practice?

Verse Ten

The cauldron, the furnace, and the timing of the fire must be examined with great care.

Refined until the qi channels are pure and unified, the clear qi naturally rises.

When the Earthly Gate (dihu), the area around the Lower Pass and perineum, is settled and at rest, the marrow gradually becomes full;

when the Heavenly Gate (tianmen), the Upper Pass at the crown of the head, has been filled with qi over a long period, it naturally opens up wide.

Verse Eleven

Students who have understood the principles of cultivating the Real

must still rely on the proper methods at every stage to protect the practice and prevent deviation.

Remember the saying "water cannot easily hold fire": when Yin and Yang are out of balance, the elixir is difficult to form.

Even more to be feared are the Yin ghosts nearby (deluded thoughts and external demons) that disturb and obstruct.

Verse Twelve

If one has not yet met an enlightened teacher, one may first read these poetic formulas,

for within the poems are methods that can be practiced and upheld.

Even if one cannot reach Penglai (the realm of the immortals) in this lifetime,

dying in the human world having followed the methods is far better than living in confusion and dying slowly without awareness.

Note: The above verses are poetic formulas of Neidan that frequently use metaphors of the body and mind drawn from the Five Phases, Kan and Li, the Tortoise and Serpent, the river chariot, and the Earthly and Heavenly Gates to describe the timing of inner fire. Actual practice must be carried out under the guidance of an enlightened teacher. This vernacular explanation is intended only to aid understanding of the meaning of the text and cannot replace the transmission of actual practice.