《雲笈七籤》Vol. 72

Secret Diagram of the Great Return Elixir (with Preface)

Preface

The Great Return Elixir is formed from the soul of the sun, the spirit of the moon, and the essence-Qi of the sun and moon, the two luminaries. Its root lies in the south, the position belonging to Fire, while its transformations also involve the water of the north represented by the heavenly stems Ren and Gui. It passes through the operations of the Five Phases and contains the Qi of the five colors; its effects resonate with Heaven and Earth, and it is difficult to explain in full detail one by one.

Alchemical refinement begins with Chaos as a symbol of primordial Qi; then clear Qi and turbid Qi are separated, and through the operation of spirit-intention the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) are made to coordinate, so that the radiance of sun and moon converges and congeals into the Great Elixir. As for fire timing, it takes the new moon and full moon as its basis; as for the elixir ingredients, lead and mercury are foremost. The furnace and cauldron, the Huachi (Floral Pool, a metaphor in alchemy for the place where the ingredients congeal and transform), and the True Person each have their place. The True Person’s verifications and commendatory accounts are collected into twelve chapters, corresponding to the twelve months. This book is written for those who seek the true Dao and for those who resolve to cultivate the Dao and await transmission.

Chaos and the Huachi (Floral Pool), Chapter One

The so-called Huachi is the primordial Qi of the Mysterious Origin, the source of the Dao; it is the symbol of the creative transformation of Heaven and Earth. It embodies the number of the Three Ones. Yin-Yang, male and female, are not yet separated; clear and turbid, floating and sinking are not yet settled. It occupies the position of the “hidden dragon.” The noble person holds to the great Dao and waits for the time; having obtained it, one can discern being and non-being, transcend the ordinary, and enter the sage realm.

The scripture says, “Know the white and guard the black, and divine illumination comes of itself.” This means that the mysterious Dao is the root of the myriad things. The sages kept it secret and did not proclaim it; it was not written down in words but transmitted only from mouth to ear. Those who understand its oral formula can become immortals.

White Gold and Yellow Sprout, Chapter Two

The so-called “white gold and yellow sprout” is not gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin, mercury, cinnabar, and other such five metals and eight stones, nor lead-type minerals; rather, it is what is formed when the mysterious Qi flows and congeals after the union of Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang.

Just as the human body is born from the union of the Qi of father and mother and is not produced directly from flesh, so too is the supreme elixir. The Kan male and the Li female, the yin and yang sides symbolized by the Kan and Li trigrams, depend on one another in nature and disposition; their Qi congeals, and thus white gold and yellow sprout are formed. It is the root before Heaven and Earth generated the myriad things. The scripture says, “The named is the mother of the myriad things.” It also resembles what the Yijing says: “Nine in the second place: the dragon appears in the field.” If one cultivates and obtains this substance, one can enter the way of immortality; it is easy to obtain, and it can enhance one’s complexion and firm the marrow. When a person ingests jade, the body seems to receive jade’s moistening luster; that is what this refers to.

Five Phases, Chapter Three

At this point the original text gives only the chapter title “Five Phases, Chapter Three” and does not yet provide the main text.

In the Five Phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth), in “Water generates Wood,” the water here is mercury; in “Wood generates Fire,” the wood here is cinnabar; in “Fire generates Earth,” the earth here is what is transformed and generated by Shen and Qi, not the earth of the world; in “Earth generates Metal,” the metal here is white gold; in “Metal generates Water,” the water here is black water. These are not the mercury, cinnabar, earth, metal, and water commonly seen in the world.

Among the Five Phases there are also mutual overcoming relations: Metal can overcome Wood, and Water can overcome Fire. Earth governs the four seasons and runs through their beginning and end. The Five Phases generate and overcome one another and interact with one another; together they form the foundation for refining the supreme medicine (the highest elixir). If what is taken is only worldly metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, why would the sage especially praise the efficacy of “Three-Five and One”? From this it can be known that those who lose the true path are as lamentable as plain silk, which is easily dyed; those who take the wrong fork are truly pitiable. Without a teacher’s transmission yet clinging to words, hardly one in ten thousand attains one success. How can seekers of truth not strive diligently and concentrate on practice?

Four Images (Sixiang), Chapter Four

The Four Images are the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

What has already been annotated and explained in this scroll will not be repeated here; all the remaining content should be included.

The Azure Dragon corresponds to the east and to Jia-Yi Wood, and symbolizes mercury. It remains unclear after settling and filtering, and is not turbid when stirred; it seems close at hand yet cannot be directly obtained, and seems distant yet cannot be abandoned. It hides and transforms without end, hence it is called the “dragon.”

The White Tiger corresponds to the west and to Geng-Xin Metal, and symbolizes white gold. It occupies the position of “True One.” The scripture says, “If you obtain the One, all matters are settled.” This white gold also has the alias “Virtuous Maiden”; it is formed from the subtle substances produced by the sympathetic combination of the Five Phases. It lies hidden and motionless, hence it is called the “tiger.”

The Vermilion Bird corresponds to the south and to Bing-Ding Fire, and symbolizes cinnabar. When its liquid is analyzed, it can transform into a dragon; when its Qi is condensed, it can transform into a bird. Its Qi rises to become heaven, and its substance descends to become earth; therefore it is the root of the Great Elixir (Neidan or elixir). As soon as it meets fire it flies upward, hence it is called the “Vermilion Bird.”

The Black Tortoise corresponds to the north and to Ren-Gui Water, and symbolizes black mercury. It can be both yielding and strong. The scripture says, “The highest good is like water.” The water spoken of here is not lead, tin, or ordinary ores, but the “River Chariot divine water” (a term in alchemy for the subtle water that circulates and transforms during cultivation), born before heaven and earth. It is indispensable for refining the supreme medicine and can nourish the myriad things, hence it is called the “Black Tortoise.”

If those who aspire to cultivation can refine in the elixir cauldron and understand these Four Images, then the heavenly beings of the ten directions (celestial beings of all quarters) will all revere them. What the ancient scriptures call the “elixir of the four spirits” refers precisely to this elixir.

Clearly Distinguishing the True and False of Lead and Mercury, Chapter Five

(The following surviving text appears to be commentary or an editorial note and is incomplete: black exterior, red interior; discussion of the image of “River Chariot water,” containing mercury and cinnabar, and receiving transmission to accomplish the true Dao, etc.)

What is called “lead and mercury” means that the Li trigram (symbolizing fire) flows and transforms to become mercury, while the Kan trigram (symbolizing water) congeals into a white substance and becomes lead. People of the world take black lead, rivet lead, raw silver, litharge (mituoseng), lead-bearing minerals, lead yellow, flower yellow, and yellow lead oxide all as the “lead” spoken of in alchemy—this is a great mistake.

Moreover, lead contains gold, and within gold there is again huandan (the elixir contained within, as Daoism calls it). From this one can know that within black water white gold is born; white gold becomes yellow gold; yellow gold becomes purple gold; purple gold contains five colors and is called the “Great Huandan.” Is this not clear? How can one take quicksilver and mercury—things that are already material forms—as lead?

The scripture says: “The crane cries in the shade, and its young respond to it.” It also says: “The tiger roars and the dragon sings; things of the same kind resonate with one another.” Are these words spoken casually? Mercury represents “emotion”; lead represents “nature.” When emotion and nature unite, it is called the “constant Dao.” Dao is naturalness; it is truly not something external. May you carefully consider the principle within; Heaven will not fail those who have aspiration.

The verse says:

“The cauldron is not a true cauldron; the medicine is originally no medicine. Using lead, yet it is not true lead—one must grasp the meaning within lead.” The worthy should carefully reflect: if one still uses lead in the former manner, one is mistaken.

The Sun and Moon, Chapter Six

The sun and moon are the most refined and subtle things between heaven and earth. In alchemy, what is called the “medicine” takes the Kan male (the yang within yin symbolized by the Kan trigram) as the moon, and the Li female (the yin within yang symbolized by the Li trigram) as the sun. In the sun there is a bird, which belongs to yin; in the moon there is a toad, which belongs to yang. White gold is produced from the River Chariot (the circulation and ascending-descending mechanism in Daoist Neidan), meaning there is yang within yin; mercury is produced from cinnabar, meaning there is yin within yang. These two things are the secret transmitted from sage to sage and passed from worthy to worthy; it has already been stated very clearly, and ordinary alchemists cannot peer into it.

Sun and Moon

If one can understand that the sun and moon are held in the hand, then there is no difficulty in creating and transforming the myriad things. Seeking out immortals and contemplating the essence of the sun and moon is the way of long life; it is truly worthy of being treasured.

Clarifying the Colors of the Medicine, Chapter Seven

Green

White: obtaining this white gold and taking it, one can become an Earth Immortal.

Yellow: obtaining this yellow gold and taking it, one can become a Middle Immortal.

Purple: obtaining this purple gold and taking it, one can become an Upper Immortal.

The fundamental sequence of refining medicine is: mysterious water produces white gold; white gold transforms into yellow gold; yellow gold transforms into purple gold; purple gold contains five colors and is called the “Great Huandan.” An old song also says: “One thing possesses five colors, forever becoming the blessing of immortals.”

If we examine present-day methods of refining medicine, they merely place the medicine in a vessel and refine and nourish it with fire, but ultimately cannot cause it to change; if it is taken without undergoing fire-subduing (fuhuo) treatment…

Cultivated in this way, the elixir will ultimately be excreted through the large intestine, and instead damage one’s lifespan. This is truly lamentable; in the end, one will not attain true accomplishment. The key lies in meticulous examination and careful experiential understanding. Cultivated thus, the way of the immortals will not go astray. The principle is in fact quite clear; it is simply that ordinary people’s minds are coarse and careless, and they do not carefully grasp its meaning. Once this meaning is understood, one will find that it accords with what the Yindan (Yin Elixir) says.

These principles are not entirely identical to one another; each has its own methods and stages of cultivation. Only through long study and repeated seeking can one see their true meaning.

(The outer layer is blue-green, the middle is yellow, and the center is white.) This is the diagram of the Great Return Elixir (Da Huandan).

White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon.

The Dao (the Way), in its vastness, excludes nothing; in its subtlety, it penetrates everywhere. If its diagram is hung in heaven, the celestial beings of the ten directions will look up to it in reverence and make offerings; if it is hung on earth, souls who suffer injustice and torment can escape their suffering; if it is displayed upon one’s own body, both the body and the spirits within it can become flying immortals. After the cultivation is accomplished, one can part the clouds and mists, ride immortal cranes, and rely on a staff to extend life; giving life or taking it, advancing or withdrawing, all become free. Cast into a precious mirror, it can also exterminate all demons and specters.

The immortals of the ten directions all regard it as a priceless treasure. This is the “Ruyi Divine Pearl” that responds and transforms according to the mind. There is nothing it cannot accomplish. One should cultivate diligently.

Nine Returns and Seven Reversions: Chapter Eight

The so-called “Nine Returns and Seven Reversions” (jiuhuan qifan), broadly speaking, takes a year as its cycle; on a smaller scale, it takes a day as its cycle. For example, the Northern Dipper circles heaven once in a day and a night, Earth Qi rises and falls, and the myriad things are thereby generated and transformed. From the yin hour to the shen hour is called the “Seven Reversions”; from the zi hour to the kun hour is called the “Nine Returns.”

The Return Elixir spoken of here is not an ordinary elixir; the Great Return Elixir must undergo three thousand six hundred years of climatic transformations, and the principle is the same. One may see the great in the small: a day has twelve double-hours, of which six belong to Yang and six to Yin; Yang corresponds to spring and summer, Yin to autumn and winter. One double-hour can symbolize one month; a month has thirty days, and thirty days contain three hundred sixty double-hours, which can symbolize one year. In this way, the twelve double-hours of one day symbolize twelve years, and three hundred sixty days symbolize three thousand six hundred years; the work of the Great Return Elixir is then complete.

A human is born after ten months of gestation; the elixir likewise requires ten months before it can emerge from the womb and take form. The human Dao and the elixir Dao are mutually connected; cultivators pass from the ordinary to the sage—is the principle not clear?

Selecting Companions: Chapter Nine

If a ruler lacks good companions, the state will perish; if ministers lack good companions, they will lose loyalty; if common people lack good companions, the family will decline; if cultivators lack good companions, they will lose the true Dao.

Thus Laozi and Yin Xi had a karmic bond from former lives, Confucius and the fisherman were in mutual accord, Ma Mingsheng and Lord Yin were secretly attuned, and Qingniu and Huiyuan also …

Is it not a good thing to form friendships with like-minded people? Today those who seek the Dao, from princes and nobles down to commoners, number in the thousands and tens of thousands, yet few can truly attain the Dao. This is all because they do not carefully choose their companions.

The so-called “supreme medicine” (zhiyao)—the precious medicine or essential cultivation formula spoken of in Daoist cultivation—comes about through sympathetic resonance of mind and intention. When people of aspiration are moved by this resonance, they come to submit. This shows that the Heavenly Dao is everywhere and perceives all things. If the time is not yet ripe, people easily give rise to many doubts, and their earlier efforts are wasted, even causing the Lingguan (spirit officials) to sigh over it. Why is this so? Princes and nobles are eager for quick success, their minds cannot be single-minded, they repeatedly doubt the adepts, and then entrust others to watch and guard them, so that now even ordinary people can glimpse these matters and still vainly hope to refine the supreme medicine. If that were so, everyone in the world could become an immortal.

When the ancient scriptures transmitted the supreme medicine, one first had to observe a seven-day fast and purification, establish an altar, burn renowned incense, hang colored silks symbolizing the ten directions, and use one hundred taels of gold as a token of sincerity. One also had to present a covenant to Heaven, burn the old agreements, and take an oath; only then could it be transmitted. Otherwise, one would commit the crime of leaking heavenly secrets, bring calamity upon the nine distant ancestral lines and seven generations of descendants, and oneself suffer punishment from the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth, and Water. How could one rashly slight the teacher, lose what one has obtained, and with a single private thought hastily peer into the true sage’s supreme medicine? If a minister or subject were fortunate enough to obtain this diagram and oral formula, and had also heard the oral instructions, but hid it and did not present it to his ruler and father, thinking his ruler and father old and muddled, then he would be a disloyal minister and an unfilial son.

The Golden Cauldron (Jinding), Chapter Ten

The so-called “Golden Cauldron” corresponds above to Heaven, below to Earth, and in the middle to the people. When celestial phenomena are harmonious, terrestrial conditions are stable, and the common people flourish and are secure, then Heaven sings and Earth is filled, and all things are at peace; otherwise, all things suffer calamity. Therefore the Yijing says: “Act before Heaven, and Heaven does not oppose; act after Heaven, and one should accord with Heaven’s timing.” From this the principle becomes clear.

People in the world who cultivate often make cauldrons from materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin; this is a great mistake. Others place salt, lodestone, tin powder, dried lead, or substances such as yellow flower, zengqing (azurite), and shidan (chalcanthite) into various cauldrons and use them as “kui” receptacles for holding medicines. Those clever arguments claiming that there is heaven within heaven are merely gloss. How could sages make such errors? If it were truly so, the Yellow Emperor should not have cast a cauldron at Mount Jing. Regarding the cauldron’s dimensions, weight, and thickness, there are ten defects, listed below.

The method of making the cauldron is: one chi and two cun high, weighing seventy-two liang, with the number taking nine. Its inner circumference is one chi and five cun; beneath it there should be supporting legs, two and a half cun above the ground; the bottom is two cun thick, the cauldron body one and a half cun thick, and the depth six cun; the interior can hold three and a half sheng. The lid is thick…

The ears are one cun high and one and a half cun wide. The tripod cauldron has ten defects that make it unsuitable for use: first, the iron material used in autumn and summer is not refined enough, or the casting time is improper; second, it was not cast in suspended form; third, the belly of the tripod is too large; fourth, the legs are too short and bent; fifth, the mouth is too large and the ears too small; sixth, the upper and lower thickness is uneven; seventh, there are sand holes and air leaks; eighth, the surface is not smooth enough; ninth, it does not conform to the prescribed dimensions; tenth, the iron surface is wrinkled. A tripod cauldron with these ten defects is not suitable for use.

Chapter Eleven: Building the Furnace

The furnace is the city wall of the tripod cauldron; without a city wall, the tripod cauldron will be invaded by evil qi. The height of the furnace symbolizes Penglai, the immortal isle, and its horizontal form symbolizes the Five Peaks. The altar is divided into three tiers, and the furnace has eight gates and twelve branches; the thickness, dimensions, and height of the furnace each have their diagrams. Are the intentions of the sage not all revealed in these arrangements?

The Qinghua Pond Furnace follows this furnace design. The furnace is four chi high, six cun thick, with an inner circumference of three chi five cun; the gates are two cun wide, and there are eight gates in total.

The Taiyi Furnace is built on the altar. It is two chi high, six cun thick, with an inner circumference of three chi five cun; the gates are two cun high and half a cun wide. The twelve branch gates are arranged around the furnace, each gate one cun wide. The size of the altar may be adapted to the location.

In addition, the Huachi Furnace is four chi high, six cun thick, and has eight gates, each two cun wide; the size of the altar may also be adapted to the location. For the remaining forms, see the diagrams.

Chapter Twelve: Fire Timing

One jin of medicine weighs sixteen liang; each liang has twenty-four zhu, so one jin has three hundred and eighty-four zhu in total. The Yi has sixty-four hexagrams, each with six yao lines, totaling three hundred and eighty-four yao. A year has three hundred and sixty days and also twenty-four solar terms; by the calculation here, each month corresponds to one liang, one and a half zhu, and one lei.

In the movement of Yin-Yang qi, the winter solstice, when the month is established at Zi, is the time to start the fire. According to the number of days in that year and whether the months are long or short, calculate the numbers in liang, fen, zi, zhu, fen, hao, and so on that correspond to the first arising of yang qi. When the yao images are activated, the Opening Gate and Closing Gate must also coordinate with each other; the months advance according to the direction pointed to by the Dipper handle, and the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang each have their seasons and do not exceed the limit set for each month. If one calculates according to the examples listed later, one will understand: these principles are connected like beads strung on a thread.

(The Opening Gate corresponds to the Jing Gate; the Closing Gate corresponds to the Du Gate; the position established by the Dipper handle corresponds to the wu position.)

(On the first day after the winter solstice, when yang qi first arises, it corresponds to one liang, one and a half zhu, and one lei.)

(This year has three hundred and sixty days in total; by the end of this month, yang qi totals thirty-two liang. This corresponds to the Initial Nine line, with the image of the “Hidden Dragon.”)

One should wait for the right time before acting; only in this way can one be firm and unwavering. (Minor count: three days.)

Open the Harm Gate (a Qimen technical term, referring to the Harm Gate), corresponding to the Blocked Gate; the Dipper establishment is at the chou position, corresponding to wei. By the end of this month, yang qi has accumulated to six liang and four fen. This corresponds to the Nine in the Second line of the Yijing: “The dragon appears in the field,” symbolizing the manifestation of a ruler’s virtue. (Minor count: six days.)

Open the Open Gate, corresponding to the Life Gate; the Dipper establishment is at yin, corresponding to the central position. By the end of this month, yang qi has accumulated to nine liang and six fen. This corresponds to the Nine in the Second line: “The dragon appears in the field,” symbolizing the manifestation of a ruler’s virtue.

In the third stage, the noble person advances in virtue and guards righteousness. Minor count: nine days.

Open the Rest Gate, corresponding to the Killing Gate; the Dipper establishment is at mao, corresponding to you. By the end of this month, yang qi has accumulated to one hundred and one liang and eight fen. This corresponds to the Nine in the Fourth line: “Perhaps leaping in the abyss,” meaning that one takes action while waiting for the right time. The mercury within the medicine floats up and down and has no fixed form. Minor count: twelve days.

Open the Rest Gate, corresponding to the Killing Gate; the Dipper establishment is at chen, corresponding to xu. By the end of this month, yang qi has accumulated to one hundred and six liang. This corresponds to the Nine in the Fifth line: “The flying dragon is in the sky,” symbolizing the fulfillment of one’s aspiration. The medicine gathers yang qi and becomes heaven. Minor count: fifteen days.

Open the Harm Gate, corresponding to the Blocked Gate; the Dipper establishment is at si, corresponding to hai. By the end of this month, yang qi has accumulated to one hundred and sixty-two liang. This corresponds to the Top Nine line: “The arrogant dragon has cause for regret,” meaning that when flourishing reaches its extreme, there is regret. At this time the firing process for the medicine is vigorous, and strict protection is required; the amount of medicine accumulated on that day must also be counted into the previous month’s total.

Open the Open Gate, corresponding to the Life Gate; the Dipper establishment is at wu, corresponding to zi. On the first day of this month, yin qi begins to increase, adding each day one liang, one and a half zhu, and one lei (all ancient units of weight); yang qi correspondingly decreases. By the end of the month, yin qi has accumulated to thirty-two liang. This corresponds to the Initial Six line: “Treading on frost; solid ice arrives,” meaning that on seeing thin frost, one knows that solid ice is approaching. The essence of the medicine condenses and becomes manifest. Minor count: eighteen days.

Open the Rest Gate, corresponding to the Killing Gate; the Dipper establishment is at wei, corresponding to chou. By the end of this month, yin qi has accumulated to sixty-four liang. This corresponds to the Six in the Second line: “Straight, square, and great,” meaning upright, square, and vast. At this stage the medicine will be refined into white gold, and the radiance of the earthly Dao becomes manifest. Minor count: twenty-one days.

Open the Open Gate, corresponding to the Life Gate; the Dipper establishment is at shen, corresponding to yin. By the end of this month, yin qi has accumulated to ninety-six liang. This corresponds to the Six in the Third line: “Containing brilliance, one can be steadfast,” meaning that one contains inner virtue and can firmly guard the right way, while the light of wisdom becomes vast and bright. The medicine becomes stable and immovable, like a mountain. Minor count: twenty-four days.

Open the Harm Gate, corresponding to the Blocked Gate; the Dipper establishment is at you, corresponding to mao.

The original text contains several places where characters appear to be missing or erroneous, such as “yang qi one hundred and one plus eight liang” and “at the end of that month, yang qi one hundred and six plus two liang”; the above translation follows the extant literal text, and the relevant numbers and individual words and phrases may be inaccurate.

By the end of this month, the Yin Qi begins to increase and accumulates to one hundred twenty-eight liang. At this time the hexagram image is the Six-Four line: “Tying up the sack; no blame.” (Draw the sack tight, guard and store carefully, and there will be no calamity.) When the medicine has been refined to this stage, it is at a time when Pi and Tai are not yet settled; one must still expend care and effort. Before it has manifested form, one must be even more cautious; only then is it auspicious. The minor number is twenty-seven days.

The Opening Gate corresponds to the Life Gate; the Dipper Handle is at Xu, and the earthly branch corresponds to Chen.

By the end of this month, the Yin Qi has increased to one hundred sixty liang. The hexagram image is the Six-Five line: “Yellow lower garment; supreme auspiciousness.” (Wearing a yellow lower garment is greatly auspicious.) At this point the medicine’s patterned brilliance naturally appears; its movement is smooth and has reached the place of utmost flourishing. The minor number is thirty days; after this, the sun and moon also lodge within this stage.

The Opening Gate and Rest Gate correspond to the Killing Gate; the Dipper Handle is at Hai, and the earthly branch corresponds to Si.

At this time the hexagram image is the Top Six line: “Dragons fight in the wild.” (The Yin-Yang dragons battle in the open field.) This indicates that the movement of the Dao has reached its end. The Yin Qi has increased to one hundred ninety-two liang; added to the number of Yang Qi, it makes three hundred eighty-four liang. When the count of days has accumulated from the preceding month to this point, the cycle of the medicine’s generation is thereby completed.

From the starting of the fire on the winter solstice in the Zi month through the Hai month, there are altogether three hundred sixty days, and the total obtained is one hundred sixty-four liang. The Yin-Yang climatic phases undergo two months of bathing within and without (the alchemical stage in which the medicine is rested and harmonized), altogether corresponding to three thousand six hundred years. By means of the minor numbers the great numbers are made plain; at this point the Great Return Elixir (Dahuan Dan), an important elixir method in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy), is refined to completion.

A song says:

The sage has seized the hidden meaning of creation;

with his own hands he places the sun and moon in the furnace.

The medicinal Qi is subtle and wondrous, surpassing the reversal of Heaven and Earth;

when the essences of Yin and Yang gather, spirits and ghosts move accordingly.

Who can recognize the sun’s soul and the moon’s spirit?

One who can recognize them is a true immortal.

Refine, nourish, and ingest it for a thousand days,

and the body will have no Yin Qi—how then could one die?

Another song says:

Nine Returns, Seven Reversions, and Three-Five Returning to One;

Dragon and Tiger follow one another into the Spirit Chamber (the inner place used for alchemy).

Seal the ash pool and refine and nourish between Heaven and Earth;

only then does one know that the efficacy of the Great Return Elixir is complete.

Qian and Kun (Heaven and Earth) are not isolated from and opposed to each other;

the person of aspiration originally understands that the Dao lies between Heaven and Earth.

It is like a ten-month pregnancy, when mother and child separate;

when has the worthy ever needed to circulate the breath again?

This is the method of images and numbers left by the former sages; do not lightly speak it to ordinary people. I fear they will not understand the true principle within it and will instead damage this hidden and subtle method. If one secretly damages the method transmitted by former people, one will diminish blessings and longevity, be inspected and punished by the immortals, have one’s allotted lifespan reduced, and calamity will even extend to the Nine Mysteries and Seven Ancestors (broadly referring to remote ancestors and ancestors of successive generations). Be sure to be cautious.

Another song says:

No need to labor to seek another path to immortality;

the cloud ladder to Biluo (the high and distant heavens spoken of in Daoism) is right before your eyes.

Having once emulated the elixir-making at Dinghu and made the sun and moon endure,

why lament that the Eastern Sea has turned into mulberry fields?

The Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) have not yet sent down the Cangwu Seal (a mysterious seal in the scripture here),

while the Five Emperors, already stirred, have written the Fire Timing Chapter.

These words are spoken especially for the pearl-wearing guests of the Jade Terrace (those qualified for cultivation).

Do not casually transmit the method of the Return Elixir to others.

Kun, Dui, and Qian correspond to the Death Gate, Fear Gate, and Open Gate; Li and Kan to the Scenery Gate and Rest Gate; Xun and Zhen to the Delusion Gate, Injury Gate, and Life Gate.

Verified Record Excerpts on Cultivating the Elixir through the Wondrous Dao of True Origin

Narrated by Caoyi Dongzhenzi (Grass-Clad Master of Cavern Perfection)

The true meaning of the Supreme Dao (the Way) is to refine the mind-nature and cultivate the physical form, taking the pursuit of longevity as the supreme path. “Condensing the nature” means settling the mind, turning inward in contemplation, so that the mind does not waver and arrives at a state of clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action).

Although both are called “condensing the mind,” there are actually two different effects: one is guarding the mind-spirit, and the other is causing the mind to return to emptiness. If one can guard the mind-spirit, body and external circumstances can unite with the Dao, and both form and nature transcend; only this is the true wondrous Dao of high perfection for attaining immortality. If one merely lets the mind return to emptiness, the result will be that the nature transcends while the body sinks. This is only an inferior method of shedding the shell and escaping through corpse-liberation (shijie).

When guarding the mind reaches no-mind, the true Dao naturally manifests; this state is called “a body of empty nothingness and a substance of actual existence.” To attain only the transcendence of the nature while discarding the form has its subtlety, but one has not grasped the essentials of refining the form; therefore it is called “a pure, empty, wholesome, and luminous ghost.” What the Jing (scriptures/classics) call “lower immortals” refers precisely to the method of shedding the shell and departing by corpse-liberation.

Both of these accounts speak to the purpose of attaining the Dao. If one cultivates only the nature and discards the form, although the achievement is quicker, it does not accord with the purpose of the Dao. Cultivators of the highest order value the preservation of life, and therefore consider this method to cause the form to decay, and do not practice it.

If one can condense and guard the mind-spirit so that both form and Qi (vital energy) are cultivated, one may extend life for ten thousand years and be called an “immortal” (xianren). Then, refining the body and transforming it into Qi, after ten thousand years, one is called a Zhenren (True Person). Then refining Qi and transforming it into Shen (spirit), after ten thousand years, one is called a Shenren (Spirit Person). Then refining Shen for three thousand years, one is called a Zhiren (Ultimate Person). Then, after cultivating as a Zhiren for another three thousand years, one becomes a Daoren (Dao Person) and realizes the fruit of high Perfection (Gaozhen). This path belongs to the superior grade of the true Dao. Only after thirty-six thousand years can one fully possess the realm of ultimate perfection.

When ordinary people first begin cultivation, those who succeed are extremely few, and the difficulty is immense. Therefore, the Supreme Mother of the Dharma once expounded the Yuanjing Jing (Scripture of Original Essence) for the Most High Lord of the Dao (Taishang Daojun), in order to save those who cherish life and wish to preserve their lives.

Since ancient times there has been the essential teaching of the Longhu Jing (Scripture of Dragon and Tiger), which discusses the wild, naturally generated huandan (returned elixir) of heaven and earth. According to the upper scripture, after one thousand and eighty years, true gold ore is generated; after another one thousand and eighty years, the true gold ore generates true cinnabar; after another one thousand and eighty years, the true cinnabar generates true quicksilver; and after another one thousand and eighty years, it becomes the returned elixir.

For the true Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases between Heaven and Earth to gather, it takes four thousand three hundred and twenty years before primordial Jing (yuanjing) condenses and forms. It grows among the secluded rocks of famous mountains, and when mature its radiance shines for a thousand li. High-ranking immortal officials (celestial officials of exalted rank) descend to collect it. For ordinary people who cultivate, it is very difficult to obtain this kind of primordial Jing.

Thereupon, the Supreme Primordial Jing Dharma Mother (the honored deity who governs the Dharma-gate of primordial Jing), out of compassion for cultivators, taught them to collect the Qi of emptiness at the proper times, refine it into true gold, then refine true gold into cinnabar, and cinnabar into mercury. By combining and applying these three materials according to the oral instructions, one condenses the Yin-Yang primal Qi of four thousand three hundred and twenty years into twelve months, causing them to resonate and generate; the Huandan (the internal elixir or medicinal elixir produced by refinement) is then complete. Taking it, one can ascend to the supreme great Dao and rise to Heaven in broad daylight.

The immortals and sages who attained the Dao in ancient times also worried that beginners would suffer harm from cold and heat within a year, so they further taught people to use the sacred medicine of the initial stage (the sacred medicine obtained at the beginning of alchemical refinement) to refine ordinary medicines and turn them into numinous medicines; then to make them produce the small Purple River Chariot (a Daoist cultivation term referring to a kind of medicine or product of cultivation) and the Heaven-born Yellow Sprout (an alchemical term for a refined medicine), used to prolong life and retain the Huandan. Taking these medicines can stabilize lifespan, attain long life without aging, and gradually ascend to perfection and become an immortal; only they cannot yet reach the highest efficacy of feathered transformation and ascent to Heaven.

The above is based on secret formulas transmitted orally by the master and on explanations of the essentials of the Zhen Jing (True Scripture). What was not clearly revealed in the past is now briefly clarified: using ordinary principles to verify the sage's Dao, using external things to explain inner cultivation, and making what is harder to understand easier to examine. Thus I have gathered them into illustrated treatises, awaiting those who aspire to nourish life to consult and verify them, and have set out twelve diagrams corresponding to the twelve earthly-branch positions (the directions or times represented by the twelve Earthly Branches), in order to fully explain the way of sagely work and divine illumination.

The Yinfu Jing (Scripture of the Hidden Talisman) says: “The sun and moon move each with a fixed measure; great and small each have their fixed rule. From this sagely work arises, and from this divine illumination appears.” This is exactly what it means. Below I will verify and annotate them item by item.

The First Diagram: Thirty Spokes Share One Hub

The scripture says: “Thirty spokes share one hub.” Heshang Gong explains that in ancient carts thirty spokes were all joined to a single hub. The hub has a hole at its center, so the spokes can converge there; this corresponds to the number of days in a month. What is discussed here is using the small to govern the great and using the few to control the many. The Yinfu Jing's statement that “the sun and moon move each with a fixed measure; great and small each have their fixed rule” refers precisely to this.

The scripture also says: “It is precisely because it is empty that it has the use of a cart.” Zhuangzi also spoke of “the use of the useless.” If there were only one spoke in a cart, the whole cart would likewise be unusable.

Essential Formula of the Sun and Moon: The Thirty-Seven-Character Method

The formula text lists: one yao, three yao, five yao, seven yao, nine yao, eleven yao, thirteen yao, fifteen yao, seventeen yao, twenty yao, twenty-three yao, twenty-five yao, twenty-...

The seventeen yao and thirty yao cycle back and forth, recurring endlessly, together spanning 4,320 years.

Primordial Qi arises from this. The song formula says: “The ages, the sun, and the moon alternate with one another; year after year returns in cycles.” The movement of the Dao is spontaneous and natural. After ten months, the fetus emerges from the womb; when the nine turns (the nine transformations in the alchemical process) are complete, at the Mao hour (Mao corresponds to the Jade Rabbit, that is, the position of the moon; Fire and Wood combine, symbolizing the red Yang Qi of the sun), and then at the You hour (You corresponds to the Golden Rooster, that is, the position of Metal; Metal and Water combine, symbolizing the black Yin Qi of the moon), the talisman method then comes into play. The two intentions of Yin and Yang, one rotating left and one rotating right, face each other.

Observe that the thirty-six thousand Shen-Qi (spirit-Qi) are abundant, and Zhengyuan (the Qi of Zhengyuan; here referring to the primordial Qi of 4,320 years) is within the body. The two are refined together into an elixir, and evil toxins are thereby completely expelled. Taking the elixir, one can ascend to Daluo Heaven (the high heaven in Daoism).

Method of Sun Fire and Moon Fire

The methods of today, as well as the practices of Yuanjun, Yinjun, Gusongzi, Bitongzi, and others in performing talismans to open and release the Three Flowers, are all carried out at the first quarter moon; here “flower” means talisman. The ancient method opens and releases the Three Flowers at the last quarter moon.

The method verse says: “The pitch standards are the positions where Yin and Yang reside.” The yang pitch standards belong to Yang; the yin pitch standards belong to Yin. Qingxiazi says: “When one Yang is born, it is spring and summer; when one Yin is born, it is autumn and winter. Yin Qi ends in Kun; Yang Qi ends in Qian. Zi, Chou, and Yin belong to spring; Mao, Chen, and Si belong to summer; Wu, Wei, and Shen belong to autumn; You, Xu, and Hai belong to winter.”

These diagrams display the mysteries of the sun, moon, and fire mirror (an instrument used for observing or refining the firing times). If one does not understand their symbols and rules, it is very difficult to succeed in refining the Returning Elixir.

The colors marked in the diagram are as follows: from outside inward, the first layer of halo is yellow and the trigram Qi is red; the second layer is white, the third layer is blue-green, the fourth layer is light red, and the fifth layer is white. Both the trigram Qi and the center are red.

Diagram of Gathering the True Lead and Mercury, Second

The annotations in the diagram are: both furnaces are light red, the fire doors are red; the lower part is yellow. The lead is blue-green with a red interior; the mercury below is red. There is light within the blue-green, and in the center is a blue-green elixir; the other parts are used according to the diagram.

What is called “lead” is the spring of Xuanyuan (the hidden, subtle, mysterious, and wondrous source); a spring is the source of water. People only see the spring water flowing out from the stone grotto and surging without cease, but they do not know whence the spring’s source comes. This is like primordial Qi giving birth to the myriad things and bringing them to maturity, yet people cannot see whence primordial Qi actually comes. Therefore, the Dao Jing says: “Subtle and mysterious, profoundly penetrating, so deep as to be unknowable.” Precisely because it cannot be known, one is forced to describe its appearance; this is what is called “the shape of no-shape” (a shape without fixed form).

The heavenly wheel turns to the left; the Five Planets, together with the sun and moon, move to the right. Fire and lead symbolize the sun; the pearl and mercury symbolize the moon.

The moon moves quickly, traveling twelve degrees in one day and night; the sun moves slowly, traveling one degree in one day and night. The moon makes one circuit of Heaven in a month, the sun one circuit in a year. Sun and moon meet twelve times in a year, together forming one year, and from this the ten thousand things grow and are transformed. The key lies in the twelve hexagrams running cyclically without end; when the Qi of the Nine Returns (Jiuhuan) is sufficient and the Shen of lead and mercury is complete, the Golden Elixir (Jindan) is refined. Therefore the scripture says: “The sun and moon in their movement have speed and slowness; the medicine in its nature also has dryness and slowness.” This is exactly what it means.

The song says:

Slow is the sun, fast is the moon; why use many explanations to confuse the distinction? True lead is originally the source Jing-Qi of fire; true mercury is skilled at flying and soaring, and contains red blood-Qi. Once a man’s Jing and a woman’s blood have joined, the blood produces flesh and the Jing produces bones; all depends on a good matchmaker mediating in the center, like a man and woman marrying. Only when the newborn child (an infant; here referring to the refined elixir) is nurtured and brought forth is one made joyful.

The scripture says: “Mercury is the light of Hongyuan (the primal Qi at the beginning of Heaven and Earth), the root source of the ten thousand things.” The source of mercury is the Red Dragon, and the Red Dragon is cinnabar. The cinnabar meant here is not ordinary cinnabar, but cinnabar formed when the essence-fluid flowing from Taixuan (the Great Mystery) was condensed by primal Qi over two thousand one hundred and sixty years; it is called Xuwu Zhen Dan (the True Elixir of Emptiness and Nonbeing).

Sixfold Penetration Diagram, No. 3

“Six” refers to the six periods (liuhou), the six stages within a month; “penetration” means penetrating and connecting these stages. Through it one can understand the movement and concealment of the twelve double-hours (the times and directions corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches) and of dragon and tiger (an alchemical term often referring to Yin-Yang or lead and mercury), as well as the generation and manifestation of the Six Harmonies, the six yang pitch standards, and the six yin pitch standards, and the essentials of the twelve cyclical operations.

Oral Formula for Understanding the Ascent and Descent of the Six Periods of Yin-Yang

On the third day, the Dui trigram (a trigram symbolizing lunar phase changes) shows faint light at the Geng position; on the eighth day, the Zhen and Kun trigrams begin to appear at the first-quarter moon and then temporarily halt; on the fifteenth day, the Qian trigram is full and vigorous, complete and appearing in the field (Dantian); on the sixteenth day, the Xun and Sun (Decrease) hexagrams enter the Xin position; on the twenty-third day, the Gen trigram is above and the Li trigram appears at the Bing position, and the moon phase turns to the last quarter; on the thirtieth day, the Kun trigram follows the momentum and sinks into the Kan position. Here “Ge” means separation and alternation.

On these days, if the sun’s Hun-soul and the moon’s Po-soul (symbolizing the Yin and Yang essences of the sun and moon respectively) can join, then Jing and Qi will transform and generate the ten thousand things: in Heaven they generate the myriad images, on Earth the myriad beings, within the human body the myriad Shen, and in medicines the myriad spirits. This requires the power of the “Three Flowers” (Sanhua; in cultivation, a term for Jing, Qi, Shen, and the like) and the joint operation of the “Four Masters” (Sizi; the four key factors in alchemy). If you wish to understand the Way of Huang-Lao (the Dao of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi revered by Daoists), the mystery lies in the central courtyard (the central region within the body). These words have all been spoken; have those who study the Dao actually awakened or not?

Yin-Yang Mutual Reflection Diagram, No. 4

The outer layer is green-blue; the center is yellow.

The sun and moon intersect, lead and mercury combine; therefore the scripture says: “Harmonize their light and blend it with the dust of the world—this is called Xuantong (Profound Sameness, union with the Dao).” It also says: “Return again to brightness.” This is what it means.

Methods of Pairing That Are the Same in Ancient and Modern Times but Slightly Differ

Lord Cui caused the Tianzhen star (possibly Saturn) to call the Chen star (Mercury) and made them conjoin; Qian and Kun (the two trigrams symbolizing Yin and Yang) establish the two strings (the two stages of Yin-Yang alternation), and from this are produced and nurtured…

The final sentence is incomplete in the text as given.

The method used in “Wanwu Sanxingzi” (“The Three Surnames of the Myriad Things”) is the same as that of Master Cui, and the Yuanjun also possesses this method.

Practitioners carrying out this method should cause the qi of Heaven and Earth to converge on that very day. This is the root for establishing the Dao; what is called the “root” is the Dantian (energy center, the place in the body where Jing and Qi are cultivated). The scripture says: “When the root is established, the Dao arises from it.” This is what it means.

The immortal lords cause Yinghuo (Mars) to resonate with Chenxing (Mercury); each completes seventy circuits, totaling three xun (ten days each), and only then do the primal qi begin to converge, reaching Great Harmony. The entire process cannot be separated from Chenxing; Chenxing is the primary star for the convergence of primal qi.

Kneading Clay Diagram, No. 5

“Shan” means to knead or blend; “zhi” means clay. The scripture says: “Knead clay to make a vessel; the usefulness of the vessel lies in its empty space.” The “blending of earth” spoken of here is the material used to make the inner and outer parts of the vessel. The inner vessel is the ding-vessel (the container used in alchemy); it is not an ordinary cauldron for daily use but a vessel that receives spirit mercury (shen gong, an alchemical term for the wondrous spiritual substance in the refining process).

Thus the Yin Fu Jing says: “Within it there are wondrous vessels, from which the myriad phenomena arise; within the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) and the jiazi cycle are hidden subtle mechanisms and the transformations of spirits and ghosts.” Here “ghost” refers to Gui Qi (the qi corresponding to the heavenly stem Gui). The phrase “useless” means that this is a vessel not employed for ordinary purposes.

Retaining Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) within the ding-vessel nurtures the three hun-souls. The hun is compared to the dragon; the dragon symbolizes the spiritual light transformed from the Jing of Wood. The Yuanjing Jing records that the Most High Lord of the Dao said: “The primordial Jing of the sun is the numinous qi of the due-left position, concordant with the Dao. Consuming it makes the body light and vigorous and gives long life.” The scripture also says: “Fire can make things firm and enduring and stabilize primal qi. One who consumes primordial Jing will have a constitution that remains firm and enduring, and whose Shen (spirit) combines with primal harmony, thereby penetrating the wondrous.” What is called “primordial” is the essence of pure true fire.

Furnace Enclosure Diagram, No. 6

“Furnace enclosure” is the outer clay vessel, like a city wall for people, used to settle ruler and people. Therefore Yin-Yang and the myriad spirits all rely on the furnace enclosure to meet and respond; from this sagely merit is established and the returned elixir is refined, and the Dao of the Three Ultimates (the principles pervading Heaven, Earth, and other levels) is complete.

The ding is white, the furnace red, and the platform green; the sun, moon, and stars each have their order, and their use should be appropriate.

The Northern Dipper moves with the celestial wheel, completing one circuit in a day and night and passing through the eight directions. The ding turns the eight gates and revolves together with the twelve spirits, generating and transforming the myriad spirits. The two essences of Yin and Yang interact; the Four Images generate one another; the Five Phases overcome and transform one another; and the myriad things are thereby produced. When the dragon-tiger returned elixir is refined, the myriad spirits are thereby complete.

Jing and Qi retained in the ding-vessel nurture the seven po-souls. The po is compared to the tiger; the tiger symbolizes the spiritual qi transformed from the Jing of Metal and the liquid of Metal. The Xuannü records that the Mysterious Woman said to the Great One, Lord Emperor: “The liquid of Metal and the water of Metal flow into the five viscera, making the four limbs firm and supple, nourishing the hundred spirits, moistening the six fu-viscera, transforming hair and bones, and causing the body to endure long. This power is exceedingly wondrous.”

Spirit Chamber Diagram, No. 7

The Great Nine Turns (text continues below).

Chapter One: Purple Dawn (Zichen) Chamber

(The original interlinear note, “yellow, red, and green,” may be a color marker.)

The scripture says: “Cut out doors and windows to make a room; the room’s usefulness lies precisely in its empty space.” When one takes the upper-grade nine-cycle elixir (an elixir refined through nine cycles), the elixir Qi resides in the Upper Three Heavens; when one takes the middle-grade nine-cycle elixir, the elixir Qi resides in the Middle Three Heavens; when one takes the lower-grade nine-cycle elixir, the elixir Qi resides in the Lower Three Heavens. This is because Dao Qi and Shen resonate with each other, and the effect is naturally so. The middle nine cycles…

Chapter Two: Purple Cloud (Zixia) Chamber

(The original interlinear note, “red, yellow, and green together with the character sheng,” may be a color and text marker.)

The so-called “chamber” is not an ordinary house but the divine chambers of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing). The scripture says that the Three Pure Ones are the three palace chambers of Taiqing, Shangqing, and Yuqing—namely, Ziwei Palace, Zixia Palace, and Zichen Palace. These three palaces correspond to the upper, middle, and lower Dantian (the sites in the human body where Jing, Qi, and Shen are cultivated internally), and they also correspond to the upper, middle, and lower three grades.

The three grades refer to the three elixir methods of small return, middle return, and great return; the three elixirs are established in the three palaces, each palace has three Shen, and three threes combine to form the Nine Palaces. Within the Nine Palaces, the number of three nines is further generated, forming the chamber of the great nine cycles, the field of the small nine cycles, and the palace of the middle nine cycles. This is the door and windows where the divine Dao dwells and where Zhenren (Perfected) enter, leave, roam, and reside. Everywhere there are great deities who govern the Bagua to guard and support it, making it a realm that upholds the sagely Dao, restrains evil, and promotes good deeds.

The Lower Nine Cycles

Chapter Three: Qingzhen Chamber (also called the Ziwei Chamber)

(The original interlinear note, “blue-green, white within,” may be a color marker.)

The Neijing Jing says: “Within the jade chamber, the eight su are mixed together.” Here su means root, and eight refers to river-like flows; chamber refers to the Qingzhen Chamber. Qiongxia, Chenwei, and the Qingzhen Chamber differ in name but are in reality one body. Those who understand the principle within will cultivate life; those who cultivate life will ultimately become Zhenren. The so-called “mixed” refers to the spectacle formed by the convergence of the Qi of the Nine Heavens.

The Eighth Section of the Diagram of the Seventy-Two Pentads in the Zhouyi

“Zhou” has the meaning of three cycles; three threes combine to make nine; nine cycles are the nine returns. The essential point refers to three cycles: the daily cycle, the monthly cycle, and the yearly cycle. From this arise the seventy-two pentads, the four seasons, the eight nodes, and the twenty-four Qi. Within the twenty-four Qi, each month is divided into two Qi; when the Qi numbers of the twelve months have run their full course, they can nurture lead and mercury (an alchemical term for symbolic substances used in elixir making) and accomplish the work of the returning elixir.

Cinnabar Writing of the Seven Stars

Formula on the Degrees of the Seventy-Two Pentads of the Zhouyi

The he-bird does not call: Weiji hexagram, Dipper mansion, fifth degree. Tigers begin to mate: Jian hexagram, Water over Mountain, Dipper mansion, fifth degree. Liting grass sprouts: Yi hexagram, Mountain over Thunder, Dipper mansion, sixth degree. Earthworms curl up: Zhongfu hexagram, Dipper mansion, fifth degree.

The milu deer begins to shed its old antlers, corresponding to the Mountain Fire Bi hexagram, with the sun and moon at 3 degrees of the Dipper mansion. Springs begin to surge, corresponding to Earth Thunder Fu. Wild geese begin flying north, corresponding to Water Thunder Zhun, at 3 degrees of the Ox mansion. Magpies begin building nests, corresponding to Earth Mountain Qian, at 4 degrees of the Ox mansion. Pheasants begin calling, corresponding to Fire Lake Kui, at 11.5 degrees of the Girl mansion. Hens begin incubating eggs, corresponding to Earth Wind Sheng, at 7 degrees of the Emptiness mansion. Birds of prey become fierce and swift, corresponding to Earth Lake Lin, at 3 degrees 25.5 minutes of the Emptiness mansion. Ice on waters and marshes freezes solid, corresponding to Earth Lake Lin. The east wind blows and the ice begins to thaw, corresponding to Thunder Mountain Xiao Guo, at 6 degrees of the Rooftop mansion. Hibernating insects begin to stir, corresponding to Mountain Water Meng, at 4 degrees of the Rooftop mansion.

Fish begin to rise to the ice surface, corresponding to Wind Thunder Yi, at 8 degrees of the Rooftop mansion. Otters begin catching fish and lay them out, corresponding to Wind Mountain Jian, at 12 degrees of the Encampment mansion. Wild geese arrive, corresponding to Earth Heaven Tai, at 5 degrees of the Encampment mansion. Vegetation begins to sprout and grow, corresponding to Earth Heaven Tai. Peach blossoms begin to open, corresponding to Water Heaven Xu, at 5 degrees of the Wall mansion. Orioles begin singing, corresponding to Lake Thunder Sui, at 5 degrees of the Wall mansion. Hawks transform into doves, corresponding to Fire Earth Jin, at 9 degrees of the Legs mansion. Swallows arrive, corresponding to Thunder Water Xie, at 8.5 degrees of the Legs mansion. Thunder begins to sound, corresponding to Thunder Heaven Da Zhuang, at 2 degrees of the Bond mansion. Lightning first appears, corresponding to Thunder Heaven Da Zhuang. Paulownia begins to flower, corresponding to Thunder Earth Yu, at 11 degrees of the Bond mansion. Field mice transform into quails, corresponding to Heaven Water Song, at 5 degrees of the Stomach mansion.

Rainbows begin to appear, corresponding to Mountain Wind Gu, at 9.5 degrees of the Stomach mansion. Duckweed begins to grow, corresponding to Lake Fire Ge, at 2 degrees of the Hairy Head mansion. Doves begin beating their wings, corresponding to Lake Heaven Guai, at 9 degrees of the Hairy Head mansion. Hoopoes alight on mulberry trees, corresponding to Lake Heaven Guai. Mole crickets and frogs begin calling, corresponding to Fire Mountain Lü, at 11 degrees of the Net mansion. Earthworms emerge from the ground, corresponding to Earth Water Shi, at 5 degrees of the Net mansion. The wang melon begins to grow, corresponding to Water Earth Bi, at 1 degree of the Turtle Beak mansion. Bitter herbs bloom, corresponding to Wind Heaven Xiao Chu, at 6 degrees of the Three Stars mansion. Tender grasses wither, corresponding to the Qian hexagram, at 3 degrees of the Three Stars mansion. Minor Heat arrives, corresponding to the Qian hexagram. Mantises begin to hatch, corresponding to Fire Heaven Da You, at 8 degrees of the Well mansion.

Some bird begins to call, corresponding to Wind Fire Jia Ren, at 10 degrees of the Well mansion. The mockingbird stops calling, corresponding to Water Wind Jing, at 2 degrees of the Well mansion. Deer antlers begin to shed, corresponding to Lake Mountain Xian, at 10 degrees of the Well mansion. Cicadas begin to call, corresponding to Fire Wind Ding, at 3 degrees of the Ghost mansion. Pinellia begins to grow, corresponding to Heaven Wind Gou. A warm wind blows, corresponding to the Xun hexagram.

These sentences are arranged by seasonal order; they record changes in plants, birds, beasts, and weather around each solar term, and pair these phenological phenomena with the images of the Yijing hexagrams and the degrees of the twenty-eight lunar mansions. Here “mansion” and “degree” are names and graduations used in ancient astronomy to mark the positions of the sun and moon.

Crickets dwell in walls, corresponding to the Thunder Fire Feng hexagram (Abundance), one of the sixty-four hexagrams, at the seventh degree of the Liu lunar mansion (an ancient lunar-mansion degree). Eagles begin to hunt, corresponding to the Wind Water Huan hexagram (Dispersion), at the seventh degree of the Liu lunar mansion. Decaying grass gives rise to fireflies, corresponding to the Heaven Lake Lü hexagram (Treading), at the third degree of the Xing lunar mansion. The soil is moist and the summer heat is heavy, corresponding to the Heaven Mountain Dun hexagram (Retreat), at the fourth degree of the Xing lunar mansion. Heavy rain arrives on time, corresponding to the Heaven Mountain Dun hexagram. Cool winds arrive, corresponding to the Thunder Wind Heng hexagram (Duration), at the tenth degree of the Zhang lunar mansion. White dew descends, corresponding to the Water Lake Jie hexagram (Limitation), at the ninth degree of the Zhang lunar mansion. Cold cicadas sing, corresponding to the Heaven Fire Tongren hexagram (Fellowship with People), at the eighth degree of the Yi lunar mansion. Eagles display their captured prey, corresponding to the Mountain Lake Sun hexagram (Decrease), at the seventh degree of the Yi lunar mansion. A killing atmosphere begins between heaven and earth, corresponding to the Heaven Earth Pi hexagram (Stagnation), at the fourth degree of the Yi lunar mansion. Grain ripens and is harvested, corresponding to the Heaven Earth Pi hexagram. Wild geese fly in, corresponding to the Xun hexagram (Wind), at the fourth degree of the Zhen lunar mansion. Swallows depart, corresponding to the Lake Earth Cui hexagram (Gathering), at the tenth degree of the Zhen lunar mansion. Flocks of birds store food, corresponding to the Wind Heaven Daxu hexagram (Great Accumulation), at fifteen and a half degrees of the Zhen lunar mansion.

Thunder withdraws and is no longer heard, corresponding to the Mountain Fire Bi hexagram (Adornment), at the fifth degree of the Jiao lunar mansion. Hibernating insects seal their burrows, corresponding to the Wind Earth Guan hexagram (Contemplation), at the eighth degree of the Jiao lunar mansion. Water begins to dry up, corresponding to the Wind Earth Guan hexagram. Wild geese arrive as guests, corresponding to the Thunder Lake Guimei hexagram (Marrying Maiden), at the ninth degree of the Kang lunar mansion. Sparrows fly into the great water and transform into clams, corresponding to the Heaven Thunder Wuwang hexagram (Innocence), at the seventh degree of the Di lunar mansion. Chrysanthemums bloom with yellow flowers, corresponding to the Earth Fire Mingyi hexagram (Darkening of the Light), at the ninth degree of the Di lunar mansion. Jackals display their captured prey, corresponding to the Lake Water Kun hexagram (Oppression), at the fifth degree of the Fang lunar mansion. The leaves of plants and trees turn yellow and fall, corresponding to the Mountain Earth Bo hexagram (Splitting Apart), at the fifth degree of the Xin lunar mansion. Hibernating insects all lie prostrate and motionless, corresponding to the Mountain Earth Bo hexagram. Water begins to freeze, corresponding to the Gen hexagram (Mountain), at the second degree of the Wei lunar mansion. The ground begins to freeze, corresponding to the Water Fire Jiji hexagram (After Completion), at the eighth degree of the Wei lunar mansion.

Pheasants enter the water and transform into large clams, corresponding to the Fire Thunder Shike hexagram (Biting Through), at the seventh degree of the Wei lunar mansion. Rainbows hide and no longer appear, corresponding to the Lake Wind Daguo hexagram (Great Excess), at the fourth degree of the Ji lunar mansion. The qi of heaven rises upward and the qi of earth sinks downward, corresponding to the Kun hexagram (Earth), at the sixth degree of the Ji lunar mansion. Heaven and earth are blocked off, and winter is thus formed, corresponding to the Kun hexagram.

Chapter Nine: Diagram of the Embryo and Placenta Attesting to Primordial Unity

The proof of the formation of a human being in the womb; the proof of the formation of spirit in the medicine. Both appear golden.

What is called “bao” is the yao line; what is called the yao line means one yang line hidden beneath five yin lines, like a hidden dragon first emerging. This is the initial hexagram image of the Jianzi month (in ancient times the Zi month was one of the starting months of the year, roughly the eleventh lunar month). As for “one produces two,” the second is Chou and the first is Zi; at the transition between Zi and Chou, it is the Lin hexagram (Approach). In the month of Yin, three yang lines form the embryo image; the “embryo” is the Tai hexagram (Peace). When the two qi of Yin-Yang combine, and harmonious qi is added, this makes three; therefore it is said, “One produces two, two produces three.”

All things are born from “three.” “Three” refers to the Qi (vital energy) that sprouts all things during the three double-hours of Zi, Chou, and Yin. Therefore, “fetus” (tai) carries the sense of settling and taking form: in primordial chaos, it refers to the generation between Heaven and Earth; in the human body, to Jing (essence), blood, and Qi; and in refining medicine, to water, fire, and earth. The rat transforms into the ox, and the ox into the tiger; these three transformations symbolize the subtle and difficult-to-see process of generation. The Taiyi Jing (Classic of Great Unity) says that all things arise from chaos.

The Images of the Chicken Egg, Quartz, and Contained Light (Tenth Diagram)

In the human body, these metaphors correspond to the coagulation of Jing and blood into form; in refining medicine, they correspond to lead and mercury being refined into an elixir. (The forms and colors mentioned here all relate to white.)

The chicken symbolizes metal, and the chicken egg symbolizes water; metal and water are in turn used as metaphors for lead and mercury. This is the kind of Yin-Yang pairing expressed in the Yinfu as “middle son and young woman.” Stone is hard by nature and is used to metaphorize mercury stopping and not flowing; “stopping” corresponds to the Gen trigram. Here remnant metal and declining wood are also used to metaphorize the state of containing hidden radiance.

“Ying” refers to summer heat, and also to the image of mysterious ying (xuanying), in which a pure and clean single entity contains the radiance of the five colors. The scripture uses everyday things to explain this “ying”: quartz is produced in the Min Mountains of Shu and in Mount Hua—that is, white quartz—and it shines when exposed to sunlight.

The Images of Jinyu and the Divine Treasure (Eleventh Diagram)

Jinyu is a five-colored fine jade, said to be produced at Mount Mi by the Western Sea. Here it is compared to the thing capable of producing the reverted elixir (huandan), and is used to explain lead that is originally pure in color. The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) says that Jinyu is fine jade; the Yellow Emperor ate and enjoyed this jade, and Xuanyuan also became an immortal by consuming it. Another classic says that the manifestation of the five colors shows that precious jade has symbolic radiance.

The Yuzi Lingfu says that jade has colors red like a rooster’s comb, yellow like a steamed chestnut, white like congealed fat, green like the fine jade of Qin, and black like a dot of lacquer. The scripture uses jade’s five colors and qualities to metaphorize the Five Phases (Wuxing) contained in huandan, namely metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Therefore Jinyu is used as a symbol of the “divine treasure”; here the divine treasure refers to lead and mercury.

A Discourse on the Merits of the Five Phases in the Reverted Elixir (Twelfth Diagram)

“Return” means restoring the original nature; “dan” is the name for red. “Five” includes the five planets, the Five Emperors, the five viscera, the five natures, the Five Classics, the five flavors, the five metals, the five Qi, the five directions, the five colors, and the Five Sacred Peaks. “Five Phases” refers to the movement and circulation of the five elements; “merit” refers to the methods of comprehending and applying them. The detailed discussion follows.

(The diagram lists the correspondences between blue-green and yellow and the five viscera; the rest can be inferred by the five directions, selecting suitable correspondences.)

The West corresponds to Geng and Xin and metal; its color is white; among the five tones it belongs to Shang; its trigram is Dui; its sacred animal is the White Tiger; its season is autumn. Among the five metals it governs silver; among the five flavors it governs the pungent; its odor is rank; and its corresponding star is Taibai (Venus).

The lungs belong to the West, represent Metal, govern the color white, correspond to the shang tone among the five tones and to the Dui trigram among the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), have the White Tiger as guardian deity, and preside over autumn. Metal among the Five Phases corresponds to lead; among the five flavors it is pungent, with a raw, gamey odor, and it symbolizes stars and mountains. The lungs are one of the five viscera and govern the virtue of righteousness; the corresponding five classics take four as the initiating number and nine as the completing number. Taking White Primordial Jing (essence) can supplement and benefit the lungs. The scripture says that the lungs are the Yutang Shangshu Palace. Cultivating White Primordial Jing can refine the seven po (corporeal souls), increase speech and strength, and make one’s disposition upright and penetrating; external evils and pathogenic qi cannot harm or obstruct the cultivator, and the Metal lodge cannot spy on him. This is due to the benefits brought by the essence and qi of Metal, the divine emperor, and the spiritual primordial.

The East belongs to the jia and yi stems and Wood, its color is green, it corresponds to the jue tone among the five tones and the Zhen trigram among the Bagua, its guardian deity is the Azure Dragon, and it presides over spring. Wood among the Five Phases corresponds to gold; among the five flavors it is sour, with a gamey odor, and it symbolizes stars and Mount Tai. The liver and gallbladder are associated with the five viscera and govern the virtue of benevolence; the corresponding five classics take three as the initiating number and eight as the completing number. Taking Green Primordial Jing can supplement and benefit the eyes and the liver and gallbladder within the body. The scripture says that the liver is the Qingling Palace and Lantai Prefecture, and the gallbladder is the Ziwei Palace and Wuji Prefecture. Green Primordial Jing can nourish the three hun (ethereal souls), brighten the eyes, enable one to see farther, and also increase benevolence and virtue. Wood qi will not invade the cultivator, pathogenic qi cannot harm him; the hidden dragon and the Wood luminary also cannot spy on him. This is due to the benefits brought by the essence and qi of Wood, the divine emperor, and the spiritual primordial.

The North belongs to the ren and gui stems and Water, its color is black, it corresponds to the yu tone among the five tones and the Kan trigram among the Bagua, its guardian deity is the Black Tortoise, and it presides over winter. Water among the Five Phases corresponds to iron; among the five flavors it is salty, with a decayed odor, and it symbolizes the hidden stars and Mount Chang. The kidneys are one of the five viscera, open outward to the ears, and govern wisdom; the corresponding Yi (Changes) takes one as the initiating number and six as the completing number. Taking Black Primordial Jing can supplement and benefit the ears and increase wisdom. The scripture says that the kidneys are the Chugu Palace and Taihe Prefecture. Cultivating Black Primordial Jing can stabilize and nourish the bone marrow and blood-qi, make hearing acute, and cause one’s mind-nature to be wise and gentle; it can also refine and nourish the skin and hair. Yin evils will fear the cultivator, water cannot cause him to drift away or drown; he can penetrate Taiyin and move in and out invisibly, does not wander among doors and gates, casts no shadow in moonlight, and the Water luminary cannot see him. This is due to the protective benefits of water-jade, lead essence, and the spiritual primordial of the Purple Tenuity Emperor Lord (Ziwei Dijun).

The South belongs to the bing and ding stems and Fire, its color is red, it corresponds to the zhi tone among the five tones and the Li trigram among the Bagua, its guardian deity is the Vermilion Bird, and it presides over summer. Fire among the Five Phases corresponds to copper; among the five flavors it is bitter, with a scorched odor, and it symbolizes the star Yinghuo and Mount Heng. The heart is one of the five viscera, opens outward to the eyes, and governs the virtue of propriety; the corresponding Li (Rites) takes two as the initiating number and seven as the completing number. Taking Red Primordial Jing can supplement and benefit the heart-shen (spirit), strengthen yang qi, stabilize the muscles and bones, and resolve yin stagnation. The scripture says that the heart is the Jiang Palace and Yuanyang Prefecture; cultivating Red Primordial Jing can nourish the heart palace inwardly and the eyes outwardly, making a person dignified and upright, with a disposition that keeps to propriety and conduct that accords with the right Way, leaving no trace that can be followed, and making the body light so that one leaps into realms abundant in yang qi.

Fire cannot burn him, nor can yang poison (the harm of yang fire-qi) make his body hot. He communicates with the primordial Qi (vital energy) of the sun; when he manifests transformations, he is like sunlight. Among his kind he casts no shadow, and the Fire Luminary (Mars) cannot perceive him. This is because he relies on the aid of the spiritual source of Yandi (the Flame Emperor).

The center belongs to the Wu and Ji Earth; its color is yellow; among the five tones it is Gong; its trigram is Kun; its deity is Houtu; it governs the four seasons. In the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), Earth generates Metal; among the five flavors it is sweet; its odor is fragrant. Its emblem is Hanxing, and it guards Mount Song among the mountains. Among the five viscera it corresponds to the spleen and opens into the nose; in temperament it governs sincerity; among the Five Classics it corresponds to Music (Yue); its beginning number is five and its completion number ten. Yellow Primordial Jing (Huang Yuanjing; the essence-qi corresponding to the Qi of central Earth) can replenish the middle burner, the Yellow Palace, and the Taishu Mansion. When the spleen Shen (spirit) is nourished, the will and Qi are strengthened, and the temperament becomes more sincere. It can refine and nourish the Five Forms, harmonize the Nine Qi, increase divine wisdom, subdue all kinds of malevolent evils, and bring people close to the Five Elders. Earth and mountains cannot bury or seal it away, nor can the Earth Luminary (Saturn) spy upon it from the side. This is because he relies on the might of the Sovereign Lords of the Five Stars and receives the aid of the spiritual source.

The so-called Huandan (Returning Elixir, the elixir obtained through alchemy and symbolizing a return to the root and source) can cause one to return to the ultimate, two to return to emptiness, three to harmony, four to renown, five to revolution, six to penetration, seven to attainment, eight to governance, nine to spirit, and ten to complete perfection. This is the supreme true Dao (the Way); how could its principle fail to be clear and evident? Even ordinary people of outstanding talent and appearance cannot succeed in learning it by this alone; but if they encounter the Great Elixir, they can manifest transformations and have everything according to their will. Therefore the scripture says: “Nothing is absolutely feasible or absolutely infeasible; all things are possible.”

According to the “Diagram of the Great Change” (Taiyi Zhi Tu) in the Cantong qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three), “One” symbolizes the beginning of all things; this diagram contains many symbols and wondrous meanings, and only thus can one penetrate the numinous and marvelous realm. The Ancient Scripture, the Instructions of Yuanjun, and the transformation diagrams of Caoyizi and Bitongzi are all names for methods of refining the elixir. This elixir is also called the “Ruyi Pearl” (Pearl of As-You-Will): when the Heavenly Emperor obtained it, it was called the “Crimson Palace Pearl”; when the celestial dragons obtained it, it was called the “Crown Pearl.” Cast into a sword, it can subdue all evil influences and malevolent forces; made into a longevity staff, it allows the transformations of life and death to be held at will. One need only rub a single grain on an ordinary copper or iron mirror, and the mirror can identify all kinds of spectral beings and wangliang demons. Ancient treasured objects are likewise so; the treasured mirror of Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor) in former times is said to have been made from this elixir. Yuanjun, using only a single grain to write talismans and perform rituals, could achieve shijie (liberation by corpse, the Daoist ascension said to occur by abandoning the mortal body) and could also summon the spirit deities of the Five Peaks; the spirits would arrive immediately and be at her command.

Yuanyangzi says: “When Qian Qi is activated, the Huandan is refined to completion. Withered trees thereby flourish again; when people ingest it, they attain long life and ride the clouds roaming the Purple Mansion (the celestial palace where immortals dwell).”

The ancient former perfected ones said: “Earth, stone, and the five metals can all be transformed into treasures; withered bones can be restored, and decayed flesh can revive.”

Gusongzi says: “By taking it, however long the sun and moon continue to run, one’s lifespan can still be extended; even if the great sea dries up, one’s Shen will instead become more robust.”

Master Zhenbai says: “By taking it, one can ascend to above Taiqing (the highest heavenly realm in Daoism) and roam freely and unfettered…”

In the creation and transformation of heaven and earth, people see seawater turn into hills, and all things change like gathered foam. This is not the work of heaven and earth itself; it is truly the power of Huandan (the reverted elixir cultivated in Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) and Waidan (external alchemy)).

Ge Hong said: “I have studied the Dao for more than thirty years and have read tens of thousands of scrolls of scriptures and oral instructions. Since high antiquity, among those Zhenren (Perfected) who attained the Dao and the eminent adepts who ascended as immortals, there was no one who did not regard Huandan and Jinye (the golden liquid, a Daoist immortal medicine) as the essential secret of cultivation.”

The Yuanjun Jinye Jue says: “After taking one pill the size of an acorn, the body will turn golden.” Therefore the Huangting Jing (Scripture of the Yellow Court) says: “The Five Phases are uneven and interwoven, yet they are linked by the same root.” It also says: “Three and five combine; Qi is originally one.” The Song of the Eight Immortals says: “A single thing contains five colors and forever becomes the immortal’s blessing and prosperity.”

The Sanjing Jue says: “If the supreme elixir cannot gather Qi into one, it is no different from rubble.” Why is this said? Because the five viscera of a person conceal the Yuanshen (original spirit), and are the root that sustains life and supports the body. If all five viscera can transform into Zhenqi (true Qi), the Qi of the organs will be harmonious, and life and body will flourish; by refining the form and preserving Jing (essence), the Yuanqi (primordial Qi) will be sufficient, the body firm, the muscles and skin strong, and the Shen (spirit) will gather and manifest. The spiritual nature and the body rely on each other, and one will no longer fall into sinking and delusion.

If the Five Qi are not harmonious, they will restrain and injure one another: the spiritual nature departs while the bodily form decays. Once the spiritual nature has returned to emptiness, the body too will sink and rot. In this way, the Qi of strong and weak scatter, the body is depleted and injured, Yin-Yang Qi cannot join and harmonize, and ultimately one cannot live long. For example, if only one vessel in an ordinary person’s body is disordered, the other vessels will also become chaotic and produce illness—how much more so when one of the spiritual sources of the Five Phases is missing?

The four yellows, eight stones, five metals, and the like are indeed essences of heaven and earth; but because their Five Qi are incomplete, their Yin-Yang is lopsided and withered, their substance is stubborn and stagnant, they cannot harmonize the Five Phases, and they have no fixed nature. Therefore they cannot become the supreme elixir. They may serve as medicines for ordinary illness, but they cannot be used to attain deathlessness and ascend as an immortal. If one wishes for longevity, one must take medicines such as five-colored lead and mercury, cinnabar, and Huangya (yellow sprout); these medicines contain the five colors, five flavors, and Five Phases. They are what is made manifest from within and, though seemingly formless, truly exists.

The Daoist scriptures say: “Look at it, and it cannot be seen; listen for it, and it cannot be heard; use it, and it is inexhaustible.” Master Wei said: “The continuous and unbroken is called Huangya; the endlessly transforming is called cinnabar.”

It also says: “Take it, and for a lifetime you will not die; transform lead and mercury, and make the root remain.” Qingxiazi also said: “Mercury is the essence of cinnabar; the sprout is the root and base of lead. Once you understand their lineage and root, you will not err in using them.”

The ancient scripture also says: “The Golden Elixir can make the physical form endure and keep the spirit whole; all other methods are, in the end, merely futile toil. If one has not encountered a master’s transmission, it is difficult to know how to begin cultivation. Therefore, if taking mineral drugs harms one’s nature and life, what use is regret afterward? Gentlemen who study the Dao, I hope you will carefully discern the principles involved. These are true testimonies, without the slightest falsehood.”