《道樞》Vol. 9

Folio Nine of The Pivot of the Dao (Daoshu), “The Aspect of the Spirit” (excerpt), modern interpretation

The Heavenly Valley is the Mudball Palace (Niwan Gong)—the upper Dantian, where intention is rooted in the brain. Red above and dark below, blue on the left and white on the right, with yellow at the center, it is the dwelling of the Original Spirit. The True One within the Valley Spirit is the most subtle and numinous awareness; it may also be called a person’s original nature. The mind is how it functions. When the spirit is still, all transformations settle; when feelings and thoughts stir wildly, transformations multiply. If one can hold fast to the True One and guard the spirit, the spirit will naturally grow still, and the True One will then abide in the center of Heaven.

The upper receptive portal lies at the upper opening. In front of the Mudball Palace is the Purple Tenuity position; in front of Purple Tenuity is the Jade Clarity position; below Jade Clarity is the Bright Hall position. The Bright Hall connects downward to the nose, which is the receptive portal—the Yin opening, the gate through which Qi enters and leaves. The lower receptive portal lies at the heart. Above the heart is the Jade Spring position; above Jade Spring is the Great Sovereign position; above the Great Sovereign is the Golden Radiance Court; above the Golden Radiance Court is the Wisdom Spring; above the Wisdom Spring is the Source of the Five Spirits; and above the Source of the Five Spirits is the Numinous Spring position. The route by which the Heavenly Luminary emerges from the mouth of the stomach and enters the Nine Extremities, the key passage of Earth, reaches the mouth and the place where only “yes” is heard: all of these are receptive portals.

The spirit is the mother of Qi, and Qi is the child of the spirit; they cannot be separated for even an instant. When the spirit rests in the masculine palace, Qi stays in the receptive chamber. Thus the spirit can govern what lies below and interact with Qi, rising and descending without cease. This is the natural Way. Here one must strive with still greater diligence: find stability within the subtle, and spirit within stability; let the three garments be complete and the four vessels empty.

What are the three garments? They are nature, knowledge, and wisdom. What are the four vessels? They are the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. Nature is spirit; knowledge enables understanding; wisdom enables transformation. The sage observes nature and gives rise to methods. The methods are without limit, so transformations extend to infinity and enter Wuwei (non-action): one uses them in daily life without knowing it. This is called emptying the vessels and ending the six sense objects. Why then worry that the six thieves will intrude? I clarify and purify the spirit, without attaching it to the myriad transformations; the power of spiritual communication flows on without end. How could guarding it become tiresome, or using it require effort? All of this is the subtle functioning of Wuwei: emptiness is not form, and form is not emptiness.

The three palaces are—(the original scroll continues below).

The Qi of the heart and spleen rises and descends respectively; the passage where the two meet extends upward to the Heavenly Gate and downward to the Earthly Door, and pours into the three Palaces (three important palace positions within the body). Above the brain region is dark; below is red; to the left is white; to the right is green; in the center is yellow. This is the proper position of the Qi of the Three Yin, located within Taixuan (the Great Mystery). Outside the body, Jing and Qi are called Soushui; inside the body, they are called Tengshe (a Qi-spirit moving within the body) and named the “Demon of Taizu.” It breathes true Qi and causes true Qi to circulate through the meridians.

Below the heart region is red; above is dark; to the left is green; to the right is white; in the center is yellow. This is the proper position of the Qi of the Three Yang, located within Taiyi (the Great Unity). Outside the body, Jing and Qi are called Soushui; inside the body, they are called Yuangui (a Qi-spirit moving within the body) and named the “Demon of Taixuan.” It breathes true Qi and causes true Qi to circulate through the meridians.

The spleen occupies the center; it is where the two Qi rise and descend, and the palace where Shen and Qi interact. If I can guard Niwan (the palace of Shen and Qi within the crown of the head) and Tiangu (the residence of Shen and Qi in the brain), make them govern 2,700 breaths, and let the Qi circulate steadily for ten rounds, then the Yang Qi in the heart and the Yang Qi in the brain will converge at the spleen. Qi goes down from the spleen to Yukui (Jade Cabinet), passes through Taicang (the stomach), enters Weilü (the base of the spine), then emerges from the heart region and rises to Ercou, taking the shape of a fire wheel.

The primordial Shen (Yuanshen) passes through Shangqing, moves through Taishu, crosses Lingdao, enters Zhongmiao, passes through Naohu, emerges from Fengfu, and then is transmitted to Ercou. Shen and Qi converge, spreading throughout the hundred parts of the whole body and the five forms; its heat is like fire, and its form is like a bursting spring.

At this time, when one contemplates oneself, Shen is not drawn away by external forms and colors; when seeing, Shen is not drawn away by sounds; when hearing, Shen is not drawn away by fragrances and tastes. My mind is deeply quiet and stable, and the four sensory faculties seem empty and still. The sage thereby understands that what is called “emptiness” is not absolute nothingness, and what is called “form” is not truly existent; thus wisdom is obtained from this. To know yet not cling to knowing—who can understand the wisdom in this? To see yet not see—who can realize the mystery in this? The nature that manifests without clinging to nature is called “union” (he); the wonder that naturally manifests without displaying fabrication is called “the real” (zhen). This is the stability that should be maintained in daily cultivation.

If, within stability, one can understand this wonder that naturally manifests without fabrication and this nature that manifests without clinging, then one can bring about wondrous transformation and the return of nature to the real, enduring as Heaven and Earth and moving together with Yin-Yang.

The Yisheng Pian (Chapter on Nourishing Life). (The Anqiao method is found in the Xuance; it can prolong life and also drive away illness.)

The Perfected Shi said: “Nourishing life takes not injuring the body as its root; advancing in the Great Dao takes freedom from illness as first. I have mastered thirteen methods of peaceful and joyful life-nourishing, among which is the essential formula of the Shaoguang gate.”

A divine being in the mountains, named the Golden Mother, warned the Yellow Emperor: “Think less and desire less, and cravings for sights and sounds will naturally disappear.” The Most High Lord Lao taught the Perfected Yin: “Empty the mind and weaken the will, and the spirit and Qi will remain at peace forever.”

The Perfected Peng, whose personal name was Gui and whose dates are unknown, said: “I once suffered from an eye ailment. I kept my eyes open and stared day and night to dispel the feeling of dimness and closure. After a short pause, I practiced this method again. With sustained effort, I became able to see even the finest hairs clearly.”

The Perfected Xu, whose personal name was Jia, said: “I once suffered from an eye ailment. Sitting upright in a dark room, I rotated my eyes eighty-one times. After closing my eyes and concentrating my spirit, I rotated them again without counting. With long practice, a spiritual light appeared of its own accord, shaped like a golden wheel.”

The Perfected Liu, whose personal name was Wang, said: “I often suffered from headaches, with pathogenic wind rising upward. Day and night, I would bind my forehead with my left and right hands, placing my thumbs opposite the Cang point at the temples. Holding my breath, I directed Qi toward my head. When my eyes began to tire, I used my thumbs to send Qi up to the crown, and the wind dispersed along with it.”

The Perfected Ge said: “For someone with headaches and wind in the brain, have them sit quietly in a secluded room, hold their breath, and cover their ears. When the breath reaches its limit, release it; as they release it, they should gently shake their head without stopping. This can dispel wind and pain, brighten the eyes, and replenish the marrow.”

The Perfected Zhu said: “When Qi is weak and the body is frail, eating too much causes food to stagnate and obstruct. When this stagnation occurs, day or night, sit quietly with the legs crossed, raise the torso, and puff out the belly. Hold the breath continuously, and the six viscera will be emptied so that food can be taken in.”

The Perfected Yuan, whose personal name was Gu, said: “Before attaining immortality, I fasted in a broad valley and ate only plants and trees. I puffed out my belly to break through stagnation in the five viscera, and held my breath to gather the true Qi of Heaven, Earth, and humanity—the Three Powers. I also used inner visualization, swallowing fire and taking in my true Water. The nutritive and defensive Qi then flourished and flowed in harmony, allowing me to prolong my life.”

The Perfected Zuo, whose personal name was Ci, said: “In old age, serving the Dao often brings harm from wind. Day and night, cross the left and right hands together and knock the head against the ground. Let the Qi surge upward to the Tianzhu point at the nape, and continue until sweat flows from all four limbs. This practice can ward off epidemics, brighten the eyes, and guide the Qi.”

The Perfected Wang, whose personal name was Li, said: “When you feel cold, sit cross-legged in a secluded room and cup your kidneys with your left and right hands. Hold your breath and knock your head in a gesture of reverence fifty to seventy times. Sweat will then pour from all sides.”

After the cold has dispersed, regularly practicing this method can harmonize the True Qi, brighten the eyes, nourish the skin, and strengthen the bones.

Liu Zhenren said: People who live in the mountains are often exposed to frost and snow and are prone to abdominal pain. Sit in a quiet room without excessive worry or thought. Focus your mind on the lower abdomen, and place your hands together over the navel. This can dispel cold and strengthen original Yang.

Sun Zhenren said: If you have abdominal pain and intestinal worms, draw in your body and swallow Qi ten times, then cover the navel and rub your palms together more than a hundred times. Continue rubbing until the pain stops and the worms are expelled. Regular practice can replenish Qi, invigorate the blood, and help prolong life.

Wu Zhenren said: Sit upright in a quiet room, rest one palm over the other, and cross your legs. Close your eyes and quiet your mind. Gently lift your body, focus your spirit, and regulate your breathing. Turn your attention inward to observe where the illness began, and guide Qi with the mind; all ailments can be cured. Regular practice can strengthen the legs and restore youthful vigor.

Yuan Zhenren said: Hold your breath and press down on the hips, retaining the True Qi and returning it to the lower source. This is a method of preservation and nourishment; practiced over time, it can extend life and strengthen the body.

Cui Zhenren said: Bow your head and clasp your neck, directing the light of the spirit into the “Heavenly Palace.” With long practice, the face and eyes become clear, and the spirit and Qi become calm and balanced.

Liu Zhenren (Chan) said: Interlace the fingers and close the “Jade Gate.” The method lies in holding the saliva in the mouth so it is not lost; this is called “locking the Golden Pass.” It can prevent dreams of sexual union with ghosts. Practiced over time, it can prolong life and even bring about ascension.

Gai Zhenren said: Swallow a hundred mouthfuls without stirring them, and the True Water will naturally rise to pay court. Use this method when ill and you will recover; practice it regularly and your skin will become smooth and moist.

Lü Zhenren said: Rub the navel and kidneys with cupped hands, alternately placing each hand below the navel and holding the kidneys. Switching hands from side to side can gather True Qi and strengthen the lower source.

The Pingdu Chapter (The Great High One’s Mysterious Elixir is subtle yet manifest; the Crimson Palace and Purple Portal are not far away)

Perfected Lord of Central Peak (Su Zixuan) said: I obtained the scripture of the Great High One’s Mysterious Elixir. Three inches inward and upward from between the eyebrows is the place for guarding the paired-inch fields. To its left are the Crimson Terrace and Green Chamber; to its right are the Yellow Gate and Purple Portal.

At the center of the crimson platform (cultivation site) in Daoist practice, one must guide cultivation through Daoist methods. On either side stand platform towers (cultivation structures) used to observe unusual Qi manifestations. The guardian deity of the Purple Gate (a head-related cultivation area) is named Tranquil Serenity, responsible for protecting the Dharma King; the guardian of the Azure Chamber (another cultivation area) is named Upright Heart. Both deities appear as infants, dressed in robes matching their respective area's color, holding flowing golden bells.

During nighttime rest or while practicing cunsi (visualization meditation), first visualize these three deities' forms as if seeing them clearly. Then tap the teeth three times, invoke their names and recite the prayer: "Two great deities of Purple Gate and Azure Chamber, holding flowing bells wrapped in wind and clouds, guarding the true Dao hear my plea. My mind connects with spiritual awareness to benefit all things, entering and exiting properly to ascend the ninefold celestial gates, beholding the nine perfected beings and the supreme Great Venerable Lord." After the prayer, continue visualizing key cultivation elements including the Three Ones (Jing, Qi, Shen), the Chamber of the Cavern (head cultivation region), and the Nine Pathways (essential cultivation methods).

Within the ears reside the Cloud Attendants (ear deities). When ears ring, it signals incoming external information. Cross hands to cover the ears and chant: "The Red Emperor in his palace, the Nine Perfected in their chamber, heed the divine command, discern all inauspicious signs. The Great Unity's sacred fire shall eradicate myriad evils." After chanting, press the ear gates seven times with fingers. Facial warmth indicates auspicious signs, while neck chill forebodes misfortune. Immediately lie down, close the eyes, and visualize the Great Unity True Lord within the Mysterious Elixir Palace (a vital head cultivation point), imagining him using flowing fire bells to emit radiance that disperses malignant Qi, filling ears and eyes with inner and outer light illuminating the entire body.

One inch further inward lies the Hall of Light Palace (a crucial head acupoint). Within this palace resides the True Lord of Luminous Youth on the left, the True Lady of Luminous Maiden on the right, and the Divine Lord of Luminous Mirror at the center. These three lords govern water and fire, dressed in emerald brocade robes adorned with red jade bells and mirrors, all appearing as outward-facing infants. After visualization, invoke the three lords' names (True Lord of Luminous Youth: Mysterious Yang, styled Young Azure; True Lady of Luminous Maiden: Subtle Yin, styled Young Origin; Divine Lord of Luminous Mirror: Illuminating Purity, styled Fourfold Light). Tapping teeth nine times subdues demons and eliminates ghosts. When experiencing hunger or thirst, visualize the three lords exhaling crimson Qi into one's mouth - swallowing this eliminates hunger. Those seeking longevity should rest peacefully in the Hall of Light Palace, visualizing the three lords kneeling outward and exhaling crimson Qi.

Radiant Qi fills and pours through the whole body. In an instant, red Qi encircles the body as if forming flames; body and fire merge into one, and inside and outside become bright and transparent. This lasts for a long while before ceasing. This vision is called the “Sun-Moon Refining of the Form” (Ri-Yue Lianxing).

Withdraw the attention further to a point two cun inside the body, called the Palace of the Cavern Chamber (Dongfang zhi Gong). To the left of the Cavern Chamber is Young Lord Wuying, to the right is Lord Baiyuan, and in the center is Lord Huanglao. This is the way of Flying Perfected cultivation. Going three cun deeper is the Palace of the Dantian, in which dwells the Emperor Lord of the Upper Prime True One (Shangyuan Zhenyi Dijun); the Emperor Lord has two assistants who together guard the Way of the Three Primes and the True One. What is referred to here is the Earth Perfected. Going four cun deeper is the Palace of Flowing Pearls, the place where the Deity of Destiny (Siming) patrols. Going five cun deeper is the Palace of the Jade Emperor, where the Divine Mother of the Jade Emperor resides.

One cun above the Mingtang (Hall of Light) is the Palace of the Heavenly Court, where the Perfected Woman of Shangqing dwells. One cun above the Cavern Chamber is the Palace of Cavern Perfection (Dongzhen zhi Gong), where the Imperial Consort of Taiji dwells. Above the Dantian there is another place, a square measuring one cun, called the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir (Xuandan zhi Gong); this is the chamber where the soul of the brain-essence Niwan resides.

The brain is the locus of the spirituality of the whole body; it is also the life-cavern of the many deities, the source of the bodily fluids, and the jade chamber of soul-essence. If one can make the brain empty, luminous, and perfectly integrated, and use this to irrigate and nourish true Qi, then all the apertures of the body will become unobstructed, and the thousand pores will seem to produce smoke. When De is complete, one merges with heaven and earth and reaches a vast and boundless realm. For this reason it is called Niwan (Mud Pill). Niwan is the place in the upper part of the physical form where the spirits reside. To know only how to swallow Qi, draw in fluids, beat the drum, and click the teeth, without knowing the fundamental reasons for these methods, is merely to follow the superficial branch of the Way of Niwan.

The Palace of the Mysterious Elixir is a square one cun on each side. Within it are the Green Chamber and the Purple Micro Chamber, filled with red smoke and mist. The Niwan Taiyi Perfected Lord dwells there; his appearance is like that of an infant. He sits within a golden bed and jade canopy, wears purple embroidered garments, and has a waist sash of flowing light. His left hand grasps the handle of the Big Dipper, and his right hand holds the Gang Qi of the North Star. The North Star is the fixed star at the North Pole. The Taishang Dragon Book says: “Sit upright within the Mysterious Elixir, neither leaning nor deviant.” This refers precisely to this method of cultivation.

During the night’s rest, release all kinds of thoughts; whether sitting or lying down, first visualize in the mind the North Pole star, then visualize purple Qi entering the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir from the star. After a moment, the purple Qi fills the palace, overflows the body, and spreads throughout the whole body, so that the inside and outside of the body merge with the Purple Chamber. Then visualize the sun and focus the attention upon it.

Entering the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir (Xuandan zhi gong, the Niwan Palace at the crown of the head, also called the Upper Dantian), one finds purple Qi (auspicious vital energy), which appears like a glowing fire pearl in the darkness.

Next, visualize the Perfect Lord Taiyi of the Central Yellow in the Upper Clarity (Shangqing Zhonghuang Taiyi Zhenjun), a deity of the Central Yellow Heaven in the Upper Clarity realm, descending from the purple Qi of the Northern Pole (Beiji, the Purple Tenuity Enclosure) into the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir. Then visualize yourself suddenly rising into the palace and sitting face to face with Taiyi. Imagine the colors of your clothing as you wish. Form an intention in your heart, then kneel before him, bowing your head to the ground, and ask Taiyi about the Dao. Swallow the purple Qi thirty times, then swallow saliva thirty times.

Next, visualize a thread of red Qi, fine as a string, within the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper (the seven northern lodges), descending through the stars into the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir. Taiyi and your own body then ride together on the sun, traveling upward along the path of red Qi until you reach the Dipper’s Bowl (the first star, toward which the handle points) within the Northern Dipper. After fourteen years of practice, you can travel with Taiyi through the Celestial Net of the Seven Primordial Stars (Qiyuan zhi gang); after sixteen years, you can receive the heavenly scriptures in the Upper Clarity. Visualize this once each night, with steady practice and no neglect. Those who devote themselves to this method need not also cultivate the Three Ones (the method of guarding the three Dantians and their divine presences).

On the first, third, seventh, and fifteenth days of each month, as well as at midnight, visualize the Perfect Lord Taiyi sitting and facing outward in the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir. He exhales purple Qi, which enters your mouth; swallow it at once, repeating this fifty times. Murmur the following invocation:

Supreme Sovereign, True Emperor; Purple Lord of the Central Yellow, whose title is Compass of Excellence and whose courtesy name is Transformation into the Mysterious. With golden bed and jade canopy, purple embroidered robe and brocade skirt, a fire bell at the waist to cut down evil and destroy treachery; in hand he holds the essence of the stars, while the sun’s true light is born atop his head. Sitting upright, he exhales Qi, enabling me to swallow saliva. May he speak and feast with me, and may I take the Mysterious Elixir, refine and nourish the Seven Po, harmonize and soften the Three Hun, and be protected by divine spirits. May I become a flying immortal, my five organs renew themselves, and my hair turn white while my face grows youthful. May I receive the scriptures of the Upper Clarity and serve as the Lord of Fate, the Emperor’s sovereign. May all I wish and desire come to pass, and may every blessing be renewed.

After reciting the invocation, visualize yourself rising into the Palace of the Mysterious Elixir and resting before the Supreme One.

What is the Mysterious Elixir? It is the spirit of the Niwan Palace. The Classic of the Primordial True One says: “Qi condenses into Jing; Jing, when stirred, becomes Shen. Shen becomes a Perfected One, and the Perfected One rises to become an infant. This is the True One.” Thus, those who guard the Three Ones become Earthly Perfected Ones; those who guard the Cavern Chamber become Perfected Ones; and those who guard the Mysterious Elixir become officials of the Great Tenuity.

The method of guarding the One calls for visualizing the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper, with the Dipper’s Bowl forming the canopy and the handle pointing forward. The red infant dwells at the center, between the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper.

The star Qi gradually rises above the crown of the head, with its feet pointing skyward and its upright point facing forward. Visualize Yangming, with Yin essence behind it. Visualize the star of the Celestial Pass, and let cloud Qi appear before your mouth. A seven-foot star stands before your mouth, while three streams of yellow Qi and Yang essence flow in order.

Each of the Seven Stars has a boy attendant: the first, the star of Yangming, is named Shuiming; the second, the star of Yin essence, is named Yaoling; the third, the star of the Perfected One, is named Beiyuan; the fourth, the star of Dark Mystery, is named Baojing; the fifth, the star of Cinnabar Origin, is named Danying; the sixth, the star of the Northern Pole, is named Luqing; and the seventh, the star of Heavenly Wu, is named Ziying. Keep visualizing them in their corresponding star positions. Then no hundred evils can intrude, and baleful Qi will vanish of its own accord.

The section on inward vision of the central region says: To ascend to the Clear and Numinous realm, secretly visualize the Five Stars and keep their practice within the celestial court—the divine chambers within the body. Here is the method: At midnight, when generative Qi arises, sit upright on a couch facing the direction of the current month’s earthly branch. Click your teeth nine times and swallow your saliva thirty times. Bow twice facing north, then recite this prayer inwardly: “I respectfully inform the Great High Supreme Taiji Perfected Lord: I ask the Five Emperors of the five directions and the divine envoys of the Five Spirits to appear together before me.” When the prayer is finished, close your eyes and visualize the Five Stars hanging overhead as if strung together. The Star of the Year, Jupiter, is then above your head; the Star of the Year, Jupiter, is on your left; the Great White Star, Venus, is on your right; the Fiery Deluder, Mars, is between your knees; and the Guarding Star, Saturn, is at your heart. Practice this for a long time, and you will see the essence of the stars transform into the Five Elders and come to you. You may then ask them about the Way of flying immortals.

Huang Boyan, whose personal name was Jing, had a method for refining the body: Visualize the auxiliary star at the center of the Northern Pole and contemplate it. In an instant, a Red Child of the Sun appears, holding a vermilion banner and brandishing a flame that burns his body. This refines away the Three Corpses—the “corpse spirits” within the body that cause trouble—and can bring long life.

Shi Tang passed down this method: Keep visualizing a star between the eyebrows, its light the size of a bean. Contemplate its redness as fire. In a moment it covers the face and eyes, then spreads throughout the body. Suddenly forget the body’s form and see only its intensely red fire. After a long while the fire goes out, and the body returns to its former state.

Le Zichang had a method for rinsing the Flower Pool: Keep a date pit in the mouth and suck it as a child sucks milk. After a long while, saliva will fill the mouth. Swallow one third of it and retain the other two thirds, then swallow it together with the Qi.

Interpretive Commentary on the Dao Shu

This practice is called returning essence: Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) circulate through the body in a continuous cycle.

Rise at cockcrow, when the rooster calls at dawn. Tap the upper and lower teeth together gently thirty-six times, gradually increasing to three hundred. Loose teeth are said to become firm, tooth decay to improve, and toothache to subside.

The text then describes a practice called consuming the five sprouts, in which one takes in the corresponding “sprout” energies associated with the east, south, west, north, and center.

Facing east: First tap the teeth nine times toward the east, then silently recite a blessing whose general meaning is: “In the east, blue teeth and purple clouds stream with rosy hues; the Three Pure Ones wander, amid dark frost and jade gauze. Take in the morning radiance; drink and swallow the dawn’s splendor.” Once the visualization is settled, use the tongue to moisten the outer edge of the upper lip. Swallow the resulting saliva thirty times, and keep the blue Qi in the liver. After practicing for ten years, an old man from the east is said to come and transmit the Scripture of the Blue Perfected.

Facing south: Tap the teeth nine times toward the south. The blessing refers to the Vermilion Bird of the south, cinnabar-colored clouds, and the Taiwei celestial region. After visualizing, moisten the outer edge of the lower lip with the tongue and swallow the saliva thirty times, keeping the red Qi in the heart. After ten years of practice, the Old Man of the Southern Pole is said to transmit the Scripture of Luminous Cinnabar.

Facing west: Tap the teeth nine times toward the west. The blessing refers to the Upper Radiance of the west, flying clouds, and Golden Liquid. Use the tongue to moisten the inner side of the lips, then swallow the saliva thirty times, keeping the white Qi in the lungs. After ten years of practice, an old man from the west is said to transmit the Talisman of Plain Registers and Awesome Spirits.

Facing north: Tap the teeth nine times toward the north. The blessing refers to the Dark Nourishment of the north and green clouds. Use the tongue to moisten the inner side of the lower lip, then swallow the saliva thirty times, keeping the dark-colored Qi in the kidneys. After ten years of practice, the Old Man of the North Pole is said to transmit the Talisman of Dark Registers and Precious Radiance.

Seated facing the center or upward: Tap the teeth nine times. The blessing mentions Wu and Ji, the Earth virtue of the center, yellow silk, five clouds, the Eight Radiances, and the Nine Dawns. First rinse the mouth until it is full, letting the saliva spread through the Xuanying region of the throat, throughout the mouth, and around the tongue and teeth, above and below, inside and out. Then swallow the Sweet Spring, the fragrant saliva in the mouth. This is the practice of the Earth virtue of the central palace and taking in the essence of the central origin.

Note: The text describes Daoist practices of visualization, swallowing saliva, and associating the five directions with the five organs. The blessings are mostly rhythmic verse, and the practice centers on visualizing colors and their corresponding organs according to direction. The old men who transmit scriptures and talismans symbolize achievements in inner cultivation; their appearance should not be taken as a verifiable medical promise. Those who practice tooth tapping or saliva swallowing should do so gently and in moderation. Anyone with oral-health conditions should follow medical advice.

The Pivot of the Dao: Circulating Saliva and the Ascent of the Five Talismans (continued)

Circulate the saliva once throughout the body, then swallow it. Repeat this forty times, retaining the “yellow” saliva stored in the Spleen. After practicing in this way for ten years, the Central Yellow Old Lord will come to transmit methods for the Yellow Qi and Yang Jing, as well as the Hidden Heaven and Concealed Moon, the Green Register, and the Azure-Waisted Tiger Writ. These five talismans can all be united as one and ascend together.

When the Mysterious One, the exalted lord of the center, ascends together with the Four Elders, the Elders of the Four Extremities will all descend at the same moment and then ascend together. Afterward, each will travel and transform in the direction corresponding to his position; they do not depart one by one.

This method may also be practiced regularly; it need not be performed only at cockcrow. It may be practiced while sitting upright, silently reciting, calming the Shen, or resting in quiet.

Chapter on Refining Jing

(Rise at cockcrow and chew the Jade Spring; ward off harm from without and calm the Three Dantian from within.)

The Perfected Sun (Sun Simiao) said: Before speaking in the morning, first chew the saliva in the mouth—the Jade Spring—and swallow it slowly, twenty-one times in all. Then click the teeth fourteen times. Persist in this practice, and Jing and Qi will gradually become abundant, nourishing the whole body. Comb the hair regularly, click the teeth often, swallow saliva frequently, keep the Qi clear, stroke the face often, walk regularly, rub the ears often, and massage the eyes often.

During the Yin hour (three to five in the morning), one may practice daoyin: click the teeth thirty-six times to gather the Shen, and visualize the Dantian and the “color-forms” of the Five Viscera making one circuit. Then quiet the mind, dispelling every stray thought in the space of two breaths, and keep the mind settled in the Lower Dantian at all times—in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. In time, the Shen and Qi will settle of themselves, and illness will not arise.

Resentment, anger, worry, fear, vexation, improper thoughts, and the urge to compete are grave impediments to cultivating the Dao. When they arise, they damage the Original Qi—this is called “Neidan.” Giving generously to others is called “Waidan.”

Chapter on Pure Yang

(The cauldron of the Great One takes the You hour as its model; breathing through a hundred ke is called the spirit talisman.)

The Yellow Emperor traveled in the wilderness of Qingcheng, where he met Guangchengzi, Qibo, and Huangguzi and asked them about the Dao. There he received the spirit talisman of the “hundred ke.”

The Pure Yang Master said: Beginning with one count per ke, I count one hundred and twenty-five in a single breath. At the four cardinal hours—Zi, Wu, Mao, and You—each hour contains nine ke and eight additional units. When the count reaches one hundred, the breath is fixed at one, connecting day and night; in a single breath I complete thirteen thousand five hundred circuits… (The continuation in the original text discusses how breathing is coordinated with the count of ke to regulate the firing times.)

Volume Nine of The Pivot of the Dao: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Within the body: The meridians and blood vessels move according to a set rhythm. Only after Qi and blood have circulated through the whole body for fifty cycles—approximately fifty circuits in a day and a night—can Neidan (internal alchemy), the “elixir” refined within the body and a metaphor for Jing and Qi gathering together, be formed.

Mao and You each represent one half of Yin and Yang: Mao belongs to the East and leans toward Yang; You belongs to the West and leans toward Yin. This principle of division must be understood.

The fire of mid-spring belongs to Taiyang (Yang Qi is gradually growing stronger) and is called “fire taboo”: at this time, one must use fire methods cautiously and avoid stirring Yang Qi recklessly. One must therefore observe the principles of advance and retreat. When, for example, the Dragon follows the Tiger (in alchemical practice, Dragon and Tiger often symbolize the union of Yin and Yang, with Shen accompanying Qi), the spirit talisman (a numinous sign or confirmation corresponding to the Dao) will arrive.

I take the Metal of the Dui trigram as the water of a marsh: water is born from Metal, and Metal is born from Earth. Together they form the Cauldron of the Great One (the Great One, Taiyi, is one source of the universe; the cauldron symbolizes a vessel for alchemical refinement and bodily transformation). This is what is called the You model (a cauldron design or firing schedule modeled on You). I am about to advance the fire (intensify the “fire” of intention and breathing). After roughly three thousand days, a pearl-like elixir will take shape, corresponding to Jia and the Gallbladder (the Gallbladder belongs to Jia and is associated with decisiveness and generation).

Correspondences of the organs with the stems, branches, and hours (the pure Yang body)

The text assigns the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to the organs, and indicates the combinations of hours at which each organ “changes shifts.” Together these are called pure Yang: without this pure Yang movement, Heaven and Earth could not transform and generate the myriad things. For the practitioner who obtains it, this is the method of generation and transformation.

Ren is the pivot of Heaven, and Bing is the hinge of Earth. By means of the Six Jia, Heaven and Earth are restored, completing the way of the Five. This is the Great Dao.

The five names for ancient cauldrons and the cauldron used today

In antiquity there were five kinds of cauldron. Each was made with a capacity, height, and number of “shifts” based on the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth, the stems and branches, the sun and moon, the constellations, or the seasonal divisions:

1. Cinnabar: Holds two sheng of water and is five cun and a half high, following the primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth.

2. Autumn Stone: Holds one dou of water and is one chi high, following the Ten Heavenly Stems; each cycle changes after nine days.

3. White Horse: Holds one dou and six sheng of water and is one chi and six cun high, following the number of the sun and moon; it changes daily.

4. White Snow: Holds two dou and eight sheng of water and is two chi and eight cun high, following the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions; it changes after fifteen days (one ten-day period plus five days makes a cycle).

5. Yellow Sprout: Holds two dou and four sheng of water and is two chi and four cun high, following the Twenty-Four Solar Terms; it also changes daily.

The cauldron used in the present method takes nine (the highest Yang number). It is filled with Metal, mercury, and cinnabar (materials used in Waidan, external alchemy; here they also symbolize the “medicines” of internal cultivation). Its capacity is about five sheng, adjusted to its shape. It changes after five days and completes a cycle after nine days.

Note: The original text deals extensively with Neidan firing schedules, the symbolism of cauldrons and vessels, and medical theories of the meridians. This plain-language interpretation clarifies the literal meaning and common alchemical terminology. Specific firing schedules and cauldron designs must be understood in the context of the entire volume and a teacher’s transmission; this text alone should not be used as a practical guide.