《內丹還元訣》

The Essential Teachings of Neidan (Internal Alchemy) Return to Origin

This classic primarily explains the fundamental principles of Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, divided into two major sections: the Five Phases (Wuxing) and the Four Symbols (Sixiang).

The Five Phases System

Practitioners must first understand how the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) correspond to the internal organs:

1. The liver belongs to the East, associated with the Wood phase (Jia-Yi). It stores the Qi of the "Azure Dragon" (Qinglong). This Qi ascends through the left meridian along the spine, flows into the eyes to form tears (called "True Water"), and the remaining Qi rises to the left palate, known as "Golden Nectar" (Jinye).

2. The lungs belong to the West, associated with the Metal phase (Geng-Xin). They store the Qi of the "White Tiger" (Baihu). This Qi ascends through the right meridian along the spine, enters the nasal cavity to form mucus (called "True Metal"), and the remaining Qi rises to the right palate, known as "Returned Elixir" (Huandan). In Neidan texts, this process is called "Golden Nectar Returning to the Elixir" (Jinye Huandan).

3. The heart belongs to the South, associated with the Fire phase (Bing-Ding). It stores the Qi of the "Vermilion Bird" (Zhuque). This Qi ascends through three central meridians in the chest, enters beneath the tongue to form saliva, which, when swallowed, is called "True Fire." The remaining Qi rises to the right palate, known as "Divine Water" (Shenshui).

4. The kidneys belong to the North, associated with the Water phase (Ren-Gui). They store the Qi of the "Black Tortoise" (Xuanwu). This Qi ascends through the right abdominal meridian, circulates through the ears, and returns to the kidneys. The remaining Qi flows beneath the right side of the tongue, known as "Jade Pond" (Huachi). In Neidan texts, this is called "Divine Water Jade Pond" (Shenshui Huachi).

5. The spleen belongs to the Center, associated with the Earth phase (Wu-Ji). It stores the Qi of the "Flying Serpent" (Tengshe). This Qi ascends through the central spine, enters the lungs to form saliva (called "True Earth"), and the remaining Qi flows to the inner lips, known as "Yellow Sprout" (Huangya).

The Four Symbols System

This refers to the four core elements of Neidan cultivation:

1. Golden Elder (Jinweng) – Represents the Metal Qi of the lungs.

2. Crimson Maiden (Chanü) – Represents the Fire essence of the heart.

3. Infant (Ying’er) – Represents the Water essence of the kidneys.

4. Yellow Matron (Huangpo) – Represents the mediating Earth Qi of the spleen.

This scripture systematically outlines the correspondence between the body’s internal Qi circulation and the Five Phases and Four Symbols, laying the theoretical foundation for advanced practices such as "Lead and Mercury Alchemy" (Qian Gong Huangya). Practitioners must first master these fundamental relationships before progressing to higher-level techniques like "Reversing Yin and Yang" or "Employing the Seven Treasures."

This passage from the Neidan Huanyuan Jue (Formula for Returning to the Origin in Internal Alchemy) explains the correspondences between the vital essences within the human body and the Five Phases (Wuxing) and Eight Trigrams (Bagua), using metaphorical language to elucidate key elements of Neidan (internal alchemy) practice.

The first section reveals that the "Golden Elder" (Jinweng) actually refers to saliva in the lungs—a technical term in Daoist internal alchemy. When questioned why yin-associated saliva is called "golden" (a yang attribute), the text explains that upper-body saliva combines with yang substances like the "returned elixir's golden fluid" (a Waidan/alchemical term) and the "divine water flower pond" (referring to oral fluids), creating a state of yang above and yin below. This mirrors the celestial pattern where the pure yang sun contains the three-legged crow (associated with western Metal), hence the name "Golden Elder."

Next, the "Charming Maiden" (Chanü) is identified as the heart's acupuncture point. A question arises: since the heart belongs to southern Fire (yang) and its point is also yang, why use this yin-associated term? The explanation describes how upper-body yin saliva interacts with lower-body yang blood, creating yang within yin—analogous to the pure yin moon containing the Jade Rabbit (associated with eastern Wood), thus justifying the "upper yang, lower yin" naming.

The "Infant" (Ying'er) represents kidney essence (Jing). Though kidney essence is pure yin, male bodies contain this yin essence within yang constitution, mirroring the Bagua's symbolism where the Water trigram (Kan) represents male and the Fire trigram (Li) represents female—embodying yin-yang union.

The "Yellow Matron" (Huangpo) denotes spleen fluid ("true Earth"). Though both spleen and its fluid are yin, this refers to pure yin essence. The text then enumerates the body's seven treasures: saliva, water, spittle, blood, spirit (Shen), Qi, and essence (Jing).

The discourse continues with Qi circulation patterns: incoming Qi relates to the liver, outgoing Qi to the lungs; exhaled breath connects to kidneys, heart, and spleen respectively through specific sounds; emotional Qi flows differently—anger moves to the bladder, joy to the triple burner, while "grain Qi" refers to downward-expelling energy.

Finally, the Eight Trigrams correspond to organs: Liver-Zhen (Thunder), Gallbladder-Xun (Wind), Heart-Li (Fire), Small Intestine-Kun (Earth), Lung-Dui (Lake), Large Intestine-Qian (Heaven), Kidney-Kan (Water), and Bladder-Gen (Mountain). These correlations form the foundation for visualization and energy guidance during Neidan practice.