《道樞》Vol. 22

The Chapter on Cultivating the Golden Elixir (Jindan) discusses achieving spiritual transformation by regulating the breath and bringing the self into accord with the creative workings of nature. According to the scripture, breathing is the foundation of cultivation: a person takes roughly thirty-six thousand breaths each day, and Qi (vital energy) circulates through the thirty-six passes of the body, moving and being refined according to the patterns symbolized by the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and the Nine Cauldrons.

The day is divided into twelve shichen (double-hours), each shichen containing eight ke and seventeen fen. The scripture states that every four breaths constitutes one zhi; this can traverse the thirty-six passes and four acupoints. In each pass or acupoint the movement of breath takes about two ke and five fen, so that one shichen contains about three thousand breaths and one ke about three hundred sixty breaths. The twelve shichen further correspond to the four seasons and contain the patterns of flourishing and decline, generation and overcoming.

The scripture then enumerates the thirty-six passes: the Lower Dantian (energy center) is called the Suhua Pass; the Huangzhong acupoint the Wulu Pass; the Weilü acupoint the Cuiwei Pass; the Tianzhu acupoint the Lulu Pass; the area behind the anus the Yuanmen Pass; the Niwan Palace the Taiyi Pass; the Xuanying acupoint the Haiquan Pass; and the Twelve Towers the Sanyuan Pass. The lungs, liver, heart, and spleen are called, respectively, the White Tiger Pass, Azure Dragon Pass, Pengxiao Pass, and Zhonghuang Pass. In addition, there are twenty-four other passes, named in order Shousheng, Tongyuan, Yuqiong, Qixing, Weiling, Mingtang, Ruiquan, Mingmen, Jincheng, Kunyuan, Huangjun, Yugui, Chicheng, Rongjin, Toulong, Yurui, Yulou, Jinquan, Jincheng, Chongtian, Jinfeng, Bingxiao, Huiyuan, and Baiqiong.

The “four acupoints” use carts and carriages as metaphors for the pathways by which the Qi of the viscera moves and pays court to the spirits. The liver is like a sheep cart; riding it to pay court to the Jade Emperor and assemble the gods, this acupoint is named the Pengying Acupoint. The kidney is like a deer cart; riding it to pay court at Kunlun, this acupoint is named the Sanfeng Acupoint. The heart is like a great ox cart. The scripture then begins to explain the carriage corresponding to the heart, but the extant text ends here.

Riding the Fire Dragon into Penglai, Guarding the Central Cavity

By "riding the fire dragon" (yùhuǒ lóng, guiding yang energy during cultivation), one enters Penglai (Pénglái), an immortal-isle state that here refers to the dantian or an inner realm of immortal-like stillness. The point is called the Shǒuzhōng Xué (Guarding-the-Center Cavity), which means holding the intention steadily at the exact center of the dantian.

Spleen Earth and the Protective City Point

The spleen belongs to Earth and governs the four directions. Metal and Water stand on its left and right. This point is called the Bǎochéng Xué (Protecting-the-City Cavity), because it guards the essence and qi the way a city wall guards its people.

The Way of Black and White

What is the Way of Black and White? It is White Metal (the essence of Metal) and Black Tiger (the essence of Water), which together are the qi of Yin and Yang.

Its circulation passes through Róng (nutritive qi, which travels within the vessels) and Wèi (protective qi, which travels outside them). What goes out is Róng, and what comes in is Wèi. One outgoing breath and one incoming breath together make one yīxī (a single breath cycle).

The Four Seasons and the Number of Breaths

Each breath follows a fixed rhythm (sìzhì) that matches the regular course of the four seasons. In winter, spring, summer, and autumn, Róng travels the White Path and Wèi travels the Black Path, and each season has its own corresponding hours and breath counts. The original text records 13,000 breaths of Róng and 23,000 of Wèi in winter, and gives other figures for spring, summer, and autumn. All of these are matched to the solar terms and to the Zǐwǔ liúzhù (the midnight-to-noon flow of qi through the twelve double-hours).

In winter, Yang is stored within, corresponding to the hours of Zǐ, Chǒu, and Yín. In spring, Yang is likewise within, corresponding to Mǎo, Chén, and Sì. In summer, Yin is stored within, corresponding to Wǔ, Wèi, and Shēn. In autumn, Yin is likewise within, corresponding to Yǒu, Xū, and Hài. (The specific breath counts appear in the original text and are omitted here.)

The Eight Trigrams and Nine Cauldrons

What do the Eight Trigrams and Nine Cauldrons refer to? During the hours of Zǐ, Chǒu, and Yín, Kǎn (Water) serves as the Yang cauldron, and true Yin is in charge. During Mǎo, Chén, and Sì, Zhèn (Thunder) serves as the Yang cauldron, and Wood is in charge. During Wǔ, Wèi, and Shēn, Lí (Fire) serves as the Yin cauldron, and Qián (Heaven) is in charge. During Yǒu, Xū, and Hài, Duì (Lake) serves as the Metal cauldron, and Duì is in charge.

At Chǒu, Earth is in its season and holds sway, gathering into the central palace. Gèn (Mountain) serves as the cauldron, and one draws true energy from the gallbladder to take charge. This is the embryo of Yang qi.

At Chén, Earth again holds sway and gathers into the central palace. Zhèn takes Xùn (Wind) as its cauldron lid, and the Azure Dragon performs the work. For this reason the saying "the Yang of one and nine generates water" carries the qi of Zhèn. It is also said that Duì directs the wind of its cauldron.

At Wèi, Earth holds sway once more. Gèn serves as the bladder, and one draws true energy to take charge, with Gèn as the cauldron. The qi that Gèn generates becomes fire, since fire is born from the earthen mountain.

At Xū, Earth holds sway, and the right Metal cauldron is the proper cauldron of Metal. Xùn serves as the furnace, which makes this the "metal-and-stone cauldron."

Note: This is a practice text on internal alchemy, fire timing, the meridians, and the correspondence of the Eight Trigrams. Its breath counts, cauldrons and furnaces, the White and Black Ways, and the Róng and Wèi circulations are drawn from teachers' oral instructions and cross-referenced with the classics. They should not be applied in isolation from the whole book and from actual practice.

The Daoshu (Pivot of the Dao) explains how the Five Phases (Wuxing), the twelve double-hours, and the fire-timing of the microcosmic orbit (Zhoutian huohou) correspond within the qi-cultivation of internal alchemy (Neidan), and it sets out the sequence in which qi moves through the Three Passes (sanguan).

Qian, the Large Intestine, and Metal Qi

Qian (the Creative) symbolizes the large intestine, and its image is also called "gold and stone," the place where metal qi gathers. Thus, among the twelve double-hours, the qi of metal, wood, and earth corresponds to the Three Powers (Sancai: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity). The position of the Nine Cauldrons (Jiuding), a metaphor for the pivot of Dantian fire-timing, is the key to what allows one to "steal the transforming work of Heaven and Earth." Heaven and Earth are originally the images of Qian and Kun. When the Five Phases and the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) return to their primordial mixture, they form the image of the Tai hexagram (Peace). This is the number of the Eight Trigrams and the Nine Cauldrons. When Heaven and Earth unite, the Eight Trigrams and the Five Phases revolve according to the degrees of the microcosmic orbit.

Seasons, and the Generating and Overcoming of the Five Phases

The Five Phases generate and overcome one another, wax and wane, and each takes charge in its own season. Why is this so? In the Zi, Chou, and Yin hours (late winter to early spring), Water is strong and overcomes Fire, yet it can generate Wood, and Fire has Wood as its mother. One uses Wood qi to supplement the fire-timing, and once the fire is sufficient it can take charge. In the Mao, Chen, and Si hours (spring to early summer), Wood is strong and overcomes Earth, yet it can generate Fire, and Earth has Fire as its mother. One uses Fire qi to supplement the earth-timing, and once the earth is sufficient it can take charge. In the Wu, Wei, and Shen hours (late summer to early autumn), Fire is strong and overcomes Metal, yet it can generate Earth, and Metal has Earth as its mother. One uses Earth qi to supplement the metal-timing, and once the metal is sufficient it can take charge. In the You, Xu, and Hai hours (autumn to early winter), Metal is strong and overcomes Wood, yet it can generate Water, and Wood has Water as its mother. One uses Water qi to supplement the wood-timing, and once the wood is sufficient it can take charge. This is the essential secret of mutual supplementation within the generating and overcoming of the Five Phases.

One Breath Equals Three Thousand, the Three Passes, and the Microcosmic Orbit

About three thousand breaths pass in one double-hour, and qi moves through the Three Passes, namely the upper, middle, and lower Dantian or the key points of the Ren and Du vessels. Two quarter-hours, about eight breaths, form a node of the small microcosmic orbit, which is the fire-timing of the microcosmic orbit. Its pivot lies in beginning from the moment yang first arises.

In the Zi hour, one yang begins to arise, corresponding to the "Initial Nine" (chujiu) line of the Yijing. It is born in the Palace of Pure Radiance (Suhua zhi Gong), the chamber of kidney water and essence, and rises as the image of the moon, like a dragon hidden in the water (long qian yu shui). Qi then ascends to the Pengxiao Qinglong Pass (Azure Dragon of Pengxiao), a key barrier of the Ren vessel.

In the Chou hour, qi lies in the Baihu, Sanyuan, and Haiquan Passes (White Tiger, Three Primes, and Sea Spring), which relate to the bladder and bodily fluids, an image of Wood generating Fire. In the Yin hour, qi lies at the Taiyi Yuanmen and Lulu Passes (Gate of the Great One and the Windlass), pivots of qi-mechanism near the navel. In the Mao hour, qi lies in the Baiqiong Huiyuan and Bingxiao Passes (White Jade Gathering and Ice Heaven). In the Chen hour, qi lies in the Jinfeng Chongtian and Jincheng Passes (Golden Phoenix Rising to Heaven and Golden City). In the Si hour, qi lies in the Jinshui Yulou and Yurui Passes (Golden Water Jade Tower and Jade Stamen).

In the Wu hour, qi lies in the Touglong Rongjin and Chicheng Passes (Penetrating Dragon, Glorious Metal, and Red City). At this point yang qi is at its height, and together with the yang that first arose in the Zi hour, it completes one daily orbit.

The text thus combines medical theory (the large intestine belongs to Metal), the Yijing (the Tai hexagram and the Initial Nine line), the calendar (the twelve double-hours and the seasons), and the names of the body's key passages. It explains how the practitioner regulates the breath by the hours, uses the mother-child relations of the Five Phases to supplement each phase in turn, and so brings qi through the Three Passes in accord with the fire-timing of the "microcosmic orbit."

This describes the internal cultivation method of circulating the celestial circuit (Zhou Tian) according to the twelve double-hours and nurturing the five viscera.

At the Wei hour, true yin begins to arise, and Qi (vital energy) circulates at the Kunyuan Pass of Yugui Huangjun; at the Shen hour, Qi circulates at the Jincheng Mingmen Ruiquan Pass; at the You hour, Qi circulates at the Mingtang Weiling Seven Stars Pass; at the Xu hour, Qi circulates at the Yuqiong Tongyuan Shoucheng Pass; at the Hai hour, Qi circulates at the Cuiwei Wulu Huangzhong Pass; by the Zi hour, Qi reverses its course and returns to Suhua. This is the circulation of the celestial circuit.

During the three hours of Zi, Chou, and Yin, sit calmly and regulate the breath, close the eyes, and inwardly observe the five viscera. Visualize an Azure Dragon coiled in the liver, its form like mist and dew; let its Qi stir slightly, then use intent to guide the Qi down into the heart palace. Next visualize a Vermilion Bird in the heart palace, closing its beak to receive this Qi. If the Azure Dragon’s Qi is very weak, regulate the breath thirty-six times to calm and control heart fire, then perform the practice.

At the Mao, Chen, and Si hours, likewise sit calmly and settle the breath, close the eyes, and inwardly observe the five viscera. Visualize red Qi coiling in the heart and descending onto the lungs; then visualize Gouchen above the spleen, closing its mouth to receive this Qi. If the Qi is very weak, ingest Qi thirty times to calm and control spleen earth, then perform the practice.

At the Wu, Wei, and Shen hours, again sit calmly and regulate the breath, close the eyes, and inwardly observe the five viscera. Visualize yellow Qi coiling in the spleen, then use intent to guide it upward to the lungs; next visualize a White Tiger in the lungs, opening its mouth to receive this Qi. Regulate the breath and ingest Qi thirty times to calm and control lung metal, then perform the practice.

At the You, Xu, and Hai hours, also sit calmly and regulate the breath, close the eyes, and inwardly observe the five viscera. Visualize a White Tiger coiled in the lower Dantian (the internal cultivation locus in the lower abdomen), then use intent to guide it upward to the liver; next visualize an Azure Dragon in the liver, opening its mouth to receive this Qi. Regulate the breath and ingest Qi thirty times to calm and control liver wood, then perform the practice.

After the five viscera have been nurtured, one may circulate the Sun and Moon method. The place where Sun and Moon conjoin is on the left and right sides of the cauldron (ding); afterward one may circulate the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) in sequence. When beginning this practice, first make the heart-mind and Shen (spirit) clear and still, then visualize a sun in the heart, the size of a coin, emerging from the Li position (the position of the Li trigram in the Bagua) within the heart, and concentrate intent on its light.

Dao Shu (The Pivot of the Dao), Inner Chapter on the Golden Liquor and Returning Elixir (Excerpt): A Vernacular Commentary

First, visualize sunlight shining through the five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys) and all the hundred bones of the body. Then visualize the sun's form as if it were rising and floating. Immediately, perform the "drum-rinse" (gǔ shù) and receive the breath (nà qì) twenty times, then swallow once in one motion. Quickly think of the Qi circling downward along the "Twelve Storied Towers" (shí'èr chónglóu), the passage from the throat to the chest that serves as a metaphor for the windpipe and the pathways to the organs. Let it circle and turn, until the sun sinks to the left of the "Upper Cauldron" (shàng dǐng) above the spleen. Once the breath is regulated and steady, visualize a moon within the "Water Sea" (shuǐ hǎi) of the Lower Dantian (xià dāntián), about the size of a copper coin. Then imagine moonlight illuminating the whole body, and use intention to draw the moon upward until it floats to the lungs. Next, drum the mouth and regulate the breath thirty times, turn the head to the left, and swallow once. Quickly think of the Qi passing through the Twelve Storied Towers to the spleen, entering the right side of the heart and the "Right Cauldron" (yòu dǐng). Only after the breath has settled may one proceed to the subsequent practice.

Li Guangxuan (Lǐ Guāngxuán) took up the Dao in his youth. He met an eminent person who told him that when the Primordial Qi (yuánqì) is not dispersed, one can attain long life. Primordial Qi is the undifferentiated unity of Qi within the body, the root of human life. When the mind is fixed, the Qi stops; when the spirit (shén) wanders, the Qi scatters. For this reason, perfected people do not let the breath roam beyond the nose, and they constantly hold their visualization at the Dantian. When the three fields (the upper, middle, and lower Dantian) are full, one may reach a thousand years. Expelling the old and taking in the new, and swallowing saliva and sipping fluids, are all methods for prolonging life and securing the body. Li Guangxuan practiced these for more than ten years but concluded that they were not the orthodox method of the Golden Liquor (jīnyè) for transcending the mundane world. He therefore traveled to Mount Shaoshi (Shàoshì Shān), where he met Master Xuanshou (Xuánshòu Xiānshēng) and asked him about it.

The Master said that the Returning Elixir (huándān) takes the "True Oneness" (zhēn yī) as its foundation. Lead and mercury depend upon each other, and the "yellow sprout" (huángyá) is its root. What, then, is the yellow sprout? The sprout emerges from within the lead, beginning with the metal Qi transmitted by the utmost true mercury, and this is called the yellow flower. Guangxuan asked, "Lead is highly toxic. How can it become a supreme medicine?" The Master replied, "Within lead there is gold, and within gold there is treasure. The worthy attain the Dao by seeing the treasure and recognizing it. Rather than cultivate the gold within lead, one should refine the treasure within lead. This is not the lead of the mundane world." Therefore the yellow sprout is lead, yet one who goes ten thousand li away from lead will find that the yellow sprout is not lead, even though it begins from lead. Lead is the mother of the sprout, and the sprout is the child of lead; the mother is hidden within the child's womb, and the child is hidden within the mother's womb. Know the white and guard the black, and spirit illumination (shénmíng) will come of itself. One is the number of water and the beginning of the Five Phases (wǔ xíng), and its color is originally black.

Daoshu in Plain Modern Terms

First Passage (The Outline of Cultivation)

Cultivate through the "Five Colors" method so that the self unites with the Dao and accords with nature; from this, the "function" (yong) can give rise to and transform Heaven and Earth. First take Yin-Yang (yin-yang, here the female and male pivot, pinmu) as the mechanism's hinge. Then return the essence of the sun to the "Lunar Cave" (yueku), and condense the refined essence in the "Dragon Palace" (longgong). The Purple Qi is concealed deep within the body and corresponds to the True Yuan (zhenyuan). An ancient saying holds: when using lead, one must use true lead, and that lead lies within the original Dantian, so it must not be discarded.

Second Passage (Refuting Misreadings of Outer Alchemy)

Guang Xuan asked: People of the world take cinnabar and mercury as the "yellow sprout" (huangya). What is the reasoning behind this?

Master Xuanshou replied: This is not a view grounded in true understanding. The "yellow sprout" refers to Kan and Li conceiving one another and Metal and Water giving birth to each other. It is like a man capping his hair or a woman putting up her hairpin: female and male are paired, and what was formless passes into form through the stirring of Yin and the intercourse of Yang.

Guang Xuan further asked: Some take gold, silver, or the "five leads" as the yellow sprout. What about that?

(Note: diaoqian, xianku qian, black lead, and mituoseng are different names for lead-type substances in outer alchemy (waidan).)

Master Xuanshou replied: These are also mistaken. A substance with fixed form that stays stubborn and unchanging will only scorch the five viscera if swallowed. The yellow sprout I speak of is lead and mercury united into one body, metal and wood joined, dragon and tiger intercrossing, water and fire mutually restraining. By investigating nature and emotion and uniting substance with function, the po soul follows the hun soul and accomplishes a "return" through the right conditions. One clarifies the principle of breathing: Yang mingles with Yin and gestates, the mother remains while the child abides, and the essence of Heaven and Earth is preserved. Therefore mercury does not appear on its own, and metal does not show its image alone. Cinnabar is the essence of Wood; on meeting Metal it joins with it, mounting the body and gathering the hun. When the tiger is hungry it comes to feed, producing marrow and fat, and this is what is meant by this kind of process. But the fire must be full and complete before the transformation occurs naturally. Thus it is said: lead, mercury, and sprout are the same, and the three flowers (sanhua, jing, qi, and shen) gather my qi and form the spirit cinnabar (lingsha). At first, for ten days, one moves the fire as though turning a wheel. When the Five Colors enter the spirit and their brilliance grows, only then is the work usable. The Dao has no crooked paths; when the three are complete, that is the proper road of the immortals.

Third Passage (The True Meaning of the Five Phases)

Guang Xuan said: I still have not fully understood.

Master Xuanshou said: The supreme medicine uses only the Five Phases. The classic says: why speak idly of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth? Attend to the spirit and preserve life; the key lies in the dragon and the tiger. If a learner does not recognize the essence of the Five Phases and insists on treating another's body as a parent, that is, relying on external things, then Wood governs qi and corresponds to bone, the tiger, while Water governs blood and corresponds to flesh, earth. The way of non-death lies in the Li palace. Only one who understands the Five Phases has mastery over them, and the Five Phases must take mercury as their intimate partner. Ordinary, heterogeneous substances are not fit to serve as companions.

Fourth Passage (The Oral Formula of Master Helan)

Great Master Helan (named Qiu) said: The Azure Dragon rises, the White Tiger lies down, the Black Tortoise flies, and the Vermilion Bird sits. The Yellow Dragon in the central palace naturally forms its fruit. The mother pities the child, and the child pities my furnace.

Reading Notes (not part of the original)

The whole text is about inner alchemy (neidan). Terms such as yellow sprout, lead and mercury, dragon and tiger, Kan and Li, and the Lunar Cave and Dragon Palace mostly refer to the mingling and return of spirit, qi, and Yin-Yang within the body. They are not an encouragement to ingest cinnabar, mercury, or other mineral ores. For practice, read it alongside a teacher's instruction and the full context, and do not take "yellow sprout" literally as a mineral to purchase.

Daoshu (The Pivot of the Dao): A Vernacular Commentary

Core meaning of the scripture: When the practice reaches its midpoint, the vapors gather into a single cloud. Take one daogui (a spoon's measure, the smallest dose of medicine in antiquity), and the expected effects will follow. This is the Way.

Guangxuan asks: What should one take when consuming the elixir?

Master Xuanshou answers: When the elixir is complete, it is nothing more than shuiyin (mercury). In the language of inner alchemy (neidan), this often stands for the "mercury" transformed from Jing and Qi. After the heche (River Chariot, a metaphor for True Qi circulating upward along the Du channel and related pathways), it turns into a purple powder, which is the Jinye Huandan (Golden Liquor Returning Elixir).

Guangxuan asks: How many zhuliang (units of weight, the zhu and the liang) are needed for the ultimate elixir, and how many days until it forms?

Master Xuanshou answers: The cauldron itself contains Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth, the configuration of Yin and Yang). From Zi to Li (the twelve double-hours, correlated with the eight trigram directions), the hexagram patterns are clear. From Li to Hai, radiance appears, like a fetus in its mother's womb or a chick in its egg, emerging naturally when the time is ripe. The phrase "Twice-Eight Dwelling Together" (er ba tong ju) refers to the proportions of the zhuliang, while "One Star Circling" (yi xing zhou za) refers to the seasonal signs, namely the huohou (fire timing) and the solar terms. "Dragon Rising, Tiger Roaring" (long xing hu xiao) means that "Twice-Eight" is the chanü (the maiden, Yin essence), and "Sixteen" is the qianjing (lead essence, Yang essence). When Yang arises, the fire ignites; when Yin is exhausted, the fire stops.

Tao Yinju (Tao Hongjing) says that when the zi and wu gates open, so do the mao and you gates. By running fire through the four seasons and joining it with Qian and Kun, the Dragon and Tiger naturally swallow and receive one another.

Guangxuan asks: Of the Sun Soul (rihun), Moon Essence (yuepo), White Tiger, Azure Dragon, cinnabar, River Chariot, True Lead, and True Mercury, which is the correct one?

Master Xuanshou answers: These are also just one thing, and they do not depart from the principle of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Worldly people take stones as medicine, sometimes seventy-two kinds, sometimes over a hundred. In general these can cure illness, but they cannot speak to the principle of changsheng (long life).

Yang fire turns eastward as the Dragon, and Yin water turns westward as the Tiger. Mercury is the wood within fire, and lead is the metal within water. They are regulated in the central palace and complete one another according to their kind. In antiquity, Lingyang Zi knew this Way, so he faced south toward north and west toward east, aligning the four directions without departing from the Central Way. By running the fire for one year and opening the furnace in the tenth month, returning seven times without loss and returning nine times to full solidity, the Dragon flies and the hun soul returns, while the Tiger lies low and the po soul goes home. This is called the "Wondrous Purple" (zise zhi miao), and it returns one to the divine elixir of Taiye (Great Liquid).

Guangxuan asks: How can the Three Yellows (san huang), once solidified into sand, become gold?

Master Xuanshou answers: That is what the profit-seekers do. It is not the path for one who studies the Way in the stillness of xiyi jimo (the Formless, the Silent and Empty).

Note: The entire text is a question-and-answer dialogue on inner alchemy (neidan), covering the refinement of Jing into Qi, fire timing, the Dragon and Tiger, and lead and mercury. It frequently uses the vocabulary of outer-alchemy furnaces as metaphors for cultivating body and mind.