《道樞》Vol. 35

An accessible rendering of selected passages from “Chapter on the Many Mysteries,” The Pivot of the Dao, Volume 35

Compiled by Zhiyouzi, Zeng Zao. This chapter discusses methods for guiding and nourishing the body, and for cultivating one’s nature while preserving one’s physical form. If one practices them without giving up, long life may be hoped for.

The True Lord of Yin, whose name was Changsheng, said: “The vital energy of the north is called the River Cart; the Jia and Yi of the east are called Golden Sand. They nourish and sustain one another, returning to unity within a single body. When the Vermilion Bird sets them in motion, Golden Flowers emerge—the flowers are treasures of Heaven and Earth. You is the Tiger, and Mao is the Dragon; the Dragon and Tiger give rise to one another and unite as one. The Dragon holds its proper place in six and eight; the Tiger is born in the first palace. There are days for gathering and refining, and times for putting them to use. If you go against the seasonal energies, your efforts are wasted. Seek the cauldron in the central palace, tend the fire with care, discern Yin and Yang, set up the furnace chamber, and choose a secluded place. Preserve it and do not lose it—this is the secret of Heaven and Earth. Yang is true cinnabar; Yin is true mercury. From the formless, form is born: this is the Returning Elixir. Refine it and ingest it, and you may become an immortal. Yellow Sprouts are born of Heaven and Earth; cinnabar is condensed from the essence of water. The two share one substance. The royal energy rises in the west, but the Dao is attained in the central land. Those who fail to understand this principle have never failed to bring ruin upon their household.”

Pure Yangzi, Lü Dongbin, asked: “What is the True One? It is the Yang of Heaven and the Yin of Earth; the Qi of things and the nature of people; the ancestor of the body and the source of life; the Dragon’s substance and the Tiger’s form; the names for essence and blood; the head of lead and mercury. It appears in the Hun as three, and meets the Po as seven—this is the source of the True One. How should it be cultivated? Refine the Qi of the Dantian within the body; when it becomes strong, the spirit will naturally be complete. Throughout all twelve two-hour periods, keep watch over the original One Qi of Heaven as it enters the palace of the Dantian. Let the mind be free of thought and the outside world leave no impression. Do not go out or come in; do not go or arrive. When the spirit is still, it will naturally be at peace.”

Pure Yangzi also said: “Let the hair grow long; keep the hands often on the face; exercise the mouth regularly; stretch the body regularly; swallow the saliva regularly; refine the Qi regularly; circulate the essence regularly; keep sensual pleasure at a distance; and let stillness give way to change.”

The Perfected Sun, Sun Simiao, said: “The body should be exercised; wine should not be allowed to make you drunk.”

Drunkenness surprisingly does not cause illness, but overeating harms the body. After meals, walk a hundred steps while massaging your abdomen. On Yin and Chou days (traditional celestial stem-branch calendar), trim nails and comb hair—doing this a hundred times benefits health. Urinate standing when full, but sitting when hungry. Never walk against the wind, nor dwell where drafts penetrate. Wash feet before sleep, as excessive contemplation damages the Shen (spirit), while emotional volatility depletes Qi. Regularly trim nose hairs and refrain from careless spitting. Upon morning rising, stepping left foot first wards off evil—this practice ensures a day free from misfortune. Practicing the Seven-Star Steps (Daoist cultivation footwork) prolongs life. Sourness harms sinews, bitterness weakens bones, sweetness injures flesh, pungency damages Qi, and excess salt shortens lifespan—thus avoid fixating on any single flavor. Restrain sexual activity in spring and summer, but fortify Yang Qi in autumn and winter. Solitary sleep preserves primordial energy—when combined with disciplined tranquility, these become invaluable. Wealth follows destiny: contentment brings blessings, while forced pursuit invites misfortune. Those with few desires remain unburdened; the clear-hearted dwell in constant peace. Only through steadfast cultivation from beginning to end can Dao be realized.

The hermit Shi Jianwu remarks: Having observed thousands of Dao-seekers, I’ve learned cultivation’s essence lies in retaining Shen (spirit) and preserving physical form. When form endures, Shen naturally abides. If Qi and Shen dissipate, how can the body remain intact? Yet nurturing Qi and guarding Shen cannot be achieved through rigid stillness nor mechanical fixation. Qi cultivation requires dynamic regulation; Shen nourishment demands fluid adaptability. My master taught: "Emptiness stabilizes Qi; stillness concentrates Shen"—perhaps this encapsulates the transcendent mystery. The Kunlun Terrace Sage (traditionally identified as Fu Bi) advised Scholar Lequan (Zhang Andao’s sobriquet): "My quest for longevity revealed this simplest method: Between midnight and dawn (1-5 AM), sit cross-legged—robed or blanket-wrapped—facing east or west. Knock teeth thirty-six times, assume the ‘Firm Grasp’ hand-seal (Daoist mudra: thumb pressing fourth finger’s root, or four fingers enclosing thumb) to regulate primordial Qi, and press both hands against the waist."

This passage describes a practice combining breath retention (bixi), inner observation (neiguan), rinsing and swallowing saliva, and massage. It comes from the Daoist Canon text Pivot of the Dao. The main points are explained below in plain language.

When the Original Qi between the abdomen and Dantian (energy center) has become balanced, and the breath is fine and slow, the abdomen feels empty. Then begin breath retention.

How is breath retention practiced? First close the eyes and quiet the mind, letting the mind’s source become clear. Then close the mouth and nostrils so that no Qi (vital energy) escapes. Turn your awareness inward to observe the five viscera—the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—the six bowels, and inner landscapes such as the Three Origins (San Yuan) and Nine Palaces (Jiu Gong). How can you know that the lungs are white, the liver green, the spleen yellow, the heart red, and the kidneys black? You can draw a diagram of the five viscera and consult it each day while visualizing them; in time, you will come to know them in detail.

Next, visualize the heart as fire, its light shining downward and entering directly below the navel. This is the Dantian, about three inches below the navel, where Jing (essence) and Qi gather. When the abdomen is full and the Qi abundant, breathe out extremely slowly, so softly that the breath can scarcely be heard by the ears. Once the exhalation is steady, retain the breath again as before. Move the tongue around the inside and outside of the lips and teeth, rinsing and refining the saliva in the mouth. If there is nasal mucus, rinse and refine that as well. It is transformed from True Qi, and with practice its taste will become sweet. At first, do not swallow it. Instead, retain the breath again as before, observe inwardly, and draw the heart’s fire into the Dantian. Regulate the breath and rinse the saliva in this way three times, until the mouth is full of fluid.

Lower the head and swallow, guiding the fluid down to the lower Dantian with the Qi. Apply your attention with focused intensity, so that the saliva and Qi descend into the Dantian in distinct pulses. Repeat the earlier steps: retain the breath nine times in all and swallow the saliva three times, then stop.

Warm the face and limbs by rubbing them with both hands, then rub the soles of the feet. Bend the feet so that the Qi at Yongquan (the recessed point on the front part of the sole) can rise and connect with the crown gate (near the Baihui point at the top of the head). Slowly rub the area below the navel, the waist, and the spine as well. A light sweat may appear, but do not pant.

Then use both hands to warm the eyes, face, ears, and crown. When they are very warm, pinch both sides of the bridge of the nose five or seven times. Comb the hair up to a hundred times, then let it down and lie down until dawn. With sustained practice, results may appear in about twenty days.

The most difficult part is retaining the breath for a long time. One can use the pulse to measure it: five beats make one breath. If you can retain the breath for 120 beats before breathing again, that is about twenty or more breaths. But do not force yourself to hold the breath or disrupt the Qi. Otherwise, the Qi may surge out suddenly and cause harm.

Note: The Three Origins and Nine Palaces are inner-body reference points commonly used in Neidan (internal alchemy). Rinsing and swallowing saliva, counting the duration of breath retention, and massaging Yongquan and the crown gate all belong to Daoist traditions of visualization and guiding exercises. They should be practiced gradually, without trying to force the length of time the breath is held.

“Plain-Language Commentary on The Pivot of the Dao”

Do not eat until you are too full in the evening. Let the abdomen remain relaxed and empty, so that Qi can turn back and flow freely. During the day, too, close your eyes often and turn your attention inward. Rinse and refine the body’s fluids, then swallow them; massage your ears and face to support the true Qi. When the mind is clear and still, it is easier to succeed in practice.

Yet there are three things in the world that harm the Dao: anger and impatience, scheming, and flattery.

Mr. Chouchi (Su Shi’s self-chosen name) said: Eat when you are hungry, and stop before you are full. Walk at ease and let the abdomen become empty. When the abdomen is empty, you can enter stillness at any time, day or night, whether lying down or sitting. The key is to gather in the body and become like a wooden puppet. Gaze at the whiteness at the tip of the nose and count each breath in and out. Let the breathing continue faintly, as though present, without straining. After counting several hundred breaths, the mind grows still and the body becomes motionless, at one with the Great Void. Then there is no need to forcefully restrain yourself, and the body no longer moves restlessly.

Sometimes you lose count of the breaths. Then breathe in and out along with them. Let this continue without interruption, until one breath comes to rest of its own accord, neither going out nor coming in. Qi may then emerge through the eighty-four thousand pores, like clouds rising and mist dispersing, and every illness will be cured. Thus, fetal breathing is the foundation of nourishing life, though it is truly difficult to attain.

If you do not hold the breath in and simply let it come and go, it will remain vague and boundless, and it is hard to achieve any definite result. To expect it to become still of its own accord seems to have no precedent. If you hold it in, the breath often surges out before you have counted fifty or sixty. Though there may be a faint Yang in the lower Dantian, this is like planting crops in a land of scorching heat: they wither after a single watering. It is not a way to transcend the world.

I once heard Sun Simiao say: To harmonize the spirit and Qi, one must shut the door of a quiet room and prepare a thick bed and thick bedding, with a pillow two cun and five fen high. Lie flat with the body straight, quiet the mind and hold the breath in the chest. A feather placed at the nostrils should not move. After three hundred breaths, the eyes will see nothing and the mind will think of nothing; neither cold nor heat can invade you, nor can bees or scorpions poison you. You will live for three hundred and sixty years, approaching the state of a perfected person. I reflected silently on the meaning of this: holding the breath in the chest…

(The following passage continues with Sun’s breath-holding method and the author’s discussion. In broad terms, it says that holding the breath in the chest and testing the breath with a feather is a way to harmonize spirit and Qi and prolong life. This is a different level of practice from the “fetal breathing” described above, in which the breath comes to rest by itself and Qi disperses through the pores like clouds and mist. The two approaches can be considered together, and one may choose whichever is practicable.)

Plain-Language Interpretation

Keep the breath’s coming and going still amid movement, like the wisps of smoke rising from an incense burner or the vapor from a cooking cauldron. Let it flow in and out naturally, as though you were not deliberately breathing. In this way, even a feather will remain perfectly motionless. The mind must be free of distracting thoughts; even after three hundred breaths, this can be achieved.

I once practiced this method while lying down, using my intention to keep the Qi between my chest and diaphragm. When I wanted to inhale, I breathed in only ever so lightly. When I wanted to exhale, I did not force the breath out, but let the faint, drifting Qi ease out on its own. Once the breath had run out and settled, I inhaled lightly again. The breath continued in and out without pause, so that a feather could remain still, or move only very slightly. When I waited for it to move, I focused my intention more firmly to keep it still, then stopped. Though I restrained the breath, I did not hold it in. After several hundred breaths, less and less air was exhaled, while more and more remained unexhaled. The inner store became full, the blood vessels flowed freely, and nourishment circulated up and down. This is where the principles of nurturing life lie.

Master Qiuchi said: “Long ago, Zheng Zichan said, ‘A blazing fire makes people afraid when they see it; water can drown them, yet they draw near and play with it.’ Yi Feng believed that people in the north tended toward greed and aggression, while those in the south favored integrity and uprightness. The upright are gentlemen; the greedy and aggressive are petty people. From this I came to understand something. Fire represents the heart, and water represents the kidneys. When fire blazes, what is upright arises; when water is weak, what is deviant arises. Thus, among the natures of the Five Viscera, the heart is upright while the kidneys are deviant. Even the wisest person’s kidneys cannot be free of deviation; yet they do not become unruly because they obey the heart. Even the heart of a most foolish person is upright, yet that person is often unruly because the heart cannot govern. Understand this, and you will grasp the principles of Lead and Mercury, and the Dragon and Tiger.

“Lead refers to Qi. Whether it rushes forward or stumbles, whether it exhales or inhales, whether it grasps or binds—whatever moves is Lead. The lungs govern the taking in and sending out of breath, so the lungs belong to Metal and are the White Tiger. Mercury refers to water. Saliva, mucus, pus, blood, Jing, sweat, and urine and feces—all that is moist is Mercury. The liver governs storage, so the liver is the Azure Dragon. The perfected people of ancient times, when speaking of Neidan, all called it the ‘art of reversing the Five Phases’: the Dragon emerges from within fire; the Five Phases do not proceed in their usual order; the Tiger is born within water.”

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

Few people in the world know that life first arose from “water”—this is precisely the sequence in which the Five Phases operate.

The principle of “death” is explained as follows: The dragon comes from water, and the tiger comes from fire. The heart cannot govern itself: sights and sounds entice it from without, while improper desire arises within. The essence of Ren and Gui (Kidney Water) flows downward, transforming into the human body or into decay. This is what is meant by “the Mercury Dragon comes from water.” Joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure all arise from the heart. With joy, one reaches out to seize; with anger, one strikes; with sorrow, one beats one’s chest and stamps one’s feet; with pleasure, one dances and waves one’s arms. What moves within is answered by Qi (vital energy) without. This is what is meant by “the Lead Tiger comes from fire.” In both cases, things emerge and cannot return; this is why it is called the way of death.

The realized person therefore teaches people to “reverse their course.” What does this mean? Confucius said, “Let there be no improper thoughts”—that is, think without perversity. But there is a further step: a kind of “thought without thought,” a state of upright composure without indulgence. This is called “precept.” From precepts comes “stillness,” and in stillness, the breath flowing in and out naturally settles. Once the breath settles, the heart’s fire no longer blazes upward. In the Book of Changes, fire is the Li trigram. Li means “to adhere”: it must attach to something and cannot exist alone. Water is its consort. When fire no longer blazes upward, it follows its consort, water. When water and fire unite, the essence of Ren and Gui flows upward to the brain and overflows at Xuanying (the upper palate). If the fluid in the nose is not salty, it does not come from the kidneys. This is what is meant by “the Mercury Dragon emerges from fire.” Nothing is more fundamental to the medicine of long life and the first stirrings of Neidan (internal alchemy).

When Yin and Yang first join, “Heaven One” is water, so the earliest formation of the human being originates in water. The Five Phases proceed as follows: first is water, which comes to life after receiving warmth; second is fire, for Qi comes before bone; third is Wood; after bone forms, it becomes firm, and firmness and strength belong to the Qi of Metal, so Metal is fourth; once bone is firm, flesh develops, and Earth corresponds to flesh, so Earth is fifth.

In the womb, when the mother breathes in, the child breathes in too, and when the mother breathes out, the child breathes out too. Before the mouth and nose open, mother and child are connected through the navel; therefore, the navel is the root of life. The Mercury Dragon emerges from fire, flows to the brain, and overflows at Xuanying, but it must return to the root. When the heart’s fire does not blaze upward but follows its consort, fire remains at the root. With fire’s help, the essence of Ren and Gui naturally rises upward. This is the basic principle of internal cultivation.

A Plain Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao

(Continuing the previous passage on bodily refinement)

If one’s practice truly enables strength to reach the four limbs and vitality to overflow into the skin, the body will gradually grow robust, and at its utmost may become strong and vigorous. There is also the saying that “the lead tiger is born from water.” Once the Dragon and Tiger have arisen, the Golden Elixir may be formed; some say this can bring long life and freedom from death. Yet at the level of the Dao (the Way), this still does not count as the ultimate attainment.

Hongmeng (Zigao/Xiang) once visited the Guanghan Palace, where Lord Yuchen introduced him to Lady Xihua. She conveyed the essentials of the Dao as follows:

The True One lies in opening the Gate of Wu and Ji (Wu and Ji belong to Earth and, in internal refinement, often refer to the area around the Dantian below the navel). Within the gate is gold, the root of the Yellow Sprout and the mother of all things.

When the mother obtains the father and they unite, they form the cauldron and furnace. The sun and moon, and the hun and po souls, interact: one rises and one sinks. A pearl then flies of its own accord above Kunlun. It must be sought through Wangxiang—a way of observing without intention or attachment.

Once obtained, it returns to the Crimson Palace (the heart palace) and is stored beneath the skin. The complexion grows radiant, and the hair at the temples turns black. In roughly ninety days, the Elixir is complete.

Long ago, Wei Boyang composed the Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three), hailed as the king of alchemical works through the ages. At its outset, it takes Qian and Kun as the gateways of the Changes: Qian is the male principle, and Kun the female. People do not know where the so-called true Yin and Yang reside, and so wander about merely searching for “Dragons and Tigers.”

The sun belongs to Li, and the moon to Kan. As the Yin and Yang of sun and moon consume and respond to one another, the Golden Crow dies and the Jade Rabbit is born. The ceaseless generation of all things is the communication of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth stir against one another, and male and female unite; the Four Images and Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) then converge. Day and night, Tun and Meng (images of chaos first opening), arise spontaneously. This is not a matter of fixing one’s attention solely on the “timing of the fire.”

Others say that below the navel lies the Palace of Taiyi. First, visualize a divine furnace within; next, maintain the true fire there. Begin at the Zi hour, gather the sun and moon and place them in the cauldron, then rinse the mouth with saliva and swallow it down to the Dantian (energy center). This is called Divine Water. After ten months, the embryo is delivered and an infant is born.

Master Zhengyi Sima Ziwei, in his Song of Sitting in Forgetfulness, says:

Constant silence keeps the original Qi (vital energy) unharmed; few thoughts let the lamp of wisdom shine within. Without anger, the hundred spirits rest in ease; without resentment, the heart-ground is cool and clear. Seek nothing, flatter no one, and follow no crooked path. With no attachments, one can be round or square. To be free of greed is to be rich and honored; to act without guile is to have nothing to fear from princes and kings. When taste is renounced, the numinous spring descends of its own accord; when the will is settled, true breathing naturally grows long.

Note: This passage blends terms from Neidan (internal alchemy)—such as Dragons and Tigers, lead and mercury, the cauldron and furnace, the Yellow Sprout, the Crimson Palace, and Tun and Meng—with the cultivation of mind and nature through sitting in forgetfulness. It is best read on two levels, “refining the body and the Elixir” and “forgetting the body and nurturing De (Virtue/Power),” without conflating them.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Pivot of the Dao

When Qi has completely drained from the body and the physical form has returned to the thick earth, if one is still preoccupied with the scattered Shen rushing toward the realm of ghosts, one must first let the “heart” die. Only then can Shen live, Po perish, and Hun flourish. The utmost essence remains hidden within the body, joining the Great Dao amid a state of indistinctness.

The Great Dao appears briefly amid primordial chaos and transforms the myriad things without end, yet its subtle workings and responses never depart from what is true and constant. If the workings of creation followed known rules, even ghosts and spirits would struggle to fathom their movements and concealments. Restraining food and drink and sleeping less are the methods by which a perfected person practices “sitting in forgetfulness.”

Gao Xiangxian says: Close the eyes and sit with the legs crossed. Place the left hand below the navel and the right hand beside the kidneys. Then visualize the Dantian (energy center) until it grows as hot as fire. This is called “the Jade Maiden Embracing the Navel.” Zhiyouzi says: Embracing the origin and guarding the One is the most essential method of nourishing life. It has nine names: “Breathing through One Character,” “The Yellow River Flowing Upstream,” “Flying the Golden Crystal Behind the Elbows,” “Transporting the River Cart,” “Returning to the Root and Restoring the Origin,” “Turning the Light Back and Bringing It Together,” “The Five Qi Paying Homage to the Origin,” “Striking Through the Three Passes,” and “Circulating Through the Three Fields.”

Zhiyouzi also says: I have a set of principles for cultivating life that people in the world do not yet know. Draw Qi in above and do not release Jing (essence) below. Set it in motion so that it joins with the deep pool of the Jade Pool; over time, this forms the Elixir. This is my nature and life. There is nothing else to it: Shen (spirit), breath, and Qi are one thing in three forms. Keep the wondrous intention in mind and let the intention rest on the Mysterious Female. The Qi below the navel surges and stirs, nourishing the Dantian. “The valley spirit never dies” means embryonic breathing. Chongxuzi says: Only when the heart dies can one embrace the One, contain Qi, refine Jing, support Shen, and complete the physical form. Thus, when Yin dies, Yang is born; when Shen is born, the Dao is achieved. Gao Xiangxian says: At the summit of Kunlun lies a dark pearl, which only the shapeless image can find. When it returns to the Crimson Palace, the skin grows radiant and the hair turns black again; then the Northern Pole will remove one’s name from the register of the dead.

Du Ge says: There are methods for refining the Golden Elixir and formulas for reversing the flow to replenish the brain. I often sit upright at noon and wait for my Qi to settle. Then I exhale impure air through the mouth three to five times and firmly close the lower gate—the anus—so nothing leaks out. Next, I inhale clear air through the nose, counting each inhalation to nine and each exhalation to six, and repeat this practice at set times until I enter the wondrous state. When saliva forms, I perform the “Red Dragon Ploughing” thirty-six times on each side.

The expressions “the Jade Maiden Embracing the Navel,” “embracing the origin and guarding the One,” “embryonic breathing,” “River Cart,” “Three Passes,” and “Three Fields” are all names used in Neidan (internal alchemy) and Daoyin practices. “The heart dies, Shen lives” and “Po perishes, Hun flourishes” draw on Daoist teachings about the body and spirit, and about Hun and Po. Gao Xiangxian, Zhiyouzi, Chongxuzi, and Du Ge are figures who discuss the Dao and transmit teachings in The Pivot of the Dao.

Plain-Language Commentary on The Pivot of the Dao

Breathing Practices and Daoyin

When the mouth is full of Qi, swallow gently nine times, sending the Qi into the Dantian (energy center), then slowly draw out the breath. With sustained practice, the effects will come naturally.

I once sat quietly and waited until my Qi had settled. Then I struck the heavenly drum thirty-six times and turned the waterwheel twenty-four times with one hand. Next, I knelt and bowed my head, rubbing the area over the kidneys with my hands. I gradually increased the number of rubs from thirty to fifty, then to one hundred, while drawing breath in through the nose and breathing out. After that, I rubbed my hands together until they were warm and used them to warm the external kidneys, gradually increasing the number of rubs to one hundred as well. When the breath filled my nose, I let it out slowly. This practice should be done after the Zi hour and at the beginning of the Yin hour. This is a secret transmission, said to make Jing and Qi flow upward against their natural course.

Emperor Huizong Questions Li Fu

Emperor Huizong of the Song once asked Li Fu, who served as Minister of the Court of the Imperial Treasury in the early Xuanhe era: “You have a method of Neidan (internal alchemy). Tell me about it.”

Li Fu replied: “The essentials of Neidan lie in keeping the mind settled and nourishing Qi. Keep the mind settled by putting aside distracting thoughts; nourish Qi through inward contemplation. When the mind is settled and Qi is nourished, the true fire grows stronger day by day, and the divine water in the Flower Pond grows more abundant. Then, above and below, one can flow in harmony with Heaven and Earth.”

“The Dao of Heaven moves without stagnation. The sages follow its example, grasping the principles of Heaven and Earth through simplicity. What people depend on for life is Qi. When Qi comes to rest, Shen (spirit) comes to rest; when Shen comes to rest, the body comes to rest. If one can truly achieve this, long life and lasting vision begin here. Observe the changing seasons and the movements of the sun and moon: this is how Heaven and Earth endure. By blowing and sighing, inhaling and exhaling, expelling the old and taking in the new, the perfected person remains in the world for a long time.”

Danyuanzi on Qi and Swallowing Qi

Danyuanzi said: “The body is held in place by Shen, and Shen gathers through Qi. Qi is what fills the body; the body is the dwelling place of Shen. When Qi is full, one flourishes; when it is empty, one declines. When Qi stays, life continues; when it is depleted, life ends. Qi is what Guangchengzi preserved and Yanluozi refined. In a word, the secret of preserving and refining it lies in swallowing and taking it in.

“With one or two swallows, clouds gather and rain comes; with three or five, the inner landscape is filled. With ten or nine swallows, the heart’s fire descends and the kidneys’ water rises. When Water and Fire join in harmony, the Neidan is complete.”

It can treat illness, preserve health, prolong life, and enable transcendence and ascent. The key lies in the essential methods for “advancing fire” and “moving water.”

The period “after the hour of the Rat and before the hour of the Horse” is the time to advance fire. At the beginning of the fifth watch, Yang Qi is at its strongest, making it especially suitable for advancing fire. Sit on a couch, facing either south or east. Clasp your hands, fold your legs, close your eyes, straighten your back, and sit. Clear your mind and quiet your thoughts, turning your inner gaze toward the five viscera. Tilt your head back and close your mouth; draw in the clear air through your nose to the utmost, then straighten your back and swallow. With each swallow, contract the anal passage once. Draw in the breath again, swallow again, and contract again, repeating this two or three times. If the breath has reached its utmost and still cannot be held, lower your head, open your mouth, and blow it out, making sure no sound can be heard in your ears. Do this three times to complete one round. Once your breathing is even, practice the water method: gather nasal mucus and saliva, mixing them together; the more, the better. After rinsing a hundred times, when the mixture has become warm and sweet, tilt your head back, thrust out your chest, and swallow once while looking left, once while looking right, and once while sitting upright. Swallow in three portions, inwardly imagining the Qi returning to the Dantian (energy center). Contract the anal passage with each swallow as well. This completes one round. With this, the work of water and fire is finished.

This Way can seize the creative power of Heaven and Earth. When first practicing it, the area below the navel may feel as though it is burning with fire; appetite increases, and the limbs grow strong. With time, white hair turns black again and fallen teeth grow back. The spirit becomes whole, returning to the state of an infant, so that neither cold nor heat can harm the practitioner, and neither ghosts nor spirits can injure them.

Emperor Huizong said, “Excellent.” A thousand-year-old Buddhist monk from Kuaiji said, “I have a method of seven Qi practices. The first is tapping: tap the teeth seven times to gather the spirit, visualizing inwardly and naming one star with each tap—Kui, Gui, Yu, Xing, Bi, Liu, and Piao, the names of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper. The second is lifting: first raise the left hand as if supporting a hundred pounds, then do the same with the right; move each up and down eighteen times. The third is drawing: first extend the left hand as if drawing a bow; when finished, use the foot to draw a crossbow. Do the same with the right hand and foot, eighteen times each. The fourth is rubbing: rub the hands together until warm, then rub the ears; this is called raising water. Next rub the eyes thirty-six times; this is called raising fire. Then rub the face…”

The fifth of the six exercises for the face and body is called “swaying”: sit cross-legged with both hands on your hips. Sway the left shoulder and back twice, then do the same on the right. Repeat each side eighteen times.

The sixth is called “rubbing”: rub your hands together until they grow warm, then rub both sides of the “kidney halls”—the area around the kidneys at the back of the waist—until warm. The seventh is called “rinsing”: rinse the mouth to refine its fluids. Once the mouth is full, swallow; do this three times. Then rub your hands warm again and massage the Dantian (energy center), the place inside the lower abdomen where Qi is cultivated. Repeat as many times as you wish.

Xiangshan Zi says: Those who ingest original Qi can open the nine apertures and the hundred joints, allowing Qi to circulate throughout the body. With sustained practice, results will come naturally. Before ingesting Qi, first quiet the mind and perform guiding movements to the left and right, harmonizing all the body’s joints. Then clench the fists, close the mouth, puff out the cheeks, part the teeth, and tense the abdomen; swallow straight down, and the Qi will flow freely. Nine swallows make one section; four groups of nine, or thirty-six swallows, make a middle section; and 360 swallows make a large section. There is no need to follow a fixed time for ingesting Qi. Let the breath flow naturally through the nose, and use the mouth to swallow Qi. If your body tends to be cold, swallow warm Qi; if it tends to be hot, swallow cool Qi. Ingesting this original Qi, from thirty to fifty swallows a day or even a hundred, can strengthen Yang Qi, aid digestion, preserve the complexion and the hair and beard, and make the body robust. If your head feels dizzy and hot, cover your mouth with the heel of your hand and exhale forcefully fifty times; this will cure it. If it does not, repeat the practice. (It is advisable to take Rehmannia wine to guide the Qi. Before ingesting Qi, wait until the food has been digested.)

Zhiyou Zi says: I have heard that the perfected people of ancient times had methods for transcending the world and refining the body. Their essential practice was at the hour of the Rat, when the first Yang is born. Put on a robe and rise; clench the fists and click the teeth thirty-six times. Gather the gaze and turn the hearing inward, contemplating the locations of the five internal organs. Move the lower jaw and tongue in a circular motion three times, turning with the sun three times; naturally, saliva will arise in the Flower Pool, the mouth. When the mouth is full, rinse and swallow three times, passing through the Canopy of Heaven, the heart, liver, spleen, and stomach. Repeat this three times. Then visualize two streams of white Qi in the stomach area, and contemplate the two kidneys. From between the kidneys, two streams of white Qi emerge and travel along the spine like a well pulley, rising into the Mud Ball, inside the crown of the head. From there, they pass through the face and reach the jaw, whereupon divine water fills the mouth.

This passage describes the sequence of practices involving swallowing saliva, focusing the mind on the Dantian, and pressing the pulses, as well as the principles of the Five Phases, the five organs, and the transmission of Qi.

Swallowing Saliva and “Kindling the Fire”

This practice is to swallow three mouthfuls as one: first focus the mind on the middle Dantian, around the chest center, and mentally “enclose” the saliva; then guide it down to the lower Dantian and let it settle there. Do this three times. Then “kindle its fire”—use the mind to warm and nourish, and stir the Qi in the lower Dantian—so as to “burn” the divine water received there: saliva, or the essence and Qi. Nine repetitions make one cycle; counting each swallow, nine times nine makes eighty-one. This method may be practiced from the hour of the Rat until the hour of the Horse. Over time, its effects gradually become apparent, bringing a sense of the Yellow River flowing backward, as Qi and fluids rise and seem to reverse their course.

Below the neck, beside the throat, are two pulses, called the path to longevity; pinch and press them with the fingers about two hundred times. There are also two pulses below the wrists, where the Four Images revolve. Press each with the hand fifty times, left first, then right. In each of the two calf muscles are two pulses, called the Golden Pass and Jade Lock, or the Two Streams; press them with the hands for a total of eight hundred times. Along each ankle bone are two pulses, the path of the Great One; press each two hundred times. Practice diligently every day, and the results will appear in time.

After the winter solstice, begin with greater pressure and then lighten it. After the summer solstice, begin lightly and then press more firmly. The pressure, or the relative intensity of practice, changes with the season.

Zhiyouzi on the Five Phases and the Organs’ Qi

Zhiyouzi said: I once heard of the sun and moon crossing paths, the true Qi of the Five Phases, and the principles of creation and transformation. Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, and Fire generates Earth. What generates me is my mother; what I generate is my child. Earth overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood, and Wood overcomes Earth. That which overcomes is the husband; that which is overcome is the wife.

In the human body, the kidneys belong to Water and are below; the heart belongs to Fire and is above; the liver belongs to Wood and is on the left; the lungs belong to Metal and are on the right; and the spleen belongs to Earth and is in the center. The generation and overcoming of the Five Phases are all present in this body. The transmission of Qi begins with the kidneys: the kidneys’ Qi passes to the liver, as Water generates Wood. When kidney Qi is sufficient, liver Qi is generated. Liver Qi passes to the heart, as Wood generates Fire; when liver Qi is sufficient, heart Qi is generated. Heart Qi passes to the spleen, as Fire generates Earth; when heart Qi is sufficient, spleen Qi is generated. Spleen Qi passes to the lungs, as Earth generates Metal; when spleen Qi is sufficient, lung Qi is generated. In this way, the Five Phases circulate through the body in a complete cycle.

Note: Expressions in the passage such as “three mouthfuls as one swallow,” “nine cycles of eighty-one,” and “the Yellow River flowing backward” are largely terms from Neidan and the art of guiding and conducting Qi. The locations and counts for pressing the pulses are given as recorded in the original text. Modern readers should interpret them with guidance from a teacher or medical knowledge, and should not practice them strenuously on their own.

A Plain-Language Commentary on The Pivot of the Dao (Dao Shu)

When the Lung Qi is full, Qi arises in the Kidneys. This is the Five Phases principle of “Metal generates Water.” When Lung Qi is abundant, Kidney Qi is generated, and the cycle continues without end, passing Qi and fluid back and forth. The cycle begins with the Heart.

Fluid from the Heart passes to the Lungs (Fire overcomes Metal). When the Heart’s fluid arrives, the Lungs’ fluid flows onward to the Liver (Metal overcomes Wood). When the Lungs’ fluid arrives, the Liver’s fluid flows onward to the Spleen (Wood overcomes Earth). When the Liver’s fluid arrives, the Spleen’s fluid flows onward to the Kidneys (Earth overcomes Water). When the Spleen’s fluid arrives, the Kidneys’ fluid flows onward to the Heart (Water overcomes Fire). When the Kidneys’ fluid arrives, the Heart’s fluid flows again, and the cycle begins anew. In short, the Heart’s fluid cannot flow downward without Kidney Qi, and Kidney Qi cannot arise without receiving the Heart’s fluid. Fluid moves through the positions of “husband and wife,” while Qi passes in the sequence of “child and mother.” Wood resides in the realm of Metal, and Metal is stored in the position of Wood; this reversal and return is precisely how overcoming and generating work together.

At first, I sought “true Water” within the circulation of Qi, and “true Qi” within true Water. True fluid and true Qi unite within; through refinement, Yin stabilizes Yang, and Yang dissolves Yin. To remain in the world in one’s bodily form is to refine the substance until it takes shape; to shed that substance and ascend to immortality is to refine Qi until it becomes Shen. In this Dao, one observes the moon to understand waxing and waning, the sun to understand Yin and Yang, and the seasons to understand increase and decline. One applies the numbers according to the cycles and sees the images within the circumstances. With the spirit that attends directly to matters without error, one discerns the principles of the Five Phases; thus one may enter the realm of the rarefied and subtle and achieve great accomplishment.

The Master of Supreme Wandering once sang these verses on the Golden Elixir: “Use the essence of things to nourish their flowering. Gather it in my Dantian, the home of my Elixir. What is my Elixir? Lead, mercury, and cinnabar. Guest and host keep watch over one another, like a raven in its nest. Plant it with Wu and Ji; till it with the red serpent. Nurture it with Bing and Ding; irrigate it with the River Cart. Then come root and pearl, bud and flower. By day, refine it in fire until it blazes like crimson clouds; by night, bathe it in water until it gleams like pale blossoms. The Golden Elixir forms of itself; this is called thinking no evil.”

The Master of Supreme Wandering also said: “How can one obtain the water of the Flower Pond? I have heard that you should curl the tongue and press it against the Suspended Canopy behind the upper palate, practicing this every day. At first, the tendons and vessels beneath the tongue will ache and tighten. As they gradually become accustomed to it, the tip of the tongue will reach the Suspended Canopy, and the water of the Flower Pond can then be drawn forth.”

A Vernacular Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao (Daoshu)

“The water in the pond could not be clearer or more alive.” (The opening compares the foundation of cultivation to pond water; the discussion then turns to specific methods.)

Ziyouzi said: The sun and moon have methods for “soaring.” How are these practiced?

Sit upright and gather the spirit. First, settle the Qi: support the left hand below the navel, around the lower abdomen and Dantian (energy center), and place the right hand, clenched in a fist, on the thigh.

Inwardly visualize thick smoke and a fierce fire first burning the heart, then the liver and lungs. At the same time, breathe out gently through the nose to let the Qi flow freely. Next, visualize the fire burning down toward the Dantian. When the heat becomes intense, visualize sunlight by day and moonlight by night; if no image of the sun or moon appears, you may leave it out. Keep the visualization brief when burning the heart, and prolonged when burning the Dantian.

Then bend the knees and clasp them with both hands, letting the sensation of heat spread throughout the body. Stop when the heat reaches its peak. There is no fixed time for practice. After I eat my fill, I use fire circulation to make the feeling of fullness quickly subside. The method is to let the hands hang down, draw the feet in, rock the abdomen, gather the Qi, and bend forward. Once the Qi is full, straighten the torso again, and the fire will rise.

Ziyouzi said: I want to practice the rising and descending of the three palaces. How should I do it?

Draw in the feet and sit still. Press the middle finger of the left hand against the lower epigastrium, the area just above the navel. Make the True Warrior Mudra with the right hand, pinch the nostrils closed and hold the breath until the Qi is full, then release it gently. Do this three times.

Ziyouzi added: Extend the left and right legs and let the left and right hands hang down. When the Qi is full, lean back and recline. Do this five times; this is called the Five Qis Paying Homage to the Origin.

Ziyouzi said: Rub the hands together until they are warm. Place the left hand below the navel and let the right hand assist it. Then sit with the legs crossed and, with eyes closed, visualize: the heart’s fluid descending to the kidneys, and the kidneys’ Qi rising to the heart, circulating between above and below. With long practice, the area below the navel will feel as if it is burning. This is the foundation of the Dantian.

Ziyouzi said: Sit with the legs crossed and clasp both hands over the lower abdomen. Inhale through the nose and take in:

• White Qi from the west, swallowing seven times;
• Red Qi from the south, swallowing three times;
• Blue-green Qi from the east, swallowing nine times;
• Black Qi from the north, swallowing five times.

Then face south and raise the head, taking in yellow Qi from the center and swallowing once. This is the method of the true transformation of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).

Note: “Ziyouzi” is a name attributed to a speaker who expounds the Dao. “The three palaces” usually refers to the upper, middle, and lower Dantian, or to the brain, heart, and abdomen. The “True Warrior Mudra” is one of the hand seals used in Daoism. Taking in the colored Qi of the four directions is a common visualization and breathing method in internal cultivation, matching the Five Phases with directions and numbers. It should be understood with guidance from a qualified lineage and not practiced blindly.

Zhi Youzi says: Place the middle finger of your left hand against the center of your navel. Reach your right hand around behind you and cup the area of your waist and kidneys, pressing the coccyx with your middle finger—the point above the tailbone that Daoists regard as a vital passage for Qi. In your mind, visualize the sun and moon descending and joining within the Dantian, the sea of Qi about three inches below the navel. When you feel your Qi is sufficient, gently relax. Do this three times. It is called “urging the fire,” or “the sun and moon flying together.”

Zhi Youzi says: Raise your palms overhead while lying on your back to regulate the Three Burners—the movement of Qi in the upper, middle, and lower burners. Attend to the liver with your left hand and the lungs with your right, stretching as if drawing a bow and shooting at an eagle. Raise each arm overhead in turn to bring the spleen and stomach into harmony. Repeatedly turn your head to look behind you to ease strain and fatigue. The “great and small facing the heavens” postures, in which the body takes the shape of one looking up to heaven, can open the channels through the Five Viscera. Swallowing saliva replenishes Qi; raising the hands alternately to either side and swaying the “eel’s tail” can dispel heart ailments. Clasping the feet with both hands in turn can treat lower back pain.

Zhi Youzi says: Lie on your back, straighten your body, quiet your mind, and hold your breath. Place your hands on your abdomen and flanks, then raise your torso and grasp your toes. Lie back down and rise again, releasing a little breath. Repeat as many times as you can.

Zhi Youzi says: Dui corresponds to the number seven, symbolizes the young woman, belongs to the lungs, and governs intention. When intention stirs, thoughts multiply. Thus the number seven is associated with the descent of Qi and the refinement of the Po-soul; only then can the work of cultivating nature become mature. If it joins indiscriminately with the young man—the Yang within Kan—Jing is discharged. Kun corresponds to two, belongs to Earth and the small intestine. The spirit of Qujiang, the watery realm of the lower Dantian, must not be lightly probed. Raise the Earth Mother, the spleen’s Earth, to the position of Kan and unite them; only then can fluids be refined into an Elixir. Qian corresponds to six and belongs to Heaven, Metal, the father, and the large intestine. The kidneys’ palace is in Kan, while their temple is in Qian; the kidneys can unite with Gen. Bian Que says: The large intestine is the gate of the Po-soul. If its Qi is refined, the central Earth responds of itself. Central Earth means the spleen and stomach—this is the teaching called “refining Qi along the Yellow Path.”

Li corresponds to nine: it is heart Fire, the young woman, and governs Shen. When Shen is settled, it enters the empty void; when it is disturbed, one loses one’s bearings and becomes dazed. Therefore, to understand the number nine, one must first recognize three, five, one, two, and eight, and then unite them with the three of nine. The channels circulate the Five Fluids upward; when they unite, they transform into Shen. The method lies in allowing the vessel to raise Shen and the Qi of the cavern to enter the Purple Palace, the brain’s Dantian; then the Dao becomes visible. Kan corresponds to one: it is kidney Water and the young man. One is the number of Jing; nine is disorientation, and one is the obscure and indistinct. When they unite… (the discussion of refining Jing into Qi continues below).

A Plain-Language Interpretation of Daoshu

When numbers become disordered and reach an extreme, Jing and Qi leak outward, transform into the Po, and sink downward, eventually becoming ghosts. Before they reach that point, however, they can still be restrained and treated as a force that can be activated and put to use.

Xun corresponds to the number four and symbolizes wind. In the human body, it corresponds to the gallbladder; in the trigrams, it represents the eldest daughter. Xun governs “the multitude” and inspires fear, so it can subdue and bring people under control.

Gen corresponds to the number eight and symbolizes a mountain. Its fundamental nature belongs to Wood. It is also called the Ghost Gate, and in the body it represents the youngest son and the bladder. When Qi reaches this point, eight or nine people out of ten often die. After they become children, the numbers gather and become entangled there again.

As for practitioners, before they have truly reached the discussion of the Great Dao, they often begin with techniques that enter the realm of Jing, then refine Jing into Qi. This helps keep the mind under control at the critical point where “Jing reaches the Po, and the Hun follows desire into motion.” The Hun wanders with the heart among the liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. The five bodily fluids flow downward and, when they reach their extreme, can also transform into ghosts.

Zhen corresponds to the number three and symbolizes thunder. Its fundamental nature belongs to Wood; in the body it represents the liver and the eldest son. Can it settle one’s nature and raise Qi? The key is that the metal wind rises from the Yang Qi within Kan, causing the spirit to flourish. If one practices continuously through all twelve double-hours, then over time one may perhaps attain the Dao of the immortals.

Next, we can enumerate the parts of our body, this physical form, one by one. At the top is the crown of the head; below it is the Purple Palace, then the ears, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth. Below these is the Primordial Palace, that is, the Dao of the Upper Cavern. Further down are the throat, the many-storied passage, the epiglottis, and the heart; below them are the vessels. The heart is the mother of Qi. The diaphragm is the place of method. Below are the liver and gallbladder, then the spleen and stomach. The stomach connects to the small intestine, which connects to the bladder; the bladder belongs to the kidneys and is also a network of the heart. To the left of the small intestine is the large intestine. Further down is the lower technique. Taken together, these make what is called the “diagram of the One Qi.”

Ziyouzi says: “The Purple Text of the Upper Clarity speaks well of this: swallowing the Qi of the sun and moon together with their radiance is to take in things such as the Red Elixir, Golden Essence, Stone Radiance, and Water Mother. The practice is as follows: at sunrise, face east, click the teeth nine times, close the eyes, and hold the hands in a firm posture. Visualize the five-colored flowing clouds entering the mouth. When the moon rises, face west, click the teeth ten times, close the eyes, and hold the hands in a firm posture. Visualize the five-colored essence and radiance within the moon entering the mouth. The moonlight contains yellow Qi, and the pupils of the eyes are the essence of Flying Yellow, Moon Radiance, and Jade Womb. If one can practice this method, Jing and Qi surge upward and flow through the upper Dantian, the upper part of the body.”

Modern explanation:

The sun and moon can both lead to immortality. Ziyouzi says: “What the Upper Clarity Purple Writ says is exceedingly subtle; I will offer only a general outline.

At dawn, stand in an open place facing east. Watch the sun rise, observing its color, radiance, and appearance. Continue for several days, until you are familiar with it. Then, on the couch, sit quietly facing east sometime after the third water-clock mark and before the fourth in the hour of Yin. Sit with your knees crossed and your hands clasped firmly. Open the Gate of Heaven (the two nostrils) and close the Earth Gate (the mouth). With your eyes closed, visualize the Qi of the newly risen sun. Inhale it through the nose and hold it in the mouth. When the mouth is full, swish the Qi around the mouth forty-nine times without swallowing, then swallow it forcefully, visualizing it returning to the Dantian (energy center). Click your teeth together several times. This is called taking one pill of solar essence. Beginners may take three pills.

Ziyouzi says: “This is solar essence. There is also a method of the Nine Returns. After the hour of Zi and before the hour of Wu, face east, rinse the mouth twelve times, and join the Dragon and Tiger. You may then take one pill of solar essence, called the Red Pill. From the hour of Zi to the hour of Si is what is called the time of the Six Yang. Facing east, breathe out and in through the left and right nostrils, drawing in clear Qi until the mouth is full. Then inwardly visualize a radiance that is neither blue nor yellow, neither green nor emerald, but like the color and light of the sun. With each rinse, rub each palm once—the left hand is the Dragon, the right hand the Tiger. Rinse twelve times, rubbing your palms the same number of times. Turn your head to the left and swallow. When finished, rub your face with both hands, then rub each ear three times. This makes one pill. One is Yang, two is Yin: for Yang, swallow on the left; for Yin, on the right. At first, take three pills a day. After thirty days, increase to five; after fifty days, increase to seven. Those who have not yet overcome desire may stop at seven pills. If the coccygeal gate is not sealed and Qi leaks away without being contained, it will be difficult to fill the abdomen. In that case, after seventy days, increase to ten pills. After taking them for two hundred days, the urine will be red: this is a sign that the accumulated evils of the Nine Worms are leaving the body. Then you may take the essence of the moon. On the second day of the lunar month, after the hour of Wu…”

Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao

(First section: the essence of the sun and moon, and the formation of the embryo)

The passage above concerns the six Yin hours (the periods considered relatively Yin, such as Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, and Wu; the precise definition depends on the earlier text). Face west and practice in the same way as the “depletion” method described earlier.

The essence of the sun is to be refined until it forms five round beads (five pearl-like spheres of refined energy), but the essence of the moon must not be discarded. This essence of the moon is what the text calls the “white round bead.” After practicing for about sixteen days and replenishing your vitality for twenty ten-day periods (two hundred days), you may stop using the essence of the moon and work exclusively with the essence of the sun.

Of the five round beads, first swallow four and send one into the Dantian. During the first month, send one bead each day. In the second, third, fourth, and fifth months, increase the amount by one each month, as the text implies. Once you have reached five beads, often look at your appearance in a mirror while visualizing an infant within your abdomen whose features resemble your own reflection.

By the seventh or eighth month, you may be able to go without food and feel no hunger. In the tenth month, live in a quiet room and visualize the primordial spirit emerging through the Gate of Heaven, in the area of the Muddy Pellet Palace at the crown of the head. At this time, you must keep your eyes closed and not open them at will; if you force yourself to look, you may feel palpitations and unease. Only after more than three years may you gradually open your eyes, and even then you must not remain far from your physical body for long. Only after two cycles of practice (twenty-four years) may consciousness leave the body with full clarity. At that point, use the method of moving and conveying: store the Qi of the heart in the lower Dantian, then guide it from the Coccygeal Gate up along the spine and into the brain. You will hear inner sounds like wind and rain. A kind of “sand” will fall onto your face. It will taste sweet and must not be discarded; it can nourish the five viscera.

(Second section: Master Zhiyouzi describes the firing times)

Master Zhiyouzi says:

During the Xu and Hai hours (from seven to eleven in the evening), close your eyes, quiet your mind, and sit upright. Let your nasal breathing become fine and steady. Then visualize and swallow your saliva (mentally guide the saliva downward). When you feel sleepy, go to sleep.

At the Zi hour, sit facing south or east, and clear your mind of distracting thoughts. Inhale one breath through the nose and store it in the heart. Pause briefly, then inhale a second breath and swallow Qi of the same kind as the first breath, guiding it to the navel. Gently cup the area around the navel with both hands, while quickly tightening the posterior opening (the anus). Inhale a third breath, joining it to the first two. Once the Qi has passed the navel, tighten the anus again. Draw in the abdomen slightly, and wait for the fire (Yang Qi) to move below the navel and produce warmth.

Slowly lift and raise the waist and hips. When the Qi passes the Coccygeal Gate, the waist and hips will grow warm. As the Qi rises from the chest, draw the sides inward and hold them close (around the Jiaji area), keeping it steady. Do not let empty Yang surge ahead in disorder. When the fire has reached the Jiaji area, open the two passes there, tilt the head back, draw in the neck, and face the sky. Again, do not let empty Yang rush ahead. When the fire arrives, quickly nod and move the neck to send it up to the Sea of Marrow (the brain). Then guide the Qi through the Gate of Heaven, through the twelve-storied tower (the levels from the throat to the brain), and onward to the Crimson Palace (the area of the heart and the center of the chest).

Note: This passage describes Neidan (internal alchemy) and the firing times, using terms for hours, directions, the Dantian, the Coccygeal Gate, Jiaji, the Gate of Heaven, and inner landscapes. The practice has strict prohibitions and is for reading and understanding classical texts only; do not attempt it on your own.

This scripture primarily discusses two cultivation methods: the Original Pearl Method and the Serene Sitting Method.

The Original Pearl Method involves sitting quietly with eyes closed from morning until before noon, clearing distracting thoughts and allowing the breath to become soft and slow. During this time, saliva will accumulate in the mouth—neither spit it out nor swallow it. Use intention to restrain the True Dragon Qi (referring to Yang energy) within the body, preventing it from rising. Simultaneously, inhale gently through the nose to draw up the True Tiger Qi (referring to Yin energy), tightening the abdomen to prevent the Qi from sinking downward. Once the Qi feels full, relax slightly but do not let it dissipate, continuing gentle breathing until the mouth fills with saliva. Beginners may experience dry mouth and heart palpitations, but once the Qi channels become unobstructed, swallow the saliva in three portions. Repeating this process one to three times will refine the "Original Pearl" (a preliminary achievement in Neidan/internal alchemy practice).

The Serene Sitting Method follows these steps: First, place the left foot over the right knee while extending the right leg, then grasp the second knuckle of the middle fingers with both hands. Use the left hand to massage the right rib area sixty-four times. Next, switch positions—place the right foot over the left knee while extending the left leg and massage the left rib area sixty-four times. Then, sit cross-legged and massage the area above the navel thirty-two times. Begin by massaging both hands, followed by the lower back and shoulders three times each. Afterward, lightly tap the cheeks with the tongue (the "Crimson Dragon") fourteen times on each side, then the upper and lower lips seven times each, followed by the front teeth seven times. Finally, swirl the tongue three times to stir up saliva. Hold the saliva in the mouth and briefly hold the breath. Pinch the nose with both hands and first swallow the "fire Qi" (directing Yang energy with intention) three times, ensuring the "water Qi" (Yin energy) does not descend. Lastly, divide the saliva into two portions, pinch the nose, and swallow it with an audible sound.

Another cross-legged sitting method involves: Sitting with legs crossed, supporting the external kidneys (testicles) with the left hand while making a fist with the right hand (thumb tucked inside, fingers wrapped around it), then gently regulating the breath. Visualize True Fire burning in the heart, lungs, and liver. Once warmth is felt, imagine the fire Qi descending to the Dantian (lower abdomen) and then to the tailbone (coccyx). Lift the body slightly to allow the Qi to pass through, then visualize it traveling up to the upper gate (back of the head) and tilting the body forward slightly to guide the Qi into the Muddy Pellet (Baihui point at the crown of the head). This method guides internal Qi circulation along the Governing and Conception Vessels (Ren and Du meridians).

《The Pivot of the Dao: A Plain-Language Interpretation》

Returning the Elixir Through Nine Revolutions

As Qi descends from the Celestial Court (the brain), then reaches the heart, lungs, liver, and Dantian, it makes this circuit nine times. This is the principle of “Returning the Elixir Through Nine Revolutions.”

Embryonic Breathing and the Way of Breathing

Ziyouzi says: Exhaling a lot is not as good as exhaling a little; exhaling a little is not as good as not exhaling at all. Between one inhalation and one exhalation, Qi cannot be retained, and the Qi of Heaven and Earth is instead stolen away. Some take swallowing Qi to be embryonic breathing; others count their breaths, hold their breath, endure their breath, or reduce their breathing. None of these is the ultimate method. The true essentials are that internal Qi does not leak out, external Qi does not enter, the spirit can govern Qi, and the nose does not lose its breath. Qi rises to Niwan (the brain) and descends to the Dantian (lower abdomen); the two kinds of Qi rise and fall, circulating without end. Buddhists call this “embryonic breathing,” Daoists call it “the primordial Qi of the Great One held within,” and Confucians call it “nurturing the vast, flowing Qi.” Though the names differ, the paths lead to the same destination.

The Method for Seizing and Controlling Golden Essence

Ziyouzi says: I am about to practice the method of “seizing and controlling Golden Essence,” and there is a proper way to do it. Choose a Zi day (the first, eleventh, or twenty-first day of the lunar month). At the beginning of the Yin hour (between three and five in the morning), sit upright facing east, press the left hand on the knee and the right hand on the thigh, and inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth twenty-seven times. Then cross the hands and clasp the waist, and nod the head seven times. Wait until the Qi becomes gently warm; then the original Qi of Niwan enters. Embrace yourself with both arms and tighten the waist three times. Extend both legs, resting them flat on the mat, and use both hands to grasp the toes; repeat this motion seven times. Press with the left and right hands as at the beginning, then sit and rest. Embrace the right breast with the left arm and extend the right arm; look back as though striking angrily, seven times. Then embrace the left breast with the right arm and do the same as before. I practice this with single-minded focus and without interruption. Next, perform “the Jade Maiden Dancing Among the Cloud-Boughs” twelve times in succession, then press with the left and right hands as at the beginning. Swallow dry once, and swallow saliva once. If practiced for five sets of five days (twenty-five days), the Jing-Qi will circulate through all four limbs. By continuing without pause, one may attain longevity.

The Standing Method for Guiding Qi

Ziyouzi says: Stand facing either south or east. Roll up pieces of paper and place them in both nostrils; when you feel about to sneeze, remove them. Bend both wrists downward, spread the arms behind you like a phoenix opening its wings, then bring them forward and fold them across the body three times. Raise the sleeves with both hands to cover the mouth, and nod the nose three times. Shake the left shoulder with all your strength three times, then do the same on the right. Next, cross the hands, turn the fingers toward the face, and bend forward.

《The Pivot of the Dao》: A Plain-Language Interpretation

1. Embracing and Lifting Qi

Covering the Earth: Cup your hands as though embracing a heavy object and raise them to the level of your mouth. Repeat three times.

Kicking the Feet: Kick the left foot up toward the buttocks three times, then do the same with the right foot.

Embracing the Dantian: Place both hands over the Dantian (energy center) in the lower abdomen. Draw in Qi forcefully through the nose and swallow it down into the lower Dantian three times. Stop when your breathing has settled. This may be practiced at any time, though it is best to keep the number of repetitions fixed.

2. Five Methods for Cultivating Life, as Taught by Zhiyouzi

Zhiyouzi said: There are five methods for cultivating life:

1. The Fire of Long Life

Let the Qi of the heart descend to the Dantian, then draw it up and contract it.

2. The Great One Embracing the True

Let the Qi of the lungs, heart, and liver all reach the Dantian, then draw it up and contract it.

3. The Jade Maiden Dividing the Embryo

Lie on your right side, with the external kidney (the male external genitalia) resting against the outer thigh. Keep it away from heat to prevent the Qi from dispersing.

4. Flying the Golden Crystals Behind the Elbows

Let the Qi of the lungs, heart, and liver descend to the Dantian, then rotate it eighty-one times in each direction.

5. Opening the Celestial Gate and Closing the Earthly Portal

Strike the Three Passes, clench your fists, and extend your feet. Focus your mind on the Jiaji (the paired acupoints between the kidneys on the back). Imagine black Qi entwining red Qi as it rises to the Mudball (the crown of the head, at Baihui), then gently tap the crown several times. There is also a method for closing the Three Passes: flare the nostrils, draw in the lower abdomen slightly, and the heart will naturally rise, the Jing will naturally ascend in reverse, and the pulse will also stop. Then the upper pass will close.

3. The Six Qi Method (Xu, Si, He, Chui, Hu, Xi)

Zhiyouzi said: The sages of ancient times passed down the method of the six Qi: Xu, Si, He, Chui, Hu, and Xi.

At Zi hour (midnight): Sit cross-legged and still your breathing. Draw Qi in through the nose and into the abdomen. Once it is full, perform He three times, Hu twelve times, and swallow saliva three times.

At Mao hour (early morning): Face east. Perform Hu twelve times, Si seven times, Xi twelve times, and swallow saliva three times.

At Wu hour (noon): Face south. Perform Si seven times, Chui five times, Xi twelve times, and swallow saliva three times.

At You hour (evening): Face west. Perform Xu nine times, He three times, Xi twelve times, and swallow saliva three times.

Brief descriptions of each Qi practice:

All of the above are traditional methods of Neidan (internal alchemy), Daoyin (guiding and stretching practices), and the Six Healing Sounds. They involve specific bodily techniques and focused attention, and should be practiced under the guidance of an accomplished teacher.

Plain-Language Interpretation

The Six Sounds, the Organs, and the Eye’s Circles

The six sounds mentioned below, such as “he” and “xi,” are breathing practices used in Daoist health cultivation. Sit upright with your face turned upward, then make the sound “xi,” which corresponds to the lungs and the Qi circle of the eye. If the Qi circle is afflicted—for example, if vision is clouded as though the sun were veiled by clouds, then briefly clears, or if there is heat and wind in the large intestine or constipation—use “si.” The spleen corresponds to the inner circle; when it is afflicted, the sides may become swollen and painful and the lips dry, so use “hu.” For a swollen throat, use “xi.” The kidneys correspond to the Water circle; when it is afflicted, one object may appear as two, the sun may look as though seen through water, or there may be cold below the navel, so use “chui.” The heart corresponds to the Blood circle; when it is afflicted, fleshy growth may extend over the eyeball or heat may arise between the diaphragm, so use “he.” The liver corresponds to the Wind circle; when it is afflicted, the eyes may water in the wind and things may appear veiled in mist or smoke, so use “xu.”

(Here, “circles” refers to divisions of the eye, each corresponding to one of the Five Viscera. The six sounds are he, si, hu, xi, chui, and xu, each regulating one organ.)

The Master Zhiyou on the Three Fires

Master Zhiyou said: I once heard of the teaching on the “Three Fires.”

The people’s fire refers to the external kidneys (the external genitalia). At sunset, contract the people’s fire twenty-seven times and gather water thirty-six times. Form it into one mouthful and swallow it down to the Dantian, gently contracting the external kidneys once. In this way, water descends from above while the people’s fire enters from outside, and water and fire assist one another.

The minister’s fire refers to the internal kidneys. At the transition between the Xu and Hai periods (around seven to nine in the evening), practice “Boiling the Sea”: first cup the external kidneys with the left hand, then rub below the navel with the right hand, drawing up the minister’s fire to boil the Dantian, so that Yin diminishes and Yang grows. Perform eighty-one strokes with each hand to complete one round.

The ruler’s fire refers to the heart. After the Hai period, sit quietly and use the mind to circle the Dantian, first to the left and then to the right, making eighty-one or three hundred and sixty revolutions in each direction. This causes the heart’s ruler’s fire to descend and unite with the internal kidneys’ minister’s fire and the external kidneys’ people’s fire. When the three fires gather and form the Elixir, this is called the circulation of the celestial circuit and its fire phases.

Daily Fire Phases and Forming the Elixir

Master Zhiyou also said: In daily practice, kindle the fire during the Yin, Wu, and Xu periods. Stay in a quiet room, spread a thick cushion on a couch, sit facing south with your legs crossed, and cup the kidney area with both hands, holding them below the navel circle. Let your thoughts settle and remain clear, inwardly and outwardly at ease. Then visualize something inside the navel circle, as large as a pellet, colored like a vermilion orange and bright as the white sun. Make the breath entering through the nose exceedingly subtle, and let it rest within the pellet. When a thought begins to stir, rouse your spirit and extinguish it at once; then visualize the pellet again, so that each incoming breath continually rests within it.

(“Navel circle” refers to the Dantian, the area below the navel. “Forming the Elixir” refers to refining and condensing Jing and Qi through internal practice. “The celestial circuit and its fire phases” refers to a practice in which internal Qi is circulated according to the hours, bringing the Three Fires into union.)

Interpretation of the Dao Pivot

As practice progresses, you will gradually feel warmth around the navel wheel—the channels of Qi around the navel—as if a small flame had kindled there. First, tap your teeth nine times, rinse your mouth with saliva, and swallow nine times. Each time, use your intention to guide the saliva to the Niwan Palace, around the brow and upper Dantian.

Next, perform the method of “raising the fire.” Tap your teeth nine more times and swallow saliva nine times, then hold your breath for three counts and rub your palms together until they are very hot. Place your warm palms at the outer corners of your eyes and rub several times. Then rub your nose, both ears, face, and neck until they grow warm. Next, hold your breath on each side in turn and perform the “drawing the bow” posture three times. Even if you do only this sequence each day, it can help prevent the “Eight Evils”—wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, and other internal and external harms—from invading. Your complexion will become lustrous, and your body will be less prone to aging. This is what is called “minor form cultivation.”

Why is the fire kindled at three particular times of day? At the hour of Yin, the fire is in its “birth” phase; at noon, it reaches its “imperial peak”; and at the hour of Xu, it enters the “storehouse and tomb.” Practicing at these times can diminish Yin Qi and nourish the Yang spirit. After long practice, once the method is fully mastered, you can practice during any of the twelve double-hours of the day. Your mind will naturally grow clear and alert, free from drowsiness, and even in a dark room, your inner and outer surroundings will seem bright. These are signs that the Elixir has formed, the spirit is complete, and Qi is abundant. When true Qi is full, the spirit is clear and refreshed; you will not feel hungry even if you abstain from food, and you will know good or ill fortune before it arrives. These are signs that the Dao has been attained.

After one hundred days of practice, chronic ailments may be cured; after two hundred days, the area below the navel will become firm and your strength will flourish; after three hundred days, Jing and Qi will coalesce into the Elixir. Beginners should practice for about half an hour at a time, then gradually extend their sessions and deepen their practice. Once the method is mastered, when you begin, you will feel a gentle warmth rising. Through inner observation, you will clearly see something like a small pellet. Qi and fluids will flow in harmony, and your awareness will remain upright, focused, and unwavering. The breath you draw in will gather within the pellet, until you are wholly unaware of where your body is. This is called “the breath following the embryo as it forms, the embryo abiding as the breath settles,” and is a sign that the Elixir has formed.

After practicing for a long time, you may suddenly forget both self and things; your body will feel as if it were empty space, and warmth will spread through you as you sweat. This is a sign that the “fetal immortal” has formed. If you are ill, hold your breath for several counts; once you begin to sweat, stop and perform the method of raising the fire. The illness may then be dispelled.

Someone asked Zhiyouzi, “Why should beginners practice the ‘Four Methods’ together?”

Zhiyouzi said:

A day has four periods corresponding to the numbers of Heaven and Earth and Yin and Yang. The “four seasons” of Heaven and Earth are spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The “four phases” of the sun and moon are the first quarter, full moon, last quarter, and new moon—the phases of the lunar cycle. The human “four periods” are the hours of Zi, Wu, Mao, and You.

At Zi hour, the Qi of the heart enters the kidneys. Fire is below, so the kidneys’ true Qi rises.

At Mao hour, true Yang follows the flourishing Yin Qi to the waist, then returns to its proper place. The two Qi, Yin and Yang, move one in front and the other behind. For men, “behind” is to the left; for women, “behind” is Yin. This is the time to raise the fire and disperse Qi.

At Wu hour, kidney Qi enters the heart. Yin descends from the “Nine Heavens” to above the throat and diaphragm, then divides and moves along the front and back.

At You hour, Yin Qi governs decline and Yang Qi is relatively weak. This is the time to gather Qi and nourish Yang, thereby strengthening Yang Qi.

Thus, the “Four Methods” are practices for four periods of the day.

Hai, Zi, and Chou are when Yang Qi first arises and the true Qi of One Yang is about to rise. Continue sitting upright until dawn, and do not speak loudly or talk excessively. (Ordinary conversation with others is fine; avoid talking to yourself or engaging in idle chat and social pleasantries.) If Zi hour that night is unsuitable for practice, you may practice after the cock crows. If you have not obtained the “true Qi of One Yang” on the night before the winter solstice, practice on the night of the winter solstice or at the Zi hour of the following day, called “Little Solstice.” (If you have already obtained One Yang on the preceding night, you may practice again on the winter solstice or at Little Solstice; there is no need to force yourself to sit until dawn.)

At the winter solstice, Qi rises from Yongquan, an important point on the sole of the foot. In the eleventh lunar month it reaches the knees; in the twelfth, the thighs; and in the first month, the waist. This is called “the completion of the Three Yang.” In the second month it reaches the upper arms, in the third the neck, and in the fourth the crown of the head. From the fifth month onward, Yin Qi descends along a similar course. Those who study the Dao should abstain from sensual desire in the fourth and tenth months, to avoid the times when pure Yang and pure Yin are in season.

Zhiyouzi added: Sit upright with your eyes closed. Regard the heart as the Maiden and the kidneys as the Infant. First warm the kidney region and kindle the fire within it, causing the fire to rise.

The following describes a set of methods in Neidan (internal alchemy) involving “guiding Qi, visualization, union, and ascent and descent,” followed by an account of the names of the spirits within the body, the souls, and the worms.

The union of the Dragon and Tiger and the movement between the kidneys and heart

First, inhale clear Qi through the nose and visualize the wind of Heaven nine times. Then, in the mind, guide the “Maiden” (Chanu, a symbol in inner cultivation for Yin essence and the Yin Qi stirred by emotion) downward with “Dragon Fire” (Yang Qi, akin to heart fire) until they meet in the lower region. At this moment, visualize the “Infant” (often a metaphor for innate true Yang, or the infant of the original spirit) ascending to meet the Maiden. Their union is like that of husband and wife; this is how the “Dragon and Tiger” are used within the body.

Next, draw in a breath through the nose, close the mouth and eyes, sit upright, and clasp both hands around the “outer kidneys” (a man’s external kidneys; in inner cultivation, this often refers to the kidney region, where essence and Qi gather). When the area has become fully warmed, embrace the kidneys with the mind and guide the warmth upward in reverse. Then quickly draw in another breath and visualize the heart, as the Maiden, uniting with the kidneys and combining their essences. Repeat this up and down fifteen times in all, until essence and Qi become firmly established in the body; then guide them upward in reverse into the heart. Next, let the heart’s blood descend. Repeat this ascent and descent twenty-one times, then gather it into the “Palace of the Spleen” (the central palace, around the Yellow Court) and seal it there. The “Yellow Matron” (Huangpo), the medium that harmonizes Yin and Yang and connects the heart and kidneys, is the state in which the Three Natures dwell together. It lies above the heart and below the navel, and is about the size of a ring.

Then temper the mixture with the “Fire of the Six Yangs” and irrigate it with the “Water of the Six Yins,” circulating it day and night according to the “Nine-One” formula (interpretations differ among lineages; one account describes nine cycles in a day). Thus, when the heart moves, the lungs, liver, gallbladder, and small intestine all move to assist it; when the kidneys move, the outer kidneys, bladder, large intestine, and spleen all move to assist them. This shows that cultivating both heart and kidneys is the foundation of true cultivation.

The Three Hun and Seven Po

The Wandering Youth, a speaker in the text, says: The Three Hun are Shuangling, Youjing, and Taiguang. The Seven Po are Shigou, Fuzhi, Queyin, Tianzei, Feidu, Chu hui, and Xiufei.

The spirits within the body, as listed in the scripture

The “Three Primordial Spirits” are named Laiyu and are seven inches tall. The “Spirit of the Stomach” is three and a half inches tall. The “Spirit of the Muddy Pellet” is located three inches inward from between the eyebrows and is named Dixang. The “Spirit of the Crimson Palace” is at the center of the heart and is one inch tall. The “Palace of the Dantian” lies two inches below the navel and is named Guli.

The “Spirit of the Heart” takes the form of a vermilion bird, is nine inches tall, and is named Huanyang. The “Spirit of the Liver” is named Tongzi and takes the form of two jade maidens; it is nine inches tall. The “Spirit of the Gallbladder” dwells beneath the membrane, takes the form of a jade youth holding a halberd, is named Longde, and is three inches tall. The “Spirit of the Lungs” is named Haohua, takes the form of a jade youth bearing a weapon, and is three inches tall. The “Spirit of the Spleen” is named Baoyuan, takes the form of three maidens, and is seven inches and three tenths tall. The “Spirit of the Kidneys” is named Yuanzhen, resembles a white deer with two heads, and is three inches and seven tenths tall.

The Nine Worms

Among the Nine Worms, the “Hidden Worm” is four tenths of an inch long. It is the leader of the worms, lives between the intestines and stomach, and can transform into various illnesses. The roundworm and other worms are also included (scriptures often list the names of these worms as metaphors for the harms that damage life and deplete essence).

The passage above belongs to the Daoist traditions of inner landscape, visualization, and the regulation of fire and timing. Its terminology draws largely on the bodily theology of the Huangting and Daoshu lineages. Commentators across the ages have differed on the details of the methods, so they should be considered alongside the surrounding chapters and the instructions transmitted by a teacher, rather than practiced in isolation.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Pivot of the Dao

General meaning of the original: It lists several kinds of “worms” said to occur inside the body, describing their names, shapes, and symptoms, and explains that they can also manifest as skin conditions such as deep sores, scabies, and ringworm.

White worm: About four inches long and shaped like a leech, it often causes rumbling in the intestines. It is called the white worm.

Flesh worm: About one inch long, it can reproduce; some grow to four or five feet. In severe cases, it can cause death. It is called the flesh worm.

Lung worm: Shaped like a rotten apricot, it can cause agitation and unease. It is called the lung worm.

Stomach worm: Shaped like a silkworm, it can cause coughing. It is called the stomach worm.

Diaphragm worm: Shaped like a frog, it can cause nausea, vomiting, and hiccups. It is called the diaphragm worm.

Red worm: Shaped like a melon segment, it can cause excessive salivation. It is called the red worm.

Pinworm: A kind of pinworm, shaped like a leech, it can cause rumbling in the abdomen. It is called the pinworm.

These harmful worms may also manifest as deep sores, scabies, and ringworm, among other skin conditions.

Note: This passage records ideas about “worms accumulating inside the body” and “corpse worms” found in Daoist and occult traditions. It uses the worms’ names and shapes to associate them with the organs and symptoms. These are not classifications from modern parasitology. They are best understood as symbolic descriptions rooted in ancient ideas about health and the treatment of illness, rather than as conditions that correspond directly to modern medical diagnoses.