《雲笈七籤》Vol. 88

Xianji Zhijue · Daosheng Zhi (The “Daosheng Zhi” Chapter in Xianji Zhijue)

On the Western Mountain west of Zhongling Commandery stood the Hongya Altar. Beside the altar lived a cultivator named Master Yang, whose sobriquet was Qizhenzi. Knowing that I had some understanding of the principles, he came to visit and asked me to expound the essential meaning of “Daosheng” (the Dao giving birth).

I said, “Have you not heard the Xisheng Jing (Classic of Western Ascension), a Daoist classic, say: ‘People know only Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things, but they do not know whence life arises’? The book also says: ‘Heaven and Earth and I share one Qi; each moves and governs in its own way. I guard the root and do not imitate the multitude.’ From this we know that if a cultivator does not know the origin of life and the root of the Dao, he will be at a loss and unable to fathom the source of the Dao. To seek long life, one must first cultivate the root of life. Can you understand this?”

Master Yang said, “I have not yet grasped it.”

I told him, “If you wish to understand, quickly prepare the words of oath and take the precepts and make your vow.” Master Yang bowed twice and wrote the oath:

“My endowments are shallow; my conduct and talents are obscure and unmanifest. I have taken meat and blood as flavor and beautiful forms as pleasure. My transgressions are already deep, and my Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy) have grown ever more turbid. How can the three hun-souls (the three souls in the human body according to Daoism) be at peace? The Five Thieves (the five factors that deplete body and mind and disrupt cultivation) contend within me. I have sunk into a daze, indulging my heart and pursuing extreme pleasure; in an instant I mourn what is lost, grieve excessively, shake the root of life, and leave my primordial Qi deficient and weak, drawing gradually near death. How is this different from lying stiff and withered? When death comes, how hard it will be!

“My body is worn thin and my bones stand out, as if eroded by salt and plum and tormented by cold and heat. Since this is not a body of metal or stone, I cannot escape graying temples, old age, and illness. When such great affliction falls upon this tiny body, how can I be safe? I am truly like the deaf and blind—how could I know the mysterious and profound principles? Step by step I move toward death, yet I am completely unaware.

“In the world there may indeed be those who attain the Dao and cultivate profound realms, whose arts can enter the gourd (a reference to the unfathomable states of immortal arts); they wear rainbow-like clothes and feathered robes, and a single excursion can shorten the distances of the earth; their regalia include pearl banners and jade standards, and with one movement they can ascend the Heavenly Gate. They can refine rubble into the Golden Elixir and alter their appearance through Jade Liquid. Creation can be held in one’s own hands, and cultivation lies entirely within the heart: even a fish in a dry place can obtain water again; even withered bones can regrow flesh and blood.

“I am a lowly junior; my life is like that of an ant, my body like a speck of dust. Benighted and ignorant, I see myself on the verge of ruin. Now suddenly it is as if a spirit has chiseled open the apertures of my heart, and Heaven’s will has enlightened my mind, allowing me to have the affinity to penetrate the mysterious junctures, resolve to seek the essential instructions of the Dao, and admire…”

True immortals, when seeking the Dao (the Way), are always as urgent as one parched with thirst or hunger; they regard the superficial, turbulent human world lightly and feel that worldly affairs stretch on endlessly, like smoke and dust blurring the eyes. They wish to obtain the quality of Xiyi (the Dao’s subtle and formless nature) and to nurture it for long within the Tuoyue (the bellows-like space between heaven and earth, or within body and mind, where transformation and generation occur), casting off worldly cunning and deeply inquiring into the true, plain principle. Amid the indistinct and formless, they seek the formless Dao; when the myriad things first sprout, they see its signs.

At this stage, all phenomena seem to sway in emptiness, yet the sincerity within is not shaken in the least. So they devoutly bow and entreat, solemnly make vows and undertake fasting and purification, expressing their intent in profound words; their mind and spirit turn toward Taishang’s pure altar, and they quietly contemplate the throne of Xuhuang. Immortal youths holding tallies and staffs stand in attendance, while attendant maidens burn incense. Since the matter has already been verified, how could one still hesitate, doubt, or misunderstand? Doubts melt like ice, and the first threads of principle appear. Having received such weighty grace, one feels the grace is like a mountain; remembering such deep kindness, one engraves it in the heart.

If those with affinity were recklessly to divulge it, or those who have attained the Dao were unwilling to transmit it, then any offense in this matter would invite disaster, and punishment could fall at every step. I point this out before the bright sun and make a pact with an utterly sincere heart; my mind trembles and I weep blood in gratitude, beyond what words can express.

I then told him: “Since you are so sincere, I will tell you the origin of life’s ceaseless generation. The root of a human being is the congealing of the male Jing (essence) with the female blood; within it there is naturally a Dao, and life arises from this. At first it is like a drop of water. The water now in the bladder is its remaining portion. Within water there is Qi (vital energy), accumulated and not yet attached to anything. Suddenly it resonates with heaven and earth; the quintessence of pure Yang true Jing enters the Qi and relies upon it. Qi then nourishes it, and this is called Shen (spirit).

Shen is exceedingly subtle. Although it receives nourishment from water and Qi, it must still be tended as carefully as watering a seedling: one fears that Qi may be too abundant and oppress it. This is like watering a seed so that its shell cracks, but one must not let it soak in water; if soaked too long, the seed will die. Next, the essence of the pure Yang true Jing within water transforms into the two kidneys. The two kidneys serve to correspond to the numbers of Yin-Yang; thus, with water between them, they lift up Shen and Qi, allowing Qi and the kidneys to interact and manifest Shen’s numinosity. This is what is meant by “Qi is the mother, Shen is the child.”

Once the root of the Dao has been conceived, the myriad things take bodily form. After child and mother have grown, they cannot remain together forever; the child must be made to leave the mother and go forth to create and form its own dwelling, and only then can the mother be settled. Shen still needs something to rely on before it can be led out of the mother; therefore one borrows the Qi of two points within water, following the number of the kidneys, and uses Yang light to guard and condense Shen.

Yet one also fears that water may be too abundant and that, with the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) insufficient, it will be unable to generate the myriad things; therefore one borrows Earth to control Water. One further fears that Earth may control Water to exhaustion, so one borrows Wood to control Earth. One further fears that Wood may control Earth to exhaustion…”

The original text breaks off here, with missing characters at the final lacuna.

Again, Metal is used to restrain Wood. If there is concern that Metal will completely overcome Wood, then Fire is used to restrain Metal; if Fire in turn completely overcomes Metal, Water is used internally to rescue it. In this way they mutually generate and nourish, mutually restrain and regulate, enabling the myriad things to take form.

The human eye is likewise so: it accords with Heaven and Earth and possesses the Five Phases. At the center of the eye is black, which belongs to Water; next is yellow, belonging to Earth; further outward is green, belonging to Wood; then white, belonging to Metal; and the outermost is red, belonging to Fire. These principles are all clearly manifested in the eye. After the five colors have formed, the Yang Shen (the yang spirit—the consciousness belonging to Yang) lodges in the eye and makes the eye emit light; this is called “Shenguang (spiritual light).”

The eye is connected with the liver because the liver belongs to Wood and is located in the East; the sun rises in the East, and its light is like that of the sun, so the liver can store, nourish, and govern the light of the eye. The Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture) says: “The liver spirit is Longyan, whose courtesy name is Hanming.” The commentary says that the sun rises in the East, hence the name “Hanming (Containing Brightness).” Shen is pure Yang; its movement unfolds and flies, revolving like the sun and moon in the heavens.

During cultivation, the Shenguang in the eye gradually rises upward and illuminates the external world; the eye is the hub of Shen’s movement, while Shen gathers within the eye and presides there. If one gazes with concentrated attention, the Shenguang gradually moves outward, and one feels that it has left the root to which it was originally attached. If one merely draws Shen out of the eye without allowing it to settle outside and enter into correspondence with Shen, this process of creation cannot be completed. Even when the “mother,” the root of Qi, leaves the “child,” it must still be nourished so that it grows and becomes stable; if one stops midway, both will be unsettled.

At this point one must also borrow Wood to generate Fire; Wood corresponds to the heart. The heart’s Qi must be made abundant so that it can bear Shen; the empty and luminous square-inch space within the heart is exactly where Shen may dwell. Shen is also called “Ling,” and therefore the heart is called the “Lingtai (Spirit Terrace).” Shen belongs to Yang and the heart belongs to Fire, so Shen can reside in the heart. This is like water tending toward moisture and fire tending toward dryness. The Daoshu (Daoist Texts) says, “The heart is the capital of Shen”; this is exactly what it means.

The reason the heart is more numinously bright than the other organs is that Shen dwells within it; it is not that the heart alone is inherently numinous and bright. Without Shen within, the heart is no different from the other organs. It is only that the heart belongs to Yang, and its momentum tends to fly and move, so it is not easily stabilized. If one can gaze with focused stability at the Shenguang in the eye, the heart will not move recklessly. This requires proficiency in Daoist cultivation; otherwise, it is very difficult to keep the heart undisturbed.

Going further, the liver, lungs, spleen, the Six Fu organs, the five body tissues, the nine orifices, hair, and so forth are all created and transformed by Shen…

The patterns of Yin-Yang transformation are probably modeled on the principle of the eyes: the eyes are where the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the five viscera manifest. In this way, after three times nine—two hundred and seventy—days, the transformations of Yang Qi reach their peak, and the human body becomes fully developed.

Yet Shen (spirit), the spiritual force that sustains life activity, after leaving its mother body, no longer returns to the place where it was first coagulated. This is because people gradually become infused by the five flavors—sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty—so that body and mind are no longer pure and still. Although Shen and Qi move together, they no longer nourish and complete each other; instead, they turn away from one another. Now that child and mother are separated, the root cause is probably that the body has not yet formed a dwelling in which Shen can reside, and its various parts are not yet complete; therefore Shen and Qi have no choice but to separate and generate themselves separately. Once each has become settled, they no longer respond to or visit one another. How, then, could child and mother be reunited according to the natural principle?

The scripture says, “The heart-mind is the horse of Qi,” meaning that wherever intention goes, Qi follows. Nowadays some people can occasionally make Qi reach certain parts of the body, but they do not know how to make it return to the root, to the place where it was first united. Cultivators of the Dao must not fail to pay attention to this.

The spleen is close to the kidneys, yet the black and red in the eyes are far apart; this is enough to show that conditions in different parts of the body are not the same. Although Shen generally gathers in the heart, it also lodges within Jing. Jing can nourish the body, moisten nature and life, protect the bone marrow, and make the bone marrow firm. In this way, if a person can live long, Shen can also dwell for a long time within the body.

When people encounter danger, their hair often feels cold and stands on end; this is Shen fearing that its dwelling is being harmed. If someone dies suddenly by violence while original Qi is still strong and has not declined, and it cannot return to the original source, that person may become a ghost lingering in the world and attaching itself to people. This is because the original Shen has not yet declined or become diseased, and the body’s functions have not yet been fully exhausted. What the ancient book Chunqiu says—“When ordinary men and women die by violence, their spirit-souls attach themselves to people”—describes precisely this situation.

For some who die by violence, although Shen and Qi gradually diminish, they have not yet fully dispersed; if a vigorous Qi then carries them away and causes them to be reborn as human beings, they may clearly remember events from their previous lives. Bao Jing remembering a well and Yang Hu recognizing an old ring are tales of this kind. When a child dies by violence and Jing and Qi have not yet fully dispersed, a similar situation may also occur.

What is called Jing is formed from the accumulation of bodily fluids and Qi. If Jing leaks outward because of bodily agitation, Shen cannot be at peace; if Jing slips away and is depleted, it also weakens Shen’s functions. When Jing is exhausted, Shen will decline accordingly, gradually becoming as faint as it was at the beginning. However, if heart Qi is strong, water Qi is abundant, the body is firm, and one’s diet of the five flavors is plain and simple…

In this way, Qi (vital energy) and Shen (spirit) no longer respond to each other. Subsequently, Shen has nothing to cling to or abide in; it suddenly departs and returns to the void. What remains is only the essence of the former true Jing (essence, the vital substance in the human body believed capable of transforming and generating life), which attaches to Heaven.

The phrase “the leakage of nature is not extinction” describes precisely this situation. The Book of Rites says: “Bone and flesh turn to earth; the qi of the hun-soul returns to Heaven.” Yuan Shen (Primordial Spirit, the root spirit that governs body and mind) is like a ruler, and the thousand shen (the spirits in the various parts of the body) are like ministers. Once Yuan Shen departs, the thousand shen lose their leader, just as a state without a ruler. The heart is compared to an emperor; once water qi loses the restraint of yang qi, it too disperses. When both Yin and Yang qi have scattered, the human body declines; this is death, and there is no consciousness.

People in the world all say they love the Dao (the Way) and cultivate the Dao, yet they do not know what the Dao actually is, or what it is they are to cultivate. Those who love drinking always know that wine is brewed from yeast and rice; those who love beauty always know what sort of persons Xishi and Luofu (legendary beauties) were; those who love wealth also know what gold, jade, precious treasures, and goods are. Moreover, rhyme dictionaries begin with the character Dong and end with Fa, containing tens of thousands of characters, with fanqie (a method of using two characters to spell out the pronunciation of one) marked beside each character, and everyone can recognize them. Yet when it comes to the word Dao, people are utterly at a loss and do not understand. Some say the Dao is emptiness, naturalness, cultivating the mind, and doing good, but they still do not understand the meaning within. Since they do not understand, where should they begin to cultivate the Dao?

In fact, the water in the human body is qi, and so it is said that “the Dao produces the One”; the “One” here refers to the water qi stored within the body. “One yin and one yang are called the Dao”—here it refers to water and fire. Once yang qi departs, yin qi will also scatter; then one cannot accomplish the Dao, and the person is about to die. Heaven and Earth are born from the Dao, just as the world emerges from the Dao; when the Dao departs, a person dies; when water dries up, fish cannot live.

What is called “yin qi as mother” refers to the root of yin qi within the body, not to external pathogenic qi. What is called “Yang Shen” refers to the essence of pure yang jing qi, namely Yuan Shen, and not to the shen of the five viscera and the various parts of the body. Yuan Shen can give birth to the three hun and seven po as well as the shen in all parts of the body. The Huangting Jing (Yellow Court Scripture) says: “The kidney spirit is Xuanming, courtesy name Yuying.” The commentary says that kidney Jing is like children, hence the name Yuying. Within the two kidneys, in men it is called the Jing Gate; in women, the uterus. Once the Jing Gate opens, kidney qi leaks out; not only will yang qi in the body be lost, yin qi in the body will also be exhausted. Therefore, the kidneys are where yin qi gathers, and the heart is where yang qi gathers. The generation and transformation of the myriad things first pass from yin into yang, just as all things grow from moist places. Jing also comes from within the kidneys…

The “child” it produces is also formed within the kidneys, so it has never left the kidneys. Broadly speaking, the Primordial Shen (Yuan Shen) in the heart—the governing spirit of the human body—also relies on the body and governs it jointly with it, and the three hun souls assist it as well. Those that truly and specifically do harm are the seven po souls, the Three Corpses (Sanshi; in Daoism, malevolent entities said to lodge in the human body and damage body and mind), and external yin-evil Qi; these injure the human body. Often, when Shen and Qi cannot resist them, the person dies; after death, the Three Corpses and seven po souls are then able to act without restraint.

The Primordial Shen is like a ruler, while the Three Corpses, the seven po souls, and their like are like ministers and subjects. This is the situation when treacherous ministers disturb the state and coerce the ruler. If one cultivates primordial Qi and strengthens the Primordial Shen, the seven po souls and the Three Corpses will ultimately be unable to prevail, and lifespan will naturally be extended, even to long life and immortality.

Some people do not die suddenly from illness; it is probably because the pulse occasionally flows unevenly and cannot reach a certain organ. Once that organ is already weak, the Five Phases then overcome one another in succession. When heart-fire is exhausted and the yang vessels are cut off, the Shen leaves the body, and the person dies. When the pulse is obstructed and blocked, there is also injury and decay within; only then does this situation occur.

Formerly, when Bian Que—a famous physician of the Warring States period—treated the Crown Prince of Guo, he called this “shijue” (a deathlike state of syncope): the yang vessels sink, the yin vessels surge upward, and the breath is blocked and cannot pass. Above there is a pulse image of yang Qi being cut off; below there is damage to the yin channels. When yang Qi is cut off, the Qi and color remain stagnant in the vessels, so the body is dull and heavy, as if dead. If yang Qi enters Zhilan and the viscera fall into syncope, the patient may still survive; if yin Qi enters Zhilan and the viscera fall into syncope, then death follows. All these conditions are sudden changes that frequently occur within the five viscera. A skilled physician knows how to handle them, while one whose medical skill is imprecise will be confused and at a loss; this saying is indeed reasonable.

Alas, when the eyes chase the myriad phenomena and the heart-mind is drawn along by all kinds of heterodoxies, the Shen is driven about and no one governs the body. This is like a house without a master; the state and its cities will also overturn and decline—this is only natural. If the master does not repair the house but only rushes about outside, the house will naturally decay day by day. If people understand the principle that Shen governs, as well as the operational relationship between child and mother, then the path of cultivating the body and attaining penetration can be seen.

If there is no master within the heart and one merely lets the breath go out and in, then the throat is no more than a passage for breathing, responsible only for regulating the viscera and digesting the Qi of grains; in the end it cannot cause yin Qi to return and yang Qi to revive, nor can it replenish the blood and brain. The breathing of ordinary people is also different from that of the Zhenren (one accomplished in cultivation). The Nanhua Zhenjing (that is, the Zhuangzi) says: “The breathing of the multitude is in the throat; the breathing of the Zhenren is in the heels.” The commentary explains that this is breathing issuing from the root; the book also says, “His breathing is deep, far-reaching, and long,” which refers to exactly this. How could this be easy to achieve? If one simply trusts one’s natural breathing…

This passage discusses the relationship among breathing, Shen (spirit) and Qi (vital energy), and the physical body, as well as the principles of Taixi (embryonic breathing) practice.

In the simple act of one exhalation and one inhalation, if there is no “Shen” (the human spirit or consciousness) to govern it, one cannot be said to have truly preserved one’s breathing. The Zhenren (Perfected Person) said: if Shen can steer Qi, the breath through the nose will not be lost—this is entirely correct. Going further, one should also swallow the saliva (mouth fluids, regarded in Daoism as a treasure for nourishing life) and, by intention, send it down to the “Qihai” (sea of Qi, the Dantian (energy center), roughly below the navel), so that it directly irrigates the “Linggen” (root of life).

Alas, people today do not understand what relationship exists between Shen and the physical body; they treat the two as opposites. A person can calculate all things in the world clearly, yet cannot reckon why one’s own Shen and body cooperate to bring a person into being. People remember only events after the age of three; before three, all is blank. If one traces and investigates to the very end, one can see with one’s own eyes the source of the union of Shen, the body, and Yuanqi (original Qi), and understand that they were never two separate things. Shen and true Qi are fundamentally one and the same body, differing only in name; therefore, simply by single-mindedly guarding and single-mindedly visualizing, one can return to the original truth—this is what is meant by “deep roots and firm stem” (roots sunk deep, stem firmly set, a metaphor for a stable life).

The so-called “Fuqi” (returning Qi) means returning to the place where Qi first arises, just as the Fu hexagram of the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) says: one yang line sprouts beneath five yin lines. The meaning of “Huandan” (returning elixir) is neither “subduing and refining” nor ingesting it as a substance—this is quite clear. Heaven is the starting point from which Qi is endowed; Qi is the foundation of bodily form: if Qi does not obtain the body, it has nowhere to rely on; if the body does not obtain Qi, it has no way to take form. Only when the two rely on each other can they blend into one. The sage knows that seeking outwardly brings no benefit, and so returns to the root and reverts to the source, practices Wogu (fist-holding: clenching the fists with the thumbs tucked into the palms) and Taixi (embryonic breathing: breathing inwardly like a fetus rather than through mouth and nose), illumines inwardly, regulates within the body, and harmonizes with the Qi of Yuanhe and the simple, uncarved great Dao (the Way), thereby entering the blessed land of immortality.

When Shen is peaceful, it can illuminate the five viscera; when Qi is peaceful, it can be applied to the four limbs. Daoist scriptures say: persist for three months in inward observation, concentrate single-mindedly, guard the one Shen, and the light of Shen will arise, winding around and protecting the five viscera. Ordinary people labor their spirits without pause and do not let Shen remain in the body for a single moment, yet they hope for long life—is this not far from the mark? If one can cultivate Taixi, then Jing (essence) and Qi will have a master; in men the seminal pathway will no longer be congested, and in women no pathological masses will form below the navel. In the workings of the transformations of the ten thousand things, nothing is more fundamental than Qi; in the workings of the perfected person, nothing is more wondrous than Shen. Within emptiness there is something, called Shen; within the dark and indistinct there is an essence, called Qi.

Alas, Shen and Qi: when they come, they are indistinct and hard to fathom; when they go, they leave no trace. It is very difficult to make them come, yet extremely easy to make them go. Therefore the sage grieves over this and cherishes them. Alas, people in the world so lightly disperse their own Qi, yet remain utterly unaware that they should attend to its preservation.

With people who do not understand Qi (vital energy), one cannot discuss Qi; with those who do not understand the primordial Qi (yuanqi, the source Qi of life in Daoism), one cannot discuss Shen (spirit). A person who understands Shen can therefore walk by relying on the great Dao.

The Yijing (Classic of Changes) says: “When Jing (essence) and Qi coalesce, things take form; when the hun and po souls wander and scatter, transformation occurs.” If transformation lacks regulation, people cannot attain long life. Therefore the Queen Mother (Xiwangmu) had golden ornaments and jade pendants, and Daoists revere Xuanyuan Huangdi’s practice of inner vision and the art of returning to the root; these things cannot but be believed.

Alas! The ten thousand things all have an end, yet Heaven and Earth can endure; common people die, but Zhenren (Perfected, those accomplished in cultivation and able to attain long life) can live long. All this is the working of the Qi of Yin-Yang interaction. If people can guard their own Yin-Yang, the Yin-Yang Qi can also protect them. Heaven and Earth have not perished, yet people die on their own—are they meant to rot away between Heaven and Earth?

When walls collapse and battlements are destroyed, they can be filled with earth; when old trees decay and fruit trees fail to flourish, they can be grafted with branches; when carts are broken and boats leak, they can be repaired with wood; when cauldrons crack and pots are pierced, they can be reinforced with iron. If a person grows old, vitality can also be restored by returning the Shen (causing the spirit to return to the root). These are all the teachings of the superior immortals concerning success and failure, gain and loss; they must not be left unknown.

The yang elixir can cause a person to ascend; the yin elixir can make the body light and able to rise. The yang elixir is the Great Return Elixir; the yin elixir is the principle of inner cultivation and return to the root. The Yellow Emperor asked Guangchengzi about the Dao, and Guangchengzi said: “Do not wear out the body, do not dissipate Jing and Qi; think little and desire little, and you can attain long life.” The most important thing in cultivating the Dao is to take Jing as the root and Qi as the stem. The scripture says: “One who skillfully nourishes the root of life like a numinous tree will not wither again.” The methods of cultivating the Dao by containing the true (preserving one’s true nature) and the techniques of regulation have their essentials transmitted orally, not written in books. As long as the mind is still and unmoving, one can resonate with things when they arise; eliminating all kinds of miscellaneous thoughts and practicing over time, so that outwardly one is calm and inwardly clear, one will eventually attain the Dao.

Yangsheng Bianyi Jue: Instructions for Resolving Doubts about Nourishing Life

Composed by Qizhenzi Shi Wu:

Primordial Qi has no fixed form; it changes and waxes and wanes with the seasons. The birth and death of the ten thousand things are all related to the flourishing and decline of primordial Qi. They exist within the natural order but do not know why it is so; what they receive and acquire are also under the covering and bearing of Heaven and Earth.

For things with form, one must first understand the root; once the root is understood, the principles of branches and tips can all be comprehended. Those who cultivate the Dao must first rectify the source; when the source is rectified, subsequent flows can all correspond. If one abandons the root and seeks outward, departs from the true source and pursues heterodox teachings, then even if one studies the Hundred Schools exhaustively and investigates all philosophers, one merely adds empty discussion and ultimately has no real efficacy in regulating and nourishing body and mind. One who has truly gained something will understand himself upon seeing these principles. Now, examining one by one the world’s ...

People who love the Dao (the Way) are too numerous to count. Although they know they should be tranquil and self-contained, they do not understand at all that within tranquility there is also a wondrous function; although they know to take emptiness and nothingness as the fundamental principle, they do not understand at all that within emptiness and nothingness it is not a matter of doing nothing. If one does not understand the wondrous use contained in emptiness and tranquility, but merely fixes the mind in silent stillness, or recklessly acts apart from the body and spirit, such practice brings no benefit and is not the correct path for nourishing life.

Moreover, Shen (spirit) dwells relying on the body, and the body is also maintained by Shen; if Shen disperses outward, the body is difficult to preserve. Some people take medicines made from herbs, plants, metals, and minerals to fortify the body, yet they do not know the properties of these medicines, nor do they examine methods for according with the four seasons and distinguishing taboos. Taken over the long term, these instead damage the harmonious Qi (vital energy) within the body; before middle age, diseases will occur one after another. Thereupon those shallow people all say that cultivating the Dao is merely catching the wind and grasping shadows, something impossible to accomplish; they in turn describe seekers of the Dao as incompetent people and true reclusive cultivation as heterodox side paths—is this not heartbreaking?

Someone therefore mocked me, saying: “I have heard that learning the Dao can bring long life. From my childhood to old age, I have seen more than a thousand Dao learners: some ingest Qi and abstain from grain, some perform rites to expel ghosts and summon and interrogate spirits, some purify the heart and reduce desires, and some cultivate immortality and refine their practice. Among people like these, I have never heard of anyone who truly did not die; after death they are buried in the earth, and people merely explain it under the name of ‘shijie’—a Daoist manner of leaving the physical form and transforming away. From this, so-called success in cultivating the Dao is probably nothing more than leaving behind numinous remains; it is not something that can be obtained through learning.”

Hearing these words, I could not help feeling pity, and my expression became dazed. After pondering for a moment, I sighed and replied: “What you have just said is truly shallow and deeply confused. Nowadays people who learn ordinary skills still have success and failure; how much more so with the root of the Great Dao, which is profound, mysterious, and difficult to describe—how could it be obtained hastily? The Great Dao does not favor anyone; when someone resonates with it, it responds. If you say that cultivating the Dao depends entirely on so-called ‘numinous bones,’ is that not taking the principle too shallowly?

“Ingesting Qi and abstaining from grain are practices praised by Daoists. If some people truly achieve something in their practice, there will appear effects such as not eating, the body becoming light and healthy, and ascending; then they say that their stomach and intestines have no residue, that they will soon ascend into the clouds and rainbows, that their bodies will become light, and that they sit waiting for phoenixes and immortal cranes to welcome them. Those who gather and consume medicinal substances cite Maonü—the legendary immortal maiden who consumed medicines and attained long life—as proof; those who cultivate breathing cite the numinous turtle as evidence. Yet they do not know that the true Qi is secretly being depleted, and that the Jing (essence) and Qi within the body are also gradually drying up…”

To cling to the principles of pine and bamboo and to stubbornly adhere to written words while losing the root—this is truly lamentable; is it not most strange? As for arts such as commanding ghosts and spirits and summoning and interrogating spiritual beings, these are all ritual affairs within Daoism. Even if one studies them to great depth and exhausts their true secrets, they are no more than empty fame external to the body.

Moreover, the Qi of Primordial Harmony (yuanhe zhi qi)—the primordial, harmonious Qi of heaven and earth—does not exist only in a particular period. Before the human form had appeared, it already existed between heaven and earth. When the scriptures say that it was born before heaven and earth, they are referring to primordial Qi (yuanqi). The primordial Qi in the human body is transmitted at the union of the parents; primordial Qi is also true Jing (zhenjing, true essence). Why say this? When Jing remains within oneself, the body can grow; when Jing is given to another, it can cause another to be born. By transferring this Jing-Qi outward and condensing it into the other’s primordial Qi, the other thereby takes form, while oneself is depleted.

The Neijing Jing says: “In the way of long life, what must be most carefully guarded is the matter of the bedchamber.” This speaks of its subtle application. Primordial Qi condenses and becomes Jing. The Jing within the body is the root of primordial Qi. If one can make the breath return and cause Jing-Qi to shift between the Upper Primordial (Shangyuan) and the Lower Primordial (Xiayuan), then draw in new Qi, after some time it can again be transformed into Jing. It is like taking cooked food from a pot and adding fresh ingredients: the cycle repeats without end, and heaven and earth cannot limit one’s longevity. When the Upper Primordial is full, the hundred joints become full; the old can regain vigor, and the middle-aged can return to youth. Such is the function of the Upper and Lower Primordials. If one can cultivate within one’s own palace chambers (referring to the cultivation sites within the body), regulating slowness and urgency according to the course of the meridians, and practice with care, one may hope to become an immortal; if one does not cultivate these palace chambers, death is certain.

People rely on Qi to live, just as fish live in water. The breath’s sinking and floating, its movement throughout every part of the body, can all be regulated by oneself. After a period of practice, the hundred joints become unobstructed, and the body becomes bright and warm like spring. Over time, one naturally comes to experience this for oneself. If there is any blockage or illness, focus on the Middle Primordial (Zhongyuan; a cultivation site in the body), visualize flame burning there so that the obstruction disperses; then Qi will flow freely of itself and the illness can improve.

The heart is the Crimson Palace (jiangong), the red palace where the heart resides; the Crimson Palace belongs to red and is like fire. Visualizing the flame in the heart pervading the whole body not only allows the breath to pass but also dispels evil Qi. Before each session of circulating Qi, one need only first visualize the flame once. The scriptures say that Guangchengzi accumulated fire to burn the Five Poisons; here the Five Poisons refer to the Five Flavors. If the Five Grains and Five Flavors are not first regulated, they may block the Qi pathways; but visualizing flame for too long can also cause restlessness and heat. Therefore, as soon as the Qi pathways become unobstructed, one should begin circulating Qi.

The method of circulating Qi is to settle the thoughts, quiet the heart and Shen, and allow primordial Qi to spread naturally throughout the whole body. The Qi will penetrate the hundred joints and pores…

The saying “when it is present, one can move it by intention” is like a worthy minister who is able to transform the people. How is this to be understood?

Qi in the human body is like a bamboo tube about one zhang long, with all its nodes opened through and sealed at only one end. If one blows into the other end, Qi enters the tube; the original primordial Qi already in the tube—the body’s source Qi—is pushed and flows out on its own. The inside of the human body is likewise: once thought and deliberation have subsided, the primordial Qi fills the whole body. When the primordial Qi circulates throughout the body, the body can peacefully enter meditative absorption. The specific method of entering absorption is recorded in detail in the Xiayuan Pian; practice carefully according to it and there will be no error.

Song of the Lower Primordial (Xiayuan Ge)

The method of aligning with the true Dao is light and ethereal, drifting and easy to activate; within what appears to be non-movement, there seems to be something lodged. One should know that both being and non-being can be transcended, and that both departing and remaining contain mysterious mechanisms. Such is the principle involved.

This chapter discusses the secret of regulating and nurturing the Lower Primordial—the Qi of the lower part of the body—and the essentials of aligning with the true Dao. It is actually not difficult; people merely force themselves to make it out as difficult. Light and ethereal, drifting, one can still remain peaceful and at ease; if one can make body and mind peaceful and at ease, clarify the spirit and cut off distracting thoughts, and let the upper, middle, and lower Three Primes—the Qi of the three parts of the body—all flow freely, then one is close to becoming an immortal.

The so-called “moving yet not moving” refers precisely to the Mysterious Pearl (Xuanzhu), a pearl-like image used in cultivation to symbolize the gathered Jing, Qi, and Shen. During practice, one should visualize within the Lower Primordial a pearl about the size of a pellet, brightly luminous, as if moving and yet as if not moving. “Lodging within movement” means placing attention on the lower Dantian—the cultivation locus below the navel—and visualizing a Qi Sea there, letting the breath finely circulate around the pearl. When the breath enters the Qi Sea, the pearl lodges within this seeming movement and non-movement and becomes the precious Mysterious Pearl.

When the Qi of the Middle Primordial pours into the pearl of the Lower Primordial, the primordial Qi becomes stable. Once it is stable, external Qi no longer enters and internal Qi no longer leaks out; the body rests securely and motionless, harmonizing with heaven and earth, and life becomes without limit. Even if heaven and earth overturn, I can endure forever in spontaneity.

The Yellow Emperor once sought the Mysterious Pearl in the Red Water. The Red Water is crimson blood-water. The Mysterious Pearl is as if within Qi and must be sought with the mind; once this pearl is obtained, life can be generated. Therefore one must realize “Wangxiang”—without thought or attachment. When the mind is free of distracting thoughts and one enters a secluded, self-forgetful state, the Mysterious Pearl can naturally be obtained.

If one wishes to know the method of transcendent ascent, the key lies in removing the calculative mind—deliberate scheming and attachment. Only when the calculative mind is removed can body and mind endure; when the calculative mind remains within, life will decline and perish. When the heart is pure and undefiled and one naturally dwells at ease, one can grasp the key to gain and loss. Such is the principle involved.

Postscript

Master Chonghe (Chonghezi) said: I began studying the Dao in my youth, and as I grew older I devoted myself even more single-mindedly to its study. Of the famous mountains under heaven, there was none I did not visit and explore; even when climbing perilous cliffs and traveling dangerous roads, I did not fear the hardship. Whenever I heard of a wondrous site, I would go there even if it was a thousand li away.

In the yiwei year, I came on foot to Yangu of Mount Qingcheng. The place was deep, secluded, and remote, stretching a hundred li inward, with pines and vines blotting out the sky. By chance I followed a woodcutter into a stone cave. In the cave was a Perfected Person who gave his surname as Li and whose origin was unknown. His hair hung past his waist, and his countenance was cold and clear as ice…

Xueyu bowed respectfully to me twice, his expression calm and peaceful. After a long while, he asked me where I had come from. I then recounted my long-held aspiration and the experiences of cultivation that came to me through karmic opportunity. Fortunately, I received the gracious regard of Heaven and was enrolled among them. Before long, another forty-three years had passed, and I suddenly received the “Art of the Three Primes” (Sanyuan zhi shu, a Daoist cultivation method connected with the Three Primes). If one cultivates according to its oral formulas, one can make day like night. After one ji (twelve years), one will often be able to ascend on one’s own.

This art is mysterious and again mysterious; it is difficult to explain fully even over several years. Its transmission to practitioners must take thirty-one years; if it is transmitted to unsuitable people, calamity and retribution will manifest.

Those who cultivate this way should gradually reduce the Five Pungent Vegetables (wuxin—usually scallions, garlic, chives, leeks, and asafoetida) and stale or foul-smelling things; they should not cut them off all at once. After one year, when the Qi is full, one will naturally stop eating. The essential point of cultivation lies in eradicating cunning and deluded thoughts; when thoughts cease, Qi (vital energy, the life-source energy spoken of in Daoism) comes without being summoned, and affairs are accomplished without planning. Through personal practice, one can verify one by one its marvelous effects.

Now I have annotated these contents, hoping that readers will no longer be confused in the future. Those of noble character who cultivate the Dao, please carefully preserve these oral formulas.

Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips from the Cloudy Satchel), fascicle 88.