《道法會元》Vol. 71

Before heaven and earth took form, the Dao already existed. The Dao has no concrete shape or color, nor does it possess emotions—it spontaneously gave birth to heaven and earth. The Dao of heaven is light and clear, while the Dao of earth is tranquil and substantial.

The Dao first created heaven and earth, which originally had no names. Later, it differentiated into Yin-Yang, established the Five Phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth), and placed humanity between heaven and earth as the most spiritual of all beings. Both humans and the myriad things are born from the Dao of heaven and earth.

The Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity) all originate from the same primordial Qi. Humans receive this primordial Qi, which endows them with spiritual awareness. This Qi, when present within the human body, is called the "Dao"—it enables communication with the celestial deities and the cosmos.

The truest manifestation of the Dao is this primordial Qi; there is nothing more real than this. The Ancestral Qi (the most original primordial Qi) grants spiritual nature to the human body. The Dao generates the One Qi, which in turn transforms into the three wondrous energies: Original Jing (essence), Original Qi, and Original Shen (spirit).

Though formless, these three—Original Jing, Original Qi, and Original Shen—truly exist. When properly cultivated, they reveal a genuine radiance of infinite clarity.

Thunder Magic (Leifa) is actually a transformation of primordial Qi, and all celestial immortals and sages originate from this true Qi. The primordial Qi within us is intimately connected to the Ancestral Qi, like blood relatives bound by deep kinship.

When the sincere heart is activated, it resonates with the profound mechanism of Thunder Magic. This mystical union of Shen with Shen is wondrously natural, like iron drawn to a magnet.

Authentic Daoist practice does not lie outside the heart. All incantations, talismans (Fulu), and diagrams must harmonize with the heart. When heart and spiritual awareness unite, that spark of numinous light can produce miraculous effects.

The Original Shen can directly transmit messages to heaven, like a beam of cold light piercing the Great Void (cosmic space), reaching straight to the Jade Capital and Golden Towers (celestial court). Heavenly blessings then descend like shooting stars.

Without understanding how to employ the Original Shen to summon celestial envoys, merely issuing commands to the sky is futile—how could the distant stars hear? Such efforts are as meaningless as idle chatter.

When golden light illuminates the Thunder City, a million thunder soldiers stand ready to obey. At this stage, neither talismans nor incantations are needed—drought can be relieved with rain, or rain cleared for sunshine.

Without comprehending the principles of Yin-Yang's opening and closing, attempting to perform rituals through external forms alone is like burning countless thunder talismans yet failing to summon a single drop of rain.

The key to subduing demonic obstructions lies in stabilizing the Original Shen. When the Sword of Wisdom (Huijian) is wielded, all delusions are severed.

When the spirit (Shen) is unsettled and deluded thoughts run rampant, ghosts and spirits will seize the opportunity to wreak havoc, bringing calamities. Those false talismans (Fulu) and incantations only waste vital energy (Qi) in vain—when spirits see them, they mock and toy with practitioners, even harming them by hurling stones or smashing tiles.

True cultivation requires grasping the primordial ancestral Qi (the most fundamental Yang energy within the body), which is the purest and most refined force. Only by refining away all Yin residues and impurities within the body, allowing the true nature to emerge, and undergoing the ninefold refinement of the Golden Elixir (Jindan) can one instantaneously complete the union of Yin and Yang, forming the sacred embryo (the highest stage of Neidan practice). Sadly, many cannot even distinguish true Yin from true Yang—it’s like mistaking water for fire. If the innate spiritual light (primordial wisdom) remains unlit, how can such cultivation possibly aid in the salvation of wandering souls?

The Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan), a crucial acupoint in cultivation, inherently contains both Yin and Yang, but the heart and kidneys are not simply a correspondence of water and fire. Practitioners must sharpen their vision and avoid mistakenly treating the heart as the Southern Chang Palace (another name for the upper Dantian). The method for universal salvation holds deeper mysteries: when golden light shines brilliantly, illuminating Mount Luofeng (the Daoist underworld), and the millet-sized pearl (a symbol of the inner elixir) hangs suspended in the void, the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji) will ultimately return to the source of the Infinite (Wuji).

Some neglect their own primordial Qi (innate energy) and instead vainly seek power from the stars of the Heavenly Gang—this is as laughable as riding an ox while searching for one. When summoning divine generals, why does the thunderous command ring out yet the true spirit (Yuanshen) fail to manifest? It is because the practitioner has obscured their own innate truth. The Heart Seal (Xinyin, the transmission of esoteric teachings between master and disciple) requires a true meeting of minds. Yet today, some carve wooden seals without understanding the mystery—the true Heart Seal of the ancestral masters should shine brilliantly, piercing straight through the nine heavens.

The profundity of talisman-drawing lies in this: a single spark of spiritual light condenses at the brush tip, transforming into sacred script. If one fixates only on the sandalwood (used in talismans) and incantations, the result will remain mere ink and cinnabar. The head of the talisman must be written in the primordial cloud script (ancient divine characters), the very script transmitted by the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (Yuanshi Tianzun). The mundane characters later devised by Cangjie, if used in talismans, will only lead to confusion.

Those who attempt to manipulate talismans through the mutual conquest of Yin and Yang, playing with black and red tricks between the heart and kidneys—how can such petty methods traverse the vastness of Heaven and Earth? Some claim there is light between the two kidneys, and fools stubbornly fixate there, hoping to commune with the divine. Yet they fail to realize this place is filled with Yin energy, a world apart from the realm of pure Yang. Others say the space below the heart is empty, but in truth, essence (Jing), Qi, and spirit (Shen) all gather there—why cling to the wrong location?

People often fall into confusion because they fail to recognize the true master within themselves. The gallbladder is not the abode of the Thunder God (Leifu), yet some mistakenly regard it as the source of thunderous power, stirring their breath to produce sounds—but how could shattering a glass bottle ever replicate true thunder?

Some erroneously identify the initial stirring of Yang Qi (Yiyangsheng) as the revival of earthly thunder, even taking the external reproductive organs as the dwelling of the Thunder God. These are places where filth and turbid Qi gather—even sages would struggle to purify them. Those who remain deluded will ultimately face the punishment of heavenly thunder.

The human body contains seven purely Yin elements: the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gallbladder, and the turbid Qi produced through exhalation. How could such murky Yin Qi (Yinzhuo Qi) be used to pray for rain or clear skies? The key lies in discerning true Yang (Zhenyang).

Bodily secretions—such as tears, saliva, essence (Jing), fluids, Qi, blood, and lymph—are all Yin in nature and of no benefit to cultivation. In truth, the body inherently possesses the mechanism of Yin-Yang harmony, yet few in this world understand this principle. If foul Qi (Hui Qi) violates the true vitality, some still claim that golden light resides three inches below the navel (Dantian), unaware that this very place may also accumulate turbid and impure Yin Qi.

Some mistakenly identify the space between the eyebrows as the Mysterious Pass (Xuanguan Yiqiao), insisting that penetrating three-tenths of an inch inward is the path of cultivation—a fallacy akin to mistaking brass for gold. Others regard the connection between the navel wheel and the kidneys as the primordial mystical site, though both belong to the realm of the acquired. The true primordial mystery can only be grasped through transmission from an authentic teacher.

Thunder arises without fixed timing, yet some attempt to predict storms by calculating the movements of the sun, moon, and stars—how could such shallow understanding ever summon rain or end drought? Heretical methods deceive the true path because many practitioners lack genuine insight, allowing Yin spirits to masquerade as divine beings—a consequence of lacking the governance of the Yang Spirit within.

Those so-called arts of summoning divine generals are fabrications of later masters. In time, even these false methods will vanish—how could mere talismans (Fu) and incantations be effective? The essence of Daoist practice does not lie in spells and charms (Zhou and Fu), but in aligning with the profound mystery of the Dao. If one attains the primordial Daoist wonder, the presence or absence of incantations becomes irrelevant.

The operation of the Great Dao (Da Dao) inherently follows primordial principles—talismans, spells, diagrams, and formulas are ultimately superficial techniques. The supreme Dao (Zhidao) is unfathomably profound; without grasping its essence, even the most refined spells are futile. All methods ultimately return to the "One" (Dao Sheng Yu Yi)—this truth is beyond doubt. It can be approached through Wuwei (non-action) or through deliberate practice, for all methods originate from emptiness yet give rise to the myriad phenomena.

This passage emphasizes transcending sectarian divisions in spiritual cultivation, focusing on practical realization rather than superficial forms.

In practice, there's no need to distinguish between the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) and Qingwei schools (two major Daoist traditions) - what matters is grasping the fundamental principles of creation (the workings of heaven and earth). Though each school's teachings differ, their cultivation all returns to the root of primordial Qi (original vital energy). The essence of practice lies in drawing near to the great Dao, for the human body follows the same patterns of Yin-Yang transformation as the cosmos.

Merely sitting in rigid meditation for years, imagining this alone leads to immortality while failing to understand the need for dynamic internal alchemy (Neidan) practice - where dragon's breath and tiger's roar symbolize the harmonization of water and fire energies within - such lifeless sitting proves ultimately fruitless.

Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism share the same essential truth at their core. It's like transporting unsellable goods from the Western Heaven (Buddhist metaphor) to the Eastern Land (Daoist metaphor) - in reality, this only exposes one's own shortcomings. How laughable that worldly people lack the wisdom to perceive this truth!

The mystery of drawing talismans (Fulu) resembles uncut jade hidden within rough stone - outwardly plain yet containing precious treasures within. The moon (symbol of Yin) in truth reflects the sun's radiance - from the crescent on the eighth day to the full moon on the sixteenth (symbolizing how cultivation must follow natural cycles).

Some practitioners share the same lineage and should guide each other through confusion. Those with spiritual faculties immediately perceive the profound mysteries, yet explaining these to the dull-witted only invites slander and anger, creating needless conflict.