《三洞珠囊》Vol. 4

In the fourth volume of the Sandhu Zhunang (Pearl Satchel of the Three Caverns) compiled by Tang dynasty Daoist Wang Xuanhe, a cultivation method called "grain abstinence" (jueli) is recorded. This practice involves forsaking the five grains and instead consuming the essences of heaven and earth to achieve immortality.

The text mentions a practitioner named Chu Boyu (courtesy name Yuanqu) from Qiantang in Wu commandery, who secluded himself for prolonged periods on Mount Huo to cultivate. Through "refining fluids and consuming rainbows" (a reference to Neidan/internal alchemy practice and absorbing solar-lunar essences), he abstained from grains for many years.

The grain abstinence method induces ten progressive bodily transformations: During the first two days, residual grain Qi remains in the body, causing a sallow complexion. By days three and four, when grain Qi is fully expelled, Jing (essence) begins to flourish. Days five and six bring Yin-Yang harmony. Between days six and seven, Shen (spirit) stabilizes with heightened sensory clarity. Days seven and eight induce bodily lightness and communion with divine consciousness. Days nine and ten complete spiritual refinement, strengthening physical constitution. Upon reaching the tenth stage, celestial guardians arrive to protect the cultivator, granting swallow-like flight and Dao-realization.

The text emphasizes Jing as the foundation of Dao cultivation. It analogizes: Jing resembles state ministers, Qi (energy) represents the populace, while Shen governs as the sovereign. Cherishing Jing-Qi constitutes essential practice. Quoting Laozi: "Dao manifests as Qi—treasure Qi to attain Dao; Shen manifests as Jing—treasure Jing to commune with Shen." As the wellspring of life, Jing demands the care reserved for precious jewels.

Longevity cultivation requires: daily nourishment following "morning satiety, evening hunger"; monthly cycles aligning with waxing-waning rhythms; annual patterns of "summer leanness, winter robustness." Centenarians moderate consumption; millenarians transcend desire. These constitute the elusive secrets of enduring vision (chang sheng jiu shi).

Excerpted from the Daoji Tunajing (Scripture of Dao Foundation Breathing), this passage details dietary regulation and Jing-Qi nourishment for longevity. Practitioners progress gradually—beginning with dietary adjustments, ultimately achieving grain-free existence and divine communion.

This scripture primarily discusses the relationship between diet and longevity in Daoist cultivation. The Eight Lords (legendary immortals) once said: Grass-eating animals possess great strength, meat-eating creatures display courage, grain-consuming humans attain wisdom, while those who practice Qi-feeding (absorbing cosmic essence through breath regulation) can reach divine states. The sages do not consume ordinary food, hence they achieve immortality.

The Yellow Court Scripture (Huangting Jing) mentions that immortal Daoist masters attain their abilities not through supernatural means, but by accumulating Jing (essence) and harmonizing Qi (vital energy). Ordinary people eat the five grains, while cultivators uniquely nourish themselves with the "Great Harmony of Yin-Yang Qi" (the balanced energy of heaven and earth), thereby achieving eternal life. The text emphasizes that abandoning ordinary food and practicing Qi-feeding constitutes the path to longevity, with the true treasure being the harmonization of Yin-Yang and preservation of essential Jing. Rather than pursuing worldly riches that become burial offerings mourned by others, cultivating immortality proves most precious.

The Scripture of Great Peace (Taiping Jing) further explains: Those consuming ordinary food have limited lifespans, while grain-abstainers can communicate with divine beings. Complete abstention from food and drink enables one to share the lifespan of heaven and earth. Daoist practitioners are divided into three grades: the highest feed on wind and Qi (breathing cosmic essence), the middle grade consume medicinal herbs, while beginners eat minimally to maintain digestive clarity. Since the celestial realm is infinitely vast, how could one swiftly traverse the heavenly Dao without feeding on wind and Qi? Advanced practitioners accompany divine spirits, thus consuming Qi; intermediate adepts cooperate with terrestrial essences (earthly spiritual energy), hence drinking without eating; novices eat sparingly, maintaining slight differentiation from ordinary people.

The Foundation of Dao Scripture (Daoji Jing) records that consuming medicinal herbs and wheat also constitutes cultivation methods—for instance, Master Gan Shi attained the Dao through Qi mastery and wheat consumption. True Dao-union practitioners neither sleep day nor night, shining like the sun and moon, free from hunger or thirst, practicing advanced breath techniques like tortoises and dragons. Grain-eaters may become "Grain Immortals" with extended lifespans, while complete grain-abstainers can ascend as flying transcendents. According to the inner biography of Pure Void Perfected Lord Wang Jun, the Supreme Ultimate Perfected Being stated: Those who rely on the five grains to sustain life...

This scripture primarily discusses dietary regulation and the ingestion of immortal elixirs in Daoist cultivation. Its core philosophy holds that through proper diet combined with spiritual practice, one may achieve longevity and ultimately ascend to immortality.

The text compares human life to a fetus dependent on maternal nourishment, emphasizing how the essence of the Five Grains sustains our vitality. Practitioners should align with natural rhythms, harmonizing Qi (vital energy) and blood through daily nutrition to gradually transform food's essence within the five viscera and six bowels. It specifically mentions "Southern Torch" (Nanzhu)—a celestial herb also called Monkey Medicine or Male Continuance—which grows on sacred mountains like Songshan and Shaoshi. As the king of medicinal plants, consuming it can prolong life.

The scripture details a comprehensive elixir-ingestion method: rinsing one's mouth with Hua Spring water at dawn, regulating breath to absorb celestial and terrestrial essences, combined with specific ingestion techniques to achieve the "Thousand Calculations, One Awakening" effect—where lifespan extends with each year of practice until celestial ascension. Those who strictly follow this method will manifest five-colored auspicious clouds around their bodies, enjoy radiant spiritual vitality, and may even attain such states as eating nine daily meals while maintaining unimpeded meridians, or fasting for a full year without hunger while rejuvenating physically.

Quoting warnings from other Daoist texts: The Scripture on Foundation-Building Daoists' Breath Regulation states that abstaining from grains must exclude alcohol, lest Qi channels become disordered; The Supreme Yellow-Silk Scripture of Forty-Four Formulas stresses that longevity cultivation requires abstaining from the Five Pungents (stimulating vegetables like onions and garlic) and renouncing wine and sensual pleasures—essential taboos summarized by ancient immortals.

Similar methods appear in texts like Secret Instructions for Ascending to Perfection (Dengzhen Yinjue), with minor variations in details but sharing the same core principle: coordinating dietary regulation with spiritual practice to nourish life, prolong years, and ultimately achieve immortality.

This scripture primarily addresses two key aspects: the prohibitions practitioners must observe, and the medicinal ingredients required for refining the elixir of immortality.

The text first warns that indulgence in wine and sensual pleasures is akin to hacking away at one's lifespan with an axe, essentially crafting one's own coffin. Only by abstaining from such physically and spiritually harmful behaviors can one embark on the path to longevity and gradually approach the realm of the immortals. The Scripture of Infinite Transformations and Birth (Wuliang Biansheng Jing) states that consuming meat and the "five pungents" (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, and asafoetida) causes the Shen (spirit) to withdraw from the body. The Golden Book of True Records (Jinshu Zhenji) similarly emphasizes that ingesting these five pungent substances destroys one's qualification for attaining immortality.

The latter section meticulously documents twenty-one precious ingredients for refining the "Supreme Eight Luminosities Four Stamens Purple Sap Five Pearls Crimson Life Divine Elixir" (Taishang Bajing Sirui Zijiang Wuzhu Jiangsheng Shendan), along with their poetic alternate names:

1. Cinnabar (vermilion, with the best quality from the Ba-Yue region)

2. Realgar (select only the translucent crystalline variety)

3. Orpiment

4. Azurite (a blue-green mineral)

5. Frankincense (a resinous aromatic)

6. Saltpeter

7. Amethyst quartz

8. Costus root

9. Milky quartz

10. True lodestone (magnetite that attracts mustard seeds)

11. Actinolite (a mineral medicine)

12. Mica (select only the luminous white variety)

13. Ceruse

14. Clove (the pungent variety)

15. Stibnite (ancient eyebrow pigment mineral)

16. Rock salt

17. Golden tooth stone

18. Sulfur

19. Dragon bone (preferably the variety that adheres to the tongue)

20. Tiger brain

21. Pearl

Each ingredient holds special efficacy in Daoist alchemical practice (Neidan). The scripture employs poetic epithets (such as "Crimson Mound's Scarlet Child" or "Dark Terrace's Cinnamen Blossom") to emphasize their sacred nature.

This scripture primarily records several Daoist alchemical practices and formulas for immortality elixirs, along with their effects.

Regarding alchemical practices, it mentions that twenty-four ingredients including white aconite, magnetite, and Taiyi Yuliang (a mineral commonly used in Daoist alchemy) can be combined to create the "Eight Sceneries Four Stamen Five Pearl Crimson Life Divine Elixir." Consuming just one liang (ancient weight measurement) of this celestial elixir will cause nine dawn lights to appear above one's head, make one's complexion glow like jade, grant the ability to perceive all under heaven, move freely through the Violet Void paradise, and reside within the Jade Purity realm (the highest celestial realm in Daoism).

Several immortality medicines are then introduced:

The "Taiyi's Method for Consuming Rose-Cloud Powder" records: Lush Fruits are the pearls of spring, Jusheng is the numinous substance of autumn, Red Dates are the summer cloud mushrooms, while Poria cocos are the morning-hidden embryos (referring to medicinal ingredients with special properties). When these five herbs are used in combination, they harmonize the Six Qi, nourish the hun and po souls. Those who master this method can become celestial immortals, reverse aging, become invulnerable, and extend their lifespan by ten thousand years.

The "Mysterious Water Cloud Blossom Nectar" (also called Cloud-Lush Vermilion Nectar), when taken in five ge (ancient volume measurement) daily, makes one's body emit fragrance and gives a childlike rosy complexion.

The "Taiyi Four Anchors Pill" nourishes the five viscera, strengthens bones, harmonizes the nine orifices (important bodily openings), and refines the three hun souls (Daoism believes humans have three hun and seven po souls), enabling one to live for ten thousand years.

The "Three Divine Dragon Bone" nourishes bodily fluids, protects the stomach and intestines, and turns white hair black again.

The "Taiyi Calamus Pill" (also called Ninefold Refined Primordial Essence Calamus or Prosperous Sun Mushroom) stabilizes the central origin, concentrates the shen spirit. Long-term consumption makes one's complexion as rosy as a maiden's while replenishing marrow and brain blood.

All these formulas originate from the Inner Formulas of the Nine Perfected of Highest Clarity Scripture. Additionally, the Great Cavern True Scripture records elixirs like the Ninefold Refined Frost-Snow Langgan Blossom Elixir, Return-to-Jade Powder, and Mysterious Water Golden Liquid - all capable of causing daytime ascension to immortality. There's also the Golden Elixir of the Immortal Mother (also called Queen Mother of the West's Halt-Aging Flight Elixir), which grants eternal youth and preserves one's appearance like a maiden when consumed.

The Purple Tenuity Blazing Light Scripture describes the Flying Elixir Purple Blossom Flowing Essence that can manifest a hundred colors, while the Flight Feather Scripture mentions Golden Essence Refined Ointment - a single mouthful extends lifespan by seventy thousand years.

The Sandong Zhunang (Pearl Satchel of the Three Caverns) records several precious medicinal ingredients and elixir formulas used in Daoist cultivation. It mentions that "Xuanqing" refers to black sesame oil, "Huiliying" denotes white honey, "Five Lights Seven Whites Divine Herb" is allium (a lily-family plant), and "White Silk Soaring Dragon" indicates milky quartz (a mineral), all of which are also documented in the Jiuzhen Zhongjing (Central Scripture of the Nine Perfected).

The elixir formula prescribed by the Later Sage Lord of the Dao (Housheng Daojun) contains fourteen rare materials, each with poetic names and corresponding substances:

• Ten jin of "Crimson Mound Vermilion Child" (cinnabar)
• Five jin of "Cinnabar Mountain Solar Soul" (realgar)
• One jin of "White Silk Soaring Dragon" (milky quartz)
• Five liang of "Azure Maiden Jade Damsel" (malachite, a copper-containing mineral)
• Five liang of "Purple Mound Patterned Marquis" (amethyst)
• Five liang of "Jade City Flying Blossom" (graphite)
• One jin of "Northern Emperor Mysterious Cinnabar" (saltpeter)
• Five liang of "Nine Numinous Yellow Youth" (sulfur)
• Five liang of "Five Essences Golden Ram" (actinolite, a silicate mineral)
• Five liang of "Cloud Splendor Flying Petals" (mica)
• Five liang of "White Tiger's Shed Tooth" (golden dental stone)
• One jin of "Flowing Cinnabar White Paste" (lead powder)
• Five liang of "Counterflow Divine Bone" (rock salt)
• Five liang of "Dark Terrace Lunar Radiance" (orpiment)

The elixir compounded from these ingredients was said to bestow immortality with just one liang (about 30 grams) of the finished product.

The text also describes an herb called "White Blossom" with twenty-four alternate names—such as Zhangju, Zhangming, and Herb of Eternal Life—symbolizing the twenty-four solar terms of the year. Consuming a cubic cun (roughly 1 cubic inch) of it seven times was believed to grant spiritual awareness and blessings.

The Wenshi Neizhuan (Esoteric Biography of Master Wenshi) recounts that when Laozi and Yin Xi, the Guardian of the Pass, journeyed eastward, they ascended the Ever-Sunny Mountain of the Solar Grotto. There, they gathered crimson fruits from the Fusang Tree and scattered vermilion blossoms from the Ruomu Forest. This narrative allegorizes their sacred herb-gathering practice.

According to the Sandong Zhunang (Pearl Satchel of the Three Caverns), Ge Hong (a renowned Daoist of the Eastern Jin dynasty) once traveled to Jiaozhi (modern-day northern Vietnam) to gather medicinal herbs. The text also records stories of several cultivators: during the 14th year of the Tianjian era in the Liang dynasty (Southern and Northern Dynasties period), a Daoist named Shuang Xizu (courtesy name Zhongyuan) personally journeyed to the Wuling Mountains to search for cinnabar and other medicinal materials. He used all the gold and silver he obtained—amounting to several dozen jin—to aid impoverished communities.

Regarding alchemical and incense-burning implements, Daoist scriptures provide detailed accounts: the Dongshen Jing (Scripture of the Cavern of Spirit) states that five sets of incense burners are required for alchemy; the Dadong Zhenjing (Perfect Scripture of the Great Cavern) describes methods for refining elixirs like "Cloud Root" and "Soft Adamant" using a green jade furnace; the Dengzhen Yinjue (Secret Instructions for the Ascent to Perfection) notes that ancient incense burners had no fixed form, with the most common being the Boshanlu (a mountain-shaped censer) and tripod burners—the Bawei Zhaolong Jing (Scripture of the Eight Majesties Summoning Dragons) specifically mentions the Boshanlu.

Major Daoist temples housed large censers. The Taizhen Ke (Code of the Supreme Perfection) records a five-foot-tall censer on the Chongxuan Terrace that perpetually emitted fragrant smoke; the Shengxuan Jing (Scripture of Ascending to the Mysterious) depicts celestial realms where jade maidens and youths attend seven-jeweled censers radiating boundless divine fragrances; the Haikong Jing (Scripture of the Sea of Emptiness) prescribes that practitioners must dress solemnly, hold censers reverently while bowing to the Celestial Worthy (the highest Daoist deity), and maintain minds free of distraction.

On alchemical practices: the Basu Zhenjing (Perfect Scripture of the Eight Purities) describes immortals refining "Soaring Elixirs" and "Cloud Cinnabar" in nine-cycle furnaces; the Tianwen Shangjing (Upper Scripture on Celestial Patterns) associates the placement of golden furnaces with cultivation—they could be positioned at the Li trigram (a Bagua direction) or the "Life Palace" (an acupoint).

The text also documents miraculous phenomena: when Dongxiang Zongchao (courtesy name Yilun) cultivated at an open-air altar, empty incense boxes would spontaneously refill with spices, and flame-less censers produced unceasing smoke; the Marquis of Linru, while en route to Yingzhou, specially gifted Shuang Xizu a set of censer implements; when Tao Hongjing (the "Pure and White Master") sealed the Sanzhen Baojing (Precious Scripture of the Three Perfected) in a tin box and deposited it in a mountain cave, he also enshrined a golden Quewei (magpie-tail) censer as an offering.

(Note: Terms like cinnabar and "Cloud Root" denote alchemical ingredients; Boshanlu and Queweilu refer to ancient censer designs; the Celestial Worthy and jade maidens/youths are Daoist deities; Li trigram and "Life Palace" relate to Daoist cultivation theory.)

Song Yuxian was a female Daoist from Kuaiji Shanyin (present-day Shaoxing) in Zhejiang. Though born a woman, she possessed an unwavering determination for spiritual cultivation from childhood. When she reached fifteen years of age—the traditional coming-of-age ceremony (ji li)—her parents arranged her marriage to the Xu family. On the wedding day, she secretly prepared Daoist ritual garments (the yellow cloth skirt and coarse robe being traditional attire for female adepts) and brought along a magpie-tail incense burner (the long-handled censer used in Daoist ceremonies). Throughout the six rites of marriage (ancient wedding protocols), she insisted on wearing her Daoist robes while holding the incense burner, completely refusing to perform any bridal rituals. This extraordinary behavior astonished relatives from both families. Ultimately, the groom's household could not accept this and had to send her back to her parents. From then on, Song Yuxian formally renounced worldly life to pursue spiritual practice.

The subsequent passage quotes from the Scripture of the Great Kalpa (Dajie Shangjing), which records how celestial jade maidens (Daoist immortals) would hold up the Luotian incense table (an offering stand) while grasping exquisitely crafted jade censers, burning the Nine Harmonies Incense (the highest-grade blended incense in Daoism). This citation uses celestial ritual protocol as a metaphor for Song Yuxian’s resolute commitment to spiritual cultivation, symbolized by her holding the incense burner.