《道樞》Vol. 4
About this page. The original text of 《道樞》 Vol. 4 (Taixuan 太玄部, 42 volumes) is shown in Classical Chinese as transmitted in the Kanripo (Kyoto University) edition. An English interpretation of the 19 passages on this page accompanies it: select a passage or press “Interpretation” to show it. All texts in English
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Source textInterpretation
The Pivot of the Dao, Fascicle Four, “Being Steadfast,” Section Three: “The Western Ascent” (excerpt)
“The Western Ascent” (takes subtle and mysterious words as its central teaching; one account says that only Limozi, cherishing the Dao, traveled west and instructed Yin Xi at the pass.)
As Laozi was about to enter the Western Regions, Yin Xi (the Keeper of the Pass) met him at Hangu Pass and asked him about the Dao. Laozi said: “Emptiness and the indistinct are the root of the Dao. I came into being through emptiness and found my place through nonbeing. Thus, what gives me life is Shen (spirit, original spirit); what brings about my ruin is the heart-mind (the deluded, desiring mind).
“The body serves Shen as its carriage, dwelling, and master. When the body is still, Shen settles within it; when the body is agitated, Shen departs. Therefore, if you can set the body aside and preserve Shen, the radiance of Jing and Qi can remain. Unite with the ‘One’ within the Dao, and you will be in communion with the Dao.
“A good person does not contend with the myriad things, but is humble and free of desire. Desire is the root of calamity; ‘nonbeing’ is the source of Heaven and Earth. The sage casts off desire and enters nonbeing, thereby protecting himself. So I look, yet do not see desire; listen, yet do not hear desire; speak, yet do not speak of desire; eat, yet do not taste desire. How still and detached! With such clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), Qi returns to its state before birth.
“I observe that pitying the people of the world is not as good as pitying oneself; pitying oneself is not as good as cherishing Shen; cherishing Shen is not as good as letting go of attachment to Shen; letting go of Shen is not as good as keeping the body well guarded. Only by guarding the body in this way can one endure. Shen gives rise to bodily form, and bodily form brings Shen to completion. Without Shen, form cannot bring itself to life; without form, Shen cannot come to completion. Form and Shen unite, generating and completing one another; this is the proper way.
“The highest filial devotion under Heaven may be called nourishing one’s mother. Only by loving one’s mother can one’s body endure. Only when the body can be empty can the myriad things return to it; only when the heart-mind can be free of being can harmonious Qi return. Thus, those skilled in nourishing the body conceal the body within the body, without exposing it; they conceal people among people, without making them visible. Why? Because they constantly take emptiness as their body and nonbeing as their heart-mind. This is called ‘the body without a body, the heart-mind without a heart-mind.’ To guard Shen in this way until one reaches understanding—is this not to become one with the Dao?
My destiny lies within me, not in Heaven; I am not subject to Heaven and Earth. I do not look, I do not listen…” (This section belongs to Daoist discussions of Neidan (internal alchemy), guarding Shen, and preserving the body. It emphasizes emptiness, nonbeing, clarity, stillness, and the union of form and Shen, and accords with the early legend of Laozi entering the pass in the west to expound the Dao.)
《The Pivot of the Dao》: A Plain-Language Interpretation
If one does not understand this principle, the spirit cannot fully emerge. Once it is understood, the body and the Dao can remain united for a long time. I share one Qi with Heaven and Earth and use it to govern myself; what matters is to keep watch over my own root.
Nothing under Heaven is softer and weaker than Qi, and nothing within Qi is softer and weaker than the Dao. The Dao is soft and weak because it enfolds Heaven and Earth and runs through all things. The soft can give rise to the firm, and the weak can give rise to the strong, yet people do not know where the root of all things comes from.
Being takes Nonbeing as its mother; Nonbeing takes Emptiness as its mother; Emptiness takes the Dao as its mother. This is the root of the Dao.
What is a person of the Dao? One whose Shen, though present in the body, is not confined to that body.
Abundance is born from decline, and Yin is born from Yang. Thus Being and Nonbeing give rise to one another, and Emptiness and Substance complete one another. Being returns to Being, and Nonbeing returns to Nonbeing.
People dwell within the Dao, and the Dao dwells within people. Fish dwell in water, and water dwells within fish. When the Dao departs, people die; when the water dries up, the fish perish.
Therefore, the sage returns to the state before the body took shape and conceals Shen within. The world then turns toward him of its own accord. Through Wuwei and freedom from interference, the state becomes prosperous and the people grow wealthy. To preserve the Dao’s constant way is called Mysterious Unity.
People live by receiving Shen, yet do not know where Shen resides. Only the sage conceals Shen within, so the Po soul does not scatter outward. Keep to the mother, and the child will remain whole; the people, too, will flourish.
The way of cultivating the body lies in reaching the mixed Qi of the Mysterious Origin and using intention to keep watch over oneself.
Heaven does not deliberately seek clarity; clarity naturally returns to it. Earth does not deliberately seek murkiness; murkiness naturally returns to it. Damp places do not deliberately seek water; water naturally returns to them. Dry places do not deliberately seek fire; fire naturally returns to them. Emptiness and Wuwei do not deliberately seek the Dao; the Dao naturally returns to them. Seen in this light, what thing’s nature is not spontaneous?
After Laozi had finished speaking about the Dao, he again told Yin Xi: “I will tell you the essential points of the utmost Dao: quiet your mind and keep to the One. Then all defilements will be cleared away, and all affairs will be complete.”
Inner De (Virtue): When the Three Activities and Seven Emotions Are Cleansed at Their Source / The Five Spirits Guard Their Repositories and the Three Ones Endure
The Most High said: “Quiet the Three Activities (mouth, eyes, and ears) and cleanse the Seven Emotions. Then each of the Five Spirits will guard its own repository, and the Three Ones will endure.”
“Three” is the number of the body’s original Shen and the Li trigram. “One” is the number one associated with the body’s true Jing and the Kan trigram. Within the body, presumably…
(The passage may be incomplete in the surviving editions. It appears to mean that the body’s original Shen, true Jing, and the numerical principles of Kan and Li correspond, and that one must keep to the One in order to preserve the whole body.)
Note: “Three Activities,” “Seven Emotions,” “Five Spirits,” “Three Ones,” “Kan One,” and “Mysterious Unity” are common terms in Daoist inner cultivation. The Three Activities usually refer to actions arising through the mouth, eyes, and ears; the Five Spirits usually refer to the Hun, Po, Shen, intention, and will; and the Three Ones refer either to Jing, Qi, and Shen united or to the practice of keeping to the One. “Kan One” is a Neidan term for the true Jing in the kidneys. The translation stays close to the intended meaning, with brief explanations of specialized terms where they first appear or in context.
The Inner Pivot: A Plain-Language Interpretation
Within the human body are thirty-six thousand spirits, twelve hundred forms and shadows, and twelve thousand beams of essence-light. Each of the five organs and six viscera is guarded by fourteen spirits. Three Hun-souls dwell on the left and seven Po-souls on the right. One should silently recall them often and never let them leave the body.
The sun is the Officer of Merit and belongs to Yang Qi; the moon is the Chief Registrar and belongs to Yin blood. The Thunder Lord’s envoys reside on the left and right—that is, the three Hun-souls. The Wind Earl and Rain Master dwell before and behind—that is, the seven Po-souls. The Six Jia are six Yang spirits, and the Directing Talisman is six Yin spirits; they circle the whole body. The Azure Dragon supports the left, the White Tiger the right, the Vermilion Bird guides the front, and the Black Tortoise follows behind. These are the body’s Four Symbols. The Northern Dipper covers the head and is the spirit of essence-light; the Celestial Dipper points to the feet and is the spirit of true Qi; the Flying Serpent is in the hands and is the spirit of the gallbladder.
I dwell within the Elixir Chamber, holding fast to the method of “Guarding the One.” The Great One is the spirit of original reality in the Palace of the Lower Origin, and is my companion. Three on the left and seven on the right correspond to Zhen and Dui; wearing Nine and treading One correspond to Li and Kan; Two and Four are the shoulders, corresponding to Kun and Xun; Six and Eight are the feet, corresponding to Qian and Gen; Five occupies the central palace and represents Earth. These are the spirits of the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces, all truly present within the abdomen.
When people fall asleep, their spirit-souls, essence, and po-souls wander outside the body, giving Yin forces an opening to steal their essence and Qi. One should therefore send out the Four Beasts to guard the body. What are the Four Beasts? The Azure Dragon emerges from the liver, the White Tiger from the lungs, the Vermilion Bird from the heart, and the Black Tortoise from the kidneys. Do not let the gathered evils enter the Jade Chamber—the place where essence and Qi reside. The liver stores the Hun-soul, the lungs store the Po-souls, the heart stores the spirit, the spleen stores intention, and the kidneys store essence. When the spirits of the five organs go out, they ward off evil; when they return within, they calm the spirit. Once they have guarded the body, each returns to its place.
Strike the Heavenly Drum thirty-six times to gather the spirits, and swallow the saliva thirty-six times to gather Qi. In this way, the Yin gate can close, preventing the gathered evils from settling below. “Closing the Qi” does not mean holding one’s breath. It means settling the spirit and harmonizing the Qi, letting go of thoughts and worries until the breath through the nose is gentle and almost imperceptible. In pulse diagnosis, six beats make one breath; nine times nine makes eighty-one breaths. Keep in mind the red Qi streaming from the mouth, shaped like a wheel of fire, moving throughout the room. When it comes to rest, one is inwardly at peace.
If one wishes to sleep peacefully within it, one will naturally be able to dispel illness and keep away yin pathogenic influences.
“Xuan’gang Chapter”: The Daoist tradition has a long lineage; it explores the profound and subtle principles within it and sets out its essential purport in an outline form.
Chongxuanzi (Wu Yun, a Tang-dynasty Daoist priest) said: The Great Dao (the Way) is originally empty and void, yet from it Heaven and Earth are generated. Heaven moves, but the North Star does not shift; Heaven contains emptiness without diminishing. Earth is still and bears the myriad things, yet rivers ceaselessly flow east; clouds rise and do not dry up. Therefore stillness is the heart of Heaven and Earth, and movement is the Qi (vital energy) of Heaven and Earth. When the heart is still and Qi moves, Heaven and Earth can cover and support the myriad things and run without cease.
Those who understand the Great Dao have inner peace and unite with Dao; the workings of Qi operate, the physical form is preserved, and one is not tempted by external things—this is called utmost stillness. Shen (spirit) is not something produced by intention; when emptiness and stillness reach their utmost, Shen naturally appears. Qi originally has no form or trace; when Shen operates, Qi naturally transforms and comes forth. Qi originally has no shape or substance; only after coalescing and accumulating does it form the body. The body originally has no desires; only through activity and use is human nature depleted.
Dao enables me to live, while desires lead me toward decline. Forgetting desires, innate nature becomes whole; when innate nature is whole, the body is whole; when the body is whole, Qi is abundant; when Qi is abundant, Shen is complete; when Shen is complete, Dao is fulfilled. When Dao is fulfilled, Shen is strong; when Shen is strong, Qi is numinous; when Qi is numinous, Shen is transcendent; when Shen is transcendent, innate nature is thoroughly penetrated. Circulating back and forth in this way and becoming one with Dao, one can transform being into nonbeing and the solid into the void, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the power that creates and transforms the myriad things.
The Great Dao does not wish the human mind to harbor distracting thoughts, because with distracting thoughts true Qi cannot coalesce; nor does it wish people to force themselves into bitter cultivation, because with bitter attachment external pathogenic Qi will enter through the gap. Cultivation should be peaceful and bland, clear and tranquil, subtle and empty-bright, and should nurture and contain original Qi. When a stimulus comes and one responds, do not cling to it and refuse to let go; thus the true and the false can naturally be distinguished.
Therefore, as long as my mind is not skewed, there is no external thing that cannot be viewed uprightly; once a thought becomes attached, what is seen easily becomes skewed and perverse. How the perverse and the upright manifest depends on oneself. In cultivation, one must first refine away the mundane and reach the realm of immortals; then from the immortal refine up to the True; from the True unite with the Wondrous; uniting with the Wondrous, one communicates with Shen and the divine. When Shen unites with Dao, Dao becomes oneself; thus one can ascend to the Jade Capital (the heavenly capital in Daoism), roam the Golden Towers (the palaces of Heaven), appear and disappear, and ultimately be free from the limits of ending and death.
Chongxuanzi said: I have held that there are principles by which immortality can be reached through learning and cultivation. Some attain it naturally without learning, because they have received extraordinary Qi and disposition; some must learn before succeeding, because the work of cultivation accumulates gradually; and some learn but cannot succeed, because they are diligent at first and slack later. Those far from the Dao of immortality and those near to it each have seven cases. Form and Qi are the root on which innate nature depends for its settlement.
A Modern Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao (Dao Shu)
When form and Qi (vital energy) decay, one’s original nature has nowhere to abide. If it has nowhere to abide, what can we even mean by “I”? This is the first way of being far from the immortal Dao.
Some believe that becoming an immortal must have an end, and that in the end one will sink and fall. This is the second.
Some believe that the physical body is destined to disintegrate and that the soul exists only to be reborn through reincarnation. How could they understand entering the great furnace of transformation and letting Yin-Yang forge them? This is the third.
Some take fine clothes and grand titles as marks of success, and fame and office as a path to immortality. They indulge in sensual pleasures and pursue luxurious clothing and rich food. This is the fourth.
Some let romantic attachment lead them astray in their prime. Only when their hair has turned white do they think of learning the Dao. Their injuries are then hard to mend. They admire only the name of “cultivating the Dao,” while going against the true Dao. This is the fifth.
Some busy themselves tending alchemical furnaces and studying plants and herbs—the path of Waidan (external alchemy) and magical techniques. This is the sixth.
Some act in ways that violate the precepts, then do nothing to cultivate themselves when they are still. This is the seventh.
Conversely, there are also seven ways of drawing near to the immortal Dao.
To delight in the mysterious and the subtle, to have few desires, to bring body and mind into the utmost stillness, and to take Wuwei (non-action) as the basis for conduct: this is the first.
To lessen the harm caused by Yin, cultivate hidden virtue, refrain from anger and restrain desire, regard praise and blame alike, and cultivate purity and truth: this is the second.
To hold an official post while letting the heart roam in Dao and De (Virtue), and to be benevolent, gentle, and generous in love: this is the third.
Not to covet rank or cling to one’s stipend, but to live calmly and make nurturing life one’s priority: this is the fourth.
To settle the body through stillness, nourish Shen (spirit) through harmony, and use Jing (essence) to reach the true: this is the fifth.
To have gone astray in one’s prime, but in later years to gather the heart and change course; to make amends through good deeds, replace what is crooked with what is upright, study what is subtle, and let what is evident emerge gradually: this is the sixth.
To possess loyalty, filial devotion, and integrity without having to study them deliberately: this is what is meant by concealing one’s radiance and transforming in secret, dying yet not perishing. This is the seventh.
Choose the seven ways of drawing near and leave behind the seven ways of being far. It is like pulling someone from a trap and rescuing them from the mud.
Thus the Mysterious Frost, Crimson Snow, Jade Pistil, and Golden Paste were refined through nine cycles into supreme treasures. Wei Boyang attained the Dao through the Cantong qi (Token for Joining the Three); Ma Mingsheng transcended the ordinary and attained perfection through the method of Golden Liquid; Yin Changsheng refined the elixir of Great Perfection; and Liu An cultivated the essence of Great Unity. These must be the people called “those who have discovered the hidden pivot”—those who deeply understood the crucial mechanisms of cultivation.
Before the Yang soul has joined with its counterpart, a person is in a state of undifferentiated chaos, like the connecting tissues within a womb. Only when Yang essence begins to stir does one receive a nature and take shape. Thus Yin separates and settles into stillness, while Yang dwells within Yin to form the body. When Yin and Yang unite, the myriad things flourish; when the sun and moon harmonize, the four seasons fall into order. If Heaven and Earth did not interact, how could there be day and night? If the sun and moon did not unite, how could they wax and wane? If the myriad things did not unite, how could flourishing and decay appear?
In the time of Great Change, all was a formless chaos, like the connecting tissues within a womb. Then came Great Change, symbolizing the beginning of spring and the first emergence of Yang. Its substance was dark and yellow; the Four Images had yet to become distinct. Mysterious mists enveloped the fluid, and radiant light was sealed within the essence of water. At midnight, this corresponds to the Yijing’s first nine: “The hidden dragon.” Great Change is associated with benevolence, spring, Yang, the dragon, the sun, Heaven, Fire, the soul, Shen, Mercury, and Wood.
When Yang Qi enters a thing, it lives; when Yang Qi leaves it, it dies. Great Change governs generation and growth. If Yang did not stir below, how could the myriad things come to life? This is why the scripture says, “Water above, Fire below”: it speaks precisely of this principle. Yang must rise and steam upward, while Yin must moisten below. What steams is hot; heat steams Yin, and Yin rises as vapor. What is light and clear floats upward to become Heaven: when clear, it forms clouds and rosy mists; when condensed, rain and dew; when dispersed, wind and smoke; when chilled, frost and snow. From midnight to noon it rises; from noon until midnight it descends. Clouds and rosy mists, frost and snow, rain and dew, wind and smoke, Qi and vapor descend to nourish the myriad things. The scripture says, “Return to the root and restore the origin; go back to the earth’s veins.” This is what it means.
In the human body, this corresponds to saliva, fluids, nasal discharge, blood, flesh, Jing, and marrow. The five metals, eight minerals, and such substances follow Heaven and Earth in their cycles of ascent and descent, harmonize and unite, and return to their original source; hence the word “return.” Refined through nine cycles until they become hard, they are called the Elixir. Great Beginning is the origin of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things: Yang passes through Yin and is restored, the two Qi remain undivided, and the dragon swallows while the tiger lies hidden—also rendered as “the dragon-swallowing form,” an image of Yin and Yang before they have separated.
The Tiger, a symbol of Yin and the Po (corporeal soul), joins with the Dragon, and clouds and rain intertwine. Yang Qi shines bright and burns fiercely, while Yin Qi gathers and congeals. Only when they struggle together above and below does form take shape. In a trance, something seems to be there; in the deep darkness, something like essence seems to be there.
What is meant by “something”? It refers to Yin concealed within Yang, the Qi of the Kun origin. Its category is “being”: Water, Lead, Yin, Qi, Tiger, Po, form, white, mother, nature, and Metal all return to the One. Nature is received above; form appears below. Its images include a crow within the sun, jade held within stone, gold produced within water, and blood within the Mudball (the upper Dantian). This is the “Sea of Blood,” located in the brain, the origin of the mother.
What is meant by “essence”? It refers to Yang concealed within Yin, the Qi of the Qian origin. Its category is “nonbeing”: Dragon, Shen (spirit), Hun (ethereal soul), Fire, Wood, firmness, and shadow also return to the One. It is the father. It is born above and governs below. Its images include a rabbit within the moon, sand within water, and white metal within Lead. This is the “Sea of Qi,” located below the navel, the origin of the father.
Yin dwells in the Yang position and governs the blood; Yang dwells in the Yin position and governs the sinews and bones. The Book of Changes says, “Clouds follow the Dragon; wind follows the Tiger.” Wind and clouds are the two Qi of Yin and Yang. Internal cultivation often reverses conventional teachings: man is the root of Yin, woman the master of Yang; Li emerges from beneath Kan, and Mercury dwells in water. These are precisely the images of exchange between above and below. Shen dwells between them; this is called the Three Powers.
The Great Beginning is the moment when the Two Modes first take shape. Yin and Yang each assume their proper place, and the Tiger and Dragon are thereby divided. The clear and turbid Qi of Heaven and Earth transform the myriad things through the bellows, opening and closing like those of a forge. On the Dao, this Qi is called Yin and Yang; in humans, Hun and Po; in things, exterior and interior; in Heaven, sun and moon; on Earth, sound and color; and in the Dantian, Lead and Mercury.
This Dao is born from the One; the One gives birth to two, two to three, and three to the myriad things, which in the end return to the One. Thus the One is Water, the two are Fire, and the three are Earth. Could the birth and death of the myriad things fail to follow this pattern? Water and Fire each receive their One. Whoever obtains the One becomes the mother of things, the essence of Qi, the root of life, and the ancestor of awareness. Heaven relies on it to increase its power; Earth relies on it to set its workings in motion. It is the ancestor of Shen, the agent of Qi, the father of things, the governor of Hun, and the master of the body.
When Water obtains the One, it becomes the male Kan, called Mercury; when Fire obtains the two, it becomes the female Li, called Lead. These are the Four Images.
Lead is also the medicine. The Divine Lord Tianlao said, “Whether you use lead or not, you must work within lead. Yet when the time comes to use lead, using lead is still a mistake.” Why say this? Mercury belongs to Yang and is the child; lead belongs to Yin and is the mother. Without lead, mercury is like an only child without a mother—how could it transform and give birth? When lead and mercury unite, after three years they form a treasure. When the breath of lead is burned away, this is called “shedding the shell”; its name is Pure Yang. (Using lead or not using it both point to this meaning.)
I have come to understand that the Great Dao is nothing beyond Yin and Yang joining and meeting in the central palace, where there is both movement and stillness. What moves is mercury: it is clear and likes to fly. What is still is lead: it is turbid and does not rise. Mercury’s flight corresponds to fire; lead’s stillness corresponds to water. Water tends toward dampness, and fire toward dryness—roughly speaking, this is how it is. Shen is life; stillness is nature. Life moves, bringing birth and growth to completion; nature is still, free of defilement and attachment. Thus the three hun souls return to Heaven, and the seven po souls return to Earth, each to its proper origin.
The Great Simplicity is the root; once the root is established, the Dao comes forth. In the time of the Great Beginning and Great Simplicity, firmness and softness were already distinguished, establishing the Three Powers and revealing the Four Images. The Great Simplicity governs autumn, through which the myriad treasures come to completion. The scripture says, “Fire is empty; water is void”—this is their image. For example, in the womb, Yin blood and Yang essence mingle and form the embryo. In the third month, Yin and Yang separate, each taking its place. The mother’s original essence governs the Niwan, the Muddy Pellet, and is called the Sea of Blood. The father’s original essence governs the Yin position below the navel and is called the Sea of Qi. Their respective Shen and Qi interweave; this is called the harmonizing Qi of the Three Powers. It rises and falls with the mother’s breathing. When the Three Powers are complete, all things grow.
The mother’s original essence governs blood, flesh, essence, marrow, intention, and po-soul; this is my lead tiger. The father’s original essence governs sinews, bones, heart, and hun-soul; this is my mercury dragon. In the fifth month, the body is nearly formed and its interior and exterior separate; my own transformation and nurturing follow the same pattern. The Yang Elixir is essence; the Yin Elixir is blood. At the winter solstice, the first Yang is born: this is the position of the hidden dragon. When the five Yin have withdrawn and Yang rises, the eleventh, twelfth, and first months are the time of the Three Yang. All things sprout, and my refining of the body follows the same pattern. What does it mean for the work to reach three thousand? It means taking the Elixir.
This passage from Dao Shu describes a method of Neidan (internal alchemy) in which the body is transformed through the passage of time and lead and mercury are refined through water and fire. It uses the hexagrams of the Yijing and the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang as metaphors for regulating the firing process.
A thousand days is three years. In alchemical practice, one shi—three months—may also be experienced as though it were three years. As the two Qi, Yin and Yang, circulate throughout the body, the body is gradually “transformed” into a condition more in accord with nature. Then water and fire are set in motion so that lead and mercury—often metaphors in internal cultivation for essence and bodily fluids—join through nine revolutions.
Nine revolutions are nine years; “nine times nine” signifies numerical fullness. Over those nine years there are nine transformations: in the first year, Qi is transformed; in the second, blood; in the third, the channels; in the fourth, flesh; in the fifth, marrow; in the sixth, sinews; in the seventh, bones; in the eighth, hair; and in the ninth, the body’s form. Could anyone aspiring to the Dao fail to examine this closely? To set this method aside and seek the Great Dao elsewhere would be like a blind person chasing a rabbit.
The Yellow Emperor said: “I possess a Return Elixir, whose seven ingredients are fluids, marrow, blood, saliva, essence, Qi, and Shen (spirit).” Thus water, fire, lead, and mercury are used as metaphors: fluids are mercury, and essence is lead. Water is in the brain; fire is below the navel, around the Dantian (energy center). Move lead to restrain mercury, and refine mercury to join with lead; let them circulate back to their source, and water and fire will be properly aligned.
Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) is the end of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. Thus Great Change corresponds to Water, Great Beginning to Wood, Great Origin to Fire, Great Substance to Metal, and Taiji to Earth—for all things are born and die in Earth.
One Yang stirs at Zi, the eleventh month. In the Yijing, it begins with the hexagram Fu (Return), followed by Lin (Approach), Tai (Peace), Dazhuang (Great Power), and Guai (Breakthrough), reaching Qian (the Creative) at the utmost limit of Yang. One Yin stirs at Wu, the fifth month. It begins with Gou (Coming to Meet), followed by Dun (Retreat), Pi (Obstruction), Guan (Contemplation), and Bo (Splitting Apart), reaching Kun (the Receptive) at the utmost limit of Yin. This is the pattern of a year. A month may also represent a year, and a day may represent a month; within each are the numerical patterns of Yin, Yang, and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). By the eighth and ninth months, all things have ripened. Is it not for the same reason—that Yin and Yang come together—that my Elixir undergoes nine revolutions before it is complete?
The sun contains a crow, a metaphor for Yin; the moon contains a rabbit, a metaphor for Yang. From the first through the eighth day of the month, the moon is at its first quarter. The 192 zhu of “metal and water” are evenly divided. This is called “one-eight”; it corresponds to the time of the spring equinox and to Mao, and is the 192 zhu of lead. On the sixteenth day, Yang reaches its utmost and the moon is full…
Thus, when the first Yin arrives, Yang begins to withdraw and hide.
After sixteen days, the moon begins to wane again. On the twenty-third day comes the last quarter, which in the alchemical method likewise corresponds to 192 zhu. The Dragon and Tiger are then equally divided; this is also called the “division of one-eight at autumn.”
At that time, the phase corresponds to You, or the Rooster hour, and to 192 zhu of Mercury. On the twenty-fourth day, Yin grows strong and Yang weakens; the Qi of the sun and moon reaches its end, and Yin reaches its utmost.
Do Yin and Yang, when they reach their end, begin again? Thus, eight days correspond to 192 zhu, and sixteen days to 384 zhu.
A jin yields sixteen liang, and each liang is divided into four parts. This gives 384 zhu, corresponding to the tally count used in the Great Changes of the Zhouyi.
The days of the year and their Qi and seasonal markers are thus complete: there are twenty-four solar terms and seventy-two pentads. Counted in divisions, there are sixty-four, corresponding in turn to the sixty-four hexagrams and 384 lines of the Zhouyi.
In the Changes, the tally count is thereby matched; in the human body, the count of breaths is matched as well.
Thus, the firing process begins at Zi, the Rat hour, and continues until Wu, the Horse hour. These six double-hours belong to Yang and symbolize spring and summer. From Wu to Zi, the six double-hours belong to Yin and symbolize autumn and winter.
Within a single day, the orderly movements of Heaven and Earth, the sun, moon, and stars are all present; the twenty-four solar terms and seventy-two pentads are contained within it.
Thus, if one abandons any part of our Way and practices only the rest, one will not attain completion.
Why must the firing process begin at Zi? It takes up the Yang Qi and begins the firing, so the fire’s strength is complete. Once Zi has passed, Yin grows strong and the fire will not catch. Hence it is said, “Water overcomes fire.”
The “fire” here is not the fire of restless thoughts in the heart. The heart is Shen, spirit. Below the heart is the cauldron of the central palace. If the heart itself acts as fire, it burns itself; the fire should be above the cauldron.
The scripture says: “Fire rises below the navel; water emerges from the cauldron.” This is the image of the Already Fulfilled hexagram, with water above and fire below.
In this cauldron, lead is added when the time reaches Mao, the Hare hour, and mercury is added when it reaches You, the Rooster hour. Without fire, lead will not rise; without lead, mercury will not congeal.
The scripture also says: “Take water from the mountain; kindle fire in the sea.”
Note: This passage uses the waxing and waning of the moon, the sixteen liang in a jin, the 384 zhu, and the tally and line counts of the Zhouyi, together with the “firing process,” “adding lead,” and “adding mercury” at Zi, Wu, Mao, and You, to align the cycles of internal alchemy with the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang. It does not describe ordinary goldmaking. Lead, mercury, cauldron, and fire are largely metaphors here.
Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao
General Discussion of Elixir Refining
Mercury, which refers to the mind and spirit, is gathered from the “tall tower,” the region of the heart and lungs. Lead, which refers to Jing and Qi, is obtained from the “Nine Heavens,” the high point atop the head. Their movement must follow the changes of the four seasons, proceeding with Shen and joining with Qi. In this way, the “Four Images”—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, symbols of Yin-Yang, Water, and Fire within the body—are brought together.
The cauldron in the central palace, the Dantian, is shaped like an egg. After three years of cultivation, when red and white are clearly distinguished, one can shed the old body and transform oneself. Golden intestines and jade bones emerge through the transformations of the Five Phases; this process is called “molting.” When the Four Images converge, mercury—the mind and spirit—dries up and solidifies. When the single Yang is complete, lead—Jing and Qi—departs. This is called “returning the Elixir.” At this point, the spirit and soul are established, the body is strong, the “Three Flowers” (Jing, Qi, and Shen) unite, and the “five colors” return to Yang. This is what is called the “place beyond cultivation,” a state attained naturally, without deliberate effort.
Chaoyuanzi once composed sixty poems in song form. After reading them, the wandering student exclaimed, “What profound meaning of the Great Dao they contain!” He then brought their meaning to light and set it out plainly as follows:
Songs of Chaoyuanzi
First: The General Principles of Compounding the Ingredients
Two greens must be ground together with four yellows;
all transformations are simply the joining of what is natural.
To bring the Three Treasures together in one chamber,
one must use the clouds and rain to move through the Three Dantian.
(The Way of cultivation lies in combining Yin and Yang, like ingredients compounded together; every transformation follows the natural course. To unite body and mind, and gather Jing, Qi, and Shen in one place, one must use the “clouds and rain”—the Qi of Yin-Yang union—to circulate through the “Three Fields”: the upper, middle, and lower Dantian.)
In the south, blood is the mercury within cinnabar;
in the north, Jing is the lead within water.
This is the method of the Great Luo Heaven,
and knowing and awakening to it makes one an immortal.
(The south belongs to Fire, and its blood is mercury within cinnabar—the mind and spirit. The north belongs to Water, and its Jing is lead within water—Jing and Qi. This is a method of the Great Luo Heaven, the highest realm of the immortals. To know and awaken to this method is to become an immortal.)
Second: Compounding the Ingredients
In the land of harmony, two or three households dwell,
producing gold, silver, mercury, and cinnabar in abundance.
Bright and vivid, the numinous sprouts are medicines from the mountain;
resplendent, the purple mists are flowers amid the waves.
(The central region, the Dantian, contains two or three households—the two Qi of Yin and Yang—and produces gold, silver, mercury, and cinnabar, the essences of Jing, Qi, and Shen. The numinous sprouts shine like immortal medicines on a mountain; the purple mists gleam like wondrous flowers among the waves.)
At the edge of the ninefold heavens, primordial Fire arises;
at the heart of the three-tiered altar, the precious carriage takes its course.
The affairs within the mystery are clear and understood;
there is no further wonder of the Dao to boast to you.
(At the ninefold heavens, the crown of the head, primordial Fire—the innate Qi—arises. At the heart of the three-tiered altar, the Three Dantian, the precious carriage—the movement of Jing and Qi—sets out. The mysterious workings are clear; there is no need to boast further of their wonders.)
Third: The Winter Solstice
Li and Kan follow one another; I can fathom their course.
Beneath the five Yin lies the Qian dragon.
The Yang tally advances and retreats, rising high and returning low;
in the Returning Hexagram, one is drawn out and added, singular then doubled.
(Li, Fire, and Kan, Water, follow one another, and their principle can be fully explored. Beneath the five Yin, the Kun hexagram, lies the Qian dragon: the first stirrings of a single Yang. The Yang tally, the Yang Qi, advances and retreats, rising high and then descending. In the Returning Hexagram, where one Yang returns, it is drawn out and replenished, appearing first alone and then doubled.)
At noon each day, it is as if summer has begun;
after midnight each night, it is a new winter.
Do not say that Heaven, Earth, and humanity are hard to fathom:
the Book of Changes clearly reveals their central teaching.
(At noon, it is as though summer has arrived; after the hour of the Rat each night, it is as though a new winter has begun. Do not claim that Heaven, Earth, and humanity are beyond understanding: the Book of Changes clearly sets out their essential principle.)
Fourth: Finding the Way
How could one believe that Penglai is so far away?
Two diverging paths stretch to the ends of the world.
Within Li, Fire, is the realm of Geng and Xin, Metal;
within Yin, the flowers of Jia and Yi, Wood, bloom continually.
(How could one believe that the immortal isle of Penglai is beyond reach? The two branching paths, the paths of Yin and Yang, extend to the ends of the world. Within Li, Fire, lies the realm of Geng and Xin, the directions of Metal; within Yin, the flowers of Jia and Yi, the growth of Wood, bloom unceasingly.)
Clouds of the Three Luminaries follow the red-crowned crane;
winds from the Five Directions guide the purple river carriage.
Where the fire burns beneath Mount Kunlun,
a single radiant breeze leads to the home of the Mother Queen of the West.
(The clouds of the Three Luminaries—the Sun, Moon, and stars—come with the red-crowned immortal crane. The winds of the Five Directions set the purple river carriage, the vehicle of circulating Jing and Qi, in motion. Where the fire burns beneath Mount Kunlun, a single radiant breeze leads to the home of the Mother Queen of the West.)
Fifth: The Mysterious Female
Mount Zhongyue rises high, level with the Sun and Moon;
the branches and leaves of Heaven and Earth grow in the numinous stream.
Tortoise and serpent move back and forth, joining like paired clouds;
wind and rain pour down, filling a single plot of water.
(Mount Zhongyue, the Dantian, rises high, as lofty as the Sun and Moon. The branches and leaves of Heaven and Earth grow within the numinous stream, the stream of spiritual nature. Tortoise and serpent, symbols of Yin and Yang, move back and forth in union, and their clouds join in pairs. Wind and rain pour down until the water fills a single plot.)
The ruler and ministers in the furnace are named Zi and Wu;
the husband and wife in the cauldron are called East and West.
Within this place there is, fortunately, a medicine that prolongs life.
How, then, can body and mind remain forever lost in confusion?
(The ruler and ministers in the furnace are named Zi and Wu: Zi is the hour when Yin reaches its peak, and Wu the hour when Yang reaches its peak. The husband and wife in the cauldron are called East and West: East belongs to Wood, West to Metal, and together they symbolize the Yin-Yang pair. Fortunately, a medicine for extending life is found here. Why, then, should body and mind remain wholly confused and fail to awaken?)
The Pivot of the Dao — A Plain-Language Interpretation
Child and Mother
“Within the One there is ‘one’; the three realms are hard to describe fully. The primordial beginning starts from a single point.” The sacred mother is concealed in the Red Stone Grotto; a divine grandson dwells apart on the terrace of the Crimson Palace. The true mercury lies in the waves of the Green Pool, while clouds and vapors gather before the White Jade Peak. This is the ancestral intent at the opening of Heaven and Earth. Such teachings should not be passed casually to ignorant and vulgar people.
The Mother’s Face
Peace has come to the jeweled palace of the crimson gate; now behold the Purple-Gold City brought to completion through cultivation. Wind and rain extinguish the “three kinds of fire,” while thunder and lightning drive back the “five essences.” Dark Qi gradually disperses like mist, and the Yang Elixir is first nurtured, growing light as the clouds. Though the work has not yet reached the complete body of Quanzhen (Complete Perfection), one can already foresee the day of being listed among the immortals of the celestial capital.
The Purple River Cart
The Purple River Cart is a Neidan (internal alchemy) image for the route by which true Qi rises along the Governing Vessel, like a cart transporting the ingredients.
The melting breeze and white Qi join with the complete mother, descending from the snowy ridges of Penglai and Yingzhou. Having passed through all three barriers, the two roads along the Celestial Street proceed side by side. In the Elixir Chamber, the various sovereigns gather at court; in the Water Palace, they are accompanied by the radiant infant. When the ninth round of yin frost and snow has completely melted, Yang light extends across the Purple City.
Explaining the Dao
The mysteries of creation and transformation, the dark and the yellow, are hard to find; the principles of the Golden Land’s ancestral school are even deeper. The Dragon and Tiger have dwelt in the four seas since ancient times; the Diamond has always resided in the Twin Groves. The Yang soul stands alone, thereby preserving nature and life; the Yin essence rises in solitude, leaving behind excessive concern for the mind. Though the endless current flows on, those who fail to awaken willingly drift and sink like water bubbles.
Delighting in the Dao
All kinds of futile toil are confined to this one body; the subtle workings within it communicate wondrously with Shen (spirit). At times, watch the golden phoenix dance atop the mountain; at night, watch jade flowers bring spring to the sea’s surface. The valley Qi and the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) all become Earth; the Yang Elixir endures through eons without turning to dust. Morning after morning, earnestly seek like-minded companions. You wish to see Eastern Wu, yet find no one there.
Building the Altar
There is no need for earth or ashes to build the altar; the whole work of creation depends on “Bing” as its medium. Here “Bing” often refers to fire, Yang, and the timing of the fire in internal cultivation. Bitter mist condenses into frost, and Yin conceives mercury; light rosy clouds veil the snow, and fire gives birth to the embryo. When the work of the three levels is complete, it is divided among the three realms; only when the five palaces have formed does one behold the Five Terraces. Cultivate solely according to this method, and do not let dust and defilement disturb the spirit embryo.
Embryonic Breathing
Vast and obscure, it is balanced and clear. The three return to their native land; the many children return to the Eastern Sea. Yang binds and Yin forms the image; metal flourishes, and fire takes shape. Who can achieve this degree of cultivation? When a thousand days are complete, the spirit is numinous.
The Twenty-Eighth
Graceful and alluring, with the beauty of sixteen; husband and wife rejoice, united in perfect harmony. Within the waxing and waning, the positions of Yin and Yang are divided; Mao and You divide the upper and lower crescents equally. At the dark of the moon, the white beast sleeps with the tiger; at the full moon, the blue rainbow keeps company with the sleeping dragon. (Two lines are missing from the original manuscript.)
Note: The work is divided into sections with titles such as “Child and Mother,” “The Mother’s Face,” and “The Purple River Cart,” and uses many Neidan metaphors. Images such as mercury, fire, the three barriers, Mao and You, the Dragon and Tiger, the spirit embryo, and embryonic breathing generally refer to Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), Shen, and the timing of the fire within the body, rather than simply to ingredients and procedures in Waidan (external alchemy). The missing passage cannot be translated.
The following are plain-language interpretations of passages from The Pivot of the Dao, arranged by the original section headings.
[Divine Water]
“Divine Water” is a metaphor for a wise ruler governing the myriad states and bringing clarity to the realm; one current of the Yellow River flows toward the distant, hidden depths. The source of the myriad methods lies in the Eastern Sea—the eastern ocean, symbolizing the source of life. The Mysterious Pearl can subdue the Hall of Harmonious Vitality, while the Red Water circulates through the Court of Great Unity. If one does not awaken to how few days there may be in a hundred years of life, one is content to give free rein to the Five Thieves—the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, which disturb the heart—and indulge the body.
[The Origin of the Dao]
Establish the Dao of Heaven to set the human body in order; this does not depart from lead, cinnabar, mercury, and silver—the basic substances of Neidan cultivation, referring to the qualities of Jing, Qi, and Shen. The rhinoceros-horse (Yang) charges back toward the mountaintop, while the Kun ox (Yin) plows springtime into the sea palace. Ruler and ministers regulate the three Qi within the hall; civil and military officials nourish the four spirits in the furnace. Even a person of great talent may fail to understand on their own: Confucius himself sought instruction from a fisherman, a figure for the recluse who cultivates in seclusion and awakens to the Dao.
[Matching]
Graceful twenty-eights meet once more; this night brings a joyful union and abundant auspicious Qi. Husband and wife return to sleep in the blue-green tent, while the old man and woman ride back astride the white Geng dragon—a Neidan metaphor for the union and pairing of Yin and Yang. They share a meal of mist and vapor (Jing and Qi), which condense into golden bones; joined together, they recline among clouds and rosy mists, their faces like jade. Not knowing who their partner is, they take Heaven and Earth together as one family, of the same lineage.
[Seven Returns]
The Mother—an image of a mother goddess such as the Queen Mother of the West—sets out on her own. Only then do wind and clouds come to welcome her. She circles through the Five Sacred Mountains and enters the Three Pure Ones in turn. She subdues the water flowing south and gathers back the essence of the seven flavors. When the work of the Nine Returns is complete, her body is light as six zhu of rosy cloud.
[Expounding the Dao]
Once the principle is grasped, one can live at ease, dwelling in calm and nourishing what is natural. Let the Three Flowers fade away, purifying the realm; gather and harmonize the Seven Treasures, planting them in the fields of numinous mushrooms. Life and death are said to arise from Heaven and Earth, yet nature and life ultimately belong to mercury and lead. This method surely has a road to the celestial heights; one day, across the Four Seas, one may attain immortality at will.
[Casting the Cauldron]
Rabbit marrow and crow liver weigh together one jin—a union of the Yin and Yang essences and blood. Refined in the furnace of Heaven and Earth, they become the Real. The Azure Dragon’s milk and snow strengthen flesh and bones; flowers bloom in the Red Water, casting the body of the cauldron. Within its three legs, the world is divided; inside its two walls, the stars are arrayed. People today do not recognize the method of long life, and claim that refining the elixir is unreal—though this refers to internal cultivation, not the furnace fire of Waidan.
[Firing Times]
At the beginning of the ninth Yang line, Yang arrives at midnight; a giant fish in the sea pierces through to Penglai. Within the ninefold city, the dragon chariot returns; before the twelve towers, the tiger’s carriage turns back. One jin of the Sun and Moon forms the great medicine; two jin of Heaven and Earth begin to form the embryo. Clearly determine the cycles of the celestial circuit, and do not let delay cause you to miss the proper firing time or hinder progress as the Returning Hexagram approaches.
[Mind Method]
It belongs both to “Namo” and to yellow; before the gate, a pair of trees is called the Vajra. All entanglements are created within the mind; the Seven Thieves must be destroyed by the sword. In stillness… The final line is often incomplete in surviving fragmentary copies. Its general meaning is to clarify the mind in meditation and cut down the delusions that rob the heart.
Note: The text makes extensive use of Neidan terminology. Lead and mercury, dragons and tigers, firing times, the Nine Returns, and casting the cauldron generally refer to cultivating Shen and Qi and harmonizing Yin and Yang; they do not simply describe politics or Waidan. The text should be understood in the context of the work as a whole, rather than read as a literal historical or geographical record.
The Pivot of the Dao: A Plain-Language Interpretation
The Boat of the Wisdom Lamp (with wisdom as the lamp and meditation as the boat)
In meditation, the boat of the wisdom lamp moves by its rudder. The patriarchs’ mind-seal remains clear day after day, like sweeping away frost and snow. Once the numinous awareness of a single thought reaches the farther shore, the boat and raft are left behind. Only then can the mind teaching be called “the fragrance of liberation.”
Joining with the Dao
The Maiden (Yin essence, the image of Kun) is alone within an empty curtained chamber. Liu Lang (Yang essence, the image of Qian) meets her at midnight. Rosy mists rise in the east and west; wind and rain follow above and below. The three kinds of “mercury” (the currents of Jing, Qi, and Shen) are brought under control, and the “five sons” (the Five Phases or five Qi) are settled in their places. After the divine elixir has been refined for a thousand days, husband and wife (Yin and Yang) each return to their proper station and part ways. This is an image of the stages of elixir work, from union to completion.
The Furnace Has a Gate
At the summit of the Five Skandhas Mountain stands a white jade peak, where the branches and leaves of the Azure Lord (an image of Wood’s virtue and of the liver-soul) grow. The peak rises in jagged grandeur; waves surge like a dragon bringing rain. Clouds drift in fine showers, and a tiger’s roar is accompanied by wind. Two streams of emerald waves meet, while above and below, two red suns travel back and forth between east and west. The Great Dao is plainly there before us, ready to be pointed out; yet because doubt and attachment are so strong, we end up empty-handed.
Three and Five
The great Heaven reveals its patterns and joins with Kunlun; the Eight Trigrams first unfold at the moment of midnight. From this arise the “True Martial Fire” of the Three Realms. The rise and fall of the five talismans are like the authority of Zhurong, the fire god. When the black dragon exhales mist, rain falls over the river pools; when the Red Emperor brings forth spring, clouds rise over the sacred peaks and waterways. If one refuses to seek within this, one can only let oneself be tossed about in confusion by sights and sounds.
The Mysterious Working of the Dao
Leisurely riding the “earth horse” (an image of the human body and earth Qi), one roams through mountains and rivers, traversing Heaven and Earth as if in a fleeting glance. A black-faced yaksha drives the white tiger; a green-haired talisman messenger escorts a vermilion carriage. Two pints of seawater nourish the Three Realms; a six-inch porcelain bottle stacks up the nine heavens. To understand this can truly bring ease and contentment. But how many can weigh and grasp what is subtle and mysterious?
Dao and De
Li and Kan (the two trigrams of fire and water, pivots of body and mind) are the root and source; the power of creation and transformation surges through them. Undivided Yin is called highest De; lower De is called the prenatal state. When the mother is strong, the child responds: this is mercury. Qian lead gives itself up. After nine revolutions of the cinnabar elixir, embracing the One (maintaining unity and becoming one) makes one an immortal.
Jade Towers and Golden Palaces
Atop Kunlun Mountain, the Three Officials hold sway over the space between the upper and lower reaches of the Heavenly Ford. A cluster of pavilions and terraces sees dragons appear and vanish; along two branching paths, phoenixes circle back. In the Hall of Balanced Harmony, Yin and Yang are governed; within the twelve towers, nature and life rest at ease. If one refuses to investigate the workings of creation and transformation here, one will simply follow one’s thoughts as they wander through the human world.
The Land of the Numinous Origin
A single bright point shines clearly in the darkness. Two layers of streets and walls are paved with gold and silver. Throughout the city, dragons and tigers roam the Three Realms, while countless people surround the land. Immeasurable immortals are all within the cauldron; the vast worlds of the great cosmos are never apart from this body. But if one only investigates forms within the body, while the mind seeks outward, one remains bound to worldly entanglements.
Three Ones
The Five Phases emerge from the heart of the waves, and Heaven and Earth take shape of themselves. The fragrant field seedlings—
Dao Shu: A Plain-Language Interpretation
Opening
Three immortal peaks—symbols in Daoist cultivation for the body’s three Dantians or the locations of Jing, Qi, and Shen—and a pool of clear water. Prosperity and decline, survival and extinction, all depend on “Earth” returning to its original nature and “Geng” returning to its source. Geng belongs to Metal among the Five Phases and suggests a return to the origin and restoration of the primordial.
Few can understand this as I do. Forgetting clever contrivances and avoiding reckless action—that is the right path.
I. “Sages Set Forth Their Models”
The sages set forth examples and illuminate human relationships. Firmness and gentleness complement each other, following one another like shadow and form.
All things are tempered and forged in the furnace. The water of Heaven and the waxing and waning of the Five Phases are like springtime in the sea. Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor, is the great furnace; Yuanming is Earth. The Great Being at the Twin Trees—a Buddhist metaphor—is itself an analogy. If one cannot return to the place of origin, one will wander for a long time, coming and going amid the confusing waters.
II. “Delighting in the Dao”
I do not envy the wealth and glory of dukes and ministers. I take the highest Dao as my refuge in this life.
At every meal, I taste the fruit of the Queen Mother’s garden; in stillness, I watch the flowers in the Eastern Lord’s grotto.
The sun beneath the water is Kui, Wood, and Fire—images of the inner refinement of Water and Fire. Lead within Earth is the Purple River Chariot, a metaphor for the movement of inner Qi.
The dusty world stretches without end. How could the foolish and deluded believe there is a road to Heaven? This road is not beyond reach: it lies within oneself, not in something sought far away.
III. “The Great Sea”
The four seas are called the “Four Greats”; all transformations unite in the celestial spirit.
At the third watch, fire burns on the water’s surface; at midnight, spring stirs in the pool. Two tides rise like waves at a turtle’s mouth; a single rain becomes a crossing at the sea gate.
Few understand this Dao. How many can both know it and put it into practice?
IV. “The Nine Heavens”
When Yin and Yang open their apertures, nine gates appear—yet all of them are found within the body of an ordinary person.
The earth horse stirs to life; the Dark Maiden’s fire burns. The iron ox plows and turns; the black turtle’s soul awakens.
Drive it back to the tail gate, an acupoint at the lower end of the Governing Vessel, joining it to the flame that reaches the void. Urge it into the Celestial Avenue, the heavenly gate at the crown, and send it straight upward.
This is the foundation of life and the treasure of Heaven and Earth. Then unite the sun, the bird, and the moon, the rabbit, with Qian and Kun.
V. “Hall of the Three Pure Ones”
Above and below, a realm of balanced harmony; towers and terraces form a city of seven treasures.
The Two Principles contain the myriad transformations; a single Qi runs through the Three Pure Ones.
Rain falls from the mountain peak; clouds and rosy mists rise from the sea.
The Golden Elixir has nine grades; its numinous efficacy comes to perfect fruition of itself.
VI. “Jade Pool”
The Holy Mother rides the River Chariot—a metaphor for inner Qi ascending and descending along the Conception and Governing Vessels—and travels through the abodes of the Buddhas and immortals.
She lingers as a pair of phoenixes rise; turning and winding, five clouds veil the way.
The earth’s axis springs from autumn stone; the heavenly wheel rolls across colored clouds.
If you do not understand this principle, where will you seek the Yellow Sprout, the first budding of refined Qi in alchemical cultivation?
VII. “Pointing to the Dao”
Being and nonbeing are originally the essence of Kan and Li, the essences of Yin-Yang and Water and Fire. When this is truly put into practice, the path of the Yellow House, the Neidan adepts, is fulfilled.
The source of all things emerges from Kun Earth; the root of the three thousand lineages arises from the family of Bing.
In the south, the phoenix hides as white within green; in the north, the dragon sleeps as brightness within darkness.
Once Yin and Yang are understood, the workings of creation become clear. Naturally, the ordinary body grows light and pure.
VIII. “Unfolding the Dao”
One already has fields and gardens in which to plant wheat and hemp; one also relies on the mind’s horse to set the three chariots in motion—the movement of the three treasures, Jing, Qi, and Shen.
The Nine Heavens bow with hands joined: this is the dwelling of the Primordial Sovereign. All things come into being: this is the home of the Mother.
The fire’s tip—the point where inner fire begins to rise. At this stage of cultivation, body and mind accord with the Dao.
Note
This passage uses many terms from Neidan, the Five Phases, Kan and Li, the River Chariot, and the Yellow Sprout, all characteristic of the Daoist tradition of internal cultivation. “Nine Cauldrons” is the title of a section, not a reference to nine actual cauldrons. Each section uses verse to indicate stages and states of cultivation.
The ox swallows water, the tiger’s body is covered in snow, and the lion produces golden sand. These are all images of inner refinement. The key is to recognize when True Lead and True Mercury come together; only then can the tiny shoot—the first sprouting of Elixir Qi—keep emerging.
Its Application
The method of application is described in verse: Last night, the golden phoenix descended from the tall parasol tree. In sleep, it held fast to the black dragon, an image of guarding Jing and Qi within. Pearly light filled the body; red waves rose in the emerald pool. Its shadow followed the cold snow, spreading white metal across the ground. A clear wind scattered three golden flowers, and white milk was refined into a vessel of immortal wine. From then on, the Elixir Terrace, the place of practice, had a path of return within it. Even if the Four Seas should one day dry and scorch, there would be nothing to fear.
Its Nature and Life
The principle of nature and life is this: the Jia Dragon belongs to Fire and is hidden in Kun Earth, the ground or lower burner. The Geng Tiger is named the mechanism of creation. As one stirs and flies, the True Maiden, Yin essence, neither increases nor decreases; she is called the Thus Come One. Only when Yin has been completely dispelled does one become a body of pure Yang. When stillness and quiescence are attained, one can transcend the womb of the Six Paths of rebirth. Patriarchs, Buddhas, and immortals all attain this through the same principle, leaving the dust of the world behind.
Its Truth and Falsehood
To awaken to the dark and yellow essences of Heaven and Earth and fashion the transformative body, one must not vainly seek outside oneself; that is no path to communion with the spirits. Yin and Yang are not things gathered from another person’s body. The Dragon and Tiger must draw on the true treasures within one’s own body. When the numinous medicine enters the body, it shines with the light of the sun and moon. Cinnabar must pass through fire to shed all its dross. Only after nine years of returning and revolving without error can one refine pure Yang to its ultimate truth.
Its Return to Unity
From the beginning, this points to the Dao: the “Dao that is not the constant Dao” cannot be grasped through words alone. One may speak at length of the power of Yin-Yang transformation, but nurturing the embryo takes ten months, while firing the Elixir follows three thousand stages of heat. The sprouts and dregs of the Five Phases all return to Earth; the dark winds of the Seven Po are wholly transformed into Qian, pure Yang. When the work reaches pure Yang, it is called Embracing the One: riding a dragon, one flies into the Great Luo Heaven, a metaphor for the highest heaven.
Its Source in the Dao
From the One Numinous Origin, a single fungus is born; within it, one sees one’s nature, together with the “four kinds of the West”—all referring to inner realization, not external seeking. Beneath the sea, Tiger and Dragon divide day and night; amid the clouds, man and woman are named West and East. The man dwells in the northern sea, where blue holds white; the woman lives on the southern mountain, where black reflects red. These are all images within the inner landscape, pointing to Yin and Yang, Water and Fire, and north and south. The myriad sages and worthies attain this through the same source, return to this ground, and unite with the true emptiness.
The Mutual Generation of the Five Phases
One thing divides into five forms, each with its own splendor and character. The Azure Dragon is originally the young master of Metal; the White Tiger is originally the elder brother of the True Maiden. The Four Images—the Dragon, Tiger, and their counterparts—are arranged and emerge from Kun Earth, then lodged and nurtured in the central heaven, where the Fire family gives birth to the Great Elixir. This depends especially on the strength of the golden flower, and it must be brought to completion through a good matchmaker, the mechanism by which Yin and Yang unite.
The Mutual Restraint of the Five Phases
The Great Dao is profound, mysterious, subtle, and wondrous; as the Five Phases reverse their course, each gives rise to power. The envoy of the South originally wears black, while the general facing north is dressed in brilliant red. The woman of Kun slays her husband, and the husband yields; Metal of Dui restrains Wood, and Wood submits. These are all enactments within the body of the Five Phases restraining and transforming one another. When the dark and yellow essences are understood, transformation can be recognized; it cannot be obtained through talismans or incantations sought outside oneself.
Below is a plain-language interpretation of this passage from The Pivot of the Dao (Dao Shu). It uses many terms from internal alchemy; brief explanations appear in parentheses.
“Without union, how could Yang rise and fly up from below in Kan?”
Without the union of Yin and Yang—with the Kan trigram below, symbolizing kidney water and Yin, joining with Li fire—how could Yang qi rise from below, from the position of Kan?
“On the furnace and stove”
The furnace and stove are divided into two, and the two qi are joined in harmony. The qi of the ruler—the single qi that governs the process—circulates up and down within the body, reconnecting with its source. It nourishes all things like a vast forest of myriad forms. The three fields—the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (energy centers)—fill to overflowing and congeal into form, like the undivided chaos of the four seas. The “two eights” (sixteen ounces make a pound, symbolizing Yin and Yang in equal measure) create the transformations within the body; one pound of the medicine, the elixir of complete Yin and Yang, refines Heaven and Earth within. The cooking also depends on the water of the Flowery Pool, the saliva in the mouth. When rain pours and clouds gather, it returns to its native home: Shen (spirit) and qi return to their roots and source.
“On recognizing the iron ox”
Everyone has an iron ox to ride, yet ordinary people, who flow on endlessly, never know it. When hungry, they eat golden tiger marrow at every meal; when thirsty, they regularly drink from a pool of mercury. Both images refer to Jing (essence), qi, and bodily fluids. They lead the cart to a stop beneath the twin trees and tend the fire in the middle of the night. This is the true working of Yin and Yang; the whole work of establishing one’s inner home and sustaining life depends on it.
“On union”
Chang’e descends from Heaven night after night, and a red torch welcomes her into the bridal chamber. She has only just left the Nine Heavens and paid homage to the sacred ancestor when she arrives in the Middle Kingdom to meet her immortal bridegroom. Hungry, she eats the Queen Mother’s fruit from the jade grove; thirsty, she drinks the brew in the Eastern Sovereign’s ornate palace. This is the true creation of Heaven and Earth, where light shines clearly in every place.
Chang’e, the bridal chamber, and the immortal bridegroom are metaphors for the union of Yin and Yang and the joining of Shen and qi.
“On entering the chamber”
Tonight, at midnight, the auspicious hour has come. Joyfully, husband and wife renew their old bond. The Li maiden and Kan youth follow the proper order; the Geng husband and Jia wife recognize one another with affection. The noble dragon hastens to practice on the mountain peak, while the fierce tiger is subdued and returns to the sea, where it grows calm. After the Maiden of the Crimson Child and Liu Lang meet, they are led back to the grotto and refined into the Real.
The Li maiden and Kan youth, the Geng husband and Jia wife, and the Maiden of the Crimson Child and Liu Lang are all images in internal alchemy for Yin and Yang, water and fire, and the sun and moon. Entering the chamber refers to Shen and qi penetrating deeply into the Dantian and forming the Elixir.
“On moving mercury”
Two forked paths meet at the Muddy Pellet Palace, atop the head. One climbs to the green mountain, then descends. The Yellow Matron is repeatedly sent to bar the earth’s gate, while the Azure Emperor is kept in charge of closing Heaven’s pass. The benevolent dragon winds its way along the Three Pure Ones’ road; the righteous tiger circles around the nine-turning bend. All depends on the Golden Lord personally seizing and binding them. How could the sun’s soul dare not return?
The Muddy Pellet is the palace at the crown of the head. The Yellow Matron, Azure Emperor, Golden Lord, and sun’s soul are symbolic figures used to describe guiding Jing and qi up and down and subduing the discriminating mind.
“On moving lead”
After the hour of the Rat, the iron ox is fed red flowers. It bellows fiercely, with a force nothing can surpass. Turning its head toward the sea, it sprays white snow; wheeling around along the path, it produces yellow sprouts. In the Nine Heavens, the dragon flashes and the dragon moves the fire; across the three realms, Yin rain falls and the phoenix spits sand. Once the method of ascending to the Heavens above has been attained, reaching the immortals’ abode comes naturally.
The iron ox, red flowers, white snow, yellow sprouts, dragon fire, and phoenix sand describe lead—the original Yang—being stirred into action, the refining of the first sprouts, and the circulation of the firing process.
“On the meeting of child and mother”
Settle the thoughts and gather Shen with firm resolve at midnight. Colored clouds wind around as they descend to the elixir chamber. In former times, they jointly governed the Geng and Xin regions; today, they dwell together in the Jia and Yi domain. Amid waves of five colors, the dragon appears and disappears; beyond the clouds of the Nine Heavens, the crane flies. The principles of the Three Powers are the same, without distinction; only fools make confused conjectures.
The meeting of child and mother refers to the meeting of the precelestial qi with postcelestial qi and blood. Geng and Xin, and Jia and Yi, are metaphors for directions associated with the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water). The principles of cultivation are the same for Heaven, Earth, and humanity, though fools make confused guesses about them.
The passage uses headings such as “furnace and stove,” “iron ox,” “union,” “entering the chamber,” “moving mercury,” “moving lead,” and “the meeting of child and mother” to describe the process of internal alchemy: the union of Yin and Yang, their circulation through the body, the gathering of Shen, and the formation of the Elixir. It often uses images of men and women, immortals, dragons and tigers, and mercury and lead as metaphors. It is not describing ordinary relations between men and women.
On Firm Yang
Yang qi rises and yin qi descends, and yin and yang circulate endlessly. By holding fast to the breath of True Unity (zhenyi), firmness and softness support each other. After three years of practice, the adept is like a guest in a jar, with yin and yang qi dwelling together in one place. Subduing the mysterious pearl and returning it to the Earth of Wuxu, the Fire of Li is arranged to rise from the Ox of Kun. Looking back through the nine gates, one sees that straight ahead, Turtle Peak is the old place of wandering.
On Adding to the Cauldron
The medicines of alchemy are not gold, stone, or the Three Yellows (realgar, orpiment, and sulfur). They are purely the spirit-source (lingyuan) paired with the Five Constants (wuchang). At midnight the medicine is added, the precious liquid of the three surnames. At dawn and dusk the liquid of the five families is poured into the cauldron. Beside the Jade Tower pool lies the cave of wind and cloud, and on the summit of Turtle Ridge is the chamber of mother and child. This is the secret principle of the Returning Elixir (huandan). Where else could one seek the immortal prescription?
On Establishing the Foundation
Yin and yang, the two substances, are brought together into the cauldron, where they gather their essence and take on a mortal body. In the faint and boundless depths, a chick's egg comes into being, and in the state of obscurity, a dewdrop forms. The three-tiered altar completes the division of forms and images, and the Five-Peak Mountain is built as the seat of Vairocana. Those who know only how to use the north as the south have grasped the pattern of yin-yang creation and transformation.
On the Sprouting
When the yang harmony of the Tai hexagram is fully sprouting, the cinnabar wild goose rises and takes form. The Yellow Matron best understands how to harmonize the civil and the martial, and the Red Emperor alone can move the Gan and Geng stems. Meeting the Bo hexagram, the wind and blossoms bear fruit; with the opening of enlightenment, sea waves and rain clouds arise. Furthermore, using the waters of the Silver River across the nine fields to irrigate the spirit root, it grows to completion with ease.
On the Stages of Form
In three months the embryo forms and both qi are complete. Through diligent cultivation of water and fire, the essence becomes focused. A clear wind penetrates the flesh and the skin is transformed; a white vapor passes through the intestines and the bones grow firm. Within the cauldron one sees the new parents, and in the jar one recognizes again the old mountains and rivers. When the work of yin and yang is accomplished, one returns to the true body, a pure and clean person who succeeds the ranks of the immortals.
On Changing the Cauldron
Turn by turn, year by year, there is renewal, and layer upon layer one enters the cauldron, cutting off the dust of illusion. Clearing the five viscera removes the three delusions, and a purified upper chamber refreshes the myriad spirits. Changing the bones relies upon the marrow of the golden phoenix, and transforming the sinews depends entirely upon the dragon-wood's ford. Under the name of the Southern Palace, one's name is inscribed in the immortal registers, and one is ranked on the Cinnabar Terrace as a Supreme True Person.
On the Completion of Work
When the nine turns of work are complete, one has shed the embryo, and the work of ascension is left to the lofty judgment. The five colored rays of light illuminate a thousand realms, and one mysterious pearl steadies the nine borders of the world. Below, one hides in the Jade Palace connected to the ten caverns; above, one attends the Golden Gate and crowns the three terraces. Circulating freely according to one's inclination, the work is hard to fathom, and one rises straight into the blue heavens and never returns.
On Directing the Affairs
The affairs of direction are difficult to teach, and when the qi and climate go astray, the refined words of firmness and vigor must be applied in dealing with them.
Since Heaven is able to harmonize the "Li Palace" (Lígōng, which in inner alchemy usually refers to the heart fire and the region of the upper Dantian), the "yin" aspect must be restrained and guarded at the "Kan Gate" (Kǎnhù, the position of Kan and the gate of kidney water). Only then is the "lead" (qiān, an inner alchemy term usually denoting true essence and primordial essence, the foundation of life) of any use within the Kan Gate.
Once one cuts away and sets down the "red dust" (hóngchén, worldly desires and stray thoughts) left behind, the "white fluid" (báiyè, clear essence and bodily fluids) within the practitioner will naturally transform into the pure yang of Qian (the Heaven trigram).
This Way has been transmitted from ancient times to the present, and its principles have always been like this. Only when one penetrates through to the "Xiyi" (xīyí, a profound, empty stillness that approaches the ineffable) does one truly grasp the pivot of the transformations of creation.
Note: This is a typical inner alchemy verse (Neidan shijue), using the imagery of Li and Kan, lead and mercury, white fluid, and Qian to describe the essence, qi, and spirit of body and mind, as well as the timing of the fire (huohou). It is not a discussion of worldly sexual relations or external alchemy (Waidan) compounding. Schools differ slightly in their literal readings of these metaphors. The above follows common inner alchemy interpretations, aiming for a plain rendering that stays close to the original without expanding on its meaning.
Source text: Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（KR5d0039）; Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Report an error / feedback